How to Tweak Paleo To Lose Weight

If you are like most people, you might be thinking that starting a paleo journey will allow you to lose weight quickly. There is nothing wrong with thinking this way, for most of us ditching the processed foods is enough to trigger a good amount of natural weight loss. But at some point your body will adjust to your new way of eating and your weight loss might start to slow because of it. When this happens, you should look at your current activity levels. The people who are the most successful on the paleo diet tend to be those who are the most physically active.

Now that the paleo lifestyle has started making its mark, it is easy to find a nice supply of yummy paleo desserts. There’s no shortage of websites, blogs, and even magazine articles ready to give you a delicious sample menu to try. And while all of this is great, it definitely doesn’t mean that you don’t need to be conscious of what you are eating. For example desserts – no matter how healthy – are still desserts and should be eaten as a treat and not as an everyday staple. If you can, it is best to try to stay away from sweets, or at least allow yourself only one or two paleo treats a week.

It is also a good idea to remember that foods such as dried fruits, nuts and sweeteners are very calorie dense and consuming them in moderation can be quite difficult. Even though they are paleo it might be best to stay away from them completely, if you are trying to lose weight.

Insulin resistance is an often undiagnosed but very real reason why many people tend to gain weight easily or struggle to lose weight. When most people think of the body having issues with insulin, they think of diabetes. But the truth is that you don’t have to be diabetic to have insulin resistance. If you might be a candidate for insulin resistance it is important to take that into consideration when planning your meals.
Try to limit your nuts, seeds, and even certain seafoods while you are starting your new lifestyle. The good news is that insulin resistance can be reversed so you aren’t losing these foods forever, just until your body adjusts to your new lifestyle.

You certainly don’t need to count calories but you should base your meals on the protein + veggie base and drink plenty of water. While nuts, tubers, and fruits are paleo, the staples of every paleo plate is protein and veggies. Be sure to eat plenty of nutrient dense food. Depending on what your needs are, you can aim for paleo foods that will give you the most nutrients, the most energy, or make you feel fuller for longer periods of time. If you need some inspiration, do a google search for ‘foods for energy’, ‘foods that make you feel full’, etc and go through until you find some good paleo choices.

The best way to get a lasting meal is to try to make your meals around a balance of protein, vegetables and healthy fats. This can keep you satisfied for about three – four hours. This will help alleviate the wild blood sugar swings that happen after a typical high carb breakfast. But most importantly, if you are feeling satisfied between meals you are less likely to make poor food choices or allow old eating habits to creep back in.

More than anything, remember that gentle changes are going to make the biggest impact on your life. Don’t get caught up in extreme eating or exercise at the very beginning of your new lifestyle.

How to be Successful with a Paleo Lifestyle

For many people, one of the most difficult parts of transitioning into a healthy eating lifestyle is planning. If you want to be successful you will always know what you will be eating, when you will be eating it, and what ingredients you will need to make it.
Flying by the seat of your pants simply won’t work anymore, especially if you are in the beginning stages of implementing this new lifestyle. Failing to plan leaves you vulnerable to poor food choices and temptations. Remember, if you fail to plan you plan to fail.

Start by designating one or two days a week that will be your new shopping day. Spend some time beforehand going through your cookbooks, Pinterest and paleo food blogs. Another great tip that paleo people love is make ahead meals. Rather than preparing a huge meal when you walk in the door at night, take one day in the week to prepare and freeze all of your meals. You don’t need to freeze your entire meal, freezing just your main food for each night will save you lots of time in the kitchen after a busy day at work. Think through your week and evaluate how much time you have for food prep. If you have a busy schedule, you will want to consider crockpot recipes as well as freezer meals. If you can, designate some time over the weekend to precook (or grill) some meat. Here are a few quick suggestions:

*Prepare a roast, slice thin and and freeze in individual portions
*Buy individually wrapped fish packets from your warehouse club
*Cook bacon in batches
*Lightly steam or roast veggies that can easily be reheated
*Brown some ground beef and grill some chicken breasts or thighs

By varying sauces, spices and side dishes, this can form the base for a variety of meals that you won’t get tired of.

Developing a meal schedule can also help keep you on track. For example, chicken on Monday, crockpot on Tuesday, fish on Wednesday, leftover on Thursday, etc. Having a streamlined plan will help you to be successful because you won’t have to spend so much time thinking about what you are going to cook. For many people, having to spend too much time wondering what they’re going to be doing leads to procrastination.

But make ahead meals don’t just have to be for dinner, you can also create make ahead breakfast dishes. Many people don’t have the time or motivation to prepare complicated breakfasts. Doing simple things like pre-portioning your breakfasts will go a long way. For example, if you are having blueberry pancakes one day, add the amount of pancake mix you will need (paleo of course), into a ziplock bag and place it next to your coconut oil in the pantry. In the fridge, put the amount of blueberries you will need front and center. Now your breakfast is ready, all you have to do it put it together – and cook it of course.

Don’t forget to think about the snacks between meals. You need something to hold you over until your next meal and get you through a hectic day. Making a simple paleo trail mix will not only give you a filling snack, it will also allow you to eat on the run. If you have a little more time in the kitchen you can also make muffins, granola, or even hard boiled eggs.

With just a little advance prep you’ll find that maintaining the paleo way of eating is very doable and you will experience long term success.

Why The Paelo Diet Is Good For You

Everywhere you look there are ways to get healthy and eat clean. From supplements to diets to gym memberships there is no shortage of people telling you what you should be doing to improve your body. With so many choices out there, how do you even begin to choose something that is right for you?

One thing to look for is something that will easily fit into your lifestyle. Something that will put you on the path towards a healthy life without taking you too far out of your comfort zone. Getting healthy means changing your lifestyle, and if you try to rush that change you will be doomed to fail. This is one reason why so many people are finding success on the paleo diet.

Yes, going paleo means that you will be changing a lot in your relationship with food. But unlike many diets that require you to spend a lot of time in the kitchen and spend time finding expensive ingredients that you’ve never heard of, paleo eaters are able to make the transition into a healthy life slowly, giving them a better chance at changing their eating habits for life, not just for now.

In fact, many of the things that you are not allowed to have while eating paleo are things that you probably shouldn’t be eating anyway. Fast food, junk food, artificial ingredients and processed foods are all things that will shorten your lifespan and leave you sick and overweight. Yes, these things are restricted in paleo, but let’s be honest, any diet that advocates you eating things that are bad for your body is not a diet that is going to give you much success.

There are other things that you will have to give up that may not be so easy to lose. For example, grains are a no go when eating paleo. This means no more bagels for breakfast or sandwiches for lunch, at least not the bagels and sandwiches you are used to. The good news is that the paleo diet has gained a lot of popularity and because of this popularity you can usually find things like paleo bread and paleo approved mayonnaise at your local health food store. If you are lost on what you should be looking for, there are many active online communities that are always excited to see someone new in their flock.

Probably the biggest lure for people to start eating paleo comes from the ability to eat meat. Despite what reports say about the unhealthy side effects of eating meat, the harsh reality is that most of us grew up eating this, and for most of us this is a staple in our diet. While many healthy eating lifestyles want you to only eat certain meats, or give it up completely, when you are eating paleo you are able to keep meat as a staple in your diet.

Remember, you have many important things going on in your life, but without your health nothing else will matter. When you learn to transition your body slowly into a paleo lifestyle, you stand a greater chance of success…

Learn more about one of the best Paleo recipe books here

Super Healthy Eating and Quick Fitness Tips

 Here’s a good post I think you’ll like as well, and you may be surprised to learn that a large number of celebrities are “mostly transitioning to a completely plant-based diet for health, fitness and athletic performance reasons”:

I love eating healthy and try to incorporate quick heathy tips to every meal.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to speak with Brendan Brazier. Brendan is a former professional Ironman triathlete, bestselling author and formulator of the award-winning plant-based Vega nutritional products.

Brendan shared his top tips on eating healthy and quick fitness tips for a busy schedule.

What are the healthy eating options celebrities are using these days?

What are the top celebrity fitness tips?

Just like us, celebrities are limited with time. I have been doing an incredible amount of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts with my friends and clients, because you get in a strength building, cardiovascular improving workout in a very short amount of time by increasing the intensity.

What advice would you have for a person wanting to start healthy eating habit?

A morning smoothie is a simple way to start your day with a strong nutritional foundation. It’s an easy way to ensure nutrient density, and keep you satisfied until lunch, and is a much better option than other sugar-laden options on shelf. Dark leafy greens, unsweetened non-dairy milk, low-sugar frozen fruit and shake mix are my go-to smoothie ingredients…

Read on at this link

The Health Benefits of Almonds

It is a well known fact that eating a variety of nuts is good for your health which is exactly why I have been eating a handful per day for quite a while now, not only is it good for you but it’s obviously better than any regular “snacks” you might have so go ahead and read the article below and hopefully you will go the “nuts” too

Almonds: Nutrition & Health Benefits

Almonds are the most popular nuts in the United States. A favorite of dieters, in recent years almonds have become famous for their versatility and health benefits.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans’ demand for almonds has increased 220 percent since 2005. In 2012, Americans ate an average of 2 lbs. (907 grams) of almonds each, while they ate half a pound (227 g) of walnuts, about a third of a pound (136 g) of pecans and 1.2 lbs. (544 g) of all other nuts, including hazelnuts, macadamias, pistachios, Brazil nuts and cashews.

There’s good reason for the love affair. “Almonds have been studied extensively for their benefits on heart health, diabetes, and weight management,” said Jenny Heap, a registered dietitian with the Almond Board of California. “The unique nutrient combination of almonds — plant-based protein, fiber and monounsaturated fats, plus key nutrients like vitamin E and magnesium — help make them a heart-healthy snack.”

Video About keyword Phrase

Technically speaking, though, almonds are not true nuts at all. The edible part that we call a nut is actually a seed, and almonds themselves are drupes, according to the University of California Riverside’s botany department. Sometimes called “stone fruits,” drupes are characterized by a tough rind surrounding a shell that holds a seed. Peaches and apricots, close cousins to the almond, are common examples of drupes. Like these relatives, almonds grow on beautiful, flowering trees and thrive in warm, dry climates…

Read on at this link: https://www.livescience.com/51627-almonds-nutrition.html

Detox your fridge

Have you started eating healthy and clean as yet, apparently it’s not so much about dieting but rather about cleaning up your fridge and eating “clean” foods as is explained in the article below:

Don’t diet, detox your fridge

It’s hard to ignore at the moment, across social media, in magazines and bestselling books – step forward “eating clean”, brought to you in a thousand Instagram and Pinterest images by a tribe of glamorous young women, notably Ella Woodward, Amelia Freer and the Hemsley sisters. “Clean” foodies have a passion for all things kale and courgetti, “spiralising” veg into noodles, blasting fruit into smoothies, all served simply with a scattering of pomegranate seeds and hazelnuts, preferably blitzed – chia seeds optional.

“It’s about eating healthily, not counting calories,” says nutritional therapist Amelia Freer, author of bestseller Eat Nourish Glow. Her philosophy is: take control of your health and, above all, keep foods as close to their natural state as possible. No deprivation and dieting, we should think about food as “something that can nourish and protect”, she says. Which some may say amounts to pretty much the same thing as the usual rules: no pasta, no sugar, no fat. Freer disagrees, however, and believes that our bad habits can be replaced with something that tastes as good and makes you feel better. So if pizza is a weakness, switch it for this homemade version, with a cauliflower base, herby pesto and roasted veg topping.

The cornerstone of Freer’s approach is to detox your kitchen. If the foundations are good, she says, it’s easier to eat more healthily. It’s all about starting out with the right equipment and ingredients close at hand. We meet in my kitchen for a consultation, and Freer is quick to suggest a new tool which could transform my cooking habits. I should switch the pasta maker for a spiraliser, she says, which can be used to make courgetti – thinly sliced courgettes used in place of spaghetti. Freer suggests sauteeing the courgetti in a little olive oil and garlic, then stirring in some pureed avocado, chilli flakes and a little fresh crab meat…

Read more by clicking here

Are fitness foods as good as claimed?

Are you one of those fitness food shoppers? Do you actually go out and buy specific types/brands because they claim to be fitness foods?

I suggest you read the article below before you continue doing so:

Fitness’ foods may be making us less fit

Wheaties, “The Breakfast of Champions,” has been featuring athletes on its boxes since it first put Lou Gehrig there in 1934. Today, many other food products are packaged to suggest they promote fitness: protein bars, energy drinks, yogurt, and more. There’s even Fit & Active pork bacon.

Just because a food is marketed as a “fitness” food, however, doesn’t mean it will improve one’s health. In fact, such foods can backfire for health-conscious consumers.

In a study of 536 college students, published online this month in the Journal of Marketing Research, fitness branding led to higher levels of consumption and less physical activity than a snack without such labeling.

Fitness labeling is not regulated, so such foods can be high in sugar or calories, says study author Jörg Königstorfer, chair of sport and health management at Technische Universität München in Germany. “Don’t rely on these misleading labels.”

Königstorfer, together with Penn State marketing professor Hans Baumgartner, invited health-conscious college students to taste-test a trail mix snack labeled either “Trail Mix” or “Fitness,” the latter adorned with a picture of a running shoe.

Volunteers offered the “Fitness” snack ate far more than those given the one marked “Trail Mix.” Unless, however, they were told that the fitness-labeled snack wasn’t good for their diet. In that case, those with the fitness-labeled snack ate less than the control group. ..

Here’s the link to the original article: https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2015/07/03/fitness-foods-may-making-less-fit/rjtnBVGfSmswfc9hQATYEK/story.html

Do these detox diets actually work?

Have you ever done any of these detox diets? I personally tried some of those green juice diets but must admit I never felt much better.
Maybe I should not have given up so fast and keep at it but still I remain skeptical.
Below is an article on this very subject that might interest you too:

Does a Detox Diet Really Cleanse Anything?

Toxins can damage your organs, sap your bones of calcium, increase your body’s inflammation, and reduce your ability to fight off cancer.

Meanwhile, detox diets—from juice fasts to intestinal cleanses to strict elimination diets—promise to rid the body of toxins to help you drop pounds, reduce your risk of disease, increase your energy, and give you better skin.

“But all experts in modern medicine know this is a scientifically ridiculous concept,” says Brian Quebbemann, M.D., a bariatric surgeon with the Chapman Medical Center in California and president of The N.E.W. Program in Newport Beach.

“The human body itself is a powerful detoxification machine. It uses numerous sophisticated physiologic systems to prevent toxic substances from hurting our bodies,” Quebbemann says. Before toxins such as alcohol, excessive caffeine, phosphoric acid from carbonated beverages, vegetable oil, or even metals reach your blood stream, intestinal enzymes modify many of them to detoxify them or prevent their absorption. And if they do enter your blood stream, your liver and kidneys can pretty much take care of them.

Still, it’s worth mentioning that the liver can sometimes fall short—as is the case in people with liver disease—and toxic substances can accumulate in the liver and other organs. But there’s no evidence that a detox diet can do anything to prevent or treat liver disease…

Read on:https://www.yahoo.com/health/does-a-detox-diet-really-cleanse-anything-121691191610.html

What you should know about Detox Teas

Have you tried any of these detox teas yet, I did and must admit not having been impressed by the effect on my waistline. Funny thing is one tends to buy these also because they’re supposed to be good for your health but are they? I suggest you read the story below before you do that:

5 Things You Should Know About Detox Teas

So-called “detox” teas have been popular for years, primarily among people who frequent health-food stores, or consult with alternative practitioners. These days, though, they’ve become big business, and a handful of celebrities are touting their weight-loss benefits on social media. In a way, detox teas have become the liquid version of waist trainers–the before and after results are often dramatic, and their celeb backing generates buzz, but you may be wondering: Do they really work, and are they safe? Before you plunk down your hard-earned money and start sipping, here are five things you should know.

You still have to diet and exercise for them to work
One detox tea brand, recently Instagrammed by Amber Rose, advises per their website that for “best results,” the tea should be consumed along with plenty of water, healthy, balanced meals, and three to five workouts a week. Another, which has been Instagrammed by several celebs, including Kourtney Kardashian, Christina Milian, and Hilary Duff, states online that the tea “…is recommended to be taken in conjunction with a healthy energy-controlled diet and regular exercise” and the website offers an accompanying meal plan for sale. Personally, I’d love to see a study comparing outcomes generated by a detox tea compared to a placebo, with both groups following the exact same eating plan, but I haven’t found any. That makes it difficult to know whether the weight-loss results people are getting from these teas are actually due to drinking them, or simply the result of a cleaned-up diet and consistent workout routine, which we already know can lead to weight loss. In any case, simply sipping detox tea while continuing to skip the gym and order takeout is unlikely to help you shrink your shape. ;

Here’s the link to the full story in case you’d like  to read on:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/healthcom/5-things-you-should-know_b_7648864.html

5 Tips to Make the Transition to Clean Eating Easier

Clean eating might be easier for some people if they already have a fairly healthy way of eating. But for others, transitioning to clean eating can be as jarring as a physical move from one state to another.

There will be a little bit of an adjustment period as well as a conscious awareness to step away from bad choices. First, you need to eat between five and six times a day to make it easier on your body.

This will keep your energy up and your desire to snack down. It can also help you eliminate the cravings for foods that aren’t good for you. There are four things you need to make sure you have with your meals and snacks when you’re practicing clean eating.

Make sure that you have a protein, a fruit and a vegetable – and with meals, a complex carb. The protein will help you keep your energy level up. It doesn’t have to be something big.

For example, if you need a protein with your snack, then opt for a serving of unsalted, unprocessed nuts. Second, make label reading an automatic part of your shopping.

Remember that the more ingredients that are listed on the label, the further away from clean eating the food will end up being. When you’re choosing clean eating, there should only be one (at the most two) things listed on the side of the can or bag.

Watch labels for potassium bromate, artificial sweeteners, trans fat, food dyes, BHA and BHT, monosodium glutamate and avoid these ingredients. If it’s possible for you to choose organic food products, then do that.

As part of a clean eating plan, organic foods are free of harmful pesticides and GMOs, both of which can be harmful to your health. Third, make sure that you get plenty of water.

Clean eating means making sure that you’re maintaining a healthy water intake. You should have at least sixty four ounces of water a day. Fourth, if possible, get the entire family involved in clean eating.

Not only will this make it easier for you, but it’s healthier for them, too. If you start kids out on healthy eating plan when they’re younger, they’ll already know how to make good choices when they’re older.

Fifth, because clean eating can be a little bit more time consuming than just grabbing that processed food at the store, you’ll want to find ways to make it easy to stick to this way of eating.

One of the ways that you can do that is to package the foods that you eat yourself. This means that you can go ahead and chop, cut or cook the foods in advance so that on those days when you’re short on time, you can grab something that’s healthy and stick with your plan.

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