Nobody likes rules.
Especially food rules.
“Eat this, not that.”
Snore.
If you’ve been reading me for a while now you’ll know I don’t often talk about what, when or how to eat.
If we’re really honest, we already know what, when and how.
The missing ingredient is the why. When you’ve sussed why you overeat, the entire weight loss puzzle just clicks.
You default to your body’s natural, healthy happy-weight blueprint, the one you were born with. (Your body has such wisdom, hon).
However…
…today, I am going to focus on the what to eat. I’m thrilled to share with you five foods I’ve recently included on my table.
All of the foods are well-documented for their weight loss abilities.
But awesomely, I’ve noticed a surge in my energy levels and, best of all, that bloated time-of-the-month-feeling, has completely evaporated.
Yay.
I encourage you to try them on. And to notice how your body responds to them. Imagine feeling so good you’ll gladly add them to your table too.
They are:
(1 + 2) Drink water with lemon juice OR apple cider vinegar.
I drink a glass of water with a squeeze of lemon or apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before all my main meals (especially breakfast).
Both of these act like a wakeup call to your stomach, signalling, “Listen up down there, food incoming!” and stomach acid is produced.
In the ‘olden days’ when meals took hours to prepare, we didn’t require lemon juice or ACV because our stomachs started producing stomach acid (which aides digestion) from the aroma of simmering food.
But these days, we often eat on the run or consume swiftly prepared meals (think, microwave or take-out) so our stomach has little notice of incoming food and isn’t prepared with stomach acid when it does arrive.
3. Cinnamon – the super spice?
Taste isn’t the only reason to love cinnamon. In Chinese medicine and Ayurveda it’s long been revered as a superpower spice.
Cinnamon contains a natural chemical called cinnamaldehyde which increases the amount of progesterone we produce. This is GREAT news for us women.
Progesterone is a beautiful thing. It’s a powerful anti-aniexty agent, an anti-depressant and is essential for fat burning.
Adding a couple of dashes to your porridge in the morning or a stick of it in your morning coffee is all it takes.
Now, this said, I’m absolutely not advocating you start guzzling cinnamon. It has been found to be toxic in large doses.
4. Eat liquorice (that’s licorice to our American friends)
Turns out my dad was right. He’s as healthy as an ox – and has always loved liquorice.
Liquorice root is one of the most popular herbs in the world. The ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Chinese all recognised its medicinal qualities.
It has all sorts of healing properties, but for us women who are looking our improve health and lose weight, liquorice is GREAT for the adrenal glands. (More on the importance of adrenal glands on weight loss in a future post).
For now, all you need to know is healthy adrenals = happy weight.
Just so we’re clear here….I’m not giving you permission to eat the entire packet, okay! A couple of pieces a day (I eat it as a pudding) and notice how your body responds.
5. Reach for the green.
Strong, black and first thing in the morning (I adore coffee). Morning tea, lunch, later in the day with friends. You get the picture. I really adore coffee.
But my body didn’t adore the biochemical reaction from coffee.
Caffeine from coffee triggers adrenaline (a short term stress hormone), which signals to every fibre of your body “uh-oh, warning, flight/flight response”.
It signals UNSAFE.
When we feel unsafe, we bolt….
…usually, to the fridge, the pantry or the vending machine.
Whenever we feel unsafe (physically, emotionally, mentally) we store fat. In caveman days it helped us survive.
So, I’ve have replaced all except my morning coffee with green tea.
Yup, I’ll not lie to you; it was a stretch for the first four days.
S-T-R-E-E-E-T-C-H!!!!!
Now though, my energy levels are so consistently vital, and my tummy is ‘bloat-free’ so it’s easy (really, it is) to reach past the coffee pot.
Need more proof to reach for the green?
Specifically, it helps you lose weight by speeding up your metabolic rate.
A recent study in the USA of overweight chaps found that, with no other changes to their diet or exercise regimes, drinking green tea three times a day burned up 200 extra calories a day. The green tea drinkers also found that their energy levels were greatly increased.
And because it’s jam-packed with antioxidants it helps your liver too. Nice one.
So there you have it.
Five foods you can add your table.
Add ’em and see how you feel.
Your body is talking to you.
It has wisdom to share.
Start listening.
I leave you with a love note from Buddha.
“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”
Love etc, Avril
PS: Clearly, if you have something ‘deeper’ going on, adding these foods (or any specific foods) isn’t going to shift the weight.
If you know you have an emotional eating thing happening – email me so we can work this out together. If you need help finding the solutions, that’s what I’m here for.
