Fit?  Fat?  Confused?  Let’s see if we can talk in simple terms!

Studies have shown calcium supplements and low fat diet are not preventing diseases the doctors said for years it would.

Let’s think in genetics. Adaptation. (Don’t be worried; I will try to make it easy…) Our genes have a high adaptation capability; Eskimo people can live without greens in their diet and survive, and in some poor parts of the world, our bodies can exist on virtually no protein. Our body adapts to almost everything if we give it the time, like the ants get use to insecticides and bacteria with antibiotics.  We have an incredible ability to adapt to our surroundings-but we shouldn’t use that as an excuse-there are plenty of other eating options other than fast food; that is not our only surrounding choice!

Low fat diet? If you are not eating enough fat, what will your body do with the fat you eat?  Hold onto to it!  Everything needs to be done in moderation.  Now, think about your body, and try to imagine it's like a hybrid car.  You have some amount of "gas" in the food are you eating each day... and we are using our body in different activities... which means we are using our "gas-calories-food". When we switch to use our "gas-body-fat"? When we start to burn fat and get leaner? As in the hybrid car, when we spent the whole "gas-calories-food" we had inside of our body. If I had a breakfast with fried eggs, waffles, coffee with cream, some biscuits with gravy, toasts, marmalade and syrup, I will have gas for my body in a race during the whole day and still I will have extra "gas-calories-food" in my body bank account! So, that means, at least that day, I will use my Gas mode... but... if I had a breakfast with a yogurt, a boiled egg, a toast and some diet marmalade and low calories butter, I will spend that gas fast during the day... and I will have to switch to my "solar energy" mode -the body fat- for making my body works. That means Dieting. Eating fewer calories and using the savings we have in body fat in our body...That's a way to burn calories, body fat.

Calcium intake... Why do we need calcium? Calcium builds bones, teeth, and we already know that, but for calcium to really work, it needs help.  Because of that, during menopause women have osteoporosis problems. When extra calcium intake, hormones and substances are not helping in the bones building process, what can help? Ok, here is when all of you will start to throw me tomatoes: Workout.

WORKOUT? Yes. When we broke a bone, the body makes a callus in there, fixing that broken area. When we workout with heavier weights we use to lift in our daily life, the body will use extra calcium during a certain period of time.  The bones are being stressed, and as in the another adaptation process we were reading about food, gas, water, our body makes itself ready to afford that weights increasing so our bodies can get stronger to carry us through life.  There’s no need for a fancy workout-start by walking.  Nearly everyone can do it and it’s low impact.  Work up to something higher impact that you enjoy-be careful of your knee and foot joints as they can only take so much stress.

Recommendation: If you have stored fat, just reduce calories, not just the fat, or the body will store that. That doesn’t means you have to add extra butter on your waffles!!! That means reduce a few your calories, and workout, and your body will start using the stored body fat. (Read the labels! Each product has labels in the back.)  If you have osteoporosis... try to start a workout program with weights, and of course, a natural regular diet.   

I hope helped a few, and please, any questions, just sent an email!

Here is a  website I would recommend:

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200000

Till the next time! Have a good... diet & workout!

Mrs. Maria McCullough