Even though fiber is considered a “quality carbohydrate” I thought I’d create a section for it because it’s so important.

Fiber has been linked to help prevent breast and colon cancer and it may also help lower the LDL cholesterol, which can help prevent heart disease.

Soluble fiber partially dissolves in water and is also good at combating Irritable Bowel Syndrome.  It moves bulk through the intestines and controls intestinal acidity.

Soluble fiber food sources include oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, fruits and many vegetables.

Insoluble fiber passes through the intestines virtually intact.  It helps prevent constipation and moves toxic waste through the colon quickly.  It’s also believed to help prevent colon cancer.

Insoluble food sources include whole wheat, whole grain, bran and vegetables.

Adults should consume up to 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day.  Unfortunately most adults only get between 10 and 15.

Fiber and Weight Loss

One reason experts recommend lots of fiber when trying to lose weight is because it slows down stomach emptying, which allows you to feel fuller longer.

When you eat enough fiber you will find it cuts down your cravings and keeps your metabolism active through digestion.

Remember, one of the keys to flattening your stomach is eating foods high in protein, fiber and low in sugar and saturated fats.   This guide will help you select the best foods for your tummy.

Bread

Recommended Brands:
Milton’s® Healthy Whole Grain Plus
Orowheat® Whole Wheat & Honey
O Organics® Whole Wheat

Special Tips:
1) Look for the word whole on the label.  Whole wheat and whole grain is best.  If it doesn’t say “whole” then a lot of the nutrients have been stripped out.   “Enriched wheat” or “multigrain” labels may still contain a lot of white flour.
2) The statement “made with whole grains” does not necessarily mean whole wheat is the main ingredient.
3) The ingredients are listed in descending order by weight.  That means the ingredient listed first is present in the largest amount.  Be sure whole wheat or whole grain is the first ingredient.
4) Look for bread with 100 calories per slice or less.

Cereal

Recommended Brands:
Kashi® GoLEAN®
Post® Shreaded Wheat
Cheerios® (Plain)
Kelloggs® All-Bran Original
Quaker® Oatmeal

Special Tips:
1) Just like bread, the first ingredient should be whole grain.
2) Try to buy cereal with at least 2.5 grams of fat per serving
3) Look for “low in sugar” or “no sugar added”
4) Granola cereals may sound healthy but a lot of them are high in fat and sugar
5) Remember, you can sweeten cereal with fruit.

Meats

Recommended Brands:
Laura’s Lean Beef
Naturalite
Cattleman’s Collection (special cuts)

Special Tips:
1) Select beef cuts are leaner than Choice cuts, (You may have to ask your butcher for Select varieties.)
2) When buying pork, look for loin or round cuts.  They are leaner.
3) Look for meat where most of the fat has been cut off.
4) Grilling, broiling, baking and roasting are great ways to prepare meat without adding a lot of fat
5) Replace ground beef with ground turkey when applicable (tacos, lasagna, etc.)

Fruits
The Healthiest Fruits  (In no particular order)

Bananas – great source of potassium & good for the heart

Apples – contain 2-3 grams of fiber and clean teeth naturally

Blueberries – lots of antioxidants great for urinary tract

Grapefruits – good source of Vitamin C

Oranges – good source of Vitamin C

Apricots – lots of beta-carotene, which is converted to Vitamin A

Strawberries – rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants

Prunes – 1/3 cup provides 5 grams of soluble fiber

Cherries – contain a heart protective ingredient and good source of perillyl
alcohol, which helps prevent cancer in animals

Blackberries – another great source of fiber

Raspberries – high in fiber, antioxidants and Vitamin C

Special Tips:
1) Most berry fruits have lots of Vitamin C and antioxidants and are considered by many experts to be “the healthiest fruits.”
2) Even though fruit contains natural sugars, you should still watch your intake.
3) Fruit smoothies with honey and whey protein make delicious, healthy snacks.

Vegetables
The Healthiest Vegetables (In no particular order)

Broccoli – loaded with Vitamin A & C.  Also contains an anti-microbial
compound that stimulates cells to create cancer-fighting enzymes

Carrots – good source of Vitamins A & K. Fiber too.

Sweet Potatoes – a good source of iron, fiber, calcium
and protein, along with an enormous amount of beta-
carotene and Vitamin C – two powerful antioxidants.

Spinach – contains plenty of magnesium, iron and
Vitamin A, C, and E.

Celery – a good source of potassium, Vitamin A, C and
calcium

Onions – contains an antioxidant that helps reduce inflammation and fights the
effects of free radicals in the body.

Greens – rich in Vitamin C, beta-carotene and antioxidants.

Artichokes – good source of Vitamin C, magnesium, folate, copper and
potassium.

Cauliflower – contains omega-3 fatty acids and also a good source of dietary
fiber

Beets – can lower cholesterol and prevent constipation

Juice / Drinks

Recommended Brands:
Crystal Light®
Welch’s® 100% Grape Juice
Ocean Spray® Ruby Red Grape Juice (No Sugar)

Special Tips:
1) Low or no sugar is best
2) Try to avoid juices with high fructose corn syrup (especially when it’s one of the first ingredients listed.)
3) Too much sugar is fattening, even if it’s natural from fruit juice.  Less than 10 grams of sugar per serving is best.
4) Try to limit your overall sugar intake to 22 grams per day.

Tea

Recommended Brands:
Celestial Seasonings® Green or Black Tea
Good Earth® Green
Lipton® Green or Black Tea

Special Tips:
1) Tea is high in antioxidants and good for fighting inflammation and aiding with weight loss
2) To get the full benefits of tea, you should drink 3-4 cups per day.
3) Sweeten your tea with honey instead of sugar
4) Allow tea to steep for 3-5 minutes to bring out catechins

Crackers

Recommended Brands:
RyKrisp (Plain are best)
Health Valley® Whole Wheat Crackers
Ryvita®
Nabisco® Low Sodium, Reduced Fat
Aunt Gussie’s Whole Grain Spelt Cracker Flats

Special Tips:
1) Watch the sodium count and buy “low” or “no sodium” when you can.
2) Whole grain is best
3) Look for 2 or more grams of fiber per serving

Salad Dressing

Recommended Brands:
Newman’s Own® (Any of the “Light” varieties)
Annie’s Naturals® (Low Fat varieties)
Maple Grove Farms® Fat Free Balsamic Vinaigrette

Special Tips:
1) 1 Tablespoon of regular, commercial dressing can add up to 80 calories.
2) Salads with a variety of fruits and vegetables don’t require as much (if any) dressing.
3) Freshly squeezed lemon juice acts as a great, low fat dressing.
4) Olive oil is one of the healthiest dressings you could ever use.

Energy Bars
Recommended Brands:
Kashi® Honey Almond Flax
Luna® Tea Cakes (Vanilla)
Luna® Tropical Crisp
Soyjoy® Berry Bar

Special Tips:
1) Most energy bars have too much sugar!  Look for the ones with less than 12 grams.
2) Try to keep calorie count below 160 and sodium under 125
3) Watch the fat (no more than 5 grams total).

2. When you feel the urge to eat late at night, try drinking 2 or more cups of water. You can also make a cup of herbal tea sweeten with honey or artificial sugar. Hot liquids have a soothing effect on emotions and appetite.

3. Remind yourself that it’s normal to feel hungry late at night due to habitually eating late. Breaking this habit is like learning to quit smoking. Remind yourself of your goal to lose 20 or 30 pounds and the key to losing this weight is to STOP late night eating.

4. Much of late night eating after dinner can be avoided by hiding the junk food. Put foods that you’re prone to eat late at night out of sight. Better yet, don’t buy junk food at all, though this may not be possible if you have kids.

5. Suck on hard candy. Most hard candy have only a few calories and they give you the satisfaction of snacking.

6. Keep a written copy of your diet plan in view, which will keep your goal of losing weight firmly fixed in your mind. The temptation to snack late at night will not be as great if you don’t give into the urge for several weeks.

7. Some people have great success by simply brushing their teeth late at night. This method has been known to curb late night eating for many people.

8. The most vulnerable time for eating late is 1 hour after dinner right up to bedtime. Keep your life interesting by working on a favorite hobby and NOT watching TV. The ads on TV can subconsciously trigger the impulse to eat. Boredom is your biggest danger to late night eating.

9. Psyche yourself for the battle. You know that you will feel tempted to snack late at night. It’s an artificial feeling that will go away when you go to bed. The next morning, you probably won’t be hungry …. eat breakfast anyway …. it’s the most important meal of the day

2. Get moving. You know the drill, but here’s a reminder. At least 30 to 60 minutes of walking, jogging, cycling, swimming or some other form of aerobic exercise a minimum of three times a week is the other half of the exercise equation. “People don’t like to hear it but you have got to exercise,” says Lieberman.

3. Eat. It may sound crazy to those trying to lose weight by severely restricting their daily caloric intake, but the problem with this old school of thought, explains Michigan dietician Julie Beyer, is that it actually slows metabolism. “Every cell of the body is like a flashlight bulb,” she explains. “When our bodies don’t get enough food, or fuel, every cell burns less brightly.” Recent studies show that eating smaller meals every three to four hours aids metabolism and weight loss.

4. Ditch the sugar. Of course, you still have to make good choices about what you eat. “When you eat sugar you throw your metabolic switch into fat storage mode,” says Lieberman, who suggests a predominately low glycemic index diet, meaning foods that, unlike sugars, are broken down gradually to help maintain an even blood-sugar level.

5. Don’t skip breakfast. It’s a fact that people who eat a healthy breakfast are skinnier than people who don’t. And try to think outside the box. A breakfast bowl of vegetables and brown rice is a great way to kick-start your metabolism for the day.

6. Include hot foods. If Mexican and Thai are favorites, you’re in luck. “Spicy food that has hot peppers in it appears to boost metabolism,” Lieberman says.

7. Drink green tea. “There are unhealthy things that can boost your metabolism, like a really strong cup of coffee, or nicotine, but I would never say go have a cigarette!” says Michelle Streif, a personal trainer in Nebraska. Nor overdo it on caffeine, which also has undesirable side effects. Instead, go for green tea, says Lieberman, which is known to stimulate metabolism longer and more effectively than coffee.

8. Don’t forget H2O. Staying well hydrated is essential to flushing the body of toxic byproducts that are released when fat is burned. Cold water may also give your metabolism at least a small boost because energy is required to heat the body.

9. Avoid stress. At all costs. “Stress can actually cause weight gain, particularly around the tummy,” says Lieberman. Why? Because physical and emotional stress activates the release of cortisol, a steroid that slows metabolism.

10. Sleep. Research shows that people who don’t sleep for seven to eight hours a night are more prone to weight gain. Additionally, we now know that lean muscle is regenerated in the final couple of hours of sleep each night, says Beyer. Which takes you right back to tip number one!

This diet is based on the fact that in order to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you consume. The diet recommends to eat the foods from the above list. The negative calorie diet (some says it zero calorie diet) is very helpful in fast weight loss. You should know the complete list of the foods requiring your body to “burn” more calories processing them through your digestive system than the actual calorie content of the food itself. This results in your body burning up the excessive stored fat!