Post Sponsored by Eat Know How

How can foods impact inflammation? Discover which foods work best for YOU!

Inflammation, (while part of a healthy immune response), is increasingly thought to play a leading role in encouraging a number of major killers, such as:   cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s. Dangerous chronic inflammation occurs when the immune system stays turned on and starts attacking healthy cells and tissues, or causing cancer genetic mutations, or the bursting of artery plaque.

What you eat, though, helps determine how much inflammation you produce. It is critical to realize the importance that Omega-3′s play in keeping at bay certain disease or in healing the body.  Doctor’s will also promote a diet rich in Omega-3′s after surgery or to reduce swelling after the body has undergone any type of trauma. Certain foods are inflammation-fighting and should be consumed in abundance (mainly plant or seafood) while other foods can promote and prolong inflammation (animal fats and white flour). Some recommendations:

GO FOR …

Omega-3 fats. These are among the BEST and most potent anti-inflammatory foods. Best sources: fatty fish like salmon, sardine, anchovies and tuna; walnuts and other nuts; flaxseed; and extra virgin olive oil.

Colorful produce. Red onions, tomatoes, broccoli, dark leafy greens, red grapes, ALL Berries, pomegranates, and oranges all are packed with chemicals called flavonoids that have anti-inflammatory properties.

Herbs and spices. Ginger and turmeric, cinnamon either dried or fresh, are among the most healthful spices. For herbs, sprinkle on some freshly chopped sage, rosemary and minced garlic.

Peanuts, Chocolate, Red wine. Red wine has anti-inflammatory chemicals like resveratrol. Dark chocolate,  at 70% or higher cacao which protects against inflammation. Great News for the research suggests that hot cocoa will also benefit the body’s health. Eat the peanuts right out of the shell in order to maximize reseveratrol intake.

REDUCE  …

Animal fats. Foods high in whole milk dairy are:  cheese, butter, margarine, ice cream.  Additionally:  egg yolks,  red meat, poultry skin,   All which contain high amounts of arachidonic acid, a molecule used by the body to create inflammation.

Omega-6 fats. While Omega 3 fats make a healthy impact on your body, it’s been found that Omega 6′s  trigger the body to produce pro-inflammatory chemicals. Oils rich in omega-6 fats include corn, safflower, and vegetable oils; mayonnaise; and many salad dressings.

Trans fats. Thanks to much research and the FDA getting behind the 8-Ball, trans-fats are all but gone from packaged foods as research shows they drive inflammation. Now they’re on nutrition labels, so they’re easier to avoid.

Rancid fats. CRITICAL to anyone who leaves the kitchen “to check on something” only to return and find that they have heated oil to the point that it’s smoking.  Besides the fact that smoking oil changes the flavor of a dish, it oxidizes fats and turns them into inflammation boosters. Also, avoid old peanut butter and any old chocolate stashed away for years in your pantry.

White starches. Flour, sugar, white rice, and instant mashed potatoes, for example, all cause quick spikes in blood sugar levels, causing the production of advanced glycation end products that spur inflammation.

Excess alcohol. Avoid drinking more than one or two alcoholic beverages a day; too much alcohol can cause changes in the intestinal lining, allowing bacteria to pass through into the bloodstream, triggering inflammation.

This Post Sponsored by Eat Know How

Personalize Weight Results in 5 Easy Steps

To burn fat around your waist there are some easy habits and exercises you can start today. Your body is genetically programmed to store fat around the waist area. Some people tend to have a harder time keeping fat off their waist. With simple lifestyle changes and enjoyable exercise choices you will be able to lose a few inches off your waist by burning fat with noticeable results in a months time.

Step 1
The easiest way to start to burn waist fat is to cut out the excess fat currently in your diet. Concentrate on the fat already stored in your waist, not on new fat. Eliminate fast food. Easy to make Recipes can be made at home were you can the ingredients. Include fish into your diet 3 times a week and aim for adding lean meat, beans or soy into your menu plan. Minimize the amount of cheese to 1 ounce per day. Reduce other high fat dairy products you eat including changing from 2% milk to skim milk. Eliminate fried foods and salty snacks!!!

Step 2
Watch what you are drinking. ADD WATER, Reduce wine and beer to one glass a day, Eliminate all soda’s and juices (100% juice is okay) from your daily nutritional intake.  The sugars and added ingredients in soda’s are not good for your body and since your body can not use them the SUGARS (sucrase) ARE STORED AS FAT.

Step 3
Replace white breads in your diet with whole grain bread. Replace plain pasta with whole grain pasta. Only eat whole grain cereals.  You body converts white breads to sugar, which in turn will result in added waist fat. Opt for more vegetables and fruits when making your Grocery Shopping List for Weightloss in 5 Tips

Step 4

If you are not already doing so, start some general moderate exercise. Exercise 4-5 times per week. The exercise should include 20 minutes of cardio such as hill climbing, jogging, biking, swimming, hiking, etc. The general exercise will balance your input of calories and stop the addition of new waist fat. Walk 20-30 minutes per day.

Step 5
Concentrate on core exercises. Do a core workout for 15 to 20 minutes every 3rd day. You will not need any more than this to quickly reduce waist fat. Do not increase the frequency of the core exercises, give your body time to recover. There are many great core workouts out there or you can develop your own routine. Core workouts include sit-ups, leg lifts, and mason-twists. There are many other exercises that concentrate on the waist to the mid-section of the torso.

IMPORTANT: Document in a journal:
Weight
Waist Circumference (passed around waist and over belly button)
Daily Exercise
Drinks
Foods for the day (include condiments.) Read more Tips to Modify Recipes

Exercising your core as little as 30-45 minutes per week, along with the diet changes are the keys to burn waist fat.               BELIEVE that you will succeed!

Kim Crocker

References

A comparison of the effects of swimming and walking on body weight, fat distribution, lipids, glucose, and insulin in older women-the Sedentary Women Exercise Adherence Trial 2.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20197194

Effect of nutritional counselling and nutritional plus exercise counselling in overweight adults: a randomized trial in multidisciplinary primary care practice. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20026554

Modification effects of physical activity and protein intake on heritability of body size and composition. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19710197

By Lorena Mora-Mowry

In OPEN MIC today we have Kim Scardicchio a dietician and author of  EatKnowHow.com. Kim is in Florence, Italy working as a consultant in Childrens Nutrition at the International school of Florence.

Additionally, she is researching the benefits of the Tuscan Kitchen including Chianti wines, New Extra Virgin Olive Oil, cheese and wild game.

In the first part of the interview you will learn more about Kim`s experience in working in Tuscany, Italy.

To hear the interviews, please click PLAY.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

In the second part of the interview, Kim shares her Holiday Eating tips to ensure weight maintenance.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

To learn more about Eat Know How, please click here.

Dear Oprah,

I just heard the news that you are mad; you have fallen off the wagon. You have gained 40 pounds, and now your weight is 200 pounds.

You don’t need to despair. It’s not a big deal! You just need to see life, as we Latinas do, like a Salsa dance. For us, living in the United States is like dancing salsa. Sometimes we step forward, sometimes we step backwards, sometimes we do a circle, get dizzy and repeat.

From a Latina’s perspective, those numbers are part of life. Just imagine, I came to the United States with a 40 pound suitcase after leaving my parents with 40 angry faces and arriving with 200 questions in my head.

I took my chances, I came and I have moved 200 steps forward but I have fallen 40 times for being frustrated because of my accent not being understood. I have knocked on more than 40 doors and they have closed because it’s difficult to understand why I should write about how a Latina sees life.

But it’s okay. I take it as my Salsa dance. I have been told more than 40 times that I should blend in. I have tried to blend in 200 times, but still I have moved backward because I don`t think before talking or I keep interrupting people, as if I have a very important thing to say. I have tried very hard, but the problem is that my Latina voice has so much to say and wants to be heard just as it is.

You just have to see 40 or 200 simply as numbers. That’s a Latina perspective: numbers help us to see
life like dancing salsa. Sometimes stepping forward and sometimes stepping backwards.

Don’t worry; Life needs to be taken one step at a time.

Sincerely,

Lorena