Health & Wellness Newsletter

Volume 2, Issue 1 January 2012

Resolutions, New Year, New You!

By

Jeffrey J. Davis, CPT, CES

HAPPY NEW YEAR! At the start of every year, resolutions are made and the slate is wiped clean. Whatever you didn’t like over the course of the past year is gone; forget about it. Learn from the lessons of the past so that you don’t repeat them and move on.

The most common resolution every year is weight loss. You won’t lose weight nibbling on small amounts of food; although portion control is important. In fact, your body will just think its starving and hang onto those extra pounds! Rather, to lose weight effectively and permanently, you need to eat; and eat smart. Here are 11 of the best foods for easy weight loss (provided by www.realage.com):

1. Yogurt -This creamy, tangy snack is loaded with calcium — and studies show that calcium may curtail weight gain by hindering the absorption of fat in the small intestine. 
2. Eggs – according to a study, eggs beat out carbs (donuts, bagels, etc.) when it came to helping feel full longer and helping beat back snack attacks later in the day.
3. Pistachios – like all nuts, pistachios offer lots of hunger-curbing protein and fiber.
4. Grapefruit – one study in particular revealed that eating half a grapefruit before each meal helped dieters shed more pounds than people who skipped the tart appetizer.
5. Avocado – researcher’s suspect that the unsaturated fat in avocados may ratchet up body levels of the hunger-halting hormone called leptin — a hormone that lets your brain know that you’re full, so you stop eating.
6. Mushrooms – replace the meat in your favorite recipes with mushrooms. You’ll automatically cut about 420 calories out of a meal.
7. Olive oil – contains a hunger-busting monounsaturated fat called oleic acid — which triggers a complicated process in the gut that ultimately tells your brain you’re full and makes you want to stop eating.
8. Whole grains – research shows this one move can help whittle your middle. We’re talking brown rice, quinoa, steel-cut oats, whole-grain cereal, and 100% whole-wheat bread and pasta. 
9. Red pepper – contain capsaicin — the heat-inducing compound in red peppers that, according to research, tamps down appetite and curbs food intake later in the day.
10. Fava beans – a lean protein source bursting with flavonoids.
11. Rice with veggies – Adding veggies to rice at lunchtime appears to slow stomach emptying, according to research. The end result, you feel full longer.

We eat to sustain life. Americans love to super-size it and we love our foods. You don’t have to stop eating foods you enjoy; just make better choices. In 2012, let’s learn how to eat smart together; and learning will ultimately promote behavior change resulting in a healthier lifestyle.

About the Author

Jeff is a local Health & Wellness Coach. He is a graduate of Wellspring School of Allied Health with certifications as a Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist.