Why Coconut Oil KILLS Belly Fat (Research Update)

December 02, 2016

Why Coconut Oil KILLS Belly Fat (Research Update)
I’ve run across some VERY interesting studies recently on the relationship between coconut oil (or any type of coconut fat, including coconut milk and cream) and how it can affect your body fat…
 
The findings may surprise you!
 
A 2009 study published in the Journal Lipids consisted of testing the effects of either 2 tablespoons of coconut oil or 2 tablespoons of soybean on a group of 40 women over the span of 28 days.
 
Results showed that the group that ate the coconut oil had a decrease in abdominal fat, while the soybean oil group actually showed a slight increase in belly fat. Additionally, the group that ate the coconut oil showed increased HDL ‘good’ cholesterol levels, while the soybean oil group had decreased HDL cholesterol and increased LDL ‘ bad’ cholesterol.
 
The Journal of Nutrition published a study where researchers investigated all studies relative to medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) that are abundant in coconut fat and weight management. The studies showed that diets rich in fats such as those found in coconut oil prompted a boost in metabolism, increase in energy, decrease in food consumption, reduced body weight and lower body fat mass. The study authors highly recommend using oils that contain MCFAs, such as coconut oil, as a tool to drop extra abdominal fat, manage a healthy weight, and even as a way to treat obesity.
 
Yet another study that assessed body weight and fat storage relative to three different types of diets including a low-fat diet, high-fat diet with long chain fatty acids (LCFAs) and a high fat diet with MCFAs. In order to bring about weight gain, caloric intakes were adjusted for the diets. At the end of the research period (which lasted 44 days), the low-fat diet group stored an average of 0.47 grams of fat per day, the LCFA group stored 0.48 grams of fat per day, and the MCFA group only stored a mere 0.19 grams per day (despite purposely increasing calories). Those in the MCFA group (coconut fat) had a 60 percent reduction in body fat stored compared to the other diets.
 
Another added bonus of consuming organic coconut oil (and coconut cream or milk) is that it tends to make us feel fuller for longer. Studies indicate that MCFAs help increase feelings of fullness and lead to a reduction in calorie intake when compared to the same amount of calories from other fats. When MCFAs are metabolized, ketone bodies are created in the liver – these have been shown to have a strong appetite reducing effect helping you to lose fat faster.
 
If you thought from reading about how using coconut oil daily for helping to reduce abdominal fat is pretty incredible, you’re going to be blown away by the powerful health benefits of coconut oil on the page below… 9 MORE reasons to use DAILY coconut oil (including benefits to thyroid, brain, skin, oral health, heart health, detoxing, cancer, and more)
 
Enjoy!

Easy Meal Prep Tips

November 30, 2016

Easy Meal Prep Tips
Ever wonder what it would be like to open your fridge to find a full week of healthy, delicious food that’s prepped and ready to be eaten? Sure would make sticking with your diet and achieving fat loss a lot easier… 

Meal prep is a fantastic way to keep on track with your eating throughout the entire week. 

The idea is to plan out all of your meals on the weekend, most often on Sunday, then do the shopping and the prep at one time for the entire week. This day is labor intensive, but then your food is ready-to-eat for the next 6 full days. 

Here’s my 5 Step Meal Prep Guide to make your next food prep week really simple: 

Step One: Planning 

Get out your notebook and pen or pull up a blank note page on your iPad, it’s time to start planning for the week. Here are the questions that you’ll need to answer: 

1. How many meals do I need each day? 

• Check your calendar for special events

• Consider your appetite throughout the day

• Look at each day separately

2. How many servings do I need for each meal? 

• Consider who in the family needs which meals

• Check the calendar for guests or visitors

• Look at each day separately

Step Two: Recipes 

Now it’s time to translate those meals + servings into actual recipes. Take a moment to consider the produce that is in season and any special requests or food allergies.  

1. Find your recipes 

• Browse around on your favorite recipe site 

• Pull out your favorite cookbooks

• Find your family favorite recipes

2. Focus on a core group of ingredients 

• Plan recipes that use similar ingredients

3. Calculate leftover meals 

• Making enough of some recipes for leftover meals saves time

4. Make your list 

• Narrow down to the exact list of recipes

Step Three: Grocery List 

Take your list of recipes and create a grocery list. A few things to keep in mind… 

1. Pay attention to recipes that you’ll double or triple 

• Make sure to include all ingredients in your list

2. Organize your list into these convenient sections: 

• Meat/Seafood/Egg

• Organic Produce

• Herbs/Flavors

• Pantry Items

3. Check your pantry for items that you already have 

• Save money by avoiding double purchases

Step Four: Shopping 

It’s time to head to the grocery store! Take your list and, if you’re lucky, a helper down to your local market and go through each section item by item. 

Step Five: Food Prep 

You have options when it comes to the actual prep of each of your meals. Many you’ll be able to fully make right away and pack in the fridge. Other recipes you’ll want to simply do the chopping, measuring and organizing in order to make the meal hot and quick before you plan to eat it. 

Which recipes should you fully cook in advance? The truth is that this is really up to you and your schedule. Here’s a good game plan if you don’t want to fully cook everything on Sunday: 

1. Fully make the baked goods for the week.

2. Chop all vegetables.

3. Gather all seasonings. 

4. Fully cook Monday’s dinner.

Getting into the habit of prepping your meals for the week is a surefire way to accelerate your fat loss results. 

Let's get this week started off on the right foot with this yummy muffin recipe.

November 28, 2016

Sometimes its nice to have something different for breakfast or an easy to grab for a snack. Give this a try...

Coconut-Carrot Morning Glory Muffins

From: EatingWell Magazine, January/February 2013

These carrot-flecked, whole-grain morning glory muffins can be made ahead for breakfast or a snack so you can hit the ground running on a busy morning. Add a nonfat latte and your day will be off to a healthy start. Or make this coconut-carrot morning glory muffin recipe for a special brunch. Look for coconut oil, in jars or tubs, near other cooking oils in large supermarkets, in the natural-foods section, or in natural-foods stores.

• ​

• By: Katie WebsterEatingWell Recipe Contributor

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole-wheat or white whole-wheat flour

• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce

• 1/3 cup honey

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted if necessary (see Tip)

• 2 cups shredded carrots

• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish

• 1/2 cup raisins

Preparation

• Active 20 m

• Ready In 1 h

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

2. Whisk whole-wheat flour, 1/2 cup oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and allspice in a medium bowl.

3. Whisk eggs, applesauce, honey and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk in coconut oil. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until moistened. Fold in carrots, 1/2 cup coconut and raisins.

4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons each oats and coconut.

5. Bake the muffins until they spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

• Make Ahead Tip: Individually wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, remove plastic, wrap in a paper towel and microwave on High for 30 to 60 seconds.

• Equipment: Muffin tin with 12 (1/2-cup) cups

• Tip: Coconut oil is solid at temperatures below 76°F. To melt solidified coconut oil, remove the lid and place the container in a bowl of very hot water; stir frequently until melted.

• Storage smarts: For long-term freezer storage, wrap your food in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil. The plastic will help prevent freezer burn while the foil will help keep off-odors from seeping into the food.

Every day the choice is ours whether we do things to improve our health or not.

November 23, 2016

They may only be little changes but the choice is ours everyday to make. By choosing to try our daily challenge that gets you up and moving, by choosing to cook dinner at home and not eat out that gives you healthier meals and helps with your budget. It's the little things that can help make you life better and it's your choice.
Here is a quick and easy meal you can prep ahead of time and freeze into portions that work for you.

Jaclyn's Chicken Chilli
- 2 lbs ground chicken
- 2 onions
- 6 carrots
- 8 stocks celery
- 1 can chic peas
- 1 can kidney beans
- 5 cans diced tomatoes
- 3 small cans tomato paste
- 1 garlic bulb
- 3 tbsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp oregano 
salt and pepper

In extra large sauce pot brown chicken. Add carrots, celery, onions, garlic and cook for 15mins. Add in diced tomatoes, spices, chic peas and kidneys beans. Let simmer until carrots are soft. Add in tomato paste and simmer for 10mins. Ready to eat now. You can add more spices if you like your chilli HOT! This also freezes well. 

ENJOY!!

I received this great email from the creator of Turbulence Training yesterday that explains the science behind the program and how you can make your workouts more effective!

November 22, 2016

I posted the information up on our blog - for the full article click here.  

This is a great article that breaks down the science behind our Turbulence Training workouts and how you can get the most out of your own workouts.  It is not a random set of crazy exercises, done with intensity in a short time frame, there is a lot  of science behind the program and research to show that in this case - less is more!  

These crazy crab workouts are called "Glycogen Depletion" sessions.

And today you're going to get 3 instant exercise changes that allow you to have better workouts and deplete more muscle glycogen.

Quick Science Lesson:

• Muscle glycogen is another name for the carbohydrate energy stored in your muscles... like the carbs from your sweet potato mash!

• You also store carbs in your liver, where it’s called liver glycogen.

• The more muscle glycogen you deplete in a workout, the more calories you burn (during AND after exercise), and the more fat you will lose.

But onto the workout fixes.

#1 – Slow Lifting - Full info click here

#2 – Calorie-Burning Interval Challenges

#3 – Modified Exercises

We use many other glycogen-depletion methods in Turbulence Training.

Craig Ballantyne, CTT

Certified Turbulence Trainer

PS - Harsh TRUTH!

Ignore the gimmicks, such as, “cold water burns calories”, or “adding lemon to your water burns fat”, or “negative calorie foods”. These are all a joke when it comes to fat loss.

Instead, focus on the 2 things that get results - a diet of whole, natural foods and short, burst intense exercise.

Don't get caught up in the tiny things while ignoring what really matters! Plan your work and work your plan. You can do it!

Well at the end of last week I asked you about your goal. This week we are going to start hitting them. Start off strong on Monday so the rest of your week follows. Here is a smoothie to help you get your day started.

November 21, 2016

Wake-Up Smoothie

From: EatingWell Magazine, Summer 2004

With a stash of berries in your freezer, you can jump-start your day with this nutritious, tasty smoothie in just minutes. It provides vitamin C, fiber, potassium and soy protein.

• By: EatingWell Test Kitchen

• 1 banana

• 1 1/4 cups frozen berries, such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and/or strawberries

• 1 1/4 cups orange juice, preferably calcium-fortified

• 1/2 cup low-fat silken tofu, or low-fat plain yogurt

Preparation

• Active 5 m

• Ready In 5 m

1. Combine orange juice, banana, berries and tofu (or yogurt), if using, in a blender; cover and blend until creamy. Serve immediately.

2. Enjoy!!