This makes me laugh every time! And every time I have tried dieting, Chris Farley's "Lay off me I'm starving!" pops into my head when reaching for that sweet or salty treat. I've heard so many women say how they practically starve themselves, and do not see any results. When we do not eat that slows our metabolism down. That means when we do eat, and think it's okay to binge because we missed that last meal, our metabolism is going to be slow. Our bodies our going to store that food as fat to help sustain us when we skip that next meal. Not good ladies! :( There are so many different diets out there, and they typically do not provide the right balanced nutrition...It's all about lifestyle! I'm not an expert, however, this is my advice based on my experience.
1. Eat your fruits and veggies. They are high in fiber, and will make you feel fuller longer. They also provide essential vitamins and nutrients!
2. Protein. There are many health benefits of protein. Eating enough protein is essential to maintain a healthy body. If the body sustains an injury, such as a cut, protein helps with tissue repair. Along with carbohydrates, protein provides energy for the body which helps keep us from becoming fatigued.
When we eat foods that contain protein, the body breaks it down into amino acids. These amino acids are necessary for building muscle and blood. There are 22 amino acids, which are divided into two categories, including essential amino acids and non-essential amino acids. The body can make some of the essential acids on it’s own, but certain amino acids must come from eating foods containing protein.
Proteins are considered incomplete or complete proteins. Complete proteins contain all the essential amino acids, while incomplete proteins don’t. Good sources of complete proteins come from animals. For instance, eggs, milk, chicken and fish all contain complete proteins. Healthy food choices for incomplete proteins include, nuts, such as almonds, beans and whole grains.
3. Drink water. There are so many benefits of drinking water. It helps with digestion, headaches, productivity, and even weight loss! ( Please refer to my November 3rd post "11 Health Benefits of Drinking Water".)
4. Multivitamin. My dear friend and I were just talking about what an amazing difference we feel when we are taking our vitamins! Here are some of the benefits of taking a multivitamin...They provide needed energy, combats daily stress, provides mental clarity, prevents vitamin deficiency, prevents cardiovascular disease, and cancer. You can find a multivitamin at any grocery/health store. Not all multivitamins are created equally. You don’t necessarily have to purchase a name brand multivitamin, but you should consider the multivitamin ingredients. Read the label and see if it states that it contains Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin K, and folic acid. You should also see if it contains the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of copper, zinc and iron.
5. Sleep. This is the one thing I am really bad about...I need more sleep!!! Sleep can help reduce stress, will make you more alert and boost your memory, may help prevent heart disease, or even cancer, and it might just help you loose weight!
6. Exercise. Exercise can helps combat and prevent heart disease, and other health conditions (diabetes, high blood pressure, colon cancer, etc.) It helps build and maintain strong bones, muscles, and joints. It improves your mood, and helps you maintain your weight. Also, can you believe that it might actually be a lot of fun?!!
Please check back in the next day or so for a list of foods you MUST include on your grocery list!
