1. Drink water. People often mistake thirst for hunger, so next time you feel like noshing, reach for water first. Drinking also helps you feel full. Some experts suggest sipping water (or iced tea) just before you sit down to a meal. Continue drinking as you eat to add volume and weight to your meal.

2. Set realistic goals. One or two pounds a week maximum is doable. Top weight-loss programs advocate stopping after the first 10 pounds and maintaining that loss for about six months before trying to lose any more.

3. Build in splurges. If you allow yourself to eat whatever you want for 2 meals out of every 21, you won’t inflict enough damage to subvert your weight loss. And you’ll feel less deprived.

4. Count to 10. Studies suggest that the average craving lasts only about 10 minutes. So before caving in to your urge, set your mental timer for a 10-minute time-out. Use the time to tackle an item on your to-do list; choose one that will give you a sense of accomplishment — and get you out of the kitchen.

5. Eat more often. People who have kept their weight off for more than a few years tend to eat an average of five times a day. Light, frequent meals curb your appetite, boost your energy, improve your mood and even speed your metabolism, since the process of digestion itself burns calories.

6. Make weekly resolutions. Don’t try to overhaul your diet overnight. If you make too many changes at once, chances are you’ll get frustrated and throw in the towel. Instead, make one change, such as eating at least one piece of fruit daily, every week.

7. Start with 10%. People who start by focusing on achieving just 10% of their long-range weight-loss goal may have the best chance of ultimate success.
Losing those first pounds yields the biggest health gains, too, since belly fat is usually the first to come off and is the most dangerous.

8. Spike your meals with salsa. This spicy condiment can stand in for mayo to deliver plenty of flavor without the fat. Mix it with a bit of low-fat yogurt to make tuna salad. Spread it on a veggie burger, or serve it with chicken or fish.

9. Take one-third off. When you eat dinner out, reduce the temptation to clean your plate by setting aside one-third of your meal. Ask the server for a doggie bag, and take it home for lunch the next day. Try serving yourself one-third less at home too. This simple tactic could subtract more than 500 calories a day.

10. Go easy on the alcohol. Remember that alcohol is a source of calories. A 12-ounce beer has 150 calories; a 3.5-ounce glass of wine, 85. A margarita packs a bigger caloric punch. Even worse offenders are creamy cocktails, such as brandy alexanders and mudslides — equivalent to drinking a rich dessert. The bottom line: If you’re trying to lose weight, stick with water.

Take Time To Relax

Believe it or not, your stress level is also going to play a role in how good your body looks come the big day. When we are stressed our bodies have a tendency to increase cortisol output. Cortisol is a hormone, produced by the adrenal gland, that signals the body to prepare to fight. When it’s levels become high, you will actually notice that you have higher cravings for carbohydrates, which as you learned above, is something you want to avoid. Taking time each day this week to read a book, take a bath, do some yoga, or whatever else relaxes you will help to keep cortisol levels lower and keep both your mind and body feeling fresh.

So next time you are under pressure to get ready for a special occasion and are tempted to resort to drastic measures, you may want to rethink your plan. With a week of proper planning and implementation you can arrive at the function looking great and enjoy yourself in the process.

We’ve come a long way from the days when one of the knee-jerk answers to the question “What should I eat?” was “You can’t go wrong with carbohydrates.” We now know that carbohydrates, the staple of most diets, aren’t all good or all bad. Some kinds promote health while others, when eaten often and in large quantities, actually increase the risk for diabetes and coronary heart disease.

The wild popularity of the Atkins, South Beach, and other low-carbohydrate diets led many Americans to believe that carbohydrates are “bad,” the source of unflattering flab, and a cause of the obesity epidemic. That’s a dangerous oversimplification, on a par with “fat is bad.” Easily digested carbohydrates from white bread, white rice, pastries, sugared sodas, and other highly processed foods may, indeed, contribute to weight gain and interfere with weight loss. Whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, and other sources of intact carbohydrates do just the opposite—they promote good health.

Don’t be misled by the blanket pronouncements on the dangers of carbohydrates. They are an important part of a healthy diet. Carbohydrates provide the body with the fuel it needs for physical activity and for proper organ function. The best sources of carbohydrates—fruits, vegetables, and whole grains—deliver essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and a host of important phytonutrients.

What Are Carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are found in a wide array of foods—bread, beans, milk, popcorn, potatoes, cookies, spaghetti, soft drinks, corn, and cherry pie. They also come in a variety of forms. The most common and abundant forms are sugars, fibers, and starches.

The basic building block of every carbohydrate is a sugar molecule, a simple union of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Starches and fibers are essentially chains of sugar molecules. Some contain hundreds of sugars. Some chains are straight, others branch wildly.

Carbohydrates were once grouped into two main categories. Simple carbohydrates included sugars such as fruit sugar (fructose), corn or grape sugar (dextrose or glucose), and table sugar (sucrose). Complex carbohydrates included everything made of three or more linked sugars. Complex carbohydrates were thought to be the healthiest to eat, while simple carbohydrates weren’t so great. It turns out that the picture is more complicated than that.

The digestive system handles all carbohydrates in much the same way—it breaks them down (or tries to break them down) into single sugar molecules, since only these are small enough to cross into the bloodstream. It also converts most digestible carbohydrates into glucose (also known as blood sugar), because cells are designed to use this as a universal energy source.

Fiber is an exception. It is put together in such a way that it can’t be broken down into sugar molecules, and so it passes through the body undigested. Fiber comes in two varieties: soluble fiber dissolves in water, while insoluble fiber does not. Although neither type nourishes the body, they promote health in many ways. Soluble fiber binds to fatty substances in the intestines and carries them out as a waste, thus lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or bad cholesterol). It also helps regulate the body’s use of sugars, helping to keep hunger and blood sugar in check. Insoluble fiber helps push food through the intestinal tract, promoting regularity and helping prevent constipation.

When Sugar Management Goes Awry: Insulin and Diabetes

When you eat a food containing carbohydrates, the digestive system breaks down the digestible ones into sugar, which then enters the blood. As blood sugar levels rise, special cells in the pancreas churn out more and more insulin, a hormone that signals cells to absorb blood sugar for energy or storage. As cells sponge up blood sugar, its levels in the bloodstream begin to fall. That’s when other cells in the pancreas start making glucagon, a hormone that tells the liver to start releasing stored sugar. This interplay of insulin and glucagon ensure that cells throughout the body, and especially in the brain, have a steady supply of blood sugar.

In some people, this cycle doesn’t work properly. People with type 1 diabetes (once called insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes) don’t make enough insulin, so their cells can’t absorb sugar. People with type 2 diabetes (once called non-insulin-dependent, or adult-onset diabetes) generally start out with a different problem—their cells don’t respond well to insulin’s “open up for sugar” signal. This condition, known as insulin resistance, causes blood sugar and insulin levels to stay high long after eating. Over time, the heavy demands made on the insulin-making cells wears them out, and insulin production slows, then stops.

Insulin resistance isn’t just a blood sugar problem. It has also been linked with a variety of other problems, including high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides, low HDL (good) cholesterol, and excess weight. In fact, it travels with these problems so often that the combination has been given the name metabolic syndrome.  Alone and as part of the metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance can lead to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and possibly some cancers.

Genes, a sedentary lifestyle, being overweight, and a diet rich in processed carbohydrates can each promote insulin resistance. (The combination is far worse.) Data from the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study suggests that cutting back on refined grains and eating more whole grains in their place can improve insulin sensitivity.  As described in “Health Gains from Whole Grains”, the benefit of eating whole grains extends far beyond insulin to helping prevent type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis (the build-up of cholesterol-filled patches that clog and narrow artery walls), heart disease, colorectal cancer, and premature death from noncardiac, noncancer causes.

Carbohydrates and the Glycemic Index

Dividing carbohydrates into simple and complex makes sense on a chemical level. But it doesn’t do much to explain what happens to different kinds of carbohydrates inside the body. For example, the starch in white bread and French-fried potatoes clearly qualifies as a complex carbohydrate. Yet the body converts this starch to blood sugar nearly as fast as it processes pure glucose. Fructose (fruit sugar) is a simple carbohydrate, but it has a minimal effect on blood sugar.

A new system, called the glycemic index, aims to classify carbohydrates based on how quickly and how high they boost blood sugar compared to pure glucose. Foods with a high glycemic index, like white bread, cause rapid spikes in blood sugar. Foods with a low glycemic index, like whole oats, are digested more slowly, causing a lower and gentler change in blood sugar. Foods with a score of 70 or higher are defined as having a high glycemic index; those with a score of 55 or below have a low glycemic index.

Diets rich in high-glycemic-index foods, which cause quick and strong increases in blood sugar levels, have been linked to an increased risk for diabetes,  heart disease,  and overweight,  and there is preliminary work linking high-glycemic diets to age-related macular degeneration, ovulatory infertility,  and colorectal cancer.  Foods with a low glycemic index have been shown to help control type 2 diabetes and improve weight loss. Other studies, though, have found that the glycemic index has little effect on weight or health. This sort of flip-flop is part of the normal process of science, and it means that the true value of the glycemic index remains to be determined. In the meantime, eating whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables—all foods with a low glycemic index—is indisputably good for many aspects of health.

One of the most important factors that determine a food’s glycemic index is how much it has been processed. Milling and grinding removes the fiber-rich outer bran and the vitamin- and mineral-rich inner germ, leaving mostly the starchy endosperm.

One thing that a food’s glycemic index does not tell us is how much digestible carbohydrate it delivers. Take watermelon as an example. The sweet-tasting fruit has a very high glycemic index. But a slice of watermelon has only a small amount of carbohydrate per serving (as the name suggests, watermelon is made up mostly of water). That’s why researchers developed a related way to classify foods that takes into account both the amount of carbohydrate in the food and the impact of that carbohydrate on blood sugar levels. This measure is called the glycemic load.  A food’s glycemic load is determined by multiplying its glycemic index by the amount of carbohydrate it contains. In general, a glycemic load of 20 or more is high, 11 to 19 is medium, and 10 or under is low.

You can’t use the glycemic index to rule your dietary choices. For example, a Snickers bar has a glycemic index of 41, marking it as a low glycemic index food. But it is far from a health food. Instead, use it as a general guide. Whenever possible, replace highly processed grains, cereals, and sugars with minimally processed whole grain products. And only eat potatoes—once on the list of preferred complex carbohydrates—occasionally because of their high glycemic index and glycemic load.

Low-Carbohydrate Diets: Choose Good Carbs, not No Carbs

Some popular diets treat carbohydrates as if they are evil, the root of all body fat and excess weight. That was certainly true for the original Atkins diet, which popularized the no-carb approach to dieting. And there is some evidence that a low-carbohydrate diet may help people lose weight more quickly than a low-fat diet, although so far, that evidence is short term.

No one knows the long-term effects of eating little or no carbohydrates. Equally worrisome is the inclusion of unhealthy fats in some of these diets.

If you want to go the lower carb route, try to include some fruits, vegetables, and whole grain carbohydrates every day. They contain a host of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that are essential for good health and that you can’t get out of a supplement bottle. And do your heart a favor by choosing healthy fats and proteins to go along with those healthy carbohydrates: A 20-year prospective study of 82,802 women looked at the relationship between lower carbohydrate diets and heart disease; a subsequent study looked at lower carbohydrate diets and risk of diabetes. Women who ate low-carbohydrate diets that were high in vegetable sources of fat or protein had a 30 percent lower risk of heart disease  and a modestly lower risk of type 2 diabetes, compared to women who ate high-carbohydrate, low-fat diets. But women who ate low-carbohydrate diets that were high in animal fats or proteins did not have a reduced risk of heart disease or diabetes.

Adding Good Carbohydrates

For optimal health, get your grains intact from foods such as whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole grain pasta, and other possibly unfamiliar grains like quinoa, whole oats, and bulgur. Not only will these foods help protect you against a range of chronic diseases, they can also please your palate and your eyes.

Until recently, you could only get whole-grain products in organic or non-traditional stores. Today they are popping up in more and more mainstream grocery stores. Here are some suggestions for adding more good carbohydrates to your diet:

• Start the day with whole grains. If you’re partial to hot cereals, try old-fashioned or steel-cut oats. If you’re a cold cereal person, look for one that lists whole wheat, whole oats, or other whole grain first on the ingredient list.
• Use whole grain breads for lunch or snacks. Check the label to make sure that whole wheat or another whole grain is the first ingredient listed.
• Bag the potatoes. Instead, try brown rice or even “newer” grains like bulgur, wheat berries, millet, or hulled barley with your dinner.
• Pick up some whole wheat pasta. If the whole grain products are too chewy for you, look for those that are made with half whole-wheat flour and half white flour.
• Bring on the beans. Beans are an excellent source of slowly digested carbohydrates as well as a great source of protein.

Trans fats have been in the news lately because health authorities have identified them as being more harmful to our health than saturated fat and are recommending that we all try to reduce our intake of trans fats as much as possible.

In this article we tell you the top 5 things you should know about trans fats including what they are, why they are harmful to our health, how to identify them in the foods you are eating and most importantly how to reduce them in your diet.

1. What are Trans Fats?

Trans fats (trans fatty acids) are a type of unsaturated fat that has no functional benefit to our health and is not necessary at all in our diet.

Trans fats can be found in small quantities in natural sources such as meat and milk from cows and sheep but trans fats are also created when manufacturers add hydrogen to vegetable oils (a process called hydrogenation).

Hydrogenation is a process used to turn vegetable oils into semi-solids (like margarine) and increase the shelf life, decrease the need for refrigeration and enhance the flavor of foods containing them.

One other reason hydrogenated vegetable oils are preferred to animal fats (such as butter or lard) and semi-solid plant fats (such as palm oil) by manufacturers is that they are much less expensive than these alternatives.

2. How do Trans Fats affect our health?

Scientific evidence shows that consumption of trans fats increases our bad cholesterol (LDL) and decreases our good cholesterol (HDL) which dramatically increases our risk of experiencing cardiovascular disease including heart disease.

Because of their affect on lowering good cholesterol as well as increasing bad cholesterol, trans fats are now recognised as being more harmful to our heart health than saturated fat.

Chronic Cardiovascular Disease if left untreated can lead to serious and even life threatening health conditions such as angina, heart attacks and strokes.

3. How much trans fats should we be eating?

At the moment there aren’t any single recommended intakes for saturated and trans fats in Australia.

However, highly respected health groups like the National Heart Foundation recommend that the intake of saturated fat plus trans fat should be no more than 8% of our total energy intake.

This recommendation is inline with other well respected groups around the world such as the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee which strongly advises that healthy people over the age of two limit their intake of harmful fats like saturated fat and trans fats to between 7 and 10 percent of total calories.

According to the National Nutrition Survey published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 1998, saturated and trans fats account for more than 12.5% of total energy intake in the average Australian diet, so many of us are grossly exceeding the recommended levels.

4. What foods are trans fats found in?

At the moment it is not easy to identify which foods have high levels of trans fats in them because Australian manufacturers aren’t required by law to include details of trans fats on food labels unless they make a nutrition claim about cholesterol, saturated, unsaturated, omega-3, omega-6, omega-9 or trans fatty acids as part of their marketing communication.

With trans fats and their health risks being discussed as heavily as they currently are, this is sure to change in the future and some companies are starting to include the level of trans fats on their food labels voluntarily so it is becoming easier.

Generally speaking, foods typically high in trans fats include things like:

Biscuits.
Cakes.
Pies.
Potato Chips.
Cuts of meat containing visible fat.
Full fat dairy products.
Fried take away foods like doughnuts, French fries, etc.
Some brands of margarine.

5. How do we reduce our intake of trans fats?

As of January 2006 the American FDA passed a regulation requiring trans fat to be listed on all food nutrition labels and it shouldn’t be long before the same law is passed here in Australia.

While our current labeling laws don’t make it easy for us to identify the levels of trans fats in the foods we buy in our supermarkets, there are things we can do to try to limit the amount of trans fats we consume each day.

Here are the things that organizations like the National Heart Foundation and others suggest we do to lower the amounts of trans fats in our diet:

Avoid deep-fried fast foods and takeaways.
Limit the amount of manufactured biscuits, cakes and pies we eat.
Limit the amount of margarine we eat and choose those lowest in trans fatty acids.
Cut the visible fat of our meat and remove the skin off chicken.
Choose low fat dairy products, limit cream and butter.
Look for the words hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated in the list of ingredients of packaged foods to see if trans fat is included.
Use naturally occurring, unhydrogenated oil such as canola or olive oil when possible.
Look for processed foods made with unhydrogenated oil rather than hydrogenated or saturated fat.
Look for those labeled “trans-fat free.”
Limit the saturated fat in your diet – if you don’t eat a lot of saturated fat, you won’t be consuming a lot of trans fatty acids.

Conclusion

Trans fats have been in the news lately because health authorities have identified them as being more harmful to our health than saturated fat and are recommending that we all try to reduce our intake of them as much as possible.

According to a new study from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 9 out of every 10 Australian adults are living with at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Among these risk factors, obesity ranks very highly among tobacco smoking, physical inactivity, low fruit consumption, low vegetable consumption, risky alcohol consumption, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and diabetes.

Obesity related health risks

Obesity is a serious medical condition, and in addition to increasing our risk of cardiovascular disease is also associated with a wide range of chronic and

life-threatening conditions and severe health complications.

In fact, Obesity has been linked with all of the following diseases and conditions:

• Heart Disease

• Certain cancers (post-menopausal breast, colon and endometrial cancer)

• Type 2 diabetes

• High Blood Pressure

• Breathlessness

• Gallbladder disease

• Reproductive hormone abnormalities

• Sleep apnoea

• Osteoarthritis (knees)

• Polycystic ovary syndrome

• Insulin resistance

• High uric acid levels and gout

• Impaired fertility

• Low back pain

• Increased anaesthetic risk

• Foetal defects associated with maternal obesity

• Abnormal lipid / body fat profile

Techniques for assessing our weight related health risk.

According to the American National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) the assessment of risk associated with being overweight involves using three key measures:

1. Body mass index (BMI)
2. Waist circumference, and
3. Risk factors for diseases and conditions associated with obesity.

The BMI is a measure of your weight relative to your height and waist circumference measures abdominal fat. Combining these with information about your additional risk factors yields your risk for developing obesity-associated diseases.

What is Your Risk?

1. Body Mass Index (BMI)

BMI is a reliable indicator of total body fat, which is related to the risk of disease and death. The score is valid for both men and women but it does have some limits. These limits include:

• Potentially overestimating the body fat in athletes and those with muscular builds.

• Potentially underestimating body fat in older people and others who have lost muscle mass.

• Not taking into consideration weight gain during pregnancy. Pregnant women should contact a health professional to assure appropriate weight gain during pregnancy.

For your convenience, a BMI calculator is available for you to use free of charge on this website.

The BMI calculator is very easy to use and there are full instructions listed on the BMI Calculator page.

To navigate to and use this calculator simply click on this link: BMI Calculator or go to the main menu and you’ll find a direct link to the BMI calculator under Weight Loss > Tools > BMI Calculator.

2. Waist Circumference

Waist circumference is a good indicator of your abdominal fat which is another predictor of your risk for developing heart disease and other serious medical conditions.

To correctly determine your waist circumference, place a measuring tape snugly around your waist at the level of your belly button.

As a general guide, health risks are said to increases with a waist measurement of over:

• 102 centimetres or 40 inches in men and

• 88 centimetres or 35 inches in women.

The table below, Risks of Obesity-Associated Diseases by BMI and Waist Circumference, provides you with an idea of whether your BMI combined with your waist circumference increases your risk for developing obesity associated diseases or conditions.

Classification of Overweight and Obesity by BMI, Waist Circumference, and Associated Disease Risks
			Disease Risk*
	BMI	Obesity Class	Men <102cm Women <88cm	Men >102cm Women >88cm
Underweight	<18.5	-	-	-
Normal	18.5 – 24.9	-	-	-
Overweight	25.0 – 29.9	-	Increased	High
Obesity	30.0 – 34.9	I	High	Very High
	35.0 – 39.9	II	Very High	Very High
Extreme Obesity	40.0+	III	Extremely High	Extremely High

Source: NHLBI.
*     Disease risk for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and CVD.
+     Increased waist circumference can also be a marker for increased risk even in persons of normal weight.

3. Other Risk Factors

Besides being overweight or obese, there are additional risk factors to consider, namely:

• high blood pressure (hypertension)

• high LDL-cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol)

• low HDL-cholesterol (“good” cholesterol)

• high triglycerides

• high blood glucose (sugar)

• family history of premature heart disease

• physical inactivity

• cigarette smoking

Overall assessment and NHLBI recommendations.

If you fall into the obese (BMI greater than or equal to 30) or overweight categories (BMI of 25 to 29.9) and have two or more of the other risk factors listed above, the NHLBI recommends weight loss.

Even a small weight loss (just 10 percent of your current weight) can help to lower your risk of developing diseases associated with obesity.

Overweight people who do not have a high waist measurement, and have less than 2 risk factors may need to prevent further weight gain rather than lose weight.

To be sure about your particular situation, talk to your doctor to see if you are at an increased risk and if you should lose weight.

Conclusion.

According to a new study from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 9 out of every 10 Australian adults are living with at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

For a growing number of us, this risk factor is, or includes obesity.

Obesity is a serious medical condition that is associated with a wide range of chronic and life-threatening conditions and severe health complications.

If you think that your current weight may be putting your health at risk, you now know how to assess that risk yourself using the information and tools provided above.

As always though, in addition to conducting an initial self-assessment, we encourage you to speak with your doctor and get professional advice on the status of your most valuable asset – your health.

Fill up on a warming bowl of soup when you fancy some comfort food.

Increasingly, research shows that having soup as a starter helps fill us up so we eat less at our main meal. To keep calories down, opt for lower-fat soups like vegetable, tomato, carrot or minestrone, rather than creamy varieties. Or make your own by liquidising your favourite stew or casserole. Serve with crusty wholegrain bread for the ultimate comforting meal.

2. Turn up the Heat With Exercise

Save cash and burn calories by finding some fun ways to exercise to stay warm instead of turning up the central heating.

Borrow some workout DVDs from friends or the library or if you have a Wii Fit or Dance Mat get moving to them. Even a game of Twister will get you moving, warm you up, make you laugh and burn a few more calories than moaning about the cold.

3. Have a Mental Workout

Whenever you feel like indulging in stodge, take five minutes to visualise how you want to look and feel at the end of winter.

Get comfortable, close your eyes and imagine you’re watching a video of yourself on a warm, spring day after eating well all winter. Watch the slim, healthy you wearing t-shirts and shorts, feeling confident and bouncing with energy. Hold onto this image of the ‘post-Winter’ you and revisit it whenever that huge bar of chocolate under the duvet seems tempting.

4. Complete your Food Diary Journal

It will help you identify those times when you’re turning to food because you’re cold, tired or feel you ‘deserve’ a treat after a miserable, dark day.

Once you’ve identified ‘trigger’ points for comfort eating, treat yourself with non-food items such as a new CD, a bubble bath, your favourite DVD or a long chat with a friend. If you ever get stuck for ideas on how to improve your eating feel free to have a chat or send me an email- megan@krunchbootcamp.com.au

5. Tighten Your Belt

Slouching around in jogging bottoms and baggy jumpers during the winter won’t help you recognise if you’ve lost or gained weight.

Carry on wearing fitted clothes and your waistband will quickly let you know if the pounds are moving in the right direction.

I personally think that winter time is the best time to get serious about your weight loss goals. As it is so cold you will always be rugged up in clothing. Think how awesome you will look and feel when summer rolls around again and you get to show off your new body that you have been hiding.

6. Go for a Walk Every Day

Daylight helps to boost serotonin levels, so take a 15-minute walk in the fresh air every day.

Plus, just 15 minutes of walking will burn around 75 calories – enough to prevent you gaining 2kgs over the winter!

7. Start Your Day With Porridge

Porridge is perfect for providing energy, topping up nutrient levels and helping those cold winter mornings seem less gloomy.

Oats have a low glycaemic index so a bowl of porridge for breakfast should keep blood sugar levels steady until lunchtime, preventing the mid-morning munchies. Plus, those oaty carbs will help to boost levels of serotonin, keeping you on a natural high.

8. Take it Away

Ever wondered why you get more takeaway leaflets in your letterbox during winter?

Your local takeaway knows you’re more likely to order a delivery when it’s cold, dark and wet outside – and you can’t be bothered to brave the elements to go to the supermarket. Beat them at their game by throwing out those leaflets as soon as they arrive. You’ll be less likely to ring for an Indian, Chinese or pizza if you don’t have a menu to choose from.

9. Keep Your Hands Busy

Keep your hands busy and out of the biscuit tin by taking up a new hobby for winter nights in front of the TV.

Try knitting, cross-stitch, painting, crosswords and Sudoko, and my new personal favourite words with friends on my iphone. Totally addictive!

10. Go Italian

If pasta is your ultimate comfort food, don’t be afraid to include it in your diet.

Pasta is a great choice for weight loss as it’s low in fat and has a low glycaemic index so keeps blood sugar levels steady, preventing cravings for sugary foods, which can lead to weight gain. Opting for wholewheat pasta will add more fibre to fill you up. Think carefully about sauces though. Vegetable and fish based ones are usually the lowest in fat and calories. Opt for chicken or lean mince for meat-based sauces. And if you fancy a cheese sauce, make it with low-fat spread, skimmed milk and reduced-fat Cheddar.

11. Think Before You Drink

Don’t warm up with too many lattes, cappuccinos or hot chocolates.

A large latte made with whole milk contains 265 calories – enough to gain 3kgs in a month if you have two a day. Cappuccinos are better with 153 calories each. However, a hot chocolate with whipped cream contains a waistline-busting 448 calories.

12. Get Loved Up

Don’t save sex for the weekend.

Getting passionate releases happy chemicals called endorphins – and the happier we are, the less likely we are to feel like hibernating or filling up on stodge. Better still, providing you both put in the effort, making love burns around 140 calories in 20 minutes. That means six months of passionate nights will help you lose 3kgs – and keep you warm!

13. Plan Your Summer Holiday

Plan next year’s summer holiday and then once you’ve decided where to go, take up a new activity that will help you enjoy your time away even more.

For example, if you plan to go to France, take French lessons; if you’re off to the Caribbean, learn to dive at your local pool; or if Spain is your destination, join a Flamenco class. Putting your energy into something you can look forward to will lift your mood so you feel less like hiding under the duvet and munching away the months.

14. Learn to Dance

Exercising outside isn’t appealing on dark winter nights, so shift your activities indoors.

Joining a dance class is a great way to stay in shape, have fun, boost mood-lifting endorphins and burn calories – an hour of salsa burns 380 calories, while ballroom uses up 350 calories.

15. Serve up a Stew

One-pot wonders such as stews and casseroles are the ultimate comfort foods and provide a well-balanced and healthy meal, providing you don’t add loads of oil or serve them with suet-laden dumplings.

Using lean meat or skinless chicken cuts fat and calories, while potatoes provide energy-giving complex carbs. Adding veg such as onions, carrots, parsnips and leeks, boosts fibre, vitamins and minerals. And to really up the comfort factor, throw in a handful of barley, lentils or beans – they’re rich in protein and fibre, both of which will make you feel more satisfied.

16. Eat Orange Foods

According to colour therapists, orange is a colour that helps lift our mood, makes us cheerful and boosts energy levels.

This means filling your plate with orange may help you feel happier so you’re less likely to turn to comfort food. Fortunately, most orange foods are low in calories and fat – think oranges, satsumas, carrots, swede, butternut squash, sweet potato, baked beans, orange peppers, mangoes, canteloupe melon and apricots. Chocolate Orange’s don’t count!

17. Make Your Favourite Comfort Foods Healthier

Find ways to adapt the ingredients or cook your favourite comfort foods differently to lower fat and calories.

For example, for sausage and mash, grill low-fat sausages and add skimmed milk and low-fat spread to mash, rather than cream and butter. Or for toast and jam, use wholegrain bread, low-fat spread and a thin spread of jam.

18. Get 5-a-day with Hot, Fruity Puddings

A bowl of fresh fruit salad or slice of melon might not seem appealing in the depths of winter, so make up your 5-a-day with hot, fruity puds such as baked apples, fruit crumbles and hot fruit compote.

For crumbles, use wholemeal flour and oats to boost fibre and sunflower marg to keep intakes of saturated fat down. And remember to serve with reduced-fat custard or make your own using skimmed milk and sweetener.

So there you have it. Winter doesn’t need to leave you feeling cold and miserable and 5kgs heavier. By including some of the above tips you can not only stay motivated throughout winter but have a brand new body to show off over the coming months.

our homes. But, hibernating is for bears. As humans it’s important to stay active through all four seasons. Yet, a poll of 5,000 people found that 30 percent get no exercise at all during the winter months.
Just because it is cold outside doesn’t make it open season for an excuse not to exercise. There are multiple exercise options one can choose to participate in regardless of what the outdoor thermometer reads. Depending on your location and likes, you can choose to workout inside or outside. The important thing is except it going to get cold but do not except the excuses that you will come up with not to exercise.
All that is required for Winter-time workouts is some planning and employing all safety precautions. If you prefer to workout outside, keep the following tips in mind.
• Have a plan. Every Sunday night I sit and plan my exercise for the next 7 days. Try to exercise 3-5 times a week. Make it a priority, ON YOUR BLACKBERRY/ Iphone OR CALENDAR. That should be your goal. This means at the gym, outside, in your basement, at the office, you are choosing to be physically active for an hour 3-5 times weekly. It doesn’t matter where. And it doesn’t matter when. Just get it done. We all have 168hrs in every week. Do not feed me any excuses about having no time. Out of those 168hrs I am only asking for 3-5. It isn’t about finding time, its all about making time!!!!!
• Get warm first. A proper warm-up is critical. Cold temperatures can make your muscles tight and therefore they are more prone to injuries. So, it’s important to get them warmed-up prior to engaging in intense physical activity. Be sure to spend atleast 10mins warming up and another 5mins going through your ROM stretching. Avoid static stretches, if your body isn’t sufficiently warmed up and you begin holding stretches you may over stretch and pull a muscle.
• Insulate your body. The best approach to dressing for outdoor exercise is with layers. Layering provides the most effective heating method, plus it allows you to remove the top layer if you get too hot. The layer closest to your skin should allow moisture to be wicked away. The top layer should be both wind and water resistant.
• No sweat. Don’t assume that you have to sweat in order to get a good workout. You should avoid sweating that causes the clothing layer closest to your skin to get wet and cause you to be chilled. Instead monitor your intensity through a heart rate monitor or the Rating of Your Perceived Exertion.
• Don’t strip when you get inside. While you may be tempted to immediately remove your layers when returning inside, give your body time to adjust. Post exercise hypothermia is possible. This happens when your body rapidly loses its heating stores.
• Drink up. It’s just as important to stay hydrated when exercising in winter as it is in summer, even though you might not feel as thirsty.
• Lighten up. If possible, it’s best to exercise outdoors during daylight areas. But, with shorten days that can be difficult to do. If you exercise outdoors when it is dark, wear reflective materials to ensure that you can be seen.
• Set your alarm away from your bed. I find the hardest thing about training is getting out of bed. So, if I set my alarm so I need to get out of bed to turn it off I am more likely to stay up, and not “hit the snooze button”.
• Tell your partner to kick your out of bed in the morning. ☺ Or drag them with you.
• If you train at nightime. DO NOT GO HOME FIRST. I can guarantee once you open the front door it will not reopen
• Move training times to the middle of the day. That way you get to train during the warmest time of the day.

If the thought of getting outside to exercise makes you dive under the covers, instead choose one of the many indoor workout options. Below are just a few of the many choices.
• Walk at an indoor location, like a mall. If you need extra motivation to get yourself to the mall, join a walking group. This will help you stay accountable to someone other than yourself.
• Join a health club. This will allow you a large variety of physical activities to choose from every week.
• Create a home gym. This doesn’t have to be expensive. You can easily set-up a great workout routine with just a set of dumbbells, an exercise ball and a jump rope. Get all of this for around $50.
• If you have stairs where you live or close by, spend as little as 20 minutes at a time climbing up and down the stairs for a very intense and efficient workout.
• Get wet. Find a local indoor pool you can use. Try swimming, water aerobics, or even just walking or running laps in the water.
• Visit a library. Usually local libraries offer exercise videos you can check-out for free. Pick-up a new one to try out every time you return the previous video or you can purchase hundreds of workout videos from Ebay. Oh, how I love ebay!

By staying fit during winter you’ll be able to avoid gaining weight, have a head start on swimsuit season, and avoid losing strength and stamina caused from inactivity. Just as tulips need winter nourishment from the Earth to strongly bloom in spring, humans need to continue to nourish their bodies during winter so they too can bloom come spring. I see it every single year. Once the weather fines up people are begging me to help them get fit again and lose their winter weight. Think about it over winter would you rather gain 5kgs or lose 5kgs. Both are totally possible. It’s up to you!

First things first

One of the reasons most people fail to stick to a diet is that they take the wrong first step.

There are broadly two ways to change your eating habits in order to help you lose weight:

1. Change what you eat
2. Change how much you eat

Ideally, in order to maximize weight loss over the LONG TERM we need to change both. But it’s not a good idea to change both at once. This is where most people make mistakes. They try to change both at once or if they only change one, they change the wrong one first. When faced with the above two options, most people take option 1 first when the best first option to take to help you lose weight is typically option 2.

Why? The reason is actually quite simple.

It is far easier for most of us to go from eating 3 to 2 pieces of fried chicken for dinner than it is to go from 3 pieces of fried chicken to a garden salad. Sure, eating the salad will help us lose more weight than forgoing only one piece of fried chicken, but permanent weight loss is a long term process and going down to 2 pieces of chicken forever is far better than eating a garden salad for dinner for 1 week and then going back to 3 pieces of chicken for the rest of our life. Remember, we are trying to make permanent lifestyle changes here and most of us won’t stick to these changes if they are too radical compared to what we are currently doing.

Food reduction tips
Here are some tips to help you reduce the amount you eat:
* Making small permanent changes are better than radical changes that you won’t be able to live with.

* Don’t worry about falling back to your old behaviour for a day or two, only the long term counts.

* Use portion controlled packaged foods to help you (prepackaged frozen meals and single serve snack packs for example).

* Use smaller plates than usual to serve your meals.

* When eating out, buy entrée sized meals or share a full sized meal with your partner or friend.

* Separate a third or quarter of the food on your plate and move it to one side before you begin eating, then leave that third or quarter uneaten at the end of the meal.

* Eat small amounts of food every couple of hours so you’re not starving at main meal times.

* Drink plenty of water throughout the day – most people mistake thirst for hunger.

* Eat slowly and concentrate on your meal – don’t watch TV while you’re eating for example.

* Gradually reduce your serving sizes over time until they reach the ideal size.

* When eating take away, don’t buy super-sized options.

* Remember that to make these changes habit you are going to have to continue to practice them consciously for awhile (maybe up to 3 months) until they become unconscious.

* Be the last one at the table to start eating.

* Put your fork or food down between bites.

* Chew or swallow each bite before the next.

* Pause in the middle of the meal.

* Don’t eat while cooking – this increases your total serving size, often without being noticed.

* Place leftover food in small, single serve containers.

* Have soup or a salad with low calorie dressing to begin a meal.

* As soon as you begin to feel full, stop eating.

* Try to reduce stress in your life and other things that cause you to eat on emotion.

The second step

OK, you’ve gradually started to reduce the amount of food you eat and are starting to slowly (but surely) lose weight. If you haven’t already, now is the time to start to become more active to improve your general level of fitness, increase your energy levels and of course speed up the weight loss process.
Now that these habits are well established, it’s time to start thinking about making minor positive adjustments to what we eat. Instead of eating a piece of fried chicken for dinner for example (we’ve migrated from 3 down to 2 and now down to 1) maybe we can have a piece of fried chicken without the skin or a piece of grilled or broiled chicken instead. And maybe we can replace half of the chips that accompany our chicken with a corn cob or a handful of your favourite steamed vegetables. See how we’re making small positive changes that we can live with? While changing what we eat is often more difficult that slowly but gradually reducing how much we eat, there are things that we can do to make sure that when we do begin to change this aspect of our behaviour that we are successful.

Healthy diet modification tips
Here are a couple of things to consider when improving our diet:

* A healthy diet is a balanced diet and a balanced diet has plenty of variety – occasional fast food meals are OK; just don’t make them the staple.

* Plan ahead – don’t be forced into choosing inferior food options because you failed to think ahead.

* Start by modifying your breakfast. Breakfast is so important that it is the logical place to begin when trying to improve your diet. Whole-grain, high-fiber cereals with low-fat milk are an excellent choice.

* Understand and read the Nutrition Facts labels on packaged food.

* Compare the nutritional facts of like products and if possible, opt for the choice with the lowest calories, sugar, salt and/or fat.

* Be adventurous; try new dishes whenever you can.

* Remember that the cooking method you use can increase or reduce the calories contained in food.

* Buy a new cookbook or food magazine for food and healthier choice ideas.

* Exchange healthy recipes with friends.

* Try new restaurants.

* Alternate alcohol with low calorie drinks (water is perfect).

* Join a healthy cooking class.

* Start a healthy cooking dinner club.

* Invite friends over for a vegetarian (or other theme) meal.

* Make meals delicious as well as nutritious.

* Remove temptations from your home.

* Become physically, not externally connected to eating.

* Shop using a shopping list and never shop when hungry.

* Be wary at cultural and social events – don’t let your guard down.

* Feel proud every time you say “no” to a problem food.

* Neutralize food. There are no good or bad foods – all foods are OK when eaten in moderation.

* Stop Dieting.

General Guidelines for behaviour modification
In addition to the tips above, try some of these general guidelines to behaviour modification:

* Be ready to change.

* Develop a plan.

* Set goals, track your progress, and reward yourself to stay motivated.

* Make change fun.

* Slow down your busy lifestyle.

* Understand your personal barriers to change so you can avoid excuses.

* Don’t look for quick fixes and easy options.

* Keep a positive attitude.

* Watch your language, especially when talking to yourself.

* Change your reward system so that it is not based on food and rewards behaviour modifications, not weight loss results.

* Enlist the help of qualified professionals (e.g. a registered dietitian, a physician, a personal trainer and/or a psychologists).

Good luck and remember you can do whatever you set your mind to!

A major factor to overall health and achieving ideal body weight can be attributed to getting enough daily vitamins and minerals. In every-day life, your health is going to be better if you are getting enough vitamins and nutrients as part of a well-balanced diet. When you’re trying to lose weight, vitamins are even more important to help your body function.

Best Vitamins for Weight Loss

The body’s weight-control or weight-related functions – like appetite, hunger, metabolic rate, metabolism of fats and sugars, calorie-burning, and so on – operate more efficiently with an optimum intake of vitamins. All of them play a part in maintaining optimum health and weight, and many operate together, so it’s not really accurate to single out certain vitamins as being “best” for weight loss. That said, certain vitamins are worth a special mention.

The Best Vitamins For Weight Reduction

The most important vitamins and minerals for weight loss are: Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Choline (part of B-complex), Inositol (part of B-complex), and Vitamin C.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

Vitamin B2 is needed for normal thyroid function and metabolism. Good food sources of vitamin B2 include: Milk, liver and kidney, almonds, hard cheese, eggs, wheatgerm, leafy green vegetables, Marmite.

Vitamin B3 (Niacin)

Like B2, vitamin B3 is essential for normal thyroid hormone production. Vitamin B3 is also part of the glucose tolerance factor (GTF) which is released every time blood sugar rises. Good food sources of Vitamin B3 include: Wheat bran, liver, tuna, turkey, chicken, meat, eggs, mackerel, salmon, oats, barley, wheatflakes, cheese, dried fruit, brown rice.

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)

Any deficiency of Vitamin B5 interferes with our capacity to utilise fat. Vitamin B5 also plays an important role in energy production and assists adrenal function. Good food sources of Vitamin B5 include: liver and kidney, meat, poultry, nuts, wheatflakes, wheat bran, wheatgerm, eggs, molasses, oats, barley, beans, wholegrain bread, green vegetables.

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)

Vitamin B6 regulates the production of thyroid hormone and metabolism. Good food sources of Vitamin B6, brewer’s yeast, wheat bran, wheatgerm, oats, sardines, mackerel, poultry, beef, avocado, bananas, brown rice, cabbage, dried fruit, molasses, eggs.

Choline

A member of the Vitamin B complex, choline is not a real vitamin as it is made in the liver. Choline is needed for efficient fat metabolism. Choline deficiency leads to fats becoming trapped in the liver. Good sources of choline include: lecithin, beef liver, beef heart, egg yolks, wheatgerm, cauliflower, cucumber, peanuts.

Inositol

Like choline, inositol is a member of the vitamin B complex and is also manufactured inside the body. Inositol combines with choline to assist in fat metabolism. Good sources of inositol include: lecithin, beef heart, beef liver, wheatgerm, soy, eggs, citrus fruits, wholegrains, nuts.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C provides a range of health benefits including proper conversion of glucose to energy in the cells. Good food sources of vitamin C include: blackcurrants, broccoli, green peppers, kiwi fruits, Brussels Sprouts, lemons, oranges, strawberries, cabbage.

Which Minerals are Best for Weight Loss

The body’s weight-related functions – like appetite, hunger, metabolic rate, metabolism of fats and sugars, blood-glucose levels, calorie-burning, and so on – operate more efficiently when we have an optimum intake of minerals. All of them play a part in maintaining optimum health and weight, and many co-operate with each other. Here is a list of what minerals your body needs to support weight loss.

Calcium

Recent clinical studies demonstrate a positive relationship between calcium intake and weight-loss. Controlled weight loss studies indicate that increasing calcium intake by the equivalent of two dairy servings per day can reduce the risk of overweight, perhaps by as much as 70 percent.

Also, it’s worth remembering that lower-calorie fat-free milk contains the same amount of calcium as full-fat milk. The same goes for low fat yogurt and reduced fat cheese.

Chromium

Chromium is required for the metabolism of sugar. Without sufficient chromium, insulin is less effective in regulating blood-glucose levels. In this way, chromium helps to control cravings and reduce hunger. Good food sources of chromium include: egg yolks, molasses, beef, hard cheese, liver, fruit juices, whole grain bread.

Manganese

Manganese helps regulate fat metabolism and blood-glucose. It is needed for a healthy thyroid function which itself is essential to maintain a healthy weight. Good food sources of manganese include: tea, wheatgerm, spinach, split peas, nuts, oatgerm, oatmeal, pineapple, green leafy vegetables.

Zinc

Zinc helps to regulate appetite. Zinc is also needed for the correct functioning of hormones, like insulin. Zinc deficiency is common among smokers, heavy drinkers, some vegetarians, people with chronic illness and those on non-nutritious or very low calorie diets. Good sources of Zinc include: shellfish, herring, wheatgerm, lean beef or lamb, eggs, lentils, Brazil nuts, almonds, chicken.

I strongly advise that if you feel your diet is inadequate you should contact me at megan@krunchbootcamp.com.au and see how you can improve your vitamin and mineral intake.

I like to provide a healthy snack or meal recipe that not only is delicious and healthy, but also helps to get you closer to that hard-body appearance that everyone is looking for, while also more importantly, improving your health for life. In this article, I’d like to give you healthy food ideas in a different way. This time, I figured I’d just give you some ideas of what I stock my fridge and cabinets with.

Remember, if you don’t have junk around the house, you’re less likely to eat junk!  If all you have is healthy nutritious foods 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.

Some of these will be obvious healthy choices, such as fruits and veggies… however, others on this page I think will surprise you!

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,capsicum, broccoli, etc. to use in my morning eggs.  I also like to chop up some lean chicken or turkey sausage (make sure to look for nitrate & nitrite free) or grass-fed sausage into the eggs, along with some 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… whole 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. Yes, you heard me right… I said healthy saturated fats!  …Healthy saturated fats such as medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), specifically an MCT called lauric acid, which is vitally important for your immune system.

Back to the fridge, some other staples:

• Walnuts, pecans, almonds – delicious and great sources of healthy fats.  Try to get raw nuts if possible as the roasting process can oxidize some of the polyunsaturated fats in some types of nuts making those damaged fats slightly more inflammatory.  Overall, nuts are still healthy even if they are roasted, but raw nuts are optimal.
• Cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and yogurt (grass-fed and organic if possible) - 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.
• Chia seeds and/or hemp seeds - I add these highly nutritious seeds to yogurt, smoothies, or salads for a great nutty taste and loads of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins and minerals. Don’t use pre-ground versions of these seeds as the omega-3 polyunsaturated fats are highly unstable and prone to oxidation, creating high levels of free radicals if you use pre-ground seeds.  No grinding is necessary to properly digest these seeds.
• 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.  Most important — choose organic butter only, since pesticides and other harmful chemicals accumulate in the fat of the milk which is used for butter, so choosing organic helps avoid this problem.  Also, choose grass-fed (pastured) butter if you can find it as it will contain higher levels of healthful omega-3 fats and the fat-burning conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).
• Nut butters – Plain old peanut butter has gotten a little old for me, so I get creative and mix together almond butter with pecan butter, or even cashew butter with macadamia butter…delicious and unbeatable nutrition!  Using a variety of nut butters gives you a broader range of vitamins and minerals and other micronutrients, and gives you variety instead of boring old peanut butter all the time.
• Leaf lettuce and spinach along with shredded carrots – for salads with dinner.
• Home-made salad dressing – using balsamic vinegar, spices, 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).
• Sprouted grain bread for occasional use — My personal belief from years of nutrition research is that we’re not really meant to consume the massive quantities of grains (not even whole grains) that we do in this day and age… a small amount may be okay, but our digestive systems are still primarily adapted to a hunter/gatherer type of diet with only a very small amount of grains, therefore I try to only have breads and other grain-based foods on cheat days.
• Rice bran - If we’re going to have some grain-based food, we might as well have the most nutrient dense part, and rice bran is one of those parts, since it includes the germ of brown rice too. Rice bran is loaded with vitamins and minerals but without the large amount of starch calories that rice has… and it actually adds a nice little nutty, crunchy taste to yogurt or smoothies, or can be added when baking to add nutrients and fiber to the recipe.

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:  Grass-fed 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 fat-burning and muscle-building conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) compared to typical grain-fed beef that you’ll find at your grocery store. 
• Frozen kangaroo, ostrich, 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, chicken, 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 (red tea) are some of the healthiest.
• Oat bran and steel cut oats – higher fiber than those little packs of instant oats, which are typically loaded with sugar.
• Cans of coconut milk (loaded with healthy MCT fats) - 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.  You also want to make sure that the tomato sauce is made with olive oil instead of unhealthy soybean oil. Also get tomato sauces in glass jars instead of cans, as canned tomatoes are notoriously high in the dangerous chemical, bisphenol-A (BPA) due to the acidic leaching of BPA from the can lining.
• 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 (your efficiency in processing carbohydrates).  I use a small teaspoon every morning in my teas.  Yes, I know that even honey 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, and a better choice than refined sugar.
• Organic REAL 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 to aid muscle recovery.
• 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 (delicious!).
• Cans of black or kidney beans – I like to add a couple scoops to my Mexican dishes for the fiber and high nutrition content. Also, beans are surprisingly one of the best sources of youth enhancing antioxidants!  Did you know that black beans and kidney beans have more antioxidants than blueberries…it’s true!
• Dark chocolate (as dark as possible – ideally more than 70-75% cocoa content) – 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 1-2 small squares after a meal… 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  mangoes, pomegranates, kumquats, papaya, star fruit, pineapples, and others. Also, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, black raspberries (the highest fiber berry) and cherries are some of the most nutrient and antioxidant-dense fruits you can eat.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this special look into my favorite lean body meals and how I stock my cabinets and fridge. Your tastes are probably quite different than mine, but hopefully this gave you some good ideas you can use next time you’re at the grocery store looking to stock up a healthy and delicious pile of groceries.

If you liked this article, please feel free to share it with your friends.