Combat fat.....

Beauty Wonkette is LOVING her super skinny jeans. Seems like this season, the skinnier your jeans, the better. Get them a little bit too long and let them bunch at the ankle and don a pair of high heel booties. Woooo hooooo!

Now if you want them to look really good, you may have to drop a couple of those extra lbs. The best way? EAT!!! At least, that's what Self Magazine says. Is it true? Beauty Wonkette isn't sure, but she likes anybody and anything that tells her to eat. :D

Here's what Self has to say:

Swiss cheese

Holy cow: "Calcium-rich foods reduce fat-producing enzymes and increase fat breakdown," says Michael B. Zemel, Ph.D., director of the Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Put toe to toe with some of its cheesy counterparts, Swiss is a heavy hitter in the calcium department; layer a slice on a lunchtime sandwich, or stack some on high-fiber crackers.

Sweet potatoes

Trade up to sweet taters. They're high in fiber, which means no drastic insulin jumps and thus less fat packed onto your hips. Bake a small sweet potato—think of two bars of soap as a portion size—and top with a dollop of lowfat or nonfat cottage cheese.

Soybeans

These green gems are rich in choline, a compound that blocks fat absorption and breaks down fatty deposits. Add 1/2 cup edamame to a salad.

Oranges

Prevent pound creep with this citrus star: It contains fat-torching compounds called flavones. Women who ate the most flavones had a significantly lower increase in body fat over a 14-year period, a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds. Snack on slices or drink freshly squeezed OJ (with pulp!) for the biggest payback.

Mustard

Hello, yellow. The spice that gives mustard its color, turmeric, may slow the growth of fat tissues, a study in the journal Endocrinology notes. Eighty-six mayo in favor of any mustard; sprinkle turmeric on cauliflower and roast for a tangy side.

Cinnamon

This spice could make your waistline nice. Sprinkling 1/4 teaspoon on your food may prevent a postmeal insulin spike—this increase normally occurs after you eat and "signals the body that it should store fat rather than burn it," explains Lauren Slayton, R.D., of New York City. Add a dash to your oatmeal, yogurt or coffee.

Berries

Vitamin C–loaded fruit such as strawberries and raspberries can help you sizzle up to 30 percent more fat during exercise, suggests research from Arizona State University at Mesa. Blend a vinaigrette of 1 cup berries and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar.

Almonds

Almond joy! Dieters who ate 3 ounces of these nuts every day reduced their weight and body-mass index by a solid 18 percent compared with an 11 percent drop in the no-nut group, a study in the International Journal of Obesity found. Almonds are high in alpha-linolenic acid, which can speed the metabolism of fats. Stick to 12 per serving.

Maybe you CAN catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, buttttt......

What Beauty Wonkette wants to know is why would you want to (catch yucky flies, that is)?

Besides, Beauty Wonkette likes vinegar. Apple cider vinegar makes BW's hair all purdy and shiney and it makes a damn good skin toner. Now, there is new evidence that vinegar may truly be a natural fat fighter!

Researchers in Japan are reporting new evidence that the ordinary vinegar - a staple in oil-and-vinegar salad dressings, pickles, and other foods - may live up to its age-old reputation in folk medicine as a health promoter. They are reporting new evidence that vinegar can help prevent accumulation of body fat and weight gain. Their study is scheduled for the July 8 issue of ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.

Tomoo Kondo and colleagues note in the new study that vinegar has also been used as a folk medicine since ancient times. People have used it for a range of ills. Modern scientific research suggests that acetic acid, the main component of vinegar, may help control blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and fat accumulation.

Their new study showed that laboratory mice fed a high-fat diet and given acetic acid developed significantly less body fat (up to 10 percent less) than other mice. Importantly, the new research adds evidence to the belief that acetic acid fights fat by turning on genes for fatty acid oxidation enzymes. The genes churn out proteins involved in breaking down fats, thus suppressing body fat accumulation in the body.

Beauty Wonkette wonders if this is also true with 40 year old balsamic vinegar. Yummmmmmmmmy. :D

Source
American Chemical Society

Cheap Healthy Eats - 11 items you don't have to buy organic.....

With alot of us having to tighten our budgets, eating healthy can start to seem like a challenge, especially if you try to buy organic. According to Dr. Andrew Weil, if organic produce is cutting into your overall budget, it's okay to prioritize a bit and use non-organic varieties of the fruits and vegetables listed below, which tend to contain the least amount of pesticides. You should still make it a habit to wash them thoroughly before eating or cooking to remove dirt and bacteria.

1. Asparagus
2. Avocados
3. Bananas
4. Broccoli
5. Cabbage
6. Corn (sweet, frozen)
7. Kiwi
8. Mangos
9. Onions
10. Pineapples
11. Peas (sweet, frozen)