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Paleo Detoxifying Foods You Should Eat Every Day
Every day, our bodies are bombarded by a variety of pollutants in our environment. Unfortunately much of it is as unavoidable. This is why it is so important to add detoxifying foods to your everyday life. If you aren’t eating to cleanse your body from all of the bad things that you are exposed to each day, your health can literally be affected. But there is good news, you don’t need to go on a fancy or expensive detox diet, and you don’t need to starve yourself. You just need to include some detoxifying foods into your everyday life.
So what are some of the best foods to get your body detoxing?
1. Turmeric – it contains powerful medicinal properties that are great for reducing inflammation. It also contains Circumin as its active ingredient, which is a strong antioxidant. If you don’t like the taste of turmeric in food, try it in chai tea.
2. Avocados – filled with healthy fats, avacados can help to relieve constipation and get your bowels moving. Having regular bowel movements can help minimize the buildup of toxins in your body.
3. Cauliflower – loaded with antioxidants, cauliflower is a great addition to any plate. It isn’t just healthy, it has also been known to increase heart health and fight cancer.
Some easy ways to enjoy cauliflower include roasted, shredded into ‘rice’ or blended into soup.
4. Walnuts – are a good source of glutathione and an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Walnuts can boost your brainpower and help to clean the liver. While you may not want to eat it at every meal, as it can be fattening, it has huge benefits when it is added into your favorite foods.
5. Carrots – you likely know that carrots are supposed to be good for your eyes, but did you know they are good for other things too? Carrots are not only a great source of antioxidants, they are also good at fighting inflammation, protecting your liver, and even keeping your brain healthy.
6. Broccoli – usually recognized as a cancer preventative, broccoli offers many amazing detoxifying benefits for the body. Not only is is it high in fiber, allowing for the body’s natural detoxification through waste elimination, it is also high in water content, and a powerful antioxidant.
7. Lemon – you can’t talk about detoxifying foods without talking about the lemon. It is recommended that you drink a glass of warm water with lemon first thing every morning to boost your digestion, help your body to flush out toxins, and keep your liver healthy.
8. Beets – believe it or not, beets are a great way to detox the body. Beets not only prompt the liver to start letting go of toxins, they also help to flush those toxins out of the body so they do not get reabsorbed.
One of the best things you can do for your body is to start detoxifying on a regular basis. Find ways to add these foods to your meals and you will reap the benefits.
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.
Low-fat diet no good for long-term weight loss
Trying to lose weight? Low-fat diets are not the way to go, according to a large new study.
“There is no good evidence for recommending low-fat diets,” lead author Deirdre Tobias, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, in a press statement.
The study, a meta-analysis of dozens of randomized controlled trials, showed low-fat diets were not effective for achieving long-term weight loss compared to higher far diets.
“Behind current dietary advice to cut out the fat, which contains more than twice the calories per gram of carbohydrates and protein, the thinking is that simply reducing fat intake will naturally lead to weight loss. But our robust evidence clearly suggests otherwise,” said Tobias, whose research is published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
Tobias and her colleagues analyzed 53 studies — all randomized trials comparing the effectiveness of low-fat diets to other types of diets — that included more than 68,000 adults. The researchers found that reduced-fat diets only led to more weight loss when compared with no diet at all. People on low-carbohydrate diets lost substantially more weight than those who went the low-fat route.
The study results aren’t really surprising, said endocrinologist Dr. Caroline Messer, medical director of the Center for Pituitary and Neuro-Endocrine Disorders at Lenox Hill Hospital and Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital…
The link to the original article is here
Learn more about one of the best Paleo recipe books here
Less Belly Fat for Mindful People
Here’s some very interesting news about a study that might make you want to look into mindfulness as soon as possible:
A new study shows that people with mindful dispositions are less likely to be obese
Research about the effects of mindfulness is becoming ever more robust. Studies suggest that having an awareness of your own physical and mental processes could lead to benefits ranging from lower stress to a protected heart. Now a new study suggests that mindfulness may have an impact on the physical body, showing that people with mindful dispositions have less belly fat and are less likely to be obese.
The research, published in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, looked at 394 people close to age 50. The men and women are part of the long-term New England Family Study, and researchers have been following them since they were in their mothers’ wombs. In the study, the researchers assessed the dispositional mindfulness of the men and women using a standard questionnaire called the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). They also looked at other markers like body fat and weight…
3 Forgotten Fruits Drop Belly Flab and Melt Thunder Thighs
The powerful trigger effect of several fruits that ignite the burning of excess body-fat and flab
– by Joey Atlas, M.S., Exercise Physiology, Womens’ Body Enhancement Specialist, Author
Long forgotten, but still incredibly effective – there are several specific fruits, each with certain properties, which are able to cause excess fat and unhealthy flab to be burned off the body.
Let’s take a look at these 3 special fruits – and how they work their body-slimming effects.
1 – Strawberries
Remember how much you loved strawberries as a kid? Well – there are even more reasons to love them as an adult. Rich in polyphenols, a phytonutrient common in certain berries, studies indicate this element aids in body-fat reduction – and also prevents formation of new fat cells.
2 – Cucumbers
Bet you didn’t know that cucumbers are actually a fruit – and NOT a vegetable. And while they are great for reducing puffy eyes – these refreshing green delights are even more powerful when we unleash them inside our bodies. Not only are they a powerful fat-fighter – but recent and new research is revealing anti-cancer effects of this special fruit that most people think is a veggie…
5 Worst Dieting Mistakes Women Make
– by Joey Atlas, M.S., Exercise Physiologist
Womens’ Body Enhancement Specialist
You’ve probably tried most of the weight-loss methods out there. Such as:
…plus all the other ineffective and dangerous options which I don’t have time or room to list here… But you know none of those worked for you, because if any of them did – you simply wouldn’t be reading this article.
However, that isn’t what matters.
What does matter is that you become aware of the inherent mistakes built into all those weight-loss and fat-reduction offerings – so you can avoid them, from here forward – and even more importantly – discover what’s real & true for obvious fat-loss and long-term, life-improving, anti-aging and wellness success.
So, today we cover 5 of the most common dieting mistakes to AVOID if you want to:
A – ignite natural weight loss
B – trigger your body’s fat-burning functions and…
C – slim down to a healthier, more attractive, more energetic version of your best self…
Mistake # 1 – Continuing a Dieter’s Mentality Because of How You’ve Been Programmed During the Course of Your life
Continuing the cycle of “yo-yo” dieting all starts in your mind.
And if you decide to “start another diet” – you keep yourself in that zone of conflict. This antagonistic mindset keeps a battle going on in our minds (because nobody wants to be on a diet) until we get so frustrated and decide to give-up the diet and go back to our old ways.
Fortunately, there is a way to drop the dieter’s mindset in order to drop the excess fat weight. In fact it’s the only way to do it – if you plan to see obvious results and keep those great results for a lifetime…
3 Worst Exercises for Female Fat-Loss
– by Joey Atlas, M.S., Exercise Physiology, Womens’ Body Enhancement Specialist
Any woman who is trying to lose weight has either tried the exercise route – or knows at some point she may have no choice but to try it.
However – while this sounds logical, there is a big problem most people are not aware of… Let me explain:
We all know at least one person who has tried, and failed, by deciding to exercise as a way to lose weight. This problem of weight-loss failure that many people experience is caused by a fundamental myth we’ll cover in a minute.
Most common exercises and workouts methods are simply bad for most average, middle-age women. Injuries and “burnout” are obvious effects – but what most women don’t know about is the baffling result of excess weight gain and extra body-fat.
I’ll explain how that happens – but first let’s look at 3 specific exercises that should be avoided:
– Leg-extension:
Touted as one the best machines to “tone and slim down the thighs” – this machine actually causes more damage than any good it may do.
At minimum – the time wasted on this machine takes away from other things a woman could be doing to ignite her natural fat-loss.
The other hidden problem with this machine is that it was derived from rehab settings and physical therapy use.
As a single joint – one muscle-group movement – it actually opens the door for physical imbalance – if not direct injury, due to overuse syndrome….
What You Should Know About Weight Loss Surgery
At some point, many people consider weight loss surgery. As with any type of surgery, there are certain risks and concerns. You should make sure that you fully understand the potential dangers and the possible benefits of undergoing a surgery designed to help you lose weight.
You should only consider getting surgery if you are obese, understand the risks, and are ready to make changes to your diet after the surgery. You will need to make changes to your daily lifestyle, after the surgery is completed.
Talk to Your Doctor
When you start considering surgery for weight loss, you are going need to schedule a doctor’s appointment. They should explain the different types of surgery and risks involved. They will also let you know if you are a suitable candidate for surgery.
Types of Weight Loss Surgery
There are four main types of weight loss surgery. Each of these surgeries involves making some type of change to your small intestine or stomach. The four types of surgery include:
• Gastric Bypass
• Adjustable Gastric Band
• Gastric Sleeve
• Duodenal Switch
Gastric Bypass Surgery
Gastric bypass is one of the more common types of surgery. With this type of surgery, only a small part of your stomach is left available for the digestive process. This small part of the stomach is referred to as the pouch. When you consume food, the food will pass from the pouch straight to your small intestine. This pouch cannot hold much food, so you are unable to eat as much.
Adjustable Gastric Band
Another common type of surgery is the adjustable gastric band. A surgeon will place a small band around your stomach. The band has a balloon, in order to control the tightness of the band. By adjusting the band, the amount of food that your stomach can hold can be adjusted.
Gastric Sleeve
The gastric sleeve requires the removal of most of the stomach. This leaves a small section along the upper part of the stomach, referred to as the gastric sleeve. Using this surgery can also limit a hormone called ghrelin, which could suppress your appetite.
Duodenal Switch
The duodenal switch is a fairly complicated surgery where most of the stomach is removed. A gastric sleeve is used to bypass the majority of your small intestine. This limits how much you can eat. This will also limit your body’s ability to absorb nutrients, potentially limiting your intake of vitamins and minerals.
Finding the Right Surgeon
If you decide to go through with one of these surgeries, you will need to find a qualified surgeon. Your physician should be able to provide you with some recommendations. When you begin searching for the right surgeon, make sure that they are certified by the American Board of Surgery and are a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
Find out what their success rate is and how many different weight loss surgeries they have performed. Ask if you can find out what their rate of complications are and what side effects could occur.
You may need to lose some weight before you undergo surgery. Depending on the surgeon that you find, you may need to lose anywhere from 15 to 30 pounds. Most people are also required to quit smoking, if they are a smoker, since this could lead to complications.
Any time that you undergo surgery, there is a potential risk of complications – this is no different with weight loss surgery. You need to ensure that you understand the entire process and all of the risks. Talk with your doctor to learn more about the surgery for weight loss and find out if you are a suitable candidate.
The 5 Top Tips for Sticking to Your Diet
Are you struggling to stick to your latest diet? When you are on a diet, it can be really tempting to grab a bag of chips off the grocery store shelf or stop at a fast restaurant on the way home from work. One of the major concerns with dieting is being able to follow through with the guidelines of the diet. If you want to increase your chances of success, take a look at these 5 tips for sticking to your diet.
#1 – Plan Your Meals Ahead of Time
Plan your meals out ahead of time, possibly a week at a time. You can take a look at all the meals you intend to eat for the week and make a shopping list. When you wait until the last minute to prepare a meal, you are more likely to make unhealthy choices. Write your meal plan for the week down on a sheet of paper and attach to your fridge for quick reference.
#2 – Clear Your Cupboards
If you have a bag of cookies tucked away in a kitchen cabinet, throw them out. Go through your kitchen and clear your cupboards of any food that is not allowed on your diet. If you have opened food that you need to get rid of, such as canned goods, give them away to a local food drive.
#3 – Keep Track of Your Weight Loss
Tracking your results will give you extra motivation to keep at it. Use a text file on your computer to keep track of your weight loss. Another option is to create your own weight loss journal, using a notebook. Write down your current weight, every two weeks.
In addition to your weight, you may also want to measure yourself. Taking your measurements provides a more realistic indication of how successful your diet has been. Measure your waist, your hips, calves, thighs, and arms. When you weigh yourself, you are not taking into account any muscle gain. The scale only provides part of the picture, use your measurements for a more accurate look at your weight loss.
#4 – Avoid Weighing Yourself Daily
While weighing yourself occasionally and keeping track of it in a journal or text file can provide extra motivation to stick to your diet, weighing yourself daily will do the opposite. You will not see results from day to day. In fact, you may have off weeks where you do not have any weight loss. Weighing yourself daily can discourage you from your goals.
#5 – Let People Know You Are Starting a Diet
Tell your family, friends, and co-workers that you are going to be following a diet. This will give you additional motivation and help you follow through with your plans. Your friends and family will help you stick to your goals and keep tempting junk food away from you.
Telling people about your diet also makes you accountable for your choices, as you would not want to go through the embarrassment of telling people you quit your diet a few days after starting it.
Remember these tips, to increase your chances of sticking to a diet. Plan your meals ahead of time, to avoid last minute choices, clear out your cupboards of food that you cannot eat on your diet, track your weight loss results, avoid daily weigh-ins, and let people know that you are starting a diet. These tips will help you avoid making bad decisions and straying from your diet.
As a final suggestion, to help you stick with your diet, remember the reasons why you started your diet in the first place – stay on your diet to continue losing weight and achieve positive health benefits.