Dear Savvy Friend,

To keep your natural slimming system intact, wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly before eating them, to get rid of any chemical residue.

One group of hormones that are essential for keeping slim are the catecholamines. And a study published in Environmental Research over 20 years ago showed that people who work in pesticide factories produce at least 40% fewer of these slimming hormones than the average person.

Also trim fat from meat and fish. Fat is really a toxin magnet in both humans and animals.These toxins then go on to damage the delicately balanced system that regulates your metabolism and keeps you naturally slim.

Boost your immune system with probiotics...

Probiotics are often recommended for digestion (gas, bloating, constipation and diarrhoea)... But it seems, they're equally important for our immune system.

Probiotics stimulate the production of white blood cells which help fight inflammation. To boost your immune system, it's a good idea to take probiotic supplements and eat foods containing probiotics daily.

Look for foods that contain the bacterium Lactobacillus casei or several probiotic bacteria strains. For example, yoghurt with live and active cultures and aged cheeses, such as cheddar or blue cheese. Generally, the longer a cheese is aged, the higher the probiotic content.

Probiotics work best with a diet high in soluble fibre, for example, complex carbohydrates such as legumes, vegetables and whole grains. These foods contain prebiotics, which provide the nutrition that probiotics need to multiply.

Forget the bread - but you can still have the butter...

Contrary to what you may have heard, butter can be a very healthy food.

Organic, whole-milk butter from grass-fed cows is loaded with vitamins A, D, E, and K, trace minerals, and the potent cancer fighter conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). It also has a healthy ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids.

But, all these benefits are compromised when the butter is made from milk that comes from grain-fed cows. Besides lacking nutrients, the fat composition of this butter is distorted. That turns it into a health risk instead of a health enhancer.

If you enjoy butter, go ahead and eat it. But be sure it's the organic, grass-fed kind.

In the name of happiness and success,
 

Pascale Barrow
Managing Editor of Personal & Finance Confidential