Though you may think that food only affects your physical health, experts know that what you eat impacts every system of your body…including your brain. Food can stimulate the brain and deliver vital nutrients, antioxidants, and vitamins and minerals that not only help increase memory and brain function but can protect against cognitive decline as well. If you tend to lose your keys on a daily basis or are always forgetting important details, you’ll want to add these foods to your diet to sharpen your memory today.
Why I Eat Coconut Oil and You Should Too
While it may sound counterproductive to eat fat to lose fat, coconut oil is an exceedingly healthy exception.
By now, you probably know at least one person who can’t live without having a jar of the stuff in the kitchen at all times, and there’s a very good reason for that. I don’t ever let myself run out of this tropical treasure!
For years, many people were under the impression that all fats were bad, but scientific research has revealed that simply isn’t true. All you need to do is take a look at the rather shocking statistics related to the skyrocketing epidemic of obesity in the U.S., and many other places throughout the world, to see that those astounding numbers began increasing just about the same time fat-free diets became popular.
The big difference between healthy and unhealthy fats
While some people still think the best way to lose fat is to avoid fatty foods, in reality, eating the right kind of fat will actually help melt that fat away. I am not talking about going to the McDonald’s drive-thru and ordering a couple of Big Macs and fries, of course. There’s a big difference between that and healthy fats found in unrefined, organic coconut oil.
So yes, that friend, coworker, neighbor or family member you know who is always touting the benefits of coconut oil is right: everyone should have a jar of organic coconut oil in their kitchen. While it offers a wide range of uses and benefits, one of the very best is to help eliminate stubborn body fat. Some health experts believe about 20 percent of our ability to lose excess fat is related to how much you exercise and other lifestyle factors, while about 80 percent of the is determined by what we eat. Eating more coconut oil and less junk or unhealthy foods can be the difference you need to achieve the body changes you desire.
Coconut oil is filled with MCTs or medium chain triglycerides. MCTs are burned as energy, instead of being turned into extra flab. Extra virgin, organic coconut oil is rich in lauric acid and caprylic acid, compounds that are well-known to be utilized for quick energy. They’re also great for boosting the immune system to prevent you from becoming ill – when you aren’t sick, you’ll naturally be more active too. The more active you are, the more calories you’ll bun and the less flab you’ll have.
The research behind coconut oil tells the truth
Countless research has been conducted on the benefits of coconut oil and its ability to help one lose fat. Research in 2009, published in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that a diet rich in monounsaturated fats was able to help people lose belly fat – even without a reduction in calorie consumption. Other research, also conducted in 2009 and published in the journal Lipids, tested the effects of consuming either two tablespoons of soybean oil or two tablespoons of coconut oil on women over a month. At the end of the period, the experts discovered that the women who took the coconut oil experienced a reduction in belly fat. Those who consumed soybean oil had an increase in belly fat. In addition to belly fat loss, the coconut oil consumers experienced a rise in HDL (the “good” cholesterol), while those who ate soybean oil saw an increase in LDL (or “bad” cholesterol) and a decrease in HDL cholesterol.
Research from Brazil looked at the weight loss connection between women who regularly ate coconut oil and discovered that it reduced abdominal obesity. A 1985 study, published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health demonstrated that just a single injection of capric acid (an essential component in coconut oil) resulted in “initially rapid, then a gradual decrease in food consumption and a parallel loss of body weight” in male rats. The experts discovered the reason behind this too. The capric acid provided a dramatic improvement in thyroid functioning, lowering the resting heart rate and aiding the body in burning fat for energy.
Have you ever visited the South Pacific? If you have, you probably noticed that people there tend to eat lots of coconuts, and coconut oil, but the majority tend to be trim and healthy. This is further proof that even though coconut oil contains fat, it’s the unhealthy polyunsaturated fats that aren’t found in nature that lead to an increase in fat, and those stubborn pounds. Things like cookies, packaged cakes, pastries and the like. Those processed foods are what are truly linked to not only our skyrocketing obesity problem but all sorts of other ailments.
Healthy fats like coconut oil reduce in-between meal hunger pangs
There’s another reason that eating foods that contain healthy fats like coconut oil can help you lose fat. They help keep you feeling full and satisfied longer as compared to other foods. It helps to curb those in-between meal hunger pangs and cravings for foods that aren’t so healthy, which allow you to naturally lose weight because you’re consuming fewer calories.
An important caveat to keep in mind
One thing that you should always keep in mind is that if you take in too many calories without burning them off, you’re not going to lose weight. That means that if you’re consuming a certain amount of calories and add coconut oil on top of what you’re already eating, you’re probably going to gain and not lose weight. Most people probably aren’t counting calories and only budgeting a certain amount of calories/food per day, so in those cases, adding coconut oil to your diet is likely to help reduce your appetite so that you’ll take in fewer calories overall.
What this means is that it’s NOT about adding fat calories to your current diet, but replacing other, less-healthy cooking fats like vegetable oil with coconut oil. You could also switch out things like processed creamer for coconut oil in your coffee. Coconut oil can tolerate high temperatures without being damaged, and it can add a tasty tropical flavor to dishes like vegetable stir-fry, eggs or fried fish.
-Susan Patterson
Do These 6 Things ( backed by science) to Drop Belly Fat
You hear a lot of things on the Internet about how to lose weight, drop fat, reduce the size of your belly etc…Many of these things you may have actually tried yourself with only moderate or no success. This is because many of these so-called “secret” fat loss techniques are nothing more than a fad. Some kind of ploy to get you to buy a special food, program, book or tool. There is more of this going on than you might realize. Buying into one of these weight loss scams and being unsuccessful can leave you feeling hopeless and frustrated.
The Danger of Belly Fat
Belly fat is more than just a nuisance that makes your pants tight and tears at your self-confidence. The bigger problem with belly fat is not aesthetic but physiological. The fat that accumulates in the midsection is known as visceral fat and is a serious threat to your health. Having this type of fat puts you at an increased risk of serious diseases like Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease.
There is, however, good news. While the scams will continue, it is hopeful to know that there are scientifically-backed ways to reduce the size of your belly. There are ways to reduce your risk of serious diseases and keep you from having to buy new pants. Here are some real and research-backed ways to look and feel your best.
Use Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is one of the healthiest fats on the earth. It is comprised of medium-chain fats that can boost your metabolism and decrease the amount of fat you store. Studies suggest that a diet rich in coconut oil helps to accelerate abdominal fat loss. In a study, obese men who took coconut oil daily for 3 months lost an average of 1.1 inches from their waists without making any changes to diet or exercise. Imagine how great the results would be if you combined diet and exercise with using coconut oil. Try taking 2 tablespoons of unrefined, raw coconut oil per day for best results and replace your other vegetable oil with coconut oil in cooking.
Eat More Fiber
Eating more soluble fiber helps slow food down as it passes through the digestive system while decreasing the number of calories you absorb from food. A scientific study on over 1000 adults found that for every 10-gram increase in soluble fiber intake, belly fat decreased by 3.7% over a five year period. That is good news. Great sources of fiber daily include flaxseeds, avocados, blackberries, and legumes.
Eat Plenty of Protein
Protein is essential for weight control. Eating protein increases a feeling of fullness and helps decrease appetite. Both are good things if you are watching your waist. In addition, protein helps raise your metabolic rate and also helps you retain muscle mass while you are losing weight. Studies show that people who consume a higher protein diet have less abdominal fat than those who consume a lower protein diet. Good sources of protein include raw nuts, wild-caught fish, free range eggs, hemp seeds and chia seeds.
Manage Stress Better
There it is again, that dreaded “S” word we all struggle with. Stress can really destroy your health if you let it get out of control. Even subtle, everyday stresses with our jobs, family, and relationships can start to chip away at our health and well-being, adding inches to our waistline. When we are stressed, the body releases stress hormones including cortisol, AKA, the fat storage hormone. Not dealing with stress daily can actually make your waist expand. Here are a few tips to help you reduce the degree to which stress in your life impacts your waistline:
- Exercise daily – not within a few hours of bed though
- Get outside daily – take a walk in nature – enjoy a flower garden or just stand in the fresh air and breather
- Take a warm bath before bed with Epsom salts and lavender oil
- Take up yoga
- Learn how to deep breathe – do this several times a day
- Spend time each day alone, collecting your thoughts, journaling, sketching or just being quiet
Stop Eating Sugar
Sugar contains fructose, and too much fructose can lead to dangerous health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and fatty liver disease. Studies were done on the relationship between a high sugar diet and increased abdominal fat and the results demonstrated that eating a lot of sugary food and drinks does lead to increased abdominal fat. To save your belly it is important to switch to a diet low in refined sugar and consume natural sugar, such as honey, in moderation. Be very careful of places where sugar hides such as in salad dressing, crackers, and cereal. Eating a diet rich in whole foods as much as possible is always the best option to avoid processed sugar.
Start Today
If you put these six things into action today, you should notice a decrease in your belly size in no time!
-Susan Patterson
How to Banish Forehead Wrinkles Naturally
You may want to turn that frown upside down. Along with several other things such as dramatic expressions, sleeping on your side, aging, smoking, or excessive UV exposure, frowning can cause forehead wrinkles. These face wrinkles are often virtually invisible to anyone else but could make you feel self-conscious. Plus, they could be a sign of skin damage and act as a wakeup call that will inspire you to start looking after your skin. Rather than hiding your forehead under bangs or a hat, try these simple, natural tricks to tighten your skin and reduce fine lines.
Eggs vs Egg White – Why Whole Eggs Win Every Time
For years, health professionals and nutritionists have been pushing the egg white as a healthier alternative to eating the entire egg. Unfortunately, this bad publicity for whole eggs and the prevalence of menu items such as egg white omelets has led the general public to believe that egg whites are a healthy way to eliminate fat and calories from their diet and reduce bad cholesterol.