Shedd’n Off The Weight For Summer!
Power breakfasts: If you have a crazy schedule, breakfast and lunch are usually a light grab while dinner’s your one big helping of comfort. But recent research shows that if you flip that all around and eat most of your calories early in the day, you can drop more than just a couple pounds in just a month! Here are some tips on creating the most effective meals that will allow you to indulge AND lose!
1. Add lean protein early at breakfast time. Protein gives you a bigger metabolic boost than carbohydrates and fats and helps you feel full longer. Examples include: a scoop of Vega protein mix to your favourite smoothie, egg-white veggie omelette, or hot cereal with chopped almonds!
2. Choose thirst quenching foods in the morning like a fruit salad (room temperature), herbal tea, green drinks (wheat grass), oatmeal or congee. Upon waking one is often thirsty but not hungry because of dehydration during sleep.
3. Begin your day with a warm meal. In Chinese Medicine, between 7-9 am is the interval where the stomach is working at its prime to start the day. Morning meals should therefore be warm and prepared with ample water to allow energy to rise and your mind to be clear. When you eat something too cold in temperature it will contract your stomach sometimes making you feel ill with stomach pains or cramps. Cold natured foods also make you feel bloated and slow down digestion giving you a sluggish start to your day. Opt for a cup of warm ginger or green tea instead of tall glass of soymilk with breakfast.
Hearty Lunches: Is your salad making you fat? Choosing salad for lunch sounds healthy but watch out it’s very easy to pile on the extra saturated fats, sodium and calories with your virtuous greens! Here are some hints to lighten up your greens while satisfying your mid-day appetite!
1. Skip super salty foods even if you aren’t required to restrict your salt intake. Avoid getting bloated in the summer heat. Omit the bacon bits, processed meat like ham and sausage and ask for dressing on the side. Opt for lightly seasoned chicken breast or fish and go easy with the crumpled feta cheese and olives. If making a home-made salad, try sprinkling seaweed. Seaweed is high in sodium and minerals but doesn’t contribute to water retention. In fact it is high in iodine which can stimulate your thyroid to boost your metabolism. It is an ideal substitute for salt!
2. Dress your salad with healthy fats or whole fat foods instead of commercial salad dressings loaded with hydrogenated fats and preservatives. Most of us enjoy that rich fatty feeling in our mouth because fats are tasty, simply delicious and leaves us feeling full and satisfied. Healthy examples of fatty foods you can top your salad with include avocado, toasted almonds, pecans, sunflower or hemp seeds. Drizzle greens with cold-pressed unrefined Udo’s oil, flax, hemp or olive oils and add your own herbs and seaweed to your salad for extra zest. Be aware that some people are sensitive to digesting oils in its isolated state. It is a common misunderstanding that everyone must religiously consume the recommended daily dose of isolated omega-3 oils. However in general, foods in its whole form are best digested. For example the whole avocado, the whole nut with all its fibres and mineral, the whole olive seed or coconut in its whole form is optimal!
3. Make lunch your largest meal with greatest variety. So feel free to have your biggest serving of whole grains breads, brown rice or pasta at noon!
4. Always mix hot and cold natured foods. In TCM, food energetics is crucial for optimal digestion. A common mistake in the summer time is to fill up entirely on cold-temperature and cooling natured foods to cool off the heat. Too much can lead to bloating, gas, stomach distension and discomfort the rest of the afternoon. Examples of lunch combos that have balanced food energetic are: grilled steak on spinach salad, cold sushi with wasabi and ginger, warm soup with raw salad, or toasted whole grain sandwich with veggies and mustard.
Downsized dinners: Dinner should be the smallest meal, cooked, contain concentrated proteins and the least carbohydrates. Food combining and order of ingestion is also critical for optimal digestion at the end of the day! Here are some helpful hints!
1. Combine protein meal with non-starchy vegetables. This is the optimal combination for your last meal of the day. Examples include fish/chicken with steamed veggies, steak with grilled mushrooms.
2. Eat protein foods first. Highest protein foods have priority because they require copious stomach acids, where as starches by comparison use very little. If protein rich foods are eaten after starches and other foods, stomach acids will not be sufficient for their digestion.
3. Opt for starches combined with non-starchy vegetables as a 1-pot meal. If you do crave starchy meals at the end of the day, try pasta with mushroom and olive oil. Skip the protein. Often mixing proteins with heavy starches and fats is difficult for the body to digest especially at the end of the day.
4. Choose healthy frozen dinners: Frozen dinners can be ideal for a hectic schedule and if chosen wisely. I recommend Amy’s Organic Frozen Entrees. They are often made from organic whole foods and contain balanced nutrition with minimal sodium, calories and saturated fats.
5. Eat fruits alone or 2 hours after a large meal: Fruits are best eaten alone or after a couple hours after dinner. Fruits and desserts are high in simple sugars and digest quickly. If they are eaten right after a high carb/protein meal, its quick digestion is blocked and will be left to ferment especially with acidic foods. This often makes you feel bloated and uncomfortable right before bed.
These guidelines are designed for you to get the most nutrition and satisfaction out of your everyday meals while losing weight and getting in shape for summer. Happy eating and good luck!