Tips for Weight Loss
Weight loss is about more than changing your diet, though this is an excellent start.
If our body gets the nutrients it needs, then it has a far greater capacity to cope with stress for a start, which will affect weight gain. It will also have a much stronger immune system.
Attempting to get enough of these nutrients from processed food, cage-hen chicken and feed-lot meats, would require eating such a large amount and this food would be laced with antibiotics, hormones and chemicals which would undo any goodness that the food might contain. Is it any wonder that obesity has become a major problem. Look at trolleys in supermarkets, maybe 90% of them are full of packets, cans and bottles of processed food as well as refined sugars and trans fats in one form or another.
A very good start to any weight loss program is to have a major cut down on processed food. People have been brainwashed by advertising that something is ‘good for you’. Fat-free has become a buzzword on almost everything but has it made any difference? I particularly avoid fat-free foods.
Bearing in mind that you can occasionally have your favorite non-healthy food, the following tips will be an excellent start to getting your ideal weight. I will expand on many of these tips in my newsletter so sign up if you are interested.
Tip 1. Avoid processed foods, eat natural fruits and vegetables. Very important!
Tip 2. Eat some raw food whether in salads, juices or smoothies. Raw food provides your body with enzymes to aid digestion. It also helps to keep your blood thinner so that it can oxygenate your cells. It helps you detox and lose weight, it benefits your digestion and many other body functions, it will prevent and help cure many diseases.
Tip 3. If you eat meat, opt for grass-fed or organic meats. Eat organic chickens. If free-range only, try to find out if it is genuine free-range.
Tip 4. Forget the fat-free products. Our body needs good fats to help assimilate certain vitamins, and for our vital organs. Include such oils as unrefined coconut oil and olive oil. Avocados are an excellent source of good fats as are nuts and seeds.
Our body also needs good healthy cholesterol, not from polyunsaturated oils or hydrogenated or trans fats – cholesterol protects our cells, it acts as a precursor to vitamin D and essential hormones to help us deal with stress, it is needed for serotonin production – a natural chemical to ‘feel good’, and to help sleep and many other vital functions.
Damaged cholesterol, exposed to high heat, such as in some processed foods, powdered eggs and milk, meats heated to high temperatures in frying, is not good and may contribute to arterial wall damage and plaque buildup.
I have read that high-serum cholesterol levels indicate your body’s attempt to protect itself from ‘altered, free-radical containing fats’. So eating healthy may automatically lower cholesterol. This is an interesting area of study and I will create another post about cholesterol and causes of heart disease.
Tip 5. If you are not lactose intolerant, consider dairy. Dairy has been on a ‘black list’ in much nutrition advice. I use dairy in my diet, but only from raw, organic milk. I make yoghurt, kefir, cheese. I also use the milk as is. Raw milk contains the enzymes needed for digestion. You may not be able to get raw milk, so the next best thing is pasteurized, preferably organic.
I believe that it is the processing of milk especially homogenization which makes it unfit for human consumption, not to mention all the additives and fat removal. I have also heard that milk is reduced to a powder for transport and then reconstituted and sold as fresh milk. I spent 10 years in boarding school in the 50s and 60s and I do not remember one child having asthma. Also very few overweight children during that time.
If you optin, keep a look out for my newsletter about weight loss and dairy!
Tip 5. Getting sufficient sleep can also help weight loss as it will lower your stress levels.
Tip 6. Exercise alone will not maintain weight loss without dietary changes. However it is good to get 30 minutes exercise at least may 4-5 days a week. Exercise is good for blood circulation, serotonin production and lung function, firming muscles and weight loss to an extent.
Tip 7. Take time out for yourself, relax and if possible do some yoga. All great for your body and stress levels. Yoga especially is good for all your vital organs, stress levels and weight loss.
Many of these points need expansion and clarifying which I will do in newsletters or other blogs. Just remember ‘Natural food’ is best! Food companies in general are just there to make money for themselves, not to make people healthy. It’s really up to us to do that for ourselves!
