Squishy & pinchable or firm & pressable? The kind you have can make a difference to your health.10/7/2020
So this week I thought I'd focus on something that we all have... FAT. Good news though - Fat doesn't make you FAT! In fact it is essential to our ongoing good health. Not only does it help our body to absorb vitamins and minerals, it also produces and releases hormones that affect your organs. But now don't get all complacent about your body fat. There are 2 different types of fat. And where they are found is critical. Just like in real estate, it's a case of Location, Location, Location! There is subcutaneous fat. This is the fat that lies below your skin. It keeps you warm and cushions you from a fall or bump. It stores calories. It is PINCHABLE. The other type of fat is Visceral Fat. It stores calories too. It is found deep inside your abdominal cavity. It surrounds your organs. It is Firm to press. It is not squishy and pinchable. When you have too much visceral fat it can increase your LDL cholesterol. That is the bad kind. It can also increase your blood pressure. Visceral fat makes your body less sensitive to insulin which can increase your chances of Type 2 diabetes. How do you know if you have too much visceral fat? It is all about apples and pears! What does fruit have to do with it, you ask... Well think of the shapes of these 2 fruits. And apple is round and a pear is triangular. They give you a picture of where fat is stored on your body. Pears store weight on their hips, thighs and bum. And it is subcutaneous fat. It is surface level fat. Apples on the other hand, store fat around their bellys. Hence the name Belly Fat. To get a more specific confirmation of whether you could be an apple or pear, there are 2 measurements to take. The first is your waist measurement. Feel where your hip bone is. Feel the top of it and measure around from this point. Take a couple of measurements and Don't Hold Your Breath! You want an accurate measurement! It is best to have a waist circumference of less than 89cm (35in) if you are a woman. If you are a man then your waist circumference should be less than 102cm (40in). The second measurement is your hips. Measure 20cm down from the top of your hips. That is the point at which to measure your hips. Take the measurement with your feet together. Now for a bit of maths! Take your Waist Circumference and divide it by your Hip Circumference to get your waist to hip ratio. WC/HC = WHR e.g. 74cm/97cm = 0.77 Women should have a WHR of less than 0.8 and men should have a ratio of less than 1. Having a greater ratio of visceral fat is linked to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, strokes and other chronic diseases like Alzheimers.
Belly fat also produces inflammatory molecules that go into your blooldstream. Continuous long term inflammation puts your body under severe stress. As a result we become one big hormonal imbalance. And that is a topic for another day. So since you can't spot reduce fat around your tummy what can you do? 4 things. 1) Keep track of your measurements. They are far more telling than the scale ever will be. I have been tracking my measurement for 19 years, off and on!! When you lose cm you're losing FAT. If you're losing Fat then your risk of Type 2 diabetes and other lifestyle diseases are decreased. 2) Sweat each day. Belly fat responds well to endurance exercise that raises your heart rate. Running, biking, swimming, rowing are going to help. 3) Choose to eat foods that are whole i.e. they aren't packaged and processed - vegetables, lean protein and healthy fats. 4) Sleep - get 7 - 9 hours of sleep per night. Your body needs time to repair itself. Lack of sleep affects your appetite. And now I'd like to invite you to book a Free 20 minute strategy session so that we can work out some ways to help you move forward & start losing your belly fat. Click the button below to book your session on my scheduler. It sounds fancy but it's not really! BONUS: Foods That Do Satisfy -Grab Your Free 4 Day Meal Plan + Recipes Click Here
|
Foods that contain Omega 3 are;
| |

EPA & DHA have also shown to reduce the stickiness of blood so clotting is reduced and heart attacks lowered.
EPA & DHA also have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body and this could help with inflammatory conditions like arthritis.
The benefits of taking a supplement of fish oil are far reaching, from decreasing depression and Alzheimer’s to decreasing death from heart disease, to improving body composition.
Here are 10 benefits of eating a fish oil supplement –
- Decrease the occurrence of depression & anxiety
- Lower blood pressure
- Lower stress response
- Assist in treating psoriasis and dry skin
- Assist in lessening the body’s insulin response to food
- Cut the risk of osteoporosis and bone loss
- Reduce the pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis
- Decrease total body inflammation
- Lower triglyceride levels
- Help in turning on fat burning genes
- Aid in treating ADHD
- Improving health and reducing the symptoms for those with autoimmune diseases
To find suitable fish oil you need to look at a couple of factors.
EPA & DHA
To reduce body fat you need 2-3grams of total EPA & DHA per day. Most store brand fish oils have a combined total of 0.3g per capsule. So that would mean you’d need to swallow up to 10 capsules each day!!!
So an alternative that makes a lot of sense is to look for fish oil where the total EPA & DHA is at least 0.5g
You can find ones that have up to 0.75gg which means fewer capsules to swallow.
Currently my total EPA & DHA is only 0.3g per capsule.
I take 4 in total each day = 1.2g
I’m going to increase that! I don’t mind swallowing extra capsules.
And when these ones in my cupboard have run out then I’ll be looking for a greater EPA & DHA combo.

Combining them with complex carbohydrates will keep your blood sugars stable and you’ll avoid hunger spikes and dips.
In short, FATS are your friends.
Welcome to Part 2 of What's in my Tablet Box...
Meet Zinc, my main mineral!!!!
This mineral is an absolute must have in your health box.
It is needed in more than 100 enzymes and it is involved in more body functions than any other mineral.
It’s also fairly common to be zinc deficient. This is as a result of soil losses and food processing losses.
Where do we find zinc?
OYSTERS!
Red meat and liver.
Egg yolks.
It is possible to obtain adequate zinc from plant sources, though. Whole grains are rich in zinc – wheat, rye and oats.
Pecan and Brazil nuts contain high amounts of zinc. And pumpkin seeds are considered helpful to the prostate gland.
What is Zinc for?
Zinc is required for
- normal growth and development,
- maintenance of body tissues,
- sexual function,
- the immune system,
- detoxification of chemicals and metabolic irritants.
- Carbohydrate metabolism is influenced by zinc.
- The making of DNA & RNA requires zinc which in turn helps the body in the healing process.
What does Zinc do?
It is involved in many body functions.
It aids the liver in detoxifying alcohol but drinking alcohol flushes zinc from the liver.
So you’ll need to take extra zinc after you have indulged in those cocktails!
Zinc helps the body to use and maintain levels of vitamin A. This action may help to keep healthy skin cells and make new skin cells.
In one study of macular degeneration the supplementation of zinc resulted in significantly less vision loss.
We all need our eyes so what a good idea to add zinc each day…
It is needed in energy production. Do you feel tired and lethargic?
Maybe it’s time to up your zinc…
Zinc is important to the male sex organ function and reproductive fluids.
It is helpful in treating infertility by improving sperm count and motility of the sperm.
It helps in digestion.
Zinc attaches to over 300 enzymes (structures made of protein that break down other molecules).
It is needed by the body to use amino acids from the food we at. It also helps to break down carbohydrates which are a source of energy for the body.
It supports immune function.
Zinc helps to boost the immune system in fighting the common cold and prevents the progression of viral flu symptoms.
It supports insulin activity.
This is especially important for people who have diabetes. Zinc binds to insulin. Insulin is stored in the pancreas and is released when glucose enters the bloodstream. Zinc allows digestive enzymes that are needed for insulin to bind to cells so that the glucose in the bloodstream is used by the body for energy and not stored as fat cells.
Zinc helps with your taste sensation.
A study done with anorexic patients found that by increasing their zinc intake their appetite and taste function improved. Of course there is more to anorexia than just not eating. But by not eating their zinc levels would be low and so they would have a reduced appetite. A vicious circle.
It can speed up recovery time post op. (I’m thinking post C-section, tell your friends who are preggers).
Zinc is useful in treating skin problems like acne, dermatitis, bedsores and boils.
Teenage acne has been successfully treated with zinc supplementation.
If only I had known this when my brother was suffering the worst of acne. He was staying in a back packers at the time and living on baked beans. Nothing wrong with baked beans just not for every meal for every day….
As we grow older the absorption of zinc is reduces as well as our intake.
This is because our digestion is not as good as it is when you are younger AND you tend to eat less so there is less nutrition to be gained.
When we are pregnant our need for zinc increases. This is probably because we are growing another human who requires zinc too.
PMS and using birth control pills are associated with lower zinc levels.
Have you ever noticed white flecks on your nails? This could be a sign of low zinc levels.
Being under stress causes the body to use more zinc.
Have you ever wondered why you have a white tongue? It could be a sign of low zinc levels!!
It has also been found to improve behaviour and IQ in children who may be deficient in zinc.
There is a product for children called Zinplex. It comes in a liquid form and tastes great. Ask my Boys!!!
Both my boys take it from time to time.
When I notice that J is getting a cough or post nasal drip then he'll get Zinplex for a few days.
When M is teething that usually brings on a snotty nose and I give him Zinplex which seems to stop the runny nose.
In two studies, extra zinc was given to Alzheimer’s patients.
The improvements in cognition were dramatic.
It seems that a deficiency leads to plaque forming and nerve cells being destroyed in the brain tissue.
Do you know an older someone? Make sure that they are taking zinc…
The RDA is 12mg.
The average American consumes 10mg.
We can safely assume that we also are somewhere close to that number. The result? We’re short on zinc.
I use a product called Zinplex. It provides 9.5mg of elemental which means available zinc per 50mg. I take 100mg twice per day.
When I’m fighting off a cold or infection then I take 150mg twice per day.
A side note…
Cadmium is a toxic trace mineral that COPIES Zinc. Ther is no benefit to cadmium and yet it is found in our foods!!
Its toxicity is kept under control by zinc.
Whole foods have a beneficial ratio of zinc to cadmium. BUT when a food is processed and refined then zinc is removed from the food and cadmium dominates.
It is found in coffee, tea, shellfish, sugar, white flour and white rice.
Chat soon, Lee
If you know of another mom who’s looking to bring harmony & health to her life, please share this with her.
She’ll appreciate it and so will I…
Click here to get quick meal ideas for your kids
- 5 Numbers You Should Be Tracking
- Forget the Boogie Man, THIS is the Real Monster!
- Sweet Potatoes
- What You Need to Know About MSG
- 4 Reason to Track What You Eat
Categories
All
Anti-aging
Anti Bacterial
Anti Viral
Bloating
Calcium
Calories
Chronic Inflammation
Constipation
Deficiency
Detoxification
Difficulty Losing Weight
Digestive System
Energy Production
Exercise
Fatigue
Healthy Fats
Healthy Options
Hormones
Immune Function
Insulin Activity
Metabolism
Mindful
Obesity
Omega 3
Overeating
Planning
Probiotics
Processed Foods
Recipe
Salad
Satisfying Foods
Sleep
Stress
Super Foods
Thyroid
Trans-fats
Type 2 Diabetes
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Water
Archives
January 2021
December 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
September 2019
July 2019
June 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017