Drop Weight and Your Cravings

Silence a rumbling stomach with a high-protein breakfast.

Everyone wants to look good in a bathing suit, but eating healthy is never easy. A new study published by the British Journal of Nutrition, however, has found that eating more protein for breakfast leads to a greater and longer feeling of fullness if you're looking to lose weight. In other words, if you hear vending machines calling your name by mid-day, lean breakfast meats (not bacon) could cut unwanted cravings

The study, conducted by researchers at Duke University and the University of Kansas Medical Center, had nine men record and score their fullness through five different feeding trials of equal calories. The five diets included a normal amount of protein (.8 grams per kg body weight), extra protein (an additional .6g per kg) at breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and extra protein spread evenly throughout the day. Fullness was reported three hours after every meal and for the whole of the day. The men then tried the different trials with both their recommended daily caloric intake and a 750-calorie reduction.

The results showed little difference between the diets while the subjects had their normal energy intake. But with the calorie restriction, an amount that would add up to one pound of weight loss per week, fullness scores were the greatest with the additional protein at breakfast.

"The findings suggest," says study author Heather Leidy, M.D. of the University of Kansas Medical Center, "that people trying to lose weight should eat more protein at breakfast to help them maintain their diet and avoid overeating. Alternately, if most of a person's protein is consumed at dinner, hunger is reduced at the following breakfast, which could lead to over-eating later in the day."

For a 150-pound man or woman, the extra protein would amount to 40 grams. You can get that protein from six slices of Canadian bacon or eight turkey breakfast sausage links. Those may sound like gut-bombs, but both meats are lean and these serving sizes have less than 300 calories.

If you're wondering how your bowl of cereal stacks up: For the same 300 calories, a relatively high-protein cereal like Kashi GOLEAN, served with a half-cup of skim milk, only registers about 25 grams. Corn flakes with milk, on the other hand, hold only 12 grams of protein, with most of it coming from the milk.

 *To those whom argue against carbs for breakfast.... you're welcome!!

Get Glowing Skin- Without Makeup!

Hollywood nutritionist, 

Kimberly Snyder, 

shares her top detox advice for cleansing your body 

and brightening your complexion

1. Order Wisely:

If you combine food improperly, it slows down digestion. The result? Bloating. 

Good combos: starches and veggies, proteins and veggies, fats and starches. 

Bad combos: proteins and starches, fats and proteins.

2. Be Picky at the Bar:

Sure, booze it fattening. But that's not all: 

Alcohol is also acidic, and too much acid makes your body hold on to fluid in an attempt to neutralize the pH level in your stomach. 

If you can't resist, sip wine. 

It's full of antioxidants and is less taxing on the liver than hard liquor.

3. Chug Your Greens:

Whole fruits and veggies are great, but when was the last time you scarfed  few cups of greens at a meal? 

Snyder's Glowing Green Smoothie (recipe below) makes it easy- and tasty- to make your quota.

Glowing Green Smoothie:

1 1/2 C water

1 head organic romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 bunch or 3/4 small bunch organic spinach

3-4 stalks organic celery, chopped

1 organic apple,  cored and chopped

1 organic pear, cored and chopped

1 organic banana

juice of 1/2 organic lemon

1. Add water, romaine, an spinach to blender. Starting on a low speed, mix until smooth.

 2. Gradually moving to higher speeds, add celery, apple, and pear. 

3. Add banana and lemon juice. Blend until smooth.

4. Drink Your Vitamins:

Snyder, who recommends a daily multivitamin for everyone, says liquid vitamins absorb better than pills.

5. Stay Spicy:

Snyder sees beauty in your spice rack, noting that turmeric reduces inflammation and nullifies aging free radicals, while cayenne pepper boosts metabolism. 

Cinnamon can regulate your blood sugar so you don't binge.

InStyle Sept 2011

Taste the Rainbow

Healthy Eating is as Easy as Remembering ROYGBIV

RED

Red Bell Peppers are filled with lutein; which helps promote healthy vision

Cherries can help raise melatonin levels and if eaten one hour before bed, can help you fall asleep faster

Tomatoes help guard cancer with their high lycopene levels

Orange

Carrots help against heart attacks by 60% when at least one serving a day is  enjoyed 

Cantaloupe boosts your immune system with it's 113% of your daily Vitamin C intake in one cup

Sweet Potatoes provide 262% of your daily Vitamin A, which keeps your skin looking young  by forming new cells

Yellow

Corn can prevent lung cancer by 27% if eaten regularly (on account of it's beta-cryptoxanthin)

Bananas stave off cardiovascular disease and regulate blood pressure levels

Pineapple fights cancer with it's manganese; one cup of this fruit contains 128% of your daily amount of this essential nutrient

Green

Broccoli, though it can't replace sunscreen, may speed up sunburn recovery. Compounds in this veggie reduce redness and inflammation by 37%

Limes have cancer fighting properties that stay in your bloodstream up to 24hrs after consumption 

Spinach is packed with Vitamin K, a nutrient that slows cell breakdown and bonds calcium to bones.

Blue and Purple

Blueberries are the ultimate brain food, these berries defend against Alzheimer's and people who eat 2 cups a week are 25% less likely to develop Parkinson's disease.

Purple Cabbage has 6 times the vitamin C as green cabbage!

Beets are colored with betalain which help flush the body of toxins

Timing is Everything

Fine tuning your meals according to when you work out can help melt pounds faster!

If you exercise in the morning:

Your body's main source of fuel is glycogen- carbs that have been broken down and stored in your muscles. Before you work out, have a 200-300 calorie meal with fruit or whole grains and a small amount of protein.

If you exercise on your lunch hour:

Save your midday meal until after working out. Reload with lean protein, and vegetables or whole grains within 30 minutes of the end of your workout.

If you exercise after dinner:

Night owls, beware: loading up at supper will weigh you down in more ways than one! Eat  ore at breakfast and lunch, and prepare a low-fat dinner of fewer than 500 calories.