Health & Nutrition

top-3-fruits-for-fat-loss-tips-to-eat-them-right

Top 3 Fruits for Fat Loss & Tips to Eat Them Right

You’ve probably heard about certain fruits that are great for fat loss, one of the most popular being grapefruit. While I’m not recommending you follow any of those celebrity fad diets or weight loss “secrets” out there (they’re dangerously low in calories), these fat-fighting fruits can be an excellent addition to your diet!

In order to see any sort of benefit, the fruits you’re consuming should be fresh, not dried, especially for losing 10 or more pounds. Why? Dried fruits have a higher concentration of sugar and more sugar = more fat retained! I also recommend skipping juices, they’re more concentrated in sugars with the fiber removed. Focus on whole, fresh fruit!

When eaten properly—that’s the key here—the fruits listed below can help you lose weight, but they also have so many other health benefits!

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Vitamin D: The Sunshine “Vitamin”

Vitamin D: The Sunshine “Vitamin”

Did you know that you’re a lot more like a plant than you realize? Not because you grow roots, and not because you have leaves or flowers, but because you actually have the ability to make one extremely vital nutrient out of sunlight, everyday. How’s that for cool?

The nutrient I’m talking about is called a “vitamin,” but it’s actually closer in structure and function to a hormone—it’s main jobs are to help you absorb calcium for strong bones and to boost your immune system to fight off illness.

The vital nutrient our body magically makes out of sunlight everyday is, of course, vitamin D.

It’s nicknamed the “sunshine vitamin” because our skin produces it when we’re exposed to UVB rays. When sunlight hits your skin, the UVB rays turn a type of cholesterol into vitamin D (just another reason we should get comfortable with the idea that we need cholesterol in our lives and in our bodies).

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5 Hidden Sugars (Even Paleo Foods Have Them!)

5 Hidden Sugars (Even Paleo Foods Have Them!)

Sugar seems to be everywhere, and most of us are consuming a lot more than we really should be. Why? Because they’re hidden in foods that most people wouldn’t expect. It’s not just desserts and sodas that we have to worry about. Some of these are even found in Paleo-friendly foods!

The current dietary guidelines suggest women limit daily sugar intake to 25 grams of sugar (6 tsp) and 36 grams for men (9 tsp). One large apple alone has 23 grams of sugar, so we really can’t afford all these “hidden” sugars.

Some obvious places that we’ll find sugars include cereal, we usually skip it when we’re eating Paleo, granola bars same story. Protein bars almost always have added sugar and a whole slew of other bad ingredients.

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Green Chimichurri Sauce

Homemade Green Chimichurri Sauce

Chimichurri is an amazing flavor sensation that hits the sour, salty, and bitter notes in a way that can make the most simple of dishes sing. Originally from Argentina, chimichurri comes in both red and green varieties. The kind I love the most (and use most often) is green chimichurri.

This bright, flavorful sauce is exceptionally amazing on steak and other red meat, as well as chicken. It can be a little overpowering for lighter fish, but it tastes so good that you might not mind it 😉

You can find chimichurri sauce in most grocery stores, but store bought sauces can be full of preservatives and high in sodium. Instead, I suggest making it yourself. It honestly couldn’t be easier to make and you probably already have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already! So gather them up, grab your food processor, and give it a try!

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How to Make Homemade Nut Butter

How to Make Homemade Nut Butter

Making your own nut butter from almonds, pecans, or walnuts probably sounds like a bit of a fantasy, but when you imagine the reality, do you think it seems daunting? Well, I have news for you… Making your own homemade nut butter is super. Frickin. Easy.

I’m serious! When I found out that I was sensitive to almonds, I doubled down on buying sunflower seed spread and ate it daily until I had eaten so much of it that it started to taste weird to me. I thought that meant I had to go without spreadable goodness, because making my own homemade nut butter would take too much time and just be too hard. WRONG!

When I finally decided to take a crack at it, I was pleasantly shocked at just how simple it is, and just how yummy the results could be! Plus, it’s way cheaper than ordering specialty nut butters online or buying them in stores (if you can even find them in stores). Give it a try, you’ll be glad you did!

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The #1 Super Seed That Could Save Your Brain

The #1 Super Seed That Could Save Your Brain

Brain health is related to the way the rest of your body functions. You can eat what you consider to be a healthy diet, but if your brain isn’t functioning optimally the rest of your systems aren’t going to be able to “turn on” all the way. This affects how you absorb your nutrients, your metabolism, your energy!

The brain really needs healthy fats, something that seeds contain. But they also contain lignans, compounds found in plants that are fatty acids, that sometimes act as powerful antioxidants

The “super seed” we’re talking about today might be surprising. Do you think you know what it is?

Not chia, hemp, or flax…The super seed I’m talking about is sesame seeds.

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