Bikini season is here! (Yes Floridians, bikini season is March to October), unless you live in Miami, then it's year-round and you are just screwed! So instead of the usual food-based blog, I decided to share some nuggets of wisdom with you from the years of extensive research I have done to live a more healthy lifestyle.
For those of you who know me, or have read my past blogs and seen my photo are probably thinking "Please! That Skinny B has probably never had to diet!" To all you nay-sayers, my response is simply this - I work very hard to "maintain" my healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise, and when I gained 40 lbs. during my pregnancy and only birthed a 7 pound baby, I had to work my ass off (literally) for a year to get back down to a healthy weight.
Now that we have cleared that up. I am happy to share:
1) Drink 8 oz. of water within 30 mins. of waking up - This will jump start your metabolism.
2) Eat an organic apple a day - To help with digestion. (Try a Jazz apple when they are in season - OMG amazing!)
3) You HAVE to eat fruits and vegetables to stay healthy - If you think you hate anything green, you must not have tried all the amazing, fresh offerings out there! Take a trip to Whole Foods and really explore the entire produce area, there are tons and tons of delicious, healthy varieties of everything!Or try a local organics delivery service like Palmetto Organics - it's like Christmas every week and you can explore trying new recipes. Last resort - If you can't get over the texture of most fruits and veggies, try drinking it in a shake.
- Fruit Shake - Almond milk, mixed berries (blue, black, ras, straw) + 1/2 a banana + non-fat yogurt
- Veggie Shake (virgin Bloody Mary) - tomatoes, celery, carrots, kale, spinach, dash Worcestershire sauce, tabasco, garlic powder, salt.
- Green-Power Shake (Thanks Gina!) - BASE RECIPE: Banana, 2-3 big handfuls of spinach, 1/2 C of berries of your choice and filtered water for desired consistency
MIX IT UP (with any of the following alkalizing greens): 2-3 kale leaves (Kale is a top green - I highly recommend it), 2-3 chard leaves, 2-3 collard/mustard or turnip greens, 2-3 romaine lettuce leaves, 2-3 watercress leaves, bok choy leaves or beet greens
FUN TASTE VARIETIES (play with some of the following): 20 mint leaves, juice from a whole lime* (highly recommended to use this every time, as lime is a top antioxidant and keeps away the flu-virus), 1 C greek yogurt (w/2tbsp honey or agave nectar), 3/4 C almond or sunflower seed butter, 2 C chopped watermelon, cantaloupe or honeydew.
4) Don't eat anything WHITE! White rice, potatoes, white bread (including bagels), white-flour pasta, these are all starches that are loaded with sugar and carbs and have zero nutritional value. These foods make you gain weight and feel weighed down. These are all processed, un-natural "filler" foods. Add sugar and salt to this group as well, but I will address those in their own categories.
5) You CAN eat carbs - Whole wheat only please! The South Beach diet is total BS. You need carbs for normal brain functions...trust me. Eat whole wheat (do you really think "Bleached Processed Flour" sounds like something you should put in your body?) Nope.
6) To quote the book Skinny Bitch "Sugar is the Devil" - sugar is extremely addicting! You must stop! And sugar substitute is horrible - Splenda, Equal, the Pink stuff - yuck! It has been linked to cancer. If you MUST, try Agave Nectar or Stevia (at least they are all-natural).
7) Kick the Caffeine habit! If you have to have coffee everyday to function, you are an addict. It dehydrates you, messes with your brain functioning, bad, bad, bad baby! If you HAVE to a tiny bit of caffeine, try Green Tea - At least it has antioxidants as well.
8) Too much dairy = piling on the calories. Cheese makes you fat. Period. Cow's milk is just gross - switch to almond milk (SILK Brand only, since it does not contain Carrageenan - it's so delicious to make your shake's with). Here's a great tip - I substitute Fage' Non-fat Greek yogurt for sour cream, use it to make ranch dressing, etc. It's so awesome!
9) Take your vitamins. I love the Gummy Multi-Vits (All natural from Costco), seriously you don't have to put a gun to my head to eat two gummy bears a day.
10) Do not smoke. Do not do drugs. Drink in moderation (ok, a glass or two of red wine or beer a week is fine). If you have to have two or more drinks per day, you could possibly have a problem or be European, in which case you should move.
11) Five small meals a day is awesome. Example: Water, Breakfast (shake and a whole wheat thin bagel with almond butter), Snack (apple, celery and homemade ranch dip), Lunch (salad, sandwich, soup (non-dairy), lots of veggies and protein), Snack (carrots and hummus), Dinner (anything ethnic like Thai, Indian, Mediterranean with lots of veggies, protein and brown rice), almonds before bed. Remember, eating so much you are uncomfortable is not good.
12) Protein is good, in moderation. Red meat rots in your body...gross. Try to stick with poultry, fish or plant proteins. Tofu is delicious if prepared right - try using it with Indian or Thai curries. Yummm! I also like pure whey protein isolate powder like Dymatize ISO 100 or Elite XT (Vitamin Shoppe, Town Center) to add to morning shakes or to almond milk for a quick snack ONLY on days I work out (protein shakes are not meant to be used as a substitution for a meal if you are trying to lose weight).
13) Sleep eight-hours a night. For those of you that claim you can function on less, you are either an alien or lying. To have a healthy immune system you need your rest!
14) Drink only water. Everything else is the devil in disguise. It is either loaded with sugar or cancer causing crap. I admit it, I drank a real Coke the other day...yah, that's right, I cheated, but it was the first one in five years and I deserved it! Moderation...moderation.
15) Limit your packaged foods consumption. It's nearly impossible to limit all packaged foods, but be aware of the crap you are putting in your body. Try to buy products carried at stores like Whole Foods and Native Sun, even the Publix Greenwise Market Section that are all natural, organic, etc. READ LABELS!
Ingredients to stay away from:
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG, a flavor enhancer that has been linked to headaches, nausea, chest pains, etc.)
Trans Fats (unsaturated fat, which eating too much leads to coronary heart disease)
High Fructose Corn Syrup (Sweetener and preservative)
(Kudos to restaurants like Jason's Deli for eliminated all three from their offerings)
Artificial Colors (food dyes)
Artificial Flavors
Artificial Sweeteners (Aspartame, Saccharin, Sucralose or Equal, NutraSweet, Sweet'n Low and Splenda)
Benzoate Preservatives (BHT, BHA, TBHQ)
Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO)
Olestra
Shortening, Hydrogenated and Partially Hydrogenated Oils (Palm, Soybean and others)
Propyl Gallate (preservative used in foods and cosmetics)
Sodium Nitrate (found in packaged meats like hotdogs and lunch meats)
Carrageenan (red seaweed binder used in some Almond Milks like Almond Breeze and other dairy products)
Basically try to avoid un-natural, genetically modified ingredients in general. Most food manufacturers don't care about your health, they only care about making $$$! In addition, the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S is a joke - just because they approve the use of an ingredient now, doesn't mean we won't find out in five years that it is linked to cancer and other deadly diseases.
For example: Most food dyes are made from Petroleum (yes! Food dyes are made out of petro chemicals and coal tar). The FDA admits that Red Dye #3 is a known carcinogen (a chemical that could cause cancer) and yet the FDA still approves its use in foods in the US! Red#3 and #40, Yellow #5 and #6 and Blue #1 and #2 are also bad news, which are linked to tumors, behavior problems in children, ADHD, autism, allergies and inflammatory diseases.
I am currently on a food strike from ALL Kraft and Nabisco products due to their latest complete inconsideration and lack of compassion for the general public, refusing to remove Yellow Dye #5 and 6 from their Kraft Macaroni and Cheese products. This dye is purely used for ascetics and contains no nutritional value, and more important has been linked to asthma, allergies, hyper-activity in children and in some cases, cancer. This dye is not added to this product in Europe, along with many other artificial food dyes that are frowned upon in many European countries . Sign the petition here to make Kraft and other food manufacturers aware that we aren't going to put up with their crap anymore!
16) You get a free meal! The Book Body For Life shows us how to change your eating habits for life, but also allowing yourself a break once a week. If you are really wanting to shed some lbs. then I recommend one free-zone meal a week. My free-zone meal is usually Saturday lunner during football season when I load up on beer, chicken wings, pizza, mac n' cheese....yeah free zone!!! Just don't make the mistake of making every other meal your "free-zone meal" and wondering why Lisa's (aka that Lying Bizzo's) diet tips aren't working.
17) Here is a list of "SUPER FOODS" you need to add to your diet today:
Apples (organic), Blueberries (organic), Strawberries (organic), Kiwi, Pomegranates, Oranges
Acai' & Gogi Berries (dried), Raw Cacao and Maca
Almonds & Walnuts
Beans & Lentils
Barley & Oats
Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wa)
Green Tea
Garlic
Spinach, Kale, Collard Greens, Swiss Chard (any green leafy vegetables - all organic)
Avocado, Broccoli, Tomatoes, Peppers (bell and hot - organic), Sweet Potatoes, Winter Squash (including pumpkins)
Low-Fat Yogurt
Wild Salmon (Sockeye is amazing during the summer months)
Turkey
Dark Chocolate (80-90% Cocoa)
Honey & Bee Pollen (add to shakes)
Flaxseed, Coconut & Olive Oil
Organic (Raw) Apple Cider Vinegar
Good luck and God speed!
