Your 4th of July Nutrition Success Tips

Okay!

Follow these and help avoid the annual 5-pound weight gain associated with summer BBQ’s, vacation and parties.

Hydrate up! drink a glass of water 10-15mins before sitting down to chow down at your BBQ or dinner… we often mistake thirst for hunger (you’ll eat less and get full correctly, avoiding over eating due to thirst) *very important especially in the warmer summer months.

Learn to Read Labels: Sodium, fat, sugars, carbohydrates and most overlooked- serving size are all empty calorie culprits. plus many of these foods or hormonally bad for you and can trigger fat storage. We discuss this in detail in the 7DL book, but keep in mind labels are important! Aim to find BBQ sauces and other cordials like ketchups and dips with ‘all natural labels”, sugars below 7grams and sodium thats 200-400mg at most!

No one ever got fat from a piece of fruit! eat all natural fruits and veggies and don’t worry about ‘fruit sugar’ – this sugar is very different from the processed kind and has a completely different effect on the body

Adopt the 25/75 rule: Before adapting a complex or limiting diet during a BBQ or gathering (like I will not eat any carbs all weekend) , try this basic change, simply double the vegetables and half the complex carbohydrates in every meal. Vegetables take more energy to burn and have far less calories then most other foods, plus they are nutrient rich. They will fill you up and they taste just as good as the bread and butter and they trigger great hormonal effects in the body (some veggies are natural fat burners- we discuss this in detail in the 7DL book).

Cook at least half of your meals. You will be surprised at the added calories in your takeout, frozen and restaurant foods. Of course what you cook is still very important, but we can guarantee that the same piece of meat or fish made at home has far more nutritional value, and less calories then one you got from the corner restaurant.

For mixed drinks, avoid tonic, and all sodas except for club soda. Your cordials should not be sugary additives, and instead be natural fruits, mints, all natural squeezed juices and citrus fruits. Yes, we have a mixed drink and alcohol list in the 7 Day lean book!

Have desert, just wait to have it! spacing is key. We discuss this in the 7 day Lean program, but how your food digests and what you pair together is crucial to how your body will use that food (store as fat or burn as energy). Try to wait several hours (an ideal is 3-5 between your main BBQ dinner and that frosty desert) – it will make all of the difference!