4 Reasons NOT to Go On a Liquid Cleanse Diet
Q: What are your thoughts on doing a liquid cleanse diet? A: I’m a fan of a cleanse diet. However, I’m not a fan of a liquid cleanse diet. It’s hard to feel empowered when you’re drinking your breakfast. And your lunch. And your snacks. And your dinner. . . I need to chew. You? I prefer a real food cleanse diet. I believe in eating whole foods to fuel and energize your body. Eating proper portions of fiber rich, high antioxidant foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and also eating lean protein and healthy fat, will give you the results you want for your health and weight for the long term. You don’t need to go to the extreme of liquid cleansing to achieve this. Yep, as boring as it may sound, eating healthy foods as part of an overall balanced diet is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. 4 benefits from a real food cleanse diet for a few days include Now, there are exceptions to every rule. I may green light a liquid cleanse for a specific situation or condition such as an individual needing to recover from GI distress. Sometimes bowel rest can be helpful to get a client back on a healthy track. Very infrequently I may have a client who needs something extreme to break a cycle and get to a new starting point on a healthy diet and a food cleanse isn’t an option because they’re overwhelmed by the prep (simple as it may be) or really resistant to alternatives. But, 99% of the time I recommend a whole, real solid food cleanse, not a liquid cleanse. Here are 4 reasons why I don’t like a liquid cleanse diet: Steer clear of liquid cleansing. If you want to take your healthy diet up a notch and give yourself a nutrition boost and weight loss push, try one of my real food cleanses!
What Yo Yo Dieting Does to your Body and Why the Holidays are a Trigger
You’re officially familiar with yo-yo dieting if you’ve ever said something like this more than once: “I want to be X pounds by Christmas.” “I want to wear my size X dress to the holiday party in 3 weeks.” “I refuse to get rid of my smaller belts because I know they’ll fit when I get back to working out this spring.” All of these quotes come from actual clients of Nutritious Life founder and celebrity nutritionist, Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN. They’re familiar, or at least very relatable, to so many of us who work hard to lose weight, only to have it creep back on (plus a few more pounds), to then again buckle down to lose again, gain again, lose again… sigh. We can all agree this is a really frustrating cycle, and there’s no more dreaded time for this challenging head/body game than the holiday season. And here we are, in the thick of the season, trying once again to figure out how to lose weight. But between the lingering Halloween candy, the leftover Thanksgiving pie, and the endless Christmas cookies, you’re exhausted from the overload of constant hard choices you have to make—eat it, don’t eat it, eat just a little, skip it altogether, ok have a nibble, cut a whole piece, no wait a half piece, maybe if I eat it fast enough it won’t count, get it away from me because if I see it I’ll eat the whole thing, can I have just a taste, darn I can’t believe I ate that, ugh my pants are getting tight… Have you ever said or thought these things? Same here. So obviously losing and gaining weight messes with your head, but did you know that yo-yo dieting really messes with your body, too? What Yo-Yo Dieting Does to your Body Hormonal Havoc Extreme dieting, including severe calorie restriction and dramatic dietary changes can increase the hormone cortisol, which wreaks havoc on your health—to the tune of increasing your risk of developing certain diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Yikes! There are tons of evidence that people who live the longest, with the best mortality rates, are those who are constantly eating slightly less than they need to be satisfied, and who maintain a low body weight for their height. This is, in part, due to hormonal actions being optimized. If the caloric restriction is too severe, hormones don’t work as efficiently and health is compromised. You can see this as nutrient deficiencies that pop up with symptoms such as dry skin, brittle hair and nails, and poorer immune functioning. The bottom line is that seriously decreased caloric intake negatively affects hormones that you need for good health. RELATED: What to Eat for Better Balanced Hormones Metabolic Meltdown Here’s the deal: if you over-restrict your calories, your body responds by slowing down your metabolic rate, or your ability to burn calories. It also causes muscle loss. The truth of the matter is that yo-yo dieting doesn’t appear to permanently ruin metabolism, but the process of losing muscle (which is what your body uses for fuel when there isn’t enough food calories coming in) is damaging to your wellness. You need your lean body mass to support your bones and keep you fit, strong, and burning calories, so don’t compromise it by breaking it down to use for fuel! A word about exercise too, here: Try reframing your view of exercise as a way to lose weight and think of it more as maintaining your lean body mass (which helps with weight loss). This will help keep your brain focused on your fitness, and feeling fit is a great motivator to say no thank you to the second helping of those not-so-healthy side dishes. Nutritional Neglect Extreme weight loss is hard on your vital organs, including your brain, heart, liver and kidneys. These organs need carbohydrates and calories to do their jobs. Without enough nutrition, these organs are at risk for damage. Severely decreased calories can also lead to nutrient deficiencies, which, in prolonged states, may cause damage to bones, skin, and immune functioning. Do yourself a favor and don’t cut out all carbs or fats. Reduce ‘em, (the “bad” ones), yes. But eliminate a whole food group entirely and you’ll end up back on that whole yo-yo dieting cycle again, guaranteed. RELATED: Why Healthy Fats Don’t Make You Fat How to Get Out of the Yo-Yo Dieting Cycle Rather than dramatically reducing calories, or dropping all fats or carbohydrates, try eating a little less of everything at every meal and snack, so that you’re ‘satisfied’ rather than ‘full’ in order to get and keep a healthy weight. Eat a balanced diet and choose clean, healthy foods. This is something Keri always stresses when she has her clients gauge their appetite using the hunger quotient (HQ). Of course, implementing all 8 pillars of living a Nutritious Life will keep you off the yo-yo cycle too. So, to summarize: rather than binging on candy, mashed potatoes, latkes, or fruitcake through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, or Christmas, and then sticking to 600 calories a day for the next two weeks, choose to eat a little less all the time, and strategically place your indulgences. This is easier said than done, but it can be done. Stay focused, consistent, and patient. Listen to your body telling you it is “slightly satisfied” and “slightly hungry”. And plan for your indulgences. Yo-Yos are toys for kids—they’re not how you should manage your weight. This holiday season, choose to focus on your healthiest goals and your weight will find its perfect place. Learn More About Nutrition and Wellness Love nutrition and wellness, and want to immerse yourself even more? Our Become a Nutrition Coach certification course gives you a solid foundation in nutrition science, plus techniques for coaching clients so you can share your knowledge and earn an income, if you choose to. (Or, you can use the information for
2 Farro Salad Recipes You NEED in Your Life
Kale salad, check. Three berry fruit salad, check. Cucumber salad, check. Farro salad? Hmmmm. You’re eating clean. Getting in those greens. Drinking your tea. And, chowing down on nuts and avocado. But, you still need a little substance. Something solid as a side dish (or even a main meal) when salmon and spinach alone don’t do the trick. Rice? Pasta? No, thank you, refined starchy evildoers. Quinoa? Been there, done that. Enter your new friend farro, also known as emmer or “true farro’. Sometimes this ancient grain gets confused with spelt, worthy of praise too, but different in taste, texture and nutrients than the real deal variety. When you need a hearty side dish that you can feel empowered eating, give this really retro grain a try. Farro is a whole grain loaded with vits and mins, fiber and a little protein. Its also your new grain friend-with-benefits; it’s lower in calories than brown rice and quinoa, and higher in fiber. Queue the mic drop. Here are two of my fave go-to farro salad recipes for you to give a try: Fresh Mozzarella Farro Salad – Get the Recipe! Asparagus Farro Salad – Get the Recipe!
3 Ways to Stop Eating Late Night Snacks
Q: Late night snacks are my downfall. How can I beat the nighttime munchies? A: Do you hear the ice cream calling you at 9 o’clock when the kids are in bed and you’re snuggled down for a Netflix binge? Is the kitchen clean and “closed” but you find yourself opening the refrigerator in your pjs — not hungry, but searching for something that will ‘do it’ for you? I have some strategies to help you stay on track with your healthy diet and all of the good nutrition work you did during the day. These tips will squash the nighttime eating desire, and the side effects aren’t bad, either. Read on. How to Stop Eating Late Night Snacks Go hands free. It’s pretty hard to open a bag of munchies or scoop a bowl of rocky road without your hands. Paint your nails when the cravings start. By the time your polish is dry, 20 minutes or so will have passed, which is long enough to squash your temporary obsession for salt or sweet or crunch… If you prefer, use a deep moisturizing treatment on your hands and slide them into some gloves. Hard to eat anything without your digits, and you’ll feel fancy. Brighten your smile. I’m not saying you’re not sporting a million dollar smile already, I’m just suggesting that the benefit of whitening strips on your chompers is that you can’t eat. So you’ll have a brighter smile and kill your snacking desires with one easy activity. Brushing your teeth has the same effect, so brush, floss, gargle and spit out your urge to snack. Your dentist will be so impressed that you might even get the sparkly toothbrush at your next visit. Get hobby happy. Practice 10 minutes of a new language using an app, journal, knit, learn one new yoga pose, plan your next vacation or play a round of Wii when you feel the urge to snack in the evening. It will distract you long enough to be so over that need for something and add to you feeling good (from all that you accomplish) versus ugh from what you chow down on. The added benefits may include a new winter scarf, nailing a headstand, and telling your mother you love her in German. What’s better than all that?! So there you have it. Sometimes silencing cravings is strictly behavioral, and I promise when you adopt these new behaviors you’ll eventually stop needing the sleeve of Oreos to make it past 10pm.
How to Eat Healthy Without Getting Bored
So you either already learned how to eat healthy, or you’re now learning to eat healthy, but you can’t possibly eat another carrot stick or suck down another green juice and don’t even get you started on scrambled egg whites for breakfast every.single.day. Sound familiar? Ever wish you could just invent new foods? It’s something I hear about often from my clients. They are b-o-r-e-d with their healthy routine. After a few weeks or months of following various diet plans, it’s easy to lean too heavily on the same few healthy foods and meals. (Your refrigerator just called, and it’s really tired of yogurt, too!) So while I can’t conjure up a variety of broccoli that tastes like chocolate or transform salad greens into pasta or create a new fat burning food, I do know there are hundreds of tricks to put new zing in your old healthy eating standbys. Learning how to eat healthy doesn’t have to be the most boring thing you’ve ever done, and staying healthy doesn’t have to be an exercise in monotony. How to Eat Healthy Without Getting Bored Shake up your yogurt routine Make it savory: Instead of adding fruit, cinnamon or honey to your yogurt, add ¼ cup of chopped cucumbers, ¼ cup of tomatoes, ½ teaspoon of olive oil, and a dash of red wine vinegar for a tangy, Mediterranean-inspired snack. Pair it with raw veggies. Make it dessert-worthy: Add 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter and 1 tsp cocoa powder for a peanut-buttery chocolate treat. Note: you can do this with oats too! Make it tea-licious: Green tea doesn’t just belong in a mug. Sprinkle in 1 tbsp of matcha powder and stir some antioxidants right into your bowl. Add sex appeal to sandwiches Try something richer: Spread on a little healthy fat, from hummus, mashed avocado or a nut butter. Crunch it up: Sprinkle sliced almonds, finely chopped walnuts, or cashews on turkey or grilled chicken wraps. Make it ethnic: Mango chutney or spicy salsa can give your sandwich some flavor pizzazz. Un-blah food with more flavor Turn up the heat: Cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, wasabi or hot sauce make so many dishes more interesting, from your morning eggs to your evening chicken breast. Diet food does not mean tasteless food. Remember this always. Rediscover zest: Add fresh lemon or lime juice, white balsamic vinegar, pomegranate champagne vinegar or ginger rice vinegar to kick up the flavor profile of savory dishes, especially fish. Make it earthy: Add mixed mushrooms (shitake, Portobello, Oyster) to tomato sauce, stir fries or tacos for a woodsy, hearty flavor, or if you’re sick of lettuce wrapped turkey burgers try portobello mushrooms with the turkey burger in between.
19 Ways to Make Your Weight Loss Diet Less Boring
Almost every client who has ever come to me for a weight loss diet has tried (and often temporarily succeeded) to lose weight in the past. Giving up the burger for the turkey sandwich is popular with the guys. Replacing the bowl of ice cream with a bunch of frozen grapes in front of the TV at prime time works for my night time noshers. Pulling out the same carrots and hummus every day at 3PM does the trick when temptation to hit the bag of potato chips kicks in for others. The thing is, how many turkey sandwiches, frozen grapes and carrots can a person choke down in the name of a 32 inch waist or a size 4? If the diet you’re eating to lose weight is snoozerville, it’s time to change it up and head to varietytown. But creativity with your healthy foods doesn’t come easy for everyone. When you’re bored of your food routine, but want to stick with what works, you don’t need to reinvent your healthy diet entirely. Small tweaks can break the boredom without extra work (just a little swapping of ingredients). 19 Simple Ways to Make Your Weight Loss Diet Less Boring If your healthy breakfast is an exercise in redundancy, shake it up with an artful sprinkle of cinnamon or spoonful of seeds (1). Swap the oats for quinoa or barley (2). Try kefir (3) if you are sick of your usual yogurt. Go overnight with your eggs instead of your oatmeal (4). Try fish before noon (5). When it comes to healthy snacks, drop the baby carrots for a week and go for the radishes or jicama (8) or skip raw veggies altogether and get your steamed veggies on, even if you eat them cold the next day (9). Sub the hummus for guac (10). Make your own Greek yogurt dip with fresh herbs and spices (11) for your crudités if Ranch dressing has been on your brain. For lunchtime, sub the turkey for ham (12), or replace the bread with a big lettuce leaf (13). If your usual lettuce feels too been-there, try wrapping your lunch in collard greens or seaweed (14), and if that’s also too done-that, then get your ‘veggie bread’ on – as in use bell peppers (15) or cucumber boats (16) or portobello mushrooms (17) as the bread. When it comes to all the fixins, go wild and pick up some dried coconut if your bag of flax meal is running empty and you yawn at the thought of buying another (18). Give hemp a chance (19) just as you would peace. Jump on the chia bandwagon (18) if you haven’t already and make 2-ingredient chia pudding. Nutritional yeast (aka nooch) (19) isn’t as gross as it sounds. In fact, it’s really cool and goes perfectly on popcorn, in stir fries and pastas, and even in smoothies. Give it a try, after peace and chia. The point is, you can do what works for you and make it work for you even better if you’re open to a little excitement. Healthy eating doesn’t have to be redundant, boring, or unsustainable. Now go throw out your rice cakes and stop boiling your chicken. Let’s spice up that weight loss diet with things that make you and your taste buds happy. It won’t even feel like a weight loss diet at all after awhile. It will just be your diet.
3 Reasons Why I Love Fat
Fat doesn’t make you fat. I promise! Fat is your friend. Not your enemy. But I still get questions all the time about this. Is this too much avocado? Is it OK to eat peanut butter? Overconsuming anything, in general, will make us fat. But when you control the amount of food you are consuming, fat by itself does not make you fat. Studies have even shown that low-fat diets can actually make you gain weight! Why do I love fat so much? It tastes good! But keep in mind, not all fats are created equal. Saturated and trans fats are solid at room temperature (think lard and butter). However there is a big difference between saturated fat and trans fat. Saturated fat has had a bad reputation for a lonnnnng time, but there is room in your diet for saturated fat from real foods (like dairy, coconut, dark chocolate, and grass-fed butter) and it can actually be good for us. Trans fat on the other hand is just bad bad bad. People mostly get trans fat from packages of processed foods. My advice: Ditch ‘em! On the other hand, monounsaturated fats (from avocado, nuts and seeds) and polyunsaturated fats (from fatty fish, nuts and seeds) have many benefits, like boosting immunity, improving brain function, being good for our heart health, and helping us lose weight. Here’s what to focus on when it comes to fat: Fat helps you absorb vitamins. Vitamins A, D, E and K get absorbed better when there is fat consumed with them. But this doesn’t mean you should pour the ranch dressing on to your beautiful, healthy salad! Use 1 tablespoon of an oil and vinegar dressing on your greens, such as roasted broccoli rabe or mixed greens salad instead. Fat helps you burn fat. Fat helps take fat out of your cells so you can use it for energy. Again, portion control is key, but be sure to get fat in consistently throughout the day (about 30% of your calories should come from fat). Instead of having a big apple for a snack, have a small apple with 2 teaspoons of almond butter. Fat provides satiety. That’s a fancy word meaning it helps keep you satisfied. See, carbs have a single bond: Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Fats have a double bond. What does this mean? It’s harder for your body to break it down, so you digest it slower, and you end up staying more satisfied. So there you have it. Three reasons why I love fat and you should, too.
Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail
It’s new year’s resolutions time! Again. Sigh. Is your resolution this year the same one you had last year because you kinda fell off the wagon some time in, oh, February? Well, then, my advice to you is to scrap the whole resolutions thing altogether. You heard me right. Scrap ’em. I’m obviously not a fan of resolutions. Mostly, they just set you up to fail, and they’re right up there with the concepts of willpower and guilt-free eating in my book. Big thumbs down all around. I actually cringe when I hear clients vow to “never eat chocolate again” or “give up carbs forever”. Most of these types of new year’s resolutions are broken or forgotten before Valentine’s Day because they’re too extreme. You may know you want to try a no carb diet, or that chocolate is your downfall, but focusing on the end point, rather than the process is why most resolutions fail. {Tweet this} In other words, change your mindset from “I’m gonna lose 10 pounds” to “I’m gonna learn how to eat healthy.” And c’mon, chocolate is way too delicious to never eat again. The trick is to learn how to enjoy a conscious indulgence. As far as eating carbs? Your body needs them! Don’t give them up, rather learn which are the healthy kind and and how to incorporate them into a healthy diet. Wanna really pull out a knockout you this year? Don’t buy into fads or try something you don’t want to do forever. Instead, take the time to acknowledge your diet history and figure out what didn’t work in the past, so you don’t keep repeating the same diet mistakes. (If you’re frustrated in this department, check out my ebook Why Can’t I Drop the Weight.) Learn to listen to your body, rather than that infomercial promising a brand new you in two short weeks. Specifically, I’m talking about Hunger Quotient (HQ). Everybody has one at all times, and it’s a tool that may be one best ways to lose weight. Nutritious Life is rooted in 8 pillars of health and wellness that lead to the healthiest you that you can build. I always say, it’s not just about the food. If you ignore your stress levels, no matter how hard you’re dieting you’ll still probably gain weight. If you’re skimping on sleep, your body is going to be craving those carbs you vowed to give up and you’ll eventually begin throwing in the towel for a bagel every morning. If you aren’t taking time to keep your desk clean, chances are your pantry and fridge will also suffer. All of these things that have nothing to do with food affect your healthy eating efforts, and eventually, well, affect everything about food. Instead of un-doable resolutions this year, begin to improve a little with small goals, resolutions, and intentions that are guaranteed to bring out the best you. For example, if you’re already into healthy eating and feel your balanced diet is super strong, bring it up a notch by trying to get 2 cups of dark green leafy’s and 5 – 7 servings of veggies each day. If you’re weak in the sleep department, set yourself up with a sleep hygiene ritual to improve your shut eye. You’re already fabulous, no matter what dress size you are. Use the Nutritious Life pillars as your foundation this year and you’ll be ringing in next year in whatever dress size you want.
Why You Need to Eat a High-Fiber Diet
Ask Keri: I keep hearing I should be eating a high-fiber diet. Why? Keri says: You see and hear about fiber every time you open a magazine, turn on the TV and walk down a grocery store aisle. It’s in our faces all the time because it really is that important. Old school thought was that a high-fiber diet was something to worry about when your senior citizen discount became available. But the new school of thought is that fiber is a super important part of a healthy diet at all stages and ages. Because it gets harder as we get older to change our diets, there’s no better time to start chowing down on it than right now. If you pay attention to the fiber buzz, you know that fiber keeps our hearts hearty and (ahem), our bowels regular. RELATED: 20 Foods That Help You Poop Why is a high-fiber diet so important? Dietary fiber is the part of plant foods that your body cannot digest. It’s classified into two categories: the kind that doesn’t dissolve in water (insoluble fiber) and the type that does (soluble fiber). Soluble fiber soaks up water like a sponge and turns it into a gel-like consistency during digestion; it slows the process of digestion and helps your body absorb nutrients. This is why you feel full for a longer period of time after eating a high-fiber meal versus a low-fiber one (ah ha!). Soluble fiber also helps to lower blood cholesterol and manage blood sugar levels. Most soluble fibers also are known as prebiotics. Prebiotics feed the healthy bacteria of your gut, which may help improve your immune system, digestive health and aid in calcium absorption. Yes, you still need to consume probiotics, too. RELATED: Gut Love: 3 Facts About Prebiotics Your Tummy Will Adore Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, helps to speed up foods going through the body and bulks up your poop. (Sounds gross, but it kind of acts as a scrub brush going through your intestines). A healthy diet rich in insoluble fiber is often touted as a best way to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. It also helps in preventing constipation and reducing the risk of colon cancer. While I prefer to have you eat food and not numbers, you should know how much fiber you need, so you can be aware if you’re getting the right amount. Men need about 30 to 38 grams per day and women need about 21 to 25 grams. If your food has a label, you can check out the amount of fiber listed and add up your daily intake fairly easily. However, many of the best places to get fiber come from healthy foods without labels such as fruits and veggies. I want you to get most of your fiber from vegetables, fruits and whole grains, but when trying to eat more fiber don’t forget about sneaking more in in the form of nuts and seeds too. So, there you have it. A rather blah subject, indeed, but super important for your insides. Now go get your fiber on.
New Years Resolutions Start Today
I’ve never been a big fan of new years resolutions. Even though I love that google search histories are dominated by “healthy dinner ideas” and “healthy snacks” and “how to eat healthy” around the new year, by February the healthy eating novelty often wears off and January’s healthy searches are replaced with “weight loss supplements” and other quick fixes that aren’t part of a healthy diet or a healthy life. And don’t even get me started on just having willpower to lose weight every January. I believe we should be working on improving ourselves daily, and that we don’t need a holiday date to begin self-improvement work. However, there is something to be said for taking a minute to reflect on the past year and take action moving forward. That I am down with. There are many “rules” to follow in life but looking ahead at a new year, there is one rule I would like to focus on: be responsible. It translates into your personal, professional and social life in a proactive and productive way. We don’t need a million guidelines. There shouldn’t be a hundred messages telling you how to govern yourself as you navigate the world. Moving through life with the mantra ‘be responsible’ should cover you in most situations. As we approach the New Year, it’s a good time to revisit the simple message of being responsible and perhaps use it as an alternative to your usual new years resolutions that never seem to last into spring. New Years Resolutions the Healthy Way: 1. Be responsible for your health. Make choices that keep you accountable to your physical, mental and emotional health. Find a way to be responsible when you are indulging and enjoy yourself with a thoughtful recognition of your actions with food, exercise and well being. Make and keep your doctors’ appointments, schedule regular dental check-ups and be proactive in eating empowered by keeping your refrigerator and pantry responsibly stocked with healthy foods. 2. Be responsible in your environment. Take a New Year’s minute to look at the space you spend the most time in. Do you love your home? Is your bedroom a sanctuary? Are you proud of the desk you keep and spot where you relax? No? Then take some action and make the spaces you live in spaces you love. Take ownership of improving your world you live in so that you can feel good about your choices. 3. Be responsible in your love. Release some oxytocin, the love hormone that is responsible for managing your stress and negative feelings. While sex is a great way to release oxytocin, there are plenty of G-rated ways to do it, too: cuddle more puppies, hold more children’s hands, hug your loved ones. You deserve to have a year that is full of feelings of being loved, so take responsibility for it by incorporating a little love into each day.
3 of the Worst Traditional Holiday Dishes
If the holidays were meant to be healthy, you’d eat the gravy every day of the year. Thank the heavens above that holiday dishes are not in your daily rotation, or you’d wind up with mashed potatoes in your veins and stuffing under your skin. Today we’re focusing on three of the worst of the worst of the worst traditional holiday dishes for your waistline. It’s not meant to be a trash your feast sesh, I’m just shedding some light and promise you tips you can really dig in to! 3 of the Worst Traditional Holiday Dishes Eggnog is made with whipping cream, sugar, eggs and bourbon. What’s not to love? Ummmm the nearly 400 calories in a cup, all that saturated fat and the impending food coma that comes after the third sip. Nobody needs to chase their prime rib feast with a glass full of food porn. If you’re a lover of this thick and decadent holiday treat, why not place it center stage in your holiday repertoire and make a healthful version and meal out of it? I’m loving the idea of a healthy eggnog with all the flavor you love, plus a boost of nutrition with coconut milk and avocado undertones. With a splash of spirits or without, this drink is a total holiday DO. Green Bean Casserole takes healthful, fiber rich, low calorie, crispy, crunchy and satisfying green beans and ups the calories from 31 calories a cup and no fat to a whopping 230 calories plus 10 grams of fat. I guess that’s what happens when you add a can of creamed mushroom soup and fried onions. Sigh. Try green beans with lemon and garlic and save the creamyliciousness for dessert time. You’ll love the modern take on the classic. So will your abs. Pecan Pie is full of pecans, corn syrup and butter and then surrounded by a crispy, crumbly crust of flour and butter. Pecans are absolutely healthful and should be in your munching routine, but ten halves are roughly 100 calories, so a little goes a long way. An average piece of pecan pie runs you roughly 500 calories and nearly 30 grams of fat. Rather than all of that fat and sugar surrounding your precious pecans, center stage these nuts with a spiced pecan recipe (swap the walnuts for pecans) that will wow your guests and you’ll feel great about eating. They’re versatile little suckers and work on both your appetizer tray as well as the dessert table. So, there you have it. Tweak your holiday dishes into healthy foods, and sticking to your healthy eating plan during the holidays will be a piece of cake pie.
How Many Hours of Sleep Do You Really Need?
How many hours of sleep do you get every night? 5? 6? 7? How many pounds do you want to lose? 5? 15? 50? Guess what? These two numbers go hand in hand. So many of my clients are terrible sleepers. They can’t fall asleep because their minds are racing or they fall asleep, but can’t stay asleep. Or they wake to use the bathroom and then wander into the kitchen at 3AM. Or they sleep OK, but wake exhausted. And they eventually end up in my office, asking for diet plans and how to lose weight. This is yet another example where I preach, “It’s not just about the food!” “Sleep deep” is a Nutritious Life pillar because how many hours of sleep you get affects your wellness and waistline as much as the healthy foods you eat, the exercise you practice and the stress you manage does. See, sleep deprivation messes up the hormones that regulate hunger, causing an increase in appetite and specific cravings for calorie-dense, high-carbohydrate foods. So after a long night, there is indeed a reason you are reaching for the bagel and cream cheese at 7am instead of your normal healthy breakfast of hard boiled eggs and berries. Research shows that sleeping only 4 hours per night for 2 nights causes leptin — the hormone that tells your body to stop eating — to drop 18%. And levels of ghrelin — the hormone that says “eat more”– jump 28 percent. Again, there is a reason you can’t stop chowing after pulling an all-nighter. Buh-bye healthy eating, so long balanced diet. Now keep in mind this happened after just 2 nights of sleep deprivation…just imagine what happens after weeks and weeks of missing sleep! No wonder your pants are tight, right?! So, how many hours of sleep do you need to be the healthiest you possible? Adults are supposed to get about 7-9 hours of sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation. If you only get 6 hours, your risk of developing obesity rises 23%, if you only get 5, it increases 50%, and if you only get 4, it increases a whopping 73%! The thing is, if you want to improve your sleep, you’ve gotta work on your nighttime behaviors, just like you practice brushing and flossing or washing and cutting fruits and veggies right when you get home from the grocery store. What can you work on to better up your shut eye? If you wake up to pee, stop drinking 2 hours before bedtime and try to go right before you turn in for the night. If you fall asleep, but wake up a few hours later, give up all alcohol for a few days and see if it helps, or jot down your biggest stressors in a journal immediately before you turn in to quiet your mind. If you’re sleeping, but not feeling rested, flip your mattress, adjust the temperature in your bedroom, buy yourself new pillows or invest in snore-strips for your wake-the-dead, apnea challenged spouse. If you’ve flipped the mattress and that isn’t working, I’ll let you in on a secret – invest in an Essentia mattress. They are the only organic memory foam mattress available and I’m telling you, you’ll sleep like a babe. Can’t fall asleep? Ditch the caffeine after noontime and exercise in the morning, rather than the evening. Tonight, I want you to stare at the inside of your eyelids with the curtains drawn, in your favorite jammies, with your iPhone silenced, no matter what. Stop making lists in your mind or preparing for tomorrow’s presentation or folding the laundry. Tonight is about sleep. That’s it. If you sleep well, you’ll eat a better breakfast tomorrow morning, which might motivate you to eat a better lunch, which might motivate you to hit the gym, which might make you sleep better tomorrow night, which might help you drop those pounds you’ve been struggling with. Done and done.
