I kept seeing that “Lose Belly Fat” ad last year. I never wanted to click on it- I might start getting spam emails for weight loss supplements. Ah, but my husband didn’t know any better- he was just checking his 10-K scores after a run, when he noticed the intriguing headline. He watched the whole video, and was able to fill me in on the details. Perfect! I didn’t want to sit through an advertisement for that long, but was glad he could tell me about it. Some of it was interesting. Except for the sales pitch for a product, of course…
I already knew that fat around the gut is bad for the body- it can push other organs out of their proper place, and can potentially lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, liver and heart diseases, even dementia. The propensity to gain in the abdominal area can be genetic, but hormones, bad metabolism, certain medications, stress or overeating can increase the problem.
So what was the buzz from the Belly Fat ad? They mentioned that the belly fat has to do with how we process insulin. And, since they are trying to sell a product, they don’t recommend one of the natural options: going off of carbs for 8 weeks. That can help reset our system, so we can begin to improve how we process carbohydrates.
Rather, the company suggests we just take their supplement, because it contains the otherwise-hard-to-procure ingredients that they’ve included in their mix. One ingredient, Indonesian cinnamon bark, is far superior to much of the “cinnamon” on the market (which can have a different chemical make-up, or even be adulterated with cheaper ingredients). This Ceylon cinnamon is perfect–I add it to my hot drinks. YUM! Oh, and cinnamon is a metabolic stimulator, and even helps regulate glucose levels, so of course it’s good to include in the diet.
Other helpful ingredients to fight belly fat: Ginger is great. I use it to flavor my kefir water, make tea out of it, and add it to many dishes. It fights inflammation and can help regulate blood sugar, serum cholesterol, and cortisol levels.
Low-GI foods are good too. That means they’re low on the glycemic index, and don’t raise insulin levels as much as Hi-GI foods. Hi-GI foods like potatoes and white rice can cause rapid blood sugar spikes, which soon crash, causing the release of cortisol, making blood sugar levels go up and down alot, leading to insulin resistance. Type 2 diabetes is just around the corner at that point!
Another tip: Cranberries contain organic acids that emulsify stubborn fat and help digest lymphatic waste. Whoot! (Glad I have some of this Cranberry Concentrate in the fridge.)
And we all know fish oil has omega 3 fatty acids, which help break down stored fat, right?
One more anti-belly-fat tip: Get enough calcium too. When our body is low on calcium, it produces a hormone that signals the body to store visceral fat. Not good!
So, thanks, Tom- it was good to get some more specifics about what we can do to fight belly fat. I still don’t want to buy someone else’s product (usually over-priced), but I love to know what kinds of healthy supplemental foods I can stock up on!
