Whether your goal is to ditch the unwanted love handles, avoid being body shamed, get a chiseled physique to impress your significant other, or just to enhance your overall well being, we’ve got you covered! There are many fad diets that claim to be your shortcut to weight loss but they more often than not make you eliminate an entire food group and end up being nutritionally unbalanced. There are many components that come into play during weight loss. It’s not effective to just stick to one meal plan and put the other components on the back burner. If you want to live a healthier life when shedding weights, read on for more tips.

Detox: Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated is the best way to flush the toxins out of your body, make you appear more radiant, and boost metabolism. Juice cleansing has taken the world by storm and even the less health-conscious individuals are slowly jumping on the bandwagon. We highly recommend drinking cold-pressed juice regularly to remove the toxin from your body, purify your skin, and boost the immune system. Cold-pressed juice is made by using the hydraulic process to extract the juice from vegetables and fruits and since there’s no heat produced during the process, it keeps the nutrients intact and kills off the unwanted bacteria. It has been shown to combat chronic illnesses and aid weight loss.

Meal Breakdown

A balanced intake of macronutrients like protein, fat, and carbohydrates is essential. If you completely eliminate one macronutrient from your diet, you may wind up with nutrition deficiency. Some fad diets suggest you restrict your intake of carbohydrates whereas the Dietary Guideline for Americans recommends having a diet of 1,200 calories a day with at least 130 grams of carbohydrates to maintain your brain and central nervous system functions. There’s no one size fits all for weight loss and health so tailor your own meal plan instead of recklessly following the trend.

Use Mindfulness to Lay Off Unhealthy Habits

Psychiatrist and addiction expert Judson Brewer suggests that we can use mindfulness to harness our brain’s habit-forming process to build more nourishing habits and lay off unhealthy cravings. Our habits are more often than not formed and triggered by context-dependent memory. The best way to lay off unhealthy habits is through acknowledging and being mindful of the repercussions of our unhealthy habits. The learning process is called negative reinforcement. For instance, you can quit smoking by being mindful of how you hate the smell of it and then transform the wisdom into behavior. By being disenchanted with your behavior, the prefrontal cortex, the youngest part of our brain will understand on an intellectual level that the behavior is unhealthy and help us suppress the cravings.

Get Enough Sleep

It goes without saying that sleep is incredibly important. Studies have shown that short sleep duration can lead to heart disease, obesity, and weight fluctuation. Try to meditate before sleep using meditation apps to guide you through the experience, or think of five small things that you’re grateful for for the day. Showing gratitude is the gateway to mindfulness and the best way to release stress.

We are all somewhat familiar the gym rat stereotype – shredded bodybuilders knocking back a protein shake after coming out of the gym with blood pumping through their veins. Whey protein might be foreign to those with sedentary lifestyle but the truth is it doesn’t just belong to the bodybuilders’ world. Don’t be deferred from the stereotype, whey protein doesn’t just help increase strength or build muscles but also serves as a powerful tool during weight loss. That being said, you can whip up a whey protein smoothie too to supplement your diet even if you’re not so much of a regular gym goer.

What’s Whey Protein?

For those who didn’t know, milk actually contains two types of protein – casein and whey. Whey is derived from milk and produced as a byproduct during the cheese production process, then gets processed and sold as chocolate or strawberry flavoured powder. Different types of whey protein like concentrate, isolate and hydrolysate contain different levels of protein and digestibility. You can add whey protein to your breakfast smoothie with avocado, vegetables or fruits. If chugging protein shake smoothie doesn’t quite float your boat, then you can considering making protein bars, oatmeal or even pancakes and pizza infused with whey protein.

Why’s Whey Protein Good for Weight Loss?

Whey protein has been shown to aid weight loss by reving up metabolism and suppressing munchies. Whey protein contains many bioactive compounds, such as glymocro peptide which has been shown to increase the gut hormone that is instrumental in enhancing satiety. Munchies are usually caused by a massive spike of glucose and insulin level after a meal loaded with carbs. Whey protein plays an important role in helping you curb cravings and keep your hunger in check by releasing incretins to promote steady blood glucose. It also helps to maintain muscle mass during weight loss. In short, taking whey protein is the best way to regulate hunger, stabIlise blood glucose and ditch weights

Other Health Benefits of Whey Protein

Whey protein is touted as the best studied and most nutrient-dense supplement that can enhance overall health. Apart from aiding weight loss by boosting metabolism and suppressing appetite, whey protein also helps prevent our muscle mass from declining with age as it contains a type of amino acids called laucine that doesn’t just help suppress appetite but also can promote muscle growth. Taking whey protein also helps cut the risk of getting chronic inflammation as it has been shown to reduce blood levels of C-reactive protein. Other health benefits of whey protein include strengthening the body’s antioxidant defenses and regulating blood pressure, etc

If you’ve tried most of the fad diets and fat-burning exercises, but you’re still not shedding fats, chances are your thyroid gland is not producing enough hormones to control metabolism. An under-active thyroid gland can cause water retention, weight gain and many other health problems, such as muscle pain, dry mouth and skin, and even some types of cancer. What you can do is stock up on the supplements that provide you the mineral called iodine to regulate your metabolic functions. The best way to get the minerals into your system is to take iodine supplements along with the meal you’re having. Check out the list of iodine sources if you’re diagnosed with iodine deficiency (It’s best to consult your physician before you take them). Just a side note, bear in mind that having too much iodine can take a toll on your thyroid health too, so it’s important to consult your doctor and get it checked out first.

Kombu Kelp

Kelp is the natural and plant-based source of iodine. If you take iodine in a synthetic way, your system might not be able to absorb it efficiently, so it’s vital to take iodine along with the meal you’re having. Kelp is influential in absorbing iodine into your system. Dubbed as “the king of seaweeds”, kombu is the Japanese name for dried sea kelp that is loaded with nutrients like vitamins, calcium and particularly iodine.

Nascent Iodine

Touted as the most consumable and absorbable iodine, nascent iodine is the atomic form of iodine that helps maintain metabolism, brain function, boost our energy and auto-regulate the internal environment in a stable state. Its iodine is more readily absorbed or bioavailable than the others’ because it’s recognised as the precursor of thyroid hormone. It can also be used to combat harmful infections and enhance the overall health.

Potassium Iodine

Usually comes in tablets or liquid, potassium iodine is a salt of non-radioactive iodine that helps prevent our thyroid gland from absorbing radioactive iodine that can cause detrimental effect on our thyroid gland. Apart from keeping our iodine level in check, potassium iodine can also help reduce the risk of getting arthritis which often stems from iodine deficiency, and prevent weight gain associated with hormonal balance. It also filters out the harmful substances like fluoride and mercury from our cells and tissues.

Lugol’s Solution Iodine

Known as one of most common iodine supplement and panacea, lugol’s solution iodine is touted to combat many diseases, boost immune system and stimulate the body’s ability to lose weight by replenishing iodine stores. Since it contains potassium iodine, it can also block the radioactive iodine and reduce the risk of thyroid cancer. It also serves as pre-operative treatment for those who need to undergo thyroid removal.

Foods That Are Rich In Iodine

Bear in mind that you only need the supplements if you’re diagnosed with underactive thyroid gland or can’t absorb enough iodine from food. In fact, there are many foods that we take on daily basis are rich in iodine, such as dairy products like yoghurt and cheese, iodized salt that can be bought in grocery stores, shrimp and tuna, etc.

When we eat, we usually do so not just to get our stomachs full to avoid starving to death but also so as to get something in return. The more nutritious the food is the better it is for our health. So which exactly are super foods? These are foods that have a lot of benefits with some of them being such as helping to lose weight, enabling us to meet all our minerals and vitamin needs, helping the body not to age faster, and helping to prevent chronic diseases, among many other benefits.

The following are examples of super foods which have mega doses of vitamins and nutrients which when combined with physical exercises, they help you lose weight fast and stay healthy throughout.

• Salmon and Sardines. These foods are very important sources of omega-3 fats which are ideal for your heart & brain and proteins. It is estimated that a single salmon serving has up to 20 grams of protein which can help you when looking to lose or manage your weight as you will not be tempted to eat snacks since you will be full.
• Seeds and nuts. Some of the most nutritious nuts and seeds include pistachios, chia seeds, almonds, and pine nuts, among others. Chia seeds for example when consumed, they usually expand creating a jelly-like substance in your stomach which makes you feel full which is very helpful to people who are looking to lose weight as they will not have to keep eating snacks. Almonds, on the other hand, are a good source of protein, fiber, and omega-3.
• Even though avocados are fruits, they are usually extremely nutritious which makes them appear in this category of super foods. They have lots of potassium, vitamin K, vitamin C, and are also very rich in heart-friendly monounsaturated fats.
• Vegetables which have high fiber. These veggies are such as kales, chilies, beans, spinach, and broccoli. Broccoli is ideal for weight loss as it helps us to reduce calories while at the same time adding our body more nutrients while kales also have lots of minerals & vitamins, and is low in calories helping you to feel satisfied which is very important when looking to lose or even to maintain your weight.
• Sweet potatoes. These root veggies are not only tasty but are also full of vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin A, which is very essential as it helps us to maintain a healthy vision and to boost our immune system, therefore keeping diseases at bay.
• These include fruits such as pears, apples, goji berries, oranges, blueberries, and bananas. Blueberries, for example, are great when it comes to weight loss as they not only rich in antioxidants but they also have lots of water and are high in fiber which helps to reduce appetite. Goji berries, on the other hand, have almost 12 times the levels of antioxidants found in blueberries; they also have lots of nutrients which have plenty of health benefits.

However, the good news is that you are not totally powerless and you can overcome emotional eating by practicing techniques that help you cultivate mindfulness.

One of the best ways to stop eating junk food is avoid buying foods that are toxic to your health. keep in mind that if you keep good fresh food in your fridge, you end up eating fresh food and if you buy junk crappy food instead, you end up eating junk crappy food.

Mindful grocery shopping is the main strategy behind overcoming emotional eating. As a rule of thumb make sure not to go grocery shopping when you are hungry and read the products’ labels carefully.

Also remember that you don’t need to eat perfect meals every time, you can let yourself off the hook once in a while, but most of the time, you should try to give your body nutrient-dense superfoods that are packed with micronutrients, phytochemicals and antioxidants .

Keep in mind that “obesity or emotional eating isn’t just about what you eat. It’s also about what’s eating you”.

Have you lately been stressed at work or depressed with your personal life? Well, emotional eating has a lot to do with the fact that you are not happy with the stage of your life at the moment.

The best thing to do is to get to know your mood triggers and take full responsibility for what’s happening in your life. Keep in mind that every challenge or negative experience is also an opportunity to grow and learn from past failures.

Give yourself enough time to heal and set yourself up for success. Also challenge your thoughts and the way you think. Keep in mind that positivity is a choice and you can choose and control your thoughts. Remember that if you could discipline your mind and body, then everything else becomes possible.

According to researchers, depending on your lifestyle choices (such as diet, exercise, stress, anxiety, or environmental toxins) somewhere between 10,000 to 100,00 free radicals attack our living cells.

Nutrient-dense superfoods are packed with valuable micronutrients, phytochemicals and antioxidants and can improve overall health and longevity. They could also significantly lower the risk of chronic diseases and reduce the damage from free radicals and toxins.

As they say “the food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison”.

Food is the most powerful medicine and has the power to heal us or harm us. Keep in mind that the organic farmer is more important to your children’s health than the pediatrician.

You should add nutrient-dense superfoods to your diet on a regular basis and cut junk foods, processed foods, fried foods, sugary foods and foods that have artificial sweeteners, coloring, additives and preservatives.

Here are the top 10 superfoods that you should add to your diet on a regular basis:

1. Green leafy vegetables: such as kale, broccoli, celery and cabbage
2. Berries: Blueberries, goji berries, raspberries, and strawberries
3. Superfruits: Pineapple, mango and papaya
4. Raw organic cacao beans
5. Nuts and seeds: walnut, sesame seeds and flaxseed
6. Super-spices: Cinnamon, ginger, cayenne pepper, saffron and turmeric
7. Superherbs: Basil, mint, and parsley
8. Spirulina and chlorella
9. Seaweed
10. Avocado