9 Superfoods and 10 Positive Habits

Brief description of the benefits of 9 superfoods, and 10 lifestyle habits to aid getting lean and healthy.

9 Super foods to enhance mood, lose weight and decrease fatigue – Inspired Dr. Frank Lipman

1.Blueberries

Tasty, sweet and packed with disease-fighting phytochemicals, flavonoids and soluble fibre, blueberries have the power to help prevent serious diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stomach ulcers and high blood pressure. In sum, blueberries are miraculous! They also help tame inflammation throughout the body and can reduce “bad” cholesterol – so dig in for better health. Blend blueberries into smoothies, but while most people think of blueberries for breakfast, they’re also perfect for dessert. Having a snack attack? Instead of ice cream, curl up with a small bowl of frozen blueberries and enjoy eating them one by one.

2.Leafy greens

What’s so amazing about the leafys that calorie for calorie, they deliver more nutrients than just about any other food on the planet. Loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, leafy greens stock your body with the artillery needed to fight off potential killers like heart disease and cancer. Simply put: leafys benefit virtually every cell you’ve got! My personal favorite leafy greens are kale, and spinach greens because they’re easy to get (washed bags in supermarket) nutritious AND delicious. You can toss them into virtually anything to boost nutrition. Raw or cooked, on their own or added to smoothies, omelets and sauces, leafys add health-sustaining doses of vitamins A, C, K, folate, potassium and calcium to every meal. For an easy added boost, try greens powder in your smoothies.

3.Dark Chocolate

Dairy-free chocolate, in moderation, is a delicious treat that actually does a body good. It can help elevate mood, improve blood flow and even lower blood pressure. It helps reduce inflammation and LDL “bad cholesterol,” and it’s loaded with antioxidants, which can help prevent cell damage, degenerative diseases and even cancer – all of which is good news for chocolate lovers. 

Keep in mind though; chocolate’s numerous health benefits are not a license to set up camp in the candy aisle. You have to manage your “dose,” keeping yours to a modest 2-4 pieces serving a few times a week. To maximize chocolate’s benefits, look for high-quality, dairy-free dark chocolate that’s at least 70% cocoa – and enjoy! My favourite is the Lindt EXCELLECE Chilli dark chocolate (100g).

4.Cruciferous vegetables

Want to lower your cancer risk? Put the cruciferous on your list, namely broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and bok choy. Research suggests cruciferous veggies have the ability to inhibit the growth of some types of cancer cells and even stop others by reducing the production of free radicals. How to stuff more of cruciferous veggies into your diet? Don’t wait ‘til dinner, start your day with them – try a kale based smoothie with blueberries, oats, yogurt, and other fruit – and put more healthy nutrients on your plate first thing, at the start of your day.

5.Beans

Dense and delicious, beans help raise levels of the hormone leptin, which curbs appetite. They also deliver a powerful combination of B vitamins, calcium, potassium and folate. All of this good stuff will help maintain healthy brain, cell and skin function, and even helps to reduce blood pressure and stroke risk.  To increase your intake, trying eating beans as a filling side-dish instead of bread or potatoes. They’ll help keep you feeling fuller longer and deliver an excellent source of sugar-free energy through much of your day.

6.Walnuts

Walnuts — you don’t need to eat a lot of them to tap into their power. Just a small handful a day will deliver a healthy dose of omega-3s, alpha-linolenic acid, melatonin, copper, manganese and the hard-to-find gamma-tocopherol form of vitamin E, which helps protect your heart. Walnuts on your plate may also protect your brain and help slow the onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Not a nut fan? Then try adding chopped walnuts to cereal or fruit, or blend in 2 tablespoons of organic walnut butter to fruit smoothies. Either way, you’ll still reap the benefits of the mighty walnut.

7.Avocado

Don’t be afraid of an avocado because you think it’s fattening! The often overlooked avocado is a delicious, creamy superfood that’s simply too health-boosting to skip. The myriad of healthy fats and nutrients found in avocados – oleic acid, lutein, folate, vitamin E, monounsaturated fats and glutathione among them – can help protect your body from heart disease, cancer, degenerative eye and brain diseases. Avocados also taste great and are easily integrated into any meal – or even a fruit smoothie.  Add a half an avocado to smoothies for a creamy texture and a powerful nutritional boost, or enjoy an avocado half as a nutritious “side” to your morning omelet instead of potatoes or toast.

8.Wild Salmon

Wild salmon is a rich source of protein, vitamin D, selenium, B2, B3, B6, B12 and those all-important omega-3 fatty acids. So exactly what can wild salmon offer you? Quite a bit, including protection from cancer, cardiovascular problems, macular degeneration, depression and cognitive decline – that’s a lot of pluses in a pretty compact package. The best salmon to buy? Wild caught, Alaskan salmon, which routinely ranks low in contaminants and high in nutrients. Wild salmon’s benefits start to kick in at about two servings a week, so there’s no need to overdo it. I buy canned Wild Pink salmon in tins at the supermarket (210g for just over $3) This is one of the most cost effective sources of getting Omega-3 rich protein.

9.Chia seeds

Chia seeds are tiny, nutritional dynamos – in fact, they’re the single richest source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids you can buy. They’re also loaded with antioxidants, protein and minerals, plus soluble and insoluble fiber to help keep your digestion moving in the right direction. What’s more, chia seeds have an unusual property – they swell to more than 5 times their weight in liquid, so adding a spoonful or two to meals will help you feel fuller faster. They’re virtually tasteless, so you can drop a spoonful or two into just about anything, including smoothies, sauces, soups and salads. But my favorite way to take advantage of this unusual superfood is to combine it with another superfood, i.e. chia seeds with a blueberry based smoothie.

10 Rules to live by to help with getting lean and healthy- Inspired by Cheryl Bigus

1.Keep a food journal. 

This is a tedious task (I know!) but it will give you clues to which foods you should keep eating and which ones might not be suited for your body. 

Here's what to include in your food journal: 

·         What you eat 

·         What you drink and how much

·         When you eat

·         How you felt while eating, and how you felt an hour later (include any changes in how you feel physically and emotionally). 

2.Drink a LOT of water. 

Good, clean water is the foundation of good health. It flushes toxins, maintains our body temperature, and lubricates and cushions our organs. 

3.Plan your meals ahead of time. 

Planning what you'll eat (and when) decreases the likelihood of eating whatever is around because you’re hungry. It also takes the stress out of feeding yourself. You save money and waste less food as well as increase the success of meeting your weight loss goals. Sit down with your partner and making a meal plan is a great foundation to removing temptation of poor food from your house.
 
4. Watch your portion sizes. 

Here is a fast and simple way to look at portions:

·         oils, fats, butter, cheese, condiments and dressings = size of your thumb

·         nuts and other healthy snacks = handful 

·         protein, meat, yogurt = size of your palm 

·         whole grain, starchy vegetables, vegetables and fruit = size of your fist

When I was injured in 2012, I was trying to lose a few of the extra kilo’s that had snuck up on as I was unable to run. Once I started to pay attention to portion sizes, something surprising happened: I realized that my body really didn't need all the food I'd been eating and that I was actually much more comfortable with a little less.
 
5. Don't diet. 

When you live in a restrictive way, your body perceives this lack of nutrients as starvation and it starts to store excess body fat. What you need to do is change you’re eating habits and your lifestyle—not go on a diet make your eating a lifestyle with small changes. Portion well and skip seconds (unless vege), pack healthy snacks, and eat your meals on a regular schedule. Eat between 5-10 servings of fruit and vege daily.

6.Ditch the negative self-talk and the haters. 

You are where you. As long as you keep taking action and treating yourself with kindness, your anxiety and stress levels about your excess weight will diminish. There will be haters in everything you say, do, and believe in your life. Learning to accept that they are entitled to their opinions but they have no bearing on your life is the only way you'll reach your goals. 
 

7.Carve time to de-stress and relax. 

Stressis the biggest saboteur of weight management. When you are under excess stress, your body kicks into emergency mode and releases cortisol, the stress hormone. You body thinks it has to fight or run, but then you do nothing but sit there and stew in your stress. This depletes your adrenals and your energy level as well as hinders proper digestion and your immune system and will ultimately sabotage your weight loss goals.
 
8. Sleep at least 7 hours a night. 

When you don't have long enough quality sleep, your body again releases excess cortisol into your bloodstream. This derails all the efforts that you make in the day to eat healthy and lose weight. Plus, since you're tired, you're more likely during the day to reach for something sugary or caffeinated.

9.Move your body! 

Sorry to give you a reality check on this one! You will be infinitely more successful in ALL your efforts if you stop sitting all day. Stand up every 40min for at least 5min if you have a sitting job, take stairs, throw in some body weight exercises when you have a spare 90sec (everyone has that spare in a day!) Find something that you like to do that is aerobic and do it, frequently and consistently as a base for your movement plan.
 
10. Be consistent in all your efforts.  

This is the #1 factor that will get you to any goal—small, consistent actions.We tend to treat everyone else better than we treat ourselves and our bodies. The biggest impact you can have on achieving your weight goals is to commit to yourself and be consistent, become a better version of you so you can then give more and be more.