Category: nutrition

Being in the health and fitness profession, people watch what I do, watch what I eat, and watch what I drink. It’s an occupational hazard! Those of you who have met me in person know I walk my talk, do what I suggest you do, and drink coffee. Oops, did I say I drink coffee?

Yes, I’ll admit it. I drink coffee. Did I just hear you say……

What? Shelli drinks coffee?

Not only does Shelli drink coffee. She LOVES coffee and is quite the coffee snob.

I drink coffee almost every morning, sometimes with cinnamon, and I enjoy every minute of it.

I’m not exactly here to tell you that coffee is good for you. If I did, I would be telling only the good side of the story and that would make me a politician, not a health educator!

So, I’m here to give you the good and the bad and tell you how you can incorporate your favorite coffee or tea into your healthy meal plan.

The Ugly Side of Caffeine

Most coffee and tea contains a lot of caffeine. This is usually the primary reason people make coffee their drink of choice in the morning. Caffeine is a drug like any other and comes with a long list of side effects. Have you ever tried not having your coffee in the morning? Occasionally I’ll go without coffee for a month just to see what it feels like. The headaches that come on when you try and kick this habit can be brutal (just like with other drugs). Creating a dependency and addiction like this is harmful to the body.

Second, coffee is extremely acidic. Our bodies function at optimum levels when they are slightly more alkaline (the opposite of acidic). It is best for us to greatly reduce any foods that will drive our body’s pH to be more acidic and eat more foods that are alkaline (like fruits and veggies). An acidic body pH is a magnet for all kinds of illnesses. Also, an alkaline body has a much stronger immune system, making illness much less likely.

Last but not least, the caffeine in coffee and tea is abusive to your adrenal glands. Your adrenals release your “fight or flight” hormones, giving you a nice energy boost when needed. Unfortunately, people who drink coffee all day long are consistently beating on their adrenals. This is a really bad idea.

The Pretty Side of Caffeine

Coffee tastes great.

Many studies have shown that coffee can help in the prevention and treatment of diseases and illnesses as varied as Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, liver disease, skin cancer, Parkinsons’s disease and more. Although I don’t believe coffee would be the cure all to any of these diseases, many ancient cultures did rely on the coffee bean to cure a long list of ailments. Also, SMALL doses of caffeine can increase performance and mental focus.

Green tea is also a great drink and has a long list of benefits. If nothing else, green tea is a wonderful source of antioxidants which are important in cancer prevention. Green tea has even been found to raise metabolism and aid in fat burning. Before you go take a green tea bath though, its effects are really minor when compared to the effects of sound nutrition and exercise plans. So please don’t think you can eat poorly and just wash it down with green tea!

What is a coffee and tea drinker to do?

1. Limit your coffee and tea intake. TWO 8 oz cups per day. Any more than that is considered too much and means you’re likely a coffee addict.
2. If you are currently dependent on a lot of caffeine each day, replace 1 or 2 cups of coffee with green tea. Green tea has much less caffeine than coffee and will help handle the ugly detox symptoms.
3. Do not build up your coffee beverage with sugar, milk, syrup and whip cream. Skip Starbucks altogether! Use stevia or xylitol to sweeten and avoid all the empty, harmful calories. A teaspoon of half and half won’t hurt either. No flavored creamers.
4. Make healthy food choices. Avoiding other acidic foods like sugar, artificial sweeteners and processed foods will lighten the acid load on the body.
5. Make sure the coffee you drink is organic. Conventional coffee is filled with pesticides and chemicals and should be avoided at all costs.

Am I going to give up my coffee? Not likely. Probably not. I keep my intake moderate and enjoy my morning coffee. And I also do the five things on this list!

I don’t advocate following any traditional diets, per se. But I do recommend that, to stay lean and healthy, you avoid certain foods and stick to fresh fruits and veggies, lean protein, and low-glycemic carbs.

Of course, it’s not always easy. I get that.

One of the biggest roadblocks to losing weight is the temptation to cheat on your healthy eating program and indulge in those delicious but dangerous foods, like sugary snacks, pizza, and perhaps French fries. But if you plan ahead, you won’t succumb to temptation. Here are six simple secrets to losing fat. These will help you stop cheating on your diet and cheating yourself out of a fit and healthy body.

Stop Cheating Secret #1: Script your week.

Set aside 15 minutes on Sunday to plan out your entire week. Write down what time you need to get up each day, what you’ll eat for breakfast, when you’ll do your workout, what foods you’ll have for snacks, lunches, and dinners.

By planning ahead, you’ll know exactly what you should be doing for fat loss and healthy living. That way you won’t have to make snap decisions on the spot, and you won’t give into temptation.

Make a plan and stick to it and you will lose fat! When it comes to success in any endeavor, I believe that those without a plan won’t come nearly as close to succeeding as those WITH a plan.

Stop Cheating Secret #2: Identify, in advance, potential obstacles to your healthy eating plan. Then come up with two ways to overcome each one.

For example, if you know you have meetings most of the day on Wednesday, and then a business dinner after work, you also know that you’re going to be hungry before you get a chance to eat a proper meal. You’ll be tempted to use the vending machine.

How can you overcome that obstacle? Maybe you’ll eat before the meeting and then have a healthy snack ready to go in the car.

Stop Cheating Secret #3: Shop once.

The more trips you make to the grocery store, the more chances you have to give in to the call of the pastry counter. Since you’ve already planned out your week, you’ll know exactly what to buy. Stick to your list, and buy it all in one go. Even if you use different stores, shop on the same day.

Stop Cheating Secret #4: Prepare your food in advance.

This ties in with Secret #1. Set aside time once a week to plan your meals, do your shopping, and prepare as much of your food as possible. (Cut up vegetables, batch-cook chicken breasts, etc.)

Planning the entire week, scripting out the meals, doing the shopping and some of the food prep is an essential part of sticking to a diet. If you want to have great results, adopt this mindset.

Stop Cheating Secret #5: Get social support.

I can’t recommend social support enough. You can’t stick to your fat-loss diet on your own. You need help from others. At the very least, you need a nutrition buddy who will encourage you to stick to your eating plan and also hold you accountable when you fall off the wagon.

People you work with can be supportive, but they’re also going to be the source of many of your obstacles. There are those who, trying to be nice, will bring in donuts and homemade cookies. Then there are those who will tease you about your diet, though they should know better. You just have to plan for those people.

It goes back to Secret #2: identifying potential obstacles to your healthy eating plan and coming up with ways to overcome them. That means being prepared for the donuts and cookies, and knowing, ahead of time, that you’re not going to eat them. It also means staying away from anyone who treats your fat-loss goals like a joke. Instead, seek out a nutrition buddy who is supportive of your goals and eat lunch with them.

You also need social support at the gym. Look for somebody who seems to be knowledgeable about diet and exercise. People like that are usually happy to help you stick with your plan.

Finally, get your family behind you. Without support at home, you’re going to have a tough time, especially if you’re the only one with a weight “problem” and everyone else can eat whatever they want. So don’t be shy. They’re not going to know you need their support unless you tell them.

Stop Cheating Secret #6: Brush your teeth after every meal, and whenever you might be tempted to cheat.

Eating right after you brush your teeth isn’t very pleasant, so it helps you control your cravings.

Most people are good about sticking to their diet until about 4:00 p.m. That’s a good time to have a healthy snack and then brush your teeth. Another time to watch out for is after dinner. To keep from cheating, brush your teeth, or chew a piece of gum, or have a cup of green tea. Whatever works for you.

It’s all a matter of developing routines to build your power over food, rather than allowing food to control you.

Implement these six ideas and you’re practically guaranteed to stop cheating on your diet, lose fat, and feel great. But remember, it doesn’t happen overnight. Take it day by day, enjoying every small victory. Make tomorrow better than today.

Do you have an apple-shaped body? You know what I mean, some people are apple-shaped and some are pears and some are bananas.
I read a study recently that had some important news for apple-shaped people.

The study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, found that taking in plenty of non-starchy vegetables and more magnesium helped increase the production of adiponectin, a hormone found in fat cells. The researchers were careful to look for any other factors that could have affected the results, but found none.

Adiponectin increases the effectiveness of insulin. In other words, it helps your cells absorb glucose. If you have plenty of adiponectin, your insulin production is lower, your blood sugar is better controlled, and that adds up to a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes. But it may also mean you could have a much easier time controlling your weight.

Unfortunately, when we gain weight, especially in the belly, adiponectin production goes down. (This is one reason belly fat is so harmful for your health.) And, indeed, the researchers found that the higher the subject’s adiponectin level, the lower the subject’s weight. The lower the adiponectin, the higher the weight.

So the big news is that simply by increasing your intake of non-starchy vegetables and supplementing with magnesium, you can increase a hormone that will help you lose that belly fat and decrease your insulin resistance.

Reduce your intake of starchy carbs, especially refined flours and sugars. And eat eight to 10 servings of non-starchy vegetables every day. Non-starchy vegetables are very low in carb grams and calories. They are nutrient-dense foods loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and other beneficial phytochemicals in a very low-sugar, high fiber package.

A little extra magnesium helps too. The best food sources are nuts, seeds, and beans. If you show any signs of being low in magnesium (e.g., tense and tight muscles, constipation, or restless leg syndrome) you might consider a magnesium supplement. The best forms are magnesium malate or amino acid chelates like magnesium glycinate or magnesium taurate.

I think it’s good to know where my food comes from. How about you?

Thanks to the new Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) law, you can now see where many foods were grown or raised before you buy. This labeling comes in handy if, for example, you want to support local farmers or avoid products that come from a particular region or country.

Here are some of the foods that must now be labeled:

• Meat and fish sold in supermarkets, but not in fish or meat markets (ham and bacon, because they are processed, are exempt)
• Raw peanuts, almonds, pecans, and macadamia nuts
• Fruits and vegetables (mixed fruit salad and mixed frozen vegetables, also considered to be processed, are exempt)
• Bagged and unbagged lettuce, but not in grocery store salad bars.

For more information on COOL, go to the United States Department of Agriculture site here at ams.usda.gov/cool.

(Source: Consumer Reports)