Fire up the engines!!

People are creatures of habit. We like routine (at least most of us do), we thrive when our daily routine is predictable. Throw that routine off and we can easily turn into a chicken with our head cut off, running around looking for what we were supposed to do.

But when it comes to nutrition, there needs to be a balance between variety and predictability. Most people like variety- when it is planned out. We need lots of different foods for optimal nutrition. Unfortunately many of us get in the same rut of no breakfast, massive "salad" at the local eatery for lunch, and then a dinner consisting of half a cow, a plate of noodles and...oh yeah, some veggies on the side that aren't touched until they are tossed into the garbage.

But there are foods that can help stimulate your metabolism to use more fat at rest. Remember, that every time you eat, your metabolism is elevated for a period of time due to the increased energy required to break down and absorb food. This is called the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)

Well certain foods take much longer to break down. These foods are often in their natural, unprocessed state. So foods like fruits, vegetables, beans and sprouted grains are examples of foods that take a while to break down. But foods high in protein have the highest TEF.these are the foods that will fire up your fat burning engine. This is why it is so important to eat 4-6 times per day.

So between eating frequently throughout the day and eating protein frequently we keep your energy levels high, we keep your muscles fueled with good, slow digesting carbohydrates. You muscles are able to function because of all the vitamins and minerals in you're getting in your fruits and veggies and your drinking lots of water.

See, great health isn't that tough.

1. 5-8 servings of fruits and veggies per day
2. 4-6 meals per day
3. Protein with every meal (i.e. meat, jerky, beans, nuts, dairy)
4. Sprouted whole grains (Ezekiel 4:9 bread)
5. Exercise at least 3 times per week including weight lifting and cardiovascular exercise for 15-20 min/day

Follow these rules and you'll be set. You just have to plan. And plan for diversity of food!!