Think you screwed up over the holidays and now you have to get it in gear. It happens to the best of us and a diet reset is one of the many things that might help you to get you back on it. Check out these great tips and recipes that will kick off your New Year in the correct direction.
- Eat a healthy source of protein every 2-3 hours. Strategically enhance your metabolism by eating foods that include a healthy, clean source of protein. Whether you use some protein powder or make some protein balls, the important thing is that you’re getting plenty of it! Protein will kick start your fat-burning hormones into gear and balance sugar levels.
- Load up on enzymes to stimulate your digestion to avoid the bloat! When the foods you are eating are high in fat and sugar or you’re eating a larger quantity of them, they stay in the digestive system too long and cause extreme gas and bloating. Papaya enzymes after meals contain papain, a natural enzyme that breaks down larger pieces of food.
- Increase your gut bugs (good bacteria). Good bacteria helps break down food and allows for faster fat assimilation. Eat more raw fermented veggies or take a probiotic, similar to something like a probiotic.
- Stock up on herbal teas. Since the last thing you want to be doing is retaining water – stock up on herbal teas. East West Essentials signature belly fat tea helps burn fat and remove excess stored water from your body. It’s an easy recipe you can make at home.
- Eat gluten and corn free whenever possible! None of us are deficient in either of these. They are usually always genetically modified which your body has a very hard time processing. This can slow down your metabolism.
MEAL SUGGESTIONS
BREAKFAST:
Oatmeal with rice milk, peaches, walnuts, with stevia and cinnamon sprinkled on top.
WHY IT WORKS:
Eat protein within one hour of waking to kick start your metabolism
OTHER OPTIONS:
Egg burrito
Brown rice tortilla, egg whites and turkey bacon w/ salsa
OR
2 scoops of Protein Powder with 1/2 cup of rice milk, ½ cup of organic frozen fruit, 1/4 of Greek yogurt, ½ a teaspoon of stevia and cinnamon sprinkled on top
LUNCH:
Chicken and Asian pear salad –
mixed greens with chopped Asian pear, cucumbers, onions and hummus dressing. Topped with chilled organic chicken.
WHY IT WORKS:
Asian pears have a megadose of fiber to help keep you full and is very high in pectin which stimulates the burn of calories. Asparagus has a large dose of potassium to reduce belly fat and promote lean muscle growth.
OTHER OPTIONS:
Asparagus soup pure topped w/ goat cheese
Pureed asparagus, rice milk, with organic chicken broth topped with goat cheese served with rice crackers
DINNER:
Grilled Turkey patty
Turkey patty topped with wild sautéed mushrooms and onions served on a bed of brown and wild rice with sliced mango.
WHY IT WORKS:
Turkey is high in B3 and plays a critical role in processing fats in the body. The tryptophan in turkey lowers stress hormones. Quinoa is a prebiotic meaning it provides food for the good gut bugs or bowel flora to reduce bloating.
OTHER OPTIONS:
Salmon Quinoa
Grilled wild salmon on a bed of sautéed quinoa, garlic, bell peppers and fresh sweet basil.
SNACKS:
Power cake – one rice cake with 2 tablespoon of sunflower seed butter, topped with sliced fruit
WHY IT WORKS:
Nut and seed butters are rich in omegas which lower inflammation throughout the body, full of protein and are very filling.
OTHER OPTIONS:
Carob celery sticks-
celery sticks spread with almond butter topped with carob chips and coconut flakes
XTRAS-
Belly Fat Tea-
one whole lemon quartered (with the peel still on) in a saucepan of water, and add 1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper and some Stevia to taste.
Why: act as a natural diuretic and helps you get rid of water weight, fast.
Other: A potassium rich Parsley tea – pour boiling water over a ¼ cup of fresh parsley, steep for 5 minutes, remove parsley and add stevia to taste.