Trying to lose weight and take off excess fat?
Nutrition plays a pivotal role in prepping the body for success with any weight/fat loss efforts because it has a large influence over hormonal status.
Hormones rule. If your hormones are messed up, you can be sure you’ll be climbing a steep hill in your weight/fat loss journey.
There are smart nutritional strategies you should be focusing on that will keep your hormones humming and functioning properly for optimal fat burning and ultimately weight-loss success.
Smart Nutritional Strategies
Less is better – when it comes to ingredients in your foods. Foods that sport long lists of ingredients are setting you up for dieting issues because that long list is filled with processed ingredients. That’s why it’s so long! Processed foods go through a manufacturing process that destroys most if not all its former healthy state. Preservatives, sugars and other chemical-like ingredients are added to help maintain shelf life, taste and texture. However, these do nothing towards helping you get healthy and fit and lose that stubborn weight.
Eating processed foods does nothing but push you towards the “body-fat gain scale.” They are an absolute must to cut out at all costs.
Avoid artificial sweeteners – In your quest to remove sugar from your diet, you’ll likely be tempted to start eating foods that contain artificial sweeteners. These are as damaging to your health as sugar is. They are not natural substances, they are chemicals you are putting into your body. The word “artificial” is not good in the food world. Those who ingest a high volume of these artificial sweeteners set themselves up for health issues. Headaches, stomach and gastrointestinal issues, poor focus and memory, low energy levels, and even an increased risk of developing cancer can result and impact your well-being.
Stevia is the only sweetener that you should consider adding to your diet. However, even that should be used in moderation only.
Love your protein – Protein is the one type of food you should be eating more of. In fact, you should include protein with each and every meal and snack you enjoy throughout the day if you want to see the best rate of fat loss possible.
Protein rich foods are best at calming hunger and they break down and digest slower in the body.
This prevents the blood glucose spike that you would get from processed carbohydrates that promote fat gain.
As a bonus, protein rich foods have a high “thermic effect of food,” meaning simply by digesting and utilizing the nutrition they provide, your body burns up a high amount of calories in the process. You’ll burn approximately 25 calories per 100 calories that you eat which provides you with a 25 percent spike to your metabolic rate.
Choosing your protein sources is also important. Stay away from processed protein sources and fattier cuts of meat. Instead opt for chicken, fish, turkey, seafood, eggs and lean red meats.
Eliminate all Calorie-containing Liquids – If you are trying to avoid fat gain and enhance your health, you should try and avoid all calorie containing liquids. Healthy protein home-made smoothies are the exception. Soda, fruit juices, commercially prepared smoothies and gourmet coffees are incredibly high in total sugar content. Your blood glucose level soars quickly then crashes fast sending you on another mission to find more food – likely laden with sugar. This is a disastrous cycle that can lead to extremely high levels of fat gain, impairs your health and sets you up for diabetes.
Ditch those high calorie condiments – If you want to see faster fat loss results then pay attention to what high-calorie condiments you are consuming. Teriyaki sauce, sweet and sour sauce, barbecue sauce, ketchup and other creamed sauces such as alfredo sauce all lead to quick weight gain if they are used often enough.
Replace high-calorie condiments with fresh herbs in your cooking as much as possible. They add great depth of flavor to your dishes and don’t contain any calories at all. As a bonus, they offer health benefits too, serving as powerful antioxidants. They can help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease and combat inflammation and the list goes on. Many herbs are as health promoting as some vegetables so consider using these as often as possible. With such a wide assortment of fresh herbs readily available these days there is no reason not to.
The key to great nutrition is to choose a variety of foods that are natures finest (foods grown locally and in season are best) – whole brightly colored fruits and veggies along with high quality proteins, fats, nuts, seeds and grains.
Even desserts and treats can be healthy and offer the essential nutrients your body needs to operate efficiently.
Pick up your personal copy of “Blended Bites” where even veggies can play a starring role in many of your favorite desserts or treats.
For more tools and resources from Carolyn Hansen to assist you in attaining your health and fitness goals and achieving the success you desire in life, please visit:
