Triglyceride and Cholesterol Talk with Nutritionist Magie Tamraz

My Dearest Beauties,

As we grow older, some of us have to start worrying about the levels of some factors in our blood. This week Magie and I talked about triglyceride and cholesterol levels in our blood. We discussed some misconceptions and how we can stay away from having these two sky rocketing. 

Triglycerides are fats, and the big misconception is that they come from over consuming fats. Actually, triglyceride levels go up with the consumption of large amounts of carbohydrates. Some examples are: bread, potatoes, rice, noodles, sandwiches, sweets, fruits. Now, nobody can have a diet that is completely free of carbohydrates for that reason these tips may help you,

1. Distribute your carbohydrate intake throughout the day.

2. Switch to whole grain bread, pasta, rice, etc. These carbs contain more fibre.

3. Fruits are very healthy and should not be omitted even when you are trying to control your triglyceride levels but portion control is needed. Have fruit but not in excess. 

4. Smaller portion and portion control is very important with all food you decide to put in your body.

Cholesterol is another kind of fat in our blood, it is mainly elevated by consuming large amounts of animal products, examples are cheese, milk, yogurt, red meat with visible fats, chicken's skin, egg yolks, butter, margarine, gee. Palm and coconut oils are also examples of a fat that elevates cholesterol levels in your system that comes from a vegetable source. Fortunately, there is the exception of fish and marine animals. Fish, along with raw nuts, is actually a good source of protection from high cholesterol because it contains Omega 3. Don't forget that with all you eat, portion control is what balances everything out. The way to combat high cholesterol levels is by:

1. Reducing consumption of red meats. At the time of consumption make sure it is trimmed meat, the kind that is separated from all the visible fat.

2. Omitting the skin on the chicken. Chicken breasts are the preferable piece.

3. Consuming skimmed, or 0% fat dairy products. 

4. Trying to limit your egg yolk consumption to ones per week.

5. Substituting butter and margarine with vegetable oils. 

Along with the right food regime, taking on an active lifestyle and at least three hours of cardiovascular exercise per week will aid in maintaining the right levels of triglyceride and cholesterol in your blood.

Where to find Magie?

• Doha Aramoun, main street, facing Al Doha Pharmacy. 05 813 730

• Hamra, Abdel Aziz street, Al Mabani Bldg., 1st floor. 01 745 036

• Choueifat, Old Saida Road, Inside of Avalon gym. 70 684 910

Take care of your health!

Much love,

Samar

An Innovative Way to Shampoo your Hair

My Dearest Beauties,

Almost a month ago I was watching some TV and stumbled upon the Style Network, which I totally love. While I was at it, a Hollywood celebrity hair stylist was giving out a shampooing tip. I liked the tip and decided to try it out and see if what he was saying was true. It turns out he was totally right and now that is the only way I am shampooing my hair.

He was talking about how us women usually shampoo our hair from the scalp right down to the very tips of our hair. He said that the trick to maintain healthier ends is to only shampoo your hair from the scalp and up for about eight centimeters or maybe a little more if you have really long hair. This ensures that you are clearing off all the natural sebum and product that accumulates around the scalp and the areas close to it. You may be asking yourself, what about the ends of my hair? Well, as you rinse off the shampoo it will come down and clean off your tips gently. Once you are done, proceed with your preferred conditioner on the lengths of your hair away from your scalp.

Why adopt this way? First, because you avoid over drying your ends and leaving them stripped out of moisture. The natural sebum production only really happens at the roots and as your hair grows longer the tips only get moisture from the products you use on them. Second, you will be avoiding the knots that are caused by shampooing the old fashioned way. Your hair will be left more manageable and you will experience less breakage when brushing through it.

As I said, I started shampooing this way a month ago, and let me tell you my ends feel less dry and they are absolutely more manageable. I love it! This also means that you will be using less product which means you can enjoy your (expensive) hair treatments for longer.

If you are one of those ladies that needs a lot of products to sport beautiful hair but still want to try this amazing new way of shampooing then make sure you shampoo the usual way ones a week to clear off the product build up.

Would you try this? I really recommend it!

Much Love,

Samar

Metabolism Boosting Foods>>

Talk with my Favorite Nutritionist: Magie Tamraz

My Dearest Beauties,

I visited Magie several days ago and prepared a commonly asked question. I hope you find these interesting and helpful when thinking of healthy ways to stay fit.

I usually hear of foods and supplements that boost the metabolism. The most common I have heard of are coffee, lemon and vinegar. Magie said that it is very true that some foods and supplements have the power to boost your metabolism and even burn fat. She said there are many out there in the market but lemon and vinegar do not fit the mold. She recommended some to me (these are not listed in order of which one is the most effective):

1. Caffeine and especially Green Coffee supplement: caffeine boosts your metabolism and green coffee goes as far as burning some of your undesired fats. 
2. Raspberry: not only delicious but also good for burning fats. 
3. Garcinia Cambogia: is a subtropical fruit originated from Indonesia. It is delicious and is very good for boosting your metabolism and burning undesired fats. This fruit is also found in supplement form (pills that you can take before meals).
4. Acai Berry: a berry that boosts your metabolism! How great is that, it is also available in supplement form.
5. Vitamin B12: this vitamin will give you lots of energy to the point that it will make you burn way more calories than you usually do. 
6. African Mango: metabolism booster but not as much as the ones mentioned above.
7. Eating proteins is another very easy way of boosting your metabolism because your body needs four hours to digest it. Thus, eating protein makes your body work harder and for longer which consumes energy in and by itself.
8. Maintaining a balanced muscle mass is also a good way to maintain your metabolism at its peak. Your body needs energy to move and maintain muscles and for that reason your metabolism will be working harder.

If you are interested in these be sure to consult with your dietitian. If you cannot find these available at your local pharmacy, you can easily find them through Magie.

Where to find Magie?

• Doha Aramoun, main street, facing Al Doha Pharmacy. 05 813 730
• Hamra, Abdel Aziz street, Al Mabani Bldg., 1st floor. 01 745 036
• Choueifat, Old Saida Road, Inside of Avalon gym. 70 684 910

I hope you are enjoying the information on these posts, and please do not hesitate to leave me your questions below. I'll make sure to answer it in future posts.

Much Love,

Samar

Counting Calories with Magie>>