Clean Eating: Do’s and Don’ts for Getting Started

“Clean Eating” is one of the latest trends in fitness nutrition, and for good reason… It works! The Clean Eating theory is simple: Eat poorly and you become sick and overweight. Eat well and you become a glowing example of health and vibrancy.

Eating clean is a lifestyle, so start by making the changes you know you can stick with right now.  If you’re the type to jump right in to a new plan, go for it! If you have to make one small change at a time, that’s fine too.  Do what works for you!

What to Do:

Eat six small meals each day.  Increasing the frequency of your meals causes your metabolism to be stimulated while preventing you from getting too hungry.

Eat breakfast every day, within an hour of rising.  Eating breakfast helps keep the body nourished and satisfied while providing abundant energy.

Adhere to proper portion sizes.  Use your hands as a guide for portion sizes to ensure that you are getting the proper amount of food for your body.  For example, a proper portion of protein is measured by what can fit in the palm of your hand.  A serving of fruits or vegetables should be measured by what can fit into two cupped hands, while whole grains and starchy carbs should fit in one cupped hand.

Eat sufficient healthy fats every day.  In order to lose weight and keep the body looking fit, you must eat some fat!  Many physicians recommend omega-3 fats, which the brain depends on to fight depression.  Healthy fats can be found in fish, nuts, seeds, and some oils such as sunflowers, avocados, olives, and peanuts.

Drink two or three liters of water each day.  Water is the very basis of life!  Both losing and maintaining weight depend on adequate hydration.

Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients and enzymes.  These complex carbohydrates take their time being processed in the belly.  The longer things take to break down, the slower the insulin response, and the fuller, thinner and happier you are!

What to Avoid:

- All over-processed foods, particularly white flour and sugar.

- Chemically charged foods.

- Foods containing preservatives.

- Artificial sugars.

- Artificial foods (such as processed cheese slices)

- Saturated and trans fats.

- Sugar-loaded beverages, including colas and juices.

- Excessive amount of alcohol.

- All calorie-dense foods containing little or no nutritional value (anti-foods).

- Super-sizing your meals!

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How to Know Which Body Type You Are

1. Android Type:

The Android body shape usually has more broad shoulders and strong muscular limbs. The core is fairly straight, without much of a waist. This type usually has narrow hips. Android types have an anabolic metabolism, which means they will gain weight in the upper part of their body so that they may become apple-shaped. Most of their weight gain occurs on the front of the abdomen. They build muscle mass easily and make good athletes. They tend to produce more male hormones than do the other body types. Android types tend to crave foods that are high in cholesterol and salt. The body turns cholesterol into steroid hormones, which will have a body building effect. This may lead to some cellulite in the abdominal area, trunk and upper buttocks, but not below the hips.

2. Gynaeoid body:

The Gynaeoid body type is the curvy shape with small to medium shoulders tapering to a small waist and then flaring below to wide curvaceous hips. Weight gain occurs only on the thighs and lower buttocks and gives a curvy shape. Many gynaeoid types will have a big problem with cellulite accumulating around the upper thighs and buttocks. If they try to lose weight with just any old low-fat low-calorie diet, it can be quite frustrating because weight will tend to come off easily from areas where there is not a problem, while the thighs and buttocks retain their fatty deposits and cellulite. They often have a hormonal imbalance called estrogen dominance which means that there is too much estrogen compared to progesterone. They often crave foods combining high amounts of fat and sugar, which will increase their sensitivity to estrogen, leading to more cellulite in the buttocks and thighs. They do well with plant hormones (phyto-estrogens), which have a balancing effect and help them to reduce their estrogen dependent weight gain.

3. Thyroid Type:

The Thyroid body type is characterized by a fine narrow bone structure and long limbs. This body type often has a race-horse or grey hound appearance. Many dancers and models belong to this body type. Thyroid types often crave stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine and artificial sweeteners, and may miss meals. They often have problems with unstable blood sugar levels, which can cause fatigue and cravings for sugar and stimulants. Generally speaking, thyroid types do not gain weight easily and have a very high metabolic rate. Of all the body types they are least likely to develop cellulite and if it does occur, it is on the buttocks and back of the thighs.

4. Lymphatic Type:

Lymphatic body types gain weight all over the body, and have a cuddly baby doll appearance. Weight gain occurs very easily because lymphatic types have a very low metabolic rate. They also have a dysfunctional lymphatic system resulting in generalised fluid retention, which makes them look fatter than they are. They are prone to deposits of fat swollen with lymphatic fluid, which can cause severe cellulite. This type of cellulite gives them thick puffy limbs so that it is hard to see their bone structure. They often avoid exercise and crave dairy products, both of which will exacerbate their cellulite.

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5 Things That Will Stop Sugar Cravings

The number one reason that people crave sweets is that their insulin is high, and when it starts to fall we want the sugar to spike it  back up again. It’s a vicious cycle, that leads to feeling tired, and fatigued. Here are some really good tips that will get you back on track to being healthy and feeling energetic again.

1. Increase your protein intake:

Often times our body feels like it wants sugar when it’s really craving protein. Try starting with an egg, or something that is high in protein.

2. Remove the temptations:

If you don’t have them around the house it’s harder to indulge. If it’s at work that you’re having a hard time. Do what you can to remove the temptation BEFORE the craving hits. If you keep a jar of jelly beans on your desk. Get rid of them, but bring something healthy to eat when you are ready for a snack.

3. Eat frequently:

Cravings are the worst when we’ve either skipped a meal, or we’ve had a drop in our blood sugar. By eating every few hours we avoid that drop in blood sugar. Eating 3 good meals a day with a snack in between will keep you feeling good without getting so hungry that you grab whatever you can find to get your blood sugar up.

4. Avoid artificial sweeteners:

Artificial sweeteners, like Saccharin or Aspartame, make us have more cravings for sweets, and may present a higher risk of cancer.

5. Either Cut sweets cold turkey then indulge in small amounts:

Because our insulin is so used to being high, the first 3 days are the hardest. If you can eliminate sweets completely until your body has had a chance to let your insulin come down, you won’t crave them like you did. Then you’ll be able to be satisfied with small amounts.

The times that I limit my sugar I feel so much better. Hopefully these tips can help you feel better and be healthier.

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NASA-Recommended: 18 Plants To Effectively Purify The Air In Your House!

Having houseplants is a great way to keep your air clean.  There are many air filtering plants that can purify the air in your home. The following infographic highlights the most effective air filtering plants to keep for filtering out pollutants and toxic chemicals in your home.

This list is based on a study done by NASA. The study found that certain plants were better at removing the following toxic chemicals from the air:

Trichloroethylene: Symptoms associated with this chemical include excitement, dizziness, headache, nausea and vomiting followed by drowsiness and coma.

Formaldehyde: Exposure to this chemical can cause irritation to nose, mouth and throat, and in severe cases, swelling of the larynx and lungs.

Benzene: Breathing in this toxin can irritate the eyes and cause drowsiness, dizziness, headache, increase in heart rate, confusion and in some rarer cases lead to unconsciousness.

Xylene: Can cause irritation to mouth and throat, dizziness, headache, confusion, heart problems, liver and kidney damage and coma.

Ammonia: This toxic fume can cause irritation, coughing and a sore throat.

Many of these chemicals have been linked to dangerous health effects. In fact, air pollution kills thousands of people every year (2) and could also be the reason why you’re unable to lose weight (3).

The researchers at NASA recommend having at least one plant per 100 square feet of home or office space to purify the air around you.

NASA Guide to Air-Filtering Houseplants

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Christmas Tree Vegetable Platter

A broccoli and tomato "tree" with pretzel "trunk" and cauliflower "snow" are delicious dippers for a cool and creamy dip.

Ingredients:

Creamy Herb Dip

- 1/2 cup sour cream or crème fraîche

- 1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

- 1 small clove garlic, finely chopped

Vegetable Platter

- 3 cups fresh broccoli florets

- 14 grape tomatoes

- 1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips

- 1 1/2 cups fresh cauliflower florets

- 3/4 oz (about 40) pretzel sticks (from 15-oz bag)

Directions:

1) In small bowl, stir together dip ingredients. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour to blend flavors.

2) Rinse and thoroughly dry vegetables. Trim broccoli and cauliflower floret stems.

3) Arrange broccoli on serving platter to form tree shape and tomatoes to form garland. Arrange bell pepper to form star and cauliflower to form snow (see photo). If desired, cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours.

4) Just before serving, arrange pretzels at bottom of tree to form trunk. Serve with dip.

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Printable Guide to Split Any Recipe in Half

Split a recipe in half. No-brainer! It sounds super simple, right? Well, it might be easy and straight forward, but simple guides that speed up our time in the kitchen is what we are all about lately! We all love doing Sunday Food Prep, but anything that gives us even 5 minutes more in our day is totally worth printing out a little cheat sheet!

Use this handy and simple little guide to cut your favorite recipes in half in no time!

Just save it as a picture to your desktop and print! Try taping it to the inside door of your spice cabinet or laminating so that it will last longer.

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Slow Cooker Conversions

Here is a Slow Cooker Conversions chart to help when cooking and you need to adjust the time. Sometimes I come across recipes that state, Cook on High for 3 hours but I need to let it cook longer all day because I am gone for the day. This chart helps me be able to adjust the time accordingly.

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