Category Archives: Diet Tip

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Think of a detox cleanse as a 2-3 days fasting to purify every organ in your body especially the liver, the kidneys, colon and the skin (which is the largest organ in your body!) A cleanse doesn’t necessarily require a harsh starvation diet, which tends to suck all your energy! On the contrary, just change your regular menu to one which contains more detoxifying foods such as fruits, leafy greens, legumes, and other “secret“ weapons.

It’s Monday- the perfect time for an overall cleanse after the weekend indulgences, which might have loaded you up with too much sugars, fats and toxins. Give your body a royal treatment to feel rejuvenation both inside and outside! Detoxification means purification- the body tries to eliminate most of the toxins that build up inside you.  Substances such as pesticides, environmental pollutants, and other poisons pollute your body constantly. That is why the detox is essential to your overall health.  But total body cleansing usually requires severe caloric deprivation.  Just try to stay away from artificial foods, fatty processed foods, pesticides and hormones (also not margarine or butter.)  Let’s go raw, pure and simple!

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Raw Vegetables

A good way to detox naturally is to increase your daily portion of vegetables – they are packed with all the essential nutrients required to stabilize indigestion problems and help lubricate the intestinal walls when flushing out toxins. Add to your meals vegetables like carrots, celery, asparagus, cabbage, beets, broccoli, tomatoes, garlic and onions. The strong smell of garlic and onion may be quite irritating after a tasty meal, but their pungent flavor won’t diminish their health benefits -through the detoxing period they will help to reduce levels of heavy metals in your body.

Give a boost to your digestive tract with leafy greens: kale, spinach, or arugula. Get in the habit of eating and drinking your vegetables: besides salads eat vegetable based soups or drink vegetable smoothies. If you don’t go crazy for veggie smoothies try to combine them with fruits: for example use kale, spinach as greens and add strawberries and pineapple to add fragrance as well as ground flax seeds, chia seeds which add additional fiber.

Each time you take a bite of food, your body begins to process the nutrients you’re eating. Long after the food is digested, the nutrients you’ve taken in become the fuel needed by your body. The process by which your body gets energy from food is a series of chemical processes called metabolism. Minor changes in your diet and eating habits can help boost your metabolism so that you process food more quickly (and burn fat, too). Try the following tips.

1. Eat Smaller Meals More Often 

Eating more frequent, small meals throughout the day increases your metabolism, while eating too few meals throughout the day actually slows your metabolism down. Try eating a small meal (for instance, a Live Rite shake) every three to four hours to speed up your metabolism.

2. Choose Complex Carbs Over Simple Sugars

Your body needs carbohydrates to convert into glucose and use as fuel. But, when your body has too much glucose, it stores the extra as fat. Complex carbs like whole grains, legumes, and vegetables take longer to break down into glucose than simple carbs like cookies, candy, white rice, and donuts. Thus, complex carbs are less likely to be stored by your body as fat. They also contain more nutrients than simple sugars. So reach for the complex carbs!

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Love coconut? We do, too. Coconut gives a chewy, flakey texture to desserts and has a sublime taste. Despite the myths associated with fatty coconut oil, certain coconut creamers are incredibly fat-free and are a healthy alternative to classic creamers, such as heavy cream.

Heavy cream is used in almost every dessert. Did you know that heavy cream is 95% fat and has 51 calories per 1 tablespoon? (Yikes!!) In comparison, Original So Delicious™ Coconut Milk Creamer has no fat and has only 10 calories per 1 tablespoon. On top of that, it is gluten-free, dairy-free, and has organic ingredients.

Satisfy your sweet tooth with these simple coconut desert ideas:

Coco-Creamy Smoothies: If you’re looking to make vegan smoothies with a tropical twist, this coconut blast will flavor and sweeten your creations. When you’re craving arich milkshake, go for a smoothie instead. They are vitamin-packed, low-fat drinks for a hot summer day. Be creative; select your fruits for the shake (bananas, mangos, kiwis, guava, etc.). Mix in a few tablespoons of the coconut creamer and add ice. Don’t forget to add Live Rite whey protein powder: it helps active women get the protein they desperately need in the morning or after a workout. The Live Rite protein powder is found at our gyms, and it comes in two delicious flavors: vanilla and chocolate.

Exotic Fruits covered in Coconut Creamer: This silky, rich creamer can be used on top of your favorite fruit salad for a mildly sweet taste. It’s simple and delightful! For a tropical taste, use a few slices of a ripe mango, pineapple, and/or papaya and drizzle with 1 or 2 tablespoons of coconut creamer for a light snack. You can also sprinkle chopped walnuts, pistachios, or flax seeds on top just to increase the nutritional value.

So Delicious™ Coconut Creamers come in three flavors: Vanilla, Hazelnut, and Original coconut. The original has the least amount sugar (1 g) and fewest calories (10 cal). The flavored ones have 4 grams of sugar and 20 calories per serving. And, of course, they are dairy-free.

Give them a try and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear your recipes!

 By Mihaela Blaga, social media and blog contributor for Lucille Roberts.

Are you grilling this weekend? An average cheeseburger packs 319 calories and 18-23 grams of fat. You can build yourself a better burger with these great swaps.

Trade the White Bun for:

• 100% whole wheat or whole grain bun
• Portobello mushroom caps
• Sturdy lettuce or cabbage leaves

Pick a Prime Patty:

• Upgrade your beef to a 96% lean cut.
• Swap beef for lean turkey.
• Mix chopped veggies into your patty for some extra flavor and fiber.
• Trade in your patty for a portobello mushroom cap or a veggie burger

Trim Down the Trimmings:

• Choose full flavor but low-fat: mustard, ketchup, relish, and salsa pack as much flavor as mayo with much lower sodium, fat, and calories.
• Load up on fresh veggies, like tomatoes, onion, and pickle slices.
• Trade out full fat cheese for a low-fat variety or avocado slices.

By Ilise “Baker Babe” Reilly, manager of Lucille Roberts Jamaica.

In the mood for a decadent dessert? Try this blueberry cheesecake shake instead.

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Blueberry Cheesecake Shake

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop vanilla Live Rite protein
• 6 oz. almond milk
• 20 frozen blueberries
• 1 tsp graham cracker crumbs
• 2 oz fat-free cream cheese
• 4-6 ice cubes

Blend and enjoy!

Lucille Roberts Live Rite protein shake mixes are available for $19.99 at all Lucille Roberts gyms.

Recipe by Dana Farrell, District Manager for Lucille Roberts in New Jersey.

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Summertime is the perfect time for outdoor activities. It’s time to head for the open roads and have fun adventures in the sun! But don’t forget to stay cool and hydrated during these hot days of summer. Remember, lack of water can lead to dizziness, fatigue, fainting, concentration problems, severe heat stroke, and even death. So let’s put the right fluids in our bodies generously, so we don’t stay thirsty with a dry mouth for too long.

Our bodies totally depend on water. Every organ and tissue in your body requires water in order to function correctly. In general, you should drink at least 8 glasses of water per day along with other fluids and every time you feel thirsty. In the summer, you need to increase the amount of water you’re drinking, especially if you exercise a lot or are trying to lose weight.

Flat and Sparkling Water

As you know, water is vital and is the best option for staying hydrated. When you sweat, go to the bathroom, or exercise, you lose water very fast, and you can become dehydrated without even knowing it. Fizzy water is rich in sodium and can be a smart choice along with still water. Sparkling water helps restore those minerals lost through sweat and can strengthen your bones. Carbonated water is great, especially if you’re on a diet: it reduces your appetite and helps you eat less at meals, and the bubbles make you feel full and energized. Keep a bottle of water with you during the day or just carry at the gym a reusable bottle, such as a Bobble, to filter your water when needed.

With the ever-increasing heat of the summer, our children reach for cold, sugary soda pop and ice cream in an attempt to beat the heat.

Here are some great (and fun!) ways to get your kids to trade in their sugary snacks for fresh fruit. Children are very visual, so the more fun it looks, the more likely they are to eat it.

Make a “Fruit-sicle”

Put toothpicks into grapes and freeze them for frozen “lolipops.” Or, put chopsticks into multiple grapes for a frozen fruit-kabob. Another idea–take sliced watermelon triangles and put them on popsicle sticks. It’s less messy and more fun than your average watermelon slice.

Frozen Oranges

Section an orange into slices and freeze. The frozen slices are easy to grab and snack on in the sweltering heat and are much lower in calories and sugar than an ice pop.

Cookie-Cutter Fruit Salad

Grab your child’s favorite cookie cutters and make a fruit salad. Heart-shaped watermelon, pineapple stars, and flower-shaped apple slices make fruit salad a bowl-of-fun!

Apple Slice Peanut Butter Sandwich

Slice apples and make mini peanut butter sandwiches for a fruity snack packed with protein. For a tasty addition, add some pepitas (pumpkin seeds) to the peanut butter.

Recipe and photos by Ilise “Baker Babe” Reilly, manager of Lucille Roberts Jamaica.

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Barbara says…

Friday night is pizza night for many people, but pizza is extremely fattening. If you’re planning to eat pizza this evening, do it the right way. Follow these tips:

1. Double up on salad before you eat any pizza.
2. You can have 1 slice of pizza–only 1. It has to be thin crust pizza, not Sicilian or deep dish.
3. Eat it very slowly. Chew a lot.
4. Get up when you’re done, and walk away from the table. Really, get away from the pizza. Go for a walk outside.
5. Have somebody else wrap up the extra pizza.

For a healthier pizza, check out these recipes on our blog:

• Low Carb Cauliflower Crust Pizza
• Sandra’s Healthy Pizza Recipe

Barbara Pallante is the Director of Operations at Lucille Roberts.

Sugar has become a diet staple, but high consumption is bad for your health. As you know, too much sugar intake can increase your risk of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. It also causes high levels of fat and cholesterol in your blood.

If you’re stuck in an endless cycle of crazy sweet cravings, you should satisfy them with natural sweetener alternatives. There are so many types of natural sweeteners to liven up your coffee, tea, or baked goods. Some of the most popular are stevia, maple syrup, raw honey, date sugar, and agave nectar. These sweet choices are healthier than processed sugar or Splenda.

My natural sweeteners of choice include stevia, pure honey, and maple syrup, which are easily found in any grocery store and are not contaminated with chemicals or added enzymes. These healthy alternatives to processed sugar should be consumed in moderation.

(Remember always to read the labels first. Food containing high fructose corn syrup triggers overeating and has lots of calories. Avoid all cereals, processed foods, and sweeteners with high fructose corn syrup!)

Stevia

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Looking for something sweet and healthy to stir into your drinks? Stevia is the healthiest choice, and amazingly it has 0 calories. The stevia plant is a naturally sweet herb. Stevia-based sweeteners are sold in granular or liquid form. It ranks zero on the glycemic index, so it won’t cause any fluctuations of your blood sugar. Because it’s much sweeter than sugar, you don’t need much for flavor. It’s especially delicious with fruit, dairy foods, and coffee. Stevia is one of the safest, most natural, calorie-free sweeteners on the market today (Dr. Oz recommends stevia in a segment called “Break Your Artificial Sweetener Addiction”.)

Salmon is an excellent source of omega-3 DHA.

There’s a trend of fortifying foods with the omega-3 DHA. One of the reasons nutrition experts recommend eating fish twice a week is that fish is a good source of docosahexaenoic acide (DHA), an omega-3 fat that has heart-healthy benefits. Preliminary studies suggest that DHA may help boost brain power, too.

It makes sense: DHA comprises much of the cell membranes in our brains. And food producers are taking the concept and running with it–they’re adding DHA to foods like yogurt, soy milk, and eggs, then marketing them with “smart” slogans. But do these products really maximize mental performance?

Some research links higher intakes of DHA with reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease and the congnitive decline that prcedes it. In a 2003 study in the Archives of Neurology, people age 65 and up who ate at least one DHA-rich fish meal per week had a 60% reduced risk of Alzehimer’s. And growing evidence suggests DHA supplementation during pregnancy and early infancy may result in superior congnitive performance of the child. In June 2007, a randomized clinical trial in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that 9-month-old babies of mothers who had eaten DHA-fortified cereal bars (about 200 mg of DHA per day) during the last trimester of their pregnancies demonstrated better problem-solving skills than did babies whose mothers had consumed placebo cereal bars.