• Weight Loss and Diet & Nutrition Guide
• Smart Beverage Choices
• Healthy Grocery/Food List

Weight Loss and Diet & Nutrition Guide:
A complete and balanced approach to weight loss and a healthy lifestyle.

Eat 5-6 Smaller Meals per day to Lose Weight - Your muscles and all other parts of your body need a continuous stream of energy and nutrients to maintain your daily activities. It is very important for your body to become accustomed to a regular eating schedule, to keep your metabolism burning energy at a high rate. This means your body will burn fat at a faster rate and speed up the weight loss process. In addition, try to eat your larger meals earlier in the day so your body had time to burn off the calories you are consuming.

Reduce Your Sugar Intake to Lose Weight - America is drowning in sugar. Nearly everything we eat and drink is saturated with it. Your goal is to eat foods that support a fresh and balanced diet plan. Foods that naturally contain sugars (ex. fruit) are a much better choice than processed foods. Limiting your sugar intake will assist in maintaining a more regular metabolism, speeding up the weight loss process. It will also help your blood sugar levels from spiking high and dropping to lows that cause binge eating.

Drink Water to Lose Weight & Stay Healthy - Staying hydrated is extremely important. Using water to replace higher calorie drinks such as soda, juice, or alcohol can save you hundreds of calories. It can also serve as an appetite suppressant. Often, when we think we are hungry, we're actually just thirsty!

Balance Your Diet - Ensuring that your diet is balanced and composed of high quality meats, fruits, vegetables, and other foods is the best way to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Try to eat organic or all-natural as much as possible to avoid absorbing the chemicals from processed foods. The goal is to create a program that you can maintain. Eating in moderation is the key to being successful.

Smart Beverage Choices:

Water- Your body is between 60-70% water. Water helps to regulate body temperature, assists in getting vital nutrients to your cells, transports oxygen, removes waste, protects your joints and organs, and the list goes on. The Mayo Clinic recommends drinking at least 8 oz of water each day. When exercising and losing weight, you want ensure you replace fluid loss by drinking 1.5 to 2.5 cups of water or more, depending on the intensity of exercise.

Green Tea- Containing potent antioxidants, green tea has been used to help prevent cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol, CVD, and to improve immune function. If that is not enough reason, studies have shown that the catechins in green tea not only help to burn calories and lower LDL cholesterol, but can also help to reduce body fat.

Cranberry Juice- One of my favorite juices, cranberry juice has been known to help prevent/ treat Urinary Tract Infections and respiratory infections by helping to flush out harmful bacteria. It is also beneficial for weight loss as it helps to emulsify fat!

Pomegranate Juice- When used regularly, studies have shown that this juice can help increase blood flow to the heart and reduce arterial plaque growth. For men, it will enhance prostate health and help with erectile function. It is also a super-powerful antioxidant that helps to neutralize free radicals in the body.

Orange Juice- Orange juice is one of the most healthful juices you can drink. Research has shown that it has the potential to lower both high blood pressure and cholesterol. Orange juice has strong anti-inflammatory properties, and is an excellent source of vitamin C (an antioxidant in the body that disarms free radicals and prevents damage in the cells.) It is also associated with a reduced risk of developing certain types of cancer, CVD, kidney stones, and helps to protect against Rheumatoid Arthritis. Overall, it is hard to beat a glass of orange juice purely for the fact that it helps to support a healthy immune system, and is a great source of fiber!

Red Wine- This drink (in moderation, of course) may help to inhibit tumor development in some cancers and had been shown to be helpful in the treatment of neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Red wine can also help to reduce production of low density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol), and boost high density lipoprotein (good cholesterol.) It may also help to reduce blood clotting. Source: Yale-New Haven Hospital.

A Healthy Grocery List

So you have decided to get fit and eat healthier. Now all you have to do is go grocery shopping. This is precisely the place where many diets fail! Many people simply go to the store and wander the aisles choosing things that appeal to them. It is very important to create a shopping list by taking a bit of time to preplan your meals, snacks, and beverages. By sticking to a list you will buy healthier foods and cut down on impulse purchases.

A healthy grocery list should include the following:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables: This group should make up the largest portion of your list as at least five servings a day should be consumed. Fresh fruits and vegetables are low in calories, fat free, packed with tons of vitamins and minerals and antioxidants. Choose a good variety so that everyone in your household has their favorites and boredom does not set in.
  
• Meats and Proteins: This group should consist of mostly lean proteins, such as fish and poultry. Eggs, legumes, nuts, and seeds can also be included. Avoid prepackaged, breaded, fried, or prepared items. These tend to be high in fat, calories, sodium, and sugars.
  
• Grains: This group should consist of whole grains, not processed products. Whole grain and whole wheat breads, pastas, cereals, are high in fiber, low in fat, and provide many necessary vitamins and minerals.
  
• Dairy: Choose low fat, or fat free cheeses, milk, and yogurt. For even leaner options, soy products, and goat milk products can be substituted for products containing cow’s milk.
  
• Beverages: These choices should include water, 100% fruit juices, low fat milk, herbal teas, and if you cannot do without carbonation, diet sodas.
  
• Fats, oils, and condiments should all be used sparingly. Choose mustards, low-calorie mayonnaise, and canola and olive oils.
  
• Try to avoid prepackaged frozen foods, as these can be extremely high in saturated fats, calories, sugars, and sodium. Fat free frozen yogurt or frozen fruit juice bars are good substitutions for ice cream.
  
• Processed lunchmeats, hot dogs, and sausages should be avoided. Substitute lunchmeats with grilled chicken breast, turkey breast, natural peanut butter, or slices of roast beef on whole grain bread for sandwiches.
  
• Canned foods can be very high in sodium and may contain preservatives, so read labels carefully choosing low salt options when available.
  
• Finally, skip the junk! As tempting as cookies, cakes, chips, and other sweet and salty treats can be, they can completely wreck a diet. To avoid the chance of nibbling, leave these items at the store.