3 Unique Veggies That Fight Abdominal Fat?

A surprising way that a few specific vegetables can actually stimulate the burning of abdominal fat...
article by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author -- The Truth about Six Pack Abs


I bet you didn't know that there is a specific class of vegetables that contain very unique phytonutrients that actually help to fight against stubborn belly fat. 
Let me explain what these unique vegetables are and why they help to burn stomach fat...
Something you may have never heard about is that certain chemicals in our food supply and our environment, such as pesticides, herbicides, and certain petrochemicals from air and water pollution, household cleaners, plastics, cosmetics, etc can react with your hormones and make your body store excess abdominal fat.

These harmful chemicals are known as xenoestrogens.
Xenoestrogens are chemicals that you are exposed to (and are hard to avoid in the modern world) that have an estrogenic effect in your body.  Excess exposure to these can cause hormone balance disruptions for both men and women. So if you thought this article was just for the guys, these chemicals can wreak havoc in the body for both guys and gals.
These estrogenic chemicals that we are exposed to on a daily basis can stimulate your body to store belly fat, along with many other problems (including cancer risks in the long term).
So here's where this specific class of vegetables comes in handy...
One of those cool tricks that I teach my clients that hire me for nutritional counseling is the use of cruciferous vegetables to help fight against stomach fat.

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, bok choy, cabbage, etc. contain very specific and unique phytonutrients such as indole-3-carbinol (I3C) that help to fight against these estrogenic compounds...
And by fighting against these belly fat stimulating estrogenic chemicals, this is just 1 more step in helping you to win the battle against abdominal fat!
So there you go... just another excuse to do what mom always told you and eat more broccoli and cauliflower!
I've really learned to like brussells sprouts in the last year too... Melt a little grass-fed cheese on them and some garlic and they're great!
But beware!
Although this class of vegetables may be a super-healthy choice for achieving your lean, strong, and energetic body.... I've discovered that there are at least 23 popular foods that most people falsely think are "healthy", but they actually Harm your metabolism and pack on belly fat.
Discover what these metabolism-harming foods are on the click here link.
These 23 "healthy" foods HARM your metabolism & pack on belly fat (avoid these!) 
Click here.
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A Weird Way to "Sneak" More Nutrition into Dinner

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

co-author - The Fat Burning Kitchen program

I just started doing this recently, and it's been a great way to "sneak" more nutrition into certain types of dinners. This can also help you get leaner, because higher nutrient density in your meals means lower appetite and controlled cravings for you later.
Here's what I've been trying out...
As you've probably heard a dozen times before, specific greens such as kale, mustard greens, bok choy, swiss chard, etc are the absolute most nutrient dense vegetables on earth.
However, even though I've always known what superstars these are in the nutrition world, I never really thought of ways to use them in cooking meals. Sure, I always get plenty of lettuce and spinach in salads, but the greens like kale, bok choy, mustard greens, and swiss chard are WAY more nutrient-dense than lettuce and spinach.
So I finally figured out how to sneak these into my meals (and this works even if you don't like the taste of those greens separately)...
There are probably other recipes you can use this for, but I've used it for soups and italian tomato sauces so far, and it works great.
What I do is take a good amount of bok choy, kale, mustard greens, and/or swiss chard and throw them whole (not chopped up) into my tomato sauce or my large batch of soup broth.  I'll also throw some large chunks of onion and maybe a zucchini into the simmering pot also.
Then, after they've simmered for a while and have softened up, I'll take out the whole portions of the greens and the onion/zucchini and throw everything into a big blender.  Then I blend the greens smooth with the onion and pour the mixture back into the simmering tomato sauce or soup.  Of course, my tomato sauce meals usually involve some grass-fed bison sausage, but that's just one of my personal favorites for an actual healthy meat.
I'm not a huge fan of the taste of these types of greens separately (kale, bok choy, mustard greens, etc)... however, pureed and blended into the sauce or soup actually makes a pretty delicious mixture and also adds TONS of nutrient density to your meals to satisfy your appetite and help you get leaner.
Another benefit is that since the greens are pureed in the blender after being softened, you actually absorb more vitamins and minerals, as the pureed greens are easier for your body to fully digest compared to just chewing them normally.
And this idea is a home run if you have kids... as this is truly a way for you to "sneak" more greens into your kids meals without them even knowing you added them to the soup or sauce (as long as you did a good job with seasonings and recipe).
I hope you enjoyed this little tip today to help you and your family eat healthier and get leaner this year!

Feel free to email this link on to friends and family that might enjoy it or share it on facebook.

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Kale -- The Superfood Nutrition Status... it's not just a garnish!

by Catherine Ebeling - RN, BSN & Mike Geary - Certified Nutrition Specialist

co-authors - The Fat Burning Kitchen program
Ever wonder what those mystery greens are adorning your plate and the salad bar? Those dark blue-green curly edged greens are the superfood kale. Yes, many people don't realize it, but kale is edible. And not only is it edible, it is very tasty if used right and one of the most nutrition-packed vegetables that you can eat!
Why is Kale a Nutrition Superfood? Well...
Kale belongs to the same plant family as the sulphur-containing vegetables broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and collard greens. Kale is great for protecting your health, providing you with a rich source of vitamins and minerals, and preventing cancer.
The ten to fifteen organosulphur compounds these superfood vegetables contain have been proven to be highly effective against many cancers, including stomach cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
When these vegetables are chopped or chewed, enzymes in the liver are triggered to produce enzymes that disable cancer-causing agents in the body.  Studies have shown that animals that ate these sulphuric compounds found in brussels sprouts, cabbage, and collard greens had tumors that shrunk in size.
In addition to the powerful organosulphurs that help to safeguard against cancer, kale also protects the eyes with the carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin. These phytochemicals help protect the eyes against damage from the sun and ultraviolet light and prevent cataracts. One study actually showed that people who had a diet rich in carotenoids had up to a 50% less risk for cataracts.
Kale also ranks really high up there for its large amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, B6, manganese, calcium, copper, and potassium!
While one cup of kale only has 36 calories, it provides 192% of the daily value of vitamin A, and since this is a plant source of vitamin A, you cannot overdose on it.
That same cup of kale also provides almost 90% of your daily value of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a top free-radical scavenger, preventing damage inside and outside of the cells. Vitamin C helps to reduce damage from inflammation (one of the primary causes of heart disease and autoimmune diseases), help to oxidize cholesterol, fight infections, and strengthen and renew collagen in our skin for a healthy youthful appearance.
Manganese is a trace mineral that is important for the synthesis of fatty acids necessary for sex hormones and the nervous system.  It also helps to metabolize and utilize energy from protein and carbohydrates, making it the perfect fat-burning element.
The calcium in kale when combined with the vitamin A and the vitamin K2 in grass fed butter is highly utilized by the body and works to reverse osteoporosis and strengthen bones. It is one of the best ways to keep your bones and teeth strong and also keep your blood vessels clean.
Did you know that three servings of dark green leafy vegetables a day can slow mental decline that comes with age? Kale and other green leafy vegetables can slow this decline by a whopping 40%! This decrease has been compared to reversing age by about 5 years.  A great vegetable that makes you function as if you are 5 years younger-what could be better!
And there’s even more that kale is good for... kale contains a phytochemical called indole-3-carbinol (I3C), that actually lowers the liver’s  secretion of a chemical that normally transports LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) to tissues and blood vessels.  I3C has also been shown in studies to help fight the effects of xenoestrogens that make belly fat stubborn. Other cruciferous veggies can help fight abdominal fat too.
Kale is a dark, bluish-green leafy vegetable with curly leaves and firm stalks. Look for kale that is not limp or wilted.  For best taste, choose the kale with smaller leaves, since they have a milder taste.
Kale can be chopped up raw and added to salads in small amounts or sautéed lightly with olive oil, grass fed butter and a squeeze of lemon and garlic. Or try braising chopped kale with chopped tart apples. Drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar and serve with walnuts sprinkled on top.
Kale is simply a nutrition-packed powerhouse vegetable that you cannot pass up, so the next time you see it adorning your plate as a garnish, eat it — its probably one of the most nutritious things on your plate!
Learn all about surprising foods that are making you fat vs fat burning foods in our brand new Fat Burning Kitchen program.
 

Enjoy!
Cat Ebeling & Mike Geary
co-authors - The Fat Burning Kitchen

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