What to eat to LOSE FAT

It is time to get REAL about your health and EAT REAL FOOD.

What is real food? Some of us do not know anymore. Firstly, it rarely comes in a packet and secondly, it does not have a long shelf life. People tell me every day they know how to eat ‘healthy’, so why don’t they? Real food does not take longer to prepare, nor is it more expensive if you know where and how to buy it. I will help you decipher which foods are the best foods to eat for fat loss so that you too can take charge of your weight and health! Keep in mind no one is overweight because they calculated the wrong serving sizes, but because they consume too many low-quality foods like starches and sweets. So just use this as a guide when choosing your meals for the day! Do not focus on ‘eating less’, focus on eating more, much more, better food (not food-like products!).

“If it’s made in the garden then I eat it. If it’s made in the lab then it takes a lab to digest.

If it has a shelf life longer than me then I don’t eat it.”

~ Kris Carr from the Hungry for Change Film

INCREASE Non-Starchy Vegetables by 2 more servings per day (Aim to build to 10+/day)

NON-STARCHY VEGETABLES
Alfalfa Sprouts 1 medium Green leafy
(Collard, mustard,
beet, dandelion, turnip
greens, Kale, Bok Choy,
Chard)
1 cup
Arugula 1 cup Green Beans 1 cup
Asparagus 6 spears Herbs (Chives, Lemon
Grass, Parsley)
1 tablespoon
Avocado 1/5 or 2 tablespoons Leeks ½ cup
Bean Sprouts 1 cup Mixed greens 1 cup
Beetroot ½ cup Mushrooms 2 handfuls
Broccoli 5 florets Onion 4 pieces
Brussels Sprouts 1 cup Peas/ Sugar Snap Peas/
Snow Peas
1 cup
Cabbage 1 cup Pumpkin 1 cup
Carrots 1 large carrot/8 baby
carrots
Romaine Lettuce 1 cup
Capsicum 1 medium to large Shallot 1 tablespoon
Cauliflower ½ cup Spinach 1 heaping cup or ½ cup
cooked spinach
Celery 5 sticks Squash 1 cup
Cucumber 1/3 Continental
1 Lebanese
Tomatoes 1 whole tomato/5
cherry tomatoes
Eggplant 1 cup Zucchini 1 cup
Endive 1 head

Why?

One serving of non-starchy vegetables usually contains 5 grams of carbohydrate, 2 grams of protein, no fat (except avocado) and only 25 calories. Basically, anything other than corn, potatoes, turnips, yams, parsnips, radishes, and vegetables that grow below ground fall under the Non-Starchy Vegetable category. These others should be treated like starch and eaten sparingly.

Choose a wide variety of non-starchy vegetables of all colours, preferably fresh and in season, however sometimes frozen products like peas, spinach and berries are good as they are picked when ripe. Organic produce is preferred when the skin is thin or eaten, others are less affected by spray as their skins are removed before consumption. To read more about the ‘Dirty Dozen’ and ‘Clean Fifteen’ go to The Environmental Working Group, or check out this list. To save time, money and maximise quality, buy in bulk from local fruit or farmers markets. Markets will normally have what is in season, so tailor your weekly meals to what is available. To find out where your nearest market is, go to Australian Farmers Market Association.

If you struggle to consume all the recommended number of veggies, try extracted or blended juices. Choose fresh juice that is predominately non-starchy vegetables with small amounts of fruit. Of course, it is preferable to consume the veggies whole, to avoid removing the fibre and leaving a concentrated juice, but juicing is great for kids (and adults) who need to have some flavours ‘hidden’. A great way to detoxify your liver is to start each day with a green smoothie or juice (rather than hitting the coffee first up!).

Non-starchy vegetables are more satisfying and satiating than dry, fibre free starch so by filling up on high quality foods, you have less room for the poor quality, low nutritious, high calorie junk. When we eat high satiety foods, we get much more nutrition and become full much more quickly. More food and more nutrition are entirely different from less food and feeling hungry. Water, fibre, and protein make food more satiating and stretch our stomach and digestive organs about 30 times more than dry starch. So real foods high in these and low in calories are the best for fat loss. For example, 1 cup of spinach contains 7 calories, whereas 1 cup of white rice contains 205 and 1 cup of
enriched wheat flour has 495 calories.

Spinach= 7 calories

Spinach= 7 calories

White rice = 205 calories

White rice = 205 calories

Wheat flour = 495 calories

Wheat flour = 495 calories

It is important to understand that losing fat is not merely about balancing calories in and calories out. Calories are not created equally. For example, 250 calories of broccoli are not the same as 250 calories of chocolate. The key to nutrition is concentrating on the quality of the calories, but often we are told of the quantity of the nutrients in the food (as seen on the ingredients list or nutritional table). For example, if I compare 1 cup of spinach against 1 cup of flour, then assess the nutrients per cup, then the flour wins in majority of the recommended daily values. But if I compare 250 calories of spinach (about 35 cups) against 250 calories of enriched flour (~2 cups) and assess the nutrients per cup then spinach is dramatically more nutritious in every way! It is much more useful and accurate to view foods on nutrition not just calories alone.

How

     Include vegetables in meals where you do not typically eat them (like breakfast!).

    • Add 1-2 handfuls of spinach or broccoli to your breakfast smoothie! Or try the RYR Green Protein Smoothie
    • Add mushrooms, asparagus and spinach with your eggs instead of toast.
    • Make an omelette with capsicum, tomato and spinach.

      Try a veggie juice instead of a coffee for an instant energy boost. See recipes Perfect Green Juice and Morning Glory

      Snack on carrot, celery and cucumber instead of fruit or sweets for morning or afternoon tea.

      Have a homemade vegetable soup as part of a meal or snack. See recipe Roast Pumpkin & Carrot Soup

      Eat a salad! They are fresh, crunchy, nutritious and delicious. Do not always feel the need to follow a recipe, just chop up finely all the things you have in your fridge.

My favourites are:

    • Skin Beauty Salad
    • Superfood Green Tabouli
    • Shredded Rainbow Salad
    • Mediterranean Kale Salad
    • Zucchini, Mint & Feta Quinoa Salad

      If you are already a big vegetable eater, try adding just one more serve to your diet or add ones that you’ve never tried before. Add 1-2 handfuls of spinach to soup, serve your dinner on a green bed of kale! (I prefer the taste of fresh kale (stalks removed) that is finely chopped with salt and pepper over steamed) Try the Moroccan Style Baked Veggies.

      Always order vegetables with your dinner when dining out.

      Go green! Set yourself a challenge to eat as many green foods for one day! In 2013, my clients and I did a green challenge for St Patrick’s Day.

      Cover at least ½ your plate with non-starchy vegetables before anything else.

      Make healthy alternatives for common starchy meals by replacing the starch with vegetables. Try Vegetable Spaghetti, Raw Pad Thai Salad, San Choy Bow, Low Carb Cauliflower Fried Rice – you can adapt this recipe to include whatever veggies you have in the fridge. Oh and I often just throw the egg in at the end to make it even easier!

Drink 2 litres of water everyday

Why?

The most effective fat loss supplement is WATER. Forget about super foods, protein powders, fat metabolisers and other expensive powders and pills. You could always be slimmer, fuller and healthier by drinking more water. Studies show that the more water we drink the more body fat we burn – the water decreases the concentration of various substances in our blood,which consequently increases our ability to burn body fat. Aim for 8 glasses a day at least, the more the better. Your urine will indicate the need for more water – if it is not clear or you are thirsty then you need to drink more water! Drinking a glass of water before every meal will also help determine whether you are hungry or in fact dehydrated! Sometimes our body cannot tell the difference.

Another way to increase your water intake is to start drinking more green tea. The polyphenols in green tea have been shown to prevent all sorts of diseases and infections such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The interaction of green tea’s polyphenols, caffeine and the hormone noradrenalin are thought to be the key to green tea’s unique body fat burning effect.

Other fluids like coffee without milk or sugar is fine if you limit your intake to no more than 600mg (~4 cups) a day. Caffeine can assist you by increasing your endurance during exercise; however, it also acts as a diuretic and can dehydrate the body. Coffee contains antioxidants that help prevent heart disease and some cancers. It also helps with mental alertness and concentration. However, excessive caffeine intake can affect calcium absorption, increase your heart rate, urination, nervousness, anxiety, stomach upsets and insomnia so drink in moderation.

It’s important to mention alcohol right at the beginning! Alcohol has a lot of empty calories, which means they don’t have any nutritional value. You may be drinking hundreds of extra calories per day without even realizing it. While the alcohol itself has calories, common mixers like juices or soda also have loads of calories as well as sugar and carbs. You may be eating a generally healthy diet, but if you’re not seeing results, it may because of your alcohol intake. Alcohol also tends to lower your inhibitions about the food choices you make, so you are more likely to grab high calorie foods like pizza and chips. Alcohol is best kept at a minimum when weight loss is desired because when you drink, your body is more focused on breaking down alcohol rather than burning fat. Also, instead of burning fat, your body is burning the calories from the alcohol, so it can take you longer to lose weight. Plus let’s be honest, if you’ve been drinking and don’t feel well the next day you are less likely to exercise and eat healthy nutritious foods.

How:

  • Start the day with a glass of warm water with lemon, or a splash of apple cider vinegar.
  • Carry an attractive large water bottle with you throughout the day.
  • Set yourself a goal to finish 1 litre of water by the end of lunch. You can add reminders to your phone or calendar to help you stay on track. Try to have at least one cup before and after every meal.
  • Instead of having a second coffee, try a herbal, green tea or hot water with lemon.
  • Try a soup for lunch. The liquid will make you feel fuller and perfect on cold days.
  • Eat foods with high water content like tomato, watermelon and lettuce.
  • Give your water a fresh kick by adding mint, lemon, lime or cucumber for a refreshing hit. Try this Summer Minty Iced Green Tea
  • When you have a craving for fast food or sweets, have a big glass of water.
  • Try sparkling water with fresh lemon or lime for an evening drink.

RECIPES