We’ve all heard it a million times. The way to weight loss and a healthy life is through diet and exercise. Here’s my recommendations for a healthy diet and here’s two great articles (check out the book in the Oprah article, I picked up a copy and you may want to as well).

1. The Simple, No-Equipment Workout You Can Do at Home from Oprah
2. Article 2: 14 short at-home workouts from Women’s Health Mag

 

How to start a healthy diet and stick with it, after all, Summer Bodies Take Shape in the Winter.

1.  Eat Breakfast with Protein Every Day
Most American breakfasts have been based on carbohydrates such as bagels, pancakes, even granola (which is considered as healthy by most). What is often missing at breakfast is protein, unless you eat eggs or breakfast meat. Protein helps maintain your blood sugar levels. boosts metabolism and controls hunger.

2. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly
It takes 20 minutes for our brain to register that we have eaten something. We eat food and it must go all the way down to our digestive track and begin digesting before it can signal our brain that we have eaten. Give your body a chance to let your brain know!

3. Eat Away From Your Phone, Computer or TV
If it takes 20 minutes for your brain to know it has eaten… how long does it take for you to notice you have eaten more than one serving of your food? It is too easy to overeat when our brains are distracted. Our brains are amazing organs but as humans when we eat while multi-tasking our brains are fixated and we do not multitask well – meaning we overeat. To make matters worse we will not feel satiated because our brains have been too busy to realize we actually ate something. This is a simple way to enjoy your food more and allow your brain to focus on your body and not be distracted.

4. Keep A Food Journal
Arggg… not the dreaded food journal. YES. But keep the journal for a week and think of it as research or detective work. After eating a food, simply write down how much of it you ate (number of servings) and then from the label write down the number of grams of sugar you consumed (don’t forget to multiply this number by the amount you ate – if you ate 2 servings you would double the sugar amount). Then quickly scan the ingredient list and make a note of where sugar shows up in the ingredient list. If it is listed as one of the first 5 ingredients make a note of that. Awareness is the key here and the amount of sugar you consume may surprise you. Ideally, strive for less than 25g of sugar per day or if you choose a processed food consume only those that have less than 5g per serving.

5. Choose Foods That Do Not Have A Label
After you have done your food journal for a week hopefully you noticed there is no food label on fresh produce or unprocessed whole foods. If there were labels on fresh produce it would not have any sugar grams to record. This is because the “sugar” is a natural part of the food and has not been added into the ingredients. Catsup, cereal, crackers, dairy products, salad dressings, snack foods and many other products have added sugars in them. Don’t deny yourself but choose wisely – the healthiest snacks do not have nutritional labels on them and have a short shelf life.

Over processed foods create hunger. Synthetic vitamins are often added in to replace what was stripped out during processing these also include added chemicals used in the manufacture of some of the ingredients. These are unrecognizable by our bodies. Once eaten our bodies naturally see them as being foreign we go into attack mode which promotes inflammation and ultimately shuts down digestion. If your body is not digesting your food it sets you up for disease and stomach problems. Additionally, because your body is not digesting the food you eat it is not getting the nutrients it needs so your brain will continue to get the signal that you are hungry. It quickly sets up a pattern of cravings and overeating.

6. Don’t Over Eat Fruit
Fruit in small quantities can step in as a low sugar snack but larger amounts can set you up for cravings. Fruit is mostly made up of fructose and fiber. Fructose is metabolized in the liver so it bypasses the digestive system. Fruit is not very satisfying on its own. Because it bypasses digestion our brain doesn’t get a chance to recognize that you have eaten food. The best type of fruit to eat are berries because they are high in fiber (due to the seeds), adding in a protein source such as nuts, or dairy such as cheese or Greek yogurt can help balance it out nutritionally.

 

7. Don’t Buy In Bulk
When we buy food in bulk we give ourselves permission to eat more of that food. A good rule of thumb is that if the food comes in large quantities it is meant for a large number of people – not meant for a small family to consume in one meal. Buying in bulk is great for parties but if the food has a long shelf life which it would have to have if you buy it in bulk and don’t use it quickly then it isn’t meant to sit around for long. It simply encourages eating more. Limiting processed foods is always a good idea. Buying in bulk only works if you can freeze it or use it quickly for a large number of people.

8. Eat Snacks That Contain Protein, Fiber, and Fat
Protein and fat are the main nutrients our bodies need in order to survive. Some may argue that to survive a long time we also need fiber! Protein is necessary to build and maintain muscle, it is essential. Fat helps to create satiety and is also essential for good health. Fiber adds bulk to our food which also can help with decreasing hunger but it also plays the role of helping to sweep out the colon keeping our gut healthy. Seeds are a great source of fiber – both chia and flax seeds are high in fiber and essential fat. Add in protein and you have the perfect combination! See my recipe for Coconut Granola and Coconut Yogurt.

9. Only Cheat 10% Of The Time
There are always situations where someone offers you a sugar-full treat and you cannot say no. Even the best of us have our moments of peer pressure or simple desire. It’s ok don’t beat yourself up about it. Simply say thank you, ENJOY it and then don’t make it a habit. We all grew up with sugar. The problem occurs with repetition. Our taste buds get accustomed to sugar – it sends signals of pleasure to our brains, when we keep repeating these brain signals by eating sugar our brains light up and since it is pleasurable our brains send back the signal to keep it coming! The problem is that sugar is pro-inflammatory which has been linked to cancer, dementia, diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome and obesity among others. Essentially it helps to promote disease and aging!

10. Try Sugar-Free Options
There are many new products on the market which incorporate sweeteners that are not synthetic and are derived from natural sources. Most are non-caloric, do not affect blood sugar and when properly combined taste great!

Sign up here for a downloadable PDF of Which Are the Best Sugar Substitutes.

11. Add Bitter Or Sour Foods To Your Diet
Another way to reset your taste buds away from sugar is to be sure all your taste buds are all getting attention. This is important to keep your interest in food and acts as a pattern interrupt for sweet cravings to help your brain recognize more variety. Add in 85% dark chocolate, fermented foods such as yogurt or kefir, green tea, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar or dark leafy greens such as kale or arugula. When you reset your taste buds to enjoy a variety of foods you will no longer crave sweets and you won’t feel like you are missing out – this makes cheating only 10% of the time so much easier. In fact, when a sugar craving hits try eating a few tablespoons of sauerkraut you will be amazed that your craving may just simply vanish!