A PICKLE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY
Vinegar with meals was used as a home remedy for diabetes before
glucose-lowering drugs came around. The thought was that vinegar has
acetic acid, which slows digestion and thus helps your body manage blood
sugar. There might be something to it: Recent studies show that 1 to 2
tablespoons of vinegar when added to high glycemic foods can lower blood
glucose and increase feelings of fullness. It’s easy to put this idea into
practice—just use vinegar with olive oil as your default salad dressing.
And heck, help yourself to some pickles as a snack. If nothing else, they’ll
satisfy crunchy cravings.X (Xtra fruits and vegetables): Fibre keeps you full, so you’re less likely to
overeat, and fruits and vegetables are loaded with it. Get plenty of fibre in the
morning with a produce-powered breakfast to help you through the day. Three
recent studies showed that vegetarians lose more weight than meat eaters. (That
doesn’t mean meat is bad; it more likely indicates that vegetarians naturally tend
to eat more vegetables.)
E (Energizing carbs): Complex carbs keep hunger at bay. In one recent study,
people who ate a wholegrain-rich diet for six weeks burned an extra 92 calories a
day compared to those who ate a refined-grain-based diet.
S (Special-occasion sugar): Careful here. Too many sweets and you’ll jack up
blood sugar and hunger levels, but used strategically, they can actually help. In
one Italian study, those who ate dark chocolate (70% cacao) reduced their waist
circumferences in just one week. Why? The darker stuff has anti-inflammatory
properties and helps with insulin sensitivity, both of which influence how your
body stores fat.