Follow these tips adopted from Maggie Moon, MS, RD, a nutrition writer and consultant dietitian based in New York City, and eat your way to a better mood.

Breakfast
-Start your day with fruit. Better mental health is linked to diets with more fruits and veggies.
-Oatmeal is a another great way to start your day as it has been shown to stabilize blood sugar   more than some ready-to-eat cereals, and stable blood sugar helps stabilize mood.
-Too much caffeine can cause anxiety, so limit your intake to one cup a day.

Lunch and Dinner
-The Mediterranean Diet exemplifies a healthy meal. Try lentils as a first course, then risotto with grilled shrimp and  vegetables, followed by melon for dessert. A glass of red wine, as well as water, could accompany the meal.
-Save the bulk of your carbohydrate intake for the evening meal.  The sedative effect of a high-carb meal aids in getting a  better night’s sleep.
-Boost serotonin levels by building meals around whole grains like brown rice and black quinoa.
-Protein from plants and animal sources provide amino acids that act as neurotransmitters and keep the mind alert.
-Folate, found in beans, leafy vegetables, oranges, tomatoes, most produce and fortified grains and cereals, can improve  serotonin levels.
-Omega-3-rich fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna, lake trout and halibut, can be safely enjoyed once or twice a week
-Canola and olive oil provide the type of healthy fats (i.e., monounsaturated) featured in the Mediterranean diet pattern.

Snacks
-Healthy snacks, like a handful of pistachio nuts, help keep blood sugar levels (and mood) stable between meals.
-Other healthy options that make perfect on-the-go snacks are apples, oranges, bananas, pears and baby carrots.

Beverages
-Even mild dehydration can have mood-dampening effects, so make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day.
-While any tea is hydrating, green tea may have added mood benefits.  

Vitamins & Minerals
-Although there is scant research to date on vitamin D and mood, there are plenty of good reasons (such as bone and heart  health) to include a supplement of this vitamin.
-Getting enough magnesium has been shown to help animals who are noise-sensitive and jumpy.

What to Avoid
-Alcohol is a depressant; if you choose to partake, moderation is key.
-Red meat has been linked to an increased risk of developing depression.
-Sweets (e.g., chocolate) provide a short-lived boost that ends in a mood-downing drop in blood sugar levels.

The 3 R’s of Health

Keep the weight you lose off for good by following three simple rules which Deborah Szekely, a pioneer in the health field refers to as  the 3 R’s of weight loss. Best of all the 3 R’s have nothing to do with deprivation, but with giving yourself the physical and psychological nourishment that your body needs to finally let go of of the extra body fat.  

1#: Respect
Respect your body…I like to refer to your body as your animal, as it triggers a recognition that your body is not an object, it’s a living being. When you remember that your body is ALIVE, and respect the myriad of incredible feats it accomplishes all day long to continue to keep you alive, it lays the foundation for treating your body with a reverence. As you respect your body, self-care comes automatically and weight loss follows naturally and effortlessly.

2#: Responsibility
Take responsibility for your body…On one level your body appears to belong to you, but if we zoom out a level, we could say your body belongs to the world at large, to life itself. From this perspective you are not the owner of your body, able to use or abuse it as you please, but rather you are the caretaker of your body, you are the one who is responsible to care of this precious life you’ve been given. When you begin to embrace your body as its guardian, and embody the responsibility that comes along with that, weight loss is the easy, inevitable side-effect.

3#: Regenerate
Regenerate your body…The thermodynamic law of entropy describes the inevitable and steady deterioration of all systems, and that includes your body. Your body is constantly incurring wear and tear, and the ravages of time require you to regenerate yourself every step of the way. Without intentional rejuvenation, your body will always be at a deficit, your metabolism will become more and more sluggish, and the possibility of weight loss will become a distant dream. With regeneration, which includes rest, recovery and replenishment, your metabolism can reach its optimum state, and weight loss can literally happen while you relax.

You can lose weight fast and permanently by making these 3 R’s a part of your philosophy of caring for your body.

Lowering your sugar intake can reduce your risk for diabetes, heart disease and a host of many other medical problems. Adopting a low sugar diet, a diet designed for diabetics, or a low calorie diet as a way to reduce your sugar intake.  Follow the tips below to get started today.

#1 Always read the label.  Nutritional label lists the ingredients in a product order. If more more of the ingredient in the product the higher it is on the list it will appear. If sugar is listed as one of the first 3 ingredients don’t eat it.  This includes all kinds of sugar.

#2 Keep your portions in check.  The size of a serving has grown over time so be aware of your portions.  A kiddy cup of ice cream is a normal portion size.  Choose cookies that are no larger than the palm of your hand,

#3 Avoid adding table sugar to foods. If you can’t bare the thought of eliminating sugar from your morning coffee or breakfast cereal, try cutting the amount in by half.  Then reduce that amount by half and before long you will eating food without adding any additional sugar.

#4 Keep a food log or diary.  This is a great way to monitor whether or not you are eating a healthy low sugar diet.  Writing everything down that you consume will keep track of sugar intake you may have otherwise forgotten about.

#5 Drink Water.  Add lemon strawberry or cucumber to your water to kick it up a notch or buy carbonated, flavored sugar free water.  Stay away from sugary fruit juice.

#6 Say goodbye to soda.    There are 4 table spoons of sugar in can of soda.  A low sugar diet plan should contain no soda at all.  If you give up can of a week you can lose a pound a month.

#7 Substitute sugar in recipes or cut the sugar in half and see if the food is still tasty. You can often use applesauce, fruit or yogurt to replace sugar and come out with great results.

#8 Watch out for hidden sugar.  Make sure to read your labels. Sugar is added to many products even though it’s not needed.  Sugar lurks in bread, tomato sauces, ketchup, canned food and even diet meals.  Stick to products that don’t contain sugar.

#9 Reconsider Dessert.  Instead of sugar-laden cake, cookies and candy go for fresh fruit or yogurt.  If you’re not hungry don’t eat it!

#10 Reduce your sugar cravings by eating meals with protein, fiber, whole grains and complex carbohydrates instead of lots of sugar.  You will stay satisfied for longer and eventually reduce your sugar cravings.

NUTRITION BAR ESSENTIALS

Confused by the massive variety of nutrition bars on the market today?  Read on to get the best tips and the fundamentals of the nutrition bar.

Don’t assume because a bar says ‘Granola” on the package that is healthy for you.  Some of today’s snack bars are sugar-coated and containing candy like ingredients with high doses of fructose corn syrup.  But not all bars are bad for you.  There are many bars on the market today that include healthy doses of fiber and natural ingredients such as soy, nuts, and oats.

• When consuming a bar a snack, it should be less than 250 calories.  Note that when a bar is higher in calories it most likely higher in sugar and saturated fats as well.

• Don’t forget the fiber. Because fiber takes longer to digest and keeps you feeling full throughout the afternoon, look for bars that contain at least 3 grams of fiber.

• Protein also helps to keep you feeling satisfied throughout the day so look for a bar that contains at least 7 grams of protein.

• Many bars out there contain large amounts of sodium.  The lower the fat content the higher the salt content to replace flavor lost when the fat is removed.  Look for a bar with less than 60 grams of sodium.

• Many bars are loaded with sugar to help improve the taste.  A good rule of thumb is to compare the grams of sugar to the grams of fiber in a bar and aim for a ratio of no more then 3 to1.

• It is quite difficult to find a nutrition bar to that meets all the requirements above, so it’s important to choose a bar that keeps you the most satisfied and won’t leave you craving for more.

Here are Homebodies nutrition bar picks….

Regular Bars

Luna Bar in Caramel Nut Brownie

Think Thin Bars

Kind Bar in Almond Apricot

TLC Kashi Bar in Pumpkin Spice Flax

Raw Bars

Organic Fiber Bar in Chocolate Dream or Apple Apple

Larabar’s in Peanut Butter & Jelly

Wild Bar in Mayan Spice

Avoid these bars:

Snickers Marathon Energy Bars- These bars are overloaded with sugar

Special K Cereal Bars – These bars a high in sodium.

Fiber One Bars – These bars contains high doses of fructose corn syrup and maltose corn syrup.

Follow this to get ready for a big event or just to look/feel better!

Sugar – Keep under 15 grams daily.  Also, stay away from white flour.

Sleep – 7-9 hours.  Whatever works best for your body.

Walk -  Fast 30 minutes daily

Walking is by far the most popular low impact exercise, but in order to get your heart rate up there are some things you may need to do.

Walk faster. One mistake we often make is walking too slowly to get the heart rate up. Picking up the pace can help you up the intensity of your workouts.

Try interval training. By adding short bursts of speed or an occasional steep hill to your walking workouts, you can increase the intensity of your workouts as well as your calorie-burn.

Use your arms. Make sure you’re not holding onto the treadmill and, when you’re outside, swing your arms to keep the intensity up. Holding weights as you walk is a no-no (it can cause injury).

Squats

Squats work your glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves all at once.

How to Do it: Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes facing straight ahead or angled slightly outward. Slowly bend the knees and lower hips towards the floor, keeping your torso straight and abs pulled in tight. Keep your knees behind your toes; make sure everything’s pointing in the same direction. Do not go lower than 90 degrees. Do this move 2-3 non-consecutive days a week for 12-16 reps.  Add another set on the 2nd week.

Push Ups

Push ups, like squats, are compound movements using almost all the muscles of your body. You’ll work your chest, shoulders, triceps, back and abs.

How to Do It: Position yourself face down on the floor, balancing on your toes/knees and hands. Your hands should be wider than shoulders, body in a straight line from head to toe. Don’t sag in the middle and don’t stick your butt up in the air. Slowly bend your arms and lower your body to the floor, stopping when your elbows are at 90 degrees. Exhale and push back up. Variations include incline, decline, wall pushups or, for masochists, one-armed pushups. Do this move 2-3 non-consecutive days a week and add a rep each time you do the exercise.  Add another set the 2nd week.

The Plank

The plank (or hover) is an isolation move that works the abs, back, arms and legs. The plank also targets your internal abdominal muscles

How to Do It: Lie face down on mat with elbows resting on floor next to chest. Push your body off the floor in a pushup position with body resting on elbows or hands. Contract the abs and keep the body in a straight line from head to toes. Hold for 30-60 seconds and repeat as many times as you can. For beginners, do this move on your knees and gradually work your way up to balancing on your toes.

These are simple exercises that you can split up if you need to…walk in the morning and exercises at night!

If you can’t find the time to do a “full workout”, take 10 minutes to do the following:

4 minutes of intense cardio such as stairs, jump rope, jumping jacks or running in place with high knees

3 minutes of resistance exercise such as sit-ups, squats, lunges and/or  tubing exercises

2 minutes of core work such as planking, bridges with legs extended on a ball or bed and side planks

1 minute of stretching and breathing

Perfect when you only have 10 minutes!

Wow…my home personal training clients are seeing their waist again…You want to see your waist again?…Follow a low-Glycemic Index (GI) plan by eating foods with a GI of 0-55. (Google GI Index for GI listings)  Foods with a high GI rapidly raise blood-sugar levels.  When your blood sugar rises quickly, your body increases insulin production telling your body to store fat – leaving you feeling zapped = zero energy.  Examples of high GI are the usual suspects…white foods, most breads, sugar, many processed foods….low GI are veggies, chicken, fish, eggs, steel cut oats, nuts, high fiber foods…but here’s the real beauty in it…you start to lose your sugar craving, you have crazy energy, sleep better and burn MORE FAT!

These are all sugar!

High fructose corn syrup, beet sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, cane sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, galactose, glucose, lactose, evaporated cane juice, honey, molasses, sucrose, turbinado sugar, malt, maltodextrin, maltose, maple sugar, maple syrup, molasses, rice syrup, sucrose….don’t let the disguise fool you!