6 Must Have Foods for Weight-Loss

Of course there are many great foods that will aid in weight loss. These 6, are some great essentials that you should have readily available in your kitchen if your serious about loosing weight this year.

These great ingredients not only boost flavor but they will help you lose stomach paunch too.

Ginger - Part of the thermogenic food group, meaning it uses up energy and produces heat, which is a process called thermogenesis. Ginger contains healthy compounds (gingerols) that ease stomach bloat.

Parsley - A super herb, to start it lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart attack. Parsley aids in improving  your appetite. It works as a natural diuretic, that keeps water retention in check and much, much more. Enjoy the fresh herbal flavour, it can be added to lunches and dinners. 

Peppermint - One of the oldest and most highly regarded herbs for supporting digestion. It delivers a compound called menthol, which relaxes the intestines and keeps your stomach from pooching. Try having peppermint tea, also adds to your daily water intake and tastes great! 

Pineapple - The fruit that helps you lose weight and gives you better vision. Not only will it add juicy sweetness to your meals but also contains bromelain, a digestive enzyme that helps break down food to reduce bloating. Will also improve skin conditions and prevents plaque on your teeth.

Sea salt - Is a lot cleaner than regular table salt, so you can use less to flavor your food and that means less water retention and bloating. To much Sodium (table salt) will cause your body to retain water, often giving you the appearance of being bloated and overweight. Sodium is the salt of choice in most ready meals and cheap take away foods. 

Natural Yogurt - I'd recommend a full fat natural greek yoghurt  It boasts friendly bacteria (probiotics), which help you stay regular, being easier to digest than milk. It is a rich source of protein and will help you curb hunger, versatile so try mixing in some berries or Manuka honey. 

The 5 Commandments Of Smart Dieting

To really see best results from any diet plan you choose to use, you need to learn a few ‘diet commandments’. These are guidelines that must be followed if you are going to see superior results that will help propel you forward.

Sadly, many people miss out on one or more of these and it greatly costs them their success.

Want to learn more? Check out the list of five commandments below.

Thou Shall Eat More Protein

Of all the foods that you could eat while on a fat loss diet, protein is perhaps the most important. Protein helps combat hunger, it helps stabilize blood glucose levels, and it helps prevent lean muscle mass loss. This in turn helps speed up your metabolism and accelerates the process of fat loss.

Don’t let your diet intake fall short. Aim to eat some protein in each and every meal and snack that you consume.

Thou Shall Eat Regularly 

While the concept that your metabolism will increase the more often you eat isn’t entirely accurate — as the boost you get after a meal is directly related to the size of that meal — eating regularly does help to keep hunger at bay.

By feeding your body frequently throughout the day, you’ll help avoid food cravings, energy lows, and make it that much easier to stick to your diet program.

Thou Shall Prioritize Fresh Foods 

When selecting your foods, eating fresh is a must. We live in a world where processed foods are around every corner and just waiting to cause us weight gain.

Eliminate these and you’ll really give your diet a boost. Focus on foods in their natural state — fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and oils, and lean proteins.

If you only make one change to your diet plan, make it this one.

Thou Shall Set Short Term Goals 

One diet rule that you should abide by and follow is to always set short term goals for yourself. Think about what you are doing in the here and now, not months from now. It’s too easy to lose sight of your goals if they are going to take place six months to a year down the road.

Try thinking in three-week segments. Three weeks is about how long it takes for good habits to form, so is the perfect amount of time to you build behaviors that will stand the test of time.

This is precisely why The 3 Week Diet was created. It will help you stay motivated and consistent until you don’t even have to think about making those changes any longer — They’ll just be automatic.

Thou Shall Stop Comparisons 

Finally, stop comparing yourself to others. Realize that this is your own journey and your own body. It’s unlike anyone else’s so you simply can’t expect to see the same results as everyone else.

Instead, start comparing yourself today to yourself from yesterday. That will give you all the details you need to know. If each day you are getting better, you are successful in your journey.

So keep these diet commandments in mind. Focus on these and you can feel confident that you are headed in the right direction.

Sleep: The most overlooked cause of belly fat!

WE ALL want a flat stomach. No surprise there.

But since many are still relying on a countless number of sit-ups to get it, I’ll just make one thing clear: There are less painful and longer lasting ways to get the amazing middle we crave.

YOUR WAISTLINE

As much as you hate to hear it, there’s no silver bullet to fighting belly fat. You have to go back to the basics: Eat a balanced diet and make fitness part of your everyday life.

But while belly fat can still accumulate for those who exercise regularly and maintain a decent diet, what’s most often overlooked is the amount of shut-eye we get each night.

Scientists have known for years that sleep deprivation has all sorts of ramifications, especially on how fat cells function. Research indicates that too little slumber reduces your fat cells’ ability to respond properly to the hormone insulin, which is crucial for regulating energy storage and use.

In other words, our fat cells also need sleep to function properly otherwise they too, can get ‘metabolically’ groggy. Over time the disruption to insulin is responsible not only for an unsightly ‘muffin top’, but can also be a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, heart attacks and stroke.

Insulin also has a knock-on effect on appetite-controlling hormones: leptin and ghrelin. Leptin is responsible for telling your brain that it is satisfied or full. Ghrelin tells you when you are hungry.

When we don’t get enough sleep, our leptin levels drop and ghrelin levels rise — an effect that increases our appetite during the hours where we are awake, meaning we tend to eat more, but feel less satisfied.

But it’s rare you’ll reach for carrots when you’re tired. Instead, people crave high-sugar/high-fat foods for an energy hit to get them through the day. This brings us back to insulin, which determines whether food gets used right away for immediate energy, or stored as fat. Eat the wrong kind of foods, chances are it’s the latter.

Around 75 per cent of Australians struggle to get to, or stay asleep each night, according to the world’s largest sleep report unveiled this week. The report, commissioned by The Sealy Sleep Census, surveyed over 11,000 respondents across five countries, including 2,300 respondents living in Australia.

The study also found 25% of Australians take more than 30 minutes to get to sleep, and only one in four get eight hours a night.

“It is easy to trade sleep for another activity without recognising the consequences, however, what people need to realise, is that quality sleep is equally as important as nutrition and exercise. A lack of sleep has been linked to obesity, diabetes, heart issues and even increases the likelihood to catch a common cold,” said Doctor Amy Reynolds, sleep expert and researcher at CQ University.

The findings also suggest a strong association between high levels of insomnia and the nation’s addiction to technology in the bedroom, with 70% of us keeping our phones near the bed.

“A hormone called melatonin helps to prepare the body for sleep. Levels of melatonin rise in the evening before bed, but blue light from devices can throw this off as the light sends the wrong cue to the brain — so, when we are wanting to sleep we are giving our brains a signal that we are awake” adds Reynolds.

The Australian Sleep Health Foundation recommends that adults should get seven or more hours of sleep a night to avoid health risks.

THE TAKE AWAY

A well-rounded exercise regimen, nutrition and reducing stress are all important factors in reducing belly fat and improving general health, but you can’t ignore the role of sleep. The more you get, the more fat you burn — so you can put crunches last on your flat-belly list.

Kathleen Alleaume is a nutritionist, exercise physiologist and author. Follow her @therightbalance


http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/fitness/weight-loss/sleep-the-most-overlooked-cause-of-belly-fat/news-story/e218a48550ae0b63535f459fc57719b6