Life is too short not to be fully "turned on." The Daily Turn On! energizes all aspects of "you." Every Monday The Daily Turn On! with That's Fit Life Fit expert Laura Lewis will provide you with ideas and tips to awaken your mind, your body and your life as you journey through each day of the week! Check in each Monday to get your tip for Turning On every day of your life.

What if I were to tell you that of all the healthy oils on the market today, one can make you burn more calories ... would you add it to your daily diet? Heck, when I read about this study in Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental -- where guys were given bagels slathered with a healthy oil each morning -- I was intrigued. Researchers measured how much energy was being generated (or calories burned) six hours after participants ate their oily breakfast bagel. The various oils studied were: Flaxseed oil, sunflower oil and olive oil. The end result? Olive oil is the grand prize winner! It turns out oleic acid, from olive oil, is especially effective when it comes to ramping up burning calories (especially from your OWN fat stores!) as compared to flaxseed and sunflower varieties.

Speaking of olives and olive oil I have to say, one of my most favorite moments in my life was when I went biking on the island of Sardinia, off the coast of Italy. After touring the beautiful countryside, we were served a huge picnic lunch that included homemade breads, local cheeses, olive oils, tapenades, wines and more. Imagine, outside, under beautiful trees, the ocean nearby, up on a small mountain chowing down on fantastically fresh local foods. Being an olive fan, I was in heaven! Who would have thought that such a delicious meal would help me burn even more calories than if I had feasted upon flax and sunflower seeds!

.

Source

Source

Source

Life Fit Chat with That's Fit Life Fit Expert Laura Lewis brings conversation provoking tidbits to your table, served up with a touch of spice! Byte-sized information that pack some punch, brought to you every Wednesday and Thursday!
If you are one who still thinks losing weight is all about eating a "no fat, low fat diet," then it's time to get up to speed. You need to eat fat -- good fat -- every day. I came across a great article in Wired magazine that was published a few years ago that makes a great point about WHY fat is essential!

If you don't eat fat, your liver isn't happy. You need to give it fat, eaten by YOU, so it is able to efficiently do its job which, includes telling the body to burn stored "older" fat on the body. Including good fats in your diet on a daily basis, such as ground flax seeds on your oatmeal or salads, fatty fish, delicious extra virgin olive oil, almonds and even real butter (make it organic), helps your body to mobilize stored fats. Gotta love that!

A balanced diet, that includes a variety of nuts and seeds, fresh fruits and veggies, lean protein, a moderate amount of good fat as well as whole grains is what your body needs in order to be optimally healthy. What about supplements? Personally, I must admit, I do have an arsenal of supplements I take every day. I eat well but not THAT well! But I really find it makes a difference, especially in the area of ingesting good fat via flax and fish oil supplements on a daily basis! With my Scottish-Irish American heritage, genetically I am prone to need more essential fats than others in my diet. By the way, did you know fair-skinned red heads especially need to pay attention to this. Two out of three of my kids are red heads ... believe me, I KNOW! One symptom of needing more essential fat in your diet can be as simple as dry skin! If I miss my essential fats for a few days, then it shows up as dry skin as a reminder. It's that simple.

Source

Well, looks like those Omega-3s have done it again. Every time I turn around it seems yet another study has been conducted on the benefits of consuming foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Recent studies have linked Omega-3s to heart health and possible weight loss. The article du jour covers a study comparing the eating habits and blood pressure of over 4500 adults.

As one might suspect, those participants who consumed foods containing Omega-3s had slightly lower blood pressure. Although that might not seem significant, Dr. Hirotsugu Ueshima of the study was quick to point out that "With blood pressure, every millimeter counts." He added that the effect of the Omega-3s was cumulative. According to Dr. Ueshima, "The effect of each nutrient is small but independent so together they can add up to a substantial impact on blood pressure."

Foods such as fatty fish, walnuts, flax seed oil and canola oil all contain Omega-3 fatty acids. It was noted in the article that consuming such foods along with a limited salt and alcohol consumption and avoiding weight gain would make a big difference.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, can lead to stroke, heart failure, heart attack, failing kidneys and loss of vision.

Source

Lately at my community health food store, I've been noticing more and more customers with bottles of flax seed oil in their baskets. I am generally lazy with any kind of dietary supplementation (I had to post-it to remember to take my pregnancy multivitamins) but I took note of the trend and wondered what the allure was.

Yesterday my best friend mentioned that one of the moms at her daycare packs her two-year old daughter a smoothie everyday --with fruit, vegetables, whole milk yogourt and flax seed oil. As my son will be entering daycare next month, and I am looking for healthy snacks to pack for him, I decided to learn a little more about this buzz-worthy oil.

What I found was pretty convincing: Some researchers believe that flax seed could be the most important health-promoting supplement nexnt to a multi-vitamin. Nearly every system in the body can benefit from the natural properties, apparently, including the cardiovascular system, immune system, circulatory system, reproductive system, nervous system, and joints.

Source