So simple, so effective
Getting your fill of powerful antiinflammatory plant compounds has been shown to destroy fat cells to help you slim to your happy weight, even while you enjoy holiday favorites. “Anytime you use anti-inflammatory ingredients, you’re optimizing your metabolism to burn fat, especially for older women with weight shifting from the butt to the gut,” says nutrition specialist Melina Jampolis, M.D., co-founder of the personalized nutrition for longevity company Ahara. In this four-week plan, you’ll tap into the slimming powers of two antioxidant compounds: turmeric, the spice that gives curry dishes their yellow color, and resveratrol (found in foods like chocolate, nuts, darkskinned fruit and red wine).
Each day, you’ll supplement with 1,000 mg. of turmeric and 100 to
250 mg. of potent trans-resveratrol, taken together or separately. A supplement that contains both in highly absorbable forms and gets rave reviews from users: NAOMI Turmeric + Resveratrol (NaomiW.com).
And while supplementing alone has been shown to power off pounds, you can speed results by filling your plate with delicious foods that are rich in one or both of the nutrients in this dynamic duo to support the accumulative (and healing) effect of the antioxidant compounds. With turmeric, consider rice curry dishes, cozy mugs of turmeric tea and golden milk lattes. Aim to consume 1⁄2 tsp. to 1 tsp. of the spice daily. For resveratrol, savor red grapes, berries, dark chocolate and peanuts.
And don’t forget about vino! “I get my resveratrol from red wine,” quips Dr. Jampolis, who likes pinot noir.
It’s a smart strategy, as one study found that whole-food sources of resveratrol like red wine can deliver a sixfold better absorption rate than some store-bought resveratrol tablets. (See previous page for top food sources of the compound.)
To make these slimming compounds even more powerful, sit down to three meals and one to two snacks per day, favoring whole foods low on the glycemic index, like the vegetables, lean proteins and healthy oils that make up the Mediterranean diet. And follow these tips to turbocharge health and slimming even more…
Boost absorption
Harvard’s leading resveratrol researcher, David Sinclair, Ph.D., consumes 1 gram of resveratrol each morning with yogurt. Why? Studies indicate that when it’s taken without
fat, resveratrol absorption can be up to 10 times lower. And to improve the gut absorption of turmeric, add 1⁄4 tsp. of black pepper for every 1 tsp. of turmeric in your recipe—a strategy that’s been shown to increase the absorption of turmeric by 2,000%.
Time your dosage right
Supplementing with resveratrol before exercising or tackling chores like cleaning or shoveling the walkway can bump up the benefits of the activity. Indeed, research conducted in Canada discovered that animals given resveratrol before exercise experienced a 20% boost in endurance, thanks to the compound’s heart-healthy effects. Says the lead researcher, “That’s the promise of improved performance in a pill!”