10 Simple Things You Can Do Right Now To Get Healthy and Fabulous

For many people, eating healthy or just staying away from nasty foods is simpler said than done.  I always say everything in moderation so if you can cut back on bad things and add good things to your diet, you can quickly be on your way to a more radiant, happier and slimmer you.

1. Soda is the evil.  Soda has phosphorous, too much of it, which can increase calcium loss from the body.  Substitute soda with sodium-free seltzer water and add a piece of orange or lime for flavor.  Cut the bloat now!   Sugar-free or not, it is malo, bad, bad.

2. Take Aspartame out of the equation.  NutraSweet and Equal both have Aspartame.  Aspartame contains methyl alcohol, which when ingested turns into formaldehyde.  Yeah, the stuff used to embalm dead bodies.  Splenda you say?  No better.  It has arsenic.  The stuff used to poison rats.  Nice.

3. What will you do for sugar if you can’t fake it with sweeteners?  First of all, stay away from refined and processed sweeteners like white sugar and high fructose corn syrup.  This stuff is made with processed chemicals and it is everywhere.  Just start reading labels and you’ll see.  Stay away from wrinkles and keep a good pH balance by turning to natural sweeteners such as Agave, Stevia, Sucanat and evaporated cane juice.  This is not a green light to slather in the stuff, just have it in moderation.

4. Cut down on meat.  I won’t lecture you about the perils of factory farming, the suffering on the animals and the hormones, pesticides, antibiotics and steroids that you are ingesting with each bite of meat.  Not to mention the constant beating on the environment. Meat is high in cholesterol, it’s difficult to digest and may be a culprit in cancer long-term.  Think of your colon. Not pretty. You’ve heard it all before and I am here remind you.

5. Cut down on dairy products. You need calcium?  get it through foods such as collard greens, kale, seaweed, broccoli, soybeans, tofu and raw nuts.  Dairy also has high cholesterol, it’s not easy to digest and causes nasty phlegm.  But the biggest pink elephant in the room is that Cheese, Butter and Milk have TOO MUCH FAT!  Trying to lose weight?  just think  CBM = Junk in your trunk, and your arteries.  Full stop.

6. Some people are big snackers.  Me included.  I say nothing wrong with that as long as you are not reaching for the Twinkies.  Keep the body with sustainable energy by munching on a handful of raisins, walnuts, almonds and dried cherries.  Or get some rice crackers or a banana and spread with almond butter for a sweet taste. Tons of healthy combinations you can choose from so no excuse.

7. Eat breakfast.  If you think you are skimping on calories by eliminating the most important meal of day, think again.  If you don’t eat a complete and healthy breakfast, you will want to snack, snack, snack and you will overeat at the next meal because you will be starving.  I mentioned snacks before but this is again not a green light to pig out.  Try a bowl of oatmeal with a little agave, some shredded coconut and sliced almonds.  Strawberries and or blueberries on top.  Delish!

8. Drink water.  You know this already so I am just here to harshly remind you that without enough water you will not flush out toxins and your face and skin will turn into a wrinkled prune.  Next time you forget to drink enough water for two days or so look closely in the mirror and check out the bags under your eyes. A prune with black spots no es bonito.  Avoid looking like the picture of Dorian Gray and drink about 8 glasses of water a day.  Just fill a bottle of water and carry it with you.  Easy peasy.

9. Eat fruits and vegetables in a rainbow of colors.  Go to the grocery store and see what looks good.  Fill your cart with fruits an veggies of different colors and this will get you the nutrition and vitamins that your body is craving.  Aside from going down a list of what food has what level and how much of something, eating a rainbow of colors is the easiest way.   Nevertheless, the greener the leaf the better in vitamins and nutrition.

10. Sodium is definitely one of those things you need but in moderation.  Can’t live without it to stay healthy and too much will definitely turn us into a sodium balloon and can make our blood pressure lift the roof.  As a nation we already eat way too much sodium since everything is loaded with salt to make our taste buds turn into crack addicts.  So start the weaning now and you won’t have to pop the button on your jeans  anymore, not to mention giving your sweet little heart a break.  the foodini