What if we told you a pot of yoghurt and a little dark chocolate could help you stay slim and healthy?
Experts say a daily dose of friendly bacteria from probiotic-rich foods such as yoghurt and dark chocolate boost “good” bacteria in your digestive tract. This is where food is broken down – but it also has other important functions.
“The digestive tract is crucial in metabolism, immunity, hormone regulation and detoxification,” explains US weight-loss guru and cardiologist Dr Alejandro Junger.
To keep your digestion ticking over, you should build up a supply of good bacteria. These help your body store less fat as well as reducing hunger hormones by a whopping 500%. They also slow the production of fat-storing insulin, helping to shrink your waist.
You can boost weight loss by eating other probiotic-rich foods such as peas, tempeh and miso soup. And you can feed your digestive system’s new crop of friendly bacteria with probiotics found in wholegrains and fibre-rich produce such as asparagus, artichokes and apples.
The only catch, says Alejandro, is that you must cut off the “bad” bacteria’s energy by limiting sugar and fried and processed foods. He also suggests taking a probiotic supplement each day.
The Rules
Choose fermented foods
To nurture good bacteria, aim to eat two servings of fermented foods every day, such as pickles, sauerkraut and kimchi.
Don’t overeat
To lose weight, limit your energy intake to 5858kJ a day. Banish fat-breeding foods like refined carbohydrates, sugar and fat.
Take a bonus booster
A study found that dieters taking probiotic supplements lost twice as much weight as those taking a placebo.
