20 Tips for Healthy Weight Loss and Wellness

WHAT TO EAT

1) Eat lots of organic vegetables and fruit!

Vegetables and fruit are low in calories, provide satiating fiber, vitamins and minerals, and protect your health in many ways. Organic produce has superior nutritional value without the insecticides and poisons found in regular produce. Eat as much raw produce as possible. Cooked or frozen products are acceptable, but avoid canned goods. Naturally fermented (lacto-fermented) vegetables, such as sauerkraut and kimchee, are also very healthy.

2) Eat meat and animal products.

Animal foods contain essential nutrients not found elsewhere. Meat, fish, eggs, cheese and milk are important staples in our diet. And their protein is important for maintaining and building lean tissue - the muscle that burns calories!

3) Eat whole grains - properly prepared.

Grains must be soaked, sprouted or fermented to be digestible by most people. Whole grain products that have not been properly prepared can cause mineral deficiencies and intestinal problems.

4) Add raw dairy products to your diet.

Raw (unprocessed, unhomogenized, unpasteurized) milk from grass-fed cows is what the body needs (adults and children). It will increase your intake of calcium and other nutrients, and help your body get rid of unwanted fat with the CLA it contains.

5) Eat lots of "good" fats

The omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids found in butter, some fish (especially cod liver oil), coconut and palm oil, and nuts are essential for good health. Saturated fats, despite what you may have heard, will help you lose weight, do not cause heart disease and are actually something the body needs to function healthily.

WHAT TO AVOID

6) Eliminate poor quality carbohydrates - sugar and white flour.

They sabotage your healthy diet, except in very small amounts. Use soaked whole grain flours and small amounts of natural sugars like raw honey and organic maple syrup. Stay away from corn syrup - it's worse than sugar.

7)  Dramatically reduce junk food and bad fats

Trans fats and processed oils (most of the oils you'll find in the grocery store for cooking) are not only high in calories, but are loaded with harmful fatty acids that contribute to disease and obesity. Use butter and coconut oil for cooking, and other healthy oils like flaxseed oil and raw olive oil for salads.

8) Stay away from modern soy foods.

Soy is not a substitute for meat and can block mineral absorption, inhibit protein digestion, depress thyroid function and contain potent carcinogens. Traditional soy foods are not a problem if eaten in small amounts and properly fermented, as in soy sauce, miso and tempeh. Avoid all products with added soy protein and isolates. Do not give soy formula to infants!

9) Avoid processed foods.

Canned and processed foods, boxed meals, processed meat and cheese, protein and powdered milk contain toxins and fattening elements - like MSG, rancid fats and cholesterol, hydrogenated oils and trans fats, white sugar and white flour, not to mention all the added artificial colors, preservatives and vitamins. Use unrefined sea salt and herbs to season your food instead of refined salt and MSG.

10) Reduce or eliminate processed alcohol.

Consuming processed alcohol tends to lead to weight gain. Instead, traditional homemade, unpasteurized, low-alcohol fermented beverages are good for you in moderation.

WHEN, HOW AND HOW MUCH TO EAT

11) Reduce food gently

Extreme and sudden diets cause your body to conserve, not burn, calories. See "Rapport."

12) Eat snacks, not meals

Smaller, more frequent healthy snacks burn calories, not store them as fat.

13) Stop counting calories

It's not calories that make you fat, it's the foods you eat - like sugar, white flour, processed foods and bad oils!

EXERCISE AND LIFESTYLE

14) Eat earlier, not later

If you skip breakfast, it will be hard to control your appetite later in the day.

15) GET MOVING!

You need to exercise to build lean tissue that burns fat! Gradually increase the frequency and intensity of exercise for even greater effects.

16) Reduce stress

Stress increases hunger and promotes weight gain.

17) Get daily sunlight and lots of sleep

Sunlight produces vitamin D, which contributes to fat loss, while sleep is necessary for rejuvenation and carbohydrate metabolism.

18) Live a healthy, active lifestyle

Good habits and small steps can put you on the path to a healthy, active lifestyle.

19) Be a positive person

Think positive thoughts and practice forgiveness.

20) You are responsible for your health

You are responsible for your health - not your spouse, family, doctor or cook. Educate yourself and practice discipline. Share what you learn with others.

This text is taken in part from 16 Keys to a Healthy and Fit Lifestyle by Nexagen and modified by Dianne Ronnow, author and independent distributor for Nexagen. They go in the right direction, but I've modified them a bit based on the proven healthy living principles of the Weston A. Price Foundation's proven healthy living principles.

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