More Tips! Don’t Gain 10 Pounds! (recipe included)

admin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:25:51 +0000

Because it’s the holidays, here are more tips for you to avoid putting on holiday pudge. Enjoy.

1. My old stand-by tip: Upon waking, drink an 8 oz. glass of warm or room temperature water with the freshly squeezed juice from a lemon and ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper. Cayenne pepper helps to rev up your metabolism and strengthens the immune system.

2. Enjoy a protein rich breakfast before 10 AM, and snack on non-starchy/gluten free/unprocessed sugary snacks as needed to keep blood sugar balanced. Apples and almond butter make a great snack.

3. Chew your food slowly! Concentrate on chewing each bite of food 30 times. Mindful eating is one of the most powerful ways to enjoy and absorb nutrients from food and facilitate weight loss.

4. When you are under the extreme urge to overeat or indulge in unhealthy snacking, make yourself a cup of green or herbal tea or drink a glass of water. We often mistake thirst for hunger. After hydrating, ask yourself
if eating too much of whatever it is now will make you feel bad later. (hint: probably)

5. Take a probiotic supplement to keep your internal terrain balanced and healthy. Probiotics feed the “good bacteria” in your digestive tract and enhance digestion as well as immunity.

6. While alcoholic beverages add to the celebratory nature of the holidays, they pack a lot of calories without nutrients, cause cellular damage, and tend to make you overeat. Cut down on alcohol consumption by drinking a glass of water with each alcoholic drink you imbibe.

7. Enjoy healthy fats such as organic butter, ghee, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, sesame oils, and nut butters. Coconut butter is a delicious butter alternative. Stay away from low-fat/non-fat products!

8. Banish white bread, processed foods, and fake sugars from your kitchen! They worsen cravings and cause your mood to crash. Enjoy natural sweeteners such as raw honey, maple syrups, date or palm sugar, or Sucanat.

Here’s a great naturally sweet and energy-boosting recipe to enjoy this holiday season, or whenever you crave a little something sweet.
Date Power Balls

Ingredients:
15 – 16 medjool dates, pitted
1/3 cup pecans or walnuts
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder, unsweetened
2 Tbsp. coconut butter
½ tsp. cinnamon powder
pinch of sea salt
1 Tbsp. water
Shredded coconut for coating (optional)

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until dates are chopped up. You may need to add a tiny bit more water to facilitate the processing. Spoon out one heaping teaspoon of the mixture and roll between the palms of your hands, into balls. Coat with shredded coconut or additional chopped nuts.

Holiday Stay-Slim Secrets

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:02:01 +0000

this doesn't have to be you on January 1, 2010.

Did you know the average person gains 5-10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s? Who wants to start off a brand new year with a hangover and jeans that no longer fit? Don’t fall into that trap this year. I have some secrets for you. You can still enjoy your favorite foods with some modifications. There’s no magic pill, and yes, you’ll have to step away from the cookie jar. But listen up. By avoiding certain ingredients and eating the right foods, you may actually maintain or even *gasp* drop a few pounds this holiday season!

SECRET # 1: AVOID GLUTEN & DAIRY. Before you stop reading, listen up, because there’s a caveat. First off, up to 70 percent of folks are sensitive to gluten (protein in wheat, rye, barley) and dairy and don’t even know it. The most common symptoms are bloating, heartburn, gas, irregularity, or weight gain/inability to lose weight. Gluten causes inflammation, which sets off a cascade of undesirable symptoms, and causes the body to hold onto weight. Also causes bloating. So does dairy. If you suffer from congestion, sinus infections, or other allergy symptoms, avoid dairy and see your symptoms improve.

Here is your holiday strategy: avoid gluten & dairy during the holidays, save for your designated “cheat days.” Go ahead and splurge for Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas/Hanukkah, and New Year’s eve. But stay on the wagon the rest of the time. It’s funny, too. If you avoid these foods, when you eat them again, you may notice those bad symptoms cropping back up as your body tells you those foods don’t work for you. These foods can have a drug-like effect on people, causing them to lose control when consumed. If you are subject to binging or overeating, you especially need to avoid gluten and dairy. It will help your cravings and energy levels immensely, and you’ll see cravings disappear!

Substitute gluten free flours or almond flour (delicious in baked goods) for your desserts or other recipes. I’ll soon post my favorite sugar free gluten free dairy free holiday dessert. It’s delicious–really.

SECRET # 2: Watch the sugar. Sorry, but it’s just the truth. Sugar raises insulin levels and causes your body to store fat. Sugar makes you fat. Simple as that. It also makes you feel crappy when you crash. So your strategy is to stay away from mindless snacking when all those baked goods are in the conference room or at those parties you’re attending. Want to know how? Make sure you are having enough protein with each meal. This means a palm-sized portion of chicken, fish, turkey, or beef, or 3/4 cup lentils or beans, or a couple eggs. Protein helps stave off sugar cravings and helps to keep you full. Breakfast is key here. Always start off with enough protein at breakfast and eat every 3-4 hours to maintain stable blood sugar throughout the day. A smoothie with high quality whey protein powder works well here.

Be aware that once you have that one treat, if you are sugar sensitive (most of us are), you may not be able to stop. THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE OF WILLPOWER, so don’t beat yourself up. It is a physiological reaction wherein the sugar is setting off an endorphin rush similar to a powerful opiate drug. This reaction leaves you wanting more and more. So here again, devise a plan and stick to it. Save your sugary desserts for holiday meals and special occasions. Substitute out sugar for agave syrup, honey, or maple syrup in your baking.

Let’s talk booze for a minute. Booze is straight sugar and has the same effect I described above. Furthermore, it can cause you to eat with abandon and crave sugar. Have a drink with a protein-based meal or snack. Drink plenty of water. If you must drink, have an alcoholic beverage, then switch to a “mocktail:” sparkling water with a splash of pomegranate or cranberry juice with a twist. No one will be the wiser, and you won’t have to send that “I’m sorry for pole dancing at the office party last night” email in the morning. Avoid those sugary cocktails and stick to vodka-soda, beer, or a glass of wine.

This brings me to SECRET # 3: Take a milk thistle or Oregon Grape root-based tincture over the holidays. These two herbs are powerful liver cleansers and antioxidants that will counteract the effects of too much booze or fatty food. Remember, your liver is the first to suffer when you overindulge in food or drink, and when it’s unhappy, you’ll know it. It’s the reason you wake up puffy and sallow when you’re hung over and the reason you feel bloated and sluggish. When your liver is overwhelmed, toxins back up in your system, and the result is weight gain, bloating, headaches, and fatigue. So keep your liver happy. Find a liver tincture (tinctures work best because they are easily absorbed) at the natural foods store and take 3 droppers-full on an empty stomach first thing in the AM and right before you sleep.

SECRET # 4: Do your eating early in the day. Do NOT go to bed on a full stomach. Not only is your sleep affected, but you’ll wake up foggy and your digestion is compromised. This can also affect weight loss and cause weight gain. Don’t eat after 7pm.

SECRET # 5: Maintain your exercise and stress relief schedule. Keeping a regular schedule makes your body happy, so continue with your routine. If you don’t have one, make time at least for a 20-30 minute walk every day, or drop into a yoga class. Buy a yoga DVD and do it at home. Stress causes high cortisol, which causes weight gain and also causes us to make poor decisions (“oh, screw it, let’s go to happy hour and order potato skins and chicken wings”). So keep yours in check by de-stressing and finding some time to exercise.

If you totally fall off the wagon, don’t use it as an excuse to give up. Just pick yourself up and get back on track. Good luck out there.

Holistic Nutrition Bytes--San Francisco Nutrition Consultation » holiday party tips

More Tips! Don’t Gain 10 Pounds! (recipe included)

Holiday Stay-Slim Secrets