Beyond Gorgeous

Fight fat with fats– the right kind of fat, that is.  Several clinical studies (one is in the May 2007 edition of “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition”) have shown that adding Omega 3’s to your diet, along with exercise, can give a major boost to your fat-burn.  The Omega 3’s give your fat-burning enzymes a poke and set them to moving faster and more efficiently.  Not only that, these particular fatty acids trigger your leptin production. Leptin is the hormone that tells your brain “I’m full.  You can stop eating now.”

In our western diet we get way too much of some fats, but not nearly enough of others, like Omega 3’s.  These fatty acids are found in the greatest amount in fatty fish like tuna or salmon.  You can also get them in walnuts, flaxseed, beans, and winter squash.

The trouble with eating fish is the danger of mercury contamination.  Pregnant women are now cautioned against eating fish and other folks are often warned not to eat too much. (Conflicting opinions on varying Web sites, of course.)  The other sources don’t give the amount you need, unless you eat a lot of them consistently.  You may need a good supplement to get the amount of Omega 3 you need to boost your metabolism.

Another word of caution.  Most Omega 3 supplements come from — you guessed it — fish. And so the mercury contamination danger is still there.  Frustrating I know, but we live in an extremely toxic society.  If you want to avoid being sick and fat, you have to work at it!  Check out the company that manufactures the supplements you are thinking about buying.  I’ll be doing a series later on vitamins and minerals and how to know if you have good ones, but in the meantime look to see what the company says about their purification process.

It’s expensive to produce high quality, natural vitamins and minerals, so don’t bother with the cheap ones.   I personally take an excellent Omega 3 with added D3 from a company that has the highest standards and who, unlike most supplement companies, have their own laboratory which you can actually visit.  Graduate students from nearby universities do their internships there, and the company spends millions on research and clinical trials. And, yes, their supplements are more expensive than the ones you get at Wal-mart.  However, I think that it is more cost effective to get the best, which works, rather than to buy something cheap which might do more harm than good.

Regardless of which way you get them, adding Omega 3’s to your diet will give your metabolism and definite boost, so it is worth checking out.  And the hunger control they give is a bonus!

Eating to live and living for Christ,

Susan Jordan Brown

Freeze your buns off?  Maybe not. But the latest research from several universities show that you have a kind of fat that actually helps your body lose weight when the temperature is cool.  It’s called brown fat, and is a different kind of substance than the white fat you want so much to shed.

It was once thought that only hibernating animals and newborn babies had brown fat.  Now research shows that adults have it, too.  It comes in small amounts, mostly at the back of the neck and along the spine.  It’s function is to keep you warm when the temperature drops.

How can it help your fat loss plan?  It is full of mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cells.  It burns calories like crazy and turns them into heat to warm your blood.  In effect, it burns up your white fat faster by sucking up the glucose to fuel its heater.

Brown fat is a fairly recent discovery, so the full implications for weight loss is still not sure.  However, tests done on men wearing hospital gowns in a chilly room showed their brown fat clicking on and going into active mode. The men burned more calories at a faster rate than normal. (The next time you are freezing in one of those paper gowns in a doctor’s exam room, you can take comfort in the fact that you are burning fat!)

Exercise, especially in a cool environment, seems to turn the brown fat heater on, too. One site I checked out recommended taking cold showers and soaking your feet in ice water to lose weight.  Personally, I think that sounds a bit extreme for an unknown quantity of weight loss benefit.  However, there is no harm in turning down the thermostat, especially when you are exercising. Drinking ice water won’t hurt, either.

Shivering, by the way, stops the brown fat furnace.  It is another technique for getting warm naturally and takes over when the temperature is too low.  And how you could keep from shivering with your feet in ice water, I don’t know!  But, again, it’s worth a try to cool things down a bit and see if it gives your metabolism a boost.  Won’t hurt — except perhaps on your air conditioning bill.

Just a reminder — all of the metabolism boosters in this series consist of easy things you can do to give your body a little push toward burning fat and calories.  If you have a serious amount of weight to lose, a nudge won’t do it.  You need to get serious about your eating and exercise plan.  If you are doing other things right, though, the little boosts can make the difference in how soon you see results. For most of us, the sooner the better!

Eating to live and living for Christ,

Susan Jordan Brown

The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.  Proverbs 20:4

Are you planning to start your healthy eating and exercise plan when life is back to normal?  Won’t happen.  Life is never normal. There will always be birthday parties and church camp and company due to arrive.  If you wait until your situation is perfect, you will never get started.  Like the man who won’t plow because it is cold and inconvenient, you will wind up without a harvest.  No healthy, fit body for you!

True, life gets in the way of our good intentions.  It may be that situations crop up to derail you.  That’s okay.  Make “healthy” your new “normal.”  When you get off track, get right back on the plan of eating a moderate amount of low glycemic foods and stepping up the exercise.  And don’t wait until next week.  Do it today!  You’ll be glad you did when you “harvest” new clothes in a smaller size.

Eating to live and living for Christ,

Susan Jordan Brown

It’s picnic weather!  Here is a deviled egg recipe that is very low glycemic and high in protein.

One dozen hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced in half.

8 oz. plain Greek yogurt.

1 TBSP mayo

Squirt of mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Mash together with the yolks and fill the egg whites.  You can also add

diced pickles, celery, or onion, if you wish.  In fact, if you have a favorite “secret” ingredient for your deviled eggs, feel free to add it.  It’s the base of Greek yogurt that makes this recipe lower in calories and higher in protein.

Eating to live and living for Christ,

Susan Jordan Brown