Superfoods that Burn Fat

Avocados

Avocados are a power-packed super food! Not only is this fruit super high in monounsaturated fat, but it’s also chock full of vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, and antioxidants. The healthy fats and other nutrition you get from avocados help to stabilize blood sugar and insulin. I eat avocado toast for breakfast and it keeps me satiated until lunch time. Team it with Ezekiel sprouted bread and berries for an amazingly delicious and healthy breakfast. Avocados are high in potassium which helps to guard against circulatory diseases, like high blood pressure, heart disease, or stroke.

One cup of avocado has about a quarter of your required daily amount of folate, or folic acid, a B vitamin that plays an essential role in making new cells by helping to produce healthy DNA and RNA. This is extremely important for cancer patients.

Coffee Since I love my morning JAVA, (organic of course) this is great news. Drinking four cups of coffee each day can decrease the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes by more than half, according to a new study from University of California, Los Angeles. And more good news about coffee drinking—a 2011 study in the Journal of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research revealed that coffee consumption helped to prevent disease connected with free radicals. This is very important for cancer patients.

Wild Caught Fish, Grass-Fed Meat and Free-Range Poultry, Eggs and (Raw, Unpasteurized) Cheeses

I have written an entire blog on this topic. What an animal eats before you eat it, is of extreme importance to you. Commercially raised meats, including fish, poultry and livestock are fed a diet of corn and corn byproducts, soy and soy hulls, and discarded brewery grain, etc.

A similar diet is fed to farmed fish, and free-range (not pasture raised) poultry. Animals were not meant to eat grains and the grains actually make the animals sickly, creating a need for antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals. Antibiotics are also routinely given to cattle, fish and poultry in an effort to fatten them up and make them grow faster. All of this remains in the meat you eat.

Pasture raised, antibiotic and hormone free cattle, poultry and fish contain the highest amounts of nutrients possible, because these animals are eating their natural diet. Their fat contains more of the healthy omega 3 fats and other essentially fatty acids as well. Apple Cider Vinegar

Consuming vinegar before meals and at bedtime has been shown to lower post-meal glucose by 34%. In a study by Arizona State University, subjects took 20 grams of apple cider vinegar with 40 grams of water and saccharin. Their findings were reduction in blood glucose levels as much as 34%. Never use saccharin, use stevia instead which is a natural, plant based sweetener.

How does it work? The acetic acid in vinegar slows the absorption of carbohydrates into the blood and also slows the breakdown of starches into sugars. Vinegar increases insulin sensitivity, perhaps acting similarly to metformin, a common diabetes drug. There are many delicious vinaigrette recipes online, particularly on pinterest. Having a salad with dinner is more than great for your waistline, it’s great for your pancreas.

Nuts and Seeds Nuts are the perfect snack. The protein and fat in nuts helps you feel satisfied and stop cravings. Since nuts have no sugars, they keep your blood sugar stable. All varieties of nuts, except cashews, are extremely low on the glycemic index, so they are a great snack for those of you trying to lower blood sugar. The best choices are almonds and walnuts. Raw nuts or raw nut butters are the best choice. These products maintain the quality and nutritional content of the healthy fats that you will eat.

Olive Oil There are many benefits to a diet rich in monounsaturated fats like olive oil, coconut oil, and nuts and seeds. Be sure to choose organic, cold-pressed varieties since they maintain nutrients and are high in antioxidants. Extra virgin olive oil is made from the crushing and the first cold pressing of olives and has the heartiest, fruitiest flavor and most health benefits.

The Mediterranean style diet rich in olive oil has been proven to reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes by almost 50 percent compared to a low fat diet. Three other recent studies suggest that such heart-healthy effects from olive oil are due not only to its high content of monounsaturated fats, but also to its hefty concentration of antioxidants, including chlorophyll, carotenoids and the polyphenolic compounds tyrosol, hydrotyrosol and oleuropein—all of which not only have free radical scavenging abilities.

Olive oil varies greatly in taste and appearance depending on where it comes from. One scientist observed that the higher quality olive oils produced a throat-stinging sensation when swallowed. A compound in olive oil (oleocanthal), which is a powerful anti-inflammatory, actually works as well as medications like ibuprofen. To check for this anti-inflammatory, taste a spoonful of olive oil, and see how strongly it stings the back of the throat. The greater the sting, the greater the oleocanthal content.

Grass Fed Butter Healthy oils and fats are key to good health. Together they work as a team to supply your body with essential fatty acids for blood sugar stabilization, longevity, hormone balance, heart health, sharp vision, glowing moist skin and energy. It’s not the cholesterol and saturated fats in our diets that contribute to heart attacks, but a combination of high blood sugar and insulin from too much sugary, starchy foods, and eating highly processed, inflammatory vegetable oils, including soybean oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, safflower oil and canola oil.

Low fat and “artificial” margarine spreads are loaded with chemicals. They are advertised as “healthy” choices but are quite the opposite. I buy Irish Kerrygold grass fed butter and cheeses which are delicious.

Coconut Oil Coconut oil is the new superfood oil. I also have written an entire article on this which has extensive information on coconut. A helpful and easy read is The Coconut Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife.

Pure virgin coconut oil (make sure it is not hydrogenated) is actually one of the best options for cooking oil, due to its highly stable nature under heat. This makes it much less inflammatory to your body compared to other oils such as soybean oil, corn oil, or other “vegetable” oils.

Beans Beans (including black, white, navy, lima, pinto, garbanzo, soy, and kidney beans) are a terrific combination of slow-burning carbohydrates, satisfying protein, and loads of fiber that helps you feel satisfied, stabilize blood-sugar levels, and keeps hunger in check. Beans are inexpensive, versatile, and filling.

Dark Green Leafy Vegetables: Chard, Spinach, Baby Greens, Kale The health benefits of plant-based diets rich in leafy greens are numerous. Leafy greens are packed with magnesium and amino acids which lower blood sugar and control insulin. Magnesium is an essential nutrient for over 300 functions in the body, and leafy greens are one of the biggest sources of this vital nutrient. In addition to its blood sugar-controlling abilities, it assists in metabolism of carbohydrates, and reduces cravings for sugar.

Leafy vegetables are an ideal fat burning food, as they are typically very low in calories. They also ward off the risk of cancer and heart disease since they are low in fat, high in dietary fiber, and rich in folic acid, vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins, iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium, as well as containing a host of super-powered phytochemicals.

Greens have very few carbohydrates–which makes them very low glycemic–and lots of fiber, which make them slower to digest. So, greens themselves have very little impact on blood sugar.

Cruciferous Veggies Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables are also rich in potassium, which regulates glucose metabolism. Potassium is necessary for the beta cells in the pancreas to ‘sense’ elevated blood sugar levels, and respond by secreting insulin. Cruciferous vegetables are also particularly good at counteracting xenoestrogens in our environment. Xenoestrogens are artificial, chemical estrogens (a female hormone) that come from toxic chemicals in our environment, plastics, cosmetics, and food additives.

Xenoestrogens are powerful hormone disrupters and have been implicated in a variety of medical problems, and during the last 10 years many scientific studies have found hard evidence of adverse effects on human and animal health, including weight gain, obesity, and diabetes. Patients with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer should be especially aware of this benefit.

Garlic and Onions I love garlic and for me the aroma of cooking with garlic is an amazing part of meal preparation. Garlic and onions’ pungent odor and taste comes from their powerful sulphur-containing compounds. The primary ingredient is Allicin, known for its antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antioxidant properties.

Allicin, along with other powerful compounds in both onions and garlic have a profound effect on your circulatory, digestive and immunological systems, which helps to lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar levels, and raise the levels of HDL (good cholesterol) in your body.

Garlic’s health benefits come from fresh garlic (not powdered or in a jar). The potent chemicals in garlic are released when garlic is crushed, minced or chopped and sits for a few minutes.

Berries and Cherries Not only are they yummy, but berries and cherries contain powerful antioxidants. Berries and cherries are low-glycemic superfoods packed with powerful antioxidants, vitamins, fiber and little natural sugar. Their deep color comes from a compound called anthocyanin, which is a flavonoid antioxidant that has been shown to reduce insulin resistance and help control blood sugar.

Dark Chocolate Life is short…eat the chocolate. Sometimes you simply need a sweet, satisfying treat, and chocolate seems to fit the bill—but just remember, it does contain some sugar, so limit your treat to one or two pieces and make it dark and organic.

One of the major reasons that diets and other weight loss programs fail is that you don’t feel satiated and feel deprived. Life isn’t about that! It’s about changing your bad habits, and allowing yourself to indulge in small amounts once in a while. Integrating chocolate and in small doses into your daily diet, can help your fat burning, low-glycemic diet be successful!

Seaweed Multiple studies report that certain seaweeds slow down the processing of carbohydrates, which keeps blood sugar from spiking. Seaweed contains many vitamins and minerals, and powerful plant chemicals, but what may not be widely known is that it helps with weight loss. While many of the seaweeds studied are specific types of brown seaweed, you can also benefit from Nori wraps that you can find in a health food store or Asian market. I especially like to sprinkle Dulse flakes and sea salt on my avocado toast for an extra dose of Superfood.

Green Tea People have been drinking tea since ancient times and even today, it is still one of the most popular drinks in the world—besides water. Of the many health benefits of tea, diabetes prevention is one of them.

Through a complex biochemical reaction, tea, especially green tea, helps to sensitize cells so they are better able to metabolize sugar. A Japanese study published in the Diabetes and Metabolism Journal in 2013, found that people who drank 6 cups of tea a day were 33% less likely to gain weight, develop insulin resistance or Type 2 Diabetes. While black tea has many health benefits, green tea is the clear winner. Green tea contains higher polyphenol levels. In fact, if you were to go to PubMed.com and do a search for green tea, you’d find over 2,000 studies performed on green tea and its components. Other benefits include weight loss, cancer prevention, antioxidant activity, cognitive enhancement, general good health and well-being… and the list goes on and on.

Red Wine Yay! Okay so the consumption of alcohol and increased risk of breast cancer has been debated and debated again and again. If you consume alcohol, the key is moderation and stick to red wine. Red wine is rich in antioxidants and the darker the wine, the better the benefit. A small glass of red wine a day can actually help keep blood sugar under control, along with a healthy, low glycemic diet.

The natural phytochemicals found in red grape skins known as polyphenols can help the body regulate glucose levels, preventing potentially dangerous peaks and valleys in blood sugar levels.

A recent study on wine found that some of the antioxidants in red wine interact with human cells that are involved in the development of fat cells, energy storage and blood sugar regulation. These polyphenols are actually comparable to the same action that the diabetes drug Avandia controls. Moderate wine drinking—especially red wines has been associated with health benefits for humans. Moderate means a small glass for women, and two glasses for men.

In Summary, the thought to leave with is “eat the rainbow” to get as many phytonutrients from food as you can to keep your cells healthy. Superfoods are nature’s gift to accomplish this. The more we learn about these natural cancer fighters, the better equipped we will be to make better choices in our diet. Be Well!