Amy Shapiro

With bathing suit season around the corner images of dressing rooms, fluorescent lighting and itty-bitty bikinis come to mind.  For most of us, there isn’t anything more dreadful.  But no matter how you spin it, every year after a long, cold winter spent bundled up in sweaters and long pants comes spring…time to face the truth.  No you can’t wear sweatpants to the beach!  So how do you shed those extra pounds (thank you mac & cheese, juicy burgers and soothing cups of hot chocolate) along with those layers of clothing?  It’s not as hard as it seems.

As a columnist for www.SkinnyintheCity.com–the ultimate online destination for the best health and nutrition news and trends…with a stylish twist—I have the 411 on how to get in bikini ready shape…NOW!  You may already know that it’s important to up your intake of fruits and veggies and that lean proteins and low-fat dairy products will help you to stay full on the fewest calories.  But, are you stuck on what else you can do to slim down without compromising your lifestyle?  Luckily, this plan doesn’t include drinking watery concoctions until you’re ready to float away.  Nope, these are realistic health and diet tips you can start applying TODAY.  And get this, even if you only implement a few (although incorporating them all into your life will get you the best results), you’ll still be well on your way to strutting your stuff on the beach, snowsuit not required!

Hit up the H₂0:  You’ve heard it before and I’ll say it again; staying hydrated is key in losing unwanted pounds!  Recent research shows that even being just 1% dehydrated can slow down your metabolism!  We often confuse hunger with thirst so the next time you feel like a snack, drink an 8 oz. glass of water (or bigger), wait 10 minutes and then reevaluate.

Fill up on Fiber:  In a recent study women who consumed more high fiber foods gained less weight over a 12 year period of time.  High fiber foods are low in calories, keep you full, require more chewing time and stabilize your blood sugar, all important aspects of weight loss.  So ditch the white flour, rice and potatoes, which convert quickly to sugar in the body (Note:  all sugar that isn’t burned gets stored as fat) and dig into whole grain breads, brown rice and sweet potatoes, instead!

Skip the Salt:  Salt causes all types of disease and too much can cause bloating, puffy eyes and swollen ankles.  Who needs that when you’re trying to look good in a bikini?  When dining out, don’t add salt to your food (they do that for you in the kitchen) and when dining in, use low sodium products and ban the saltshaker from the table.

Cut the Constant Craving:  Ideally you should never go longer than 4 hours between meals to keep your metabolism running and hunger at bay (both key ingredients in weight loss).  Aim for three meals and one to two snacks daily. This way, you won’t be hungry and will lessen the chance of a binge

Quit the Clean Plate Club:  Next time you eat out, leave over half of your meal (easier said than done, I know).  Restaurant portions are usually 6 times larger than they should be, so pack it up and enjoy it again later

Dial up the Natural Diuretics:  The week before your first trip to the beach start adding in foods such as asparagus, cucumbers, celery and dandelion tea.  They’ll help nourish your body while flushing out excess water!

RD to the Rescue:  If you really want to do this the right way (read, no crash diets, self-starvation or deprivation), look into hiring a Registered Dietitian (RD).  RDs have extensive training on how the foods you eat affect your overall health and appearance.  So let them teach you how to drop a few while increasing your energy levels and self esteem!  Visit www.skinnyinthecity.com, click on “find and RD” and presto, you’ll be provided with a list of professionals right in your zip code!

Help yourself to a hearty serving of these tips and you’ll be looking and feeling good in no time!  Did someone say beach party?

Amy Shapiro, MS, RD, CDN is a registered dietician/nutritionist and exercise enthusiast who believes that both nutrition and physical activity play integral roles in reaching optimal health. She received her registered dietitian license and Masters in Clinical Nutrition from New York University in NYC, where she lives with her husband and young son. She is also a writer for SkinnyintheCity.com, a daily newsletter and online community that combines the best of diet and nutrition information with the latest fashion and beauty news. Amy is an avid foodie who enjoys dining out, reading, traveling, chocolate, and wine.

Hailed as a “fat-burning” weight loss product, Pu-erh tea has become very popular in recent years. Apparently, Victoria Beckham is a fan of this tea which is known to decrease blood cholesterol levels and improve fat metabolism…hence its popularity.

Pu-erh tea, or simply Pu-erh, is named after the region where it was first harvested: a small town in the Chinese province of Yunnan. It is a fermented tea, with a very dark red color. Unlike other teas that should ideally be consumed shortly after production, Pu-erh can be drunk immediately or aged for many years – some prized Pu-erh teas can be over 50 years old! Much like wine, during aging, it ferments, thus acquiring a strong earthy flavor. In China, like many other teas, Pu-erh is regarded as a medicinal drink, because it facilitates digestion.

Does it really play a role in weight loss? Pu-erh tea is known for its “fat-burning” qualities because it helps fight against bad cholesterol and decrease saturated fat levels. However while Pu-erh tea does have a beneficial effect on cholesterol and saturated fatty-acid levels in the blood, this benefit exists in other teas as well. Most teas contain a certain quantity of theine (caffeine) and catechin, and these compounds play an interesting role in the metabolism of fats and act in synergy and have positive effects on cholesterol.

Tea catechins have also shown to have anti-obesity effects, which is why it is recommended to drink tea in combination with a healthy lifestyle or weight loss program.

It sounds hardly believable, but it seems that tea catechins together with caffeine increase thermogenesis (process of heat production requiring energy, and thus calories, to keep the body at 37°C) by 40%! Imagine the number of calories you would burn in this case!

So should you drink tea? The answer is yes. Should you drink Pu-erh tea? I see no disadvantage, but if you don’t like its fermented taste (some go as far as saying it tastes like dirt), don’t force yourself, as green tea does as much good as  Pu-erh.

Valerie is an entrepreneur, wellbeing expert, celebrity coach, author, contributing editor, mom and survivor. She created LeBootcamp, a fitness and weight-loss website. She is also the worldwide image of the Nintendo Wii My Body Coach, which launches in the US in spring 2010. She lives with her husband of 20 years and her teenager in the Silicon Valley.

Valerie

We asked Valerie Orsoni, creator of LeBootCamp®, to share some healthy eating tips for the New Year. In this first installment, she names some of the best detoxifying foods you can put in your body – check back later this week for more super-foods that we should all incorporate into our diets.

Members of my LeBootCamp weight loss program are encouraged to begin their wellness journey with detoxification: A detoxified body has more energy, perspires less, and has glowing skin. Technically our body is equipped with its own garbage disposal, the liver, but sometimes it can use a little help due to prevalent factors such as toxin-producing stress, environmental pollution, and the ingestion of alcohol and foods containing harmful preservatives, colorings and flavors. There’s no need to go for supposed “cleanse cures” (which can end up being harmful to the body) to help liver function: Instead we can incorporate some basic foods into our daily diet to help our liver fulfill its detoxifying functions by increasing its excreting power.

Aim to consume at least two of the detox foods listed below per day. For an even more effective boost, go for a consistent “detox day” and enjoy meals comprised of 75 percent detox foods once a week.

Garlic

Best eaten when crushed, make garlic an integral ingredient in your salads and cooked meals. You can also cut a head of garlic in half and bake it for 20 minutes at 250 degrees – it’s delicious!

The active constituents in garlic are alliin and allicin. When garlic is chopped, a chemical reaction occurs, converting alliin to the more pungent, allicin. It is the allicin, a sulfur-containing compound that has strong antibacterial, antifungal, anti-clotting, and lipid-lowering effects. Sulfur helps the body remain alkaline (and not acidic), which helps combat nicotine cravings during the quitting-smoking phase. In addition, this component, similar to sulfur, eliminates toxins (mercury, colorants) and helps the intestines excrete them.

Avocado

Yes, the avocado is rich in fat, but rich in good fat, so a half-avocado won’t hurt once in a while. Try fresh avocado garnished with a few shrimps and a little soy-based mayonnaise for a delicious snack.

The avocado is rich in the important antioxidant glutathione, which zaps free radicals in the body. Free radicals promote aging and chronic diseases such as cancer. Glutathione specifically blocks intestinal absorption of certain fats that create free radicals.

It was also discovered that elderly people who consumed a lot of avocado showed a lower tendency to suffer from arthritis. Needless to say, I’d rather tackle the issue before it becomes a problem in my old age!

Apple

One of the best and cheapest of our Top Detox Foods, the apple proves how accommodating nature can be! Opt for organic apples; this will reduce your risk of ingesting harmful pesticides and those other chemical additives we are so desperately trying to eliminate!

Apples contain Vitamin C and pectin. Apple pectin is an indigestible, soluble fiber; it is a general intestinal regulator. Pectin helps the body excrete heavy metals (pollution, mercury, lead), preservatives and other food additives, including tartrazine, which is linked to hyperactivity, migraines and asthma in children.

Grapefruit

The champion is… Grapefruit! The grapefruit provides vitamin C in abundance. Powerfully oxidizing, this vitamin is able to capture free radicals and toxins and eliminate them from the body, and it is for this reason that I classify grapefruit among the top detox foods.

It contains carotenoids which are powerful oxidants just like vitamin C, as well as soluble fibers which help in the reduction of bad cholesterol (LDL) and regulation of intestinal transit.

It also contains flavonoids which help prevent digestive tract cancer: More numerous in the white membrane than the pulp, the flavonoids also decrease bad cholesterol (LDL) while increasing good cholesterol (HDL), and strengthening the blood vessels.

Grapefruit contains limonoids – phytochemicals responsible for the bitterness and tartness of the fruit, which have antioxidant properties that destroy cancerous cells in the body. Grapefruit also contains antiproliferative agents: studies have highlighted a clear reduction in cancer in relation to the amount of grapefruit consumed by patients.

Auraptene, also found in other citrus fruits, decrease the production of cancerous cells and growth of tumors.

With a low glycemic index of 3 per 100g, grapefruit plays a role in the prevention of hyperglycemia.

Nutritionally, in addition to being a good source of vitamin C, grapefruit contains a significant quantity of copper which helps in the formation of hemoglobin, as well as Vitamin A, which protects the body from infection and the skin from UV exposure, and Vitamin B5, which assists in the production of neurotransmitters.

At 50 calories per 100g, grapefruit is an ideal food for weight loss, and therefore, I call it the champion of them all!

Valeire is an entrepreneur, wellbeing expert, celebrity coach, author, contributing editor, mom and survivor. She is also the worldwide image of the Nintendo Wii My Body Coach, which launches in the US in spring 2010. She lives with her husband of 20 years and her teenager in the Silicon Valley.