5 Foods to Fit into that Special Dress

    No one likes a diet, it feels like torture sometimes.  I live a healthy lifestyle and usually eat a variety of fruits and vegetables but life always gets in the way.  Sometimes you feel a little bloated or heavy which impacts your self esteem.  I know how it feels when you are bloated and retaining fluids, it is hard to fit into that special outfit.  It can creep up on you suddenly.  There are some foods that trigger inflammation in people.  Each individual is unique and needs to learn their own body and sensitivities in order to stop the vicious cycle.  Sugar and carbohydrates are a big culprit of this dilemma women face regularly.  Our bodies were not created to eat so much sugar and carbohydrates.  The processed foods we eat are filled with chemicals, preservatives and sugar.  These foods are harder to digest and create inflammation in the body.  Inflammation equals bloating and fluid retention.  Many people struggle to lose weight and the fact is they are eating foods that are not ideal for their own body.  I can help you find those foods and empower you to embrace the difference it makes.  But this is a simple challenge to fit into a dress, right.  So, lets get to business.

    There is a way to quickly combat the bloat and detox your body to fit into that little black dress.

    1. Drinking ginger and lemon water every day. Ginger and lemon help remove toxins, promote urination and detox the body.
    2. Add berries to your morning smoothie.
    3. Season your food with Garlic, Rosemary and Turmeric. or Drink turmeric and chamomile tea.
    4. Eat cucumber with your meals.
    5. Eat some celery and almond butter for a snack.

    Detox Ginger Water

    2 ginger root cut into pieces

    4 lemons squeezed

    Stevia or Honey to taste

    Directions:

    Blend the ginger, lemon juice and honey with water. Fill the blender with water.  Pour the contents into a pitcher, add more water and let it sit overnight.  Strain the liquid in the morning and pour ½ cup into a glass. Add ½ cup of water and enjoy.

    The ginger water will help detox your body.  Ginger helps with digestion, nausea, cold symptoms, inflammation, cancer, cardiovascular issues, arthritis, pain, menstrual disorders and much more.

    So now you are ready to add some healthy foods into your routine to fight the bloat. Don’t forget the processed foods will counter effect your efforts. So stay away from processed food and liquor for now.  The day of the event enjoy yourself in that Sexy little dress.

    Now that you have reduced inflammation with those powerful anti-inflammatory agents.  Let’s reduce the inflammatory foods.  There are 5 highly inflammatory foods.  And these are the foods most commonly given by doctors for patients with recurrent health issues, digestive issues, joint pain and swelling, etc.

    1. Corn- many products have genetically modified corn and corn derivatives.  Read labels and avoid corn fillers.
    2. Sugar- all processed foods have added sugar.  And there is too much sugar in everything we eat.  Minimize or eliminate your sugar intake.
    3. Wheat – contains harmful additives, it is genetically modified and contains gluten.  All these are inflammatory in nature.  If you are feeing bloated, swollen or achy, try eliminating wheat and notice the impact day by day. (When I ate wheat flour pizza, I would gain 10 pounds for 2 weeks, had bloating, digestive issues, joint pain and achiness).
    4. Gluten – an ingredient in grain products, bread, baked goods and processed foods.  It is an ingredient in all wheat products.  And many people are sensitive to both gluten and wheat.  It is also important to minimize your use of gluten free baked goods for the first 30 to 90 days.   And then follow the 80/20 rule.  Indulge in your gluten free treat 20% of the time.  They do contain sugar which we already know is inflammatory.
    5. Preservatives, Additives and enriched grains.  Processed foods are filled with chemicals that are hard to digest.  Sometimes our bodies aren’t able to digest them at all.  So, limit or avoid these as much as possible.  By organic brown rice rather than enriched grains, which contained added vitamins that you may not be able to process.  And during busy times read labels and buy granola bars with minimal ingredients and no additives. If you don’t understand an ingredient, then don’t buy it.  Example: Nut-thins- Rice flour, almonds, potato starch, safflower oil and sea salt. A great choice with ingredients you already know.

    If you combine the elimination foods with a homemade tea, juice shot or water you will notice weight loss, decreased swelling and improved physical symptoms.  My recent favorite is my weekly Detox tea. I boil up this tea on Monday, then store it in little jars.  And warm them up daily.  Drink on am empty stomach before breakfast.