Eating like a bird is, well, for the birds. That's why we've packed our diet with delicious, filling foods proven to help you drop pounds. And you can save your energy for your workouts, because these meals are crazy-simple to prepare. Here's the gist: Everything in each category — breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks — has about the same number of calories, so feel free to put your favorites on repeat.

Eggs

People who ate eggs and toast for breakfast shed more pounds than those who had bagels and cream cheese, according to a Louisiana State University study. Besides delivering six grams of protein for just 72 calories, eggs have also been shown to lower levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin.

Almonds

A daily serving of nuts can actually help prevent weight gain, research at Harvard showed. Almonds have fewer calories — just 129 per one-ounce handful — than any other kind.

Pears

Pears are one of the best sources of soluble fiber, which reduces belly fat. And a study in the journal Nutrition found that women who ate three a day lost 39 percent more weight than those who consumed an equal number of calories' worth of oatmeal cookies.

Avocados

The heart-healthy fat found in this fruit helps stabilize blood sugar levels, so you don't go from full to famished an hour after eating. Plus avocados are packed with potassium, a mineral that banishes bloat by helping prevent fluid retention.

Chickpeas

These are packed with resistant starch, a type of carb that could help you blast up to 23 percent more fat, according to research in Nutrition & Metabolism. And people who added about two-thirds of a cup of chickpeas to their daily diet felt fuller and ate less, another study found.

Quinoa

This seed has a low ratio of carbs to protein, which takes more energy to digest, enabling your body to torch calories in the process. Quinoa is also low on the glycemic index, meaning it won't cause hunger highs and lows.

Spinach

It's no wonder an entire bunch has just 78 calories: Water accounts for 92 percent of spinach's weight. Add it to soups, stir-fries, and egg dishes to pump up your portion size.

Salmon

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in salmon, keep bad moods at bay. They may also suppress appetite and help your body burn fat instead of storing it, University of South Australia researchers found.

Lose weight while still eating delicious and filling foods. These ingredients and recipes are easy to prepare and have the nutrients you need to stay energized for your workout.

By Rachel Meltzer Warren, RD

Reference: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/you-can-do-it/slimming-superfoods-diet-plan/

Makes: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

·        1pound baby potatoes

·        12ounces steam-in-the-bag green beans

·        nonstick cooking spray

·        1pound skirt steak, trimmed and halved crosswise

·        1/4teaspoon salt

·        1/4teaspoon black pepper

·        1tablespoon white miso

·        1tablespoon rice wine vinegar

·        1teaspoon minced fresh ginger

·        1teaspoon sugar

·        1/2teaspoon toasted sesame oil

·        2tablespoons vegetable oil

·        1/3cup thinly sliced scallions

·        1/2teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Pierce each potato a few times with a knife, place in a microwave-safe dish and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high 5 to 6 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Microwave green beans according to package directions.

2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray; season steak with salt and pepper and cook 2 to 3 minutes a side or until desired degree of doneness. Transfer to a cutting board to rest.

3. While steak is cooking, combine miso, vinegar, ginger, sugar and sesame oil in a small bowl. Whisk in vegetable oil.

4. Cut potatoes in half, then cut steak into 1/4-inch slices. Divide potatoes, steak and beans among four plates; drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle scallions over steak and sesame seeds over potatoes, if desired.

Nutrition facts per serving:

Servings Per Recipe 4

Amount Per Serving

cal.(kcal)360

Fat, total(g)16

sat. fat (g) 4

carb. (g) 27

fiber (g) 5

pro. (g) 26

sodium (mg) 404

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Reference: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipe/miso-steak-with-green-beans-and-baby-potatoes/

Want to lose an extra 6.6 pounds a year?

Down two glasses of water before breakfast (you can try it before any meal). People who did this in a recent study at Virginia Tech consumed an average of 75 fewer calories at their a.m. meal than those who didn't. "The water acted as a calorie-free appetizer," says study author Brenda M. Davy, PhD, RD. "It filled participants' stomachs, so they reported less hunger just prior to eating." Other research suggests that H2O boosts metabolism, because your body has to work to raise the temperature of the ingested water to match that of your core. In one study, people who drank eight to 12 glasses a day had higher metabolic rates than those who sipped just four.

Happy drinking everyone!

Originally published in FITNESS magazine, November/December 2012.

Reference: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/superfoods/fat-fighting-superfoods/?page=7

"The sun is shining, it’s starting to cool down slightly, and things are greener. Autumn is finally here and it’s time to change things up. That’s why it’s a great time to burn some calories and start getting ready for the cool down! One easy and simple way to do that and get your heart pumping is to make sure you get your cleaning done around your house! That’s right… regular day-today activities around the house can actually burn quite a few calories… and help you get in shape."

For example:

Clean out those dirty dishes. You’ll burn up to 160 calories every half hour doing things like scrubbing grease stains out and loading and unloading the dishwasher.

Enjoy doing the laundry. It can burn quite a few calories and get you fit and trim. Putting the laundry in the washer and dryer, and then folding it can burn up to 200 calories. Add in some ironing and you’ll burn an extra 140 calories per hour!

Get those floors clean. Activities like vacuuming, scrubbing the floors, and sweeping can burn up to 300 calories an hour… not a bad amount of fat burning for getting your house feeling nice and inviting, right?

Do some gardening. Because you’re constantly kneeling and getting up and moving around, you could burn up to 205 calories every half hour beautifying the exterior of your house.

            Bottom line: Cleaning your house can be a great way to burn those excess calories. In fact, the British Journal of Nutrition found folks can burn more than 50,000 calories a year doing it—that’s nearly 15 pounds of fat. So what are you waiting for… get cleaning! 

"Everyone understands the importance of a healthy heart, but maintaining one can prove difficult."

Cardiovascular health can be compromised by diet, genetics, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and an array of other factors.  Moreover, our bodies are often deficient in substances critical to healthy heart function.  One example is Coenzyme Q₁₀ (CoQ₁₀), which helps produce energy in each cell, particularly those in the heart, the most active organ in the body.  The beating heart and electrical conduction of the nervous system need a continuous flow of energy that is dependent on adequate levels of CoQ₁₀ in the cells. 

CoQ₁₀ also has antioxidant properties, protecting LDL cholesterol from oxidation, thereby helping to maintain vascular tone and integrity.  CoQ₁₀ has the ability to recycle and regenerate vitamin E, allowing it to continue providing antioxidant protection to cells of the body. 

Although the human body can synthesize CoQ₁₀, in some situations the body’s capacity to produce CoQ₁₀ isn’t sufficient to meet its needs.  CoQ₁₀ levels reach their peak in the human body by age 20 and fall slowly thereafter.  In fact, 60% of the population has CoQ₁₀ deficiency in their 50s and 60s.  In addition, certain medications can reduce the body’s production of CoQ₁₀.  Supplements can help, but since most supplemental CoQ₁₀ is poorly absorbed by the body, a supplement must be highly bioavailable to be effective.

Some of the strongest evidence for the cardiovascular benefits of CoQ₁₀ supplementation is found in eight clinical studies in which researchers concluded that CoQ₁₀ promotes the heart’s ability to pump blood.

Resveratrol, found in red wine, also possesses potent antioxidant properties; it complements the action of CoQ₁₀.  One study found that resveratrol inhibited LDL oxidation by 70-80%.  It may also help blood vessels relax and dilate, both important functions for optimising blood flow.*

Which Food contain CoQ10?

Fish contain the highest source of CoQ10. Regularly including the freshest servings of sardines and mackerel in your meals allows the body to turn this important enzyme into the energy (ATP) that powers the heart and other muscles in the body to work efficiently.

Contributing to the grocery list of foods high in CoQ10 are beef heart and liver. Preparing a meal with the freshest cooked portions of these two parts of the cow is second only to fish providing CoQ10.

Ingesting any fresh cut of lamb and pork portions is another way to obtain CoQ10. They're not as high in the CoQ10 nutrient as fish or beef, but these meats help produce ATP nonetheless.

Preparing fresh raw vegetables as part of a diet is another valuable source of the CoQ10. In particular, spinach in a fresh salad with broccoli added to the mix and sprinkled with wheat germ is a coenzyme Q10 lunch. Fresh peanuts and unprocessed whole grains give the body smaller amounts of the CoQ10.

Facts from Wikipedia

Coenzyme Q10, also known as ubiquinone, ubidecarenone, coenzyme Q, and abbreviated at times to CoQ10 /ˌkoʊ ˌkjuː ˈtɛn/, CoQ, or Q10 is a 1,4-benzoquinone, where Q refers to the quinone chemical group, and 10 refers to the number of isoprenyl chemical subunits in its tail

"Wondering why on Earth people say that being a girl is just fantastic when you have to be cautious of your security all the time, go through labor, raise children, worry about your looks and think about every damn thing on earth. Yes! We are known for crying in public, gossiping, makeup, and mood swings, being emotional, vulnerable but that's fine." 

Here are some reasons why one should be proud of being a woman/girl and celebrate it.

1. Being a girl, you have the liberty to dress in any color and it doesn't look funny but stylish.

2. We have the full liberty to experiment with hair styles, mind it I am saying 'hair styles' not 'haircuts'.

3. Have pimple on your skin on your prom night? Just wear some concealer and it just vanishes with being afraid of giving you a dirty look. 

4. Take advantage of the rule, 'ladies first'.

5. Want to have a body piercing? Have it anywhere and it would look fabulous.

6. Thank God women do not have a body full of hair.

7. Women can skip taking a bath and still look clean and smell great.

8. An ugly woman can look good with makeup and a nice hair do, but a man would always look ugly.

9. Girls' talk will always remain a secret to men.

10. Women have better rest rooms with carpets and nice chairs, men just get weird hanging bowls to pee.

Reference: http://www.pardaphash.com/news/international-womens-day-2013 -celebrate-being-a-woman/707594.html#.UTlBJxx0zSg 

"When the summer heat reduces and there is more energy about, most people focus on cleaning their homes out. This Autumn, make sure you clean out your diet too! Your body will thank you for it…"

1. Ditch the sodas and juices.  Both are high in sugar. Instead, go for water and tea. If you still want to drink soda, choose ones that are naturally-sweetened with stevia—an all-natural, zero-calorie sweetener.

2. Buy organic when possible.  It’s not news that most produce gets doused in toxic pesticides and chemicals that are troublesome for your health. A quick example—The Environmental Working Group, which regularly analyses USDA pesticide-residue data, found that  non-organically grown strawberries alone carry residue from13 different pesticides!

3. Try going bread-free and see if your body feels better. Most grain found in bread and other wheat products today isn’t what your grandparents ate. Thanks to genetic engineering in the 60s and 70s (to increase crop yield) most grain today is a Frankenstein creation. Instead go for grains like quinoa, buckwheat and wild rice.       

4. Forget fast food. It’s filled with chemicals and other artificial ingredients. Instead, learn  to cook using herbs and spices. If you absolutely need  a quick snack, nuts and fruit are great.

 “Fall down seven times, get up eight”

- Chinese proverb -

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• Centennial Park (opening 11th March)
• Double Bay (opening 4th March)
• Paddington (opening 11th March)
• Waterloo (opening 11th March)
• Bellevue Hill (opening 11th March)
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Stay slim. Yes. Eating a small amount of chocolate on a DAILY basis can be good for your waistline. A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that adults who ate chocolate regularly were thinner than those who ate it less often. The findings were significant, as the researchers accounted for exercise, behaviour and even calories to try and explain the difference.

Lower your blood pressure. A systematic review published in The Cochrane Library found that the flavanols in dark chocolate can help lower your blood pressure. Apparently, it helps relax the blood vessel walls, letting blood flow more freely.

Keep stroke at bay. Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that eating chocolate can help lower the risk of stroke. In their study, those who ate the most chocolate had a 17 percent lower risk!

Protect your heart. Loyola University Health System reports that eating dark chocolate with at least 70 percent cocoa content (higher is better) contains the powerful antioxidant resveratrol—it helps reduce “bad” cholesterol and may prevent blood clots.

Chill out. Eating just a little bit of dark chocolate every day can help reduce cortisol (stress hormone) levels in the body, according to the Nestle Research Centre in Switzerland. The darker, the better. So eat up!