In Oriental Medicine, the nature and quality of food including its flavour, taste and heat/cold nature, determines its healing potential and its ability to balance or unbalance the body, through affecting the Blood, Qi and other body fluids.

There are many ‘diets, and the aim of this perspective on food and nutrition, is not to give you another ‘diet’ to follow rigidly, but rather, to give you some simple guidelines from a combined western and oriental perspective. These will give you a way to gently nurture and support your body from the inside.

The Water Element which governs the Kidney and Bladder organs in Traditional Chinese Medicine, relates to the season of winter, and it the most yin part of the seasonal cycle. It is the time for introspection, rest, putting oneself into a receptive mode and storing energy, nutrients and Chi. It is also about warming the body’s core.

The flavours that support the Water energy are the salty and bitter flavours, because they promote a sinking, centering quality.

Bitter foods include lettuce, endive, watercress, turnip, celery, asparagus, alfalfa, rye, oats, quinoa, amaranth and citrus peels.

Salty foods include, miso, soya sauce, seaweeds, millet and barley.

The Kidneys in Traditional Chinese Medicine are seen as the core of the body and are the foundation of all yin and yang qualities in the body.

The Yin energy is about nurturing, supporting, stabilizing, moistening and building the body. The Yang energy warms, energizes, and animates the body. The Kidneys also store the Jing essence, which is the Qi (vital energy) passed on from the parents. Jing determines the constitution and health of the person, and once it is used up, life ceases. Certain foods nourish Jing, and will promote the growth, renewal and development of the body and mind, resulting in more vitality, longevity, increased reproductive capacity and protection from premature ageing.

The Kidneys can manifest a deficiency of Kidney Yin and/or Kidney Yang, Deficient Kidney Qi, (which is not as deep as a Kidney Yang deficiency and Jing (essence) deficiency.

Symptoms of Kidney Yin deficiency are those which indicate a drying up of internal fluids and an increase in deficient heat symptoms. For example, dry mouth and throat, fever, dizziness, tinnitus, constipation and spontaneous sweating.

Symptoms of Kidney Yang deficiency include cold extremities, an aversion to cold, lack of sexual desire, frequent clear urination, weak knees and back and a pale complexion.

Foods that nurture Kidney Yin include millet, barley, tofu, string beans, black beans, kuzu, watermelon, berries (black, mulberries, blue) potatoe, seaweeds, spirulina, chorella, black sesame seeds, sardines, crab, clams, eggs, pork and cheese.

Foods that nurture Kidney Yang include cloves, fennel, anise, black peppercorn, ginger, cinnamon, onion family, chicken, lamb, trout, salmon, quinoa and walnuts.

Foods that build up the Kidney Chi include parsley, wheat berries and sweet rice.

Foods that nourish Jing essence include chorella, spirulina, fish, liver, kidney, bone and marrow, almonds, milk, ghee, royal jelly, bee pollen, plus vitamin A and B12.

A common imbalance in the Bladder is a condition known as Damp Heat in the Bladder, in western terms a Bladder infection. This indicates that dampness and heat have combined in the bladder, producing symptoms of burning, painful or frequent urination, sometimes fever, thirst and a sensation of urinary fullness.

Bitter, cooling and alkanizing foods help reduce dampness and heat.

Useful foods for damp heat conditions include aduki beans, lima beans, celery, carrots, winter squash, potatoes, asparagus, mushrooms, lemon and cranberries.

Eating lightly (vegetable broths) and drinking plenty of fluids is the best recommendation, especially in the acute stage of the infection.

Becoming slim & fit is the agenda for every third person you meet. There are innumerable tips and weight loss diets available online. Along with the chemical diet supplements you also hear about the natural fruits & herbs that help you lose those love handles. But have you ever heard of ginger and garlic helping in weight loss? Yes, they are quite beneficial in helping you lose the extra body fat. They are surely a wise choice over the artificial diets.

Ginger and Weight Loss

· Ginger is recognized for its excellent medicinal properties for a long time. It is best to help the digestive system. Ginger contains shogoals & gingerols. These help calm the stomach acid. It further helps in toning the muscles of digestive tract.

· Ginger root is beneficial in medicinal uses. It lowers the cholesterol level which in turn helps in weight loss.

· Ginger root aids the metabolism.

· It improves the gastric mobility. This helps in reducing the bloating by the moving food and aids digestion.

· There are a number of ginger root weight loss supplements available online.

· This also makes the digestion process work properly.

Garlic and Weight Loss

· Garlic is the other miracle food that makes you fit & healthy. It contains a compound called allicin that has anti bacterial effects. It helps in reducing the unhealthy fat & cholesterol.

· Garlic helps in weight loss as it contains antioxidants. These antioxidants also help reducing the risk of cancer.

· For losing weight with garlic include it in your day to day diet.

· It increases your metabolism by removing the toxins and improving the circulation.

· It does not have any side effects.

· Garlic gives you excellent result when accompanied with a balanced diet and regular exercises.

So, it is now clear that with the use of ginger and garlic, weight loss is no longer a painful affair.

Coronary Heart Disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the U.S. Each year, more than 500,000 Americans die of heart disease caused by CHD. Blocked arteries, faulty heart valves, high blood pressure, and poor circulation all take their toll in the form of strokes and heart attacks.

Use these supplements wisely, and with luck, you will never wind up as a statistic.

Folic Acid

The U.S. Government advises every woman of childbearing age to consume folic acid to avoid neural tube defects.

In addition to being essential during pregnancy, folic acid is also needed to keep homocysteine (an amino acid by-product) levels in the blood from rising, thus providing excellent support for the cardiovascular system.

Clinical trials have shown that folic acid significantly lowered homocysteine levels by 25 percent and that the addition of vitamin B12 lowered levels an additional 7 percent.

Moreover, homocysteine levels in the U.S. population have fallen sick the FDA mandated in 1998 that all enriched grain products in the U.S. contain ug of folic acid per 100g.

Garlic

In the 1980’s, research began to demonstrate the amazing value of garlic in the protection of the heart and circulatory system.

Several hundred published research papers show that garlic can lower cholesterol, reduce blood pressure, and make the blood less sticky, thus reducing the risk of clots.

A regular intake of garlic not only protects the heart and circulation and boosts their function, but also protects against food poisoning, other bacterial and fungal infections, and even has some cancer-fighting properties.

Sulfur-rich compounds released when garlic is crushed not only produce it characteristic smell but also most of its therapeutic benefits. For this reason, supplements that are deodorized or made solely of extracted garlic oil are not as effective as either the whole bulb or the standardized whole extract.

Ginkgo Biloba

The potent natural chemicals in ginkgo extract have the unique ability to improve circulation to the brain, at the same time reducing the stickiness of blood.

Research shows that ginkgo is highly effective in improving short-term memory loss in the elderly. Even people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease can benefit from ginkgo biloba.

There is no evidence that the plant is in any way a treatment for Alzheimer’s, but given in the early stages of the illness it appears to delay the worsening of symptoms by many months.

Research conducted by Professor Ian Hindmarch, of the Human Psychopharmacology Research Unit at the University of Surrey, in England, surveyed the impact of ginkgo on a group of volunteers who were young, healthy, and had no memory problems.

The results demonstrated that ginkgo improved concentration, psychomotor skills, and memory in the group taking 120mg of extract daily.

As a general circulatory stimulant, ginkgo is helpful in the treatment of Raynaud’s disease, chilblains, and tinnitus.

Horse chestnut

Although traditionally horse chestnut was used for its cleansing and anti-inflammatory properties, its most important use is in the treatment of peripheral circulatory disorders.

Aescin, the most powerful of its constituents, acts specifically as a tonic to vein walls, making this an excellent remedy for the relief of varicose veins, fluid retention, and hemorrhoids. Local application is excellent for reducing swelling after an injury.

Lycopene

According to Dr. Venket Rao, from the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto, in Canada, “Population studies have recently shown that women consuming high levels of tomatoes and tomato products rich in lycopene are less likely to suffer from breast, ovarian, and cervical cancers”.

These are the most common cancers in women and the principle cause of cancer-related deaths. Although lycopene is similar to the other carotenoids such as beta-carotene, the unique way in which it works together with vitamin C makes it a most powerful protective antioxidant.

Professor Truscott from Keele University, England, speculates that lycopene may slow the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of poor vision and eventually blindness, in the elderly.

Selenium

Selenium is the essential link in the activation of an antioxidant enzyme called glutathione peroxidase. Without sufficient selenium, the enzyme cannot do it’s job as a heart-protector and cancer preventer. Selenium is also essential for the normal thyroid function.

A large number of studies show that an abundant intake of selenium reduces the risk of fatty deposits in the arteries and damage to the heart muscle, as well as the risk of breast and prostate cancers.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E protects the actual membrane of each individual cell in the body, and that includes protecting fat-soluble tissues such as LDL: the dangerous type of cholesterol.

It is generally believed that only damaged LDL cells have the ability to cause arterial and heart problems; by protecting the cholesterol cells, vitamin E also protects the heart and blood vessels.

The list of benefits covers virtually all inflammatory conditions, but the certain advantages of consuming extra virgin vitamin E come from its cardiovascular activity.

It is also useful in the treatment of osteo and rheumatoid arthritis, eczema, infertility and menopause.

Proper nutrition before and after training helps you burn more body fat because the right nutrition will improve your workouts and your recovery. By eating a small and easy-to-digest protein and carbohydrate meal before training you perform at your best, which gives your body the signals to improve fitness, muscle tone, and burn the fat.

A protein and carbohydrates meal within 90 minutes of your training session is vital for fat loss goals.

Several studies show you burn more calories by taking in nutrients soon after a workout compared to eating those calories later in the day.

Protein and carbohydrates help you recover so that you perform better next time, and increase lean muscle tissue. These two factors alone will ramp up your metabolism dramatically. Don’t miss your post workout meal, because if you do, your muscles will continue to break down and you won’t recover as well and get the benefit of adding new fat-burning muscle tissue.

Again, you want something that is easy to digest, to allow the nutrients a speedy journey into your muscles. Meals and snacks with moderate protein, moderate carbs, and low-fat will digest best for you.

Here is the most PROFOUND SECRET to controlling your weight.

“When it comes to losing weight, the bottom line is eating less than you are burning off.”

The more activity you engage in and the higher your metabolism, the more calories you burn off.

Remember the more lean muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest and the more potential you have to burn more calories during activity.

It is crucial to get the most out of the calories you consume each day. Your first focus is to take enough protein with every meal and snack. Many people have succeeded by taking in round 20-30% of their calories in the form of protein. If you eat 2000 calories a day, split into three meals, and two snacks this would equal 20-30 grams of protein per serving.

PROTEIN IS YOUR BEST FRIEND IN YOUR EFFORT TO LOSE FAT.

Protein is ideal for fat loss because it:

Builds and repairs lean muscle tissue

Burns the most amount of calories through digestion (studies show that protein will burn 25-30% of the calories eaten from that protein just to process it!)

Keeps you satisfied

Energizes you

You must eat enough calories to keep your metabolism up for continued and permanent fat loss.

The number of calories needed for you to lose body fat and maintain/build lean muscle depends on your metabolism. In order to lose body fat, you want to consume fewer calories than you are burning off. Do not drop your calories too low, which can hurt your metabolism and make you lose muscle (your metabolism generator). This can be common in many diets today.

A common winning strategy for many is to create a 500-calorie deficit from their maintenance caloric amount daily. This can be done by increasing activity by 500 calories, decreasing food by 500 calories, or a combination of both to equal a 500 calorie difference between what is burned off and what is taken in.

You can expect to lose one pound of body fat per week with this strategy as long as you keep your metabolism up.

If you want to lose two pounds of body fat per week, you would want to aim for a 1000-calorie deficit per day. Simply drop your food intake by 500 calories below your maintenance level and increase your activity to burn an extra 500 calories per day.

You’ll be as lean as you want to be in no time.

You will get your best results by combining both. If you eat below maintenance and increase your activity, you will burn body fat. By including resistance training, cardio-respiratory work and proper nutrition, you will ensure that you keep/build lean muscle tissue and speed up your metabolism for continued and permanent weight loss.

Its just like a bank account, simply spend more calories than you deposit and you will lose weight, it is that simple.

It’s never too late to start learning more about body exercise workouts and good nutrition. And now is always a good time to learn about good eating guidelines and a good diet plan that you and your family can follow. If you’re worried that you won’t have the time or energy to give to body exercise workouts, don’t be – these suggestions will help you to balance your time, as well as come up with good eating recipes that you’re sure to enjoy.

One of the biggest ways that you can stick to your body exercise workout program is to plan a workout schedule around the things that you already have to do on a daily basis. If you’re a morning person, an early-morning walk at your local park or down your block may be best for you. If you function better in the evening, a body exercise workout program that allows you to take a jog or walk after dinner may be just what you need. When you’re trying to achieve your personal best in fitness, exercise is very important. A workout plan in addition to a good diet could help you to lose weight, reduce stress, have more energy, and even avoid some serious diseases.

A good eating plan is also an integral part of fitness; exercise alone is just part of the equation. You’ll have to make sure that you are eating lots of fruits and vegetables in order to get the most out of your body exercise workouts equipment, as well as lean meats and proteins to help build muscle. To create a guide for good eating, select foods that you love, and build meals around these items. For instance, if you like potatoes, use the potato as a starch for dinner or lunch, in baked or sautéed form, instead of deep fried. Exercises for your stomach, arms, legs, and waist can also be enhanced when you are consuming the right foods, so keep in mind that a good eating plan will help you to look and feel better.

The best thing you can do when you’re trying to improve fitness or exercise in your life is to be patient with yourself–you’re not going to have the diet or the body you want overnight, but you’ll definitely get there faster than you think if you come up with a body exercise workouts program that you know you can stick to. You should also practice a guide to good eating and continue to be disciplined in your lifestyle in order to be truly healthy.

Introduction:

So you’ve made the decision to embark on a fitness programme. While this is commendable, it’s very important to consider the type and amount of exercise you want to perform. Your fitness regimen should include workouts to tone and strengthen your muscles. Also essential is exercise that benefits your heart. Although you always should check with a physician to determine whether you’re healthy enough for a fitness routine, it’s equally important to choose the right equipment. Here’s some information about a great piece of home gym equipment from Bremshey, the Orbit Ambition front cross trainer.

Overall Rating:

4.5 out of 5.0 stars

Key Features:

The Bremshey Orbit Ambition cross trainer, also called an elliptical trainer, is a great way to simulate walking or running with much less stress on your muscles and joints. The resistance of the trainer is adjustable, so both beginners and expert users can expect a challenging workout. We especially liked the Bremshey Sport battery-operated display that’s super-easy to use, has a functional design and provides key information about your workout. The ergonomics of the machine include a fine-turned stride length of no less than 19 inches (50 cm). Another important feature of a quality cross trainer is the resistance system. On this model, the resistance is magnetic and manually operated. An optional, but essential accessory is a chest belt for monitoring your heart rate during a workout. Important because exercising at the correct heart rate helps to maximise the benefits of your workout.

Price:

About £500.00

Product Description:

The Bremshey Orbit Ambition cross trainer is a compact piece of fitness equipment you can use anywhere. Because the display is battery and not mains powered, it gives you the freedom to exercise outdoors. Like all cross trainers, the Orbit Ambition provides a highly concentrated total body workout in the least possible time.

Product Features:

Console display: Date, time, room temperature, pulse rate, time, speed, distance, calories burned.

Pulse measurement method: Via hand grips or with optional chest belt

Number of resistance levels: 16

Stationary handlebars as well as arm levers.

Programs: 3

Fitness test: Yes

Heart rate recovery: Yes

Training modes: Quick start, manual, heart rate maximum limit

Product Specifications:

Flywheel weight: 40 lbs (18 kg)

Adjustable pedals: Yes

Maximum user weight: 135 kg (300 lbs)

Dimensions: L128 x W57 x H168 (50″ x 22″)

Weight 65 kg (143 lbs)

Warranty: 2 years parts and labour

Conclusion:

This is a great piece of home gym equipment that will continue to challenge you as your fitness and endurance increase. The Bremshey Orbit Ambition Front elliptical cross trainer packs plenty of premium features into a mid- to low-priced machine. It’s also quite good-looking with an elegant silver and grey finish. Some experts believe that the dual action exercise you get on an elliptical is more efficient at burning calories than other types of machines like treadmills or rowers. This is because you’re using more muscle groups, and this translates into a more intense workout. We heartily concur!

Since 1970, the aerobics exercise has become increasingly popular. Hundreds of aerobics exercise videos were sold. There are many different kind of aerobics exercise being performed all over the world.

Aerobics exercise is a special type of exercise which generally involves rapid stepping patterns. These steps are performed usually to accompanying music and lead by an instructor who provides the necessary cues. After the 1970 publication The New Aerobics book written by Cooper, aerobics stated to grow in popularity and peaked in the 1980s. A lot of celebrities like Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons began to create their own videos and shows to promote aerobics exercises.

There are two most popular types of group aerobics exercise which are Freestyle aerobics and Pre-choreographed aerobics. Freestyle aerobics incorporate a style of aerobic exercises that include choreography and dance movements. It is mainly practiced to improve suppleness and most of the participants of this aerobics type are women.

However, in spite of its popularity, many people still excuses to not take up any form of exercise. People often claim that they do not have enough time to go to the gym or that gym membership is much too expensive. No matter what excuse is given, aerobics can actually be done in the comfort of the home.

There have been many similar videos since Jane Fonda’s video on exercises came out, so there are hundreds of these aerobics exercise videos to choose from. These videos include low-impact and as high-impact aerobics exercises. There are also specialist videos that cater to pregnant women in and the elderly.

Aerobics actually means with oxygen and this type of exercise uses large muscle groups over a period of time. It is also performed in a rhythm. Oxygen is used to sustain the activity over lengthy periods of time. Aerobics exercises require the muscles to work in great part so as to raise the heart rate to 60 percent to 80 percent of its maximum rate. It should also be continuously performed for at least a quarter of an hour to an hour.

Aerobic exercise can help you maintain a higher heart rate while the oxygen is used to burn the fats. At the beginning of an aerobic exercises session, glycogen is broken down to produce glucose. If there is not enough glucose available, it would result in fat beginning to decompose. When our body starts to use fat as a fuel, it causes a condition which marathon runners describe as hitting the wall.

Lose Weight With Aerobics Exercise

Losing weight is not very easy for most people. Most people don’t really know how to lose weight healthily. This is one reason why obesity has increased tremendously in most parts of the world. Losing weight not only takes time but also discipline. However, that is what most people don’t have. They don’t have the patience which is required to lose weight.

In our society today, we want everything instantly at this moment. When things take too much time we tend to give up. That is the main reason why most diets and exercise programs fail. However you should know that losing weight should not have to be so exhausting. It can also be fun to lose weight with aerobics exercise.

To lose weight effectively with aerobics, the workout should raise your heartbeat for an extended period of time. You should continue the aerobics workout for at least twenty minutes at a time. This is because this is the point where your body starts to use excess fat for energy.

However, aerobics workouts don’t have to be boring and don’t have to be the same thing day after day. The best way to continue your aerobics workout is to find several workouts that you can combine throughout the week or month. That way, your workout never becomes dull and you won’t get easily burned out.

Another factor that you must remember is to never lose your motivation. Most often, the reason people fail to lose weight is because their motivation wanes after a few days or weeks. Healthily losing weight takes time. It can be weeks or even months before you reach the weight you desire. If you want to lose weight healthily, you should only lose about a pound or two a week. This is too slow for most people.

However, you should remember that it took even more time to pile the pounds on so that is why it is going to take time to get them off. Most people don’t realize is that it takes twice as long to lose the weight as it does to gain it. So, the most important thing to remember is to never lose your motivation and continue with your aerobics workouts to lose weight.

Did you see John Wall dunking on former NBA-All-Star Jerry Stackhouse? What about his between-the-legs-dunk in the City of Palms Dunk Contest? In case you didn’t know, John Wall, the #1 NBA Draft Pick of 2010, has a 39-inch vertical (his maximum vertical reach was 11′ 8.5″; pre draft measurements).

Now if you want to improve your vertical it’s important to understand that it’s something you have to work on separately. For example playing as much basketball as you can won’t help – quite the contrary! It might even have a negative effect on your vertical jump. The reason is because this way you only train your “jumping endurance”.

But in order to maximize your vertical you need to work on your “jumping explosion”. Exercises designed to improve your jumping explosion are different from conventional ones like squats and calf raises: you have to do them very fast and at a high intensity.

It’s all about the quality, not quantity and intensity, not the amount of repetition. The key rule here is to do as many repetitions as you can at maximum speed. Believe it or not: rest is a key element in vertical jump training. Your muscles need a lot of time to recover. That’s why you should never do vertical workouts two days after another. A period of recovery (24-48 hours) is extremely important.

There are two other things you need to keep an eye on: stretching and nutrition. Make sure to stretch before (briefly) and after each workout. Stretching keeps your muscles flexible so that they can exert maximum force.

Apart from rest, your muscles need protein (for example eggs, chicken breast, turkey, beef, fish, shellfish) and magnesium to grow. However, keep in mind that you shouldn’t take more calories to you as you burn during the day. Otherwise you will gain weight which will slow down your progress dramatically.

For a concrete vertical program, I recommend the Jump Manual – it’s simply the best vertical training program available today – with concrete exercises, week charts, videos and more.

P.S. John Wall first dunked at the age of 14 (his listed height now is 6 ft. 4 in. (193 cm); weight 195 lbs (88 kg)).

Capsaicin as a bodybuilding supplement for fat loss. Does it work?

It seems that everyone has a product on the market that is said to promote fat loss. More and more manufacturers are cashing in on the public's infatuation and obsession with fat loss. Body builders, however, tread a little more lightly. Because their bodies are their fortunes, their identities, they are more careful about the bodybuilding supplements that they take, the food that they eat as well as nutrition. Many tend to lean toward natural bodybuilding supplements simply because they have aversions to putting synthetic materials into their bodies. Capsaicin is a popular fat loss supplement that many bodybuilders swear by. But just how effective is it?

Capsaicin is the stuff in chili peppers that makes them hot. It is a known irritant for humans and animals, best known for it burning sensation in any tissue that it touches. Pure capsaicin is colorless, odorless and has a texture that is crystalline to waxy. It is the active ingredient in pepper spray, the chemical riot control agent. On the dinner table, it is used to give foods a little "heat." In the weight room, however, capsaicin is being used as a method of fat loss.

Studies Show

Scientists in Taiwan have found that capsaicin can cause fat cells to self destruct. In laboratory tests, scientists used preadipocytes, cells that develop into fat cells, as their subjects. They created a capsaicin extract in the lab and infused the fat, contained in test tubes, with the extract for a period of eight days. Every other day they freshened the extract. The result was that the preadipocytes that were exposed to the capsaicin died off before they could develop into fat cells. The results of the experiment appeared in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.

Of course, the jury is still out on Capsaicin. As natural supplements go, there is no governing body that regulates it so any claims made are not backed by what the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deems to be "conclusive evidence." However, scientists the world over are conducting studies to link capsaicin to weight loss and the results that are coming in look fairly promising. Studies show that Capsaicin can prevent new fat cells from forming as well as decrease the appetite and reduce fat in the body.

Another study used humans to test the effects of capsaicin on fat in the human body. Each subject was tested for metabolic rate and measured prior to the study. Additionally, they were measured and their metabolic rate measured every half hour after taking the extract or after taking placebo tablets. Weight and body fat was also measured in the subjects. This study was performed over a two week period.

The findings of the study revealed that the subjects who took the capsaicin experienced a significant increase in their mean metabolic rate at 30 minutes and 60 minutes after taking the extract. Throughout the study that ranged a two week period, body fat was reduced in 70% of the subjects who had taken the capsaicin extract. The greatest effect of reduction of body fat occurred in those subjects who began the study with higher fat content at the onset. The subjects experienced a loss in fat, not water, based on hand held body fat measuring devices.

Supplement Forms

Capsaicin is one of the oldest natural body building supplements that has been used to a variety of conditions. It can be found in capsule form, liquid and even a nasal spray. The liquid form of capsaicin (as well as the nasal spray), manufactured by SiCap Industries, used a special hot pepper extract to promote weight loss. The formula includes feverfew and green tea extract. It is intended to boost metabolism, increase circulation, and decrease body fat. The liquid is in a spray form that can be sprayed on foods like fish, chicken or salads, or sprayed directly on the tongue.

The Jury is Still Out

I posted earlier this month about the importance of preparation. With the holidays in full swing, I’ve been thinking a lot about the second part to success, which is community support and eating healthy when others don’t (or won’t).

Here are some tips to rally support at home (and avoid resistance):

The “DON’Ts”

1. Don’t use words like “nutrition” and “healthy.” You’ll notice I rarely use these words (with the exception of today to make a point). They come with a stigma that isn’t fair to vegetables. If you are moving away from packaged food items, start talking about the ingredients themselves or what you’re going to make with them. Organic vegetables and conventional vegetables are still vegetables. Grass fed steak and conventional steak is still steak. You can change your buying habits without using these words.
2. Don’t be overly vocal about the process. If you feel inspired to clean up your diet that’s great, feel empowered and take action; but also understand that people around you may not be in the same place and respect their food choices. There is no wrath like lecturing someone trying to enjoy a donut.
3. Don’t overhaul your whole house. If you start throwing away someone’s favorite foods, it’s going to cause a conflict. Make a slow transition – start by buying high-quality versions of the favorites then maybe try an alternative version and gauge the response. The pantry is the hardest spot so I have a pantry guide below to help you.

The “DO’S”

1. Pack your life with flavor. If you don’t call something “healthy,” no one will think twice if it’s delicious. Transitioning your life should be delicious and they’ll be begging for an encore.
2. Enjoy a meal together at home. Shop together, cook together, experiment with new ingredients, and get feedback on the meal. Getting people involved and having fun will open the door to finding good go-to options that everyone is happy with.
3. Start talking about your results. Live by example and reap the benefits. When you feel amazing and are outperforming yourself, talk about it! Be proud! Those around you will be happy for you and start asking questions which will open the door naturally.
4. Find a community of like-minded people. If you don’t have the support you need at home, find a meet up group, group of friends, people at the gym, etc. that can swap recipes, brainstorm ideas, and hold you accountable to your health goals.

The most important DON’T:

Don’t assume! Don’t assume that those around you aren’t interested in what you’re trying to accomplish. If the above steps are getting a good response, ask them for their support and to join you on the journey.