Oh no, with all the snow and cold weather, bathing suit season kind of snuck right up on us. I look outside my window and I can still see some snow – like the snow man that is half melted made by some young kids who thought a May snowstorm was fun. Yet I know that our outdoor pool opens in less then two weeks time and temperatures for the rest of the month are suppose to continually rise (PRAISE THE LORD!!!).
There are many super easy things that we can do that does not involve a complete overhaul of any sort. I am talking about consciously eating foods that naturally aid in boosting our metabolism and aids weight loss. So, for those of us that indulged in a few too many cookies (moi), it is time to start thinking about what we can do to kick start our summer season.
Fibre: Fibre gives your metabolism a boost simple by taking longer for the food to digest. High-fibre foods like beans, fruit, vegetables and whole grains therefore help burn more calories
Yogurt (and High Calcium Foods): Yogurt is a “super food”, it is loaded with calcium, protein and good bacteria. Calcium aids in natural weigh loss because it speeds up the process of breaking down the fat content of fat cells.
Vitamin C: Eating a diet high in Vitamin C – such as apples, red peppers, berries, broccoli – helps your body burn fat by liquefying it so the body can easily flush it out of the system. Broccoli is not only high in vitamin C, but also calcium, which also aids in weight loss.
Apples and berries: Pectin (found in many types of fruit) restricts the amount of fat our cells can absorb; it forces the cells to discharge fatty deposits so aiding natural weight loss, although for this to be the most effective you should eat them on an empty stomach.
Garlic: Garlic assists in the reduction of fatty deposits – in other words they are fat busters and are good for natural weight loss.
Whole grains and oatmeal: Not only do these keep you feeling full longer, but they increase your energy and naturally increase your metabolism burning fat and calories.
Olive oil: Olive oil is the oil of choice. It comes from natural sources, helps to keep your cholesterol levels down and is one of the fat burning foods.
Water: Are you getting enough? Probably not. An easy way to see how much you should drink is take your weight, divide it in half and that is how many ounces you should drink (For example, if you are 150 lbs, you should drink 75 oz or about 9 glasses of water a day). When you drink water it flushes out your system, removes toxins, and aids in food in their natural fat burning properties.
Green Tea: Studies show that green tea extract boosts metabolism and speeds up the rate at which your body burns fat. Green tea is said to be mood-enhancing tea and also contains anti-oxidants with anti-cancer and heart disease properties.
Hot Peppers and Spicy foods: Eating hot peppers can speed up your metabolism (up to 25% after eating!!!) and can also cool your cravings. That is good enough for me to add a bit of spice – but to me it’s not really good till you sweat!
Cinnamon: Cinnamon naturally lowers blood sugar levels – which is one of the most effective ways to maintain fat-burning capacity. Our blood sugar level can affect how hungry and how energetic we feel. It also determines whether we burn fat or store it. Therefore, adding some cinnamon to our food can helps fat not to accumulate in the body.
Well all this talk of food is making me hungry!!! Do you think that Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin Cookies would fall into these food groups???!!! Sorry, I couldn’t resist, it is just a cookie thing I guess!!
Blessings, Christine
(Just in case – here is the recipe)
Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
1 cup Margarine
1 cup Brown sugar
1 cup Granulated sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 ½ cup Rolled oats
1 ½ cup Flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 ½ tsp Cinnamon
1 cup Dark raisins
Cream sugars and margarine. Add egg, vanilla, and oats.
Mix dry ingredients together than add to creamed mixture. Blend well. Form dough into walnut sized balls. Place on cookie sheet and press down with a fork. Bake at 350 F for 8 – 10 minutes.
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