Fat Loss Friday - Blending 101: The Top 5 Smoothie Recipes for Beginners

More and more people are discovering the amazing health benefits of drinking green smoothies, that's why it's not surprising that a lot of juice and smoothie bars have been popping up around the globe over the last couple of years. If you want to start a healthier lifestyle by drinking green smoothies, here are some of the best smoothie recipes for beginners that you can try:

There are hundreds of smoothie recipes

1. The Tropical Dream

This delicious fruit and vegetable smoothie is designed to refresh and rejuvenate you on a hot day. It makes use of a cucumber and a coconut - two of the most water-rich fruits that will not only nourish you but will hydrate your body as well. Add a banana, some leafy greens, a little bit of pineapple and the twist of ginger and you'll get a flavorful, nutrient-rich smoothie that will keep you wanting more.

What you need:

1 1/2 cups coconut water

1/4 cucumber

1 small ripe banana

1 rib celery

1 small handful parsley

1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple slices

1/2-inch ginger

2. Classic Strawberries and Cream

If you're a fan of the strawberries and cream combination, then this is one of the smoothie recipes for beginners that you can't afford to miss. Aside from being delicious, strawberries are chock full of Vitamin C that will help boost your energy. Bananas on the other hand are known to give any smoothie a delightful creamy texture. Drink this classic smoothie for breakfast to help jump start your energy for the rest of the day!

What you need:

1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries

1 small ripe banana

1/4 ripe avocado

1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3-4 ice cubes

3. Green is In

If you're looking for low-calorie smoothie recipes, this is a good recipe to start with. Leafy greens aren't considered superfoods for nothing - they are low in calories but extremely rich in essential nutrients. If you're not fond of eating leafy greens, the apple and lemon both help neutralize the taste of this delicious smoothie.

What you need:

1 small head Romaine lettuce, chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped spinach

3 stalks celery

1 red apple, cored and chopped

Juice of 1/2 lemon

4. The Healthy Cooler

By using a variety of vegetables for your smoothie recipes for beginners, you will gain different vitamins and minerals that will help maintain your body's health. Concoct this deliciously nutritious smoothie to ensure both your mind and body's wellness.

What you need:

1 bunch spinach

1 handful parsley

4 stalks celery

2 large lettuce leaves

1 handful mint leaves

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/2-inch ginger

5 ice cubes

5. Berry Nutritious

Smoothies are a nutritious and delicious

Rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, this mix is definitely one of the best smoothie recipes for beginners. With a delicious taste and an appetizing texture, this power smoothie will easily become one of your favorites!

What you need:

1 cup fresh or frozen mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries)

1 cup oat milk

1 cup coconut milk

2 tsp. flaxseed

2 tbsp. organic natural yogurt

5-6 ice cubes

Try any of these delicious low-calorie smoothie recipes to jumpstart your healthy eating. Remember, fruits and vegetables are your keys to a healthier lifestyle!


Healthy dieting and eating is Donna H.'s passion and it has changed her life. With over a decade of experience and advice from nutritional experts, Donna spends her time writing about what she loves most - nutrition. Her newest book, Fat Burning Smoothies can be purchased on Amazon.com. The book is also available in kindle version.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Donna_H./1519703



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8403015

Wednesday Video - Top 10 Unhealthy Health Foods

Do you scan the list of ingredients when out food shopping? Do you automatically go for the healthy options? After all if it's "healthy" it has to be good for you, right? 

Well, that may not always be the case. Here are a few food options you might want to avoid when you’re trying to lose a few pounds

Monday Muscle - Protein Rich Balanced Diet and Exercise for a Complete Muscle Building Experience

It is a known fact that protein is a must have in muscle building; following a high protein diet will enable one to gain muscle in an effective manner.

If one wants to gain or lose weight, one should be on a muscle gain diet. A muscle gain diet is an important factor, because it helps to gain muscle instead of fat.

There are two factors included in weight loss. A proper diet and working out. When dieting one should avoid eating junk food and high carbohydrate food..

Incorporating a balanced breakfast to your daily routine is important.

Here I can suggest a balanced meal chart that can help build muscle and reduce body fat. Having a bowl of curd, with 2 sides of fruit such as a apple and a small banana. Two pieces of toast containing low trans-fat butter, such as peanut butter. One boiled egg white.

Snack or Mid-morning meal: 

Pure fruit or fruit juice makes for an excellent snack

A glass of fruit juice or a fruit. 

Lunch: 

Two ragi roti or roti made with wheat bran. A bowl of grilled vegetables. A serving of grilled chicken or turkey. Large salad and a bowl of spinach soup.

Evening replenishment: 

A glass of milk along with two biscuits. 

Dinner: 

Grilled meat or grilled fish. Baked beans and two rotis. Including a large intake of nuts, such as almonds or cashews. Some of the high protein foods include nuts, milk, wheat and lentils.

Maintaining a muscle building diet can sometimes get boring from eating the same foods. Contacting a dietician can be helpful, because the dietician can change your diet when required.

A simple strategy to help lose lean body mass fast is following a BMI (body mass index)

How to work out your BMI

chart. The chart is informational on the amount of weight and muscle required to the height and age of a person.

It is important for a person trying to gain muscle to know how much food is needed. Muscle cannot be gained unless the body fat is proper. An obese person will not gain muscle weight, because it will put him on more weight with fat.

Having excess muscle is a risk that can lead to having a disorder. Men can build up muscle by using Muscle building powders. These powders are available in the muscle building markets.

A recipe I can recommend to use as a muscle building food is a Sprouts-Chicken Burger. Ingredients: Burger bun, tomato and onion slices cut in round shape, 2 low fat butter or cheese sprouts, and processed boneless chicken mince. 

Method: Cut the burger bun in two halves. Place butter on the buns.

Place the processed chicken mince, sprouts, and vegetables inside the bun. Cover the items with the top part of the bun. Keep these simple and basic instructions in mind whenever you are trying to build muscle weight.

Wednesday Video - Snacks To Flatten Your Stomach

The 5 Tastiest Snacks To Flatten Your Stomach

Let's start with the bad news. You can do 1,000 sit ups every day and it won't give you a six pack. What it will do is give you abs of steel; but whether anyone will actually see those rock-hard abs, well that's a completely different question.

Whether anyone actually notices those new ab muscles of yours depends on one thing only—how much belly fat you've got in front of them. Sumo wrestlers have some of the hardest abs in the world but you'll never see those abs because they're surrounded by fat. 

So what to do, specially if you like to snack? This video shows how snacking can actually help to flatten your stomach.

Fat Loss Friday

5 Secrets to Healthy Snacking

Resisting your cravings for crunchy potato chips, cheese popcorns, creamy burger and mouth-watering smoothies when you’re hit with an instant snack attack is probably the hardest thing to do, especially for food enthusiasts. But what if you don’t really have to resist those appetising snacks? What if your favourite snacks were both healthy and scrumptious?

Believe it or not, healthy snacking contributes to a healthy lifestyle. Snacks rich in protein and other essential nutrients not just satisfy your carvings and taste buds but go a long way to help lose weight and lower the risk of heart disease.

We want your snack break to be absolutely guilt-free and satisfying. Hence, we share with you some secrets to healthy snacking that you can undoubtedly adopt as your habits and enjoy your treats more than ever.

Say NO to Sugary Snacks

There’s nothing better than chocolates and candies to perk yourself up in an instant. But, these short-term temptations just set your up for another snack attack. You can combat chocolate’s not-so-healthy side by picking treats like light and sweet , nutritious chocolate bites, heart healthy nut and seed bars.

Stock Up On Protein

When you feel the need for an instant energy boost that can appease your snack cravings at the same time, fuel your body with protein-rich treats. It can be anything from gluten free chocolate snacks to wholesome energy bars and bites to healthy trail mix. Opting for foods packed with nuts, seeds and dry fruits will both energise your body and soothe your hunger pangs.

Weight Control Goals

While extreme hunger increases the risk of getting into unhealthy snacking, picking healthy options to curb your hunger and cravings can bring in weight control benefits. Having something little and light every few hours helps boost your metabolism, which in turn keeps your blood sugar in check.

Restrain Your Cravings
You probably can’t easily control your cravings or hunger, but you can certainly keep snacking from taking its toll on your health and well-being by picking all natural, health-friendly options. With that said, treating yourself to small, frequent snacks including low snack dairy foods, fruits and vegetables and nuts can prevent you from overeating at your next big meal and jeopardising your well-being.

Stay Hydrated

Yes, keep your body hydrated whenever snacking but not actually with coffee or soft drinks. Include fresh fruit juices, refreshing drinks and shakes and lots of water in your snack breaks to keep yourself energised through the day.




Source: http://www.sooperarticles.com/food-drinks-articles/5-secrets-healthy-snacking-1445013.html

Gimmick-Free Ways To Flatten Your Belly Without Diet Or Exercise

This isn’t an infomercial, folks! We know it might sound too good to be true—like those ads that come on in the middle of the night—but there really are ways to trim your tummy that don’t require endless crunches or white-knuckling it through every craving.

Incorporate these exclusive Eat This, Not That! tricks and tips into your everyday life for a belly-slimming boost on top of your diet and exercise routine, or as a suffer-free way to flatten your belly a little bit every day.

Avoid Viewership Munching

Carolyn Brown, MS RD at Foodtrainers in New York City, says that one of the biggest pitfalls our diets encounter is eating in front of the television. “It makes you munch more!” she says. “This is partially because the unhealthy food and drink ads make you crave them, and also because of all that mindless munching.” And science agrees: A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that paying attention to your eating can aid in weight loss, while eating with a distraction (like, ahem, watching television) caused an immediate and long-term increase in eating. In fact, it’s not just watching TV in general that can up your snacking, but the type of TV show. One recent study found that action movies and talk shows both tended to cause viewers to up their food intake. Make sure you snack away from your ‘tube to be aware of what you’re eating, and how much.

Opt For Small Red Plates

Yes, you read that correctly: Small red plates. Though you might be stocking your kitchen with dining ware that clashes with your decor, the trade off is a slimmer stomach. Double down on the slimming effects by reaching for the smaller plates. “The bigger your plate, the bigger your meal,” according to Brown. Swapping dinner plates out for salad plates will help trick your brain into craving less food. And, yes, go with red. In a study published in the journalAppetite, subjects consumed less snack food and soda when their plates and cups were red. Researchers suggest the color red reduces the amount we’re likely to eat by subtly telling the mind to stop noshing. It’s worth stocking up on rouge tableware to cut some calories.

Eat Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds have a secret weapon against unwanted pounds. As Brown explains, they’re packed with linoleic acids (also known as conjugated linoleic acids, or CLAs). According to Brown, just two to three tablespoons a day may help lower your body fat composition. Subjects in a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition who were given 3.2 grams per day of CLA saw modest fat reduction compared to those given a placebo, and in a similar study published in Nutrition, overweight and obese participants given CLA supplements saw lowered body weight, BMI, total fat mass and waist-to-hip ratio after twelve weeks with no apparent adverse side effects. Brown suggests keeping some sunflower seeds in your purse or briefcase so you can sprinkle them over salad or soups whenever the opportunity arises.

Schedule In Time For Hydration

Sure, you know that water is great for you, but do know you how great? “Water is by far the most overlooked, easy way to lose weight,” Brown promises. “Water flushes your body out and gets rid of any excess bloat and salt retention, and it increases your energy and mood.” But, we know it can be difficult to remember to keep the H2O flowing throughout a busy day. Try putting in a calendar reminder or setting an alarm every few hours to remind yourself to refill that water bottle on your desk to keep yourself hydrated (and slender) all day long. Add some fresh, sliced citrus to your water pitcher for a refreshing, slimming twist. It's one of the key parts of our Ultimate One-Day Detox.

Try Some Natural Bloat Busters

When you’re trying to get on a healthy track, instant gratification is key to keep your motivation (and your mood) up. Brown suggests mixing dandelion greens, asparagus and lemon into your daily meals—though not all at once—during “flat belly-focused weeks.” They’re gentle diuretics that help combat excess water weight; you’ll start feeling slim in no time, giving you some extra motivation to make some other trimming changes.

Keep Yourself Busy

Downtime can be dangerous for your waistline. In fact, one study concluded that people eat when they’re bored to escape monotony (rather than increase satisfaction), a fact that was discovered when comparing the boredom-based urge to eat with a similar urge to electrically shock oneself. Don’t self-harm through snacking!

Instead of giving into snack cravings or boredom munchies while watching television, try out a new hobby or two to keep your hands—and your mind—occupied. In particular, Brown says that doing a puzzle, picking up knitting or doing other craft projects have proven helpful, but anything that keeps your hands away from the pantry will do! You can even keep your hands out of the chip bag by painting your nails while watching your favorite show. Whatever you do, just keep yourself busy for a short while, Brown says. “Research shows cravings usually last between 5-10 minutes, sometimes as short as 3 minutes. So take some deep breaths and a walk around the block til it passes!” When you feel the need to snack out of actual hunger, go for it guilt-free! Keep these 50 Best Snacks for Weight Loss on hand.

Let Yourself Indulge To Keep Yourself From Over Indulging

Eating healthy doesn’t have to mean depriving yourself of everything you love. According to one Stanford study, we all have a unique “taste-health balance point,” that allows us to feel satisfied with a certain ratio of indulgent food to healthy food. Specifically, the study concluded that most people only need about ¼ of their “vice-virtue bundle” to be made up of the vice (let’s say it’s ice cream) and ¾ can be the good stuff (apple and peanut butter, anyone?) to encourage people to feel satisfied and eat more of the healthy stuff. So go ahead and let yourself have some French fries with dinner, but be sure to also have a couple extra bites of salad for the perfect balance.

Close The Kitchen At Night

Limiting when you eat is, in some ways, just as important as limiting what you eat. According to a recent study published in Cell Metabolism, mice that engaged in “time-restricted feeding”—eating only during a 9-12 hour period of activity and abstaining from food for the 12 hour sedentary, overnight period—showed signs of reversing the progression of metabolic disease and Type II diabetes. In fact, the experiment showed that eating under a time-restricted feeding schedule effectively stymied weight gain even when used with high-calorie, high-fructose and high-fat diets, and still effective even when the TRF was disrupted on the weekends (which is great to know, because how many times have you given in to a late-night craving on a Saturday?). In other words, stay away from the pantry from 8pm to 8am.

By Daisy Melamed