The Body is a Wonderland...

I can’t express in words how I feel about the taste of a perfectly ripe avocado. Think it may have something to do with being from So Cal. We love our Avocados & Guacamole! Mmmm. Good thing its a MUFA! So although its fatty, in moderation, its TOTALLY healthy…and always delish!

(Source: design-n-dine, via healthandcoffee)

Ok, so I keep hearing (and reading ) that these nutrients help you lose weight. I’m not a big fan of dairy as of late (although I adore cheese) but if it helps I would be willing to give it a shot…again. Come to think of it, when I ate more dairy (as well as peanut butter & Sushi) I was slimmer &…

If you’re eating tends to be pleasure-driven, you may be a hedonic eater. Eating for enjoyment or entertainment isn’t new. We often eat because food is available, it’s free, or we know it’s going to taste good, even if we’re not hungry. But researchers in Italy have identified a specific type of pleasure-driven eating they call hedonic eating. In a small study involving eight subjects scientists found that eating for gratification, rather than physiological hunger, triggers the release of hormones that up appetite, and therefore stimulate continued eating, even after satiety has been reached. In the study blood levels of hunger hormones surged after eating cakes, but not after eating bread, butter, and milk. While the connection isn’t completely understood, the hormonal reaction seems to occur with foods tied more closely with emotional, rather than physical, hunger.

I’m fascinated with this type of research because I devoted an entire chapter in MY NEWEST BOOK to emotional eating. In my years of working with clients I’ve seen that losing weight or eating healthfully isn’t simply about nutrition knowledge or having the right plan or recipes. We’re practically taught from birth to turn to food to feel good or at least feel better, whether it be for comfort, reward, escape, or celebration. In my opinion understanding that connection is the foundation of transforming your relationship with food and untangling eating from emotions. But it’s important to acknowledge that there is a physiological component.

Keep reading to find out if you are a Hedonic Eater. Are You a Hedonic Eater? - http://pulse.me/s/96HfH

Just paid $9 for a jar of this! I’ve never paid that much for a single jar of pasta sauce in my life. But if I’d spend it on a bottle of vodka or a cake I GUESS  its ok to spend on pasta. The reason I got it was because I had to do some quick grocery shopping at Target and it was the only one on the shelf with no sugar and a super low carb content (1%)! So I had to get it. Was it worth it…YES! At that price I would much rather make my own for the cost saving BUT if I’m in a bind again I would get it again. It tastes really good and fresh. It was just like sauce at a good Italian restaurant. So if I can’t make my own and am in need of a healthy low carb, delish sauce, I will get this again.

Today is the first day of my Low-Carb, Paleo hybrid. I will not be eating any processed foods or grains (unless they happen to be in something I am eating already like…ooops, there are tortillas chip on my salad), I will be limiting dairy, salt and sugar (the latter of which I am trying to give up completely) for at least 10 days. Its gonna be hard to avoid dairy, salt and sugar because it is in everything that you buy. I am hoping that I wll be able to cook most of my meals BUT it is really hard with my current schedule. But if I do eat out, I am hoping that I keep the amounts minimal by being mindful. After that, I will be trying to go full Paleo for 10 days. At that point, NO processed foods (that aren’t marked Paleo of course), sugar, dairy or salt (well maybe a little for flavor but maybe not).We’ll see what happens the 10 days after that.

Well wish me luck cause here I go…AGAIN!

health-heaven:

1. Lean Protein

Gram for gram, protein will help to keep you feeling fuller longer compared to carbohydrates and fat.

2. Whole Grains

To help you stay sharp and focused throughout the morning since they’re slower-burning carbs, plus you’ll get some essential vitamins and minerals.

3. Fruit (or Vegetables)

For more vitamins, minerals and feel-full fiber and to help you knock off at least one of your daily recommended produce servings.

(Source: muffintop-less, via skinny-before-summer)

Choose one

(via craving-tiny-deactivated2012112)

Want to stabilize your mood, control your appetite, and prevent mid afternoon brain fog? According to scientists, your best bet is to eat a low carb breakfast.

In a study published last year in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, researchers found that participants who ate a breakfast of whole almonds felt full longer and had lower blood glucose concentrations into the afternoon than participants who ate a breakfast with medium glycemic index carbs. Keeping your appetite in check and having controlled blood glucose concentrations are key to preventing preventing weight gain, mood swings, and mental fog.

Unfortunately, only 70% of people eat breakfast. Out of those who do, 83% eat a high carb breakfast choice like cereal. That means most of us are setting ourselves up for a day of blood sugar swings within a few hours of waking. So if you shouldn’t eat cereal, what should you be eating?

Food industry nutrition consultant Kantha Shelke Ph.D outlined the perfect breakfast to set your day up for success while speaking at the Institute of Food Technologists’ Wellness 12 meeting. She notes that the perfect breakfast should be:

1. Savory
2. Portable (if you are on the go)
3. Pleasing texture
4. Fills you up for extended periods of time
5. Satiates quickly so less is consumed
6. Affordable for the whole family to eat every day
7. Non-fried
8. Delicious without making you feeling guilty

Common breakfast foods that don’t hit all of these points include: bagels, breakfast pastries, Pop-tarts, and granola bars. Instead, try these healthy, inexpensive low carb breakfasts:

1. Hard boiled eggs – portable, but try to keep them cold.
2. Nuts or nut butter – sounds weirdly unsatisfying, but it works. An acquired taste for breakfast.
3. Egg scramble with cheese and veggies – cook in the microwave for a quick low carb meal.
4. A salad with protein like tofu or meat – why limit yourself to traditional breakfast foods?

 
If you are looking for a great way to set yourself up for a happy and productive day, try ditching the carbs in the morning.

Want to find a way to rev up your metabolism to speed fat loss? Try subbing your morning coffee a few times a week with Yerba Mate.

Yerba Mate is a beverage similar to a tea that is made from the leaves and twigs of a shrub that is native to Central and South America. Originally used as a stimulant beverage by the Guaraní, an indigenous culture of Argentina, Yerba Mate has recently become a coffee and tea alternative that is popular around the world.

According to a study published in Lab Animal Research, scientists have discovered the Yerba Mate can help speed up metabolism, prevent fat accumulation, and reduce markers of heart disease risk.

Scientists induced obesity in mice with a high calorie diet, then gave them Yerba Mate extract for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, the mice were checked for biomarkers like blood serum cholesterol, serum triglycerides, and glucose concentrations. They also took fat tissue samples for examination.

The results were substantial. Researchers found that after the 4 weeks of Yerba Mate extract supplementation, the mice desired less food but had a higher energy expenditure. The same mice also had improved glucose tolerance thanks to the high polyphenol content of Yerba Mate.

Yerba Mate also contains high levels of a class of compounds like saponins, which scientists attribute to the steep drop in cholesterol experienced by the mice who were fed Yerba Mate.

Although Yerba Mate’s grassy, earthy taste is certainly a big change from your morning skinny vanilla latte, try substituting a Yerba Mate drink in the morning just one day a week at first. The plant’s ability to activate your central nervous system to keep you alert coupled with the health benefits of the drink are totally worth it.

(Source: life.dailyburn.com)

(Source: lkweightloss, via iruntobehealthier-deactivated20)

Its starting to warm up here in Vegas. I could really go for one of these and a nap by the pool. Ah, The Life!

(via healthandcoffee)