Healthy Eating Is Cheaper Than You Think

While a healthy diet is now factually proven to cost more than an unhealthy one, the gap between the two is not as great as you might think. In fact, a study published online December 5 in BMJ Open shows that the healthiest diets cost about $1.50 more per day than the least healthy diets.

Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 27 existing studies from 10 high-income countries. The studies included price data for individual foods and for healthier vs. less healthy diets. Scientists evaluated differences in prices per serving and per 200 calories for particular types of foods, and in prices per day and per 2,000 calories (the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recommended average daily calorie intake for adults) for overall diet patterns. Both per-serving and per-calorie costs were assessed because prices can vary depending on the unit of comparison.

The researchers found that healthier diet patterns—for example, diets rich in fruits, vegetables, fish and nuts—cost significantly more than unhealthy diets (for example, those rich in processed foods, meats and refined grains). On average, a day’s worth of the most healthy diet patterns cost about $1.50 more per day than the least healthy ones.

The study authors suggested that unhealthy diets may cost less because food policies have focused on the production of “inexpensive, high volume” commodities, which has led to “a complex network of farming, storage, transportation, processing, manufacturing, and marketing capabilities that favor sales of highly processed food products for maximal industry profit.” Given this reality, they said, creating a similar infrastructure to support production of healthier foods might help increase their availability—and reduce their prices.

“This research provides the most complete picture to-date on true cost differences of healthy diets,” said Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, MPH, DrPH, the study’s senior author and associate professor at HSPH and Harvard Medical School. “While healthier diets did cost more, the difference was smaller than many people might have expected. Over the course of a year, $1.50/day more for eating a healthy diet would increase food costs for one person by about $550 per year. This would represent a real burden for some families, and we need policies to help offset these costs. On the other hand, this price difference is very small in comparison to the economic costs of diet-related chronic diseases, which would be dramatically reduced by healthy diets.”

Proven Ways Fitness Improves Our Lives.

Proven Ways Fitness Improves Our Lives

Healthy Weight:

Exercise helps people shed extra pounds, and it boosts metabolism so that calories are burned more quickly.

Here is a quick 30 min workout you can do at home.

30 squats
20 Jumping Jacks
20 Alternating Lunges
30 Second Plank
10 Push ups
30 Crunches

Do this series 3 times with exercises back to back and a short break in between sets and start burning some calories!

Proven Ways Fitness Improves Our Lives.

Here is the first in a series of short shares. Proven Ways Fitness Improves Our Lives.

Happiness:
Exercise stimulates brain chemicals that are linked to less depression and anxiety, leaving exercisers feeling happier.
Exercise.....nature's anti-depressent. 

Keep on the look out for the next short share.

Want to burn fat quicker and more efficiently?

Want to burn fat quicker and more efficiently? One available option is from a plant that’s native to Indonesia: garcinia cambogia.

See why Dr. Oz is a raving fan of this fat buster. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/garcinia-cambogia-newest-fastest-fat-buster-pt-1

What Is Garcina Cambogia?  Garcinia cambogia is a small, pumpkin-shaped fruit, sometimes called tamarind. This plant offers one of the least expensive herbal supplements on the market. The ingredient from the rind of the fruit could hasten your weight-loss efforts. The natural extract is called hydroxycitric acid (HCA), and researchers claim that HCA can double or triple one’s weight loss.

With proper weight-loss efforts (dieting and exercising), the average person taking HCA lost an average of 4 pounds a month!

Garcinia may also be great for emotional eaters. Those who participated in the study showed an increase in their serotonin levels; hence, it may also improve mood and sleeping patterns.

For a quick grab and go fat buster. Check out Skinne by Nutrie. Skinne offers 500mg of Garcinia Cambogia in a convenient 2oz drink with zero calories, nutrients, herbs and Omega fatty acids.

Don’t Believe The Muffin Top Myth

I know that when you put your valuable time and energy into a fitness program, you deserve to see nothing less than amazing results. That's my commitment to all of my clients, and is something that I am truly passionate about. 

So what's this Muffin Top Myth? 

The belief that doing a magical ab exercise will shrink and flatten your waist, and will rid you of a muffin top.

Sorry, there's no such magical ab exercise.

In fact, all of the magical ab exercises in the world won't make a dent in your muffin top, as long as you continue with your current, unhealthy lifestyle.

The true belly-shrinking magic is found in improving your diet and exercise routine to promote fat loss from your entire body, including—but not limited to—your midsection.

Here's how to really get rid of that muffin top:

Shrink Your Belly Tip #1: Stop Eating Processed Foods

Everyone loves a good shortcut, right? Depends on where that shortcut takes you.

From now on I want you to think of processed foods as a shortcut to belly fat.

I wouldn't be surprised if future studies prove that the over-processing, chemical additives and high fructose corn syrup that are pumped into processed foods specifically adds fat around your belly.

If you want to shrink your belly then stay away from sugars, sodas, chemically altered fats, processed, packaged, fried and preserved foods.

Shrink Your Belly Tip #2: Eat Fresh, Whole Foods

Once you've cut the processed foods out of your diet, fill in the void with lots of fresh foods like:

• Green vegetables
• Whole, organic, seasonal fruits
• Lean, hormone-free, high quality meats
• Colorful organic veggies
• Nuts and seeds

I know this list of foods may seem boring at first, but if you stick with it long enough, you'll grow to love the tantalizing flavors of real food.

When your diet is filled with the foods listed above, your body will quickly shed pounds and lean out.

Shrink Your Belly Tip #3: Do Challenging Exercise 

The absolute best way to lose your muffin top forever is with a consistent, progressive exercise program.

• Consistent: You should be exercising 3-5 times each week.
• Progressive: For truly awesome results, keep your body guessing with new exercises and increasing intensity.

My exercise programs are specifically crafted to get you into the best shape of your life, and I'm fanatically passionate about seeing you meet your goal.

I'd love to hear from you! Call or email today to get started.

Killer Ab Exercises

True, crunches won't reduce your body fat, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't strengthen your abdominal muscles. Consistent ab exercises are an essential part of a well balanced exercise routine. Try these killer ab exercise:

• Plank: Lie face down on mat resting on your forearms, palms flat on the floor. Push off the floor, raising up onto your toes and resting on your elbows. Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air or sagging in the middle. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, lower to the start position and repeat for 3-5 reps.
• Knee Tucks: Start on your back, bend your knees with your feet on the floor and knees touching. Extend both arms overhead on either side of your ears, palms facing up. Exhale and bring your knees up towards your chest. Slowly lower your hips back down to start position. Repeat for 12-15 reps.
• One-Armed Full Sit Ups: Start on your back with your right knee bent, foot flat on the floor, and left leg extended straight out. Extend your right arm to the ceiling and reach your left arm towards your left foot. Sit all the way up, rolling through your back, keeping your right foot on the floor, and your right arm up over your shoulder and your left arm reaching in front of you all the way up. Slowly roll back down to the floor. That's one rep. Repeat 15 times on one side, 15 times on the other. For an extra challenge hold a dumbbell in your extended arm.

Call today for your free consultation 219-405-7559

Email ianbowen25@gmail.com

Phone 219-405-7559

How To Stop Craving The Wrong Foods

How To Stop Craving The Wrong Foods

You wake up each morning with every intention of eating "good" today.

You'll skip the drive thru line on your way to work. You'll refuse to get fast food with co-workers at lunch. You'll boycott the vending machine in the mid-afternoon. And you won't even think about having dessert after dinner.

But then your cravings win.

Your friend drops by with a big fluffy muffin and a latte for breakfast. A group of co-workers invite you to that greasy spoon down the street for lunch. Cake is passed around at the mid-afternoon staff meeting. And after dinner your honey surprises you with a bowl of your favorite ice cream.

You tell yourself that tomorrow will be different.

Tomorrow you won't give in to food cravings.

But then tomorrow comes with its own special circumstances, and cravings get the best of you once again.

Why Do Food Cravings Always Win?

Let's face it, we live in a world where food temptations are everywhere...which lead to cravings, which lead to you eating things that you shouldn't. Again. And again. And again. Until you're so fed up with your body that you don't even know where to begin to get yourself back on track.

Stores display the most tantalizing junk food items right where you could easily reach them. TV commercials for greasy, fattening foods portray them so scrumptiously that you literally salivate. Sugary snack items have full-page, glossy pictures in your favorite magazines. And as if all of these weren't enough, the people in your daily life are another, constant source of food temptation.

To make matters worse, you've been conditioned since childhood to have a positive association with the act of indulging in your cravings. You use food as a reward. You use food as a source of emotional comfort. You use food as a way to relieve stress. And quickly these associations and uses of food become habit. A habit not easily broken.

New Technique to End Food Cravings
Food cravings don't need to have the upper hand on you anymore. Here's how you can fight back using your most powerful asset: your brain.

Remember that your mind is an amazing thing. Once your mind is made up about something it's nearly impossible to change it.

Try This Powerful Mind Exercise: Imagine that you are peacefully floating down a river on a raft. The sun is shining, birds are chirping, and you are having a fun, relaxing time.

You feel wonderful about the river because it's making you feel happy.

Now change perspectives for a moment. You're now in a plane flying over the river and the raft. Instantly our eye is drawn to an enormous rocky waterfall. Then you look back to the person floating on the raft, having a wonderful time, headed straight for the treacherous falls.

With this new perspective of the river, do you think that you'd agree to get on a raft and take your chances floating toward the falls? Laughable, right? You've seen the hidden danger of the river. You know it leads to pain and suffering.

Now your negative association (watery death) with the river has replaced your initial positive association (relaxing fun).

This is the key to overcoming food temptations and putting an end to food cravings: building negative associations in place of existing positive ones. I'll break this process down for you in two steps:

Step One: Create a STRONG Negative Association with Unhealthy Food
You may not have realized it, but up until this point you've placed unhealthy, fattening foods on a pedestal in your mind. As long as the wrong foods are on that pedestal you'll continue to give into your cravings and will continue to gain fat.

Take the wrong food off that pedestal by listing off everything negative about them...

• These foods make you unhealthy.
• These foods cause weight gain.
• These foods drain your energy.
• These foods kill your confidence.
• These foods lessen your quality of life.
• These foods damage your love life.

Every time that you feel tempted to eat an unhealthy food, focus on your list of negatives. Kick the junk off the pedestal and put something healthy in its place.

Step Two: Create a STRONG Positive Association with wholesome foods
Now that your mental food pedestal has been cleared, put truly wholesome food items on it. Juicy fresh fruit, crispy vegetables and savory lean meats are the place to start.

List off the things that you love about healthy food...

• These foods make you healthy.
• These foods promote fat loss.
• These foods boost your energy.
• These foods build your confidence.
• These foods improve your quality of life.
• These foods enhance your love life.

I encourage you to immerse yourself into the world of healthy, wholesome foods. Browse the aisles of your local natural foods store. Stroll through a farmer's market. Pack healthy snacks to bring to work. Clear your kitchen of junk.

Use the technique above consistently and you will soon find that healthy, wholesome foods are your favorite.

And craving the wrong foods will be a thing of your past.

The Ripple Effect

When you put time and energy into exercise it makes it easier to eat healthy. And when you eat healthy it makes you more likely to exercise.

It's the ripple effect. When you make positive strides in one area of your life, other areas will soon follow.

Keep in mind that while nutrition is extremely important for weight loss, lasting results are achieved through a combination of both healthy eating and challenging exercise. 

From the Desk of John Hall Studios

Mental energy: how to use food to feel more alert.

Want to feel more alert? To keep up your mental energy and focus, you’ve got to eat the right foods, at the right time.

A client recently complained that she suffered from ‘brain fog’. “My mental energy is shot and I can’t focus.” So she wondered…“is it something I’m eating?” Possibly. But more likely, it’s what she’s not eating that’s leaving her mental energy flagging. As a full-time student and a new mom, her eating patterns are erratic and she’s often grabbing something on the run, and relies on coffee to keep her going. Without the right foods to give her brain the fuel it needs, she can’t possibly expect to keep her mental energy in high gear.

The next time your mental energy is fading and you feel like you can’t string two sentences together, think back. When did you last eat? What did you have? Have you been drinking enough liquids? Skipped meals, unbalanced meals, and dehydration can all zap your mental energy and focus. (And don’t forget that getting adequate sleep and rest is part of the equation, too).

How what you eat affects your mental energy

What is mental energy, anyway? It’s actually got several features – including your overall mood, your motivation, as well as your attention and focus. When your mental engine is revved up, there’s a good chance your diet had something to do with it. So, here’s some “food for thought”.

What to eat to keep your mental energy up all day long

 - Carbs fuel your brain

Glucose is the only fuel that normally feeds your brain cells – and it’s derived from the carbohydrates in your diet. After they’re broken down during the digestive process, carbohydrates enter the bloodstream as glucose (your ‘blood sugar’).

Since your brain is active 24/7, it has high energy demands – higher, in fact, than any other cells in your body. And, since brain cells – the neurons – can’t store glucose, your brain needs a continuous supply. Stick with the healthy carbs – fruits, vegetables and whole grains – to give your brain the fuel it craves. These high fiber foods take time to digest, which leads to a gradual release of glucose into your system. On the other hand, a meal high in refined carbohydrates – think starchy, sugary foods – can actually backfire on you. Since these foods are digested relatively quickly, you may experience a quick rise in your blood sugar… often followed by a quick drop. And that blood sugar ‘crash’ can make you feel mentally sluggish.

 - Your brain wants fuel at regular intervals

Since your brain wants a steady source of glucose, it’s important to eat at regular intervals throughout the day to keep your mental energy from taking a nosedive. Aim for small meals and snacks every 3-4 hours.

 - Your brain wants breakfast

There’s plenty to be said about the importance of breakfast, and giving your brain a boost is just another reason to fuel up first thing. While you were sleeping, your brain was plenty busy - and it burned through lots of fuel overnight – and the tank is pretty empty by morning. Do your brain a favor and start your day with a well-balanced breakfast that includes both healthy carbohydrates and a shot of protein.

 - The best proteins for your brain

Even though your brain doesn’t use protein directly for fuel, it does use amino acids – derived from the proteins that you eat – to manufacture important brain chemicals. Tyrosine, for example, is an amino acid (found in poultry, fish, dairy products, nuts and beans) that your body uses to make a brain chemical called dopamine that promotes alertness and brain activity. Another amino acid, called tryptophan (also found in seafood, poultry, dairy products and soybeans), is needed to make another brain chemical called serotonin, which leads to feelings of calmness and contentment.

 - The best beverages for the brain

When your body is dehydrated, it can affect your mood and your energy level. Mild dehydration reduces alertness and your ability to concentrate, and by the time you feel thirsty, your mental energy has already taken a hit. Water is always a good choice, but coffee and tea in moderation are fine, too. Caffeine-containing beverages may help with focus and concentration – but be smart about it. You don’t want to ignore your diet and simply rely on caffeine to keep you going through the day. You need to hydrate properly and eat right. And, monitor your own response to the caffeine you’re taking in. If it makes you jittery or keeps you up at night, you’d be wise to cut back. Using caffeine for a brain boost during the day won’t do you much good if it interferes with a good night’s sleep.

Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD.

Nutrie has an incredible line of products that not only help with mental energy, but physical energy and weight loss as well. Easy grab and go, no mixing, no pills, and since it is liquid, 100% absorption. To learn more about Nutrie, it's products and amazing "one small change" weight loss program go to http://IanBowen.automaticbody.com