WATER, SALT AND CONDIMENTS, FAT, SWEETS
WATER
You are made up of 80% water. You must drink water to lose weight, fact, period, end of story.
How much should you be consuming? ½ of your weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, you should be drinking 100 ounces of water per day. That is about a gallon and a half … in one day! Everyday!
How much do I weigh ________ divide in ½ = ________ oz of water per day. If you do this you will lose weight and flush impurities out of your body daily.
I’m won't get into the hype of different types of water, everyone has their preference and opinion. Do some research if you need to on your own about what works best for you and your budget. I drink Ozarka or filtered from the fridge door. No particular reason, just easiest.
Flavored waters tend to have lots of extra calories and sugars or artificial sweeteners. You’d do better to squeeze lemon, lime or orange juice and add a squirt of liquid Stevia to sweeten.
Dehydration can fool you into thinking that you are hungry. If it’s not time to eat or you just ate try drinking several ounces of water and wait about twenty minutes. It is likely the hunger will pass. If after that period of time you are still hungry then eat a small snack that will hold you until your next meal.
SALT AND CONDIMENTS
Use salt and condiments sparingly. I’m not going to jump all over you for using mayonnaise if you like it. Just use a scrape instead of half the bottle. In general there is lots of salt in condiments. Use sparingly or look for low sodium options.
Try Mrs. Dash to liven up your foods. There are many great seasonings to choose from. Use on salads, grilled and broiled meats and cooked vegetables. A pepper grind is also great for adding some spice to fish and chicken. Sometimes that is all I will use with a pinch of sea salt and let the meat do it’s own talking.
The USDA recommends that you should keep your salt intake to about 1500 – 2400 mg per day, any more than that can cause you to retain water and swell needlessly.
NUTS AND HEALTHY FATS
Any kind of raw, unprocessed, unsalted nut can be beneficial to the diet providing you don’t have IBS, Krone’s or diverticulitis. Any type of seed or nut will inflame your condition. Proper serving is about ¼ cup per day. Nuts are a good source of healthy fat. 4 of my favorites:
• Walnuts – shaped like a brain, need I say more?
• Brazilian nuts – nobody likes them, they get picked out of the mix and thrown away, but they are one of the most nutritious nuts, they are high in vitamin D.
• Almonds, whole or slivered
• Pepitas, inside of the pumpkin seed
Why eat fats? Makes skin hair and nails healthier, helps with brain function, and keeps you lean by firing up the metabolism. Consume about about 2 TBS per day.
• Coconut oil
• Flax seed, grind it yourself, easier to absorb
• Avocados
• Olive oil
• Nuts, nut butters such as almond butter, peanut butter or sunflower butter
GRANOLA BARS, COOKIES AND SWEETS
I love a prune about 3 pm, it kills off my sweet tooth. Protein bars in general have a good bit of sugar of added sugar in them. Look for more natural products made with honey instead or make your own. I’ve come up with a great recipe for homemade protein bars that are super easy to make and really good! My daughters and clients love them. Recipe attached.
Cookies, cakes, candy – if you feel you need them or have a special occasion, check out Clean Eating, Eating Well, Weight Watchers, and Cooking Light. All have online magazines or you can have them delivered to your door. You’ll find GREAT recipes that are delicious and nutritious – but you still can’t eat all of them by yourself or it doesn’t count. At my house we have one sweet, one time per week, out of the house so there are no leftovers.
Do try to eat sugar in moderation. I once read a book by an NBC nutritional correspondent and he said the brain reacts the same to sugar as is does to cocaine and a shot of Jack Daniels. The more you eat the more you crave and the more you become addicted to it. Sugar also lowers the immune system and feeds cancer cells. Bad news.
I would try to avoid eating a lot of sugar free candy or cookies. They can have a very sudden laxative effect. 2 pieces should be your max. intake if you feel you must indulge.
