Did you indulge in a few too many hotdogs at that cookout last weekend? Looking to whittle your middle for the pool party? Don’t despair and go off the deep end with your diet. Noshing on some potently fat-fighting foods instead can help undo some of the damage.
A recent study found that green tea, onions, purple carrots, chia seeds and olive leaf extract could reduce the number of fat cells in the body, even if the rest of your diet is remarkably rotten.
The study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, found that when these foods were fed to rats following diets packed with either carbs and starch or carbs and fat, they actually reversed the adverse metabolic changes causes by such indulgence. That is, the foods decreased the rats’ risk for heart disease, diabetes and fatty liver.
The secret ingredient in these four seemingly unrelated rations is rutin [ROO-tin], a nutrient found in plants. Rutin is believed to protect blood vessels, prevent bruising and intensify the effect of vitamin C in the body. In fact, one study found rutin can speed healing when combined with vitamin C, grape seed extract and bromelain [BRO-muh-lun], an anti-inflammatory enzyme found in pineapples.
This potent plant extract is also used to make medicine and is found in buckwheat, eucalyptus, lime tree flowers, St. John’s wort, Gingko biloba, apples and other fruits and vegetables.
So whether you’re looking to bolster your blood vessels or undo some damage from dinner, rotate some rutin into your diet. But no need to forage in the forest for a source; search instead at your local supplement store for a packaged product. Or better yet, stop at the supermarket and pick up some green tea, onions and chia seeds. Just don’t eat them all together.