Tame those raging hormones

One of the most overlooked strategies for taming bellyfat and staying ahead of holiday weight gain is keep those hormones from getting out of control.

It's fairly well known that insulin is one of the biggest culprits in weight gain. Foods that cause a spike in blood sugar levels (IE processed white flour, sugar, potatoes, chocolate, etc) are linked to weight gain, and even more insidiously, to insulin resistance, if exposed to them often enough.

One way to tame insulin is to take in a moderate amount of vinegar (about two tablespoons) before meals. Another way to get that might be to make a salad with a vinaigrette dressing and have that as your first course.

Another way to tame insulin is to add cinnamon to your meals. In addition to helping keep insulin in check, it also helps with brain function, cholesterol and it tastes great.

I already know I'm going to hear about how Cincinnati chili has cinnamon and it is therefore a health food. Au countraire, mon frere. Cinnamon helps. It's not a "get out of jail free" card.

You can add cinnamon to coffee, tea, oatmeal, etc.

Healthy fats like fish oil and coconut oil help because they act as anti-inflamatories and help check the effects of cortisol, the major hormone associated with stress.

Coconut oil? Yes, coconut oil.

Not the partially hydrogenated stuff that while it once came from coconuts, has been denatured and rendered toxic, and stable enough to give those snack cakes a three year shelf life.

I usually get Nutiva, and I shop at one of the major grocery stores. It's a great source of healhty fats, has anti-inflamatory and anti-fungal properties, and it stands up to heat so it doesn't go rancid when you cook with it.

Fish oil.

I use Trader Joe's largely based on the recommendation of my very smart holistic friend Janet, and I can definitely tell if I keep up with it or not.