5 Tips on How to Avoid Excess Belly Fat

It's that time of year again! The huge celebrations and tons of desserts have come to an end.   Reflecting anyone?  Did you splurge more then normal?  Do you feel like you need to move that button over? Well... before you start to alter your clothes, try altering a few things in your diet to shrink that excess belly fat! Processed sugar and table salt are big culprits that aid in the retention of water and weight around the mid section.  Here are a few tips to shrink current belly fat and to AVOID excess belly fat in the future.

1.  Do Skip the Dessert and Kick the sugar habit! This is easier said then done for many people as sugar and sweets can be quite addictive.  Your best bet is to cut out the sweets and processed sugar cold turkey! Go through the withdrawal period then add healthy options back into your lifestyle in place of your sweet cravings.  Take back the control of your body and give it what it needs as opposed to what it wants! 

2. Eat a balanced meal.  Don't load up on bad carbohydrates because the body turns carbs into sugar, adding to belly fat. Carbohydrate means "carbon + water".  While carbohydrate is an essential nutrient, instead of loading up on carbs such as white pasta, bread and processed potatoes, try subbing in whole grains, and fresh (not canned) raw or steamed veggies.

3. Do Drink a cup of warm water with lemon, honey and cinnamon in the mornings!  (add Cayenne Pepper to it for a boost and to speed up metabolism).  This daily detox drink is great and aids in digestion,  provides an alkaline environment and provides an optimal pH level for your digestive track.

4. Don't skip the Beans!  Beans and other Legumes are great for your heart, the more you eat the more you..... as the old saying goes.  :)   There was some truth in it!  Beans and other legumes have no cholesterol and are rich in fiber which help to keep your digestive track regular.

5.  Avoid Highly Processed Foods.  Processes food are just that.. processed!  The "process" that processed foods go through strips them of the important nutrients that are crucial for our body to function properly.  Have you ever eaten fast food, canned food or frozen food and just feel full and not satisfied?  Well, that's probably because its just a temporary fix to satisfy hunger but eating these foods do not provide our body with the nutrients that it needs!  Substitute the processed foods for fresh, organic foods as often as possible!

You are on your way dolls!  ...I hope this was helpful!

Hippocrates Quotes on Health and Modern Medicine



Hippocrates, the father of western medicine (ca. 460 BC – ca. 370 BC)

It is said that Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, once said:

"Let your food be your medicine, and

let your medicine be your food."

Such wisdom in a small quote!  (Quick History) Although, there have been claims that Imhotep of ancient Egypt was the first physician, Hippocrates is credited nonetheless.  He was a wise soul, before his time during his era where many questioned his practices.  He believed that the body had the ability to heal itself abut when the body was off balance, the physician should intervene by making a correction to bring balance back to the body.  Here are some additional quotes from Hippocrates, who is considered the father of Western medicine. It seems to me that Western medicine and many western lifestyles have strayed a bit from what the father of western Medicine's core belief's were.  Here are some more amazing quotes by Hippocrates:

"Everything in excess is opposed to nature."

"If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health."

"Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease."

"Walking is man's best medicine."

"It's far more important to know what person the disease has than what disease the person has."

To me, living a balanced lifestyle and understanding the healing power of nature is more reflective of what Hippocrates beliefs signified and is far removed from what western medicine has become today with the many pills and chemical solutions based on the demands of changing lifestyles and the dependence on care from physicians as opposed to the necessity for them to intervene. Often times, once disease inflicts our bodies we then pray for our healing, as oppose to being proactive and practicing preventive measures to care for the bodies that God has blessed us with.  Of course there are certain inevitable situations in life, because of fallen man.  But for the things that are in our control, it is our duty to keep balance in our bodies! 

Many schools of holistic thought believe in the same intrinsic philosophy of Hippocrates.  Everything in life calls for balance.  I believe in balance Spiritually, Mentally as well as Physically-- Spirit, Mind and Body.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am in no way discounting the years of knowledge and discoveries of our great medical practitioners as we are blessed to live in a time where surgeons and advancements in technology are available to us.  However, at the same time, we should not rely on such knowledge to cure us as a result of abuse or overindulgence and neglect to seek balance in our own person and assist others in their balance as well. 

Thoughts?

tata...