Tag Archives: MUFAs

Flat Belly Diet Boasts a 91 Percent Weight Loss Success Rate [Win a Copy of the Book!]

The Flat Belly Diet has made waves across the weight loss community. Boasting a 91 percent success rate, Prevention’s Flat Belly Diet claims to help users lose weight all-around, but it also seems to target fat loss specifically in the belly. In general, spot reduction is considered a myth, but The American Diabetic Association conducted a study that just may prove the opposite. According to the ADA and Prevention Magazine, eating large amounts of fat may actually help you achieve a flat belly- monounsaturated fats, of course!

The Flat Belly Diet works by prescribing meals high in monounsaturated fatty acids, or MUFAs. Foods that are naturally rich in MUFAs include fish, olive oil, avocado, dark chocolate, nuts, seeds, peanut butter and more. Another key component of the Flat Belly Diet is water consumption. Users are encouraged to drink Sassy Water which is enhanced with ginger.

Like most diet plans these days, this one offers an online weight loss system of peers and support for your journey. One downfall of the diet is that it blatantly de-emphasizes exercise. I have no doubt that there are people who lose weight without exercising but that’s really not the point. The benefits of working out are so numerous, and beside reaching a healthy weight, it’s important for your body to function at its highest potential which can only be achieved through an active lifestyle. The Flat Belly Diet looks like a fabulous system, but don’t neglect your overall fitness.

(more…)

Mediterranean Diet Can Lower Cholesterol

You’ve probably all heard about the health benefits of eating a Mediterranean diet, right? This diet that’s high in nuts, fish, legumes, fruits and vegetables, has been shown to even prevent type II diabetes and lower heart disease risk. According to new research, this popular diet can also help reduce cholesterol levels.

A recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that when researchers added monounsaturated fats (MUFAs, for short) to a low-cholesterol diet for patients with mild to moderate elevated cholesterol levels, the participants had an increase in their HDL (good cholesterol) and a decrease in their LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. MUFAs are found in nuts such as peanuts, walnuts, almonds and pistachios. MUFAs are also high in olive oil, canola oil and avocados (holy guacamole!). (more…)

5 Things to Remove from Your Diet Today

Store-bought cupcakes are guaranteed to have these five unhealthy ingredients.

Everyone from Biggest Loser trainers to Dr. Oz and less famous nutritionists will urge you to remove these five food ingredients from your diet. Today. Making a habit of reading food labels can make a meaningful difference in your weight loss efforts.

Know what is in your food, and make a conscious effort to cut out these ingredients:

1. High Fructose Corn SyrupA man-made sweetner with zero nutritional value. The list without HFCS is shorter, but a few examples include soda, fruit juice, cereal, condiments, cookies, pickles and even cough syrup.

2. Sugar – A cup of white granulated sugar has 774 Calories. You’d have to walk for 90 minutes or swim for an hour to burn that off. Don’t burn it off? It converts to fat. (more…)

The Low-Down on Fats

Fats, just like protein or carbohydrates, are essential and your body needs fat to function properly. However, too much fat can have detrimental effects on your body, initially being weight gain and could result in heart problems or cancer.

cooking oilFat serves numerous roles in the body:
– an energy source
– used in production of cell membranes
– helps hormone-like compounds regulate blood pressure, heart rate, etc.
– carries fat-soluble vitamins (Vit. A, K, E, & D) from your food into your body

Most foods contain several different kinds of fats, including saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and trans fats, and some are better for your health than others. Don’t completely eliminate all fats; rather, choose the healthier types and eat them in moderation.

Let’s break them down!
When choosing fats, your best options are unsaturated fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Replacing your unhealthy fats with the healthy ones you could see results like reducing your risk of heart disease and reducing your total and LDL-cholesterol. (more…)