Weight gain is associated with chronic inflammation, and there is a genetic link to excess fat accumulation. Fear not; your lifestyle choices allow those genes to either express and turn on or stay turned off. Therefore, this puts you back into the driver’s seat of your health, so you can combat inflammation and excessive weight gain and prevent disease.
Ingesting an excess of food with added sugar and refined carbohydrates causes inflammation in your body and leads to weight gain. Overeating tends to increase the immune response, which in turn causes the body to generate excessive inflammation. The vicious cycle starts with poor diet, chronic inflammation, and health problems such as type 2 diabetes, heart problems, liver disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases.
To be well and reduce inflammation and body fat, you need to look at your health from the 7 Pillars of Wellness.
- Sleep
- Movement
- Environment
- Nutrition
- Mindfulness
- Body Balance
- Supplementation
There is no silver bullet with one magic pill; instead, it is a journey to transform all your critical pillars into a synergistic flow. One of those pillars is supplementation so you can re-set your metabolic function allowing your body to quickly burn fat. I highly recommend starting your day with The Super Elixir Greens which helps reduce inflammation and helps to set the tone for your day. Not only does it deliver goodness into your cells but facilitates the junk out of them. Today, we sit down with the Formulator of The Super Elixir Green formula, who shares her top tips to help you shift into abundant health and be lean and strong so you can live a life you love.
A Q&A with Dr. Simoné Laubscher, PhD
Q
Which are the main nutrients individuals should consume for effective weight loss?
A
INCREASE PROTEIN, FIBRE & GOOD FATS
Consume more low-inflammatory foods, Increase your protein from wild small fish, nuts, and seeds. Add more colourful vegetables to boost your fibre intake.
Balance Over Abstinence: Allow yourself to psychologically stay healthy during the week knowing that you will reward yourself on the weekend with a free meal. A helpful guide for your everyday eating patterns is to fill your plate with nutritious foods 80% of the time and have a serving of your favorite treat the other 20%.
When it comes to treats, every individual has a different level of desire for “reward” foods. It’s important to get to the bottom of your cravings and discover the best approach for you. Consider booking an online health consultation with a trusted expert.
Keep Your Blood Sugar Levels in Check: Include berries, apples, figs, broccoli, artichokes, brussel sprouts, squash, onions, garlic, ginger, lots of green veggies, flaxseeds, and pumpkin to support detoxification, and boost your magnesium levels and help you maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
Healthy Fats: such as coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, hemp oil, nuts, seeds, and avocados, benefit your blood glucose levels and help reverse pre-diabetes symptoms.
Q
What source of food is the main cause of inflammation?
A
CUT THE SUGAR
Avoid sugar and choose carbohydrates with a low-moderate GI rating opting for more fruit, vegetables and whole grains such as brown rice. Refined sugar spikes blood glucose levels, so sodas, fruit juice and other sugary beverages enter the bloodstream rapidly and may cause extreme blood glucose elevations (even diet drinks cause immense inflammation and are linked to obesity).
Instead of using sugar, use coconut sugar, monk fruit sugar, manuka honey or maple syrup in moderation. I had such a sweet tooth, and to help me heal from eating disorders and binge eating, I formulated our Blood Sugar Support Capsules which are game-changing if you have sugar cravings. If you are craving something sweet, make some Protein Balls and leave them in the freezer so you can take one out whenever you need a guilt-free treat.
Q
What is chromium and what role does it play in regulating body fat levels?
A
Chromium maintains proper carbohydrate and fat metabolism and reduces carb cravings, thus preventing insulin resistance and glucose intolerance and positively regulating body fat levels. Dietary chromium deficiency is also linked to glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
“Due to over-farming, the mineral chromium is often too low in our diet, and I have seen such benefits with boosting this mineral over the years."
I’ve put chromium in as a principal player for all my supplements related to this topic:
Thermo Metabolic Support: to boost metabolism & reduce appetite is my most potent formula.
Blood Sugar Support: balance blood sugar levels and reduce cravings.
Q
What are your go-to foods to manage a large appetite?
A
EAT MORE BITTER FOODS
Chilli, cayenne pepper, garlic, ginger, lemon, grapefruit, bitter gourd & green tea are all foods that will turn your appetite down, whereas sweet foods turn your appetite up.
These foods are also thermogenic, which helps support a healthy metabolism, so a win-win. Bitter foods also cleanse your liver and gallbladder – critical organs if you want a healthy metabolism.
GET YOUR CINNAMON ON
Cinnamon is a rich botanical source of polyphenolics that has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine and has been shown to affect blood glucose and insulin signalling.
Cinnamon has been shown to reduce gastric emptying rate, improve receptor sensitivity and inhibit enzymes that inactivate insulin receptors, thus keeping you feeling full longer.
For these reasons, cinnamon is a key ingredient in our Blood Sugar Support Capsules. Cinnamon is also a potent antioxidant that prevents inflammatory conditions that damage cell membranes and insulin receptors. Cinnamon works well with starchy vegetables, in tea, Matcha or on fruit.
Q
How do you practice mindful eating?
A
CHEW YOUR FOOD
Chew your food around 20 times per mouthful to support digestion & reduce stagnation. This will also help you feel full, for it takes about 20 minutes for your gut to speak to your brain to say you are full, and many overeat, not giving their brain time to read how full you are. Limit liquids to 200ml per meal to not dilute your stomach acids.
“Take your time, enjoy your meal; it will change your life.”
Q
What do you recommend for people who struggle with water retention?
A
BOUNCE IT OUT
Bouncing on a trampoline or mini rebounder is a wonderful way to flush out your lymphatic system and reduce visceral fat (dangerous fat around your organs).
I recommend doing 200 bounces a day; it is a great way to shake off stress during the day and shift from low to high vibe. If you suffer from water retention, you can also add our Water Flo Capsules to flush out unwanted water that makes you look and feel puffy. I love to take 2 of these at night before dinner, so I wake up feeling lean the next day. They are also great after a flight and around your period.
A CLEAR LINK BETWEEN INFLAMMATION & WEIGHT GAIN
If you don’t address your inflammation, blood sugar levels, resting metabolic rate, liver function and lymphatic flow, you will be prone to stagnation and weight gain.
This can also lead to a vicious cycle of craving inflammatory foods, increasing stress levels and feeling like you are stuck and unable to break free of habits that no longer serve you.
Fifteen years ago, I started formulating supplements due to my frustration with the vitamin industry, as I couldn’t find synergistic formulas to help me heal. Rejuv supplements were therefore born out of my desire to get well and help others get well too.
Dr. Simoné Laubscher, PhD., is a globally recognised nutritionist, naturopath and wellness coach and is a leading expert in healing and restoring internal imbalances. Simone has been at the forefront of functional nutrition and wellness for 25 years and is highly sympathetic to the cumulative impact of day-to-day stressors on individuals’ mind-body balance. She has carefully created results-driven wellness protocols and formulated 35 whole-food supplements to restore individuals’ health.
The views expressed in this article intend to highlight alternative studies and induce conversation. They are for informational purposes only, even if and to the extent that this article features the advice of experts. This article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice.
