I've lost 98 pounds (no drugs or surgery...pause for cheering...). I count calories, use portion control and healthy food swaps. There's a diet myth that says all fat is bad. Sure, too much saturated, hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated and transfat (same as hydrogenated, different name) aren't good.
But some fats are essential to health and actually burn body fat. Ironic? Impossible? Nope. Good fats are fatty acids: omega-6, omega-3, GLA (gamma linolenic acids), ALA (alpha linolenic acids), MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids). These fats break down and are used for energy, says How Stuff Works. Bad fats--LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol, saturated, transfat, hydrogenated--don't break down. They just accumulate in the body as, well, fat!
A study for the University of Finland links obesity to Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes (also called insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome). The study says Type 2 diabetes is reversible with diet. I'm proof of that. After I lost 100 pounds, dropped 10 sizes and got my BMI to normal, I also lost prediabetes. Belly fat in particular is linked to insulin resistance. Uncontrolled pre-diabetes leads eventually to Type 2 diabetes. So how did I reverse prediabetes? I didn't use drugs or surgery. I swapped saturated and hydrogenated fat, starch, refined sugar and flour for high-fiber, fatty acids foods. Ironically, good fats--omega oils, MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids)--burn bad fat. Fiber and fatty acids work together to cleanse fat. Many fiber-rich foods are also high in fatty acids but low in saturated fats. Here's an AZ list of good-fat, high-fiber foods. Eat your way to thin and diabetes-free!
A is for apples, almonds, almond milk, avocados, amaranth flour (an ancient grains full of fiber and fatty acids). B is for beans (lentils) black-eyed peas,bananas, blue-green algae, blueberries, blackberries, barley and buckwheat (ancient grain). C is for cashews, cashew milk, coconut oil, coconut milk, collard greens, chia seeds and unsweetened cocoa powder (fat-burning antioxidant). D is for dark chocolate (70-percent or higher cacao). Type 2 diabetics can have some sugar, so make sure it burns fat, like dark cacao.
E is for edamame (raw soybeans). F is for milled flax seed. G is for grapefruit and graham flour. Grapefruit cleanses and melts fat away. H is for homemade hummus (grind garbanzo beans, lemon juice, tahini, garlic and za'atar and no oil). I is for ispaghula or isabgol, better known as psyllium husks (super colon cleanse). J is for juicing. Blend a fiber smoothie of berries, apples, kale, spinach and butternut squash.
K is for kale, kamut (ancient grain) and Kashi bars cereals (Chocolate Almond & Seasalt bars with chia and Go Lean Protein are best). L is for sprouted lentils, lentils, legumes and lemons (add a wedge to water bottle). M is for lmiso, Kashi Mayan Harvest Bake frozen dinner and millet (ancient grain). O is for oranges and olives (good fatty acid source). P is for pumpkin, pumpkin seeds and psyllium husks. Q is for quinoa (ancient grain, substitute for white rice or pasta).
R is for wild rice, raspberries, rhubarb and rye flour (ancient grain). S is for seeds, salmon, spinach, sunflower seeds, soybeans, tempeh, seeds, sweet potatoes, strawberries, squash (summer and winter) and spelt flour (ancient grain). T is for triticale wheat flour, Bob's Red Mill TVP (textured vegetable protein, avoid kinds made with hydrolyzed oils), tomatoes and tuna.
U is for unbleached, unrefined ancient grain flour (Bob's Red Mill makes delicious 7-grain and 14-grain flours for baking and cooking). V is for Vitae Plus Powder (Chimex). W is for water and whole grains. X means cross out white bread and commercial fiber bars (lots of carbohydrates, no good fiber). Y is for yams and yellow squash. Z is for zucchini.
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