People Who Ate THIS for Breakfast Lost 65% More Weight (Study Results)

Archives for February 2016

Do you love scrambled eggs in the morning, or maybe you prefer poached or over easy?

Did you swear off of eggs because the cholesterol scared you away?

If so, here’s some great news for you: Scientists have announced that all their concerns about heart health and eggs were wrong.

In fact, a study showed that even people who have a family history of heart problems can eat eggs without worry.

That's great news for egg lovers, and even better news for egg lovers who are trying to eat healthier and get into better shape.

Wes-300x200

Eating eggs for breakfast is one of the best ways to help yourself lose weight.

A study showed that people given eggs for breakfast every day lost 65% more weight than people who ate a bagel, (even though the two meals had the same amount of calories.) They also had a 61% drop in BMI and their energy levels soared!

Eggs are one of the best kept secrets for losing weight. Not only are they delicious and filling, they’re loaded with protein.

Eating protein for breakfast is one of the best ways to keep you feeling full until lunch and to boost your metabolism.

That’s just one of the reasons eggs are considered a Superfood.

Want to know some of the others?

  • Eggs contain  6 grams of protein and all 9 essential amino acids
  • Eggs are rich in iron, phosphorous, selenium and vitamins A, B12, B2 and B5 (among others)
  • Each egg contains 113 mg of Choline – an important nutrient for the brain

If you want to give your diet a real boost of nutrition, look for organic pastured eggs.

People who raise their own chickens say that there’s no comparison between a factory egg and an egg from a chicken that is truly free range. The nutritional numbers back them up.

EGGS-PasturedVSNotdm600

There are so many great ways to add eggs to your diet. One of the easiest is just to hard boil a bunch of them at the beginning of the week and keep them in the fridge. You can pack them in your lunch as an easy, filling snack.

If the idea of going back to having eggs for breakfast has your mouth watering, be careful.

It’s important to remember that you can quickly lose the benefit if you’re using lots of extra fat when you cook them. Keep the butter to a minimum, or cook your eggs in healthy olive oil.

If you’re making a bunch of scrambled eggs or omelets, combine whole eggs with an egg white mixture to cut down on the fat.

One of the best ways to get your egg fix along with tons of healthy veggies is to make up a frittata.

Not only frittatas delicious and nutritious, but they keep well in the fridge. This means you can have fantastic healthy leftovers for lunch or dinner.

Mushroom and Spinach Frittata

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
Salt and pepper
1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), minced
1 6 oz. bag baby spinach, rinsed
8 eggs
¼ cup grated Parmesan (optional)
2 Tbsp. coconut milk

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat in skillet and add the mushrooms.

2. Cook, stirring or tossing often, until they begin to sweat and soften, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Add salt, pepper and the garlic, and stir together until the garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the spinach, a handful at a time and stir until wilted.

4. Turn up the heat and let any excess liquid evaporate from the pan, then remove from the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning.

5. Beat the eggs in a large bowl (you can do this while the mushrooms are cooking). Stir in salt and pepper to taste, the milk, and the mushroom and spinach mixture. Add the Parmesan if desired.

6. Heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat in the skillet until it feels hot when you hold your hand about 1 inch above it.

7. Drop a bit of egg into the pan and if it sizzles and cooks at once, the pan is ready. Pour in the egg mixture. Swirl the pan to distribute the eggs and filling evenly over the surface.

8. Shake the pan gently, tilting it slightly with one hand while lifting up the edges of the frittata with the spatula in your other hand, to let the eggs run underneath during the first few minutes of cooking.

9. Once a few layers of egg have cooked turn the heat down to low, cover and cook 10 minutes, shaking the pan gently every once in a while.

10. From time to time remove the lid and loosen the bottom of the omelet with a spatula, tilting the pan, so that the bottom doesn’t burn. It will however turn golden. The eggs should be just about set though there will be a layer on the top that is not.

11. Meanwhile, heat the broiler. Uncover the pan and broil, not too close to the heat, for 1 to 2 minutes, until the top sets, watching carefully to make sure the top doesn’t burn (at most, it should brown very slightly and puff under the broiler).

12. Remove from the heat, shake the pan to make sure the frittata isn’t sticking and allow it to cool for at least 5 minutes.

13. Loosen edges with a spatula. Carefully slide from the pan onto a large round platter. Cut into wedges. Serve hot, warm, room temperature, or cold.

Yours in Health,

Danette

P.S. Please share this with your egg-loving friends and let me hear from you in the comments. What's your favorite way to eat eggs?

It seems counter intuitive for weight loss but…you really never want to skip the salad dressing.

It can be tough to find healthy dressing on the grocery shelf so I like to make my own.

You'll want a food processor or a blender to get a creamy consistency in a snap. You can add other fresh herbs (parsley & garlic work well) too and find the perfect flavor for your family.

Danette May Recipe

Enjoy the creamy goodness! This will keep covered in the refrigerator for about a week. Now you have a great dressing for the entire week and wait to you taste the flavor!

So much tastier and healthier and the bottled dressings.

Yours in Health,

Danette

P.S. Please share this info with your friends and I welcome your comments below.

 

Wondering what I keep in my pantry? Wonder no more.

These are my Top 8 foods that are a must-have for every kitchen– including yours.

Rest assured, the following choices will serve you well.

1. Slow Cook Old Fashioned Oatmeal 

Stuck for breakfast ideas? Oatmeal is ideal! (not the instant kind)

I make sure that I never run out of oatmeal. It’s rich in protein, fiber, as well as iron – a nutrient many people are deficient in.

Oatmeal is also a higher volume food, so it fills you up. Top it with a little cinnamon and walnuts and you won't feel the least bit restricted. Oats are perfect for baking healthy treats like these blueberry muffins.

belly-fat-300

2. Chia Seeds

Struggling to get your omega-3 fatty acids in? Chia seeds make it easy. This seed is a terrific source of antioxidants. It provides an excellent dose of fiber too. It even offers a small dose of protein with the healthy fats it contains.

Try adding chia seeds on top of your bowl of oatmeal for super-star breakfast. Or, if you prefer, blend them into your favorite protein smoothie. I love them in chia pudding!

3. Quinoa 

As the only grain to contain a full spectrum of protein, quinoa is a perfect pick for vegetarians. It’s also great for combating heart disease.

Substitute quinoa whenever brown rice is called for.

4. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is the new superfood you can’t ignore. It’ll help boost your immune health, promote a stronger heart, and can assist with weight loss too!

Coconut oil has a great many uses.  It's great for stir-fries.  Add it to your baking in place of regular oil. Slather it on your skin as a moisturizer, or even use it sooth a bug bite.

5. Almond Butter

Rich in healthy monounsaturated fat and protein, almond butter is the perfect spread! Studies suggest that regular nut eaters may also help lower their risk factor for diabetes.

Smear it over a banana or apple or add it to your smoothie.

6. Apple Cider Vinegar 

Apple cider vinegar has been around for centuries! You can use it in both food recipes and household remedies.

Try it in salad dressings, on your skin, or taken before meals to help stabilize blood sugar levels and promote fat loss.

7. Black Beans

A complex carb that’s great for long-lasting energy. Black beans are great for adding protein to your diet too. They’ll help to support a healthy digestive tract, while lowering your risk for colon cancer.

Try them in a healthy home-made chili using ground turkey rather than ground beef.

8. Dried Fruit And Nuts

Looking for the perfect snack mid-afternoon? Try some dried fruit and nuts. This combo has everything – healthy fats, lean proteins, fiber, and carbs. Just keep your portion size to a couple of handfuls.

So, those are the Top 8 foods I always keep in my pantry. How many of these are in your pantry right now too?

Yours in Health,

Danette

P.S. Please share this with your friends and I love hearing from you! So comment below:

Did you know the type of fat you have, determines your body's ability to do 2 things:

  • burn off calories
  • maintain healthy body weight

Yes,  if you carry more of a special type of fat called brown fat you're in luck. The brown color is because it has mitochondria, the powerhouse of a cell that burns calories.

Scientists have long known that there are two types of fat – regular (white) and brown fat.

The white fat just sits there storing extra calories, but the brown fat is active and burns calories. This is because the mitochondria in brown fat use energy to produce heat.

venus-328x200

This may sound bizarre, but just a few brown fat cells can help to burn several hundred calories in a day. You'll need more brown fat and less of the white fat to prevent weight problems and other diseases.

The brown fat mystery

Until a few years ago, scientists believed only babies carried brown fat.

Since, babies do not shiver like adults to generate heat, they rely on their brown fat to keep warm. Scientists thought that as one grows into adulthood, most brown fat disappears.

Yet, three different studies found that adults do have brown fat.

All this sounds good, but where is it located in my body?

Well, brown fat is difficult to spot as they are underneath deep layers of skin. Yet, PET /CT imaging tells where you can find them in your body:

  • Front of the neck and the sides
  • Chest region
  • Extending to shoulders and upper arms
  • Shoulder blades
  • Just above collarbone
  • Upper back
  • Along the sides of the spine (upper region)

Research studies on brown fats also found: 

  • Young people are more likely to have more brown fat than older people.
  • There was less brown fat among overweight and obese people.
  • Brown fat was more in adults who were thin.
  • People with more brown fat had faster metabolic rate and healthy blood sugar levels as well.

But don't worry, everyone has at least a few grams of brown fat. That is enough to get started, here are three effective ways to increase brown fats.

white-to-brown-fat

3 Ways to make more brown fat

1. Exercise

Exercise is good for your muscles, as well as increasing brown fats.

A study in mice, showed that exercise helped convert white fat to brown fat. Researchers found that an enzyme called irisin, helped convert white fat to brown fat.

In humans, 10 weeks of endurance training, helped to make brown fat from white fat. There was a 2-fold increase in the irisin levels compared to the non-exercised state.

This explains why, people lose weight on a regular exercise plan.

2. Sleep well

Plenty of research shows lack of sleep can make you gain weight.  Recent studies, connect sleep, melatonin and brown fat levels to weight issues.

A 2011 study confirms that sleep increases your brown fat, as well as their activity levels. This is because, melatonin released during sleep regulate brown fat activity.

Practice healthy sleeping habits, cut artificial light sources, and excessive light exposure after darkness. This will encourage melatonin secretion.

Also, foods like tomatoes, cardamom, almonds, and tart cherries also help increase melatonin production.

3. Cold Temperature

It is interesting to know, cold temperatures helps make brown fat. A 2009 Swedish study found that cold weather increased fat burning even in inactivity.

This is what the study found-

  • exposure to cold weather increased activity in regions where brown fat sits.
  • Subjects burned calories although they were not doing any physical activity.

If you dislike the idea of exposing to cold temperature, try this alternative. Include foods that kick in brown fat activity.

A 2015 study found that consuming capsaicin (green chilies) can mimic the effects of cold to activate brown fat. Likewise, green tea, apples, blueberries and cranberries also help activate brown fat.

Stay active, get restful sleep and choose the right foods. You can turn your body into a fat-burning furnace with brown fat.

Yours in Health,

Danette

P.S. Please share this with your friends and I love to read your comments below.

Have you ever tried to get your guy to step away from the burger and fries?

Have you asked him to dive into a big bowl of kale salad with you instead?

Getting cooperation may not be easy, but it turns out that it’s well worth the effort.

One study found that men and women are more likely to make a healthy change in their lives if their spouse does too. When a couple starts a new fitness routine together, they’re both more likely to stick with it. The same is true of giving up smoking and eating healthier too.

You’ll see more success as a team then by going it alone, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Getting your guy to sign on to nutritious eating can be hard!

Forcing the issue is going to sound like nagging – we all know that never works.

EXCLUSIVE >> 2 Veggies To AVOID If You Want To Lose Weight

So what’s the answer?

If you want to add healthier habits that your man will pick up and enjoy, you need to change your own actions and bring him along with you.

Here are some great ways to make healthy eating a shared activity without any struggle, grumbling or stress.

Take a look at how a change can make his life easier.

1. Does he buy high calorie, high fat fast food for lunch every day? Offer to pack him a brown bag lunch, then make sure that it’s a colorful, flavorful, healthy hit.

2. Clean the chips and fatty snacks out of your home, and stock your shelves with snacks that encourage healthy eating. Greek yogurt, almonds and raisins, bananas and fresh fruit are all wonderful options that cut calories and fat.

3. If you’re cooking any of your meals, make sure that they’re delicious and filling. Then it’s not likely that your guy is going to complain that they’re not unhealthy enough!

4. Add healthy, low-fat proteins like grilled salmon and chicken. Cut out unnecessary calories. You’ll be hearing lots of contented compliments about the tasty meal that you cooked, and no complaints about them being healthy.

5. How many times have you heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Still, you grab a high fat muffin or breakfast sandwich or skip breakfast altogether.  If you make a nutritious breakfast easy and available for both of you, it's more likely that he is going to be eating it along with you.

Best side effect? He’ll be happy about it too.

6. Be honest. Come right out and tell your guy that you want and need him to go on this journey with you. Tell him that if he helps it will help you to succeed.

If you spell it out and then make his involvement something that is enjoyable – like a walk around the neighborhood where you can each talk about your day – then he’s far more likely to sign on happily.

That approach is much better than if you beg and plead, or force him to do something against his will.

Yours in Health,

Danette

P.S. Please share this with your friends. Does your partner support your healthy lifestyle? I love reading your comments below.

Wheatgrass has undeniable superfood content.

Loaded with nutrients and consumed in one tiny shot glass, more and more people are reaching for a daily shot of wheatgrass for its immense health benefits.

Wheatgrass is so potent that a one ounce shot is said to have just as many nutrients as two pounds of leafy greens.

That’s a lot of nutrients in just a one ounce drink!

Made up of roughly 70% chlorophyll, wheatgrass is highly detoxifying and helps to flush out dangerous toxins that might be in your body aiming to cause you harm.

What people really want to know however, is how wheatgrass can effect weight loss efforts.

Do all of its nutrients aid in helping you shed those unwanted pounds?

Read on to find out!

Wheatgrass Health Benefits

There is an abundance of potential health benefits of wheatgrass, but these benefits are the most advertised:

  • Increases the red blood cell count in the body
  • Cleanses the blood
  • Increases overall energy
  • Detoxifies the liver
  • Stimulates the thyroid
  • Reduces acidity in the blood to reduce ulcers, constipation, ulcerative colitis and other gastrointestinal issues

How Wheatgrass Can Aid Weight Loss

Weight loss won’t happen overnight or with wheatgrass shots alone, but in conjuncture with a healthy diet and exercise regimine, wheatgrass can provide you with the nutrients and energy needed to help achieve your weight loss goals.

Abundance of Nutrients

Wheatgrass contains over 90 minerals including high amounts of potassium, calcium, magnesium and sodium.

It also contains 19 amino acids (the building blocks of protein) as well as essential enzymes. Together with vitamins A, B complex, C, E and K, wheatgrass provides almost all of the nutrients that your body requires.

When your body is not missing any nutrients, you will find that you have less cravings and are more satisfied after eating a meal.

Both of these are crucial when trying to lose weight. In this way, wheatgrass aids your weight loss efforts.

Detox

Wheatgrass helps to get the blood circulating due to its chlorophyll content. Chlorophyll gives wheatgrass its detoxying abilities – helping to remove harmful toxins such as heavy metals, metabolic waste and other impurities. When the body is weighed down by these toxins it can cause systems to run slower or incorrectly. Cleansing the body of these toxins and getting the blood circulating again will help the nutrients in wheatgrass to reach the body’s cells.

Metabolism

Wheatgrass helps to stimulate the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is the gland that is most important with regard to obesity and weight loss. Hypothyroidism slows down metabolism and can lead to weight gain.

Those with hypothyroidism can struggle for years to lose unwanted weight without success. Adding wheatgrass to a healthy diet can help stimulate the thyroid gland and return the metabolism to its normal pace. With the thyroid functioning properly and the metabolism running at its normal resting speed, weight loss is much easier.

Adding Wheatgrass to Your Diet

There are three basic ways to add wheatgrass to your diet. While fresh is always best in terms of nutrients and health benefits, there are other ways to enjoy wheatgrass’ benefits

Wheatgrass Supplements

Wheatgrass supplements contain powdered wheatgrass that you simply mix into water and drink. There are many different supplements to chose from, but when looking you should make sure your wheatgrass has the following:

  • Make sure that it is organic
  • Make sure that it is powedereed wheatgrass juice and not powdered plant
  • Make sure that it isn’t heat-dried
  • Make sure there is nothing added

Fresh Wheatgrass Juice

Buying wheatgrass juice fresh from a juice bar is another way to get your wheatgrass fix! A fresh wheatgrass shot is like an immediate energy shot, but make sure that the juice comes from freshly snipped wheatgrass.

Some companies might have pre-juiced wheatgrass, which is worth nothing in terms of health benefits. So when ordering, make sure you actually see the barista snip the grass and juice it!

Grow Your Own

If you’ve fallen in love with wheatgrass and its benefits, than growing your own wheatgrass might be the next best step. Wheatgrass can’t be juiced in a standard blender however, so it is important to make sure that you purchase a proper wheatgrass juicer to recieve the health benefits.

While growing your own wheatgrass isn’t overly difficult, drinking wheatgrass shots day after day can become boring and uninspiring.

How do you still ensure you are getting all those incredible health benefits? Try mixing your fresh wheatgrass juice with other fruit and veggie juices!

The following drink recipe combines both wheatgrass juice and fresh apple juice, which helps to sweeten the wheatgrass and make it more enjoyable to drink. While wheatgrass is clearly beneficial enough to drink on its own, its flavor can be slightly unappealing – it is after all, just grass!

Blending fresh wheatgrass juice with a sweeter fruit juice can help to mask the unappealing flavor while still provinding those incredible health benefits.

Conclusion

While wheatgrass alone isn’t enough to help you shed those unwanted pounds, it is a nutritious drink that, in conjuncture with a healthy diet, can aid your weight loss efforts.

The amount of nutrients alone in wheatgrass make it a superfood, but it’s the effects those nutrients have on the body that make it so beneficial for overall health and well-being – weight loss included!

Thanks to SuperFoodLiving.com for contributing this article.

Yours in Health,

Danette May

P.S. Please share this with your friends and I'd love to hear from you! Have you tried wheatgrass?

 

Do you know that our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and attitudes can negatively affect our biological functioning?

Our minds can affect how healthy our bodies are!

Today I want to share with you….Mind Body Medicine….

The natural healing force within each of usis the greatest force in getting well (8)

What is Mind-Body Medicine?

The University of Maryland Medical Centre states:

“Mind-body medicine uses the power of thoughts and emotions to influence physical health. As Hippocrates once wrote, “The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well. “This is mind-body medicine in a nutshell.”

EXCLUSIVE >> Proven Anti-Aging, Bikini-Belly Exercise Method

The History of Mind-Body Medicine

“The concept that the mind is important in health and illness dates back to ancient times. In the West, the notion that mind and body were separate began during the Renaissance and Enlightenment eras. Increasing numbers of scientific and technological discoveries furthered this split and led to an emphasis on disease-based models, pathological changes, and external cures. The role of mind and belief in health and illness began to re-enter Western health care in the 20th century, led by discoveries about pain control via the placebo effect and effects of stress on health.”

Mind-body medicine focuses on: The ways in which emotional, mental, social, spiritual, experiential, and behavioral factors can directly affect health.

Ancient healing practices like Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic Medicine have always emphasized the links between the mind and the body. Holistic Practitioners of Eastern Medicine, Homeopathic Practitioners, Drs of Naturopathy, and recently Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine in Western Medicine, understand the relationship between our physical body and emotions.

Western Medicine is now beginning to agree with these ancient practices.

  • In 1964, a psychologist George Solomon, investigated the impact emotions had on inflammation and the immune system, when patients worsened with depression.
  • In 1975, a psychologist, Robert Ader, found mental and emotional cues affected the immune system.
  • In the late 1960's, Herbert Benson, Clinical Professor of Medicine at Harvard University, created the phrase ‘relaxation response' to describe physiological changes that occur with meditation. He discovered this while doing secret research and observing meditation practitioners. Though there was public acceptance of mind-body connection in those days, it was seen as taboo by Western Medicine. He was reprimanded for publishing his book ‘relaxation response'…but…
  • By 1994 Benson's found the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Harvard University.

Understanding Mind and Body Medicine Today

Since the advent of new technology…Western Medicine is now finding that the mind, brain and biological systems are in fact working together to affect our health!

Western Medicine now states…”There is no real division between mind and body because of networks of communication that exist between the brain and neurological, endocrine and immune systems.”

” There is no doubt that when you take it to the next level, the mind and the body are connected, and that when those connections are intact and in balance you have health
and when they're broken you have disease.”
Esther Sternberg MD, University of Arizona

How Does Mind-Body Medicine Work?

When physically or emotionally stressed the body releases stress hormones that affect your systems and organs, this can disrupt heart and immune function, while depression and distress can diminish the body's natural capacity to heal.

It has been found that certain emotions have been associated with disease eg. hostile attitudes increase heart disease, obesity, insulin resistance, and abnormal cholesterol. High blood pressure is associated with feelings of hopelessness. How one deals with their emotions determine how long they will survive with chronic disease.

Mind-body medicine techniques help the mind and body to relax and reduce the level of stress hormones in the body, helping you achieve homeostasis by balancing the parasympathetic system (rest and digest) and sympathetic system (fight or flight), allowing the immune system to fight illness effectively.

Taking care of our emotional well-being is so important for the health of our body, and creating a healthy dialogue between body and mind can help bring harmony.

How Self-Talk and Mind-Body Medicine Helped Me:

I began experiencing the benefits of Mind-Body Medicine in 2007 when I explored meditation practice. I also learned natural therapies like Emotional Freedom Technique that worked with stress and emotions. By combining these practices along with good lifestyle habits and eating healthy living foods, I experienced amazing results!

Exercise – I prefer quiet when I exercise, as opposed to the loud music found in gyms. This allows me to listen to my breath for single pointed focus. I tune into my body and talk to it for improved performance.

Health and Healing – I do this in bed before I sleep, because our bodies heal during sleep. I place my hand on my heart to connect with Soul center, this is important because it is the center of your being (body, Soul, mind), and I talk to my body and encourage it to use its innate intelligence to heal. Sometimes I visualize the areas that need healing.

Reduce Stress and Improve Sleep – I connect with my body at any moment of the night or day, when under stress, and reassure it that all will be okay. I do breath-work meditations – I breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 7, and breathe out for 8, this slows down the heart and induces sleep.

Importantly…I like to observe the problem and try learn what the experience is teaching me.

I have been practicing Self-Talk since 2007. It has helped me to get through my greatest challenges in 2014 and 2015.

beauty-kitchen-300x250

Mind Body exercises that give Olympic Athletes the edge

Self Talk:

To sharpen skills and improve technique a golfer will tell himself “swing at the hip”. To build strength and confidence before the game motivational self talk is used to get their energy flowing eg. “I can do this”.

Visualization:

Athletes performs a mental exercise with visualization. They mentally rehearse the process and visualize the desired performance. Science shows that this visualization technique is a mental exercise that conditions your mind and body to act accordingly in the real world – and that brings results!

Reframing

This teaches them to look at the event from a different perspective, to look at their failures as learning opportunities. Reframing gives athletes power and resilience to keep pushing ahead.

Meditation

This is growing in popularity with many athletes. Simple 15 to 30 minute breathing meditations improve focus and concentration, bringing them to a state of ‘Flow' and ‘being in the zone' – highly energized and focused, with a loss of sense of time and self.

Quotes from Meditating Celebrities:

“In moments of madness, meditation has helped me find moments of serenity.”
Sir Paul McCartney

“Meditation is helping you to tap into something that's already inside of you….that's you, in essence. That's something that was super-empowering for me
once I grasped that.”
Cameron Diaz

“In meditation, I can let go of everything. I'm not Hugh Jackman. I'm not a dad. I'm not a husband. I'm just dipping into that powerful source that creates everything. I take a little bath in it. Nothing has ever opened my eyes like Transcendental Meditation has. It makes me calm and happy, and well, it gives me some peace and quiet in what's a pretty chaotic life!”
Hugh Jackman

The Connection – Mind Your Body Documentary

I recommend this great documentary to learn more about Mind and Body healing….

This article is reprinted with permission from Jess @ Bodhi Chi

Yours in Health,

Danette

P.S. Please share this with your friends and I welcome your comments below:

If you're looking to lose weight, there's one food group you don't want to overlook.

People tend to shy away from legumes in favor of pure protein sources (like chicken) coupled with pure carbohydrate options (like brown rice.)

These can be healthy options and may help with weight loss but legumes offer special benefits you can’t afford to miss out on.

Here are a few things to know.

belly-fat-300

Food Cravings 

Food cravings, as you’re likely well aware of, can put the breaks on your diet effort. When one strikes, especially if you happen to be hungry, it can be challenging to resist.

Legumes to the rescue!

In one study 42 adults were assigned to a 6 week study. They either consumed a diet low, medium, or high in legumes. The study concluded that diets rich in legumes controlled food cravings better and as such, the subjects lost more total body weight.

Getting cravings under control is vital for your success and legumes can help you do this.

Total Food Intake 

Another benefit that legumes have going for them is the fact they are higher in resistant starch. This is a form of starch that is not as easily broken down by the body and as such, won’t cause you to absorb as many calories.

Those who have diets rich in this form of starch tend to not gain as much weight despite eating a similar calorie value.

Resistant starch is also excellent for controlling blood sugar levels, lowering the appetite and improving insulin sensitivity.

The best sources of resistant starch include

  • white beans
  • lentils
  • chickpeas
  • kidney beans

Protein Plus Carb Combo 

One benefit of legumes that you can’t overlook is that unlike many sources of complex carbs, these contain both protein AND carbohydrates.

This makes them ideal for fat burning since many people aren't getting enough protein in their weight loss plan.

Protein itself is going to boost weight loss success.

It helps

  • combat hunger
  • promote the maintenance of lean muscle mass tissue
  • and it also has a higher thermic effect of food (meaning you’ll burn more calories digesting and breaking it down compared to other foods.)

One study put subjects on either high protein diets, high legume diets, a fatty fish diet, or a control diet. It was the legume diet and diets rich in other sources of protein that lost the most weight.

So all in all, you can’t overlook the importance that legumes bring to a fat loss diet plan.

Not sure how to serve them?

Try adding some legumes into

  • soups
  • casseroles
  • into an omelet
  • tossed over your leafy green salad
  • blended up and prepared into baked recipes such as muffins or breads.

For instance, pureed chick peas add moisture you need  in baked foods. That means you can cut back on the fat-rich ingredients, like butter.

However you choose to do it, just do be sure that you get legumes into your plan today.

Yours in Health,

Danette

P.S. Please share this info. with your friends. I love reading your comments too! What's your favorite legume?

Eating clean means eating whole foods that are as close as possible to their natural state.

By now, you probably know this means switching from processed foods to fresh whole foods.

But what about dairy? A lot of people think that if you’re eating clean you can’t eat dairy. If cheese is your favorite food, this makes eating clean sound much too hard!

The good news is that there are a lot of ways to keep dairy in your life and still eat clean.

If you want stick with cow's milk- make it organic unsweetened cow’s milk.

You can always opt to trade in cow’s milk for a clean non-dairy milk like

  • homemade cashew milk
  • unsweetened almond
  • unsweetened coconut milk
  • rice milk

You'll probably see a lot less bloating too!

But what about dairy?

Not only can dairy be considered clean, but some dairy offers unique benefits.

These include:

Greek yogurt

Greek yogurt is a great option as long as it's unsweetened. Its high levels of protein and carbs make it so good for you and there are a lot of ways to use it.

Eat it plain, or sweeten it with honey or fruit for a snack. You can add it to smoothies, or use it to replace sour cream in almost any recipe.

Kefir

Kefir is a milk product that’s been fermented. It’s full of probiotic bacteria that gives a slight bubbly feeling when you drink it. Its taste is a little sharper and tangier than yogurt.

Adding kefir to your diet will help your immune system stay healthy and give your digestive system a boost.

Watch out for flavored kefir, which can contain as much sugar in one serving as you find in two donuts!  Instead, mix plain kefir into smoothies or use it to make salad dressings.

You can even mix cut up fruit into kefir and freeze it in paper cups or molds to make creamy popsicles!

But, what about cheese?!

Cheese

If cheese is a weakness for you, your best bet is to stay away from the supermarket variety entirely.

Instead, head to your local farmer’s market, where cheese is sold by local farmers. If you look around and ask questions, you’ll find farmers whose animals have been grass-fed or raised on an organic, plant-only diet.

Make sure that the goats and cows received no hormones or antibiotic treatments. The happier and healthier the animals, the cleaner the foods that they provide.

When considering which dairy products give you the best bang for your buck, remember that dairy products like milk and butter that come from grass-fed animals are much richer in:

Yes, even the fat that’s found in whole grass-fed dairy products is less harmful and more beneficial than the fat in non-grass fed milk.

Wanting to eat clean doesn’t mean that you have to give up dairy and cheese. It just means that you need to be mindful about your choices.

Yous in Health,

Danette

P.S. Please share this and let me know, are you are cheese lover? Comment below.