The Diet Matrix

If you workout before eating your first meal of the day, you have the best chance of easily managing your weight. You burn more body fat, as much as three times more, when you exercise in the morning than you do at any time during the day.

Make sure to drink lots of water all day long. Ideally you should drink up to sixteen glasses of water. That is 64 ounces. Water cleanses toxins from your body, clears your complexion and it raises your metabolism. A higher metabolism helps you burn more calories more quickly, so it is great for keeping the weight off.

Tradition demands that we honor our family, culture, heritage, and country with celebrations throughout the year. Each season and holiday has its traditional favorite foods — and they’re usually high in calories and fat. After all, what would the Fourth of July be without a backyard barbeque? And Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be same without turkey, dressing, and sweet potatoes.

The key to enjoying these foods while eating healthfully is to give a new twist to your old favorites. Our experts share lighter versions of their favorite family recipes, as well as cooking techniques to help you prepare delightful holiday foods without all the extra calories.

You can also take advantage of nature’s bounty with healthful recipes that feature foods in season. Summer brings fresh berries, melons, tomatoes, and many other fruits and vegetables. Fall gives us cranberries, pumpkins, beans, squash, and crisp apples. Winter is a time to enjoy soups, stews, and slow-cooked meals that fill the house with enticing aromas. In spring, we savor lettuce, artichokes, asparagus, new potatoes, and more.

You’ll find that it’s not only possible, but easy, to make changes to your time-honored recipes to keep traditions alive while eating lighter and healthier.

5 Healthy Holiday Foods

1. Pumpkin – Pumpkin is rich in Vitamin A and also provides fiber. Pumpkin seeds are high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids (the good fats). Pumpkin itself is quite low in calories and is a healthy holiday food. Pumpkin pie, however, becomes a high-calorie food because it’s made with eggs, sugar, evaporated milk and baked in a high-fat pie crust. To make a lower-fat pumpkin pie, you may consider using an egg substitute, light cream or low-fat evaporated milk in your recipe. Go for a pie crust with the lowest amount of trans fat possible. Better yet, try a home-made pie crust recipe that is not made with shortening.

2. Cranberries – Cranberries are packed with Vitamin C and also provide a fair amount of dietary fiber and manganese. Cranberries also contain proanthocyanidins, a type of antioxidant that can prevent the adhesion of bacteria to the urinary tract sometimes causing urinary tract infections.

3. Sweet Potato – Sweet Potato is a rich source of antioxidants such as Vitamin C and beta-carotene. Similar to the banana, it is also an excellent source of potassium. If you eat the skin, you will also reap the health benefits of fiber, making the sweet potato a healthy holiday food.

4. Turkey – In addition to being an excellent source of protein, turkey offers the least amount of fat per serving, among all other meats, if you pass on the skin.

5. Green Beans – Green beans are probably one of the healthiest holiday foods out there. They are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K (important in bone health) and manganese. They also contain a good amount of vitamin A, dietary fiber, potassium, folate, and iron. Green bean casserole in a traditional Thanksgiving meal is rather high in calories as it contains butter, cream of mushroom and cheese. Prepare this dish with lower-fat version of these ingredients such as fat-free cream of mushroom and light butter and you will be able to enjoy the yummy taste without the guilt!

The New Year is here! One New Year’s resolution that most people have on their list is to Lose Weight. But unfortunately for some, trying to lose weight can be a very tough thing to do and your resolve to achieve your goal will certainly be put to the test. The good news is, weight loss does not have to be difficult. With the right mindset, it is possible to lose weight and keep it off. Here are 10 easy to follow weight loss tips to help you in this process. Weight Loss Tip 1 night to dismember a download Focus on small changes each step of the way. Weight loss is not simply a diet change, but a lifestyle change as well. Since this can be overwhelming, try and start our with baby steps. Like, instead of signing-up for a full year’s membership at a gym, try it for a couple of months, and work from there. See how it goes. Or start out with a short walk around the block three or four times a week for thirty minutes. Get started with something you can easily do, and quickly get used to then push the limit up a bit, once you are comfortable with what you are doing. Weight Loss Tip 2 watch fist of the warrior aka lesser of three evils online Eat 100% organic, virgin, and unrefined coconut oil. Research show that this going to be helpful for those trying to lose weight. Weight Loss Tip 3 An apple a day keeps the doctor away? You have heard that before right? Try to make apples a daily staple. Apples decrease appetite and stabilize blood sugar. Eat at least one apple per day. Weight Loss Tip 4 The Odd Couple dvd Say goodbye to fast food. These are loaded with harmful fats, preservatives, and chemicals. If you have no choice but eat out, pick out something healthy from the menu like a large salad, a baked potato, and broiled meats instead of fried food. Weight Loss Tip 5 Do a liver cleanse. Many people have livers which are clogged and not working efficiently. Health food stores carry a variety of cleansing products. Weight Loss Tip 6 Use organic apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar helps to eliminate fat cells from the body. Take a few teaspoons prior to each meal. Apple cider vinegar can also be found in health food stores. Weight Loss Tip 7 If you are fond of spicy food, this is something you will probably enjoy. Add hot pepper to food. Hot peppers not only increase body metabolism, but also help the body burn off fat more efficiently. Weight Loss Tip 8 Try and make it a habit to have a large organic salad for lunch and dinner. If salad dressing is used, it should be organic olive oil, organic vinegar, and fresh organic lemon juice. Weight Loss Tip 9 Stay away from refined food such as sugar and enriched products such as white flour, white rice, white bread, and pasta that is not organic or whole grain. These have no nutritional value. Weight Loss Tip 10 Stay positive! Don’t say “I’m going to try to lose weight”, but “I will lose weight and feel great.” Be committed to staying on course and making these necessary lifestyle and dietary changes. Weight loss does not have to be overwhelming and difficult. Try to get started with just a few steps of those mentioned above, so you do not get overwhelmed, then when you can… give the other steps a go.