Friday, April 24, 2009

Quick Snack Tips For The Office

1.Set your alarm ten minutes earlier than usual and use the extra time to make a packed lunch. Include whole grains, lean protein and vegetables. It needn’t be complicated: how about a turky and lettuce sandwich on whole meal bread, with a handful of cherry tomatoes on the side?

2.Buy five pieces of fruit at the start of the week – bananas, apples, pears –Keep them on your desk and eat one each day.

3.Keep a water bottle on your desk. We all know we should drink more water, but it’s easy to get absorbed in work. Take regular sips – staying hydrated will help you concentrate, and ensure you don’t mistake mild thirst for hunger pangs, Add lemon juice for extra Antioxidant.

4.Cut down on caffeine. Switch one of your daily cups of coffee for an herbal tea.

5. Leave your office at lunch time. Go for a brisk walk, or ask your nearest gym for a free day pass and check out their facilities. How about inviting a friend to join you? If you really can’t get out, make some time before or after work to exercise – cycle or walk to work, if you can.

6.Cut the cookies or snack cakes. Do you work in an office where there’s a communal cookie tin – or where peers are constantly bringing in cakes to celebrate birthdays? Buy a box of low-fat cereal bars, keep them in your desk drawer, and munch on one of those instead when you hear the cookie tin calling your name.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Eat More of these for a Flat Belly!

What if someone told you that you need to eat more foods to get your belly down? How would you react? But it’s true in some case an increase in calories is needed to speed up a metabolism. But what kind of food should you eat more of that will help control your midsection? Here are a few foods for you to add to your next shopping list. What could be better? Eating and working on your waist line!!!!


Shoot for a C: Research has found that foods that are naturally rich in vitamin C—like citrus fruit, cantaloupe and red peppers—can help reduce fat absorption. In fact, skip it and you may see your middle expand, since diets low in vitamin C have been linked to bigger waistlines. Meet your daily goal of 75 milligrams by snacking on an orange or a cup of strawberries.

Have a Tea Party: Women with the highest consumption of catechins, the plant-based antioxidants in Green or white tea that may boost fat burn, put on fewer pounds over 14 years than those who drank less tea, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals. Try to choose green or white varieties, which contain the most catechins.

Going Banana’s: For a long time people wouldn't eat banana because of the sugar content. I always told my clients to eat every fruit God created, it has a purpose. And now here's proof, by eating a banana you'll stop the midsection bloating faster than ever. The fruit contains 422 mg of potassium, which controls the amount of puff-producing sodium in your body. Grab some from your fruit section or street vendor for great tasting ab-flattening snack. Plus, with about 105 calories per banana, it’s a great pick me up as well.

Whole-grain bread Researchers from Penn State found that dieters who ate at least five servings of whole grains while following a low-calorie diet shed 24 percent more abdominal fat than those who averaged the same number of calories but ate refined grains. To up your intake, swap your cornflakes for oatmeal. Check your ingredients to make sure Whole grain is first on the list or is the only thing on the list.

For you Chocolate loves out there:, my friend Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, the former nutrition director at Prevention and co author of the Flat Belly Diet, states the secret ingredient in the Flat Belly Diet that whittles away belly fat is the addition of a monounsaturated fat, or MUFA, at every meal. MUFAs are found in olives, avocados, nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, soybean, flax, and olive and sunflower oils. "Research shows that MUFAs have health benefits and target belly fat. They also help control satiety, so by adding in one MUFA at meals and snacks it is easier to stick with the plan and lose belly fat," explains co-author Sass.

Stroll away your sweet craving: Now if you are have to much of a chocolate craving and know you have hit your limit already. This is for you. Studies has shown that “Chocolate lovers” who walked for 15 minutes reported reduced chomping down dark delight during the walk and even afterward. I wonder if this trick will work when my wife bakes her chocolate chip cookies!! -- the best!