What’s your background? Why did you decide to start Step One Foods?

I’m a practicing cardiologist. I trained at University of Toronto, Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins – some of the finest medical institutions on the planet. But I started Step One Foods because the way I was taught to treat conditions like high cholesterol ultimately did not make sense to me. Doctors are instructed to jump straight to prescribing medications (statins for lowering cholesterol for example) without ever addressing WHY the cholesterol is high in the first place

I began to see this as a problem when no matter how many medications I prescribed – and no matter how much I improved their “numbers” – none of my patients felt or looked healthier. Some of my patients even told me that all those cholesterol lowering drugs were making them feel worse. I eventually realized that prescribing statins was only masking the downstream effects of dietary patterns that encouraged high cholesterol in the first place – while doing nothing to change the patient’s food choices. But if you don’t address the root cause of a health condition, you have no chance of curing it! Ultimately, what became crystal clear to me is that if a condition is caused in part or in whole by food, step one should be to change the food!

But changing food has to be easy. Otherwise changing diet can’t compete with the convenience of using drugs. That’s why I launched Step One Foods as a convenient way for anyone and everyone to lower their cholesterol levels – whether or not they already use medication. Simply replace two meal items or snacks per day with two doses of Step One Foods to see significantly lower cholesterol within 30 days. That’s it. It’s that easy.

I often say that, with Step One Foods, I’m trying to put myself out of work. I want to give people a non-pharmaceutical option to address their high cholesterol so they never even need to see me in my office.

How are Step One Foods products clinically proven?

My team and I have put Step One Foods through the same level of scientific scrutiny as is typically reserved for pharmaceuticals. Mayo Clinic and the University of Manitoba jointly tested Step One Foods on patients dissatisfied with statins, and the results showed that Step One Foods lowered their LDL (bad) cholesterol by 9% in just 30 days. From a heart risk perspective, that’s a highly significant reduction. What was also exciting is that among trial participants there were some individuals who saw their LDL fall by 20%, 30% even close to 40%! Those are medication level cholesterol reductions – attained with FOOD. And it’s important to point out that the ONLY thing people did was to swap in 2 servings of Step One Foods per day. No subject took up a new exercise routine or started cooking with kale! To my knowledge, we are the only food company in the world that’s put our products through such rigorous testing and yielded such strong results.

Where is Step One Foods based?

Our operations are based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, and most of our food is made right here in Minnesota. We currently ship all our products from our headquarters.

What are your best-selling products?

Our Dark Chocolate Crunch Bar and our Anytime Sprinkle are perennial favorites. These can be purchased separately or as part of our “Starter Pack” that also includes Dark Chocolate Walnut Bars, Cranberry Pecan Bars and Blueberry and Cinnamon Oatmeal for a full 30 days supply of snacks and breakfast items. And in case you think all healthy food tastes like cardboard I’d invite you to read through our testimonials. We worked really hard to make sure these foods were not only impactful in terms of health metrics but that they tasted great. After all, it’s not going to work if you won’t eat it.

What do all your products have in common?

All Step One Foods products contain the four building blocks of heart health: whole food fiber, plant sterols, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants in clinically impactful amounts. We focused on these nutrients specifically because most Americans’ diets are woefully deficient in them and because they are integral to maintaining healthy cholesterol levels and improving heart health. Fiber moves cholesterol out of the body, plant sterols block cholesterol absorption, omega-3s lower triglycerides and boost good (HDL) cholesterol, and antioxidants minimize blood vessel plaque buildup. All Step One Foods products are made entirely from real food ingredients, are plant based, gluten-free and non-GMO. Nearly all are sodium free.

Are there any customer reviews or notable press reviews you would like to share?

I wrote an article for CNN explaining why it makes sense to use food as the first step in therapy for conditions caused in part or in whole by food, and about Step One Foods as a proven non-pharmaceutical intervention for high cholesterol.  That article remained on the most read list for weeks!  Obviously I hit a nerve.  I’ve also been interviewed by Food Business and News and The Daily Beast has done a deep dive into how we got started. Forbes and Well+Good have also written about Step One Foods and its dietary pillars. 

In addition, the average rating on all 800-plus Starter Pack customer reviews is 4.7 stars. Over 650 of these reviews are five-star reviews! I’m so proud of these statistics.  A typical reviewer might say that their cholesterol fell from 231 to 191 in 30 days. But we also see truly eye-popping results being reported – like total cholesterol levels dropping by well over 100 points, and LDL cholesterol levels falling by 80+ points in some cases.   I’m not promising this to everyone, but it only takes 30 days to find out if you’re a “food responder”.  Isn’t it worth it to see if you fall into that category?

How do you address concerns that Step One Foods are slightly more expensive than other foods?

Step One Foods cost between $2 and $3 per serving.  This price reflects their nutritional value. It’s also important to remember that, unlike supplements, these are not “add-on” products.  They are substitutions for what you are eating (and spending money on) already.  So the absolute cost is minimally different.  Plus, this is real food – such as dried fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains, real vanilla beans, even 72% cacao dark chocolate of the highest quality – because that’s what is required when your health is on the line.  Comparing the cost of our foods to typical grocery-store alternatives is inherently problematic – the reason those are less expensive is because they use lesser ingredients.

Plus if you did opt for a grocery-store alternative, you’d end up spending as much money (or more) on supplements to add in the amounts of fiber, plant sterols, omega-3s, and antioxidants that are naturally present in Step One Foods. In the end, healthy food is not expensive.  What’s expensive is being sick.

Our Readers LOVE Deals – Are You Currently Running Any Promotions?

Our Starter Pack is already priced at a discount to encourage folks to get started. But right now, we’re running a promotion for 10% off the Starter Pack (this is actually 20% if you sign up for a subscription plan). You can get your 30-day supply of three snack bars and two breakfasts by clicking here. Addressing the root cause of your high cholesterol is really that easy – just as it should be. Just use the code STARTNOW10. Offer valid for new customers only.

The post Meet Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, The Cardiologist Whose Cholesterol-Lowering Food Line Is Clinically Proven to Work appeared first on Eating Healthy Blog.

This eating plan contains mostly whole, minimally processed foods, limiting processed, high-salt foods and added sugars. To reduce the risk of bloating, typical gas-forming foods like beans, cabbage, onions, peppers, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and dried fruit have not been included.

READ MORE: 28 Easy Food Swaps That’ll Help You Lose Weight

Also avoid raw apple, watermelon and chewing gum that contains sorbitol if these make you bloated. Build your own meals according to your preferences by choosing one of the five to six options provided for each meal and snack. You can have the snack whenever it suits you. If you prefer not to snack, you can add it to one of your three meals. During the 17-day period, avoid caffeine: caffeinated coffee, tea (except rooibos), chocolate and energy drinks.

READ MORE: 5 Ways To Measure Healthy Portion Sizes Without A Scale

To maintain your new size, incorporate these eating tips into your diet going forward, or use this eating plan as a basis for creating a new, sustainably healthy way of eating.

Download the meal plan and follow these tips for a new you in just 17 days!

READ MORE: 3 Meal Prep Hacks That Will Make It Way Easier To Eat Healthily

The post This 17-Day Slimdown Plan Will Help Get You Back In Shape appeared first on Eating Healthy Blog.

There’s a simple hack that can boost your weight loss, leave you feeling fuller for longer and have you feeling more regular. It’s called fibre and this often-overlooked food can deliver major benefits to your body. Not only does it keep your system nice and clean, fibre has a genius move in its arsenal: the ability to keep you feeling fuller for longer, boosting satiety. That feeling of fullness is a major key in weight loss, prompting you to eat less instead of more. These genius food swaps find the high-fibre substitutes of other foods, which are often healthier, too.

Why you need to switch up your food

We all know our bodies need calcium for bones, vitamin C to fend off colds and chocolate to save relationships. But when it comes to losing weight, the nutritional information is a little more confusing. The mighty trilogy of nutrients – protein, carbohydrates and fat – garners most of the food industry’s attention, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that fibre needs to be the fourth leg of the dietary table.

Study after study shows that not only does fibre help lower your risk of cancer, heart attack and high blood pressure, it also keeps you full and helps you decrease the total amount of kilojoules you consume every day. Trouble is, most of us think that getting the recommended 30g of fibre a day means eating cereal that tastes like the box it comes in. But that isn’t the case. You can sneak fibre into your diet anywhere…

Food Swaps At Breakfast

1. Spice up your eggs: A third of a cup of chopped onion and one clove of garlic will add one gram of fibre to scrambled eggs.

2. Drop a whole orange into the blender to flavour your morning smoothie. One peeled orange has nearly three grams more fibre than even the pulpiest orange juice.

3. Make your own fruit juice. Blend peeled, sliced and cored or pitted fresh fruit with a little cold water in a food processor. Drink immediately for the best nutritional value. A 250ml glass has more than one gram of fibre.

4. Cook a bowl of oat bran instead of oats; it has nearly two grams more fibre. Add even more flavour and fibre by stirring in a quarter of a cup of raisins or chopped dates before popping it into the microwave.

5. Sprinkle ground flaxseeds over your favourite cold cereal or stir a few spoonfuls into a cup of yoghurt. Two tablespoons of ground flaxseeds deliver almost an extra two grams of fibre.

6. Grab an Asian pear. Similar in taste to other pears, the red-coloured Asian variety has an apple-like crispness and shape and, at four grams a pear, it delivers significantly more fibre.

7. Buy spreadable fibre, like peanut butter, for your wholewheat toast. Two level tablespoons add three grams of fibre, along with a healthy dose of heart-protecting fats and nutrients like vitamin E.

8. Make a smoothie using fruit or oats, as these contain at least two grams more fibre than blends that aren’t fruit-based or don’t include oats.

READ MORE: 5 Ways To Measure Healthy Portion Sizes Without A Scale

At lunch

9. Try rye bread if you don’t like wholewheat for your sandwich. One slice has almost two grams of fibre – twice the amount found in white bread.

10. Opt for quinoa instead of white rice and you’ll get six times more fibre per serving. Mixing in half a cup of lentils with the quinoa will add a nutty flavour, another six grams of fibre and a boost of folate and manganese.

11. Stow a tin of microwavable soup in your desk for when you need to work through lunch. Woolworths’ Chunky Vegetable Soup packs as much as five grams of fibre per 400g portion.

12. Shower your pasta with origanum or basil. A teaspoon of either chopped herb adds one gram of fibre. Order it with mushrooms and you’ll get an extra gram.

13. Build your burger with a sesame-seed roll instead of the plain variety. Sesame seeds add half a gram of fibre per roll.

14. Order your boerie roll with tomato-and-onion relish Every quarter-cup of the relish you pile on adds up to two grams of fibre to your meal, and having a wholewheat roll tops that up with another three grams.

READ MORE: 3 Meal Prep Hacks That Will Make It Way Easier To Eat Healthily

In the afternoon

15. Drink chocolate milk, not plain milk. The combination of chocolate and the compounds needed to keep it suspended in the milk provides a gram of fibre in every 250ml serving.

16. Pop a pack of reduced-oil popcorn instead of popping open a bag of potato chips. There are eight grams of fibre in every bag of popcorn.

17. Enjoy a tomato juice and its two grams of fibre per 200ml tin. Go with the plain juice and avoid the cocktail version, which is high in sodium from the added salt and Worcester sauce.

18. Graze on trail mix instead of a granola bar. Most granola bars have only one gram of fibre, while trail mix with dried fruit has nearly three grams.

READ MORE: ‘Keto Crotch’ Might Be A Surprising Side Effect Of A Low-Carb Diet

At dinner

19. Toss half a cup of chickpeas into a pot of your favourite soup. They’ll absorb the flavour of the soup and tack six grams of fibre onto your bottom line.

20. Swap a sweet potato for your standard spud. Sweet potatoes have two grams more fibre per tuber than the typical variety. Not a fan? At least eat the skin of the regular potato – that alone contains one gram of fibre.

21. Go wild when you make rice. Cup for cup, wild rice has three times more fibre than white.

22. Add some green to your red sauce. Doctor your favourite pasta sauce with half a cup of chopped spinach. The spinach will take on the flavour of the sauce and pad your fibre count by more than two grams.

23. Cook wholewheat or spinach pasta instead of the usual semolina kind. A cup of either contains five grams of fibre.

24. Cook broccoli, cauliflower and carrots and you’ll take in three to five grams of fibre per serving – nearly twice what you’ll get out of them if you eat them raw, as heat makes fibre more available.

25. Add beans to give your bolognese a fibre boost. Substitute one part chopped, cooked beans for one part lean-beef mince. Cook both together to allow the beans to absorb the juices and seasoning. For every 100g of cooked beans, you get seven grams of fibre.

READ MORE: Calories Vs Nutrients: What You Need To Know About Losing Weight

For dessert

26. Say nuts to chocolate bars. Bars with nuts, like Cadbury’s Whole Nut chocolate bar and Lunch Bars, have up to two grams of fibre – almost twice the fibre content of bars without nuts.

27. Top a bowl of ice cream with sliced fresh berries in lieu of a chocolate topping. Half a cup of raspberries provides four grams of fibre; strawberries and blueberries pack half that amount.

28. Try a slice of apple tart or a bowl of fresh fruit salad and you’ll add at least an extra three to five grams of fibre. Cake doesn’t have nearly as much.

The post 28 Easy Food Swaps That’ll Help You Lose Weight appeared first on Eating Healthy Blog.

The Association for Dietetics (ADSA)  in South Africa held a Twitter Talk on #HealthyNutrition4All, which highlighted how South Africans are becoming one of the most obese populations in the world! Some of that is attributed to unhealthy lifestyle habits, but a hefty portion can contribute a lot to the statistic. Here, dietitians, The Heart & Stroke Foundation SA, FoodBank SA, Soil For Life and the Department of Health share tips on measuring your meal’s healthy portion sizes – without a scale.

Use The Plate Model

The Heart Foundation recommends using a plate to estimate how much starch, meat and vegetables you should eat. Half your plate should be veggies, a quarter starch and the rest protein.

READ MORE: 5 Portion Control Tips You’ve Probably Never Heard Before

Use Your Hands

Dietician Maryke Gallagher advises that you should measure food with your fist. One portion of fruit should be the size of your fist. Also use your palm to measure how much protein, etc. you should be eating. A palm is the size estimate of your protein portion, your fist is the size of a starch portion and your full hand (or more) is the size of a veg portion.

Know When You’re Full

Dietician, Karlien Duvenhage, believes it’s important to be in tune with your body and start learning when you are hungry or full.

READ MORE: What Really Happens To Your Body (And Brain) On A Detox Diet?

Go Mini

The Heart Foundation suggests you eat out of a small bowl, with smaller utensils and cups to make the meal appear ‘fuller’. Use a smaller bowl for rice and noodle dishes instead of a giant one; try eating your regular meals from side plates instead of full-size plates. This tricks your brain into thinking you’re eating a bigger meal and also makes you feel more satisfied with what you’ve eaten if it looks like a large portion of food, when really it’s a healthy portion.

Your Portion Size Go-To Guide

Meat should be the size of a deck of cards; carbohydrate portions (rice, bread, noodles and spaghetti) the size of a tennis ball; fat (bacon rind, oil, mayonnaise), the size your thumb; and veg is a free for all, according to dietician Jade Seeliger.

READ MORE: Here’s Exactly How To Start Working Out Again, After A Winter Hibernating

The post 5 Ways To Measure Healthy Portion Sizes Without A Scale appeared first on Eating Healthy Blog.

One of the biggest saboteurs of healthy eating? Time. Like when you have to work late and cruising through a drive-through on the way home is just so much easier than cooking. Or when you’re on the road, feeling snacky and…oh look, a garage pie. Set yourself up for success with these meal prep hacks from Shedding For The Wedding, a comprehensive weight-loss programme for brides-to-be and their bridesmaids. No chicken-and-mushroom shall prosper against you!

When You Have Leftover Stew Or Stir fry…

Divide your leftovers – including rice or veggies if you had these on the side – into individual portions and freeze them. On those nights when you get home exhausted and in mood to cook, you’ll have a healthy ready-meal waiting to be defrosted. This also works really well with soup.

READ MORE: Why Your Post-Workout Meal Is Just As Important As Your Workout, According to a Nutritionist and PT

On A Sunday Afternoon…

Roast a chicken. You can eat it in wraps, on sandwiches, as part of a salad or with a side of veg. If you’re not a fan of chicken on the bone, roast or steam skinless chicken breasts instead.

On A Sunday Evening…

Fill five small containers with a portion of nuts – the little soy sauce containers you get with sushi takeaways are the perfect size. Add a banana or an apple and that’s a week’s worth of weekday snacks sorted.

READ MORE: This BBQ Pulled Pork Tortilla Recipe Is Delicious And Freezes Well For Meal Prep

Every Evening…

Make extra salad and starch. All you need to do is add your protein of choice and lunch for the next day is ready to go. While you’re at it, here’s a simple meal prep hack for those who don’t have time for breakfast: Throw a portion of fruit, 22g dry oats, a cup of milk (or milk alternative) and a handful of ice in a blender. Top with water and blitz into a smoothie. Stick it in the fridge for brekkie on the go the next day.

The post 3 Meal Prep Hacks That Will Make It Way Easier To Eat Healthily appeared first on Eating Healthy Blog.

Ah, the keto diet. On the plus side, it’s helped tons of people lose weight. On the not-so plus side, it comes with a whole slew of pretty gnarly side effects like the keto flu, keto breath, and keto diarrhoea.

Now, people are talking about another not-so-pleasant side effect of the keto diet: keto crotch. Yep, some people online (shout-out to  r/xxketo!) noticed that their vaginas started to emit an intense odour after going on the low-carb diet.

Wait, so what are people saying about the so-called keto crotch?

“I’ve been on the diet for about a month and a half now and I’ve noticed that my vaginal odours have gotten MUCH stronger…(It smells like a mix between urine and discharge…I’m not exactly sure how vaginas are ‘supposed’ to smell like. Many say ‘musky’ but I feel like that’s too mild of a word… It’s much stronger than ‘musk’ for me),” one Reddit user posted.

A different Reddit user agreed, responding: “Oh boy, yes. During the first few months there was some extra smell stuff happening all over – crotch and otherwise. But, the good news is that it settles down and goes away after you’ve been keto for awhile.”

On a separate thread, another user and keto dieter wondered: “Does anyone else’s lady bits smell different too? Like not a nasty infectious smell, just like a stronger natural smell? I’m about to ovulate so maybe that with keto makes things a little more potent. I have no idea! Maybe I’m just a freak of nature!”

The group of peeps who have experienced smelling an off scent down below seems to be pretty large, at least on the Internet. “Oh thank God I am not the only one with a stinky vajayjay. I have to think happy thoughts during squats,” another woman posted on Reddit.

Okay, so people are definitely experiencing something funky going on with their vaginal scents. But whether this is actually being caused by following the keto diet remains up for debate.

READ MORE: Caley Jäck’s Simple Formula For Sticking To A Healthy Lifestyle

Sooo… is keto crotch a real thing?

To make one thing super-clear first, there’s no research confirming that keto crotch is, in fact, a thing. But that doesn’t mean people aren’t still experiencing some less-than-pleasant odours down there on the keto diet.

Keto crotch sounds similar to the keto breath phenomenon. When your body is in ketosis (a.k.a., breaking down fat for fuel instead of carbs), it produces ketones (chemicals like acetoacetate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and acetone—yes, that last one is the same ingredient in nail polish remover). These are chemicals that are naturally produced by your body, but, because your body produces more of them on the keto diet, the excess can make your poop, pee, and breath a little more smelly (again, like nail polish remover).

But, tbh, that’s probably not what’s happening here, says Dr Jessica Shepherd, a minimally invasive gynaecologist. Instead, it’s more likely that going on the keto diet changes your vaginal pH—and that changes your vaginal odour, she says. “Any diet can change your vaginal pH,” she says, which can then change the odour a bit.

A healthy vaginal pH is acidic — between 3.8 and 4.5 — and foods like onions, garlic, red meat, dairy, asparagus, broccoli, alcohol, and fruit can all affect the natural balance you’ve got going on, Dr Mary Rosser, an ob-gyn at Montefiore Medical Center in New York previously told Women’s Health. And even a slight change in pH (even one doesn’t impact the health of your vagina) can alter the smell you’re used to.

READ MORE: Calories Vs Nutrients: What You Need To Know About Losing Weight

Okay, well what about a keto crotch rash?

In addition to having an unfamiliar smell down there, some women are also reporting that they’ve noticed a rash in their crotch area on the keto diet (fun!).

So keto rash is a real thing. It’s actually an inflammatory disease called prurigo pigmentosa that’s often characterized by red, itchy bumps on the neck, back, and stomach — and the keto diet can potentially trigger it. But there’s no particular reason the keto diet would cause you to break out only around your crotch — at least, none that the scientific community has found a direct link to, says Dr Christine Greves, a board-certified ob-gyn. “If you’re on the keto diet and develop a rash, don’t just blame it on the diet,” she says. “Make sure you get some assistance.”

But while there’s no direct link, going keto could potentially have an indirect effect on whether you develop a rash. “Changes in diet can lead to potential changes in vaginal health, which could mean more rashes,” says Dr Shepherd.

Of course, it’s entirely possible that other things you do around the time you start the keto diet could lead to a rash in the groin area, like working out more and hanging out in your sweaty gym clothes for too long. But if you notice a rash down there and it’s not going away, it’s time to call your doctor, as you could be experiencing a yeast infection, STD, or other skin condition.

READ MORE: How To Tell If Your Swollen Stomach Is Caused By Bloating Or Excess Fat

What should I do about it?

If you notice you have a weird odour going on down there right after you go keto, you may want to give it a few days to see if it goes away, says Dr Shepherd. (Also, definitely, don’t douche. Douching can open you up to a whole host of other issues and increase your risk of infection.)

But if the smell persists or you start to notice other symptoms like itchiness, burning, and abnormal discharge, it’s time to see your doctor, You could have an infection that’s unrelated to your diet.

This article was originally published on www.womenshealthmag.com 

READ MORE ON: Keto Ketogenic Diet Weight Loss Weight Loss Tips

The post ‘Keto Crotch’ Might Be A Surprising Side Effect Of A Low-Carb Diet appeared first on Eating Healthy Blog.

If you’re anything like a normal person, you’d almost always pick a pizza over a salad. Or an extra hour’s nap over waking up early to work out. And like any normal person, you’d still much rather resemble the glowy, sculpted goddess that is our cover girl and Les Mills trainer Caley Jäck. But to achieve this physique and look amazing, there’s a certain amount of resilience that comes with sticking to a healthy lifestyle.

Of course, queries from people wanting to carve out such a healthy lifestyle are not unheard of for Caley, who’s been a fitness trainer for a long time. She’s also a pre-and post-natal instructor, and many women seek a return to their bodies before giving birth. Here, we’ve teased out bits of wisdom from our interview with her to reveal a down-to-earth approach that shapes her habits – and can help you, too.

1. Keep It Simple

A lot of modern-day weight loss and health messaging can be conflicting, misleading and downright confusing. There are so many superfood blends, protein powders and supplements that you’d be forgiven for not knowing where to start. “Keep it as simple as possible,” says Caley. “If it’s creating too much anxiety to integrate into your week, why implement that?” If you can’t find the time to cook a full breakfast, find a way to make it quick and easy, like a fast smoothie or overnight oats.

READ MORE: Calories Vs Nutrients: What You Need To Know About Losing Weight

2. See To Your Baseline

When it comes to supplements, powders and health tonics, Caley is reluctant to jump on the bandwagon. “I really feel that you need to prioritize your baseline nutrition,” she says. “If you can’t consume a full meal, a protein shake is maybe the best way to get your body to absorb [nutrients]. Do that because it works for your lifestyle,” says Caley. “But don’t let that be your meal replacement. Rather try and if possible, prioritize a good, wholesome plate of food.”

READ MORE: Can CLA Safflower Oil Supplements Really Help You Lose Weight?

3. Spend Time Learning About Portion Sizes

“I’ve never been one that’s able to follow a diet or like an eating plan as such,” says Caley. “I do find there is a benefit in learning more about how to balance your macros.” While physically cutting and measuring portions might be too finicky for you, a simple chart about the correct portions of food goes a long way in figuring out a good balance on your plate. For Caley, this means happily allowing herself to have a muffin – with butter and cheese – but halving her portions. She demonstrates with her plate: “So like okay, I’m not going to have this whole piece of butter. But I’m going to have that section of butter because that is proportion to what my body needs,” she says. Focusing on what your body needs rather than what you want can be a big driver of change.

READ MORE: I Tried The Planet Fitness FitBuddy App – Here’s What I Think

4. Commit To The Change

If you’re trying to stick to a healthy lifestyle, you’ll have to accept that it’ll be uncomfortable for a little while. But that’s the case with any change. “I feel like if you create a of change within your lifestyle, and you integrate that every day, that’s when it becomes habitual. And when it’s habitual, you don’t have to think about it,” she says. “Anything that requires change takes time and it feels uncomfortable in the beginning. But if you’re wanting to create change, and if you’re wanting to hit certain goals, you need to create change.”

READ MORE ON: Health Goals Healthy Eating Tips Weight Loss Tips

The post Caley Jäck’s Simple Formula For Sticking To A Healthy Lifestyle appeared first on Eating Healthy Blog.

The Planet Fitness FitBuddy app to marries your gym membership with your goals and your real-life schedule.

When it comes to workout apps, there are truly no shortages. The global lockdown did nothing if not create an even sturdier offering as we all attempted to get buff within the confines of our four walls.

But as we came out of lockdown, some apps stuck around on our phones. I tried the Planet Fitness FitBuddy app and wondered if it was going to be a staple addition in my phone’s fitness folder – and it delivered.

What is the Planet Fitness FitBuddy app?

It’s a workout app, but like the term “fit buddy” denotes, you’re held accountable. When you sign up, you’re assigned a real coach at Planet Fitness, who loads workouts for you in the app to hit your desired goals. You’re also asked to log your meals in an associated app that’s sent to you to download.

Unlike other workout apps, where you scroll through a variety of workouts and pick the one you feel up to, FitBuddy has scheduled workouts loaded in it, and you do the workout designated for you by your trainer.

If you have a smartwatch, you can sync the data to the app so your steps, caloric expenditure and heart rate information can be tracked, too.

READ MORE:  “I Did A 30-Day Push-up Challenge—Here’s What Happened”

I Tried The FitBuddy App

When I downloaded the app, I expected to scroll through workouts, pick one, do it, and share my achievement, like every other fitness app. But this app is a bit more involved than others – and it’s great. I got an email from my trainer, Tokey, who scheduled a call with me to chat about my fitness goals, how often I exercise and any other niggling issues I had. I told him I wanted to improve my surfing ability and that I’ve been trying to ditch about 10 kilos for a few years. We spoke about my eating habits, how often I train, the kind of training I do, and a few other lifestyle preferences.

Then, he devised a training programme for me and input the data into my app. I was to do three workouts a week, totalling 20 minutes each, and he left room for my surfing sessions (which I can also log in the app, along with any other extra activities).

READ MORE: 11 Best New Running Shoes That’ll Inspire Your Next PB

At first, I struggled to find my way around the app, until I realised that I didn’t necessarily need to explore anything, but rather just open it, navigate to my scheduled workout and do it.

Taking the brain work out of losing weight and being healthy is one of the huge benefits of an app like this. Without having to think about anything, you’re less likely to come up with an excuse or feel fatigued after scrolling through different workouts before actually committing to one.

READ MORE: Quick HIIT Warm Up: Blast More KJs By Doing These 3 Moves First

Added to that, Tokey sends me regular messages, checking in on my progress. He’s also able to see if I’ve skipped a workout or failed to log a few meals, which is excellent if you’re serious about making progress. Because there’s a real human being at the other end of the phone, if anything is bothering you, it can be fixed, which I really appreciated. I have a niggly back that’s been lousy from overuse, and my workouts are adjusted nicely to make up for that.

Overall, this is one app I’d recommend if you’re looking to get serious about your progress and goals. Plus, you don’t have to be a Planet Fitness member to join at all. Keen to try it? Book a consultation here.

READ MORE ON: Fitness Gear Fitness Trackers WH Tests It

The post I Tried The Planet Fitness FitBuddy App – Here’s What I Think appeared first on Eating Healthy Blog.

You’ve seen a lot of bizarre supplements stocking the shelves of your local vitamin store—all of them claiming to “burn fat fast.” But seriously, WTF are CLA safflower oil supplements?

Give it a quick Google and you’ll find blogs that tout these pills as a “weight-loss aid” that “helps improve metabolism.” Vague much?

Here’s what you need to know about CLA safflower oil for weight loss.

What is CLA safflower oil anyway?

So, CLA stands for conjugated linoleic acid—a fat high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (a.k.a. the good kinds). CLA is typically found in foods like dairy and beef, but it can also be found in small amounts in vegetable oils. Safflower oil is a vegetable oil—it’s produced by the seeds of a safflower plant (which, tbh, looks kind of like a dandelion)

It’s that conjugated linoleic acid that carries the alleged weight-loss benefits in CLA safflower oil supplements.

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Well, can CLA safflower oil help you lose weight?

Basically, the weight-loss benefits of CLA are up in the air still – research has mainly been in animals or very small study groups.

One 2007 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that CLA supplements could increase fat oxidation and energy burn during sleep. Another 2007 study in the International Journal of Obesity found that it could help reduce body fat and stave off holiday weight gain.

Sounds promising, but there’s a catch: Both studies involved less than 50 subjects, and study authors agreed that more need to be done to evaluate CLA’s effects on weight loss.

A 2015 clinical review in the journal Nutrition & Metabolism went a step further, saying that “CLA is not eliciting significantly promising and consistent health effects so as to uphold it as neither a functional nor a medical food,” per the study authors.

READ MORE: “Facing My Scars Helped Me Put An End To My Emotional Eating Habit”

So, that means I shouldn’t use CLA safflower oil for weight loss?

Basically? Nah.

First and foremost, the research isn’t there to suggest that a CLA safflower oil supplement will do anything for weight loss.

Plus, safflower oil only contains a small amount of CLA—about 0.7 milligrams of CLA per gram of fat, according to research from the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. That means safflower oil supplements in pill form must be chemically altered to increase the amount of CLA—which makes it slightly different than the good-for-you CLA found naturally in foods. Of course, there are also other CLA supplements without the word “safflower”, leaning itself to synthetic origins.

But there’s another thing: weight-loss supplements in general are usually neither effective nor healthy.

“I’m not a fan of any supplements that promote weight loss because dropping kilos is more about the foods you eat and the exercise you do than the pills or powers that you pop,” says Bonnie Taub-Dix, registered dietician and author of Read It Before You Eat It. “These things are ridiculous.”

READ MORE: Calories Vs Nutrients: What You Need To Know About Losing Weight

Your best bet? “There is nothing that can substitute for a healthy lifestyle, which includes a plant-based diet—full of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and (mostly) plant proteins,” says Taub-Dix, who also highlights the importance of exercise and good sleep.

“There is only one way to achieve health and vitality,” says Taub-Dix. “And that is through a healthy eating and exercise plan.”

The bottom line: Once again, there is no magic pill for weight loss—including a CLA safflower oil supplement.

This article was originally published on www.womenshealthmag.com

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The post Can CLA Safflower Oil Supplements Really Help You Lose Weight? appeared first on Eating Healthy Blog.

After numerous failed weight-loss attempts, a simple act of love finally gave Phumzile Gambushe the motivation she needed to conquer poor body image, boost her self-esteem , and drop 31kg.

Vitals: Phumzile Gambushe, 31, Pretoria
Occupation: Electrical engineering technician
Height: 1.58m
Time Taken To Lose Weight: One year
Secret Weapon: Healthy eating and passion for exercise

The Gain

For years Phumzile was self-conscious about her appearance. “I was in a horrific accident and suffered third-degree burns at just three years old. As I grew into a young woman, this affected my self-esteem badly. I became an emotional eater,” she says. “At the age of 12, I was wearing size 40.” Embarrassed by her scarred body, Phumzile avoided the gym. That, combined with her diet – fried steak and bread for breakfast and pap and stew for supper – kept the scale climbing.

READ MORE: There Are 6 Types Of Body Fat—Here’s What You Need To Know

How She Lost The Kilos

It was her daughter’s love that finally inspired Phumzile’s weight-loss journey. “My daughter was the one person who always told me, ‘Mommy, you are beautiful.’ She saw such beauty in me, which helped me start the journey to loving myself.” It was difficult at first. “I had to face my scars and appreciate the fact that I did not die that day,” explains Phumzile.

READ MORE: Should You Avoid Bananas If You’re Trying To Lose Weight?

The Lifestyle

Phumzile took stock of her diet. “I knew I could do better. I now have bran flakes with soy milk in the morning. For lunch, a shake or chicken salad. And for supper, I’ll have a vegetable stir-fry with chicken or fish,” she says. As her weight decreased, her energy surged and she did something she’d been afraid to do – she joined the gym. Now, she trains five days a week (!). “I do spinning, Pilates and loads of strength training,” she says. “On Saturdays I run 12km outdoors. I also love the step machine – it does wonders for my booty.”

READ MORE: “I Lost 30 Kilos And Completely Transformed My Life — Here’s How I Did It”

The Reward

Phumzile is not the only one who has benefited from her lifestyle changes. “I’ve gone back to my community in KZN and encouraged women and young girls to eat healthily, exercise and never let any past experiences take away their joy in living life.” And the biggest reward? Confidence. Last September she went to the beach in a bikini for the first time.

Phumzile’s Tips

> Easy come, easy stay. “Make choices that you will be able to sustain for the rest of your life. Yo-yoing is unhealthy.”
> Keep testing the waters. “Join a gym or group exercises. Start with a five-kay and increase your distance and pace as you become more fit.”
> Don’t go back on your word. “Make it a lifestyle and, always remember, you are what you eat.”

Looking for more real-life weight-loss success stories? Check out how Celeste went from sitting on the couch eating fried-chicken to becoming a personal trainer in a year.

READ MORE ON: Real Women Success Stories Weight Loss Weight Loss Tips

The post “Facing My Scars Helped Me Put An End To My Emotional Eating Habit” appeared first on Eating Healthy Blog.