Tag Archives: weight loss tips

10 Items You Wouldn’t Expect to Help You Lose Weight

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I thought this would be a fitting post after a holiday weekend, and one that marks the beginning of summer! Hope you had a great Memorial Day Weekend. Mine was interesting to say the least. We had some friends in town working on another film. Here’s a few things I did this weekend I’ve never done before: Met Brett Favre. Ventured out of New Orleans to Baton Rouge. Went to a Kenny Chesney concert- my first country music concert ever- where we got to watch the whole show back/sidestage. Explored the Lousiana swampland and did a ‘gator tour!

Now back to our blog topic…Losing weight in a sustainable and healthy way isn’t about starving ourselves- it’s about eating the right foods that will nourish us at the same time they are helping us meet our weight goals. Here are 10 foods to help:

1. Oats:
Oats are carbohydrates, something most people trying to lose weight fear.  However, oats can help you lose weight.  The reason is, unlike other refined carbs, oats digest slowly, are packed with fiber and have little impact on your blood sugar. I recommend eating oat groats because they have the highest nutritional value of all oats.  Generally, all oats are healthy and can help you lose weight, as long as they are minimally processed. Avoid “instant” oatmeal.


2. Cinnamon:
Cinnamon may seem like your everyday spice, but many people don’t realize that it can actually help you achieve your weight loss goals.  Cinnamon helps cure sugar sugar cravings in-between meals and some studies show it helps control blood sugar levels, and by offshoot fat levels. Try my cinnamon-containing Vegan Vanilla Latte recipe.

3. Avocado:
They may be high in fat, but don’t be fooled, avocados are still a top weight loss food.  That’s because they contain heart healthy beauty fats that help you stay satisfied longer, along with fiber and lots of minerals.  Make sure you use portion control- depending on the size and your activity level, ½ – 1 ½ of a small-medium avocado is allowable.  Remember, moderation is key in any healthy diet, especially when trying to shed some extra pounds.

4. Watercress:
Everyone already knows that vegetables are your best friend when trying to lose weight, but most people don’t know about this leafy green.  Watercress has natural cleansing properties, as it contains isothiocyanates, which boost our body’s detoxifying capabilities. This also helps keep our skin clear and glowing. It is also a great source of vitamins B1, B2, B6, C, E, manganese, carotenes, calcium, fiber, iron and copper.  Try adding watercress in green salads and add a bit to your Glowing Green Smoothie.

5. Coconut Oil:
Coconut oil are primarily made up of medium chain fatty acids, that have been proven to promote weight loss,  because the medium-chain fatty acids tend to be converted into energy, rather than stored as fat. Though it is a saturated fat, it contains no cholesterol, like saturated animal fats. It also boosts thyroid function and helps to increase the metabolism. Use it as your cooking oil and in certain recipes like desserts.

 

6. Lemon:
Adding lemon to food and drinks is probably the easiest thing you can do to kick start your weight loss.  Drinking lemon water is known to help control the appetite.  But that’s not all, lemon’s enzymes help rejuvenate liver tissue, our main fat-burning organ. High in vitamin C, lemon also helps support skin collagen. Be sure to have your hot water with lemon in the morning, as well as adding it to your smoothies and salads.

7. Rooibos Tea:
When it comes to tea, rooibos is a great, caffeine-free choice that helps with weight loss.  Not only is it calorie free and naturally sweet tasting, but rooibos also contains powerful antioxidants.  Drinking rooibos is a great compliment to a healthy diet when trying to lose weight.  Try sipping it in between meals instead of sugary sodas, coffees and juices, you’ll be surprised how satisfied you are! It is also great late at night when we don’t want to eat right before bed!

 

8. Sea Vegetables:
Sea vegetables are a true super beauty food, as they are packed with vitamins and minerals that improve your overall health, and iodine, which supports thyroid function and therefore our metabolism. It’s a great source of vitamins A, B6, C, E and K, and its naturally low in calories.  It’s adds a “salty” flavor to food while being low in bloating sodium. Find dulse, nori, laver or kelp at the Asian section of your health store and sprinkle on salads and in soups.

9. Seeds:
Seeds are a great food to incorporate your diet when trying to lose weight.  They are high in nutrients and omega-3 fatty acids, making them a great energy source.  Seeds are also a good source of vitamin E, they taste great, plus they add a nice texture to compliment many dishes.  Try adding seeds on top of salads, in smoothies, or on top of oats.  I recommend eating flax, chia seeds, sunflower, hemp and pumpkin seeds.

10. Dark Chocolate:
Chocolate is often viewed as a sinful indulgence, however eating a small amounts has been proven to be good for your heart. Especially while transitioning your diet, it can help squash sweet cravings for heavier desserts which will set us back. Be sure to get the dark chocolates which are at least 72% cacao. They have more antioxidants and contain no dairy.

I hope they foods are very helpful to you in helping you achieve your weight goals!

Love, Kimberly

Travel Log: My Food Loves and Non-Loves of the Cities I’ve Been to in the last 30 Days

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Hey Guys,

Hope you had a great weekend! I love this time of year. Sometimes the summer seems to fly by and I wonder where it all went, but this year is the opposite for me. So much has been jammed in for each day, and especially in the last 30 days, that I almost can’t believe it… This time 30 days ago I was at the Ann Wigmore Institute in Puerto Rico!! That seems like ages ago. Since then I’ve put down roots for the summer in Chicago to work as the nutritionist on some films, and I had a whirlwind film press tour to Europe. Yowzah!! I’ve been working to keep it all together- though I am reminded of my backpacking days when sometimes I wake up and have to think for a minute what country/city I am in!

I had a great weekend at Lalapalooza (through the movie we got all access backstage passes. More on that later! :) ) and went to the Cub’s game yesterday to hear Ron Howard lead the 7th inning stretch soon. Today I’ve had a second to sit down and actually write, which I haven’t been able to really do in well- the last 30 days! Again it seems more like 4 months! So here I am, trying to process my journeys of late, and especially my journeys with food. Below are my reflections on some of the places I’ve been to in the last month, and what I personally like and disliked the most about the food aspect of each place (in random order):

 

Chicago, IL:

Love: There are some vegetarian restaurants! I like the Karyn’s restaurants a lot- she has a raw café (good), a vegetarian café (my least favorite as much of the menu contains soy) and a fancier restaurant with raw and cooked vegetarian options (my fave). I also love that there is a Wholefoods on the block where I am staying- as I am in there once or twice every single day! The cherries I’ve been getting her rock my world! And I love how the produce and prices are cheaper than in New York.

 

 

 

Non-Love: I am grateful there is that Wholefoods, but I must say that it is lacking in lots of key ingredients I use. I have to go once or twice a week to the speciality health stores around the city to get things like buckwheat grouts, untoasted nori warppers, etc. I am spoiled by NY that so much is so readily available and easy to find.  And help! I am being swallowed in by deep-dish pizza and sub joints! :)

 

Rincon, Puerto Rico:

Love: The fruit!!! The best are the avocados, papayas, pineapples and bananas. The fruit is fresh and juicy. And let’s not forget my fave!! The mighty, powerful young coconut! They seemed to drop down magically for me to eat and drink just when I’d want them.

Non-Love: If you don’t make your own food there, you’re kind of screwed. You can forget about easily finding lots of greens or salads that consist of more than a few sad strips of iceberg lettuce with a few tomato slivers. I’d have to order like 20 of them to make the size of a salad I usually eat at home. And vegetarian dishes- nada!! The rice and beans have chicken stock in them- and besides are too heavy to eat lots of anyways. You’d get fat if you ate all the traditional fried fare. I recommend getting a hotel room with a mini-fridge, and bringing a cutting board, Vitamix and a few spices. You can make Green Smoothie and salads with whatever greens you can scrounge up from at the grocery store!

 

London, England:

Love: Since London is of course the big city in England, I had easy access to fruit like apples and pears, and veggies like celery and romaine lettuce. The plums there are delicious! Lots of little produce markets around in case I needed a few emergency lemons or celery.

Non-Love: No kale! It was difficult to find a wide variety of greens, as I think a lot is imported into there. There are now Wholefoods in London. I didn’t go to any restaurants to eat on this trip (though I crashed some 5-star kitchens to make my own food for my people- what a crazy experience that was, with French chefs swearing and fire in pans and angry, frenetic clanking and craziness all around. I’m so happy I don’t eat in restaurants like that!), so I’m not sure what the vege scene is like nowadays!

 

Dublin, Ireland:

Love: Sorry my Irish loves, but I have to say this was a very hard city for me! There were uh, good sundried tomatoes I got my hands on though!

Non-Love: When we landed off the jet I requested 3 heads of romaine be put in my mini-fridge so I could make food immediately upon arrival. I knew I was in trouble when I arrive to find barely 3 leaves in my fridge. :) I couldn’t really find organic produce, and the range was very limited. It was also very expensive. It would be very expensive to live in Ireland and eat the enormous amounts of plants I usually eat!

Mallorca, Spain:

Love: The fresh black olives! They were beautiful and heavenly and I used them in some dishes while I was there. Great avocados also! All the produce I could get my hands on was fresh and I made lots of great salads and dishes right in my hotel room, overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean! with a view like that, and surrounded in energy like that, how could the produce not taste amazing?

Non-Love: All the slabs of meat! They followed by everywhere- sliced up on plates at the hotel, on the yacht, even on the jet and in the airport. Very traditional I know- but they just looked really butchered and yucky and dead. The white fat spots in the slices of salami and cold cuts made me want to barf! Just not for me!

Madrid, Spain:

Love: The traditional gazpacho soup. Yummy!

Non-Love: The same slabs of meat I saw in Mallorca seemed to follow me to Madrid… like a bad dream!! And though it doesn’t have to do with food, I have to say that I give all types of bull-fighting a huge thumbs DOWN.

Notice how my own “home” city of New York is not on the list. Have not been home all month! (except for a few days between Puerto Rico and leaving for Chicago). My NY friends, say hi to it for me! I have a full week ahead back here in Chicago, so time to get reorganized so I can sleep a bit more this week (that would be nice!).

Lots of love!!!!! Have a wonderful week!!

Kimberly

 

A Dozen Ways on How to Eat Beautifying Food on Budget!

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Hi Guys!

Finally, I have made it to this topic! So many of you have written me requesting it, and here it is.

I know, I know-  it may seem that eating healthily is hugely expensive and that you can’t really afford it, but rest assured that that is not really true! It doesn’t have to be. Check out some of these tips that may help you along your path, ensuring that you can eat well, and maybe still even have money afterwards to get those hot new sandals you want for summer or save up for a beach trip somewhere!

1. Put your money into your food, not your beverages. We want to eat, not drink our way to beauty. If push comes to shove, you really and truly could get by on fresh water with lemon squeezed in. Expensive beverages like bottled Kombucha, or even coconut water, are far down on the list of priorities if we are in a bind. They are like the icing on the cake, but remember that the “cake” or as it holds here, our beauty, is built from organic greens, vegetables and fruits.

2. Along those lines, nix that bottled water! What a waste of money it is to buy bottled water day in and day out. And (and!) bottled water 1) Is often just  tap water that has been filtered, see my blog on water HERE and 2) All the plastic bottles add to so much waste on the planet, and energy even if it gets recycled! Get yourself a nice water filter and use your stainless steel reusable bottle. I still use the nice blue one I got from the movie Hall Pass!

3. Buy spices, nuts and condiments in bulk. That is clearly the way to go! There are so many websites on line that you can source them from. If I had to spend $6 for every tiny little cayenne pepper container or coriander container, I would be broke. Now I buy them by the pound or half pound since I use them so much!

4. ALWAYS support your local farmer friends! Oftentimes they are not labeled as organic, but they still use organic farming practices. It can cost them a lot of moola to get an organic certificate, so they might not always have the certificate or paperwork done. But often they aren’t using scary chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides, and are rotating crops. Not mass production! When possible, I always love to meet the people that are growing my food.

5. Buy or grow your own sprouts. Sprouts are pretty cheap, and they are a really abundant source of beauty enzymes and minerals. Rare is the salad I eat without some sprouts thrown in there. For my ambitious, green-thumbed friends, you can get a jar with some holes on top, or buy one of those sprout kits and grown your own! That would make the cost of your enzyme-filled treat a few cents a day!

6. You can actually get some organic, bulk food at Costco. Yes Costco! Check out their bagged organic baby spinach and their organic 5 pound bags of carrots. Great for families that really plow through huge amounts of produce.

7. When push comes to shove, stick to the most important foods to buy organic. They include (but are not limited to): celery, strawberries, bell peppers, pears, apples, spinach, apricots and tomatoes. Some that are not as important (they don’t attract as many bugs, don’t require as many fertilizers, etc.) include avocados, sweet potatoes, onions. Of course if we had unlimited funds we would but all organic…but sometimes choices are necessary. You can soak your inorganic vegetables in a diluted raw apple cider vinegar soak or some grapefruit seed extract. It won’t increase mineral content, but it will at least help remove some of the creepy chemicals! For more info on this see my feature in Life & Style HERE.

8. Join a food co-op, where you would work a certain amount of hours each month in exchange for really cheaply priced bulk foods and produce. In NYC there is a good one in the East Village, some in Brooklyn, and all around, really.

9. Join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. How does it work? You buy into a certain amount of “shares” of a local farm, and every week you get a box of vegetables or produce that is in season at the time, at a set pick up/drop off location that that farm establishes. It is a wonderful way to get a ton of organic produce at a great price. I would totally do it but I travel so much I would miss most of the drop-offs! Highly recommended though, and it helps out our friends the local farmers, who we must all support as much as possible in this increasingly commercial, genetically modified world.

Here is a great website to find a CSA near you! www.localharvest.org/csa/

 

10. Bring your lunch…or at least part of your lunch!! Check out the blog HERE I wrote on great lunch ideas, complete with a link to some beautiful lunch bags my friend Isolde makes. They are great. I have the blue and grey bag.

 

11. Skip all that dehydrated, expensive raw food. That is what makes food shopping expensive! You don’t really need it. Make your own smoothies, your own salads, your own simple nut pates or dishes. Those foods are really dense anyways. I don’t buy them myself!

12. Plan ahead so you don’t get stuck having to eat out or buy expensive food. I always try to keep something in my purse- like my chlorella tablets (more info HERE) or an apple or something so I don’t have to buy a $12 pre-made salad at Au Bon Pain (sorry, but it is mostly barf food anyway :) ). Also plan to meet your friends for tea, instead of going to spend $30 for a salad and some veggie sides you could easily make yourself for $7 at home. Allocate your funds wisely!

I think I’ll stop here because 12 is a good number. :)

Happy eating well, and without breaking the bank!

Lots of love, Kimberly

 

 

Belated Father’s Day Blog: On Making our Men Healthier!

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Hi Guys!

I hope you had a fabulous weekend and Happy Summer Solstice! We are officially in the summer flow (at least for my friends reading this in the Northern hemisphere!).

I wanted to post this yesterday on the actual Father’s Day but I had to work on something all weekend, so I am a day late! But it can still count, right? :)

I  love my father so much that when I really think about it, it makes my eyes well up in tears. You know that kind of love? He has always been such a support to me, even when I have been known to do a few wacky things here and there that a father might not like- such as, I don’t know, wander around the world for 3 years with a backpack?! He is super kind and mellow and easy to talk to, and probably the most non-judgmental person I know.

My dad grew up eating the SAD way (Standard America Diet). God bless my grandmother, but the standard fare in the house was pot roasts and meat loaf. Any vegetables to be found were mushy peas. She just didn’t have an in-depth knowledge of nutrition, like most people don’t, and she was busy. Again, no judgments! But what it does mean is that my father did pick up some certain dietary habits, and likes and dislikes, which he carries with him today.

My dad loves crackers and cheese, hamburgers, ice cream, and Cheerios, and he was not such a huge vegetable eater. That is, until recently! I am writing this because I want all you ladies out there that have fathers, brothers, boyfriends, spouses, etc. whose diets range in varying degrees from so-so to horrendous to know that things can improve! I don’t mean to single out the men… but well in this case today with this particular topic I guess I sort of am! :)

My dad always exercised and went to the gym, but over time, like most men, he started packing on some excess pounds, especially in his belly area. About two years ago, I realized it was time I had to intervene. My mother is amazing too and very health-conscious, but sometimes it takes a person outside the couple to peer in and make suggestions. That is probably why I do a lot of nutritional counseling for couples! Sometimes the other person is too close to the situation, and their well-meaning suggestions can be interpreted as “nagging.”

We certainly shouldn’t try to change everything all at once. And that’s what I want to emphasize. It is sort of like going into your kid’s room and throwing out all of his or her stuffed animals (which we know they have outgrown and need to get rid of) at once and packing them into a garbage bag. What would your kid do? He or she would throw a hissy fit! So what we do is start with one stuffed animal, and throw it out, then move on to the next, and then how about that huge old stuffed teddy bear in the corner that is leaking out stuffing everywhere?? Time for him to go!  The kid has a chance to see over time that he doesn’t really need all the old stuffed animals, and that it actually feels better to have them gone and he or she has more space to run around! We don’t shock though- we gently remove in stages.

 

Men can be like children sometimes. They want to cling to their “food comforts”, especially when they view them as treats because they work hard and “deserve a treat.” Getting them to see that food should not be viewed exclusively as “treats”, but rather that it is fuel for the body is a process. And that process becomes fueled by making small improvements that allow him to feel and experience the benefits for himself. Otherwise, it just seems like we are taking away all the “stuffed animals” at once, and being mean!! And that never sticks.

With my dad, we started introducing Green Drinks, which my mother faithfully makes for him. As long as it is front of him, he will drink it –though he would never make it for himself! At first he missed his beloved morning bagel with butter, but then the Green Smoothie crowded it out because he gets full from it, and discovered (gasp!) on his own that he feels better having that!!! So much more energy!!!

Coffee is his true comfort so I leave that alone right now as we focus on other things…. We’ve made vast improvements in the diet (including the very important elimination of most of all the dairy) and he has lost so much weight, especially in the last few months! He looks so young and healthy. I am so proud of him!

So remember ladies, no matter what foods your men might love, no matter how they grew up and with what foods, positive change is always possible. And the best first change might just be the Green Smoothie, and you can build from there.

All my love,

Kimberly

5 Easy and Sustainable Weight Loss Tips

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Hey Guys!

It is mid-January already, and among our list of New Year’s resolutions, many of us listed losing weight. How are we doing so far?! In case you needed some extra support, here are some weight loss tips that can easily be incorporated into all of our daily diets. My friends that have been reading my blog for a while will see that some of these tips are ones that I have been harping on repeatedly. :) But they work! And they are worth saying again as a friendly reminder… because I want you guys to feel and look your best!!

While they seem simple, they really add up to big improvements towards our weight loss goals. Oftentimes we want to make huge dramatic changes, but these can seem restrictive and if we haven’t transitioned properly we usually just go back to our old ways of eating. Small changes that we incorporate and repeat day after day are much more powerful than fly by night changes that we drop pretty fast.

Check out these easy tips that will help you along your path to vibrant health and easy weight loss!

1. Start lunch and dinner (if it is not the main course) with a green salad. Greens are full of fiber, so we get filled up on this mineral-dense food first. All the raw plant enzymes and chlorophyll go to work cleaning and detoxing our blood and systems. When we cleanse on an ongoing basis, it continues to be easier for us to maintain our ideal weight.

2. Try to consume the juice of 1-2 lemons every day. You can squeeze them over salads, in water, over veggies, or even over grains like quinoa. Lemon helps regenerate and support our liver by benefiting bile formation. Since our liver is our main fat-burning organ, lemon can therefore help promote optimal fat metabolism.

3. Stop drinking Diet Coke. We have all gone through love relationships with diet colas, being lured in by the fact that they have 0 calories and have a sugary, satisfying taste. But… it IS all too good to be true. Sodas are considered the most acidic “food” on the planet. They leave an acidic residue in our bodies, and the more acidic our bodies are the more we tend to hold on to weight and age faster. Sodas are full of acidic chemicals like carbonic acid and phosphoric acid. Soda demineralizes the bones, teeth, and skin, robbing us of our highest beauty by eating up our minerals. All the chemical sweeteners in diet sodas can also overload our liver.

4. Drink as little as possible while you are eating. If you drink a lot while you are eating, you will dilute the gastric juices and slow down digestion, which can lead to the fermentation and putrification of our food. Drink water half an hour before eating, and wait at least an hour afterwards to start drinking significant quantities of water (or other liquids) again.

5. Avoid table salt at all costs- both in cooking and adding as a condiment. Sometimes we are tempted to add salt to our food as a fat-free, calorie-free condiment, as a way of cutting back on oil or other “fattening” options. But regular table salt, which is really de-natured sodium chloride salt, is toxic poison in our bodies. It will leach H20 and other minerals out of your body. These kinds of salt will also create “false fat”, making us look bloated and up to 9 pounds heavier than we truly weigh. We must avoid it all cost. Throw it out of your cabinet right now, and resist the urge to add any of it onto your food from salt shakers at restaurants or cafes. Celtic sea salts and Himalayan sea salt are the right choice to fulfill our salt needs, as they are natural and full of minerals.

Love!!
Kimberly

Food (and Other!) Lessons to Share From this Weekend

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Hey Guys!

Well I had a great weekend and I hope you did too- what with Thanksgiving, the notorious Black Friday, lots of running around and shopping, etc.

Here are some things I did this weekend: Had a great Thanksgiving, made lots of raw deserts and salads, gave a few yoga privates, practiced yoga, held a mini cooking class for 4 people, did some nutritional consultations, walked around a lot, meditated, went food shopping, went to a dinner party (where I helped make the food), hung out with friends, listened to new music, etc… :)

I consider myself a perpetual student- there is so much to keep learning about what we are passionate about. I also learn so much from my students as a yoga teacher and a nutrition counselor. I constantly learn more about people, how to deal with people, and on a more pragmatic level- what questions keep coming up that may need more reinforcing. So here are just a few random things that came up during the course of my weekend activities:

Random Thoughts/Lessons to Share

1.    Throw out all commercial, pre-made salad dressings. I find that most people are okay learning to make a salad and chop things up and throw them together, but many are not confident about making a dressing that tastes good. The easy answer is to get commercial salad dressings. The down side is that those dressings are usually filled with preservatives, artificial ingredients and sugars, MSG, etc. in varying levels. Experiment with making your own salad dressings using olive oil, lemon, cayenne pepper, Celtic sea salt, herbs like cilantro and parsley, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, raw apple cider vinegar, dulse, etc. YOU can make a dressing that tastes good- it doesn’t have to come out of a bottle!!

2.    Don’t assume you don’t like the taste of ____________. Many times people assume they don’t like how something tastes, because they had a bad experience or simply did not to like something in the past (papaya, avocado, acai, scallion, etc…). As we start to change our diet and our bodies let go of old craving-inducing toxins, you may be surprised that some foods you used not to like, you now really do like! I used to NOT like many of the foods I now eat every day- including avocados. Go figure! So remember that our food tastes can change (a great thing for moms to keep in mind if they are worried about the little ones! Their food habits will get better :)   ).

3.    Your yoga practice (or workout) does not have to be the most intense level every time. A woman I teach privately several times a week said to me this weekend at our session, “My body is just tired!” So we did a lot of breathing work and meditation/Reiki, and it was beautiful- and just what she needed. Admittedly, we had been pushing pretty hard in our sessions several times a week, and she has made fantastic progress. But there is no rush, no sprint to get anywhere. Resting the body is healthy and natural, and gives us a chance to have a practice where we focus more on pranayama (breathing) and meditation- the higher aspects of yoga. Asanas help keep the body healthy for mediation- and help us sharpen our will power. Plus they are a lot of fun! And get many people into yoga in the first place. But they are really a tiny part of the overall practice. It is important to introspect and be honest with ourselves, and not try to do the most hardcore practice (or workout) every single day, just because it is a habit. Our practice can and should adjust.

4.    Don’t be scared of the sun. The sun is the giver of all life, and has the ability to activate enzymes in the body as well as kickstart our production of Vitamin D. When we are blessed with the gift of the sun being out- especially this time of year!- you can be sure I’m out getting me some sun time. Our media wants us to believe the sun is lethal and should be avoided at all costs- but in reality, the sun in moderation, at around 20 minutes a day, is healthy. It also makes you feel vibrant and alive!

5.    If you make my Raw Pecan Love Pie or any of my pies- realize the recipe amounts were designed for a flat tin pie tray. In other words, if you use a traditional glass pie tray with a thick side, you may need to make more filling. I realized this last night when my friend surprised me by making my pecan pie recipe! But it looked a lot different than mine- because she used a glass tray. So the filling looked like a lot less than if the crust was thicker on the bottom and did not go up the sides- like mine. So IF you are using those glass trays with the higher sides, I would take the filling recipe and would make 1 ½ times that part of the recipe, so your pie looks more filled in.

6.    Remember that if you become vegetarian- or more vegetarian- as long as you are not eating junk food all the time you will get enough protein! Eating a wide variety of greens, seeds, nuts, fruit, vegetables will give you a diet full of easily assimilated amino acids. Our bodies use high quality amino acids to build specific proteins in our body. Much of the cooked animal protein is unusable anyway because the amino acids become denatured with heat. As I start to switch people’s diets, I often find that people are scared they are missing out on protein. Again- as long as you are eating a wide variety of plant produce, you’ll be getting plenty of amino acids!

Well these are some random thoughts that come to mind. Yes, they are random aren’t they. :) If you like blogs like this, I will write more of them sometimes- let me know what you think!
Have a great end of your weekend and I will write more soon.
Love, Kimberly

PS!! My good friend Leila, who is also a yoga teacher (and she is AWESOME!) is having a yoga retreat in the Dominican Republic March 6-13th. It is at 2 private homes with a pool/jaccuzi, right on a gorgeous beach. If you are looking for a getaway for cold March, this would be a great option. Leila is a loving, excellent teacher. Check out her site: http://leilayoga.blogspot.com/

Feel and BE more Sexy

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Ha! Do you like my title?? Bet you wanted to read what I was talking about, didn’t you?? I mean, who doesn’t want to be sexy? I think that sexy is so much more than slapping on nice makeup and heels. It has to build from within. And that starts on the cellular level with providing our cells with optimal mineralization to build strength and vitality and magnetism…

Sexy, attractive, magnetic people are healthy-looking and strong. We are programmed from the beginning of mankind, from the time of our ancient ancestors, to be attracted to a potential partner of the opposite sex that would be a good carrier and producer of our offspring. ( This is in a general sense- I know that many people choose to live very happy, healthy lives and don’t want to actually have children or opt to adopt instead of having their own, which is great. So don’t take this tooooo literally…. bear with me!) For women, that translates into a curvy differentiation between the waist and hips (to translate into being able to bear children), healthy hair (which implies mineralization, being a strong, healthy mate), and glowing skin. That is why I think ultimately and overall, strong, curvy and healthy women are much more attractive than girls that don’t eat!!

So let’s get down to food. We truly are what we eat- and the energy of the food we eat will get assimilated into the cells of our body, where it will become part of OUR energy, and the energy we radiate out into the universe and what all other people that cross our path sense and feel, whether they realize it cognitively or not. That is why people that eat more raw, living plant food, grown in abundance right in the earth, are more magnetic and glowing than those that eat the flesh of dead animals (Eeeewwww). I mean sorry, but look at fresh luscious spinach, healthy as can be and bursting with life force. Would you rather that be part of your constitutional makeup or a piece of dead pink salmon- that has been plucked from the sea, probably suffocated to a slow, horrible death, and plunks on your plate where its dead-energy muscles are going to make up your lunch?? It is not living anymore – it is dead in every possible sense of the word. I mean yucky yucky yuck.

But I didn’t want to go on a vegetarian rant today! I wanted to talk to you about fruit! And in particular seeded vs. seedless fruit. Fruit is an amazing gift from the earth, and so full of life force that the great yogi Yogananda says that it should be the first thing you eat after you meditate, to support your prana and life force swirling through your body.

The very definition of a fruit is that it bears its own seed (that’s why tomatoes and avocados are really fruits!). These seeds have the DNA programmed in them to become huge trees or plants. Seeded fruits are ripe, pregnant with fertility, and the potential to reproduce. Oooohhh- isn’t that sexy??? ☺  So when we eat seeded, natural fruit, we TOO can take in the energy of that fruit, which is bursting with life force and reproduction capabilities, and increase our own magnetism. Now this is true for women of all ages- it doesn’t matter if you’ve passed menopause or not! Don’t take it too literally, remember I am talking about energy and radiance. Some of my favorite fruits are avocados, durian, cherries, apples, pears (well seemingly everyday and boring but great staples!!), lemons, papayas, blueberries, Acai, Goji berries, etc. etc.

No nothing is more sad to me than when I see a sign for “Seedless Watermelon” or “Seedless Grapes” at the grocery store. Do you know what those poor inert pseudo-fruit beings are??? They are HYBRIDIZED. It means that their genetic makeup has been tampered with by scientists in a lab to produce strains that would sell well commercially (Scientist, “Yes, let’s make seedless grapes, because people are too lazy to pick out the little seeds and then we’ll be able to sell tons of them!”). Scientists have engineered a way to make these hybrid fruits lack a double set of chromosomes in their reproductive cells. So it means that these fruits can no longer reproduce- they don’t have seeds!!! And that defies the very definition of what a fruit is in the first place. And that is SO not sexy. Hybrid fruit is so unnatural and is also much higher in sugar and lower in minerals. And that is not helping our sexiness factor either.

So to feel and be more sexy from within, always go for the natural, organic varieties of fruits which have not been tampered with and DO bear their own seeds. I relish in picking out about 12 seeds from each of my lemons before squeezing it onto my salads.  I would much rather take the 30 seconds to do that and know that I am getting the freshest, best lemon juice on the planet, from a living, sexy fruit!!!

Have an awesome Memorial Day! Yay, for the beginning of summer. I’ll talk to you at the end of the weekend you sexy thaaaaaang. :)

All my very best,
xx Kimberly

 

Weight Loss Tips: The First Dozen

24 Replies

I just got back from Europe last night, where I had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. When I travel I don’t worry too much if I go off the raw food and my normal diet, because I think it’s important to be flexible and just enjoy travelling! I was in the cold and beautiful far North of England, surrounded by English moors, castles from the 13th century, and small fishing villages. Admittedly it was way more play than work, and I let loose- eating my share of cooked food from vegetable soup, to 3-bean chilli, to (gasp!) rolls with butter!

I feel happy and jolly- though bloated and a tad heavier than when I left. :) No worries! The holidays and trips are times to indulge a bit. I’m sure some of you are feeling the same way after this holiday weekend. Now it’s time to detox though, and get back on track!! I came home to find this email from one reader. I answered her email, then thought that many of us women could benefit from the same info.! So I decided to post my response back to her below (along with some funny “tough” pics from a recent shoot! :) ).

Hi Kimberly,

I have gained weight over the past few years and plan on incorporating raw food and yoga into my life to help get the weight off. Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated.

Below is part of my response back to her:

As for the weight gain, we’ve all been there! I used to count calories and fat grams and obsess about my weight until I properly understood nutrition and how food affects the body. It was so miserable! I was never quite happy with my weight and it was often in my mind.

I feel so grateful and blessed to have come across some great knowledge of nutrition. Here are my first dozen easy weight loss/maintenance tips (I’ll post another dozen soon!) that I’d love to share with you:

1. Yes, absolutely incorporate more and more raw food, which is easy to digest, nutritionally dense and keeps you full and healthy. The basis of the raw diet is greens, so definitely check out my easy green smoothie recipe, and start trying to have one every day for breakfast or lunch.

2. Avoid all dairy products. Dairy is pasteurized and very difficult to digest and break down- sucking tons of our precious enzymes. It is also mucus and acid-forming. It is my personal experience that it is very hard to lose weight when consuming dairy!

3. Avoid all “fake” sugars- Splenda, Sweet ‘n Low, Equal, etc. These are very hard for your body to recognize and break down. 0 calories does NOT mean will not promote weight gain.

4. Stay hydrated- drink lots of water 20 minutes either sides of meals, but drink MINIMALLY with meals (so as not to dilute the digestive enzymes).

5. Practice yoga!! Besides the deeper spiritual and mental benefits, I have personally found it to be the most rewarding and beneficial physical exercise. Look out for my yoga video, filmed in Bora Bora, that should be out in January or so. You can do a version of the same series I practice along with me that will keep you toned.

6. If you are going to eat cooked food, don’t combine protein with starches. Instead combine protein with greens, like salads or sides of veggies. Proteins and starches together are really hard to break down. For example- if you are going to eat fish, eat it with a salad or a side of spinach. Sushi- with the combination of fish and rice, is very hard on the system. I used to never think about food combining. But when foods are combined well and digestion is easy, minerals are more easily absorbed and toxic waste can more easily leave the body. When the opposite is true, then backup occurs and this is usually coupled with weight gain and/or difficulty in letting excess weight go.

7. Avoid all soda- especially diet colas!!!! B Vitamin and mineral-leaching, acidic, etc. etc.!

8. Try to consume 1-3 lemons every day. You can squeeze them over salads, in water, etc. Lemon helps regenerate and support your liver by benefiting bile formation. Since your liver is your main fat-burning organ, lemon therefore promotes optimal fat metabolism.

9. Don’t eat fruit for dessert after you eat a cooked food. The simple sugars in fruit break down much faster than the denser cooked food, and will cause backup and fermentation in your digestive system (See #6).

10. Instead of consuming desserts with processed sugars and pasteurized dairy, try some of my desserts. They incorporate stevia and metabolism-boosting ingredients like coconut oil, and these healthy deserts keep you from feeling deprived while you are losing weight!

11. Chew really well- liquify your food. Be a slow eater. Not only will you be able to extract more nutrients from your food, but you will feel full before you’ve overeaten.

12. Eat fibrous, filling salads for dinner. Try my hearty and nutritionally super dense kale salad recipe, which I eat for dinner at least 4 nights a week. It is so satisfying and delicious!

Try a wide variety of foods so you don’t get bored- I’ll keep posting more recipes too. Once you get over the hump, you’ll feel great and your cravings for certain foods will be less and less. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions about these first dozen tips.

All my best, Kimberly

The Easiest Weight Loss/Maintenance Tip Ever

20 Replies

With a title like that, you’re probably expecting something really profound. Well, they say the most profound things in life are really simple. And so is this tip: Drink as little water and other liquids as possible during your meals. Why???

 

Well I remember reading the yogi Master Paramanhansa Yogananda say that if you need to gain weight, drink lots of water with your meals, and when you want to lose or maintain weight, of course do the opposite…drink less with meals. Hmmmmm. In college and for a few years after I always used to down water with my meals, thinking that I would get more full and therefore eat less. But I started researching this idea deeper, especially after my travels to India.

There is scientific theory to back up the idea of drinking less with meals. Large amounts of water and liquids impede the digestive process by diluting gastric juices, such as hydrochloric acid. Many people are already deficient in digestive acids to start, due to their diet. You also dilute the digestive enzymes your body needs for the effective digestion of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Yes, so much of easy weight loss has to do with ease of digestion and properly breaking down foods! When these juices, acids, and enzymes are diluted, you can experience bloating, abdominal distension after meals (NOT pleasant! And not particularly attractive- especially if you are having dinner before going out!), and can have a hard time losing weight and/or maintaining your ideal weight.

Water is a truly a miracle from nature. We are so blessed to have access to clean drinking water that keeps our bodies and its fluids functioning optimally and removes toxins and waste products. But try to drink large quantities of this miracle liquid at least 20 minutes on either side of a meal, and sip only during meals. Cheers! Here’s to your healthy and more effortlessly slimmed down body!

(For the science nerds like me, here is a supportive study: In 1910, a study was done on people that drank 3 liters of water with meals for five days in a row. The findings showed: An increase in body weight of an average of two pounds in the five days; increased amount of excretion of urinary nitrogen; increased output of ammonia, due to an increased output of gastric juice; and a decrease in the quantity of bacteria excreted daily.)