5 Healthy Fruits You Need To Eat

Virtually, all fruit is beneficial as part of a healthy diet, but there are some that have higher concentrations of vitamins and nutrients. These “power fruits” are great for improving your health and encouraging healthy weight loss. 

Below is a list of the top 5 healthy fruits to eat for weight loss and general health:

Healthy Fruit #1 – Berries

Berries are loaded with vitamin C and fiber, and they are also one of the fruits with the lowest sugar content.  They are also low in calories:  1 cup of strawberries has only 50 calories; 1 cup of blueberries has 80 calories; 1 cup of raspberries has 65 calories; and 1 cup of blackberries has only 60 calories.  Berries are an excellent snack if you’re craving something sweet.

Healthy Fruit #2 – Bananas

Bananas have gotten a bad reputation over the years for being one of the more fattening fruits, but recent studies show that they are actually very beneficial.  Not only are they high in potassium and fiber, they contain a special kind of starch called “resistant starch”.  Preliminary research shows that this starch can actually help improve your body’s fat burning process and suppress your appetite.  One medium banana has just over 100 calories.

Healthy Fruit #3 – Mangoes

One medium mango has only 130 calories, more than 3 grams of dietary fiber, and substantial amounts of vitamin C, vitamin A, and even a little bit of calcium.  Mangoes contain more sugar than some of the other fruits listed here, so eat them in moderation.

Healthy Fruit #4 – Apples

The old adage goes, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” – and with good reason!  Apples are definitely one of the healthiest fruits you can eat.  A medium apple has less than 100 calories, more than 4 grams of fiber, and a good dose of vitamin C.

Healthy Fruit #5 – Grapes

One cup of grapes has just over 100 calories.  They are rich in vitamin C, but they have only a modest amount of fiber.  If you have a choice between green grapes and red grapes, go for the red!  Red grapes have more antioxidants and a bigger nutritional punch than green grapes.

There are many other healthy fruits to eat beyond the five we have shared with you here, but these are a great start if you want to improve your health and drop a few pounds.

Read More

5 Tips To Burn Fats

I'm going to share with you 5 practical tips on how to turn your body into a fat-burning machine – information that you can implement on your daily basis, both in and out of the gym or any workout environment. A lot of times they say that 'you are what you eat' so it's actually very important that you know how to work on what you eat first rather than just jumping into the workout schedule and hope everything goes as planned. Instead of quantity specific amounts, I'm going to give you simple ideas that you can almost immediately put it to plan in your everyday life. So let's get started.

Eat Fiber

A high-fiber diet decreases fat and cholesterol absorption in your intestine (preventing fat storage), slows glucose absorption in the bloodstream (meaning more sugar gets burnt as energy, less gets stored as fat), stabilizes insulin levels and delays stomach emptying (both of which decrease your appetite), and makes you full faster (so you eat less). Research has shown that a low-fat, high-fiber diet results in nearly three times more weight loss than a low-fat, low-fiber diet. 

So how do you get your fiber? Here’s how I get mine: 

• 1 fully loaded salad
• 1 bowl of oatmeal
• 2-3 raw fruits every day (fruit bonus: vitamin C in citrus fruit can also help burn fat)

Eat Calcium

Research shows that three or four daily servings of low-fat dairy products can help reduce body fat. Higher levels of calcium stored in the fat cells may help enhance fat breakdown, as well as induce an increase in thermogenesis (the body’s core temperature). The best calcium should come from dairy products like low-fat milk, yogurt and cottage cheese (and not from a calcium supplement). Other good sources, especially for those who are lactose intolerant, include dark leafy vegetables, salmon, almonds, and oats (notice the extra fiber bonus).

Eat Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Studies have shown that people who include a large and healthy breakfast in their diet lose significantly greater amounts of fat than those who avoid breakfast. Skipping breakfast will not help you shed extra pounds, but may instead result in muscle loss and metabolism decreases, both of which hinder your fat-burning ability. A great breakfast example is a large glass of water with a bowl of oatmeal, fresh fruit and nuts. Just remember: breakfast can also work against you if it’s not healthy: fried meats, sweet muffins and croissants, sugar loaded cereals, or processed packages do not count as a healthy breakfast!

Eat Frequently

You’ve heard it a million times before: 5-6 small meals a day is better than 3 large meals. I'd like to step that up a bit: as high as 10 times a day or more may be necessary, depending on your energy consumption and needs. Here's an example (from my personal nutrition log): 

1. Banana 7AM
2. Oatmeal w/ raisins 9AM
3. Handful almonds 10:30AM
4. Three turkey slices 12PM
5. One yogurt 1PM
6. Apple 2PM
7. Large salad 4:30PM
8. One protein bar 7:00PM
9. Handful raisins 8:15PM
10. 1 scramble egg with spinach 9PM (bed at 11PM)

The philosophy behind eating frequently is that the physical act of digestion has a metabolic cost, and by continually feeding, you are maintaining a higher metabolic rate. As long as your grazing is healthy, this results in more calories burnt throughout the day. On the flip side, eating too infrequently causes your body go into starvation mode and conserve energy, which results in increased fat storage and lower digestive and overall metabolism.

Eat Water

Your body constantly uses water to create energy, build muscle, and burn fat, and without adequate water, studies have shown that the muscles are less active, the metabolism drops, and your body burns fat less efficiently. This slight decrease in metabolism can add up to over 10 pounds of fat a year! Water also assists in suppressing the appetite and giving you a “full feeling”. So drink several glasses of water each day, drink a glass of water at least 30 minutes before your workout, sip water regularly at the gym, and drink a glass of water after your workout (speeds up recovery too!). Many naturally occurring foods, such as fruits and vegetables, are also high in water content (as well as fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, etc.), so this is another great way to get your H2O.

Read More