Posted on Friday, February 20th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
That’s a tall order there partner, how can you do all those things at once? Learn from our Mediterranean buddies. For the last seven centuries or so the good people from the Mediterranean region have enjoyed better health and better skin quality than most other people around the globe. I personally don’t know if the men there snore less or not.
Studies conducted in the 1950’s and 1960’s sought out why the populace of that region were skinnier, healthier and lived a bit longer than others. The conclusion was that the traditional diet of the region was for the most part veggies, fruits, course grains, bread, beans and most importantly olive oil.
These studies revealed that the people there consumed more olive oil and virtually no other types of fats such as butter of animal fat. Because of this they had fewer cardiovascular problems, lower blood pressure and less oxidative damage to their bodies. This lower oxidative damage resulted in fewer cases of colorectal cancer, breast cancer and endometrial, prostate and pancreatic cancers as well.
In my last posting I talked of how the Flat Belly Diet rightfully included a daily dose of MUFA (MonoUnsaturated Fatty Acids) which increase our body’s metabolism, feelings of satiety (fullness) and make us feel happier by way of the serotonins they contain. Olive oil is by far one of the best MUFA’s on earth, olive oil has 0% cholesteral and contains anti-aging vitamins to boot.
Other unique properties of olive oil are its ability to dissolve nutrients and other beneficial substances from foods that our body’s are unable to dissolve and absorb.
It is great for keeping your body looking great both inside and out. Massage a little olive oil on your skin to promote a smooth and radiant complexion and to maintain your skin’s elasticity. Olive oil will cure your chapped lips, your brittle nails, and your damaged hair or slight case of dandruff. Lastly, it is said that a swig at bedtime stops you or you spouse from snoring.
Naturally, the most beneficial olive oil for your body is also the most expensive grade i.e. cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. This is also the most perishable grade so you shouldn’t buy more than you think you can use within a couple of months. For longer shelf life you could decant a little for immediate use and stick the rest in the fridge. It will partially solidify but will re-liquefy quickly at room temperature.
Olive oils from different regions have subtle differences in taste so be adventurous and try brands from Greece, Italy, Spain, Israel, or California. The best way to start reaping these benefits from this miracle food is to replace all the other fats in your diet with olive oil. The recommended amount to promote the benefits is about two tablespoons on a daily basis according to the FDA and the Mayo Clinic.
This is going to sound decadent, but I am going to infuse some olive oil with sun dried tomatoes and dried basil and dip me some sour dough bread in it for a quick snack. You all enjoy.
clink.
Tags: anti aging vitamins, better health, body, cancer, cardiovascular problems, cholesteral, diet, fat, flat belly, for, fruit, health, lower blood pressure, metabolism, monounsaturated fatty acids, nutrients, radiant complexion, skin, to, traditional diet, you
Posted in Fruits and Nuts for your Health |
Posted on Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
These diet fads are getting as obnoxious as internet marketing launches. My e-mail inbox this morning had every guru in the world blasting me with the most important launch in the history of the internet. And every home page I mouse to has numerous ads on how you can lose a lot of weight really fast with this new Flat Belly Diet. I really do feel like we’re truly overloaded with hype.
The Flat Belly Diet certainly over delivers in the hype department. Can you imagine a weight loss program that initially promises pound shedding results without the need for exercise? That’s what the media is touting; however in the book the author highly recommends exercise for faster results.
This diet is nothing more than a regurgitation of any of the thousand or so low calorie regimes with the misguided inclusion of the magical MUFA as the most effective belly weight loss miracle known to mankind. You can and will lose weight with any decrease in caloric intake or decrease in carbohydrates. If you reduce your 2000 calories a day to the prescribed 4 meal / 1600 calorie a day program, you are naturally going to lose weight.
The Flat Belly Diet starts you out on a grueling 4 day anti-bloat regime consisting of only a 1200 calorie a day intake along with the sassy water only liquid intake. Sassy water is water infused with lemon, cucumber, ginger and mint. That actually doesn’t sound that bad (the Drink). This jump start will allow you to lose weight pretty quick as testimonials from this diet’s fans attest.
This initial weight loss is achieved because when you limit the body’s intake of calories or carbohydrates, the body starts to burn its store of glycogen. Glycogen contains large amounts of water and by burning the glycogen in your body instead of calories or carbohydrates, you naturally lose weight by the reduction of water in your body.
The MUFA Magic
The Flat Belly Diet claims that the inclusion of a serving of MUFA every meal will magically dissolve belly fat. NOT. MUFA (Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acid) has no effect on the reduction of belly fat. They certainly didn’t find any substantiating studies to support this miracle. In fact belly fat, which is truly dangerous to your body as is all viscersal fat is actually better trimmed using basic exercise rather than any prescribed diet.
MUFA’s certainly do have their place in any diet plan. Some of the choices for this good fat in the diet are nuts, avocado, and dark chocolate. These snacks are some of the richest sources of serotonin on the planet. Serotonin is a compound we have in our brains that promotes good mood feelings and produces the satisfied feeling after we eat, i.e. feelings of satiety (fullness).
In weight loss an outside boost in serotonin levels can fake our bodies into thinking we’re full, thereby helping us with our reduced caloric intake we need to achieve the weight loss. That said I do believe that the amount of MUFA’s allowed in this diet may be in excess of the amount we need. Eating one avocado a day exceeds the recommended 10% daily intake of good fats. So inclusion of a MUFA at every meal, unless in far smaller amounts may be counter productive.
As I wrote in an earlier post, these diets may work in the short run but most always fail due to the constant chore of counting calories, or because of the way this diet will trigger your metabolism into shutting down and thus delaying weight loss after the initial spurt. Plus, these diets naturally make you feel hungry all the time and also make your body feel sluggish and tired.
Lastly, this diet is expensive, the book is $39.95 and then the online guide is around $15 a month. Save your money. Go and read my review on the Belly Off Diet which is about half the price and in comparison is more sensible because it includes a metabolism taming one day a week full calorie meal plan and includes an exercise component that works.
To your health, clink.
Tags: 2. weight, Belly, body, caloric intake, calorie, calories, diet, diet fads, diets, exercise, fat, flat belly, for, health, lose weight, metabolism, phatt, weight loss, your
Posted in Diet Plans |
