Shedding Pounds - The Wonders of Coconut Oil

Saturated fats have been in health bad books for the past 60 years.  Health care officials confirm that oils and foods containing saturated fats are hazardous to our health causing ailments such as elevated cholesterol, obesity, Alzheimer's and heart disease. However even with this knowledge, over the past 60 years the American levels of these ailments have hit the roof particularly compared to modern day primitive societies using saturated fat as a dietary staple. Rates of obesity and the desperate need Americans have for shedding pounds and embracing a more healthy lifestyle have also hit the roof. 

In multiple studies on Pacific Island populations who get 30-60% of their caloric intake from saturated fats have shown close to non-existent cardiovascular health issues. This is because the saturated fat substance they use is naturally made as opposed to man made.  So what is the oil they use?  Coconut oil. 

So let us learn today what the health officials and the media are not telling us.  The reality is that not all saturated fats are created equal.  Some SF's are created naturally such as in coconut oil.  However others are created through a process called hydrogenation.  This man made process manipulates the vegetable and seed oils by adding hydrogen atoms when the oil is heated.  This produces a rancid, thick oil that is purely beneficial only for processed food shelf life.  It is these type of oils that need to be avoided.

Many oils out there that have been rendered as "healthy" and "heart friendly" are actually not, as they are still being man made through hydrogenation.

Coconut Oil Facts

A dentist named Weston Price traveled through the South Pacific in the 1930's.  His aim was to examine traditional caloric intake and the effect it had on dental and overall health.  His findings were that those consuming foods and drinks high in coconut products were health and trim and certainly not looking for help in shedding pounds.

 Health Benefits of Coconut Oil

- Promotes weight loss when needed
- Promotes heart health
- Promotes a healthy metabolism
- Promotes a healthy immune system
- An instant energy source
- Promotes healthy skin
- Promotes thyroid gland health

So now your thinking, "How is this possible? Is there some sort of special ingredient in coconut oil?"  The answer is, yes there is!


The Undisclosed Ingredient in Coconut Oil

Lauric Acid is a fat that is rarely found in nature.  Dr. Mercola shared with his readers the importance this acid has on health.  He refers to lauric Acid as a "Miracle" ingredient because of it's amazing health promoting properties.  50 percent of the fat content found in coconut oil is lauric acid. 

The body converts lauric acid in monolaurin. This has an anti-viral, anti-protozoa, and anti-bacterial properties.  Monolaurin can destroy lipid coated viruses such as;

- HIV herpes
- Influenza
 - Various pathogenic bateria
- Measles
- Protozoa such as giardia lamblia.

Coconut oil contains the most lauric acid of any substance on earth!

But there is more that coconut oil has to offer.  It is 2/3 medium chain fatty acids or triglycerides (MCT's) and these also have major health promoting qualities. Now don't get confused because common vegetable and seed oils house long -chain fatty acids, which have poor health promoting qualities. Let's make a comparison.

Long Chain Fatty Acids

- Are difficult for the body to break down requiring special enzymes for digestion.
- Put more strain on the pancreas, liver and the whole of the digestive system
- Are largely stored in the body as fat (obviously if you are battling the need of shedding pounds, this is working against your efforts).
- Forms as cholesterol in the arteries

Medium Chain Fatty Acids

- Are smaller and pass through membranes smoothly.
- Digest easily putting less strain on the digestive system
- Sent directly to the liver and are immediately converted into energy rather than fat.
- Help stimulate the metabolism, leading to the shedding of pounds.
- Helps fight diabetes.  Coconut oil and simple carbohydrates share the ability to make quick energy but they differ in one important way.  Coconut oil does not generate an insulin kick into the blood stream. 

Shedding Pounds with Coconut Oil

People living in the US have close to a 70 percent chance of being overweight.  We all know by now how being overweight affects the quality of life and can bring on an array of health issues.  So how does this healthy oil help in shedding pounds and maintaining a healthy lifestyle?

- It helps stimulate your metabolism.
- It increases the activity of the thyroid.  (A sluggish thyroid is one of the reasons some people cannot lose weight no matter how hard they try).
- MFA's help enhance physical and athletic performance.

And, besides shedding pounds, other advantages to boosting the metabolism is that it increases cell generation to replace old cells.  It also enables the immune system to function better.

Naturally saturated fats and medium chain fats found in coconut oil are so health powerful that coconut oil is used in a variety of ways to promote good health in problem situations. Used in baby formulas and for feeding the critically ill in hospitals, coconut oil is the chosen product.  It is even used by health practitioners to treat aluminum poisoning and to assist those with digestive problems.  It's exceptional qualities make it useful to pregnant women and the elderly for various different reasons.   A truly healthy eating plan to assist in shedding pounds will always have recipes using coconut oil as a cooking agent.  Whether you are looking at shedding pounds or improving your overall health, embrace the use of coconut oil when cooking - it's a kitchen and healthy living must have.

Learn how coconut oil functions as an anti-aging skin care tool.

Shedding Fat - Fat Burning Skinny Foods

It's no longer a secret that shedding fat and unwanted weight gain requires non other than a healthy eating plan and regular exercise.  Not only does this method help you in shedding fat, but it's also the way to go for a continuous healthy lifestyle and eating regime.  Plus once you conquer this way of eating and living you will find that putting weight back on is a thing of the past.

Sharing with you today, I will tell you what major fat burning skinny foods will assist you in your efforts of shedding fat.  You might be surprised that these foods are also pretty much liked by most people, easy to incorporate into your eating plan, and also hold other nutritional benefits toward health and wellness.

Just about everyone I know and talk to about shedding fat and healthy eating has the same of several problems in which they struggle with.  One of those struggles is nightly munching. Whether it be at the computer, watching a movie or doing a favorite hobby - everyone, including me, wants and likes to munch in  the evenings. 

It's a good idea to have a wide selection of fat burning skinny foods on hand for nightly munching because it's the food your munching on that is important not the fact that your munching at night.  Finding variety is also a common stumper, so here is some fat burning skinny foods to add to your evening munch menu.

Cherries 

My favorite fat burning skinny food to munch on at night is cherries and here's why.

First off, we are aware by now that one of the best tips for successful fat burning weight loss, and healthy eating is to chew food at least 15-20 times before you swallow.  This allows the brain to sense fullness, and the pallet to taste the food for a longer period of time, thus increasing enjoyment of the food. Using this tip when you eat will alleviate the problem of feeling too full after you eat, as well as give you a more satisfied feeling because your pallet has fully enjoyed the taste of the food. Think of it as savoring every bite.

Cherries is perfect for this. It isn't possible to put several cherries in your mouth at one time because of the pits. Instead, one must take a bite of the cherry, remove the pit and then proceed with eating the other half.

The second reason cherries is my preferred night time munch food is that they have the lowest glycemic index of all fruits, and one of the lowest glycemic indexes of any carbohydrate source.  This means you can even snack on cherries in the evening without much detriment because their effect on insulin is minimal.

Add more variety to your nightly munching menu and go for cherries as one of your fat burning skinny foods.

If you are not buying organic cherries, then be sure to wash them well in vinegar and water to remove as much residue and pesticides as possible.

Cinnamon

You are either already aware of this spice for fat burning or you are a little surprised and quite happy because who doesn't like a little cinnamon right?!

Of course you know that no spice or anything else is going to miraculously burn all your fat, but cinnamon is definitely a fat burning skinny food to use as an assistance toward your efforts in weight loss and healthy eating. 

"Add cinnamon to your meal plan", says Isabel De Los Rios, and here's why.

First, catch up on a few facts about cinnamon and what recent studies show this spice is good for - aside from shedding fat.

Aside from those facts, recently several studies have found that individuals who regularly use cinnamon were better able to control their blood sugar levels throughout the day (diabetics and non diabetics alike). These same individuals also experienced a decrease in triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol. With high insulin levels being one of the biggest contributors to fat gain, it is beneficial for blood sugar levels to be controlled throughout the day, which further controls insulin levels.

So how much of this fat burning skinny food do you need to consume in order to encompass it's positive effects?

Of course the drug companies have jumped on board by offering cinnamon pills with the hopes that people will buy them and add them to their daily vitamin supplement intake.  But let's get serious, is it really necessary for anyone to go out and buy this particular supplement of cinnamon on a regular basis? Isn't it more cost effective, and by far better to use the purest natural  form of any food? Of course! If possible one should always adhere to a foods natural form and avoid supplements.  Natural is always best, and the proof of this has been made quite clear over the years.

It only takes 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day to improve insulin levels and blood sugar control. So, one certainly does not need a supplement for that!

A few ideas to encompass 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon in your daily eating plan.

1. Add cinnamon to the grinds of your morning coffee.
2. Add ½ tsp of cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick to boiling water along with 1 black tea bag.
3. Add cinnamon to your morning hot cereal.
4. Flavor homemade applesauce with cinnamon to taste.
5. Cinnamon Toast.
6. Spice up your chicken. Combine Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt, along with cinnamon to use as a spice rub.
7. Cinnamon Toothpicks.

Use this fat burning skinny food to spice up your drinks, meals, insulin level, and blood sugar, and accelerate your bodies ability to shed fat.

One of the more popular areas of the body in which many people are battling the bulge is the stomach.  With compliments of weight loss coach Josh Bezoni, here are some fat burning skinny foods to help with stomach fat.

Avocados

Loaded with two key nutrients to burning stomach fat.  One is hunger crushing fiber (11 10 17 grams per avocado), and the other is monounsaturated fats which "spot reduces" belly fat.

Seeds and nuts

Pistachios, walnuts, almonds (or almond butter), pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds,
and flax seeds are the best of the bunch.  They keep you full and satisfied for long periods of time, and they’re stuffed with healthy, stomach fat burning minerals.

Oil (Healthy oils)

Olive oil, coconut oil, peanut oil, and brand names such as Udo's and Barlean's actually aid in burning fat. 

Specific Vegetables

Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, kale and cabbage all hold phytonutrients, such as indole-3-carbinol (I3C), which help to fight against environmental estrogens that can add stomach fat.

 
Eggs
Eggs are not bad for you! They’re nutrient-dense and loaded with fat burning proteins such as vitamins B6, B12, A, D, E, and K, folate, choline, lutein, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc,
and omega-3 fatty acids. They also keep you full for long periods of time. Choose eggs
that come from free-range chickens to get more healthy nutrients.

Dark Chocolate
Eight times more than strawberries, dark chocolate is loaded with positive fat burning stimulants such as theobromine and caffeine.  Included in this is oleic acid (a monounsaturated fat).  Select dark chocolate with a 78% or higher cocoa content for best results.

Oatmeal
Packed with fiber and whole-grain goodness, you can’t go wrong. Avoid the processed high-sugar junk and stick to slow-cook oats. 


Green Tea
This I am sure you already know but I can't leave it out, as it is too powerful an entity.  Aside from a  highly potent antioxidant, Green Tea is linked to increased fat burning by boosting the daytime metabolism.  Green tea has recently joined the pet wellness world for it's properties of  L-theanine, which is an amino acid that offers a tranquilizing effect without drowsiness - highly suitable for pets suffering from pet anxiety or situations causing anxiety. Green Tea for Pet Anxiety

Beans
Black beans, navy beans, re-fried beans, and Lima beans all have 6 or more grams
of fiber per ½ cup. Fiber can clean your system of pounds of “toxic waste” and reduce
your stomach fat in a big way. 

Berries
Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are loaded with fiber (which slows
sugar absorption), and they’re packed with vitamins that can fight cravings, which can come from vitamin deficiencies.


Cinnamon
Cinnamon contains a type of antioxidant that increases insulin sensitivity and effectively helps to stabilize blood sugar which can help to store less stomach fat.

Chili pepper
The active ingredient in chili peppers and powder is called capsaicin, which increases calorie burning, is a potent antioxidant, and stabilizes blood sugar levels, which decreases fat storage.

Greek Yogurt
Most regular yogurt is loaded with stomach bulging sugar.  However Greek yogurt is packed with probiotics that fight against stomach bulge.  It also tastes better, is smoother in the mouth and has other properties that the body loves and needs.


Wild Salmon
No contest here that salmon is by far one of the best far burning skinny foods.  You get double for your money with salmon because of it's protein and high omaga 3 fatty acid content it heavily aids in shedding fat.




Turkey meat
White turkey meat or any lean protein source is a powerful tool for shedding fat.  This includes, free range chicken, whey protein powders, and grass fed beef, which contains natural CLA which is a fat in which studies have shown to burn fat.  Something about protein you may not know is that it will burn off 30% of the bodies calories after it is consumed.

Shedding fat is no easy process, however thanks to all the recent knowledge and hard working fitness gurus, we now have more to work with than just "a diet."  Along with regular exercise and a healthy eating plan, which can now consist of delicious normal meals and snacks using fat burning skinny foods, we are all one step closer to shedding fat and looking and feeling great. 

Shedding Pounds - The Reality of Whole Egg Consumption

Here we have a perfect example of how certain food products get labeled unhealthy, when all the while they are extremely healthy.  Many people mistakenly think that the egg yolk is bad for you and usually discard them.  Wrong.  The egg yolk is the healthiest part of the egg with huge nutritional value and properties that help with shedding pounds.

The Egg Yolk Nutritional qualities include:

1.  Antioxidant-rich

2.  Vitamin and mineral loaded

3.  B-Vitamins

4.  Trace minerals

5. Vitamin A

6. Folate

7.  Choline

8.  Lutein

9.  Yolks from free range chickens are loaded with Omega 3 fatty acids.

10.  Yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid of the egg.

11. Yolks contain all of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as all the essential fatty acids

Aside from the above mentioned, the egg yolk houses many more powerful nutrients the body thrives on, with one of them being the ability to assist in shedding pounds, which we will get to shortly.

So at this point most of you must be thinking, "But I thought eggs were not healthy because they send cholesterol levels sky high."  Once again, a common misconception.  

Let's clear this misconception up right now once and for all.  When high amounts of dietary cholesterol are taken in the body will naturally down regulate in order to balance things out.  If a person does not take in enough cholesterol the body will produce more because cholesterol has many important functions within the body.

First of all, when you eat a food that contains a high amount of dietary cholesterol such as eggs, your body down-regulates it's internal production of cholesterol to balance things out.

On the other hand, if you don't eat enough cholesterol, your body simply produces more since cholesterol has dozens of crucial functions in the body.

Facts of Interest

1.  Lately there have been studies released that show the consumption of whole eggs raises the good HDL cholesterol to a higher status than LDL cholesterol thus improving the overall cholesterol proportion and blood chemistry. 

2.  High cholesterol is not a disease.  Heart disease is but high cholesterol is not.  Once again the wrong information is partially due to drug companies propaganda to promote their drugs.  According to health  and fitness professionals, trying to lower ones cholesterol levels is not the right thing to do because cholesterol holds serious and vitally important functions in the body.  

3.  The real culprit in heart disease is  inflammation within the body, not dietary cholesterol.  The antioxidant lutein is most helpful for this problem as it helps protect the body from inflammation.  Lutein and other antioxidants are plentiful in egg yolks.

4.  For more proof that whole eggs are better for you than just egg whites, a study at the University of Connecticut demonstrated a group of men that consumed three eggs per day for twelve weeks while on a reduced carb, higher fat diet, showed HDL good cholesterol levels increased by twenty percent.  The LDL bad cholesterol remained the same.  Another group, eating egg supplements, or egg whites, showed no change and did not see an improvement in good cholesterol levels.

How about the calories in egg yolks?

Egg yolks do have more calories than egg whites however, they also have a high micro-nutrient density in those calories and this helps to regulate your appetite for the day, so you end up consuming less calories.  Plus, the healthy fats in the yolk help sustain levels of fat burning hormones in the body.  Yes we like those don't we!  In a nutshell, egg yolks assist in the fat burning process helping you in shedding pounds.

Recently I came upon a study of a group of people that ate egg breakfasts vs a group of people that ate cereal or bagel-based breakfasts.  The results of the study: egg eaters lost or maintained a healthier body weight, while the cereal or bagel eaters gained weight. 

I personally love eggs and have never really paid much attention to the high cholesterol talk.  I didn't pay attention because with my eating 4-5 eggs a day, for the passed I don't how many years, I have never had high cholesterol, and I maintain my weight as well as a low body fat content.  I have also noticed that when I have eggs for breakfast I am still not feeling so hungry at lunch time, meaning I am completely satisfied with a lovely, light and healthy lunch that is substantial enough to hold me til dinner time. When I have started my day with eggs I also don't feel the need to snack,  and as some may know snacking is one of the biggest culprits in preventing one from shedding pounds.  It is also one of the hardest areas of dieting to control.  Keep whole eggs in your diet along with a healthy but tasty eating plan and you will be shedding pounds by the mounds.