Awesome Foods

Weight loss is a battle fought in almost every 
household of America. Losing weight does not 
mean going on crash diets and keeping yourself 
away from your favorite food. You can lose weight 
even when you are eating properly, just be sensibly 
choosing your foods. There are certain foods that 
help you control the cravings and burn up higher 
calories to actually help you shed pounds.
These super foods, when included in daily diets, 
help shrink your waistline and provide plenty of 
health benefits. Here is the list of best foods for 
fat loss...
Eggs
Eggs are high in protein so they give a very 
satisfying and full feeling. This results in less snacking 
throughout the day. This is a staple diet item and is 
found on many breakfast tables. Try boiled eggs, 
an omelet, or scrambled eggs.
Green Tea
Green tea has many health benefits. It raises the
metabolic rate leading to faster burning of 
calories. Its high antioxidants help you stay young and 
take care of the heart. A major ingredient in green 
tea, theanine is also a great stress reliever. 
 
Fresh Fruit
Fresh fruit increases the fiber intake and keeps the 
calories in check. Fruits like apples and pomegranates 
are very helpful in maintaining blood sugar levels 
and good digestion, thereby contributing to weight 
loss.
Lentils
These are full of protein and high fiber, and are superb for 
weight loss as it prevents the rise of insulin that 
causes fat storage (especially around the 
belly). You can put lentils in pastas, soups, and can 
toss them in salads.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is one of the best super foods for weight loss. 
Oatmeal is very healthy and digests slowly. This maintains 
the blood sugar levels and, as a result, fends off sudden 
food cravings.
Yogurt
A perfect food that keeps a tab on the blood sugar 
levels. This food for fat loss is (generally) low calorie. 
A study at the University of Tennessee has proved that 
people lost 61 percent overall fat when they 
included yoghurt in their diet.
Fat loss is easier when you have the 
determination and the willingness to make changes in 
your lifestyle. By including these foods for fat 
loss in your daily diet, you will soon se

10 Tips to Manage Food Cravings

10 Tips to Manage Food Cravings

1. Eat consistently.
To manage your blood sugar and appetite, be sure to eat 5-6 small meals or snacks every 2-3 hours throughout the day. Keep healthy snacks on hand at all times. Some healthy snack ideas include:
◦ Fruit
◦ Vegetables
◦ Protein Shake or Protein Bar
◦ Skim Milk
◦ Beef Jerky
◦ Nuts
◦ Low Sodium V8
◦ Whole Grain Crackers
2. Drink a gallon of water.
You will be able to keep your appetite at bay by drinking water all day long. Water also has a weird way of killing cravings.
3.
4. Eat the Pickle!
5. Eat a dill pickle.
When I was 17 I asked a bodybuilder named Ted how he keeps from eating junk all day long. He tells me that the smell of dill pickles curbs his cravings for anything sweet or salty. So I ask him if he sniffs a pickle when he gets hungry. He replies to me, “No. I eat the pickle.” 
Eat the pickle!
6. Postpone your treat. 
When the craving hits you, you can set a goal and make that craving a reward for accomplishing your goal. It can be something as easy as waiting 1 day. “If I can resist my craving for 24 hours, I will reward myself with a small serving.” Sometimes by delaying the craving, it will go away entirely and you can skip the cheat altogether.
7. Give in to your craving but observe moderation. 
Whatever it is that you are craving, eat it. But only eat a small portion. Recognize before you even take your first bite that you have to stop after half a serving or so. Basically if you are craving chocolate, just eat half the bar instead of the whole thing. One trick you can try, is to put whatever you are eating into a small bowl, cup, or plastic bag. This will keep you from eating a whole box of Cheese-Its in one sitting. I have used this tip to great success all throughout my 20s.
8. Snacking is not so bad.
Most diet plans and even the USDA say that snacking is not always bad. You should be allowed 200-300 calories a day to eat whatever you want. This is not an invitation to suck down 50 grams of sugar all in one shot, but it should provide enough flexibility to eat that half bar of chocolate, one slice of pizza, a small bag of Sun Chips, or whatever it is that you are pining for.
9. Supplement with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
This will keep your body from randomly craving certain nutrients that can sometimes be found in foods that are not good for us. Chocolate is famous for this.
◦
◦ 12 in 1 Multivitamin
◦ Vitamins and minerals: I recommend you try a product called 12-In-One Soft Gel Multivitamins. 
You can get a Men’s and/or Women’s formulation in order to better target nutrition to your body type. This vitamin contains more than 117 nutrients, 72 trace minerals and 47 fruit and vegetable concentrates. Designed in a soft-gel formula that is easy to swallow and fast-absorbing, 12-in-One features premium ingredients from all 12 nutrient groups that your body needs to thrive. Learn more about 12-In-One.
◦ Antioxidants: I recommend you try what I consider to be one of the best acai products, Extreme Acai; or one of the best acai juice products from Sambazon. Acai berries have far more antioxidants than any other fruit. Even more than blueberries! Besides that, the nutrients in acai helps many other diseases and maladies, from diabetes to arthritis to blood clotting. Acai has great anti-aging benefits, will cleanse and detoxify you, and has destroyed cancer cells in recent studies. It really is a worthwhile antioxidant supplement to add to your daily nutrition.
Acai can also be a great weight loss aid. The berry’s natural concoction of essential fatty acids, fiber, phytosterols and amino acids work together to help your body burn fat more efficiently, process food more quickly and shed the unwanted pounds that you’d like to lose.
10. Try to find the healthiest form of your craving.
If you crave chocolate, choose dark chocolate, which has a number of antioxidants. If you crave crackers, choose a dip that contains vegetables or olives. You might choose some nice frozen yogurt over ice cream, although frozen yogurt typically contains more sugar. Satiate your sweet tooth by topping something with honey.
11. Keep a food log.
Write down the names and quantities of each food you eat throughout the day. If you are real ambitious you can also write down the number of calories, protein, fats, carbs, sugar, etc… Whatever interests you most. You can also record your mood and daily activities for a more complete lifestyle analysis. When it comes to combating cravings, there are two benefits to keeping a food log:
1. You can check previous days for similar cravings and possible figure out why you are craving a certain food. Analyzing such factors as hunger, boredom, stress, lack of fruit, and lack of veggies, might indicate to you why you are feeling the craving.
2. Reading back through all the instances where you indulged in your cravings might spur you to ignore it or postpone it this time. Remember that moderation is key.
12. Use some old fashioned willpower.
Seriously sometimes when it comes down to the final straw, you need to show your metal. If you are craving sweets and you see a big piece of cake, just say no. Utilizing all these tips will definitely help you, but you still need to display some sort of motivation to git ‘er done.

Top Fat Loss Programs

Top Fat Loss Programs

Fat loss has been a hot topic for many years now. People love to
have shapely, sexy, healthy bodies which makes them look and feel
good. With the U.S. spending billions of dollars on weight loss
products and services, no wonder so many weight loss plans have
flooded the market. This makes the your choose even harder,
especially with seemingly every plan promising to melt pounds in
matter of days (if
not hours!).

Fad diets, as they are commonly called, promise you very quick
results. You need to be very careful while choosing the right plan
for you so as to avoid any unnecessary damage to your body (or you
self-esteem when the pounds come flooding back on). To make your
choice easier, here is the list of top fat loss programs:

Atkins Diet
The Atkins diet emphasizes high fat, high protein and low carbs.
The diet has been revised several times and the current plan
distinguishes between fats (good and bad) and promotes having
monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The intake of
carbohydrates is also now relaxed, giving it a more balanced
nutritional approach. The high protein keeps you feeling full in
between the meals. This helps you eat less during the day.

Zone Diet
The Zone diet doesn't restrict the calories severely. Instead it
stresses on having a balanced blend of nutrients. It is a high
protein, controlled fat and low carb diet plan. You can eat healthy
fats and there is a guide to make the process easier. Since calorie
intake is controlled chances of weight loss are higher.

Ornish Diet
The Ornish diet is often called the "eat more, weigh less" plan. It
is a high fiber, low fat diet for vegetarians. Dairy products are
limited in this fat loss plan. This diet was originally for heart
patients but showed good results for shedding fat. This program can
be hard to follow; therefore you need to have great focus and
determination to stick to the plan.

MOAR SUPERFOODS! 2

These super foods, when included in daily diets, 
help shrink your waistline and provide plenty of 
health benefits. Here is the list of best foods for 
fat loss...

Eggs
Eggs are high in protein so they give a very 
satisfying and full feeling. This results in less snacking 
throughout the day. This is a staple diet item and is 
found on many breakfast tables. Try boiled eggs, 
an omelet, or scrambled eggs. Green Tea
Green tea has many health benefits. It raises the
metabolic rate leading to faster burning of 
calories. Its high antioxidants help you stay young and 
take care of the heart. A major ingredient in green 
tea, theanine is also a great stress reliever. 
 
Fresh Fruit
Fresh fruit increases the fiber intake and keeps the 
calories in check. Fruits like apples and pomegranates 
are very helpful in maintaining blood sugar levels 
and good digestion, thereby contributing to weight 
loss. Lentils
These are full of protein and high fiber, and are superb for 
weight loss as it prevents the rise of insulin that 
causes fat storage (especially around the 
belly). You can put lentils in pastas, soups, and can 
toss them in salads. Oatmeal
Oatmeal is one of the best super foods for weight loss. 
Oatmeal is very healthy and digests slowly. This maintains 
the blood sugar levels and, as a result, fends off sudden 
food cravings. Yogurt
A perfect food that keeps a tab on the blood sugar 
levels. This food for fat loss is (generally) low calorie. 
A study at the University of Tennessee has proved that 
people lost 61 percent overall fat when they 
included yoghurt in their diet.

Good Food!

Remember, if you don't have junk around the house, you're less likely to eat junk. If all you have is healthy food around the house, you're forced to make smart choices. Basically, it all starts with making smart choices and avoiding temptations when you make your grocery store trip. Now these are just some of my personal preferences, but perhaps they will give you some good ideas that you'll enjoy. Alright, so let's start with the fridge. Each week, I try to make sure I'm loaded up with lots of varieties of fresh vegetables. During the growing season, I only get local produce, but obviously in winter, I have to resort to the produce at the grocery store. Most of the time, I make sure I have plenty of vegetables like onions, zucchini, spinach, fresh mushrooms, red peppers, broccoli, etc. to use in my morning eggs. I also like to dice up some lean chicken or turkey sausage into the eggs, along with some swiss, jack, or goat cheeses (preferably raw grass-fed cheeses when I can find them). By the way I'm talking about whole eggs, NOT egg whites. Always remember that the yolk is the most nutritious and nutrient dense part of the egg, so only eating egg whites is like throwing away the best part... and no, it's NOT bad for you because of the cholesterol... eggs actually raise your GOOD cholesterol. Try to get free range organic eggs for the best quality. Here's an entire article I did on the topic of whole eggs vs egg whites. Coconut milk is another staple in my fridge. I like to use it to mix in with smoothies, oatmeal, or yogurt for a rich, creamy taste. Not only does coconut milk add a rich, creamy taste to lots of dishes, but it's also full of healthy saturated fats. Yeah, you heard me...I said healthy saturated fats! Healthy saturated fats like medium chain triglycerides, specifically an MCT called lauric acid. If the idea of healthy saturated fats is foreign to you, check out my healthy fats article Back to the fridge, some other staples: • Chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds - delicious and great sources of healthy fats. • Cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and yogurt - I like to mix cottage or ricotta cheese and yogurt together with chopped nuts and berries for a great mid-morning or mid-afternoon meal. • Whole flax seeds or chia seeds - I grind these in a mini coffee grinder and add to yogurt or salads. Always grind them fresh because the omega-3 polyunsaturated fats are highly unstable and prone to oxidation, creating high levels of free radicals in pre-ground flax. • Whole eggs - one of natures richest sources of nutrients (and remember, they increase your GOOD cholesterol so stop fearing them). • Salsa - I try to get creative and try some of the exotic varieties of salsas. • Avocados - love them...plus a great source of healthy fats, fiber, and other nutrients. Try adding them to wraps, salads, or sandwiches. • Butter - don't believe the naysayers; butter adds great flavor to anything and can be part of a healthy diet (just keep the quantity small because it is calorie dense...and NEVER use margarine, unless you want to assure yourself a heart attack). • Nut butters - Plain old peanut butter has gotten a little old for me, so I get creative and mix together almond butter with sesame seed butter, or even cashew butter with macadamia butter...delicious and unbeatable nutrition! • Leaf lettuce and spinach along with shredded carrots - for salads with dinner. • Home-made salad dressing - using balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and Udo's Choice oil blend. This is much better than store bought salad dressing which mostly use highly refined soybean oil (full of inflammation-causing free radicals). • Whole grain wraps and whole grain bread (look for wraps and bread with at least 3-4 grams of fiber per 20 grams of total carbs). • Rice bran and wheat germ - these may sound way too healthy for some, but they actually add a nice little nutty, crunchy taste to yogurt or smoothies, or can be added when baking muffins or breads to add nutrients and fiber. Some of the staples in the freezer: • Frozen berries - during the local growing season, I only get fresh berries, but during the other 10 months of the year, I always keep a supply of frozen blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, cherries, etc. to add to high fiber cereal, oatmeal, cottage cheese, yogurt, or smoothies • Frozen fish - I like to try a couple different kinds of fish each week. There are so many varieties out there, you never have to get bored. • Frozen chicken breasts - very convenient for a quick addition to wraps or chicken sandwiches for quick meals. • Grass-fed steaks, burgers, and ground beef - Grassfed meats have been shown to have as high as, or even higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids than salmon (without the mercury). Also, grass-fed meats have much higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) compared to typical grain-fed beef. I recently found an excellent on-line store where I buy all of my grass-fed meats now (they even deliver right to your door in a sealed cooler) - www.healthygrassfed.2ya.com • Frozen buffalo, ostrich, venison, and other "exotic" lean meats - Yeah, I know...I'm weird, but I can tell you that these are some of the healthiest meats around, and if you're serious about a lean healthy body, these types of meats are much better for you than the mass produced, hormone-pumped beef and pork that's sold at most grocery stores. • Frozen veggies - again, when the growing season is over and I can no longer get local fresh produce, frozen veggies are the best option, since they often have higher nutrient contents compared to the fresh produce that has been shipped thousands of miles, sitting around for weeks before making it to your dinner table. Alright, now the staples in my cabinets: • Various antioxidant rich teas - green, oolong, white, rooibos are some of the best. • Whole wheat or whole grain spelt pasta - much higher fiber than normal pastas • Oat bran and steel cut oats - higher fiber than those little packs of instant oats. • Cans of coconut milk - to be transferred to a container in the fridge after opening. • Brown rice and other higher fiber rice - NEVER white rice • Tomato sauces - delicious, and as I'm sure you've heard a million times, they are a great source of lycopene. Just watch out for the brands that are loaded with nasty high fructose corn syrup. • Stevia - a natural non-caloric sweetener, which is an excellent alternative to the nasty chemical-laden artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharine, and sucralose. • Raw honey - better than processed honey... higher quantities of beneficial nutrients and enzymes. Honey has even been proven in studies to improve glucose metabolism (how you process carbs). I use a teaspoon or so every morning in my teas. Yes, it is pure sugar, but at least it has some nutritional benefits... and let's be real, a teaspoon of healthier raw honey is only 5 grams of carbs... certainly nothing to worry about. • Organic maple syrup - none of that high fructose corn syrup Aunt Jemima crap...only real maple syrup can be considered real food. The only time I really use this (because of the high sugar load) is added to my post-workout smoothies to sweeten things up and also elicit an insulin surge to push nutrients into your muscles. • Organic unsweetened cocoa powder - I like to mix this into my smoothies for an extra jolt of antioxidants or make my own low-sugar hot cocoa by mixing cocoa powder into hot milk with stevia and a couple melted dark chocolate chunks. • Cans of black or kidney beans - I like to add a couple scoops to my Mexican wraps for the fiber and high nutrition content. Also, beans are surprisingly one of the best sources of youth promoting antioxidants! • Dark chocolate (as dark as possible) - This is one of my treats that satisfies my sweet tooth, plus provides loads of antioxidants at the same time. It's still calorie dense, so I keep it to just a couple squares; but that is enough to do the trick, so I don't feel like I need to go out and get cake and ice cream to satisfy my dessert urges. Lastly, another thing that's hard to go wrong with is a good variety of fresh fruits and berries. The staples such as bananas, apples, oranges, pears, peaches are good, but I like to also be a little more adventurous and include things like yellow (aka - mexican or champagne) mangoes, pomegranates, kumquats, papaya, star

The Shocking Truth about Dietary Fats and Saturated Fat

The Shocking Truth about Dietary Fats and Saturated Fats You've been deceived into thinking that saturated fats are bad for you, but let's look at some facts below... I’ll preface this article by saying that it will help if you have an open mind and accept that some of these facts are a slap in the face to politically correct nutrition in this day and age where fats are admonished by many doctors, health "experts", and the mass media. To start, eating an adequate supply of healthy dietary fats is vitally important to your overall health. Fats are one of the main components in all of the cell membranes throughout your entire body. If you eat enough healthy natural fats, your cellular processes will proceed normally. On the other hand, if you eat man-made, heavily processed, chemically altered fats (damaged fats) that are found in most processed foods, your cellular function will be impaired as these damaged fats become part of your cell membranes, the body will have to work harder to operate correctly, and degenerative diseases can develop. In addition, healthy dietary fats are necessary for optimal hormone production and balance within the body and are therefore essential for the muscle building and fat burning processes. Other important functions that dietary fats play in a healthy body are aiding vitamin and mineral utilization, enzyme regulation, energy, etc. I cringe every time I hear so called "health experts" recommend restriction of dietary fat, claiming that a low-fat diet is the key to good health, weight loss, and prevention of degenerative diseases. Restriction of any one macronutrient (protein, carbs, or fat) in your diet works against what your body needs and can only lead to problems. All three basic macronutrients serve important functions for a lean, healthy, and disease-free body. As Dr. Mary Enig, Ph.D, and one of the leading fats researchers in the world, notes in several of her books and articles, there is very little true scientific evidence supporting the assertion that a high fat diet is bad for us.

Healthies Foods

The Healthy Fatty Food Choices:

• Coconut fat: Coconut fat is approximately 92% saturated fat, yet surprisingly to most people, is considered a very healthy natural fat. The health benefits of coconut fat lie in its composition of approximately 65% medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). Specifically, about 50% of coconut fat is a MCT called lauric acid, which has very potent anti-microbial properties helping to enhance the immune system. Also, MCTs are more easily utilized for immediate energy instead of being stored as body fat. Coconut oil is also an excellent cooking oil for stir-frying, etc. since saturated fats are much more stable and do not oxidize like polyunsaturated oils when exposed to heat and light, which creates damaging free radicals. The best sources of healthy coconut fat are organic coconut milk, virgin coconut oil (available at http://coconut-info.com), or fresh coconut. • Extra virgin olive oil: Olive oil is approximately 71% monounsaturated, 16% saturated, and 13% polyunsaturated. Choose “extra virgin” olive oil, which comes from the first pressing of the olives and has higher quantities of antioxidants. Unlike most other oils on supermarket shelves, extra virgin olive oil is not extracted with the use of harmful industrial solvents and is one of your healthiest choices for liquid oils. Try making your own salad dressing by mixing a small amount of olive oil with vinegar. This is healthier than most store bought salad dressings, which are usually made with highly processed and refined (chemically damaged) soybean oil extracted with industrial solvents. • Dark, bittersweet chocolate (>70% cocoa): The cocoa bean is a very concentrated source of antioxidants and responsible for part of the health benefit of dark chocolate. The fat portion of the cocoa bean (cocoa butter) is a healthy natural fat, composed of approximately 59% saturated fat (mostly healthy stearic acid), 38% monounsaturated fat, and 3% polyunsaturated fat. I’ll limit the description of healthy chocolate to ONLY dark bittersweet chocolate with >70% cocoa content. Most milk chocolates are only about 30% cocoa, and even most dark chocolates are only about 55% cocoa, leaving the remainder of those products composed of high amounts of sugar, milk fat, corn sweeteners, etc. Look for a quality dark chocolate that lists its cocoa content like Chocolove Extra Dark (77%) or Dagoba New Moon (74%), which contain mostly cocoa and very little sugar. Keep in mind that although dark chocolate can be a healthy treat, it is still calorie dense, so keeping it to just a square or two is a good idea. • Avocados or guacamole: The fat in avocados (depending on where they’re grown) is approximately 60% monounsaturated, 25% saturated, and 15% polyunsaturated. Avocados are a very healthy natural food that provides many nutrients, fiber, and healthful fats, while adding a rich flavor to any meal. Try sliced avocado on sandwiches or in salads or use guacamole in wraps, sandwiches, or quesadillas. • High fat fish such as wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, trout, etc.: Just about any fish or seafood are good sources of natural omega-3 polyunsaturated fats, but the higher fat fish listed above are the best sources of omega-3’s. Due to the radical switch to a higher proportion of omega-6 polyunsaturated fats like soybean oil, corn oil, safflower oil, etc. in our food supply during the middle of the 20th century, the average western diet is currently way too high in omega-6’s compared to omega-3’s, which wreaks havoc in your body. This is where good omega-3 sources like high fat fish, walnuts, and flax seeds can help bring you back to a better ratio of omega-6/omega-3. • Nuts (any and all - walnuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews, macadamias, etc.): Nuts are great sources of healthy unprocessed fats as well as minerals and other trace nutrients. Macadamias, almonds, and cashews are great sources of monounsaturated fats, while walnuts are a good source of unprocessed polyunsaturated fats (including omega-3’s). Try to avoid nuts that are cooked in oil. Instead, choose raw or dry roasted nuts. • Seeds (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds): All of these seeds are great sources of natural unprocessed healthy fats. In particular, flax seeds have received a lot of attention lately due to their high omega-3 content. However, keep in mind that omega-3 polyunsaturated fats are highly reactive to heat and light, and prone to oxidation and free radical production. Therefore, freshly ground flax seed is the only way to go. Instead of using the store bought ground flax seed, you can buy whole flax seed and use one of those miniature coffee grinders to grind your own flax seed. Try grinding fresh flax seed into your yogurt, cereal, or even your salad. If you’re using a flax oil, make sure it’s a cold-pressed oil in a light-proof refrigerated container, and use it up within a few weeks to prevent it from going rancid. NEVER cook with flax oil! • The fat in organically raised, free-range animals: This is where most people have been misinformed by the mass media. Animal fat is inherently good for us, that is, if it came from a healthy animal. Human beings have thrived on animal fats for thousands of years. The problem is, most mass produced animal products today do not come from healthy animals. They come from animals given loads of antibiotics and fattened up with hormones and fed un-natural feed. The solution is to choose organically raised, free-range meats, eggs, and dairy. At this time, the price is still a little higher, but as demand grows, the prices will come down. I've found an incredible website that actually offers free-range grass-fed meats delivered right to your doorstep at very reasonable prices. Believe me, it's very hard to find grass fed meats at any grocery stores, so I was pleased to find this site.

Deadly Foods!

The Deadly Fatty Foods:

• Hydrogenated oils (trans fats): These are industrially produced chemically altered oils subjected to extremely high pressure and temperature, with added industrial solvents such as hexane for extraction, and have a metal catalyst added to promote the artificial hydrogenation, followed by bleaching and deodorizing agents…..and somehow the FDA still allows this crap to pass as food. These oils aren’t even worthy of your lawnmower, much less your body! They’ve been linked to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and more. Even small quantities have been shown in studies to be dangerous. If you care about your health, check the ingredients of everything you buy, and if you see partially hydrogenated oils of any kind, margarine, or shortening, protect yourself and your family by choosing something else.
• Refined oils: Even if the oils are not hydrogenated, most oils on your supermarket shelves are refined, even most of the so called “healthy” canola oils. Most refined oils still undergo the high temperature, high pressure, solvent extraction, bleaching, and deodorizing processes. Anything labeled vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, and even many canola oils have been damaged by this refining process (unless they say "virgin" or "cold expeller pressed"). This damages the natural structure of the fats, destroys natural antioxidants, creates free radicals, and produces a generally unhealthy product. Take note that the explosion of heart disease in the middle of the 20th century coincides quite nicely with the rapid increase in the use of hydrogenated and refined oils in the food supply.
• Anything deep fried: including tortilla chips, potato chips, French fries, donuts, fried chicken, chicken nuggets, etc. All of this crap shouldn't even pass as real food in my opinion!
• Homogenized milk fat - Milk fat is a very healthy fat in its natural raw state. Milk and beef from grass fed organically raised cows is known to have higher quantities of healthy fats like conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and omega-3 fatty acids compared with grain fed cows. Traditional populations around the world have thrived in perfect health while consuming huge quantities of raw, non-pasteurized, non-homogenized, full fat dairy products. Once again, food processing ruins a good thing by pasteurizing and homogenizing milk fat, rendering it potentially dangerous inside the human body. Unfortunately, you will find it almost impossible to find raw milk in the US unless you personally know a farmer. Check out http://www.realmilk.com for more info on the benefits of raw milk and to find out if it’s available near you. As an alternative, cultured dairy products like yogurt have at least had beneficial microorganisms added back to them making them better for you. Realistically, since you probably won’t find raw milk, sticking to skim milk is the best option to avoid the homogen

Food Tricks 2

In general, it is the heavy processing of foods that makes it wreak havoc inside our bodies. Most foods in their natural unprocessed state are inherently good for us. Of course there are always exceptions... a salad of poison ivy leaves is "natural and unprocessed" but certainly would not be good for us!
I'll leave your readers with a couple of the most important aspects of nutrition that help to get you lean for life...
1. Get enough quality protein in the daily diet - not only does it have a higher thermic effect than carbs and fat (so you burn more calories digesting it), but it also creates satiety so your hunger is satisfied longer. Plus it's a building block for maintaining and building lean muscle... And remember that the amount of lean muscle you carry is one of the main factors for controlling your metabolism.
2. Think fiber! When it comes to carbs, make sure that almost all of your carbohydrate intake is from higher fiber sources like vegetables, fruits, and high fiber unrefined grains. Try to avoid refined sugars and refined grains as that is one of the main reasons so many people struggle with body fat. I personally don't eat many grains as I prefer to get most of my carbs from veggies and fruits, but I do use sprouted grain breads fairly regularly too.
I generally recommend looking for carbohydrate sources that have at least 2-3 grams of fiber per each 10 grams of total carbs. Remember that fiber helps fill you up and also slows down the glycemic response of the foods you eat, all beneficial for getting lean.
3. Don't be afraid to eat fat! Many people try to go way too low on their fat intake and this can negatively affect hormone levels in your body as well as causing more cravings. Try to eat enough healthy fats daily.
Good sources are all nuts and seeds, nut butters, avocados, olive oil, organic meats and eggs, coconuts and virgin coconut oil. On that note, saturated fats from tropical oils are VERY misunderstood, even by many nutritionists and other health professionals. Yes they are composed highly of saturated fats, but are actually beneficial (but that's way beyond the scope of this article).
4. Avoid the two worst things in our food supply at ALL COSTS:
• artificial trans fats from margarines, shortening, and hydrogenated oils that are in most processed foods and deep fried foods
• high fructose corn syrup, which is in almost all sweetened products on the market
Again, if you avoid processed foods, it becomes easy to avoid these two worst offenders in our food supply.

Rules Of Nutrition

Nutrition Rules

Here are a few easy to follow nutrition rules that will help you build a bigger, leaner physique: • Eat every 2-3 hours. This keeps you in an anabolic state and keeps your metabolism running along so that you don’t get fat. • Build your meals around a base of lean protein and shoot for one gram per pound of bodyweight per day. The only time you would need more than this is when you are dieting and your carbs are extremely low. • Eat vegetables at every meal except breakfast. Not only are they incredibly healthy and provide tons of nutrients and fiber but they slow down the absorption of your meals leading to less bodyfat accumulation. • Eat organic whenever possible. There is so much crap in the food we eat today that it is really a smart decision to eat organic as often as you can. • Avoid sugars, artificial sweeteners and saturated fats as much as possible. Some saturated fat in meats is ok, but really try to cut out the sugar and artificial sweeteners. • Eat carbs at breakfast and around your workout. Cut out carbs at night. • Drink at least a half gallon of water per day. A gallon is usually better, especially in the summer. • Watch your sodium intake. And when I say that I mean it in the opposite way that most people and doctors would think I mean it. I mean to be sure your sodium intake is adequate. This is especially true for athletes who play in the summer time. Without adequate sodium levels your performance can suffer. Adequate sodium levels also help to maintain strength while dieting.

Don't Starve

When you go into this starvation mode, here are some of the consequences:

1. Your body releases fewer fat-releasing and fat-burning enzymes such as hormone sensitive lipase and lipoprotein lipase.
2. Your fat cells release less of the hormone leptin, which is the signal that tells your brain you are well fed and not starving (it's the "anti-starvation" hormone)
3. Fat burning hormones crash, including your levels of T3 (no, not the latest Arnold terminator movie, T3 is the active form of thyroid hormone, the important "metabolism-regulating hormone" that you've probably heard about before).
4. You lose muscle. Muscle is metabolically-active tissue, which means it takes a lot of energy just to keep it. When you're "starving," you're in an "energy crisis", so excess muscle is the LAST thing you need. Muscle becomes expendable, and your body cannibalizes your own lean tissue.
5. Appetite hormones rage out of control. When you're starving, a part of your brain called the hypothalamus switches into high gear and flips the appetite switch, sometimes to the point where you become ravenous and cannot fight these physiological cravings with willpower.
Bottom line: It's hormonally, metabolically and physiologically impossible to achieve permanent fat loss by starving yourself.
And that's the first BIG LIE:
Any program that's extremely low in calories may work in the short term, but the "honeymoon" never lasts for long.
In the long run, very low calorie diets can actually make you fatter. Eventually, they lead to binge eating and weight re-gain and you end up with less muscle and a slower metabolism than when you started.
The TRUTH is, you DON'T have to starve yourself to get a lean body. In fact, you can eat more and burn more fat.
Here's how:
1. Avoid very low calorie diets.
Before going on any diet, look at the recommended calories. You'll probably discover that in most cases, you are required to slash your calories to "starvation" levels (1200 or less for women, 1800 or less for men, and active people need even more.
2. Make sure your calorie intake is customized.
Depending on your activity level, age and gender, your calorie needs may be much higher or much lower than the average person. If a diet program recommends the same amount of calories for everyone, that should be a red flag to stay away. It could be perfect for someone else, but starvation level for you.
3. Decrease your calories just a little below maintenance.
Decrease your calories conservatively - only about 20% below your daily maintenance level. A mild calorie cut doesn't trigger the starvation response as much.
For example: If you're female and you maintain your weight on 2150 calories per day,a 20% deficit is 1720 calories per day (correct). Conventional diets might have you slash to 1000 or 1200 calories per day or less without emphasis on exercise (incorrect)
4. Increase your calorie deficit more by increasing activity
If you only cut calories slightly below maintenance, then how do you reduce body fat without the process taking forever? Simple, you BURN more calories and increase your deficit by increasing your activity. (No brainer simple!)
First, if you're not doing so already, you should aim for three days per week of strength training with weights.
Second, you should do at least three days per week of moderate to vigorous cardiovascular exercise.
Third, if you wish to accelerate fat loss more, or if you need to break a progress plateau, you bump up your activity even further by adding additional cardio sessions or increasing the intensity or duration of your current workouts.
It also helps to get more physical activity in general, and to participate in physical hobbies, sports or recreational activities that you enjoy.
Bottom line:
The first secret to permanent fat loss is to BURN THE FAT, don't STARVE T

at Loss Lie #4: "Liquid diets, protein drinks or meal replacement shakes help you burn fat and keep weight

Fat Loss Lie #4: "Liquid diets, protein drinks or meal replacement 
shakes help you burn fat and keep weight off"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Liquid diets go back as far as 1930, when Dr. Stoll's "Diet Aid" was hawked in beauty parlors. In the late 1970's, liquid protein diets such as "The Last Chance Diet" became all the rage, much like low carb diets became popular in the 1990's. According to the FDA, in 1977, 58 deaths were reported by adults following these strict liquid protein diets, which lacked essential nutrients and solid food. When news of the deaths made the headlines, liquid protein diets fell out of favor. However, they returned just as quickly in different incarnations. One of them was the doctor-supervised liquid protein diet, which provided an extremely low calorie diet (as low as 800 calories per day), primarily aimed at the seriously obese. Proponents of these "second-generation" liquid diets, which still exist today, say they are safe and nutritionally complete because they are medically supervised and patients are given vitamin and mineral supplements. The liquid diets became immensely popular again in the late 1980's. According to a New York Times story, when Oprah Winfrey announced the name of the liquid diet program she was using, that company recieved one million phone calls in a single day. By 1988, diet clinics expanded beyond the medical setting and had become a $10 billion dollar industry. The third generation of liquid diets came in the form of powders or cans of diet drinks, which you could pick up at the local grocery store. Generally, you were advised to eat a shake for "breakfast," a shake for "lunch" then eat a "sensible" dinner consisting of whole foods. Sometimes snacks were allowed in between. All these liquid diet programs claimed you would lose weight on them. That much may be true. But many claimed that you would lose more weight using their products than you would with real, whole food, and that their products would help you keep the weight off. That part is NOT true. Very low calorie diets (VLCD's) that that emphasize liquid nutrition and de-emphasize whole food, can be unhealthy, nutritionally inadequate and even dangerous, and are one of the worst things you could ever do to your body and your metabolism in the long term. Here's why: First, these programs are usually 800 to 1000 calories per day or less, which will virtually always trigger your body's starvation response. According to Eleanor Whitney and Sharon Rolfes in the textbook, "Understanding Nutrition, "Very low calorie diet formulas are designed to be nutritionally adequate, but the body responds to this severe energy restriction as if the person were starving - conserving energy and preparing to regain weight at the first opportunity." Second, the weight comes back. No doubt, the weight losses from liquid diets can be dramatic - but not nearly as dramatic as the weight regain afterward - along with the physical and pychological damage that comes with it. According to Dr. Phillip Sinaikin, an addiction recovery specialist, "A drug addict stands a better chance of recovery than a [liquid] dieter." The fact is, liquid formula diets do not teach you how to eat in order to STAY slim for the long term. In a New York Times survey of 31 men and women who had lost up to 194 lbs on liquid diets, 23 said they began to develop a strong fear of food, yet they experienced uncontrollable cravings and urges at the same time. One respondent said that after a binge that started with 7,000 calories in one day, he had regained 21 lbs in 15 days. Third: Many of these liquid diet products are poorly formulated and loaded with junk such as pure sugar or corn syrup! YES - CORN SYRUP - That nasty refined sugar that nutritionists are blaming much of obesity and childhood obesity on during the last decade. You would be shocked - even disgusted - if you looked at the "ingredients list" of some of these drinks and shakes that are actually being passed off as fat loss or health food. Fourth, even if you know how to select a quality meal replacement product, these products do NOT contain any fat-burning or muscle-building properties that you can't obtain from regular food. Today, nutritional supplements have come a long way and we now have "fourth generation" products including protein powders and meal replacements that contain protein and carbs. The better products are more adequate in calories than the previous generation of diet drinks and they are usually well fortified with vitamins and minerals and use high quality proteins such as whey and casein. Some even have added fiber. High quality, modern meal replacement products can play a small role in your nutrition program. But even the very best products will never be superior to real whole foods. Human beings cannot improve on mother nature. Whole food contains naturally-occuring vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytochemicals, and bioactive compounds. They provide bulk and satisfaction and they improve your metabolic functioning. The truth is that meal replacements are nothing more than "powdered food" (or "liquid food"). They're useful for convenience when you're in a hurry and you don't have time to prepare and eat whole food... but they're not better than food (with a possible exception being post workout drinks, which can also be helpful). The fat burning solution is to eat real, whole food as much as possible, to eat small frequent meals throughout the day, and avoid very low calorie "liquid diet" products unless your doctor is having you use them for a specific reason. Use the modern, nutritionally-complete meal replacements and protein powders only for convenience purposes, NOT for weight reduction.

Food Tricks

10 Tips to Manage Food Cravings

1. Eat consistently.
To manage your blood sugar and appetite, be sure to eat 5-6 small meals or snacks every 2-3 hours throughout the day. Keep healthy snacks on hand at all times. Some healthy snack ideas include: ◦ Fruit ◦ Vegetables ◦ Protein Shake or Protein Bar ◦ Skim Milk ◦ Beef Jerky ◦ Nuts ◦ Low Sodium V8 ◦ Whole Grain Crackers 2. Drink a gallon of water.
You will be able to keep your appetite at bay by drinking water all day long. Water also has a weird way of killing cravings. 3. 4. Eat the Pickle! 5. Eat a dill pickle.
When I was 17 I asked a bodybuilder named Ted how he keeps from eating junk all day long. He tells me that the smell of dill pickles curbs his cravings for anything sweet or salty. So I ask him if he sniffs a pickle when he gets hungry. He replies to me, “No. I eat the pickle.” 
Eat the pickle! 6. Postpone your treat. 
When the craving hits you, you can set a goal and make that craving a reward for accomplishing your goal. It can be something as easy as waiting 1 day. “If I can resist my craving for 24 hours, I will reward myself with a small serving.” Sometimes by delaying the craving, it will go away entirely and you can skip the cheat altogether. 7. Give in to your craving but observe moderation. 
Whatever it is that you are craving, eat it. But only eat a small portion. Recognize before you even take your first bite that you have to stop after half a serving or so. Basically if you are craving chocolate, just eat half the bar instead of the whole thing. One trick you can try, is to put whatever you are eating into a small bowl, cup, or plastic bag. This will keep you from eating a whole box of Cheese-Its in one sitting. I have used this tip to great success all throughout my 20s. 8. Snacking is not so bad.
Most diet plans and even the USDA say that snacking is not always bad. You should be allowed 200-300 calories a day to eat whatever you want. This is not an invitation to suck down 50 grams of sugar all in one shot, but it should provide enough flexibility to eat that half bar of chocolate, one slice of pizza, a small bag of Sun Chips, or whatever it is that you are pining for. 9. Supplement with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
This will keep your body from randomly craving certain nutrients that can sometimes be found in foods that are not good for us. Chocolate is famous for this. ◦ ◦ 12 in 1 Multivitamin ◦ Vitamins and minerals: I recommend you try a product called 12-In-One Soft Gel Multivitamins. 
You can get a Men’s and/or Women’s formulation in order to better target nutrition to your body type. This vitamin contains more than 117 nutrients, 72 trace minerals and 47 fruit and vegetable concentrates. Designed in a soft-gel formula that is easy to swallow and fast-absorbing, 12-in-One features premium ingredients from all 12 nutrient groups that your body needs to thrive. Learn more about 12-In-One. ◦ Antioxidants: I recommend you try what I consider to be one of the best acai products, Extreme Acai; or one of the best acai juice products from Sambazon. Acai berries have far more antioxidants than any other fruit. Even more than blueberries! Besides that, the nutrients in acai helps many other diseases and maladies, from diabetes to arthritis to blood clotting. Acai has great anti-aging benefits, will cleanse and detoxify you, and has destroyed cancer cells in recent studies. It really is a worthwhile antioxidant supplement to add to your daily nutrition.
Acai can also be a great weight loss aid. The berry’s natural concoction of essential fatty acids, fiber, phytosterols and amino acids work together to help your body burn fat more efficiently, process food more quickly and shed the unwanted pounds that you’d like to lose. 10. Try to find the healthiest form of your craving.
If you crave chocolate, choose dark chocolate, which has a number of antioxidants. If you crave crackers, choose a dip that contains vegetables or olives. You might choose some nice frozen yogurt over ice cream, although frozen yogurt typically contains more sugar. Satiate your sweet tooth by topping something with honey. 11. Keep a food log.
Write down the names and quantities of each food you eat throughout the day. If you are real ambitious you can also write down the number of calories, protein, fats, carbs, sugar, etc… Whatever interests you most. You can also record your mood and daily activities for a more complete lifestyle analysis. When it comes to combating cravings, there are two benefits to keeping a food log: 1. You can check previous days for similar cravings and possible figure out why you are craving a certain food. Analyzing such factors as hunger, boredom, stress, lack of fruit, and lack of veggies, might indicate to you why you are feeling the craving. 2. Reading back through all the instances where you indulged in your cravings might spur you to ignore it or postpone it this time. Remember that moderation is key. 12. Use some old fashioned willpower.
Seriously sometimes when it comes down to the final straw, you need to show your metal. If you are craving sweets and you see a big piece of cake, just say no. Utilizing all these tips will definitely help you, but you still need to display some sort of motivation to git ‘er done.

Basic Nurtition Advice 3

Nutrition 101

Remember, if you don't have junk around the house, you're less likely to eat junk. If all you have is healthy food around the house, you're forced to make smart choices. Basically, it all starts with making smart choices and avoiding temptations when you make your grocery store trip. Now these are just some of my personal preferences, but perhaps they will give you some good ideas that you'll enjoy.

Alright, so let's start with the fridge. Each week, I try to make sure I'm loaded up with lots of varieties of fresh vegetables. During the growing season, I only get local produce, but obviously in winter, I have to resort to the produce at the grocery store. Most of the time, I make sure I have plenty of vegetables like zucchini, onions, fresh mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, red peppers, etc. to use in my morning eggs. I also like to dice up some lean chicken or turkey sausage into the eggs, along with some swiss, jack, or goat cheeses.

By the way I'm talking about whole eggs, NOT egg whites. Always remember that the yolk is the most nutritious and nutrient dense part of the egg, so only eating egg whites is like throwing away the best part... and no, it's NOT bad for you because of the cholesterol... eggs actually raise your GOOD cholesterol. Try to get free range organic eggs for the best quality.

Coconut milk is another staple in my fridge. I like to use it to mix in with smoothies, oatmeal, or yogurt for a rich, creamy taste. Not only does coconut milk add a rich, creamy taste to lots of dishes, but it's also full of healthy saturated fats. Yeah, you heard me...I said healthy saturated fats! Healthy saturated fats like medium chain triglycerides, specifically an MCT called lauric acid.

Back to the fridge, some other staples:

• Cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and yogurt - I like to mix cottage or ricotta cheese and yogurt together with chopped nuts and berries for a great mid-morning or mid-afternoon meal.
• Chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds - delicious and great sources of healthy fats.
• Whole flax seeds - I grind these in a mini coffee grinder and add to yogurt or salads. Always grind them fresh because the omega-3 polyunsaturated fats are highly unstable and prone to oxidation, creating high levels of free radicals in pre-ground flax.
• Whole eggs - one of natures richest sources of nutrients (and remember, they increase your GOOD cholesterol so stop fearing them).
• Nut butters - Plain old peanut butter has gotten a little old for me, so I get creative and mix together almond butter with sesame seed butter, or even cashew butter with macadamia butter...delicious and unbeatable nutrition!
• Salsa - I try to get creative and try some of the exotic varieties of salsas.
• Butter - don't believe the naysayers; butter adds great flavor to anything and can be part of a healthy diet (just keep the quantity small because it is calorie dense...and NEVER use margarine, unless you want to assure yourself a heart attack).
• Avocados - love them...plus a great source of healthy fats, fiber, and other nutrients. Try adding them to wraps, salads, or sandwiches.
• Whole grain wraps and whole grain bread (look for wraps and bread with at least 3-4 grams of fiber per 20 grams of total carbs).
• Rice bran and wheat germ - these may sound way too healthy for some, but they actually add a nice little nutty, crunchy taste to yogurt or smoothies, or can be added when baking muffins or breads to add nutrients and fiber.
• Leaf lettuce and spinach along with shredded carrots - for salads with dinner.
• Home-made salad dressing - using balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and Udo's Choice oil blend. This is much better than store bought salad dressing which mostly use highly refined soybean oil (full of inflammation-causing free radicals).

Some of the staples in the freezer:

• Frozen fish - I like to try a couple different kinds of fish each week. There are so many varieties out there, you never have to get bored.
• Frozen berries - during the local growing season, I only get fresh berries, but during the other 10 months of the year, I always keep a supply of frozen blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, cherries, etc. to add to high fiber cereal, oatmeal, cottage cheese, yogurt, or smoothies
• Frozen veggies - again, when the growing season is over and I can no longer get local fresh produce, frozen veggies are the best option, since they often have higher nutrient contents compared to the fresh produce that has been shipped thousands of miles, sitting around for weeks before making it to your dinner table.
• Frozen chicken breasts - very convenient to nuke up for a quick addition to wraps or chicken sandwiches for quick meals.
• Frozen buffalo, ostrich, venison, and other "exotic" lean meats - Yeah, I know...I'm weird, but I can tell you that these are some of the healthiest meats around, and if you're serious about a lean healthy body, these types of meats are much better for you than the mass produced, hormone-pumped beef and pork that's sold at most grocery stores.
• Grass-fed steaks, burgers, and ground beef - Grassfed meats have been shown to have as high as, or even higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids than salmon (without the mercury). Also, grass-fed meats have much higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) compared to typical grain-fed beef.

Alright, now the staples in my cabinets:

• Oat bran and steel cut oats - higher fiber than those little packs of instant oats.
• Cans of coconut milk - to be transferred to a container in the fridge after opening.
• Various antioxidant rich teas - green, oolong, white, rooibos are some of the best.
• Stevia - a natural non-caloric sweetener, which is an excellent alternative to the nasty chemical-laden artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharine, and sucralose.
• Organic maple syrup - none of that high fructose corn syrup Aunt Jemima crap...only real maple syrup can be considered real food. The only time I really use this (because of the high sugar load) is added to my post-workout smoothies to sweeten things up and also elicit an insulin surge to push nutrients into your muscles.
• Raw honey - better than processed honey... higher quantities of beneficial nutrients and enzymes. Honey has even been proven in studies to improve glucose metabolism (how you process carbs). I use a teaspoon or so every morning in my teas. Yes, it is pure sugar, but at least it has some nutritional benefits... and let's be real, a teaspoon of honey is only 5 grams of carbs... certainly nothing to worry about.
• Whole wheat or whole grain spelt pasta - much higher fiber than normal pastas
• Brown rice and other higher fiber rice - NEVER white rice
• Cans of black or kidney beans - I like to add a couple scoops to my Mexican wraps for the fiber and high nutrition content. Also, beans are surprisingly one of the best sources of youth promoting antioxidants!
• Tomato sauces - delicious, and as I'm sure you've heard a million times, they are a great source of lycopene. Just watch out for the brands that are loaded with nasty high fructose corn syrup.
• Dark chocolate (as dark as possible) - This is one of my treats that satisfies my sweet tooth, plus provides loads of antioxidants at the same time. It's still calorie dense, so I keep it to just a couple squares; but that is enough to do the trick, so I don't feel like I need to go out and get cake and ice cream to satisfy my dessert urges.
• Organic unsweetened cocoa powder - I like to mix this into my smoothies for an extra jolt of antioxidants or make my own low-sugar hot cocoa by mixing cocoa powder into hot milk with stevia and a couple melted dark chocolate chunks.

Lastly, another thing that's hard to go wrong with is a good variety of fresh fruits and berries. The staples such as bananas, apples, oranges, pears, peaches are good, but I like to also be a little more adventurous and include things like yellow mangoes, pomegranates, star fruit, kumquats, pineapples, papaya, and others. Also, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and cherries are some of the most nutrient and antioxidant-dense fruits you can eat.