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Shorts and swimsuit season is here – eek!  Before you get tempted to starve yourself, remember that looking good in skimpier clothing (and getting healthier) is not just about losing weight; the goal should be to drop body fat and maintain muscle. I asked my nutritionist, Lillian Padilla, graduate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach with an emphasis on Chinese Nutritional Therapy and Ayurveda.  Lilly helped Actor Greg Jbara from Blue Bloods lose 55 pounds.  No one diet works for everyone, but here’s top tips on how to drop fat and get leaner:

1. Cut inflammatory foods from your diet. These include dairy, gluten, multi-ingredient starches (bread, muffins), peanuts and wheat pasta. As Lilly taught me, these foods slow your metabolism and cause your body to hold on to fat.
2. Increase your water intake. If you don’t drink enough, your body will hoard water and you will bloat. Water is the best diuretic: the more you drink, the more water you release. Water also helps your body mobilize and release fat. Lilly recommends drinking at least a half ounce of water per pound of body weight; up to one ounce per pound if you are physically active. (Coffee and tea are diuretics, so drink one cup of water per cup of water or tea.) To make it more palatable, I put citrus, berries, and mint leaves in my water.
3. Protein helps – Make sure you’re getting enough protein. Protein helps keeps you full and supports lean muscle mass.  Substitute one meal with a MacroMeal “Time Released Protein”  All-in-One Protein + SuperFoods provides 25g of a Science Based Blend of Fast, Medium, and Slow digesting proteins.
4. Eat a fat-burning dinner such as fish and veggies. Omega-3s, found in fish, mobilize fatty acids. Avoid sodium and starches at night, both of which hold water. For dessert, I suggest treating yourself with a something sweet like a half cup of strawberries or apple slices, which raises then lowers blood sugar to help you get a good night’s sleep.
5. Get good sleep. In REM sleep (when you dream), your body releases Human Growth Hormone (HGH), which burns fat, promotes muscle growth, and repairs the immune system. By contrast, when you’re sleep deprived, your body suppresses HGH secretion. Aim for 7 – 9 hours a night, and avoid using devices right before bed. Avoid electromagnetic pollution shut down wireless and if your phone is bedside, put it on airplane mode.

Diet plays a HUGE role in how you feel.  Obesity is a known risk factor Overweight and Obese individuals bear additional Health risk like Diabetes and Heart Disease. 

America is the 3^rd most obese county in the world.  42% Obesity!

Good NEWS is even losing a small or moderate amount of weight can make a BIG difference.  Plus adding Light Exercise 20min 3-4x a Week.

It’s never been a Better time to Promote HEALTH.  If you want to lose weight:  Drink a glass of Macro Greens before breakfast, before lunch and after dinner.  This will alkalize your body, feed it nutrients and shut down cravings.  Now you can get back on track and stay on a healthy nutrition eating plan. IF you’re at a normal weight and for maintenance Drink a glass every day to fill in nutritional gaps and boost your immune system.  Cheers!

The Unhealthiest Health Foods

You may think that you are eating better than most, but sometimes that food that comes in the package screaming “Organic”, “Non-Fat” or “Energy” can deceive you into thinking what you are consuming is good for you.

According to a study made by the American Public Health Association, only three percent of Americans follow the steps that define a healthy lifestyle, even though 85 percent say they live healthy. Here are a few items that are not as healthy as you may think.

• Multi Grain Breads: Refined flours are stripped of their nutrients during processing and don’t have much nutritional value, and can cause an unhealthy spike in your blood sugar, which can lead to chronic illness and inflammation.
• Energy bars: A lot of energy bars are just like candy bars, full of saturated fats, sugar and hydrogenated oils into their ingredients. A true nutritional bar should only have 100 and 200 calories per bar and keeps the sugar and carbohydrates low under 18grams.
• Sports Drinks: A lot of what people are drinking here is more sugar and more empty calories. Drink water instead.
• Reduced-fat Peanut Butter: They usually make up for their fat loss with added sugar, which is not an improvement. Try peanut butters with no added sugar or sweeteners and buy organic.
• Fruit Smoothies: Smoothies can easily turn from healthy to gut busting. Some can come with so many loaded sugars that they can exceed 700 calories in an 8-ounce drink. The best smoothies are those with no more than 17 calories per ounce and no less than 4 grams of fiber per serving.
• Diet Soda: A 2013 study links an increased risk of developing diabetes with drinking one soda (diet or regular) a day. Other research suggests the artificial sweeteners used in diet sodas may actually cause weight gain. Try “Stevia” instead using a natural sweetener.
• Trail Mix: Most are loaded with candy-coated pieces, yogurt-covered raisins, sesame sticks and deep-fried banana chips. Before you know it, you’ve consumed almost 600 calories full of sugars, trans fat and refined carbohydrates.
• Granola: Most will give you a bowl full of trans fats and sugar.

The trick is to pay attention to what’s in the ingredients of what you are eating, and not what’s on the label.

Healthy Eating!

Sylvia, your Mother of SuperFood™