Turkey Time Tools By Carina Sohaili

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Eat normally and don’t skip meals or eat less during the day in anticipation for a huge feast at night. If you do, it will be very hard to tell when you are actually full and you will end up overeating – more than you normally would. Don’t focus on the ‘feast’ focus on family, friends and why you are at your meal – to be around the people you love.

Eat your Turkey first. Turkey is a great protein source, and protein keeps you more satisfied and full for a longer amount of time. It also stabilizes your blood sugar levels which will reduce your desire for seconds and thirds of those sugary sweets. Go for the light meat instead of the dark meat; light meat has less saturated fat (the unhealthy fat) than the dark.

Be real; cook with real cranberries and real pumpkin, not the canned version. Canned cranberries are loaded with overly processed sugar, chemicals and other preservatives.

Most importantly, be grateful for everything in life your life and spread the holiday love. Happy Thanksgiving!

This Halloween Go Dark: Indulge in Dark Chocolate By Carina Sohaili

Halloween is a time for friends, family, costumes and candy. Yes, there are delicious healthy choices like apples and nuts but I am always about listening to your body, balance and never depriving yourself. Depriving your body does more damage than good and eventually leads you to overeating then continuing an unhealthy cycle. That being said, if you are going to indulge this holiday go for some dark chocolate! Here are some of the delicious, divine benefits of going dark:

  1. Dark Chocolate increases blood flow to the heart and the brain, improving cognitive function (thought processing).
  1. Candy is normally associated with cavities. Dark chocolate contains Theobromine which hardens your tooth enamel lowering the risk of cavities.
  1. Dark chocolate is high in potassium and copper. Copper and potassium are great for cardiovascular health.
  1. Dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants. Eating antioxidant rich foods help protect your body against certain types of cancer, infection as well as help slow down the signs of aging.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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Tips For A Healthy Relationship With Food By Carina Sohaili

I have clients who know how to eat right but find it very hard to learn balance. Here are some tips I give them to help them establish a healthy relationship with food.

Be in tune with your cravings. Indulge in a balanced way and never deprive yourself. Depriving your body will only lead to a damaging cycle of binging and then more deprivation. Your body craves certain foods for a reason. Be in tune with what your body wants and eat a moderate portion consistently so it is not considered a forbidden food.

Eat mindfully, slowly and enjoy the process. Everyone is always on the go and has a million things to do. Make an effort to take time and chew each bite of your meal consciously while enjoying the food you put into your body. Learn to savor the few minutes you have to nourish yourself while taking a break from your crazy day.

Don’t extreme diet. Live an overall healthy balanced lifestyle. Extreme dieting is a recipe for disaster. Not only does it harm your body physically but emotionally it will take a toll on your true hunger levels. Diets do more damage than good – make gradual changes over time.

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The Perfect Pumpkin Patch Munch: Pumpkin Seeds by Carina Sohaili

It’s Halloween time! While you are spending your day at the pumpkin patch munch on some pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds are a great healthy snack. ¼ of a cup (a good snack size) contains 7g of protein, 230mg of potassium and heart healthy monounsaturated fat. Not to mention a variety of other minerals such as calcium, zinc and magnesium. The combination of protein and healthy fat will give you energy until your next meal without spiking your blood sugar levels. Pumpkin seeds also are an energy powerhouse containing a variety of different B-vitamins such as B12 and B6. If you are carving pumpkin save the pumpkin seeds and roast them later for a healthy Halloween treat. Don’t be afraid to spice up your seeds with some delicious metabolism boosting spices like cinnamon, cayenne pepper or garlic.

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Ways to Fight The Flu Through Food By Carina Sohaili

Nobody likes being sick. Start building up your immune system by incorporating these foods into your diet so you can be strong and vibrant through the holidays.

Vitamin-C boosting foods: red bell peppers, sweet potatoes, citrus fruits, dark leafy greens and strawberries.

Get your minerals, especially zinc. Some foods high in Zinc are peanuts, pumpkin seeds, squash, garbanzo beans, sesame seeds, dark chocolate and garlic. Go for some dark chocolate on Halloween since it is right around the corner.

Carotene rich foods help support the thymus gland (which supports your immune system). Colored vegetables such as carrots and squash are great choices as well as dark leafy greens such as spinach and kale.

Clean out your digestive track with live cultures of bacteria found in yogurt or kefir. FAGE Greek yogurt is my personal favorite.

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The Truth About Carbs

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I always have clients tell me how they have failed yet another no or low carbohydrate diet. Then they stare at me like I am crazy when I explain to them how eating the proper carbohydrates at the right times will help them lose weight. Carbohydrates are a key macronutrient and essential for your body to function properly. Some healthy carbohydrates include whole grains, legumes (beans), fruits and vegetables. These carbohydrates contain fiber, which slows down the digestive process and keeps you fuller for longer amounts of time. If you are a huge pasta fan, do not deprive yourself of pasta, have healthy whole-wheat pasta instead of the refined and processed kind.

The reason why white breads and starchy processed carbohydrates are not good your body is because they are virtually stripped of all nutrients and packed with chemicals that interfere with hunger hormones. Refined and processed carbohydrates increase your levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates your appetite and makes you crave more fake, highly processed foods. When you eat white ‘restaurant bread’ on an empty stomach, it enters your blood stream and instantly spikes your blood sugar, making you crave more of the same empty foods. This tends to lead people to overeat and then feel hungrier with no energy an hour or so later. I help my clients learn to make the right choices in the real world so they feel fueled, satisfied and energized throughout the day. We need carbohydrates to be healthy and thrive…just the right ones!

More information about my Custom Programs can be found here

Need more health tools? Check out my Sweet and Simple Swaps 

For other easy recipes swing by my library of Eat Yourself Gorgeous Video Tutorials and connect with the online VHL community

Remember to focus on progress, not perfection and have compassion for yourself.

Love always,

Carina

Cocktail Party Tools

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Never go to a party starving. Always have a healthy snack before (almonds are a great choice). When munching on appetizers make choices that will fill you up. Focus on foods that will provide you with fuel. Protein rich foods are great choices, some examples are thinly sliced turkey, shrimp cocktail and other fish or poultry. If you just want to munch, go for some veggies. Cheese is another good protein source, just in moderation. It is all about balance: choose a couple of treats that look appealing but save room for dinner later on. Do not just fill up on appetizers and think you will not be hungry for a real meal in a couple of hours. Be aware of how hungry you really are and mindful of your choices. Have a plan, be social, have fun and enjoy yourself!

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