Cindy

Acquire the following habits: 1) Always eat breakfast.  2) Drink lots of water.  3)  Eat frequently.  4) Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.  5) Eat food in combination (lean proteins with healthy carbohydrates).  Today I  had: greek yogurt, blueberries, oats & flaxseed, smoothie with whey protein powder, blueberries, banana, coconut water and oil, salmon and sweet potato, salmon and pear, white fish, squash, and green salad.  Water was the main drink all throughout the day.  How about  you?

Why should you eat breakfast?  Well, to start, your body has been fasting for some time, and your glucose levels are low, so you need to replenish energy stores.  Also, when you eat there is a thermogenic effect.  In other words, eating jump starts your metabolism.  It’s like throwing a log into the dwindled down fire and getting the fire burning hotter.  If you are an active person, your body needs nutrition to perform well.  Choose healthy carbs such as fruits and whole grains,  and lean protein, such as low fat dairy and lean meats.  Watch out for added refined sugars in cereals.  Eat hearty!

In March, 2009,  a small group of my clients and I, embarked on the March Nutrition Spring Clean-Up Project.  We agreed and contracted to eat absolutely no added sugars (the real thing or fakes!), and no grains.  It was an effort to break through a weight loss plateau with a group of people who were generally already doing all the right things, i.e. exercising regularly and eating fairly well.  What an amazing journey it was for all!  Eyes opened to the availability of sugar in almost all food items and choices narrowed to primarily fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, fish, chicken and turkey!  Many revealed less joint pain and stiffness, more even moods, decreased menstrual symptoms and more!  What an awesome experience!  You gotta try it!

It’s fall, the holidays are approaching and I encourage you all to be a notch more conscientious about your determination to eat clean.   Just because everyone else puts unhealthy edible ‘foodlike substances’ in their bodies, does not mean you are required to do so.  In fact, go against the mainstream. Dare to be different.  Concentrate on lean protein sources surrounded by gobs of fruits and vegetables.  When you choose fats, use avocados, nuts and olive oil in moderation.   I dare you to drop a few pounds prior to the holidays and keep it off, rather than being a statistic of people who normally gain 5 or so pounds during this time.