The Health Diva

Experts of World Health Organization believe you may have Metabolic Syndrome, Syndrome X or Insulin Resistance if you have 3 of these:

• Excessive fat in and around the abdomen (“apple shape”) abdominal or “central” obesity (waist size of greater than 40 inches in men, greater than 35 inches in women)
• high levels of triglycerides (fats) and LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood
• low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol (less than 40 mg/dl (men) or under 50 mg/dl (women))
• high blood pressure (greater than 130/85)
• A triglyceride level above 150 mg/dl
• A fasting blood glucose (sugar) level greater than 100 mg/dl

The problem with gaining fat around the middle of the body that is the most likely to have a mind of its own. This “toxic fat” is far more metabolically active than fat elsewhere because it increases the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer and diabetes. One of the biggest problems it causes is insulin resistance.

Metabolic syndrome tends to run in families, along with the propensity for type 2 diabetes. Metabolic syndrome will occur in susceptible people who become overweight and sedentary. So, metabolic syndrome (like type 2 diabetes) can most often be prevented with exercise and maintaining a healthy body weight.

Anyone with a family history of type 2 diabetes who is overweight and sedentary should be evaluated for metabolic syndrome.

Symptoms include feeling tired after you eat and at other times when you shouldn’t. Gaining a pound here and a pound there especially on the belly and having difficulty losing them. Your blood pressure creeps up year after year. Your cholesterol and/or bad cholesterol do the same. You crave sweets, breads or other carbohydrates shortly after a meal. In addition, you are suffering from ‘brain fog’.

Eat Right

Eating healthily – NOT dieting! 
 If you restrict your diet or cut calories your body inevitably thinks there is a famine out there and that causes stress. It will slow down your metabolism to hold on to your precious fat stores. Furthermore, if you skip meals, this will cause your blood sugar levels to fluctuate; your body will be releasing adrenaline, which is the same hormone it releases when you are under stress. Once more it encourages your body to store fat.

Following these simple healthy eating guidelines will help to stop you craving foods, and get you shifting those pounds

Always eat breakfast. Get into the habit of not leaving the house without it; remember it’s the most important meal of the day.

Eat small, frequent meals, preferably containing protein. Nuts, seeds, hummus with oatcakes, or live yoghurt with fresh fruit makes ideal healthy snacks.

Start eating supper: complex carbohydrate food such as porridge oats can be a good way of maintaining your blood sugar levels overnight, ensuring you sleep more soundly.

Avoid sugar, and refined carbohydrates such as white bread, flour and pastry, opt for whole grain products instead.

Avoid convenience foods. They contain high amounts of refined carbohydrates, and are often loaded with artificial additives and preservatives.

Add protein to each meal. 
Protein slows down the rate the stomach processes food and slows the passage of the carbohydrates with it. As soon as you add a protein (be it animal or vegetable) to a carbohydrate you change it into a slower releasing carbohydrate, which is a very good thing. A protein helps in the control of insulin because it slows the rate of digestion. It also encourages the production of glucagon, which works in the opposite way to insulin, increasing blood glucose by encouraging the body to burn fat for energy.

Eat essential fats: 
A lifelong dependency on low fat diets might mean you’re consuming less saturated fat, but most people today have unwittingly made themselves deficient in the good fats – essential fatty acids. As the name implies these essential fatty acids (EFAs) are essential and you can only get them from your diet. Your body cannot manufacture them so you have to eat them. 
Essential fats are so important as that they help you in a number of ways:

* They slow down the rate at which the stomach empties, so making carbohydrates even more slow-releasing
* They boost your metabolism
* They make you less insulin resistant
* They reduce inflammation.

Drink plenty of water, approx. 2 litres per day, this is important to keep the body fully hydrated, so that we can remove toxins more effectively, and can also help to reduce fluid retention, and constipation symptoms. Often we confuse symptoms of thirst for hunger, try drinking a glass of water first, before you give in to that biscuit.

Avoid stimulants such as tea, coffee, cola, and chocolate. Try alternatives, such as the many different fruit teas, herbal teas, decaffeinate tea, or coffee substitutes, such as Caro, Barley cup, and dandelion coffee.

Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. These will provide you with lots of dietary fibre, as well as lots of vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients.

Reduce your overall alcohol intake, Alcohol is a rich source of carbohydrate, which can be quickly stored as fat. Alcohol causes a strain on the liver, which is working very hard to maintain sugar control.

Take Supplements

Years of dieting can leave the body increasingly nutritionally deficient. The main vitamins and minerals affected are the B vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium and zinc. So it’s important you take these in supplement form for three months to correct any basic deficiencies.

B vitamins (B1, B6, B12, and folic acid), which help regulate energy, and activates key nutrients for regulating sugar levels; you can get adequate amounts in a “B-100″ B-complex supplement.

Vitamin C, and  vitamin E (400 IU), which may protect against heart disease triggered by excessive weight. Many experts recommend natural vitamin E supplements that contain tocopherols and tocotrienols.

Chromium (200-600mcg) Helps the healthy function of the Insulin Receptors on the surface of the cell and facilitates the transfer of glucose from the blood stream inside the cells to be used as cellular energy. helps regulate sugar levels, easing sugar cravings.

Co-enzyme Q10 (30-100mg) is critical in the production of energy within each cell of the body, helping the heart to function optimally.

Magnesium(200-400mg) People with low cellular levels of magnesium, an essential mineral, may be at increased risk for Syndrome X Low magnesium, it seems, causes insulin resistance and is a marker for type 2 diabetes.

Selenium (100-200mcg) helps to lower elevated Blood Sugar levels. Selenium is an ‘insulin-like’ mineral that transports glucose into tissues for conversion into energy.  Syndrome X and diabetes patients benefit from supplemental and dietary selenium.

Zinc (15-30mg) plays an important role in the proper functioning  of insulin, glucose regulation and weight control.  It is essential to help the pancreas produce insulin, to protect insulin receptors on the cells and to allow insulin to work more efficiently.  Without zinc, insulin doesn’t work properly and remains high leading to Syndrome X.

Alpha lipoic acid(ALA) This sulfur-containing fatty acid, found in spinach and animal protein, has been shown to lower glucose levels by 10 to 30 percent and improve insulin function. ALA also has been used to positively prevent and treat diabetic nerve disease and reduce the incidence of cataracts.

Bilberry Researchers suggest that bilberries – with their high antioxidant content- may somehow alter the way the body stores and processes sugar, great news for those at risk for both heart disease and diabetes.

Cinnamon may significantly help people with type 2 diabetes improve their ability to respond to insulin, thus normalizing their blood sugar levels. Studies have shown that compounds in cinnamon not only stimulate insulin receptors, but also inhibit an enzyme that inactivates them, thus significantly increasing cells’ ability to use glucose. Cinnamon has also been linked to lowering triglyceride levels.

Gymnema sylvestre can be helpful in controlling blood sugar levels. In healthy adults gymnema sylvestre is believed to help curb cravings for sweets. Though not a magic bullet, when taken with a high-carbohydrate meal or a meal high in sugar, it can aid the body by passing through sugars and making carbs available for burning, rather than turning these into fat stores.

Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) is a derivative of citric acid that is found in a variety of tropical plants including Garcinia cambogia (tamarind fruit). Best taken 30 minutes before a meal, helps to balance sugar levels and curb your appetite.

Momordica Also called bitter gourd or bitter melon, Momordica is used as a vegetable in India. Its extract improves glucose metabolism, protects the pancreas, slows carbohydrate absorption, and decreases gluconeogenesis, which is the production of glucose in the liver from other foodstuffs. It has also been shown to improve insulin resistance.

Higher Nature has developed a formula to support sufferers of syndrome X called X factors (not to be confused with any TV talent shows), X factors combines nutrients such as Magnesium, Chromium, Zinc, Manganese, Vitamin B, Vitamin C, with the sugar regulating herbs, Fenugreek, Cinnamon and Liquorice.

Exercise

Exercise or physical activity has never been more important. If you have fat around the middle of your body caused, in part, by the activity of your stress hormones, exercise MUST become one of your priorities. Take regular exercise, 30 minutes a day of gentle cardiovascular exercise such as brisk walking, swimming or cycling can be enough to stimulate your heart, and put an extra spring in your step. A combination of cardiovascular exercise and gentle weights will help you loose weight and build muscle. Muscle is metabolically active. This means it requires fuel in the form of calories just to maintain it even when you are sitting doing nothing. So the more muscle you have, the more calories you consume, and, if you don’t overeat, the more fat you will burn.

500g (1lb) of muscle burns 75 calories a day 
500g (1lb) of fat burns 8 calories a day

This is one of the infuriating reasons why men tend to find it easier to lose weight than women – they generally have more muscle than women.

Relax

One of the most surprising ways to slim, is to cut back on the stress in your life, because that will help reduce cortisol levels, and – when combined with diet, exercise and supplements – will train your body to stop storing fat around your middle. It’s time to really assess your life and look to making simple changes to put you back in control of your stress.

To help relax yourself and relieve anxiety, practice relaxation techniques like breathing exercises and meditation, there are some wonderful meditation CD’s that can even help you lose weight.

Try to make a conscious effort to fit in an hour a day set a side especially for you, where you can indulge in any pampering activity that helps you to relax.

Smoking

If you smoke, and you are serious about loosing weight and getting healthy it’s time to stop. Talk to your doctor, or health care practioner about the various options to help you kick the habit.