It is always important to eat a well balance meal. Meaning you have to include great choices of carbohydrates, protein and good fat in your diet. If you are a meat lover, you do not need to eliminate red meat completely. However, there are best meat options you can eat in addition to the traditional red meat from a cow. Bison (Buffalo meat is very lean and very juicy and only contains about 2-3% fat and about 124 calories for 4 oz. I am not a meat lover due to my cultural background and I prefer to eat fish and chicken but I definitely love Bison meat. Venison (deer is also very lean). If you still prefer cow meat,please choose 98% lean. Limit red meat whether it’s buffalo, deer, elk or cow to 2x a week to prevent raising your cholesterol level. 2x a week is good and these protein options are excellent source of iron. I recommend you consume fish 3x a week such as Salmon, Mackerel, Sardines or Tilapia. These types of fish are excellent source of Omega-3, low in mercury and can prevent inflammation, artery blockage and importantly help lower your cholesterol level.

It is true that maintaining a low carb meal plan help increase your energy deficit by controlling the insulin in your body. Insulin is a hormone that controls and stimulate craving and hunger. A study shows that by lowering your insulin levels will help in burning of body fat.

However, there is also a negative impact on this. Having a low carb deficit meal plan will make your body have a shortfall. Meaning fewer calories will burn. So it is “good” to have a break from a low calorie diet by having a “cheat day”. And by having a “cheat day”, it can help by interrupting the slow down in your body and help maintain your hormone as well such as your thyroid.

Cayenne Pepper:  This is one of the spice I pretty much include in all of my cooking. Cayenne pepper helps clean your system and your blood.  Cayenne pepper helps stimulate your digestive system by moving the toxins and bacteria out of your body. It also regulate your blood sugar and circulate system by opening up your capillaries.

Dandelion Root: Is one of the most effective and natural diuretic.  Because of its natural diuretic, dandelion help the liver to quickly eliminate and remove the toxins in your body and by doing so it helps boost and strengthen your immune system. Dandelion also help balance your blood sugar levels and help relieve heart burn.

Dandelion root has many great benefits. The leaves of dandelion contains vitamins such as A, B-complex, C and  D. It also contains minerals such as potassium, iron and zinc.

Turmeric: Is another spice that provides varieties of health benefits such as helps heal wounds and inflammation faster, balance your blood sugar, helps reduce and eliminate aches and discomfort, calm and soothes irritated tissues.

Ginger Tea with Honey: Ginger tea when combine with natural “honey” is a natural fat burner. This is the tea that i “always” have. Ginger when combine with “lemon” and “honey” help relieves flu and cold symptoms. Ginger help boost your immune system by taking the toxic in your body. Ginger combine again honey also help with stomach pain and cramps. Ginger eliminates the feeling of nausea, pain and sickness.

Peppermint Tea: I drink a cup of peppermint tea specially during winter season. Peppermint tea helps boosts your immune system by improving your digestion, it also help reduce and eliminate inflammation and reduce pain. In addition it is very soothing to drink and help reduce and cure bad breath. This tea is also good to drink when you have a cold.

The following snacks are good for everyone but especially good for kids and teens…

1. 5 piece of crackers with 20 grapes and 5 cubes of hard cheese
2. A piece of fruit with an once (20 pieces) of raw unsalted nuts , like almonds, walnuts, pistachios etc.
3. peanut butter dip with a fruit such apple or pear
4. hard boiled egg with an apple or pear
5. hummus with soft pretzles
6. 1 cup unsalted no butter popcorn mixed with dried fruit and nuts
7. baked black bean or corn chips with bean dip
8. low fat yogart with berries
9. string cheese with 1 oz almonds or a piece of fruit
10. granola bar with fruit
11. a hand full of yogart covered almonds
12. Dole fruit cup with 100% fruit juice with few cubes of hard cheese
13. 1-2% cottage cheese
14. Whole grain or Whole wheat saltine crackers with almond or peanut butter spread
15. 1/2 of the bagel with raisins and nuts in it with a piece of ham or turkey or salmon.

The following breakfast foods are healthy for adults and especially for kids and teens…

1. Oatmeal (Steel cut oats and rolled oats are the best, package oatmeal is last) with few berries such as blueberries or blackberries and some crushed nuts like walnuts or almonds. It is ok to drizzle with some natural honey.
2. Whole grain, whole wheat bread or bagel (bagel is best with raisins and nuts in it) and spread peanut butter in it. Plus a piece of fruit like apple, pear, banana, orange, 1/2 c. of fresh berries.
3. Assorted fruits like grapes of any color, berries like strawberry, blueberries and blackberry with yogart and sprinkled with almonds
4. 20 grapes of your choice with a 4-5 cubes of chedder cheese, with 4-5 whole grain saltine crackers
5. Good old fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole grain or whole wheat bread and a piece of fruit
6. Whole grain or whole wheat english muffin with “one egg” with “one slice of canadian bacon (ham)” with “one slice of swiss cheese”.
7. Veggie sticks and a fruit
8. Ready to go chicken noodle soup
9. Omelette with egg whites + 1 yolk with spinach, mushrooms, colored bell peppers and onions.  Sprinkle an once of feta or parmesan cheese.
10. Yogurt and sprinkle it with crushed whole grain cereal and some crush almonds.
11. Smoothy

• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen berries like blackberry, blueberry or strawberry
• 1  bannana
• 3 tbls of plain yogart
• 1 cup orange juice

Our body is made up of 50-70% water. Our kidneys need 83% of this water, the liver 86%, our bones 22%, or muscles 75%, our blood 83%, brain 75% and most of all our heart 79%.

There are many benefits to drinking water…

• It protects or organs and tissue.
• It regulates our body temperature.
• It helps moisten our tissues such as our eys, nose and mouth.
• It enhances our metabolism.
• It prevents constipation and muscle cramps.
• Water lessens the burden on our kidneys and liver by flushing out waste products and excess body fat.
• Water keeps your  skin clear .
• Water keeps you full, and helps keep you from craving the bad food.

So please, I highly encourage you   to express the importance of water to your family, friends, and especially to your children….

This week I would like to put my brother Rick in the spotlight. He is a FitQuest, Volunteer Coordinator and personal trainer at the YMCA in Elizabeth City, NC and has been working with the handicapped. I am very proud to express my pride in the work he is doing. He has been training a disabled client named Tom who is an inspiration to all of us. Rick customized Toms workout so that he is able to perform his workout as well or better than any of the rest of us. If Tom can do it there are no excusses for the rest of us. Everyone at the Y loves the true passion that Rick has for helping people out. And isn’t it great that for all these years the YMCA is still going strong!

Motivation and Discipline:

What is motivation and discipline. To me it’s a strong force of action to succeed. Everyone has discipline and motivation as long as the individual is serious to challenge themselves to succeed.

Women in general are self conscientious about their appearance and look. When it comes to fitness and health, a lifestyle change must come first. Change your environment and surround yourself with positive surroundings. Eat right, exercise, do activities with your family. Be the role model for fitness and health with your children, family and friends.

Once you conquer these challenges, you will feel energetic, happy and confident. Hold a high self esteem because you have done it and therefore should be proud of yourself. You are BEAUTIFUL!!!

So for all the STRONG women out there, get it together and stay fit and healthy. Live longer for the family you love and most of all for yourself. I know you can do this, because I have.

Cleansing:

I recommend and advise anyone that is serious about staying in good health to cleanse their body 2x a year. Preferably before spring and before fall. One of the best cleansing products I recommend, and what I use and truly works, is CleanStart Cleanse by NATURES SUNSHINE. I prefer the Wild Berry flavor but they have an Apple Cinnamon flavor as well. Be sure to sign up as a member during checkout and get a 33% discount! It’s completely FREE! and it will show me listed as your sponsor.

Helping You Lose Weight
By: Anna Green

Following healthy habits are the essential key to successful weight loss. Without such a habit, people may find it difficult to maintain their healthy weight.

The way today’s food consumption is being looked at in this country, healthy eating has surely been put at the wayside. Population of today really has a myriad of delicious food choices to eat. But sad to say, most of them belong to the unhealthy food group. It is now easier for us to gain weight because of the convenience brought about by fast food.

Parents today live in a very busy world where time is spent more on work. Such parents may not have the time to prepare food and sometimes must rely on the nearest pizza or hamburger place to provide the nourishment for themselves and their children. But this should not be. Fast-food is considered to be one of the reasons why most people are gaining weight and unhealthy. Fast-food is considered junk food since they are not able to supply all the nourishment that growing children need. But fast food can really be fattening with the great amounts of fat and carbohydrates that they contain. It is a bad choice if you wish to help yourself and your child stay at a healthy weight as you grow older and as your child grows up.

Your concern to see to it that you stay healthy and that your children grow up to be healthy and fit individuals is the first step in keeping the weight down. Always bear in mind that obesity is a dangerous and a growing problem in this country. But you can do something about it. You can make effective use of your concern about your weight by putting it into action. You can help show yourself, family and children the way by following a practical plan for success. There’s no easy way for weight loss. The most important thing that you can do is letting yourself adopt healthy habits that can last a lifetime. Here are some tips:

1. As much as possible, resist looking for quick fixes.

Make yourself realize that losing and maintaining an ideal weight is a lifetime commitment. Fad diets may rob you and your growing children essential nutrients necessary to your well being and to your children continuing development. Buying weight-loss pills and other quick fixes won’t be able to address the root of the weight problem. The effects of such quick fixes are often short-lived and you may likely to gain it back. What you should be able to teach is adopting a lifelong healthy habit. Without a permanent change in unhealthy habits, any weight loss program will only remain a temporary fix.

2. Talk with your child.

If your child is getting overweight, chances are, he or she is also concerned about the excess weight. Aside from bringing in lifelong health risks such as high blood pressure and diabetes, the social and emotional consequences of being overweight can have a devastating effect on your child. Talk to your child about it. Try to offer support and gentle understanding and make him or her verbally aware that you really are concerned. Try also to add in a willingness to help your child take control of the weight problem that he or she is facing.

3. Promote and encourage doing more calorie-burning activities.

An hour of physical activity with your family is fantastic. But that doesn’t mean sixty solid minutes of pure gut-wrenching activity. You can plan shorter, repeated bursts of activity throughout the day that not only can help burn calories, but also become an enjoyable, fun and worthwhile affair. Sports and hiking can be probable options.

Practice these tips and let it be part of your lifestyle, we are here on earth to take care of ourselves and enjoy living and not waste it. Weight loss is just like a relationship, the more you nourish and take care of it, the longer it will last.

Need Some Personal Help?

Ok… you’ve read the books… you’ve tried the diets… or maybe you’re just getting started and would like someone to guide you!  Well look no further, I am here to help. Here are some testimonials from past and current clients…

Anna Green put together an awesome meal plan for me! She taught me to start my clean eating journey which she provided customized meal plan. The meal plan even provided option on what to eat at fast food and restaurants.

Andrian J.

Anna is incredibly knowledgeable in nutrition and fitness. She is very compassionate and understanding. She has the ability to motivate and challenge. She created customized meal plans that I still use today. I would highly recommend using Anna no matter what your goal is she will help you succeed and stand with you every step of the way.

Stephanie J.

I have met my goal weight (even few pounds more). My total weight loss has been 25 lbs!!! My entire life has changed with my eating habits and exercise and I want to thank you very much for everything. I feel I have control over my health now. Should I fall off the wagon or need to switch it up in the future, I will certainly consult with you again. I am so proud of what you have helped me with and I love my new body!!!!! I looked at pictures of myself recently and was so pleased at the difference. I am referring your services to anyone I know who wants to get healthy. Thanks again!!!

Kelly W.