Authors: Abigail Cruise
Essential Oils: Essential Oils (The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Uncovering the Healing Benefits of Aromatherapy) (6 page)
YOUR ACTION PLAN
- Now that you understand the importance of planning ahead, it is time to set up a smart weight loss goal and break it into doable chunks.
- How about giving your fridge a complete makeover, keeping in mind the habits mentioned in the chapter?
- This weekend, spend some time preparing for your week and don’t forget to incorporate an all vegetarian day as you plan for the week.
A healthy diet can not only help you keep a check on your weight, but also lower your cholesterol level and increase your concentration, productivity and problem solving skills. The choice of your food impacts your health and your mood.
This chapter focusses on certain habits that can ensure that you cultivate a healthy diet and stick to it.
You have grown up hearing about the importance of breakfast, haven’t you? During their growing up years, almost everybody has heard how eating breakfast contributes to great health. A healthy breakfast powers you up and you hit the ground running with full energy and enthusiasm. It helps you jumpstart your metabolism and provides that initial boost of energy required to get you started for the tough day ahead. It can keep you away from ‘starvation eating’ later during the day.
When you are hungry, your blood sugar levels drop. This results in even more hunger and you get tempted to consume bigger portions of lunch and dinner along with some extra servings of high fat sweets.
Consuming breakfast every day ensures that you do not binge eat during the day. This speeds up the weight loss process.
HABIT SEVEN: EAT WHOLE GRAINS AND HEALTHY CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates are not really bad; it’s just that some are healthier than the others. The tip here is to choose your carbohydrates wisely. The healthier carbohydrates include whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruits. Avoid refined foods like pasta, white breads and cereals that are not whole grain.
Focus on increasing the quantity of whole grains in your food. If you don’t feel like having a plateful of wholegrain rice, mix it with your regular white rice. Slowly increase the whole grain portion and in a few days you will notice the transition that you have made – the transition to a complete whole grain meal plan.
Ensure that your whole grains are really whole grains. Most labels are deceptive, read these carefully! Words like multigrain, stone ground etc. can be confusing.
Whole grains are cholesterol free and low fat, they are full of fiber that keep you fuller for long and ensures that the healthy bacteria in your gut are active and working. They also ensure that your blood sugar levels are stabilized.
Create healthier snack options with whole grains. How about some unsalted popcorn today?
HABIT EIGHT: FOCUS ON VEGETABLES
Vegetables are full of fiber and water. They fill you up in the most efficient manner, so that you remain satisfied till your next meal. Veggies also help in controlling those spikes and dips in your energy levels. If you focus on consuming a requisite amount of veggies every day, you will not experience those late afternoon slumps. Since they pack a powerful punch of nutrients and are low in calories, they ensure that you stay healthy, feel satisfied and do not resort to frozen and prepackaged food.
HABIT NINE: CONSUME HEALTHY FATS REGULARLY
True! Your fats have to be healthy too. Fats can be healthy if you choose the right kind. Two main kinds of unhealthy fats are:
- Saturated fat: This mainly comes from the animal sources of food and increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases by elevating your total blood cholesterol level.
- Trans fat: These are made by partial hydrogenation of unsaturated fats. They increase your risk of cardiovascular diseases by elevating the unhealthy LDL cholesterol level in your blood.
The healthier fat options are:
- Monounsaturated fats: These help in weight loss along with controlling your risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Peanut oil, almond, hazelnut, canola oil are all sources of monounsaturated fats.
- Polyunsaturated fats: Increased intake of polyunsaturated fats including omega-3 and omega-6 decreases the risk of heart diseases and hastens the process of weight loss. These are found in fatty fish, corn, soybean, sunflower and flaxseed oil.
Healthier fat options provide nourishment to your brain, heart, skin, hair and nails. They also provide your body with the fuel to burn calories. They can enable you to achieve a greater sense of fullness and also help you build muscle.
HABIT TEN: BALANCE YOUR PROTEINS AND CARBS
A number of high protein diets claim that cutting carbs in favor of protein hastens the weight loss process. However, completely eliminating carbs from your diet can be extremely detrimental to health. Although protein burns more calories than the other energy sources, carbohydrates are your body’s preferred energy source. The key here is moderation. If moderation is maintained, both carbs and proteins can help you shed those extra pounds. You must choose complex carbs and lean sources of protein if you really want to lose weight.
HABIT ELEVEN: REDUCE YOUR REFINED SUGAR
Different kinds of foods impact your body in different ways and sugar is just the perfect recipe for the disaster termed as fat gain!
Sugar is made up of two molecules: glucose and fructose.
Glucose is an integral part of your metabolism and is therefore, extremely important for you. The cells in your body utilize glucose for energy. When you do not get the required amount of glucose from your diet, your body manufactures it from proteins and fats.
Your body cells, with the exception of liver cells, cannot make use of fructose. When you consume a great deal of sugar, most of it undergoes metabolism in the liver. When your liver is almost full, it converts the excess sugar into fat (fatty acids) which is then slowly secreted into your blood stream. Your body takes up this fat from the blood stream and deposits it in areas such as buttocks, stomach, breasts, thighs etc. That surely is a great way to gain excess weight around your waist.
And then there is a bonus associated as well! Yes, when these areas are full of fat and you are still eating loads of sugar, this sugar is still being converted to fat! This fat now has no place to deposit itself except your organs such as kidneys, liver and heart. This may cause an elevation in your blood pressure, lower your metabolism and generally weaken your immune system.
If you want to lose weight naturally, you must limit your consumption of refined sugar.
Vegetables and fruits are the foundation to a healthy diet. They are low in calories and packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. They satisfy you and in the process, speed up weight loss.
Color is the key here; try to incorporate as much color as possible. Different colors provide diverse benefits, so include a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. You could brighten your salad with colorful vegetables like black beans, broccoli, chopped red cabbage or shredded radish.
How about getting some color into your breakfast cereal? Add some bananas, cherries, strawberries or blueberries to your regular breakfast cereal. Would you like to have a colorful dry fruit snack today or may be include dried pineapples and grapes in salad?
Vegetables and fruits also provide protection against cancer and other diseases. Do not rely on supplements or pills to provide you the same benefits – as much as possible, go the natural way. Allow your body to get its fiber from apples and vitamin C from oranges, let the berries that you eat help you fight cancer and corn, carrots and sweet potato satisfy your sugar cravings.
HABIT THIRTEEN: ADD HEALTHY OIL TO EVERY MEAL
We are talking habits and not FAD diets. Since, healthy fat nourishes your body and provides it with the fuel to burn calories, it is important to add healthy oil to every meal. You must ensure that all your meals contain adequate amounts of protein, fiber and fat. Drizzle some olive oil into your green salad and consume it with a boiled egg. It is delicious and fills you up with energy, nutrition and weight loss!
HABIT FOURTEEN: REDUCE OR ELIMINATE RED MEAT FROM YOUR DIET
Red meat is loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol. Both these lead to weight gain and of course, a number of associated problems such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and even cancer. In order to lose weight naturally, you must try and eliminate red meat from your diet. If that is not possible, try and limit your consumption to a few times in a month.
HABIT FIFTEEN: NO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS PLEASE
Contrary to the popular myth, artificial sweeteners do not aid in weight loss. Instead, they induce a whole set of hormonal and physiological responses that actually make you gain weight. They interfere with your body’s natural ability to count calories and this makes people prone to overeating. This means that although your diet soft drink can reduce the total number of calories that you consumed during a particular meal, it will also trick your body into thinking that all other sugary treats do not have as many calories either. And this leads to weight gain.
So, say no to artificial sweeteners and if you feel like consuming a sugary treat once in a while, have a bite of dark chocolate or put some real sugar in your tea.
HABIT SIXTEEN: CHIA SEEDS AND GROUND FLAX SEEDS
Including chia seeds and ground flax seeds into your diet can ensure that you receive calcium, phosphorus, other minerals, fiber and antioxidants into your diet. You must consume ground flax seeds so that they are fully digested and your body is able to extract all the nutrition. Need to elevate the fiber and nutrient content of your favorite smoothies, oatmeal, yogurts or baked dishes? Simply add a tablespoon of ground flax seeds or chia seeds into the dish and you are all set.
HABIT SEVENTEEN: DAILY DOSE OF MULTIVITAMINS
A daily dose of multivitamin can act as your secret weapon for weight loss. If your body is low on vitamins and other nutrients, it craves for them and you end up feeling hungry – in reality, your body is asking you to replenish the nutrients and vitamins it is missing. Staying topped with nutrients is therefore the best way to lose weight.
YOUR ACTION PLAN
- Through this chapter you have understood the habits of eating healthy. You must now incorporate each of these into your schedule.
- Begin your day with a power packed breakfast, top up your morning oatmeal with some flax seeds, ensure that you consume loads of fresh vegetables throughout the day, balance your proteins and carbs, eliminate red meat from your diet, include complex carbohydrates and lean cuts along with some healthy fats in your meals, say no to refined sugar as well as artificial sweeteners and don’t forget your daily dose of multivitamins.
- As mentioned in the previous chapter, you can prepare for the week in advance – so do make sure that you have prepped up brown rice, quinoa and lentils ready.
- Top these up with some colorful veggies, seeds and nuts to prepare yourself a nutritionally packed meal.
Over snacking can cause a major hindrance in your weight loss goals. However, with some smart snacking tips, it is possible to snack between meals and yet keep the weight off your waist. The secret to smart snacking is understanding what and when to nibble.
HABIT EIGHTEEN: CREATE YOUR OWN SNACK PACKS
A number of people pick up readymade boxes of 100 calorie snack packs. While this is a conscious attempt to restrict calories, it also ensures that your body is receiving loads of sodium (that leads to bloating), preservatives and other garbage waste. In order to develop your smart snacking strategy, you must focus on creating your own snack packs. Pick up some ziplock bags and measure out 100 calories of your favorite foods, including trail mix, nuts, peanuts, almonds, other dried fruits, and even chocolate covered peanuts. Go for a mix of fiber, protein and healthy fats. Grab these as and when you feel like munching a little something. These will not only ensure that you receive your healthy dose of snacks but also make sure that you have something ready to eat when you get that urge to snack.
HABIT NINETEEN: NEGATIVE CALORIE SNACK FOODS
When it comes to smart snacking, negative calorie snack foods can keep you on track. These foods contain more water than calories. They also need more calories for digestion and this converts them into calorie free or negative calorie foods. Celery, grapefruit, lettuce and other leafy greens, watermelon, cucumbers, apples, asparagus, apricots, tomatoes, cauliflower, red chili peppers, mushrooms and broccoli are some of them. Try to incorporate these as snack options during the day.
HABIT TWENTY: ANTIOXIDANTS VIA GREEN TEA
Green tea is rightly regarded as the healthiest beverage on this planet. It is loaded with antioxidants. Research proves that green tea can help you burn fat and lose weight, and that too at a very fast pace. The catechins in green tea boost metabolism and helps in mobilizing the fat from the fat cells. When you drink green tea, you break down fat. This fat gets released into your bloodstream and is then available to you for use as energy. The increased metabolic rate ensures that you burn calories round the clock. You must ensure that you consume at least one cup of green tea per day.
YOUR ACTION PLAN
- Now, that you have set your weight loss goals, prepare for the week and incorporated some healthy eating habits, it is time to incorporate smart snacking habits as well into your schedule.
- Prepare your snacks in advance and do make sure to include negative calorie foods in them.
- Try and consume at least one cup of green tea per day.
- Practicing these habits consistently will ensure that you convert yourself into a fat burning power house, which only grows leaner, healthier and happier with each passing day.
