Surprising 3 Fat Burning Foods
I interviewed Mike Geary some time ago regarding nutrition and weight loss and he said that in all of his years as a professional Nutrition Specialist, he has noticed that most people are amazed to hear some favorite fat burning foods that are best for fat loss and maintaining good health.
You don’t want to be bored with all of the regular “healthy foods” you constantly hear about such as fruits and veggies… these are well known. I want to show you some burning fat foods that most people don’t realize how super healthy they are for burning fat.
1. Egg Yolks – yes, you’re right… The notorious fatty egg yolks with all of their fat and cholesterol. By the way, you’ve been mislead about the cholesterol in egg yolks — it actually raises your good cholesterol and helps balance proper ratios, so there is nothing to be worried about in terms of the fat and cholesterol in these little nutrition power packed gems. And if you prefer cage-free eggs from free roaming hens, the omega-3 content is higher with a more balanced fat profile.
Egg yolks are also one of the most nutrient concentrated foods on the planet in terms of minerals, trace nutrients and vitamins. Listing all of the vital nutrients in egg yolks would take up an entire page so I won’t even try that here. Just realize that egg yolks should NOT be avoided in favor of egg whites. Even the protein is more bio-available when you include the yolks!
So don’t hesitate and eat those delicious and healthy eggs and start burning stomach fat faster.
2. Avocados – This is yet another “fatty food” that is also one of the best fat burning foods and should be included in any fat loss diet! Not only that, but avocados make just about everything creamier and tastier. They are also power-packed with healthy antioxidants, fiber and fats, as well as vitamins and minerals. The healthy fat in avocados also helps control appetite and fat burning hormones in your body.
Try adding avocado slices or guacamole to all kind of foods from morning eggs, salads, sandwiches, and burgers, and start burning stomach fat much faster! I consider avocados one of the most healthy foods available.
3. Grass-fed beef – Most beef you see at the supermarket is grain fed beef from cattle that are in poor health, has low nutrition values,is low in omega-6 to omega-3 and its fat ratios are to the sky The good news is there is a better alternative… and that is Grass-Fed Beef!
Grass-fed beef is known to have much higher levels of fatty acids, healthy omega-3 and lower omega-6 fats (which most people get too much of anyway). Grass-fed beef also contains higher levels of many vitamins and minerals, as well as containing high levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is a healthy fat that is known to help muscle building and fat burning.
So don’t be worried to live it up a little and eat more beef, as long as you eat healthy grass-fed beef instead of grain fed beef. Enjoy and start burning more body fat with these so called “fatty” foods! Just think outside the box and understand that these foods are the real fat burning foods.
How The Foods You Eat Can Influence Your Cholesterol Levels
As a follow up to a previous article let’s go into detail about how the foods we eat can or cannot influence our blood cholesterol levels. The previous article about what you eat was influenced by watching a television program by which the host has to devour enormous amounts of food in a certain time period and often these foods have an extremely high in calories and fat among other things. You are left to wonder, “That can’t be healthy!” Hopefully that young man is not shaving years off his life for the benefit of our entertainment and TV ratings, but is he?
The scientific community has long debated over how dietary cholesterol (the foods we eat) affects the cholesterol our body naturally produces (also known as serum cholesterol). Numerous studies have concluded that in adult men the serum cholesterol levelis essentiallyindependent of the cholesterol intake over thewhole range ofnatural human diets. It was noted that it is probable that infants,children andwomen are similar. Serum cholesterol is a term that includes the total level of cholesterol that is found in the bloodstream. Measuring the level of total cholesterol includes identifying all types or classes of cholesterol that are found in the system. This helpful measurement makes it possible to determine if the balance between the HDL or good cholesterol and LDL or bad cholesterol is within acceptable limits. Dietary cholesterol comes from animal products in the diet, such as butter, meats, egg yolks, and dairy products. Blood cholesterol is the fatty substance that occurs naturally in the body and which is necessary for hormone production, cell metabolism, and other vital processes.
There are 2 main types of blood cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) as was previously mentioned. It is generally considered desirable to have high levels of HDL cholesterol and low levels of LDL cholesterol. Another component to add to this puzzle is triglycerides which are the chains of high-energy fatty acids that provide much of the energy needed for cells to function.Your liver produces your body’s cholesterol in fact your body needs cholesterol. However, there is a difference between the cholesterol made by the body and dietary cholesterol. The cholesterol that the liver produces is vital to strengthening the membranes of each and every cell in the body. The liver also processes the saturated fats and sugars we digest.
What does all this mean and what does all of that have to do with what we eat? Well, dietary cholesterol does contribute to your blood cholesterol levels. Excess amounts of foods high in saturated fats will raise blood cholesterol levels in some people, and contribute to the build up of plaque on the walls of the arteries and lead to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). These fats from the foods you eat make it to your blood stream and by extension to your liver for processing. One of the main jobs of the liver is to make sure all the tissues of the body receive the cholesterol and triglycerides they need to function. Whenever possible (that is, for about 8 hours after a meal), the liver takes up dietary cholesterol and triglycerides from bloodstream. However the relationship between cholesterol and the concentration of blood cholesterol is not linear. For every additional 100mg of cholesterol consumed up to a total intake of 500mg per day, there is a 2-3% increase in the concentration of blood cholesterol. In contrast further increases in cholesterol intake beyond 500mg per day have little additional effect on the blood level. But remember it is the bad cholesterol that will lead to a heart attack or stroke so it is important to maintain a healthy diet. If you have cardiovascular disease, diabetes or a high low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) blood cholesterol level, you should limit your dietary cholesterol intake to less than 200 mg a day. Your diet directly affects your heart health, especially when the diet consists of foods high in fat and cholesterol. Your body uses cholesterol for certain functions, but an excess can build up in arteries, restricting or even blocking blood flow to the heart or brain.
Now that young who entertains us by consuming a grilled cheese sandwich with 15 different kinds of cheeses or eating a 10 patty cheese burger with 3 lbs. of fries undoubtedly know what he is doing to his body and more than likely has a plan for offsetting all calories and fat he is ingesting, but don’t do that at home. That would like attempting to drive the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 200 mph three days after you got your driver’s license, it is not advisable. Foods that are high incalories and fat taken in their recommended portions are not necessarily a bad thing, but like all things they should be consumed in moderation. Remember you are what you eat, so maintaining a healthy diet along with exercise can keep your cholesterol levels in check, healthy cholesterol equates to a healthy heart and that means a long and healthy life.
Author: Raynard Thompson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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6 Natural Ways to Lower Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in all animal tissue, including humans, and is found in all foods that come from animal sources. The highest sources of dietary cholesterol come from egg yolks and organ meats such as the liver or kidneys.
There are two primary forms of cholesterol; low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) and high-density lipoproteins (HDLs). LDL cholesterol is considered the bad cholesterol because its primary purpose is to provide cholesterol to the cells. It is transported through the blood stream and tends to drop off along the way, clogging arteries and blood vessels, and contributing to plaque formation. HDL cholesterol on the other hand removes LDL cholesterol from the circulatory system and returns it to the liver which removes it from the body.
For people who have high LDL cholesterol levels the first thing their doctor will recommend is a cholesterol lowering diet. This can include eating low cholesterol foods and cutting saturated fats from the diet. But there are also other ways to help lower LDL cholesterol levels and those include:
1. Exercise – In the sedentary lifestyle most people live today it only makes sense that our susceptibility to disease is much greater. Just 30 minutes of exercise 3 or 4 times a week can significantly lower the risk for many major life threatening disease. So why does exercise lower LDL cholesterol levels?
The energy the body needs to exercise comes from sugars, fats, and proteins. After the sugars and proteins are burned the body turns to its fat stores which must be converted to a usable form of energy. To do this the liver increases its output of HDL cholesterol which circulates through the blood stream picking up LDL cholesterol which is converted into energy for use during exercise. Just like that going for a walk decreases the amount of LDL cholesterol in the body.
2. Eat a low fat diet – One of the interesting things about cholesterol is that eating foods high in cholesterol is not necessarily bad. While they should be eaten in moderation the big culprit in raising cholesterol is a diet high in saturated fat, from both animal and plant sources.
3. Eat more soluble fiber – Actually it is important to get plenty of both types of fiber, soluble and insoluble, but in the case of cholesterol fiber from fruits and vegetables is the most important. Soluble fiber removes cholesterol from the body by binding to it.
4. Red yeast rice – Many of the Statin drugs made to control cholesterol are made from red yeast rice. It only makes sense that taking it in its natural state would work to help lower cholesterol levels by its ability to limit the production of cholesterol.
5. De-stress your life – Being chronically stressed affects the levels of cholesterol in the body. In fact people who eat a cholesterol lowering diet but have a high stress level may not see any significant reduction in their LDL levels.
6. Smoking – If you smoke you better stop. Smoking increases the build up of plaque in the arteries, exacerbating the affects of high levels of LDL cholesterol.
Reducing high LDL cholesterol levels is vitally important in the prevention of coronary artery and heart disease. It is also important to work closely with your doctor to help insure that the steps you are taking to lower cholesterol are working.
To learn more about a Lowering Cholesterol please visit the website Lowering Cholesterol by clicking here.
Change Your Diet to Change Your Cholesterol Levels
Cholesterol is a soft way substance found in all parts of the human body. Some of the cholesterol is produced by the body and some of it comes from the food you eat. The body does need some cholesterol to function properly. Too much cholesterol can cause arteries to clog and can lead to heart disease. Maintaining a diet that is designed to reduce cholesterol levels can reduce risks of heart disease and lower cholesterol. Increasing physical activity and losing weight will help lower your cholesterol too.
Cholesterol can be found in eggs, dairy products, meat, and poultry. Egg yolks and organ meats like kidneys, liver, and sweetbreads are very high in cholesterol. Some shellfish are high in cholesterol but fish contains less cholesterol than that of other meats. Fat content of foods is not always the way to go to measure cholesterol in foods. Some times foods can be very low in fat and have high cholesterol content like liver. Foods of plant origin have no cholesterol like veggies and fruits.
To lower your high cholesterol levels you can limit your intake of fats to 25 to 35 % of the total day’s calories. Eating less than 200 mg’s of dietary cholesterol per day and getting more fiber in your diet can help to lower your cholesterol levels as well. It is still very important to get enough calories in your diet to support health.
A low cholesterol diet does not have to be hard to follow. There is such a huge variety of foods and ways to cook them that it would be hard to get bored. There are even many food companies that offer low fat and low cholesterol for people who don’t have time to put together large meals.
When shopping for food with your new diet in mind keep the following things in mind as well. Fruits and vegetables have no cholesterol in them. Lower the intake of saturated fats in your diet because these foods can raise your cholesterol levels. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils contain a form of saturated fat called Trans fats. They raise blood cholesterol levels the same way saturated fats do. Trans fats are found in foods like margarines, shortenings, and cooking oils.
Whole grains should be used instead of foods with white flour. Eating large amounts of carbohydrates can raise cholesterol levels, especially if you have diabetes. Buying low fat or skim milk dairy products instead of whole milk products can help you lose weight along with decrease cholesterol levels. Lean meats like turkey, chicken, or fish are better for you rather than eating red meats. Instead of using ground beef using ground turkey is a healthy substitute for hamburgers or spaghetti. Olive and canola oils are lower in saturated fats which can help lower cholesterol.
Another great thing to add to a low cholesterol diet is an herbal supplement. Cholesterol Control is a product that can assist the body’s normal ability to balance cholesterol levels. Using this product with the diet and adding exercise to your daily routine can decrease bad levels of cholesterol. This product can be found at Alternative Health Supplements and is all natural and perfectly safe to use with no negative side affects.
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Testing Cholesterol Level
Cholesterol is a substance which is found naturally in our blood and as a part of cell membranes. It is made by our liver but we can also get it with food we eat – animal products like meats, dairy fats, and egg yolks. Cholesterol is needed to make hormones and vitamin D. But cholesterol can also contribute to plaque formation in our blood vessels, a process called atherosclerosis and to increased risk of heart disease. In general cholesterol levels are largely determined by genetics – having a low level of cholesterol in our blood is natural and healthy but having a high cholesterol level can be dangerous.
To understand how cholesterol can contribute to atherosclerosis and heart disease, we should first understand where it is present and how it is carried around our body. Cholesterol is transported in the bloodstream with lipoproteins. Lipoproteins are special proteins of which two types are important in cholesterol transportation. High-density lipoproteins (HDL) transport cholesterol away from blood vessels (good for us), while low-density lipoproteins (LDL) can penetrate walls of our blood vessels, deposit cholesterol and form plaque (bad for us).
There are also other types of lipoproteins like very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), which are similar to low-density lipoproteins, but can more easily penetrate walls of our blood vessels; intermediate-density lipoproteins (IDL) like very-low-density lipoproteins, these also carry triglycerides and cholesterol; and chylomicrons which carry only a small percentage of cholesterol and are mostly rich in triglycerides (another type of fat).
High levels of LDL, IDL and VLDL lipoproteins contribute to increased risk of heart attack because these types of lipoproteins actually harm arteries. On the other hand, higher levels of HDL lipoproteins reduce risk of heart attack because these lipoproteins transport cholesterol away from the blood stream.
To keep cholesterol at safe levels we should focus on reducing LDLs while increasing HDLs. This can usually be done by taking care of what kind of food we eat. In order to know if we need to regulate our cholesterol level we should first measure it. For people older than 20 years it is advised to test cholesterol level every 5 years and adults over 45 years should have cholesterol test every few years.
The level of cholesterol in our blood is determined with a blood test. It can be done clinically or at home. There are many home cholesterol test kits available. Some tests measure only the total cholesterol level while others can measure also HDL and LDL levels. The cholesterol level in our blood is measured in units mmol/l. It is important to measure both types, LDL and HDL, because their ratio is also important – LDL to HDL ratio should be less than 4. Sometimes also the Cholesterol/HDL ratio is calculated. It is determined by dividing the total cholesterol level by the HDL cholesterol level and for most people this ratio should be below 5:1. The ideal Cholesterol/HDL ratio is below 3.5:1.
Normal cholesterol levels are the following:
- Total cholesterol level: less than 5.5 mmol/l
- LDL level: less than 3.5 mmol/l
- HDL level: greater than 1.0 mmol/l
- LDL to HDL ratio: less than 4
- Triglycerides level: less than 2.0 mmol/l
Cholesterol level can be lowered naturally. Foods rich in soluble fiber like fruits and vegetables, in particular citrus fruits and apples, have been shown to help decrease blood cholesterol level by binding it to fibers and thus preventing it from being absorbed into the body. Patients who have not improved their cholesterol levels with natural ways like with dietary and lifestyle changes can use cholesterol medications to regulate their cholesterol level.
Before investing in home cholesterol test kits, we should consult our doctor. Even when cholesterol testing is done by trained professionals in a lab, there can be significant variability in test results. The variability may be even greater with home cholesterol test kits, especially if we’re not fasting when we take the test. Home cholesterol test kits are widely available. They are practical, we can easily determine our total, HDL and LDL cholesterol levels in few minutes. However, we should be also aware of the accuracy of such home tests. Usually it is at least 95% but can vary. And we should also remember that home cholesterol tests don’t replace clinical cholesterol tests – nor do they offer an overall assessment of other risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Author: Jan Pascal
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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