Bathing Suit Season - A Nutritional Guide

Spring is in the air and ? summer is around the corner! I know a lot of people have been contacting me about getting themselves and their bodies ready for da-da- DUM ?BATHING SUIT SEASON.

For those of us who live in the more northern part of the country and did not go anywhere tropical during the last six months, this can be an intimidating time. Our skin (and everything underneath it) has been tucked away, protected and hidden beneath beautiful sweaters and warm scarves. Now it is time to let every part of you take a deep breath of summer sun. Here we go!

Bathing Suit Season ? a Nutritional Guide

Two important concepts to keep in mind when looking at your food in preparation for your summer self is 1) to start, try to love your body right where it is now 2) be willing to allow your food habits to change. Take into consideration that your body WANTS to change what it is eating. As mentioned in previous editions the springtime is the perfect time for the body to "go light". If you listen closely I bet you can hear your body asking for different food, lighter food, and less food. To allow yourself to make these changes follow these guidelines:

1) Do Not Skip Meals ?Eat small meals or snacks containing some PROTEIN every few hours to keep blood-sugar levels steady. Do not to let more than 3 hours go between eating. This will help keep your blood sugar stable and avoid ravenous hunger which often leads to overeating. Low blood sugar and extreme hunger are a dangerous combination.

2) Keep Healthy Snacks Around ? whether you like crunch, salt or sweet, take care and prep ahead to have some energy rich? food available for yourself. The worst type of pre-summer sabotage is stopping somewhere UNKNOWN for just A LITTLE SOMETHING to HOLD YOU OVER. Use some of these Healthy Snack Ideas or create your own.

Crunch ? lite popcorn, or plain popcorn popped in paper bag in microwave/ or use coconut oil to pop in a covered pan

? frozen grapes

? 1 ? 2 hard pretzels ? the large Bavarian variety

? apple

? carrots ? particularly the super sweet, organic baby carrots

Sweet

? organic carrots (category cross over on this one!)

? organic yogurt and over ripe fruit ? all kinds of flavors to enjoy ? fresh, whole fruit

? leftover grains ? (i.e. brown rice, quinoa, spelt) drizzle maple syrup and cinnamon; add soy milk and bananas, heat and enjoy warm oatmeal-like porridge, cook grains in fruit juice (i.e. apple),

? smoothies ? mix any of the following ? whatever you have in the kitchen: fruit, ice?soy milk, yogurt, protein powder, carob powder, fruit juice, etc?

Salty

? tortilla chips and fresh salsa ? try whole grain chips such as "Garden of Eatin" Brand in health food stores and try freshly made salsa vs. shelved and processed stuff.

? pickles

? fresh lime/lemon juice as seasonings or in beverage

3) Dandelion Greens ? That's right. This pesky flower has leaves that are a magic component of winter weight loss. This common "weed" of the composite family is a powerful restorative to the liver. It's also rich in minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, selenium and zinc, as well as vitamins B1, B2, B3,and C. Ounce for ounce, dandelion contains more carotene than carrots. Dandelion also cleanses the blood and liver (the organ most associated with Spring in Traditional Chinese Medicine), and increases bile production. Go clean to get lean!

4) Fruits - Fruits are cool and juicy, so they get you the water you need to stay hydrated and they also provide the vitamins and nutrients that fat-free snack foods don't. Eating a lot of fruit does not work for everyone, but if you are a person who does well with fruit "Spring Lightening" can include eating a lot of fruits.

To your health and success, Heather

Heather Dominick is a Holistic Nutrition Counselor accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners and creator of The Energy Rich Lifestyle Program?. In addition to her nutrition services, she is a motivating and dynamic speaker.

To receive bi-monthly Nutrition and Lifestyle Tips you can: subscribe to her free e-Newsletter at http://www.individual-health.net or register for a free teleclass at freeteleclass@individual-health.net

---

Healthy Eating Tips for Healthy Living

Eating healthy is fast becoming a way of life. American's are living longer, however, the goal of many is not to simply live longer, the goal it is to live a longer and... Read More

How My Health Was Restored Through Glyconutrition

My name is Mildred Shears. I'm retired and I live in the Minnesota Northwoods with my husband, George, our German Shorthair, Bodhi, and our senior citizen cat, Cinnamon.A Sudden Transition from Health to... Read More

Odd Fact or Oxymoron: Learning How To Cook Will Help You Drop a Few Pounds and Gain a Few Friends

Finding simple ways to reduce my waistline is always a personal objective. I am by no means a health expert, and I have not always been too concerned with what I put into... Read More

Alkalize Your Way to Better Health

Today we're shifting our focus from wealth to health. First of all, I am not an expert. If you have a health condition, you should go see your doctor. What I'm going to... Read More

You Can Have Healthy Skin

With new research, new products and new skin protection advice popping up all the time, it is hard to figure out the best things to do to improve and protect your skin.A skin... Read More

Seasonings: Add More Than Just Flavor

Besides providing taste, color, and aroma, certain seasonings can also add health to your meals. Herbs and spices contain phytochemicals which are natural health promoting substances and have been found to protect us... Read More

You Are What You Eat, Do You Dig Your Grave With Your Tongue? Boost Your Immune System

I know that the headline is a oldie, but it really is a goodie and is so very true of most of us, in this age of fast takeaway foods giving us all... Read More

Improve Your Eating Habits.

1. Water. If you're thirsty you're already dehydrated. The majority of us don't tend to drink enough during the day. If you drink a lot of tea and coffee to keep you going... Read More

Snack Attack - How to Keep Your Hunger Between Meals from Getting the Best of You

The Benefits of SnackingYou may feel regretful about snacking, but snacks aren't necessarily bad for you.In fact, mini-meals several times a day can be beneficial.If eating a healthy snack keeps you from taking... Read More

Lingzhi A Miracle Herb For Peak Health

The secret of success is knowing how to deal with your body to maintain peak health condition. The dictum Health is Wealth hold more truth in the modern context than ever before.While medical... Read More

Homeostasis and Complementary Therapies

The word 'homeostasis' is made up of two Greek words: homeo; meaning the same or similar, and stasis; meaning stable, or standing in the same place. The body's systems participate in maintaining homeostasis,... Read More

Fattening Foods: Not So Fattening After All?

Have you seen those "fat free" foods in supermarkets? Have you possibly delighted in them guiltlessly thinking that they are healthy for you? There's a good chance that you have because we usually... Read More

You Dont Have to be Wealthy to Eat Well: The Truth about Your Grocery Budget

Many people complain that organic foods are more costly than conventional. In many cases, organic foods are priced higher. However, people aren't weighing the costs of eating healthy against the costs of eating... Read More

Healthy Eating Myths Shattered

Salt does Not Cause High Blood Pressure. Some things you need to know first to fully understand blood pressure, as well as helping you to understand about many other things in your body:... Read More

From Cell to Super Cell - with Glutathione

Imagine you're a cell.Inside your body runs the machinery that creates life itself. But as that machinery keeps running, day after day, you begin to get worn out - the friction and the... Read More

Is Vitamin E Beneficial Or Harmful? Cutting Through The Clutter Of Different Scientific Opinions

Numerous reports have recently appeared in both the lay and medical press questioning the value of vitamin E supplementation and suggesting that there are risks associated with its use even at doses previously... Read More

Factors that Affect the Nutritional Requirements of an Individual.

The factors that affect the nutritional requirements of an individual are the quality and quantity of the food they eat, the efficiency of their digestive system in absorbing and utilizing eaten food and... Read More

How To Prevent Hypoglycemia

Today's tip is on hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).Hypoglycemia affects both non-diabetics as well as diabetics.It has been considered an early sign of adult onset diabetes, although I am not completely convinced that this... Read More

Guerilla Health Tactics: 5 Snappy Rules For a Healthier, Happier You

The subject of health care itself often seems plagued with conflicting advice, or even heated controversy. Witness the recent Cruise-Shields incident, which will doubtless occupy several chapters in future health and nutrition texts.... Read More

7 Things To Your Health

Health is the thing. And no matter how many ways you can measure and quantify symptoms and disease, the only way to be healthy is to add to your health. So what adds... Read More

Combat High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol with Soybeans

You may have heard of the "Portfolio Diet" wherein it has been clinically accepted that increasing the intake of soy based foods can reduce levels of LDL cholesterol as much as some statin... Read More

Good Meal Sizes and Frequency

Meal sizes and frequency are very important. Over the years people are amazed by how much food I eat at work in a day and part of this can probably be explained by... Read More

Fighting Burn-out: Natural Help For Stress, Fatigue and Adrenal Insufficiency

The adrenal or "stress glands" are small, triangular shaped glands located on the top of the kidneys. Their function is to prepare the body's resources to run or fight through the releasing of... Read More

ACAI Berry Named Top 10 Superfoods For Anti-Aging by Dr. Nicholas Perricone

The benefits from eating healthy are endless. And, according to Dr. Nicholas Perricone, some foods can be eaten to help you look and age better! At the top of the list is the... Read More

The Truth About the Meat You Eat

There are so many topics to discuss which affect our health that it is hard to choose just one at a time. My motto is Unhealthy Soil = Unhealthy Plants and Animals =... Read More

Cherries - A Natural Joint Pain Killer

Fruit Advantage Tart Cherry capsules are a nutritious, all-natural alternative for the more than 70 million people in the U.S. who suffer from arthritis and other chronic joint pain. Recent research has shown... Read More

Simple Food and Diet Nutrition Remedies for Your Common Health Ailments

You are what you eat is a simple, time tested adage that still holds true today. There are non-medical remedies that can help with many of today's most common illnesses and conditions. In... Read More

You Are What You Eat

You've no doubt heard the saying, "You are what you eat", as it typically pertains to encouraging people to be more health conscious- and really consider each food before it enters the mouth!... Read More

The Business Traveler?s Diet Problem: Staying Fit When on the Run

Despite the fact that accurate nutrition information can be accessed by almost anyone with an Internet connection or a library card, the 21st century has picked up where the last one left off:... Read More