You wake up in the morning, ready to start your day healthy so you grab some vanilla Greek yogurt, its healthy right? Your tired, you didn't sleep well last night so you swing through Starbucks for your daily caramel frappuccino. By lunch you eat your lean cuisine meal and pair it with a medium coke and add jussssst a little bbq sauce on the side. Two hours later you hit a slump and grab a snickers. By midnight the kids are in bed your husbands asleep and you tip toe to the kitchen and pull out your favorite Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Before you realize it, you've just eaten through the entire pint.

Sound familiar?
Sadly, this is what a typical American day looks like. Just calculating the grams of sugar in this scenario it comes out to 317g. That's not including everything else eaten throughout the day. That is a big difference than the recommended 25 grams.

Sugar has absolutely zero nutritional value. It is high in calories and has negative effects on your metabolism, skin and overall health. Sugar is said to be just as addictive as cocaine. Pretty gross right?  Sugar is found in just about everything from donuts to salad dressing.

The good thing is, you have the power to kick it to the curb. In the beginning you might feel withdrawal symptoms (headache, irritability, etc...) but after you detox your body you will love the feeling of being refreshed, rested and clear.

You might be curious on where to start, what to eat and how to make it last!? Stay tuned for my next blog post and you'll find out!

Smoothies are a tasty, easy way to get in your fruits and veggies. I like to make mine thick so it's like eating a milk shake! Although this one is green, don't let it fool you, its sweet!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup mixed frozen fruit (pineapple, mango and strawberry)
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 scoop greens powder (trader joes)
• 1 scoop hemp protein (trader joes)
• unsweetened almond milk (amount depends on how thick you want it)

Directions:

• Put all ingredients in blender, blend on high, & enjoy

-Hanna

I am willing to bet a majority of us have been on a diet at some point in our lives. We count calories, we cut out foods groups, aim for perfection and become obsessed with that little number on the scale. We become excited because we lose weight quickly and than curse ourselves when we have a slip up and gain it all back. I also consistently hear people say they are only going to diet until they lose all the weight they need to and THEN they are going to learn about a healthy LIFESTYLE.  We've all been guilty of it. It's not completely our fault we're just doing what we think we are suppose to. If i had it my way i would destroy every fat burning pill, magic weight loss shake, diet book and diet plan created. I would cancel every ad on the t.v and radio that promotes losing 10 lbs in 10 days, I would destroy things like Photoshop and filters that make you look like someone you're not. But, sadly, I cannot do that as much as I would like. But what i can do is inform people. I can teach people a new way of doing things, a way that actually works, forever. I can teach people about health, wellness, lifestyle, nutrition and what food actually does to your body.
So, let's talk about what happens when you go on a 'diet'. When i refer to diet here, i am talking about restricting, counting calories, etc...

I'm  guessing we have all heard of insulin. It is a hormone produced in the pancreas. It regulates the amount of glucose in the blood. Insulin is the main hormone promoting fat formation, causing glucose to be transformed into fat and stored. Now, there is also a hormone called leptin. This is also involved in fat formation. Leptin is made by fat cells and acts to decrease appetite and increase fat mobilizing hormones. (Leptin is GOOD!). When we have too little leptin your body takes this as a sign that hard times are happening and assumes there aren't many calories coming in. Your body slows the metabolism down to make available energy last longer. (Resulting in your storing fat and not burning it).
So, what does this have to do with dieting?

When you diet over time, your body goes into starvation mode and tries to hang on to every calorie it can get. When we lower our carbohydrate levels, leptin levels become lowered. Not only does this lower your metabolism, it increases your appetite making you more hungry!
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Most of the time we believe in order to lose weight we need to cut out carbs, lower our calorie intake and move,move,move. Sadly, that is why diets never work for people. Our body becomes shocked and tries to keep us alive. Our body does not want to be starved, it wants to be nourished! If you are looking to be healthier and to feel better try eating! It sounds funny, but eating a diet of real, healthy foods is what your body wants. Believe it or not you don't need the stress of calorie counting and measuring. Fuel your body with real, whole foods and try to do something active every day no matter how big or small. Your body will love you for it and reward you by being healthy and happy!

-Hanna