Five Things You Wouldn't Believe Would Make You Fatter

FIVE THINGS YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE WOULD MAKE YOU FATTER

We all know the mantra – less calories in, expend less energy, you’ll lose pounds. 
 

What you may not know, however, is that there are other, much more subtle ways in which you can affect – positively or negatively – how much weight you’re likely to gain or lose. 

We’ve listed below five things you’d scarcely believe would make you fatter.  Clue:  One of them may well be in that innocent looking glass of water you’re sipping now!

 

Diet Soft Drinks

Hailed as the godsend of slimmers everywhere, research by Dr Ravi Dhingra at Harvard Medical School suggests that drinking as little as one diet soft drink a day could increase your obesity risk by nearly a third!

For more information, click here


Absence of Vitamin Supplements

According to researchers at Laval University in Canada, women who regularly take vitamin supplements have lower appetites than women who do not. 

Says nutritionist Lorraine Perretta says, "It's likely that if your body feels it's low in essential nutrients, it will make you keep eating until it gets them."

For more information, click here


Tap Water

A considerable percentage of UK tap water is fluoridated.  Great news for dentists but potentially not for dieters. According to Mary J Shomon, author of 'The Thyroid Diet: Managing Your Metabolism For Lasting Weight Loss' (Harper Collins, £12.99), "Fluoride prevents your body from absorbing iodine, which you need for good thyroid health. If your thyroid is sluggish, your metabolism will be too - and you will gain weight."

Click here for more information


Firmicutes

You probably don’t know what they are but you may know them by their effects (and cute they aint!).  Firmicutes are natural bacteria that live in your digestive system alongside another type called bacteroidetes.  A study by Peter Turnbaugh at Washington Uni’s School of Medicine discovered that when firmicute levels drop and bacteriodetes increase, body fat decreases.  To bring about a positive rebalancing it’s recommended you increase your intake of probiotic products like Danone Actimel.     

For more information, click here.


Overloaded Liver

The major fat-burning body organ is the liver.  But if it's having to regularly deal with major toxins such as alcohol, pollutants and saturated fat, it may fail to process fat as effectively as it might.  According to Dr Sandra Cabot, author of 'The Liver Cleansing Diet' (Women's Health Advisory Service, £12.99), to help shift excess weight we should cut down on these liver toxins and boost our liver’s efficiency with milk thistle (available in tablet form at most pharmacies and health food stores).

Click here for more information