Super Stars: Food Groups With A Bad Rep For No Reason

Just because you're on a diet doesn't mean you need to shun these food groups...

The No Carb Effect

Breads and starches contain essential carbohydrates, which you need to produce feelings of satisfaction

AKA: You'll have fewer cravings

Without it: 

Break out the small violin because you'll experience irritability and depression without this chemical reaction 

How to do it right: 

-- Whole grains where "whole grains" is the first ingredient

-- English muffins

-- Fiber rich tortillas or wraps under 150 calories

-- Brown rice, quinoa and other grains that are fiber and protein rich

-- Potatoes the size of your fist (preferably sweet potatoes)

In the mood for a good french fries swap, check out a previous blog all about delectable potato replacements

Fruit, friend or foe?
Fruit contains natural fructose (sugar) so it caters to sweet cravings at a lower calorie price and it has a high water and fiber content leaving you fuller longer

AKA: Fruit pretty much rocks, sorry Mr. Gummy Bear

Without it:

You'll be seriously lacking essential vitamins and minerals like Calcium and Vitamin C...and you'll see the effects on your body

How to do it right:

-- Shoot for three servings of FRESH FRUIT 

-- Avoid fruit juices which are just laden with calories and not nearly as many benefits as the actual fruit

-- Pick up fruits with vibrant colors like cherries, blueberries, kiwis

Eat the rainbow, check out a previous blog post about the importance of eating your colors

Super Shades: Color Coding Your Diet

The color of our food is extremely important not just for how appetizing our food is but also to gage how healthy some items are or aren't. 

Foods that display different varieties of the color wheel indicate that they contain high amounts of certain vitamins, minerals, fats, and other breakdowns.

This post will focus on foods that contain the color BEIGE:

What are the first foods that come to mind when you think beige?

BREADS

PASTA

BATTERED AND FRIED

PASTRIES

Notice how these foods provide very little nutritional value (if any). These starchy and highly caloric items provide immediate blood rushes that lift you up quickly and bring a fast energy crash down.

So by all means try to avoid BEIGE and adorn your plate with colorful edibles to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.