You Are What You Eat - On fashion statements and fatty acids

So now that whole trip is out of the way, what are we going to talk about?

I think it will have to be my bra.

Or actually, for a more bittersweet tang; my wonderbum jeans. I got a pair of jeans just last March. They were considerably more than I would usually pay for such an item, but they are beautiful. They are high waisted, with gems and silver embroidery. I can wear short tops with them and best of all, the seat area has some sort of magic construction that pushes its contents up and in, reminiscent of the famous Wonderbra in the... well, higher up areas. I love my jeans. Unfortunately, the result of intense dieting over the last few months has somewhat changed the effectiveness of said jeans. I no longer appear to have enough derriere to fill the 'cups' and I now have the lower half of them filled with delightfully squished together glutinous maximi, and the top half is empty and as a result sports a shelf running from hip to hip. I'm thinking of sticking a lace ruffle on it and bringing back bustles.

This alternately makes me sad and joyful. Probably, honestly, more sad than joyful. I was not out to lose weight in the first place, and they were expensive jeans! Whilst I'm not denying that snapping my bra into the next smallest set of hooks is satisfying, I am in mourning for a few favourite items of clothing that I am going to have to admit are too large for me before long. Of course, Murphy's Law states that it was only in the last big charity bag clear out that I finally gave up on various items I had been keeping for when I started exercising and would be able to get into again.

On a happier note, my skin has cleared up. The magic triglyceride lotion has done wonders, but I seem to have a lower tolerance for fat in food once again so I conclude that I should probably stop using it. I will walk the fine line for a while, only using it when I feel a rough patch, and see if that can keep my skin silky smooth and the rest of me out of the bathroom. Here's hoping! I am planning on wearing an actual two piece bikini this summer and it's no good being all skinny and shapely if you look like Godzilla rolled in the poison ivy!

Also, for the first time in years, I don't seem to be getting hay fever. This has to be celebrated quietly, as the husband, the parents and the dog all suffer, but I am secretly ecstatic about it. I never got it as a kid, and it slowly got worse and worse over the years and has now gone. A direct parallel can be drawn with how I dieted as a kid, moved further and further away from it as an adult and have now fallen hard, um... well, on to the wagon.

So to conclude. You ARE what you eat. And also what you don't. Obviously, I am a special case, but I can't stress enough to everyone reading that the effects of your diet go way, way further than you can imagine.

How does one simple element of food affect your body?

When healthy fats are eaten along with carbohydrate containing foods, the fat actually slows the digestion of carbohydrates. This means it may improve insulin sensitivity and minimize some of the sugar crashes that can be experienced after eating simple carbs like white bread or pasta.

Dietary fat helps the body regulate its core temperature. Insufficient intake of proper fats is a possible cause of cold hands and feet.

Certain omega-3 fatty acids:

~ May be highly effective in preventing and managing depression.

~ Cause a marked improvement in the symptoms of blepharitis and other dry eye conditions.

~ May decrease symptoms of morning stiffness and tender or swollen joints, along with helping increase blood flow during exercise.

~ May help combat sensory overload, such as irritation, being overwhelmed and excitability in crowded environments, or even how well you cope with sudden loud noises.

~ Slow prostate tumor and cancer cell growth, too. Colon, breast, and prostate cancers have all been correlated with low intakes of essential fatty acids.

In previous posts we have also looked at the skin cells, the brain cells, the energy issue, but it doesn't end there: Tagging along in Eddie's shadow are four fat soluble vitamins; A, D, E and K.

Vitamin A helps your immune system to work as it should against infections, helping vision in dim light and keeping skin and the linings of some parts of the body, such as the nose, healthy.

Vitamin D helps to regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. These nutrients are needed to keep bones and teeth healthy (This one is not a major issue for me as I live in the sunny Algarve and can just soak it up. We won't mention skin cancer here.).

Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant, which protects cell membranes. This helps to maintain healthy skin, eyes and strengthens the immune system.

Vitamin K is needed for blood clotting, which means it helps wounds to heal properly (When I was a kid and on the original diet, I bled like a stuck pig. I would bruise very easily, clot with difficulty and suffered from nose bleeds on a daily basis.). There's some evidence that vitamin K is also needed to help keep bones healthy.

So if you have a problem, be it with your skin, your digestion, your mental state, your recurring pain; check out your diet. Go to the doctor, get a blood test, do the intolerance tests. But it might be something that doesn’t show up. Our diets are so far removed from the natural world; so much is added to even basic foods. We are, us healthy dieting, carrot eating, hemp wearing, daisy chain making, a bunch of hippies, obviously. We want you to spend inordinate amounts of money on biologically organically handpicked (let's throw in Fair Trade, why not?) traditional tribal blueberry seed oil and we love to chain ourselves to trees and wave hand drawn recycled protest signs outside McDonalds.

Are we? Anyone that knows me knows exactly how much I would be prepared to spend on wonder foods, and it's probably not what the price tag asks. I have never chained myself to anything and I will publicly declare my love for Burger King's French fries. But I have been persuaded that there is something in this.

On that note, I'm off to plan my son's anti acne diet.....