Our Lady of Weight Loss | motivation: the kick in the tush club

It is better to be the head of the chicken than the tail of an ox.
~ Chinese proverb

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In order to maintain Omega-3's (last week's topic) 'good fat' status, nutritionists are now finding that you need to balance them with Omega-6s. Both are called "ESSENTIAL," because the body can not produce them on their own. You can only get them from food sources.

Omega-6s that contain linoleic acid convert in the body to gamma linoleic acid (GLA), which in turn convert to hormone like molecules called prostaglandins. Prostagladins help regulate inflammation and blood pressure and are important to heart, gastrointestinal, and kidney functions.

What foods are rich in Omega-6s?
Eggs, poultry, cereals, a number of vegetable oils, baked goods, whole-grain breads and margarine.

How much Omega-6 does one need?
As with Omega-3, there is no established recommended daily amount. Generally, our Western diet provides enough Omega-6, so supplements are not necessary. Remember to use the more healthful vegetable oils when cooking (see KICK #14 - The Good, The Bad & The Trans). And be sure to balance your Omega-6s with your Omega-3s. (see KICK #23 - Omega-3s.)

Should you decide to take supplements rich in Omega-6, be sure to do so under your doctor's care.

Righteous Recipe ~ This recipe comes to us from Jane Tabachnick, a.k.a. SoonToBeSvelte, winner of the FUN-EGG Fruitful Contest posted in The SKINNY*, April 1 Edition. Thanks, Jane - for the delicious and fun recipe and for the good info.!

Herb Egg Frittatas
1 med. Spaghetti Squash
4 eggs [omega 3 are best]
2 scallions
¼ cup fresh herb [dill or cilantro]
[optional- scoop of vanilla whey protein powder]

Pierce Spaghetti Squash with a knife in a few places. Bake spaghetti squash for 35 minutes at 375, or until fork goes easily through the skin. Cut in half and clean out seeds. Scoop out rest of the 'spaghetti' and place in mixing bowl.
Chop scallions and herb; add to bowl. Add eggs and combine until thoroughly mixed.
Spray a frying pan or griddle generously with non stick cooking spray and using a ladle or large spoon, place some of mixture into pan, as if you were making pancakes.
Let them cook for about 2 minutes and then flip over (you may want to put some more non stick spray underneath.)
Makes 4 servings. Approx. 150 calories a serving.

Egg Custard
Same as above but instead of scallions and herbs, use a tablespoon of cinnamon and ½ a package of stevia sweetener. This can be made in muffin tins sprayed with non stick spray.

This is a dieter's dream. Spaghetti Squash has 75 calories a cup and is non starchy vegetable (as opposed to some of the other squashes). The eggs are 75 calories each. Whey powder is about 90 calories a scoop.

Want to whip up another dish?
Send Our Lady your favorite recipe? Keep them easy, low-cal and FUN.

*The SKINNY (Our Lady's quarterly newsletter) was first e-published in September, 2003, before the KICK in the TUSH Club was launched. Since that time, the KICK in the TUSH Club has grown in leaps and bounds. There is quite a bit of cross-over information. It seems redundant to publish both. In other words, The SKINNY is no more, but the KICK in the TUSH Club continues strong, adding recipes, contests, letters and more each and every Monday.

Fruitful Contest ~ Anyone know the size of a fat cell?
The first to enlighten Our Lady wins a 5-pack of GloriousGreetings.

Last week's query, "Does anyone know the origin of the expression "What a FAT-HEAD?" proved difficult.

Jolene E. of Newport Beach, Ca., wrote "to be fatheaded is to be lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity. I have also heard that FAT-HEAD is a Scottish expression for someone with an over inflated EGO." Thanks, Jolene.

Jane T. of Upper Montclair, NJ, thought it an "interesting question. A search yielded no answer, but a fun website and an interesting article were found." The fun website - FatHeadsweb.com and the interesting article - Deconstructing Fatheads by Wayne Lutz for the Tocquevillian Magazine.

Our Lady(HERself) telephoned the New York Public Library research department, who reported that the earliest use of Fathead was in 1942. "You little fat-head" was first noted in a periodical called London Labour.

Dear OLofWL, Have you come across any studies on reduction of vitamin and nutrition of microwave foods? Some one told me as much as 90%! Thanks for all the good info! ~ Biker Chick, USA

Dear Biker Chick, The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published a study (November 2003) showing that microwaving vegetables killed 74 to 97% of the antioxidant compounds that reduce the risk of lung cancer and heart disease. For more information about food and microwaving, you can reference Dr. Andrew Weil's site. ~ OLofWL

Dear OLofWL, Your weekly kick is as always informative and fun. Thanks! Coincidentally, I just purchased omega-3 capsules last week and am feeling confident that it will do all that is claimed. ~ SB in Need of 3, NYC

Dear SB in Need of 3, Let us know how the capsules work for you, and thanks for writing. ~ OLofWL

The KICK in the TUSH Club provides a weekly reminder in the form of an Art-KICK for those who wish to anchor themselves to their weight loss and/or health goals (or for those who need to satisfy their craving for a quirky kick). It's fun, fab and fat-free. Sign-up now (there's no charge). Just send an email to Our Lady (info@OurLadyofWeightLoss.com) and say, "YES! I need a KICK in the TUSH."

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