Add 12 challenge: ADD rather then AVOID these things to lose weight

12 Fatty Things To ADD To Make You Healthier

I'm rejecting the elimination and embracing the addition. Spring is the time for fertility - not futility - so lets ADD things to your life to make you BETTER!!!! SLIMMER! FASTER! SMARTER!

I may be a bitch of a trainer, but I have never asked a person to deprive themselves of delicious food, calorie count or step onto a scale. Are you strong enough to add 12 things to your lifestyle that make you healthier?

LET THE 12 DAY ADDITION CHALLENGE BEGIN!!!!!

DAY ONE:

Go full cream diary....  it actually doesn't look like this picture because it should have yellow greasy globules of healthy fat floating on top.  I wonder how many people didn't know that?

I cannot understand how people trust a can of Diet Coke over a cup of raw full cream milk.  

Milk fats have enzymes in them that BREAK DOWN FAT and have more nutrients and protein.....  Low fat milks could be putting your health and waist line at risk by reducing good bacteria in your belly.  The heating and chemical processes to separate diary fats result in nasty permeates (leading to cancer), and the destruction of essential nutrients and proteins.

Try fermented full fat cheeses and yoghurt's...  Try goats milk and cheese!  It's actually components of diary that people are intolerant to - so don't throw out the cow (or goat) with the milking machine, because you could be missing out on some delicious nutrition!

Fermented dairy products tend to have less lactose in them, which makes them easier to tolerate for those with problems digesting lactose. Raw dairy products have beneficial bacteria that aid in the digestion of lactose. In fact, some people with lactose intolerance can tolerate raw milk without problems.   

Chris Kresser - Personal Paleo Code

If you are going to go organic on just one thing - go with organic milk... and only buy grass feed beef.  Our animals were never meant to ingest day old bakery goods (nor where we!) and our meat quality has never been worse.

DAY TWO: 

EAT BUTTER, not margarine.  The diary corporation will be loving me sick at the moment.  Margarine is made from vegetable oils.  It's not the vegetables that are the problem, it is the process that extracts the oils that our tummies don't like.  It was originally made to fatten turkeys, and when the turkeys died they coloured it yellow and re-marketed it. Hence the biggest marketing lie of our century.  Low 'fat' margarine has made us fat and sick.   

Don't like butter?  Cook with coconut oil.  It's packed with nutrients and fat fighting enzymes.

Try these BASIC 15 minute gluten free butter biscuits:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup Coconut Flour
• 5 tablespoon Butter or Coconut Oil
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoon honey (optional)
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

1.  Preheat oven to 200 degrees
2. Mix ingredients
3. Form moist mixture into small balls and flatten each one down with a fork to make it about 10cm thick.
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes until just golden.

I halve the mixture and make a sweet batch and a savory.  You can use the savory biscuits and top with bacon and eggs, use as a soup biscuit, or top them with cream cheese and smoked salmon.

SWEET OPTIONS:
Homemade strawberry jam (or whole fresh berry) drops
Add grated apple and ad a little more flour
Top with Cinnamon

SAVORY:
Add cheese and a little paprika
Add dried or fresh herbs
Grate some veges and add a little more flour

DAY THREE:

EAT YOUR POTATO...  BUT KEEP YOUR SKINS ON!

Unless you just haven't got it through your head that NOT MOVING ENOUGH will make you get fat and ugly, it is ok to have the odd tat.  Most of us claim a bit of Irish ancestry (who would have thought it would be so trendy), so what about indulging in the vegetable that kept a nation alive (and most stand up comics with at least 5 minutes of material). 

BUT KEEP THE BLOODY SKINS ON!

In fact - keep the skins on most of your veges!  Beetroot, sweet potato, carrots  - just give them a good scrub.  That is where the nutrients, enzymes, and fibre resides that helps us digest and poo nicely.  (We all love a good poo..)

Roasting, skins on, with a good oil - macadamia, avocado - is just so easy and delicious.  My roast veges are always way better then any dodgy takeaway.  And they become a crowd pleasing left-over for the rest of the week in lasagna fillings, vegetable stacks, pita fillings and good old bubble and squeak.

It fluffs me that people who say they have no time are to cook are usually also the same dudes peeling their veges and throwing the best part of the food into the bin.

So dust of a tat or two, throw in your other unpeeled root veges and bake them into toasty submission. Much like grandma used to do them.....  Bon-apotato.

DAY FOUR:

Made famous thanks to of sushi, NORI is a sea vegetable and SUPER FOOD.  Shred, cut, sprinkle, toast nori as a salt substitute and flavour enhancer.  I use it for 'umami' and it's healing properties like I use garlic, onion and anchovies.

Plants from the sea contain more minerals than any other food source: including... all trace elements essential to the human body....  (They can) contain ten times the calcium of milk, and eight times the iron of beef.  

Dr Gillian McKeith "Living Food for Health"

It is abundant in iodine (iodine is soooo good for the thyroid that it has been proven to assist in cancer remission and the normal development of babies).  It alkalises the blood, activates enzymes to gobble up fat and assimilates nutrients.

My favourite two minute comfort food is soba noodles sprinkled with stir fried vegetables, shredded nori, sesame seeds and sesame oil.  It takes me longer to order takeaway and regret it.......  I got so hungry talking about it I whipped it up and I'm updating the blog while shovelling it into my gob.

DAY FIVE

If you do nothing else to heighten your metabolism, drink green tea.  Don't be a baby about it and whinge.... "oh I don't liiikkkkeee iiittttttt.....".  If you don't like it you have been smoking/ eating too much chocolate/ eating too much shit to have the taste buds present to appreciate the full spectrum of your palate.  It is EXTREMELY important that we engage our taste buds beyond salty and sweet otherwise we will die very boring, very fat people....

I stole this gorgeous photo from MY LITTLE TEACUP: the purveyors of deliciously healthy teas

Green Tea is medicinal.  It can treat everything from headaches to depression (I am not a happy person without it....)  University's are always releasing studies on its ability to inhibit the growth of cancer cells.  It is used to treat impaired immune function, arthritis, and cardiovascular disease - including cholesterol.

Try it - rinse the leaves of the teabag first to dilute the bitterness, and don't steep in boiling water as it burns the natural oils.  Try Jasmine, peach, or apple or other exotic blends.

Drink it after breakfast, before lunch, after lunch and at the 3 o'clocksees to stop eating poop out of the cupboard or vending machine (poop shouldn't be in YOUR cupboard, should it?).  JUST DRINK IT.... Drink it with me, it's how I get inspired, less stressed, want to bond and get all talky walky.
JUST DRINK IT...

DAY SIX

Try good quality beef jerky or bilton.

A nutrient dense dried meat that doesn't require refrigeration and is the perfect desk and car food. 

It increases saliva production (great for digestion), requires attentive chewing (great for appetite control) and is rich in protein, iron and B-12.

You cannot afford to skimp on quality and price to avoid sulphur, preservatives and excessive sodium when purchasing jerky.  The drying process has to be precise and the sodium content needs to be monitored.  This is definitely an eat in moderation snack.  Do not introduce this if you haven't got on top of your weight and cholesterol. Try drying your own and experiment with spices and flavours - it is also a good way to control the sodium content and keep it healthy.

DAY SEVEN

Eat raw veges as you are cutting up your meals... and cut up more raw veges for you and your family to snack on during the day.

RAW FOODS have enzymes required to break down old food in your gut and feed good bacteria.  You actually burn more calories to consume raw foods then cooked foods.  You would have to eat raw carrots continuously for 8 hours to consume enough of your daily requirement of calories.  That is one sore jaw.

So when you hit the 4-5pm hungry hour START CUTTING UP YOUR VEGETABLES FOR DINNER and don't buy crap to snack on.

DAY EIGHT

ADD SOCIAL WALKING TO YOUR ROUTINE:

With your partner, kids, dog, girlfriend, family, work mates...

Yes.... the penultimate laughing couple shot. Thank you studio60.com.au!

The social benefits are innumerable: the support, networking, downloading, bonding, parenting tips, business networking and all the associated feel good hormones that flush happily around the system as the liver gets a gentle massage and detox the burdened lymphatic system.  Oh, you'll lose weight too... you're exercising, not sitting around a table drinking sugary drinks and cocktails, and giving into that calorific muffin on the counter.


It also has that "I'm on holidays" feeling about it.  But why do we only go for walks on holidays?

Plus the meditative state induced my walking can soothe you into a Alpha/theta brain-wave state.  This creative thinking state can lead to "uh hah" moments, stimulate life changing planning and could lead you to make your first million dollars!  Bonus!

Remember me when you are out walking planning how to spend all that money....

ps: thanks to Matty, Shannie, Thomas, Lucy and Angus for inspiring this little 'must have in my life to be happy' add on.

DAY NINE

GET A MORNING ROUTINE: Prepare for energy and health.

And I am not talking about checking Facebook and turning on a straightening iron....





This is mine:

Go out in the early morning sun for a little while - sans sunglasses  - to set your body clock and prepare your body to release melatonin (sleep hormone) approximately 12 hours later.   Sleep is a key factor in weight loss, so if you are serious about cutting down cravings, work on your sleep!

I soak my wholemeal oats in water and a little full fat milk for 20 minutes just like my great grandma did (yes, I eat grains).  Soaked oats has very little gluten and is the highest protein cereal available.

I guzzle aloe gel with filtered water and take a probiotic.

I clean the entire house, do the washing, write and research a bit.  The amount  of aloe varies between four capfuls when I am not well, to two for maintenance.  Very constipated people should have four capfuls four times a day on an empty stomach until their bowel motions are soft and regular.

When I am REALLY hungry I eat.  (Oats, walnuts and pecans, shredded coconut, frozen berries and a couple of dried cranberries).

Then get me a green tea!  Mummy needs her green tea!!!!!

I personally think multivitamins are a waste of time... but if I am treating something (cold sores with lysine, lethargy with Vitamin B and D) or pregnant or breastfeeding then I take these supplements on a full, rested tummy.

After my shower routine (see below) I head off for the day. 
Note for exercisers: I try and eat at least an hour before a session.
 
(Actually makeup and hair straightening don't figure high on this equation... my white fluffy Maltese and children always make sure there is a poo, wee or vomit emergency to make sure that running my fingers through my hair is a great luxury).

In amongst this routine are indicators of my health: 

1. How was my sleep?  
2. Did I need to poo as soon as I opened my eyes?  That is an uber clean digestion system according to Chinese Medicine.     
3.  If I am not hungry there is no reason to pile more food on my system - it's only been in the last 60 years that the 3 meals and two smaller meals has come into play.  And you just need to look at fat people eating big meals (are they really hungry?) to know that is a false teaching.  

So what is your routine?  Early morning exercise? Free range eggs, spinach and tomato? Apple cider vinegar in warm water?

Mental Health workers talk about the necessity for daily routine to give the much comforting feeling of control back to ill people that have lost their sense of self in the world.  Couple this with the health benefits of a good breakkie, exercises and supplements and we have a recipe for a happy, lean, healthy you!!!! 

DAY TEN

Get an evening routine....  This is all about preparing for fast and sleep.

I chop and eat my raw veges, start baking or marinating the meal and then head out for a walk with the dog and family (and sometimes even walk to get a bottle of wine).... with the exception of training you guys, of course.

Digestion starts in the mouth - carbohydrate digestion primarily occurs in the saliva in the mouth, so if you don't slow down and chew you are bucking the system and so the system will buck you (mainly your bloated stomach swelled with undigested carbs).  Slow down to eat cowboy!



At the end of the meal making a cup of tea (fresh ginger and mint is the bomb for digestion and constipation) signifies the end of eating, as does cleaning the teeth.  

Katnis out of the The Hunger Games chewed mint to suppress hunger when she was starving, because prior to be dragged into the 'games' it was part of her evening ritual to drink mint tea with her family before bed.   Genius.

If I have a child pinging of the walls we both get in the bath with loads of epsom salts (magnesium) and pure lavender oil.



SUPPLEMENTS:
I take my magnesium supplements now - it just gets wee'd out any other time of the day so it is useless, and zinc and magnesium is better absorbed at night.  Unless you come from an ethnic background where you daily eat fermented foods and seafood broth, as an Australian you will be deficient in magnesium and zinc because of our poor soils.  Taking supplements allows me to never have to take panadol/ neurofen or pain relief and I think I am reasonably healthy?  

I take 400 mg elemental magnesium (for muscle soreness and cramping) and B12 and MSM (for muscle repair and growth).  I have one or two doses on my rest days, up to four on the days I train or if I am in pain.  I always stock these supplements on the shelves at Sweat Depot, so you can try them out for yourself and see what a difference it makes to recovery and muscle growth....

I make a real effort to stop looking at phones/ computers and TV's at least 20 minutes before bed so as not to disturb all the beautiful sleep hormones that should be coming into play.  Having a little gander at the moon while the dog has a wee is also good for my sleep signals too: promoting the most restful and healing sleep.  Your growth hormones primarily activate between 10pm - 2am, so if you aren't asleep, you miss out - and there is no catching up.

I started sleeping for Australia at a very young age. I am quite an expert at it....

DAY ELEVEN

Get a shower routine:

As I shower I always exfoliate to remove dead skin skills, but I also stretch and rub out bruises at the same time.  I always moisturise from head to toe.  Skin is the largest organ on my body so I only use organic, paraben free products fragranced with essential oils.  I will not skimp on this, or what would be the point in eating clean? 

IHerb has the good gear for supplements, smell-licious and organic body treatments, and safe cleaning products...  (I think if you click through that link you'll get $10 off your first order).

Showering is also a good time to do a good tongue scrape, and give those sinuses a little clean out with natural salt water sprays... particularly if you are suffering this spring from allergies.

This showering process also forms part of a health check... 

• Breasts checked ladies (using your open soapy palm)?  
• Skin check everyone?  
• How are those moles?  Do you have new scaley/ weepy bits?   
• Lumps... bruises that aren't going away?

Thanks for jumping in the shower with me...

DAY TWELVE

Get some SPICE in your life:

Spices are packed with flavour, minus the calories... They benefit your health, as well as your taste buds. Kick start your metabolism, unclog your arteries and fight prostate cancer (chillies), battle deafness and help pass kidney stones (parsley), destroy damaging proteins that cause Alzheimer's (turmeric), and the list goes on. 

Here are some simple ways to add spice to your life:

CINNAMON: Sprinkle on baked fruits, sweet potato, carrots and pumpkin, and oats.  It is a blood sugar stabiliser... so if you are cutting out sugar use it on your sugar inclusive dishes to add natural sweetening. 

TURMERIC: Is the brain and anti-pain spice.  Sprinkle through your fried basmati or brown rice, or your grated cauliflower.  It is the foundation spice of a good chicken curry.

OREGANO and THYME: Think soups, stews and roasts and topped on homemade pizza and breads.  Their oils are antiseptic and antibacterial and can fight infections that are resistant to antibiotics.

Oh... what's that you say?  I would love to come over to your place try out your new curry....  I'm just jumping in the shower.

A FINAL NOTE:

SEXING UP YOUR FOOD

Make love to it... Seduce it.... Take it to bed......

Just decide you want to have an intimate, nurturing relationship with it.

What's your relationship with food?  Does it excite you? Depress you? Is it important to you? Do you like to control it?  Does your body respond to it?  Do you celebrate with it?  Do you restrict and then binge on it like an illicit affair? Do you deny that it ever passed your lips? Or feel compelled to give confessional to your trainer/ doctor/ skinny friend about why you haven't been eating well every time you see them?

So I have a little psycho analysis for you to consider when contemplating your relationship with food and health. 

This is my first, and most important question for you:

IF YOU HAD $20 IN YOUR POCKET TO FEED YOUR FAMILY FOR A WEEK, WHAT WOULD YOU SPEND IT ON?

Want to explore what your relationship to food is?  

Are you a food victim?  Food vampire? Food child?  Food prostitute?


Click here to delve into your Willy Wonky subconscious and see what rocks your chocolate boat.

So.... I hope you've enjoyed the ADDING 12 food journey.

I'm too busy writing my rants and programs to give you each the individual nutritional love and meal plans that you deserve, but check out what I eat everyday to introduce probiotic foods regularly into my diet to get my gut (and head) right.

And get to my North Brisbane MMA HIRT shed - we've been doing it for 10 years strong.