SUMMARY

Get the rundown on the Mediterranean diet, how it works, and learn a few simple recipes to get started.

There’s a lot of research out there that tells us a Mediterranean diet is a great way to stay healthy. If you’re interested in eating more heart-healthy food that can potentially help you live longer, we’ve created a Mediterranean diet food list for fast and tasty meal ideas to help you eat more Mediterranean-focused meals.  

Incorporating even a few meals into your diet can help you access the benefits of this amazing diet, so pick your favorites from this list and unlock the secret to a longer, healthier life. 

Table of Contents 

What is the Mediterranean Diet Good For? 
Who Should Follow the Mediterranean Diet? 
How Do You Follow a Mediterranean Diet? 
Mediterranean Diet Food List 
Recipes Using Your Mediterranean Diet Food List 
– 15 Minute Spicy Shrimp and Quinoa 
– Sautéed Yellow Squash Skillet
– Baked Tilapia with Lemon
– Grain Bowl with Sautéed Spinach
– Salmon Pita Sandwich

What is the Mediterranean Diet Good For? 

Besides being full of delicious food options, the Mediterranean Diet is a style of eating adapted from the diets of people living by the Mediterranean Sea. Researchers found that eating a diet filled with healthy, lean fats like those found in fish and olive oil, as well as whole grains, fresh produce, and limited dairy can lead to many health benefits like 

• Decreased risk of heart disease  
• Lower cholesterol and blood pressure 
• Prevents and treats Type II Diabetes  
• Reduced possibility of developing Alzheimer’s  
• Increased brain function and better memory  
• Lessened symptoms of depression 
• Decreased chance of developing certain eye diseases  
• Better weight loss 
• Reducing effects of aging 
• Reduces inflammation leading to the above 
  
  

How Does the Mediterranean Diet Help with Inflammation and Why is that Important? 

Chronic inflammation is harmful to the body! It is a destructive cellular process that can cause heart disease, diabetes, dementia, premature aging, obesity, cancer, and other health issues in the long run.  

Foods promoted by the Mediterranean diet are rich in antioxidants and nutrients like polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, and Omega-3’s which all fight against inflammation in the body. In fact, it’s believed to be one of the main reasons this diet is so good for you. 

Who Should Follow the Mediterranean Diet? 

We know it’s cliché to say everyone, but…. everyone! Seriously, the benefits of the Mediterranean diet are plentiful, which should give any person reason enough to try it. Not to mention, it’s been ranked the #1 best overall diet in the world according to US News Today.  

Anyone looking to be more conscious of their cardiovascular health, managing their weight or blood sugar, or someone living with a chronic health condition will benefit the most from the Mediterranean diet.  

Though There Are Many Benefits, You Should Keep These Factors in Mind 

It is easy to overdo your fat content while on the Mediterranean diet, even if the fat is the healthy kind. Overeating things like nuts and avocado oil will increase your calories fast and overdoing even healthy fats can work against you.  

It’s also easy to miss essential nutrients and foods when you’re focusing on the healthy fat content in your meals. While you’re eating more fruits and vegetables, it’s important to remember to get enough complex carbs, iron, and protein as well.  

Keeping a balance while on the Mediterranean diet with a variety of foods is the key to getting the most out of your diet.  

How Do You Follow a Mediterranean Diet? 

Healthy fats are the key to the Mediterranean diet, as is reducing processed and refined foods. You should aim to eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes as your main meal ingredients. 

Olive oil is recommended in place of things like butter or margarine and focus on natural sources of healthy fats are emphasized: avocados, nuts, and oily fatty fish (like salmon and sardines). 

Fish and other kinds of seafood (like oysters, crab, and shrimp) should be your main animal protein source in place of red meat and chicken, excluding some dairy products like whole fat cheeses, flavored yogurt, and eggs. Some dairy products like Greek yogurt and low-fat cheeses are permitted.  

Overall, you should focus on whole foods: fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish. Avoid red meat and processed foods as much as possible.  

Here’s what your overall plan should look like: 
 

• Vegetables – 3 servings a day or more  
• Fruits – 2 servings a day or more 
• Whole Grains – the more the better! Use them whenever a recipe calls for rice, bread, or pasta. 
• Legumes – 3 servings a week or more 
• Nuts & Seeds – 3 servings a week or more 
• Fish & Seafood – 3 servings a week or more 
• Poultry – As needed if you love chicken or turkey but leave room for the more important foods listed above. 
• Red Meats – Less than 3 servings per month 
• Sweets & Baked Goods – Never is best, but it’s okay to treat yourself every now and then. 
  
  

Mediterranean Diet Food List 

If you’re out shopping, here’s a list of all the foods you should be on the lookout for. Many of these foods fall into multiple categories, making them super beneficial and healthy!  
 

Protein 

• Beans 
• Lentils 
• Tofu 
• Legumes 
• Quinoa 
• Crab 
• Clams and Oysters 
• Shrimp 
• Mussels 

Fats 

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
• Avocados 
• Salmon 
• Mackerel 
• Tuna 
• Sardines 
• Olives 

Produce 

• All Fruits 
• All Berries 
• All Non-Starchy Vegetables (broccoli, lettuce, brussels sprouts, etc.) 
• All Starchy Vegetables (sweet potatoes, parsnips, beets, etc.) 
• Root Vegetables (radishes, onion, carrots, etc.) 
• Tubers (potato, yams, turnips, etc.) 

Grains 

• Whole Grain Crackers 
• Whole Grain Pastas 
• Brown or Wild Rice 
• Farro 
• Steel-Cut Oatmeal 
• Bulgur Wheat  
• Barley 
• Couscous 
• Spelt 
• Buckwheat 

Dairy 

• Plain Greek Yogurt (unflavored) 
• Low-Fat Ricotta 
• Low-Fat Cottage Cheese 
• Feta 
• Goat Cheese 

Nuts & Seeds 

• Almonds 
• Walnuts 
• Chickpeas 
• Pistachios 
• Hazelnuts 
• Cashews 
• Pumpkin Seeds 
• Hempseeds 
• Sunflower Seeds 

For sweeteners, use honey or monk fruit sugar as these are preferred over white, processed sugars or sugar alternatives like Stevia or agave. Same for sauces, added sugar should be avoided when possible, so look for pesto, no sugar added tomato sauce, tzatziki, aioli, or vinegars. 

Red wine is occasionally okay, but you should aim for less alcohol and sweetened beverages and more water, black coffees, and herbal or unsweetened teas! 

Recipes Using Your Mediterranean Diet Food List 

Ready to get started on your new, healthy mean plan? Here are a few easy Mediterranean diet recipes using the Mediterranean diet food list from above and more. Remember: you don’t need to switch completely for this diet to work. Even eating a few meals following this way of eating will make a big difference. 

And if you’re shaky in the kitchen, no need to fear! We’ve got you covered for ready to eat Mediterranean meals every week. No cooking required. 

15 Minute Spicy Shrimp and Quinoa 

Calories: 468  Fat: 16g  Total Carbs: 42g   
Net Carbs: 34g  Fiber: 8g  Protein: 40g 

Sautéed Yellow Squash Skillet 

Calories: 98 Fat: 8.3g  Total Carbs: 5.5g   
Net Carbs: 5.5g  Fiber: 0g  Protein:  2g 

Baked Tilapia with Lemon 

Calories: 320 Fat: 6.3g  Total Carbs: 6.3g   
Net Carbs: 5.1g  Fiber: 1.2g  Protein: 39.2g 

Grain Bowl with Sautéed Spinach 

Calories: 458 Fat: 21g  Total Carbs: 56g   
Net Carbs: 47g  Fiber: 9g  Protein: 14g 

Salmon Pita Sandwich 

Calories: 239 Fat: 7.1g  Total Carbs: 19g   
Net Carbs: 16.7g  Fiber: 2.3g  Protein: 24.8g 

The post Full Mediterranean Diet Food List & Easy Recipes Ideas appeared first on Fresh n' Lean.

If you’ve started looking into eating better, or perhaps adopting a more rigorous gym routine, you’ve no doubt also seen a guide to a high-protein diet. Find out if a high protein diet is right for you, and how you can use it to meet your health goals. 

For extra help on getting started with your high protein diet, try our Protein+ plan. We craft high protein meals for you, making your meal planning weeks a little easier! 

Table of Contents 
What is Protein? 
Benefits of a High Protein Diet 
Risks of a High Protein Diet 
High (Healthy) Protein Food List 
How Much Protein Should You Eat? 
FAQs

What is Protein? 

Proteins are a type of amino acid that our body uses to do all sorts of amazing things. Amino acids are long chains of molecules that twist and fold into different shapes that allow them to perform those amazing things.  

Despite popular belief, protein is much more than the “building block” for muscles. Protein is involved in many biological functions including basic cell activity. This can mean acting as enzymes, signaling molecules, or even acting as antibodies that fight infection.  

One example of proteins being more than muscle is tryptophan, which is actually a protein molecule that famously leads to sleepiness when consumed (like when you eat turkey at Thanksgiving). That’s quite the opposite effect you’d expect from a molecule that is just supposed to help you get big and strong! 

Benefits of a High Protein Diet 

Eating more protein (in regulated amounts) can offer all kinds of health benefits. Protein plays a role in repairing and maintaining tissues in muscle, skin, bone, and hair. It also aids in oxygenation of the body. These alone are starring benefits that do wonders for your health, but protein does so much more. 

Protein’s Starring Role in Fitness 

It is true that proteins are critical components for muscles, and that in order to build muscle you need to up your protein intake, which is what makes proteins appear to be a potent exercise and fitness tool. Higher protein intake is associated with larger muscle mass and strength when combined with the right exercises. 

High protein diets can also boost your ability to heal and reduce the amount of muscle strength and bone mass you lose as you age. All around, high protein diets can make you a healthier person, especially if you’re very active.  

High Protein Diets Help with Weight Loss 

High protein weight loss strategies can be found everywhere since the launch of the Atkin’s diet. Nearly all of these are low carb – high protein diets can cloud the issue of whether high protein content matters for weight loss. In fact, carbohydrates tend to get most of the “credit” (check out our keto diet discussion for more info). The truth may be that it’s the high protein content in these diets that promotes weight loss, and that the carbohydrate content is irrelevant!  

As always with studies on weight loss, research varies on the effectiveness of how effective high protein diets are with weight loss. However, there is a general agreement that it is a candidate to be an effective option. 

High protein intake is effective even when carbohydrate content is ignored 

One simple fact underlies all weight loss strategies: You must consume fewer calories than you burn in order to lose weight.  All strategies attempt to address one side or the other of that equation. 

Strategies that help us to feel fuller after eating are critical to reducing calorie intake – trying to not eat when you feel hungry is not sustainable for most people. High protein meals are the most filling, with protein being the most satiating, carbohydrates are second, and fat last. 

So, if your meals have high protein content, you can eat fewer calories and still feel full.  At the end of the day this leads to decreased total calorie intake and weight loss. 

Protein Helps Burn Calories 

Referencing the critical “consume fewer calories than you burn,” the “burn” side is important too – you must consider something known as “Dietary Induced Thermogenesis.” This term basically refers to the calories your body burns in order to process what you eat: every process in your body burns calories, even eating! Digestion, absorption, transport, and storage all require energy. 

Increasing Metabolic Rate to Burn More Calories 

Proteins have by far the highest Dietary Induced Thermogenesis effect because your body burns far more calories to process proteins than carbohydrates or fat. 

One study compared the metabolic rate of subjects eating a high protein (29%) diet vs. not (11%) and found that the high protein subjects burned an additional 891 calories per day! 

This is particularly critical in dieting, because when we eat less our body responds by decreasing our metabolic rate, aka the rate at which we burn calories when we are just sitting still, the calories burned by our normal cellular processes 

This can adversely affect the balance between calories consumed and calories burned (if you consume less AND burn less, then you won’t lose weight).  By selectively consuming protein we can maintain a high metabolic rate despite dieting. 

Boosts Physical Ability and Stamina 

Exercise is the best way to burn a lot of calories – you burn a lot while in the gym, and you also dramatically raise your metabolic rate by increasing the amount of muscle mass in your body. And, of course, consuming protein is critical to aiding muscle growth when you exercise 

High protein diets also can help you maintain your muscles as you lose weight. Normally with a calorie deficit your body would shed pounds in the form of muscles as well as fat. High protein diets can limit this. 

Risks of a High Protein Diet 

In combination with bad press that carbohydrates and fat are the enemy, this has led to an appreciation that high protein foods are more health-forward than other options. While it is true that high protein foods can be more health-forward, it is not quite that straightforward.  

It is important to note that (as with anything) too much protein can be harmful for your body. High protein foods are often loaded with unhealthy components that more than offset any benefits they may have had. In general, high protein diets are quite safe, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind. 

Puts a Strain on Your Kidneys 

Your kidneys are responsible for detoxifying your blood stream. When you consume excess amino acids, your body can only utilize or store a certain amount. The rest is excess and needs to be dealt with. This job falls partially to your kidneys, which must work overtime in order to handle it when your protein consumption gets extreme. 

Studies on this subject have been mixed, with some suggesting a direct relationship between protein consumption going up and long-term kidney function going down, while others showing either no relationship or there only being risk for people whose kidneys are already damaged and therefore unable to handle the extra work. 

Suffice it to say, your kidneys are important, and this is not a risk to be taken lightly. If you plan on following a high protein diet, be sure to involve your doctor in the decision so they can monitor your kidney function. Losing weight is critical to your health and, if a high protein diet will help you lose weight, it is well worth the risk if you are carefully monitoring along with your doctor! 

It’s also worth mentioning that chronic kidney disease is very common, and many people looking to lose weight are already at high risk for kidney problems (diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and obesity all put major strain on the kidney). It is very important to work closely alongside your primary care doctor to watch out for these issues. 

Where You Get Your Protein 

When pursuing a high protein diet, it is important to consider your protein source in order to protect your health. Many foods that are high in proteins are also high in saturated fats and cholesterol which are concerning. This is a common criticism of the keto diet (and Atkins once upon a time before it) that people lose weight but eat a huge amount of red meat and dairy products making the diet dangerous long term. 

High levels of these ingredients put dieters at risk of heart disease and high cholesterol. It is possible to maintain a high protein diet without compromising your diet in other ways, but it requires carefully selecting your protein sources.  

So where should you get your protein from? 

High (Healthy) Protein Food List 

When thinking of high protein diets, many might think of a meat-heavy diet. Fatty red meat and high-fat dairy are not great to eat on a regular basis, however. Both have high saturated fat and, though high in protein, will likely lead to health problems if consumed too often.   

Lean red meat is occasionally okay, as the overall content of fat is low even if much of that fat is saturated, though one should still limit consumption of this if possible. Low fat dairy is a good, healthy option.  Dairy has many health benefits and, without the saturated fat, can be perfectly healthy. 

Here’s a brief list of high protein foods perfect for a healthy diet. For a more extensive list, check out our 10 Healthiest High Protein Foods blog. 

Vegetarian & Vegan Protein Options 

There is an association between high protein diets and eating lots of land-animal meat.  While true that meat is high in protein, it is entirely possible to eat a high protein diet that’s vegetarian!

Not only that, but vegetarian diets are extremely healthy. They are low in saturated fat, low in cholesterol, high in fiber, and highly nutritious. Vegetarians tend to be thinner, have lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and less heart disease. 

Soy (Tofu and Edamame) 

1 cup of tofu contains 20g of protein, vs. 35g for chicken 
1 cup of edamame contains 18g of protein 
Both are low calorie but extremely filling due to the combination of high fiber / high protein and have many other health benefits, too 

Lentils

18g protein per cooked cup 
Also high in fiber 

Beans
15g protein per cooked cup 
Very high in fiber 
Unlike red meat which leads to high cholesterol and heart disease, beans have been shown to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease 

Quinoa & Other Ancient Grains
Quinoa has 8g of protein in a cooked cup 
Many of these “carb” choices are high in protein 
You could eat a serving of quinoa with tofu and nearly match the protein found in a chicken breast 

Nuts & Seeds
Most nuts and seeds have at least a moderate amount of protein 
Almonds have 7g protein per ¼ cup, which is about a handful 
Flax seeds have 3.5g of protein in just one tablespoon. (They also contain omega-3 fatty acids which are critical nutrients that you may be missing if you don’t eat fish twice per week) 
Nuts and seeds are also highly nutritious and packed with antioxidants 

Dairy Protein Products 

Eggs 
One egg has 7g of protein and only 50-75 calories!  
Eggs do have high fat content, including a lot of cholesterol, but many studies suggest they are healthy nonetheless 
Studies suggest that eating an egg every day does not cause heart disease, and may in fact lower your risk of cardiovascular disease 

Low/No Fat Dairy
One 6oz container of non-fat plain yogurt has 10g of protein 
Nonfat cottage cheese has 13g protein/serving 
One slice of low-fat Swiss cheese has 8g of protein
The fat in dairy is primarily the “bad” kind (saturated fat), so consuming fatty dairy like whole milk or regular cheese is detrimental to your health
With the saturated fat removed, dairy becomes a recommended part of any healthy diet and an excellent source of protein 

Animal/Meat Protein Products

Fish 
Fish provides many important nutrients and is a critical source of omega-3 fatty acids 
Salmon contains 37g of protein in one 6oz serving 
Tuna, meanwhile, has even more protein with 48g in a 6oz filet! Even a can of tuna (5oz) contains 20g of protein  
Eating fish at least twice per week is considered integral to a healthy diet, and should certainly be part of any high-protein meal plan 

Chicken 
Chicken breast has 31g protein in a 165-calorie serving (about the size of one breast) 
One skinless thigh (about 200 calories) has 28g of protein 
Chicken breasts are healthier than chicken thighs due to the lower fat content 

Red Meat 
Red meat is best limited or avoided due to major health concerns associated with it 
However, it is possible to offset this by eating only lean red meat (eye of round or flank steak from beef, or pork tenderloin) 

How Much Protein Should You Eat? 

Normal recommended dietary allowances of protein are around 0.8g/kg of body weight. Anything higher than that is considered high protein, and you may want to ease into higher protein content in your diet.  

Studies on high protein diets for weight loss are generally utilizing between 1-1.6g protein/kg of bodyweight, or around 30-35% of your total daily calories from protein. 

Calculating your macro percentages is probably the best way to create a high protein diet that helps you lose weight, and there are resources on the internet to help with this. But to start more simply, just aim for around 1g/kg and move up as needed to match your weight loss goals. 

Whether your goal is to lose weight, get big and strong, or both, consuming a high protein diet is key. Remember, dietary changes are supposed to last a lifetime! So, you do not have to do it all at once. 

FAQs 

What is a High Protein Diet?  

A high protein diet is full of healthy foods that exceed the basic daily allowance for protein intake as outlined by the FDA. (About 0.36 grams per pound of your body weight) 

Benefits of a High Protein Diet  

Eating a high protein diet can lead to increased muscle mass, controlled appetite, an increase in metabolic rate, weight loss, and general positive effects for body composition, aging, and healing.  

How Much Protein Do You Need?  

The amount may vary, but usually you would calculate your daily recommended protein intake by eating more than your daily recommended intake (DRI): 0.8g / kg of body weight. Or, if you track your “macros”, that would be 10-35% of your daily calorie intake coming from protein. 

For example, a 150lb person would eat about 82-110g of protein daily to achieve a high protein diet. 

Is a High Protein Diet for Me?  

If you’re thinking about starting a new diet, it’s always a good idea to talk it over with your doctor. 

In general, a high protein diet is beneficial for most, unless you have serious kidney issues. 

What Are the Pros and Cons of a High Protein Diet?  

High protein foods are associated with weight loss and higher physical performance, but too much protein can lead to kidney disease, cholesterol problems, heart disease, and nutrition deficiencies in other areas. 

Animal Protein vs Plant Protein  

Although lean meats, eggs, and chicken are high in protein, they aren’t the only way to load up on a high protein diet. Many vegetarian and vegan options like soy products, lentils, beans, quinoa, nuts, and seeds are essential and healthy sources for protein. 

Can You Lose Weight Eating High Protein?  

Absolutely! However, this is usually achievable with proper balance between the rest of your diet, and exercise.  

Is a High Protein, Low Fat Diet Effective for Weight Loss?  

​Yes, especially because many high protein foods like red meats can be high in “bad” fats, which is not ideal (or good) for healthy weight loss.

What Foods Are the Highest in Protein?  

Vegetables: Edamame, lentils

Grains: Quinoa, ancient grains  

Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, flaxseed 

Dairy: Eggs, plain yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, low-fat Swiss cheese 

Meat: Salmon, white meat chicken, skinless chicken thigh, tuna, round or flank beef steak, pork tenderloin 

Other: Tofu and other soybean products 

Can You Eat Too Much Protein?  

You can eat too much of a good thing. Too much protein can flood your kidneys with excess amino acids it needs to filter out. This can put a strain on your system and cause long-term kidney function issues.  

What Does a High Protein Diet Do to Your Body?  

Eating a high protein diet can boost your body’s ability to build and repair muscle, organ, and bone tissues, lower body fat, help you feel fuller/more satiated, and reduce muscle loss as you age. 

The post High Protein Diet Guide (Science-Backed) appeared first on Fresh n' Lean.

Losing belly fat can prevent developing metabolic and heart disease, as well as diabetes, and more. For whatever reason you’re looking to eliminate some inches, we have some tips for you to help achieve that goal. 

Table of Contents 
1. Avoid Trans Fats 
2. Cut the Refined Carbs 
3. Do More Weightlifting Exercises 
4. Eat More Soluble Fiber 
5. Fix Your Sleep Schedule 
6. Cut Back on Soda, Alcohol, & Sugary Drinks  
7. Add Probiotics to Your Diet 
In General, To Lose Belly Fat Fast…

1. Avoid Trans Fats 

Trans fats are found naturally in some foods but can also be artificially made. Trans fats are a health risk because they raise your bad cholesterol (LDL) and lower good cholesterol (HDL) which not only increases belly fat, but also raises your risk for stroke, heart disease, heart attack, and type 2 diabetes.  

Naturally occurring trans fats can be found in butterfat and the stomachs and digestive tracts of cows, sheep, and goats. Artificial trans fats are primarily found in processed foods including fried food, baked goods, shortenings, and spreads like margarine and peanut butter. Sometimes they are referred to as “partially hydrogenated oils” on nutrition labels – be sure to look for that red flag! 

Though the debate continues whether naturally occurring trans fats have the same negative health effects as artificial ones, trans fats are a big culprit in abdominal weight gain, even when calories are carefully controlled. Trans fats also increase your body’s resistance to insulin which causes high blood sugar levels and increases inflammation, which also contributes to weight gain. 

To cut back, avoid processed foods and replace trans fats with mono and polysaturated fats. Better foods to look for are: 

• Low-fat dairy  
• Unhydrogenated vegetable oils, nut butters, and seed butters 
• Soft margarines 
• Foods explicitly labeled “unhydrogenated” or “0 trans fat” 
• Fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, etc.) 
• Whole grains (not multigrain or 7-grain bread) 
• Naturally sweetened products (with raw honey, monk fruit, coconut sugar, etc.) 
  
  

2. Cut the Refined Carbs 

Carbohydrates are necessary for our body to thrive and give us the energy to function. But excess carbs – more specifically refined carbs – are more closely associated with metabolic issues and increased belly fat. You don’t need to drastically cut all carbs to have an effect either – replacing refined carbohydrates with unprocessed, starchy carb sources can be enough to help you lose belly fat fast. Focus on carbs low in sugar that are as unprocessed as possible. Examples of that would be: 

• Legumes 
• Nuts 
• Oats  
• Bananas 
• Blueberries 
• Low-fat dairy 
• Chia seeds 
• Sweet potatoes 
• Leafy vegetables (spinach, cabbage, lettuce, etc.) 
• Beans 

Whole grains, though rich in carbs, take longer to digest which does not spike your blood sugar and can aid in burning body fat or reducing the amount your body stores! All in all, avoiding products made with bleached flour, white rice, ice cream, sugary drinks, and store-bought pastries will do your body good.  

Using the Keto Diet to Cut Out Carbs 

The keto diet can be used to reduce belly fat fast by forcing your body to rely on burning stored body fat for energy instead of the carbs you eat. Using a keto meal plan is an easy way to make sure you follow the diet without having to calculate the macros yourself.  

Eating less than 50g of carbs per day puts your body in a state of ketosis which leads to weight loss, reduced appetite, and stable blood sugar levels. While it’s not ideal for long-term use, it’s a great way to lose belly fat in a short amount of time if you follow the diet closely. 

3. Do More Weightlifting Exercises 

Many people believe that doing lots of cardio is the key to weight loss, but that couldn’t be further from the truth! Strength-building exercises, particularly compound weightlifting, build body mass and burn more calories than cardio alone, even after you have finished your workout. This is because muscle tissue has a higher metabolic rate than fat, so it burns more calories overall.  

A calorie deficit is indeed important for weight loss (aka burning more calories than you consume). And while cardio can help you burn more calories per session, if your goal is to target belly fat, doing consistent daily weight training can result in greater weight loss than aerobic exercises alone.   

Some great examples of weightlifting and resistance training are: 

• Deadlifts 
• Squats 
• Bench Presses 
• Pushups 
• Lunges 
  

Doing a lot of abdominal exercises will also not have much of an effect on belly fat. Sit-ups and crunches are great for building muscle tone and tightening your core muscles but don’t do much to help you lose belly fat fast. 

HIIT (high interval intensity training) is a great combination of resistance exercises, body-weight exercises, and cardio and has an equal or greater effect on calorie burning than cardio does. HIIT emphasizes short intervals of intense exercises alternated with low-intensity exercises and it only takes about 30 minutes to be an effective workout.

If you’re short on time and want a solid calorie-burning workout, HIIT is perfect. Overall, you should aim for about 150 minutes of exercise a week to see weight loss results. 

4. Eat More Soluble Fiber 

Fiber slows down the digestion process so that you feel fuller longer, and decreases the number of calories your body absorbs, much like complex carbohydrates. Eating more soluble fiber (meaning it absorbs water and forms a gel during digestion) can lead to weight loss.

Excellent places to get fiber are flax seeds, Brussels sprouts, avocados, black beans, and pears. Including these foods and other high soluble fiber foods in your diet will increase your chances of losing belly fat fast.  

5. Fix Your Sleep Schedule 

You’ve heard it before: sleep is the key to good health. That’s because it’s true! When it comes to losing belly fat, sleep can make or break your goals. Not getting enough quality sleep is a primary factor in weight gain, with research showing that people that get less sleep tend to gain more belly fat.  

An easy way to reduce the amount of belly fat you gain and speed up belly fat loss is to get at least 7 hours of quality sleep per night.  

Getting enough sleep will also ensure that you avoid craving carbs throughout the day to make up for the sleep you didn’t get. Fatigue and lack of sleep can intensify those processed food cravings which lead to overdoing carbs and calories. For belly fat loss, that’s no bueno! 

6. Cut Back on Soda, Alcohol, & Sugary Drinks 

Sodas and other sweetened beverages are easily the fastest way to consume more sugar than you mean. People who drink unsweetened beverages consume fewer calories on average than those that drink artificially sweetened drinks.  

To avoid added sneaky sugar try drinking flavored herbal teas (unsweetened, of course), black teas and coffees, or infused waters. Green tea is a great alternative because it has the added benefit of helping improve your metabolism.

Kombucha is another great option if you want something carbonated, though the jury is still out on what kinds of health benefits it exactly has. There’s also nothing wrong with just plain old water! Drinking more water, especially before a meal, can make you feel fuller and more hydrated.  

Be wary of “0 sugar” or “diet” sodas! They often replace cane sugar with artificial sweeteners like saccharin or aspartame, which is associated with all kinds of health problems, as well as leading to more calorie consumption than regular, old sugar.  

7. Add Probiotics to Your Diet 

Probiotics are found naturally in foods and aid in gut health and healthy digestive processes. The natural bacterium in your gut plays a role in managing weight. Probiotics in the Lactobacillus family such as Lactobacillus gasseri have been found to help with belly fat and abdominal fat loss specifically.  

You can find Lactobacillus bacteria in fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir, sourdough, kimchi, and kombucha, as well as in yogurt, miso, tempeh, and cottage cheese. You can also take supplements to get more from this helpful bacteria family. 

In General, To Lose Belly Fat Fast…

Losing weight requires lifestyle changes and there’s no single way to drop inches from your waist. A combination of the above will work best, but what works for you will be unique. Some people find that intermittent fasting works for them, and for others, cutting out certain snacks or upping their exercise routine is enough.  

Talking to a doctor about your health issues and what might work for you is a surefire way to develop a solid plan to lose belly fat fast, and losing weight in general. They might recommend specific changes to your diet or exercise routine or prescribe medication in extreme cases.  

In any case, be patient. The above can be used to facilitate and encourage belly fat loss, but it will always take time to make positive health changes that will last a lifetime.  

The post 7 Healthy Ways to Lose Belly Fat Fast appeared first on Fresh n' Lean.

By eating well-rounded Mediterranean meals chock full of foods for healthy skin, you can see a healthier glow in your skin and reduce the effects of aging over time.   

Table of Contents 
Why Does Your Skin “Age” Over Time? 
Different Kinds of Skin Aging Are Brought on By Environment and Natural Processes
Other Ways Our Skin is Damaged Over Time 
How Do These Changes Affect Skin’s Appearance? 
How the Mediterranean Diet Fights Against Inflammation and Free Radicals 
Preventing Skin Aging Through Anti-Aging Foods on the Mediterranean Diet 
The Bottom Line 

Why Does Your Skin “Age” Over Time? 

Skin is an organ, just like your heart or brain.  Like every organ, skin is a complex matrix of living cells and structural components.  Unfortunately, none of these pieces are designed to last forever. 

Your skin cells are continuously working – they are trying to protect against damage from things like UV damage and pollution, prevent water loss, and repairing and producing new structural components like collagen.  They do a great job!  But over many years, issues and slowdown are inevitable. Eventually, like all things, skin degenerates and starts to show signs of aging including wrinkling, discoloration, thinning, and general weakening. 

Different Kinds of Skin Aging Are Brought on By Environment and Natural Processes    

There are two main sources for your skin’s degenerative changes – normal chronological aging and photoaging, or exposure to UV light from the sun. 

Chronological Aging 

Normal chronological aging includes the natural lifecycle of cells (or cell “turnover”), byproduct buildup, and just general lack-of-immortality of any living tissue.  Over time, the ability of the stem cells in your skin to produce replacement cells declines.  Also, the cells which produce collagen (called fibroblasts) become less effective as we age. Collagen is the framework our skin is built on, and problems with maintaining it are what cause skin to lose elasticity and sag. This is what causes wrinkles and generally “looser” looking skin.  

Photoaging 

Photoaging is a special case for skin and makes it a unique case for aging skin: Chronic sun exposure is a difficult problem for your living tissues to deal with.  The UV rays from the sun can damage cells and structural components directly, leading to similar issues as above but often in a more extreme way.  Reports have found that 80-90% of age-related changes are actually due to external factors like UV rays, and not age itself.  

Protecting yourself from UV rays is, of course, an important component of skin health.  So using things like protective layers and sunscreen on a regular basis will make a huge difference as you age. 

However, it is difficult to be 100% effective at UV protection. Also, as mentioned, chronological aging exerts its will upon your tissues regardless of UV exposure.  Therefore, diet is such an important opportunity to protect how your skin looks and functions 

Other Ways Our Skin is Damaged Over Time 

There is a daily battle going on in your skin between Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), AKA oxidants or “free radicals,” and antioxidants.  It is normal for your cells to produce free radicals.  They are important for normal day to day cellular function.  However, these molecules are destructive if not carefully controlled, so our cells produce antioxidants to combat them.   

Smoking is a huge risk factor for skin aging because it breaks down the collagen in your skin and causes slow blood circulation, both which damage your skin’s elasticity. Stop smoking! 

The balance between production of ROS and antioxidants is key for the health of our tissues.  Excess free radicals can damage DNA, cell walls, structural components (like collagen), and even directly shorten our molecular “biological clocks” known as telomeres. These types of cellular mechanisms are generally known as inflammation, which free radicals are a major (but not the only) cause of. 

Unfortunately, UV rays (among other things) cause a huge uptick in production of free radicals in skin.  Additionally, as we age, our ability to produce our own antioxidants decreases.  This combination leads to an imbalance and skin damage. In order to restore this balance and protect your skin it is critical to eat foods that are high in antioxidants. 

Inflammation is Another Suspect in Skin Aging 

The ways in which both chronological aging and UV rays damage skin tissues is very complex, but it is important to note that skin damage is likely complicated by inflammation.  Inflammation is a complicated topic too!  A simple way to describe it a combination of harmful products released from damaged or dying cells, as well as byproducts of cells “breathing” (or using oxygen in their daily functions). 

Inflammation occurs due to immune system responses, allergic reactions, and infections. While this can be caused by disorders and other illnesses, sometimes it happens on a molecular level due to diet. Pollution, exposure to chemicals, and eating foods like red meat, lard, soda, fried foods, and refined carbohydrates are all environmental factors that cause or worsen inflammation.

How Do These Changes Affect Skin’s Appearance? 

All the above results in changes to the way our skin looks and functions. Our skin gets thinner as do the underlying layers of subcutaneous fat, leading skin to appear less full and vibrant.  

Your skin also loses its elasticity and structural integrity as collagen weakens.  This causes skin to sag and droop. This is responsible for some of the most noticeable changes like wrinkles and bags under our eyes.  Your skin becomes less effective at retaining moisture leading to dry skin.   

The pigment producing cells (melanocytes) decrease in number, but increase in size, leading to spotty pigmentation.  This is because some areas lose their pigmentation, while others develop large, hyperactive melanocytes causing dark pigmentation known as lentigos (AKA “age spots” or “liver spots”). Your skin also becomes a less effective barrier.  Cuts occur more readily and then heal slower, and bruises form more easily 

In general, degeneration of the skin results in undesirable changes to both the appearance and function of skin.  Therefore, it becomes critical that we find ways to slow down this degeneration.  This is where diet can play a major role. 

How the Mediterranean Diet Fights Against Inflammation and Free Radicals 

Luckily, to fight against inflammation and other natural aging processes is the Mediterranean Diet, which is extremely high in antioxidants.  It is packed with things like polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (like Omega 3s), and many more.  These types of antioxidant molecules can soak up free radicals like a sponge and protect your skin from harmful effects. The high levels of antioxidants are a core feature of the foods in the Mediterranean Diet, and is believed to be a central reason behind the diet’s many health benefits.  This means this diet doesn’t just help your skin. Reducing free radicals has been shown to prevent things like heart disease, diabetes, and dementia too. 

As mentioned, inflammation’s destructive cellular processes can come from other sources than just reactive oxygen species.  Your immune system, which is generally responsible for the cells which provide inflammation, can be activated in others (including functional ones like when you have an illness).  And diet can either be a cause of — or a solution to — inflammation generally.  

Preventing Skin Aging Through Anti-Aging Foods on the Mediterranean Diet 

What you eat can affect your skin health in two main ways: By providing important nutrients and reducing inflammation or oxidation (damage to cells over time due to the byproducts of natural bodily processes like metabolization and immune function). The Mediterranean diet fills your plate with foods for healthy skin that are also highly nutritious like fish, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. By following a Mediterranean diet meal plan, you will ensure that your body receives adequate levels of the essential nutrients you need to maintain your skin health, and more.  

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes a lot of whole foods (aka minimally processed foods that are unaltered with other ingredients), whole grains, and healthy fats which do wonders for the health of your skin. 

Eat lots of: Vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, legumes, lentils, whole grains, fish, and extra virgin olive oil. 

Eat in moderation: Poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt. 

Avoid eating: Red meats, added sugars, processed foods, refined grains and oils.  

Nutrition is Key to Slowing Down the Aging Process of Your Skin 

Skin relies on a broad array of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in order to function optimally.  When deprived of these nutrients, degenerative changes happen even faster.  It makes sense, then, that if your diet is not highly nutritious, then your skin will age faster over time.  A few examples of nutrients that are essential for skin health (and what anti-aging foods have them!) are 

• Vitamin A: Promotes health function of keratinocytes (basic skin cells) and fibroblasts (the cells which produce collagen. Also helps protect the skin against harmful UV rays. 

Foods high in Vitamin A: Leafy greens, tomatoes, bell peppers, fish oils, eggs, mangoes 

• Vitamin C: An important antioxidant in your body that helps strengthen skin. It is particularly important in the synthesis and maintenance of collagen. Vitamin C deficiency leads to a condition called scurvy, where the loss of collagen leads to fragile and irregular skin, bleeding gums, and hair loss among many other issues.

Foods high in Vitamin C: Citrus, bell peppers, tomatoes, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower), potatoes, strawberries 

• Vitamin E: Another powerful antioxidant. Studies suggest it is apart of your skin’s natural structure to protect against damage. Thought to provide benefits like photoprotection (sun damage), firming, hydrating, as well as improving the elasticity, structure and softness of your skin. 

Foods high in Vitamin E: Sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts, collard greens, spinach, pumpkin, red bell peppers
 

• Selenium: A mineral element that, though only needed in small amounts, is critical for many different functions.  It is used by enzymes in your skin which work to protect against UVB damage. 

Foods high in Selenium: Seafood, bread, poultry, Brazil nuts, white grapefruit 

• Zinc: Another mineral element. It plays a role in regulating many cellular processes including metabolizing fats and proteins as well as DNA synthesis.  It is essential for the production of new cells and maintaining the stability of all layers of the skin. 

Foods high in Zinc: Legumes, lentils, rock oysters, beans, Greek yogurt, cashews, almonds, rolled oats, pumpkin seeds, beef, some cereals 

• Omega-3s: Omega-3s are a type of unsaturated fat essential to our body’s function.  They have numerous proven health benefits and are important for skin health as well.  Omega-3s act as the “glue” that keeps the skin’s structure together and are necessary for skin to function as a water-tight barrier. Deficiency causes excessive water loss, leading to severe dry skin and inflammation. 

Foods high in Omega-3s: Mackerel, salmon, cod liver oil, tuna, sardines, trout, herring, chia seeds, flax seeds, walnuts, soybeans 

This is only a partial list.  Suffice to say, your skin is dependent on YOU providing a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients in order to function optimally.  That is why a diet that is full of foods which aren’t nutritious will lead to accelerated skin degeneration.  It is the difference between a fast-food hamburger (full of preservatives, saturated-fat, and not much else) and a piece of salmon (packed with tons of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and healthy fats). 

The Bottom Line 

Following a Mediterranean diet meal plan emphasizes eating more fruits, vegetables, healthy fats like fish and olive oil, whole grains, nuts, and legumes.  All these food categories are excellent for reducing inflammation in your body by downregulating or “calming down” your overactive immune system.  

Additionally, the diet limits how much red meat, preservatives, and added sugars that you consume. These all contribute substantially to how much inflammation you have in your body.  When combined, this diet leads to far less inflammation.  In turn, this means less damage to your skin’s critical cells and structures, and therefore less visible signs of aging. 

The post The Best Diet to Prevent Skin Aging (The Mediterranean Diet Solution) appeared first on Fresh n' Lean.

Table of Contents 
What is the Mediterranean Diet?  
How to Eat Like You Live by the Mediterranean Sea 
Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan for the Week 
More Mediterranean Diet Recipes 
Your Gameplan for Eating Out on the Mediterranean Diet 

What is the Mediterranean Diet? 

The basis for the Mediterranean diet began when scientists in the 1960s and 1970s started looking at communities living by the Mediterranean Sea. They noticed that even impoverished locals living there lived longer and healthier lifestyles on average than wealthier citizens living in larger, more developed American cities like New York.  

The reason for this? People in New York indulged in rich diets composed of red meats and other fatty and processed foods. Even though people in countries like Italy, Spain, and Greece were eating high amounts of fat in their diets, they experienced less heart disease, obesity, mental decline, and other health issues like inflammation and eye disease.   

Science Supports the Mediterranean Diet as a Great Way to Stay Healthy 

Biologist Ancel Keys and chemist Margaret Keys were forerunners in publicizing their findings about the Mediterranean diet. Their Seven Countries Study results showed that following a Mediterranean-style diet could lead to a lower risk for cardiovascular diseases like hypertension, stroke, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Though the study’s details are debated in some scientific circles today, nutritionists and doctors still support the Mediterranean diet as a solid way to lessen mortality rates and improve heart health.  

How to Eat Like You Live by the Mediterranean Sea 

The next best thing to actually living on the coast-side with warm sea breezes is eating like you do. You don’t need to live by the Mediterranean Sea to be as healthy as the people living there! 

Today a Mediterranean diet meal plan is defined as eating high amounts of olive oil, legumes, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fatty fish, a moderate amount of dairy and wine, and a low amount of non-fish meats. 

Here is a Mediterranean diet food list for the best foods that fulfill these categories: 

The Mediterranean diet also considered olive oil and avocado oils large diet staples. Replacing butter and vegetable oils with these healthier fats can have a dramatic change on your health. Use them whenever you can! 

Limit Added Sugar and Processed Foods 

Though this diet is more about what you add than what you take away, it’s always a good idea to stay away from foods that can hurt your health. These can include processed foods and foods with added sugars: 

• Added sugars – (does not include naturally occurring sugars like fruit has!) Usually found in baked goods, sodas, fruit juices, and other prepackaged fast-grab snacks. Look for words ending in –ose like “maltose,” “glucose,” and “sucrose” as a hint, as well as syrup and molasses for an indicator that something has added sugars.  
• Refined grains – Anything that isn’t whole grain: white breads and pasta, chips, crackers, pasta, etc. Even multi-grain foods are refined and are not as healthy as whole grain foods! 
• Trans fats – #1 suspect containing trans fats are fried foods, but they can also be found in margarine, baked goods, pizza, coffee creamers, fast foods, and many packaged store foods. 
• Refined Oils – Soybean oil, canola oil, and grapeseed oils are some examples 
• Processed meats – Sausages, hot dogs, deli meats, beef jerky, bacon, and any other meat that has been preserved by smoking, salting, or curing.  

Poultry, eggs, and other dairy products should be limited to less than one serving a day to one serving a week. These are still healthy options but are not staples in a Mediterranean diet meal plan.  

What About Wine? 

Yes, a small amount of red wine is permitted on the Mediterranean diet! About one glass a day can lower inflammation in the body due to its high level of antioxidants. There is some debate about how effective red wine can be against heart disease, so it’s perfectly okay to skip this! However, if you want to imbibe in some Friday-night socializing, red wine is the healthiest and most preferred option on the Mediterranean diet.  

 
Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan for the Week 

This is meant to give you a starting point! If you’re totally lost, these recipes are all Mediterranean diet-approved and are ready to go for any beginner. But you should feel free to alter them and change them to fit your dietary needs and personal preferences. 

Sunday 

Breakfast – whole grain toast topped with almond butter and sliced bananas 

Lunch – garlic shrimp zoodles garnished with parsley and avocado slices 

Dinner – baked lemon salmon with roasted brussels sprouts 

Snack – a whole pear, sliced 

Dessert – pitted Medjool dates stuffed with peanut butter and peanuts and dipped in melted chocolate. (Great as a Snickers copycat!) 

Monday 

Breakfast – mushroom, tomato, and onion omelet  

Lunch – Caprese grilled sandwich with portobello mushroom “bread,” slices of mozzarella, tomato slices, balsamic vinegar, and fresh basil.  

Dinner – salad with arugula and kale, olives, feta cheese, farro, grilled chicken, and cherry tomatoes 

Snack – baby carrots with spicy hummus 

Dessert – chia pudding 

Tuesday 

Breakfast – oatmeal with raisins, walnuts, apple slices, and blueberries 

Lunch – baby kale, pear, and carrot salad drizzled with olive oil 

Dinner – sea bass, tomato, and avocado ceviche  

Snack – Greek yogurt topped with nuts 

Dessert – cottage cheese with peach slices  

Wednesday 

Breakfast – sautéed vegetables and scrambled eggs 

Lunch – roasted halibut and mixed grilled veggies 

Dinner – quinoa, black bean, and tomato stuffed roasted bell peppers 

Snack – sliced bell peppers and guacamole 

Dessert – olive oil cake topped with a small dollop of low-fat whipped cream or berries 

Thursday  

Breakfast – cauliflower chicken and vegetable wrap  

Lunch – whole grain sandwich with cucumber, bell pepper, onion, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, hummus, shredded carrots, and baby spinach 

Dinner – pesto marinated cod with white bean salad 

Snack – a bowl of mixed berries 

Dessert – strawberry nice cream topped with dark chocolate shavings 

Friday 

Breakfast – chickpea quinoa breakfast bowl 

Lunch – tuna salad lettuce wraps 

Dinner – salmon, crab, and sweet potato fish cakes 

Snack – a half cup of mixed nuts 

Dessert – baked peaches sprinkled with cinnamon, served with a scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream 

Saturday 

Breakfast – Greek yogurt parfait with pomegranate seeds, whole grain granola, and mint leaves 

Lunch – farro bowl with grilled salmon, squash, bell peppers, feta cheese, and tzatziki 

Dinner – broiled salmon with brown rice and garlic asparagus 

Snack – a small bunch of fresh grapes 

Dessert – fudgy “brownies” made from dates, cocoa powder, oat milk, and wheat sourdough 

More Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan Recipes 

Want step-by-step recipes instead? Check out our 5 Step Chef page for even more Mediterranean diet meal recipes! 

Breakfast 

Mediterranean Egg Frittata 

Tomato Basil Pesto Tofu Scramble 

Avocado Pancakes 

Smoked Salmon Egg Muffins 

Lunch 

Mediterranean Protein Bowl 

Savory Chickpea Pancakes with Kale 

Sesame Tofu Poke Bowl 

Turmeric Dill Tuna Salad 

Dinner 

Turmeric Flax Porridge 

Cauliflower Totchos 

Fried Cauliflower Rice with Mushrooms and Toasted Cashews 

Salmon Meatballs with Coconut Cream Sauce 

Your Gameplan for Eating Out on the Mediterranean Diet 

The Mediterranean diet is as much a lifestyle adaptation as it is a diet, which means that you should enjoy the experience of eating as well as the food. Eating with friends and family helps you slow down and make healthier meal choices, so never fear a night eating out! 

Many menus will have food you can still eat while you’re on the Mediterranean diet. Look at their “healthy” meal sections if they have one, as these will likely be full of vegetables and healthy proteins. Overall, these are the best tips for choosing better dishes when you’re eating out: 

• Choose meals that have fish as their main dish 
• Choose whole grain options whenever you can! 
• Avoid fried dishes (“crispy,” “battered,” “golden”) and instead opt for baked or grilled options 
• Drink water before and during your meal instead of soda to feel fuller and digest better 
• Order your meal before everyone else so you aren’t tempted to change your order! 
• Make healthy swaps whenever possible – Ask for the vegetable side option over french fries or use olive oil instead of dressing 
• Ask for sauces and dressings on the side 
• Avoid the tempting breadbasket or ask your server to skip bringing it entirely 
• Order a salad to start instead of another appetizer 
• Do your research! Just because a menu claims a dish is “paleo-friendly,” sugar-free, low-carb, or low-calorie, make sure you read the menu description to confirm it aligns with your diet. 
  

Want a shortcut? Let us do the cooking for you. Get delicious, Mediterranean diet meals from our physician-approved menus delivered to your door. 

The post Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan (7-Day Guide for Beginners) appeared first on Fresh n' Lean.

While there are different versions of the keto diet which can allow for more protein intake, a flexible eating schedule, or vegan-friendly eating habits, this is a keto diet plan that you should feel free to alter to fit your lifestyle needs. 

Table of Contents 
Keto Diet Plan Basics 
Suggested Keto Shopping List 
7 Day Keto Diet Plan  
Tips for Sticking to Your Keto Diet Plan 
Where to Go from Here 

Keto Diet Plan Basics  

On a typical keto diet plan, you would eat no more than 20-25 grams of net carbohydrates—that means the number of carbs you eat minus the amount of fiber/sugar alcohol you eat per day. When beginning a keto diet plan, however, it is more common (and easier!) to start out with a higher amount of carbs —up to 50g a day.   

To enter ketosis, you will need to keep track of your macros. How long it takes to get into ketosis depends on your body and how strictly you follow your diet. It usually takes most people 1-2 weeks before their body produces the ketones it uses to fuel their body. As long as you keep your carb intake between 20 – 50g a day, your body will be able to enter ketosis.  

Typically, macronutrients are divided this way on a keto diet: 

• 55% to 60% fat 
• 30% to 35% protein 
• 5% to 10% carbohydrates 

Since you’re eating so little carbohydrates, making sure the rest of your diet is well-rounded is very important. Adding more protein and fat to your meals gives your body what it needs and reduces your chances of experiencing the dreaded keto flu. 

Still confused about how many carbs to eat on keto? You can always sign up for Fresh N Lean’s keto meal plan and we’ll do the hard work for you! We’ll calculate all the carbs and macros so all you have to do is enjoy delicious chef-prepared keto meals.  

Suggested Keto Shopping List 

While these are not exhaustive lists, they may come in handy to memorize these keto diet plan approved foods the next time you’re out shopping. As a rule of thumb, it’s always better to go for grass-fed and lean meats, and organic vegetables and fruits; these tend to be the healthiest versions of your groceries. If you’re unsure if something is low carb or not, check out the nutrition label or do a quick Google search!  

Be sure to check out a longer keto food list for do’s and don’ts here: 

Keto Food List: What to Eat and What to Avoid 

Great Keto Foods to Look for 

This list also contains some foods that are okay in moderation but may not be as healthy in the long run. This is why keto is typically meant for short-term dieting. If you’re looking to stick to keto longer, high-fat foods like cream, butter, and beef become less healthy the more you consume them. To stay heart-healthy, mix up your food rotation and look for healthy fats over high fats in general.  

Foods to Avoid or Limit 

Just like not all fats are created equal, some foods can surprise you with their carbohydrate content! Even good for you fruits like bananas, beets, winter squashes, and black beans are packed with high amounts of carbs and should be avoided or limited on the keto diet.  

7 Day Keto Diet Plan 

Keto dieters average about 2 meals per day. However, when first starting, it’s difficult to make that shift without feeling like you’re starving. So, for the first week, don’t feel guilty about having your full 3 meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (plus snacks if you’re feeling extra peckish!).  

These easy keto recipes can be adjusted to fit your preferences and can be used for week-long meal prep if you make extra. Remember: if you feel under 25g a day is too difficult to manage, you can increase the amount to under 50g a day! Make your keto diet plan work for you, not the other way around.

Easy ways to boost your carb intake would be to snack on an extra serving of food, or to add starchy vegetables and grains to your means. Whole grains, legumes, potatoes, and berries will easily boost your daily carb intake.  

Sunday (~19g total carbs) 

Breakfast – Scrambled Lox Eggs: Mix pieces of salmon lox, and capers, and top with goat cheese crumbles (~4g carbs) 

Lunch – Keto Philadelphia Sushi Rolls (6g carbs) 

Dinner – Bunless Burger: substitute buns with two lean beef patties and fill with the rest of your favorite burger toppings (~5g carbs) 

Snack – A handful of mixed, salted nuts (~4g carbs) 

Monday (~21g total carbs) 

Breakfast – Raspberry & Cream Pancakes (8g carbs) 

Lunch – Blackened salmon with Cauliflower Rolls: coat a salmon filet with Cajun seasoning and heat with avocado oil in a skillet (6g carbs) 

Dinner – Keto Chili with Ground Beef & Spicy Green Peppers (5g carbs)  

Snack – Sliced cucumber seasoned with lemon and Tajin (~2g carbs) 

Tuesday (~21g total carbs) 

Breakfast – Berry Keto Smoothie: Blend unsweetened Greek yogurt, ice, and ¼ cup of mixed frozen berries (~2g carbs) 

Lunch – Mini Charcuterie Board: Almonds, mixed berries, cubed cheese, sliced salami, olives, and beef jerky (~8g) 

Dinner –  “Potato” Leek Keto Soup (6g carbs) 

Snack – Almond Butter Cups: Melt dark chocolate, pour into a mold, add a layer of almond butter, another layer of chocolate, and freeze (~5g carbs) 

Wednesday (~24.6g total carbs) 

Breakfast – Broccoli Cheddar Quiche Cups (4g carbs) 

Lunch – Veggie and Hummus Sandwich: Try our keto-friendly bread recipe that only has 1g of carbs per slice (~11g carbs) 

Dinner – Lemon Chicken with Steamed Asparagus: Season boneless and skinless chicken thighs with onion powder, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Pan sear in olive oil and steam asparagus with a tablespoon of butter (~.6g carbs) 

Snack – A Healthy Parfait: Plain Greek yogurt topped with coconut flakes, cacao nibs, and sliced peaches (~9g carbs) 

Thursday (~22.7g total carbs) 

Breakfast – Keto Omelet: Cooked eggs, spinach, cheese, and chopped bacon (~4.7g carbs) 

Lunch – Shrimp Scampi Zoodles (11g carbs) 

Dinner – Creamy Keto Soup with Shredded Lemon Chicken (3g carbs) 

Snack – Keto Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (4g carbs) 

Friday (~23.7g total carbs) 

Breakfast – Keto Big Mac Sliders (11g carbs) 

Lunch – Tuna Salad with Pork Rinds: Canned tuna works! Just add olive oil-based mayo, celery, salt, and pepper. Use the pork rinds instead of crackers for a perfect scooper (~2.5g carbs) 

Dinner – Asian Shrimp and Brussels Sprouts: Toss shrimp and brussels sprouts with olive oil, monk fruit sweetener, and sesame oil. Bake on a sheet pan (~8.2g carbs) 

Snack – 2 hardboiled eggs topped with paprika (~2.2g carbs) 

Saturday (~25g total carbs) 

Breakfast – Egg, Spinach, and Ricotta Muffins (3g carbs) 

Lunch – Cauliflower Pesto Flatbread paired with a skinless grilled chicken breast (6g carbs) 

Dinner – Instapot Beef, Kale, and Carrot Stew: Chuck roast, baby kale, carrots, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and some choice spices and you’re good to go in about 15 minutes (~9g carbs) 

Snack – Sliced cucumbers with cauliflower hummus dip (~7g carbs) 

Tips for Sticking to Your Keto Meal Plan 

1. Remember there’s an adjustment period: Your body isn’t used to being deprived of carbs, and there are bound to be uncomfortable adjustments. Minimize them with well-planned meals.  
2. Keep trying until you find what works for you: If achieving ketosis seems difficult for you, shift what times you eat, or what you’re eating. 
3. Have your meals ready to go: Keto meal prep is essential! It sets you up for the rest of the week and minimizes the effort you put into each mealtime. If you’re tired or short on time, having something ready to eat can keep you on track.  
4. Seek moral support: Find someone to do keto with! Or ask a loved one to cheer you on when you feel discouraged. It also helps to let others know when you’re on a keto diet so they’re supportive when choosing restaurants and going grocery shopping.  
5. Drink water: This can minimize the effects of the keto flu and will keep you well-hydrated. Drink a glass with every meal to feel fuller and improve digestion.  
6. Supplements are your friend: if you’re worried about getting proper nutrition while restricting your diet, supplements are a great way to give your body what it needs without running the risk of eating foods that will break your ketosis.  
   
   

Where to Go from Here 

We hope this example meal plan gives you an idea of how to set a menu for yourself for the week. For more keto dinner ideas and recipes like keto fried chicken and chicken keto casserole, check out these easy-to-follow keto chicken recipes. And read more here for even more keto snack ideas. 

Don’t have the time to cook each week? We got you! Just subscribe to Fresh N Lean’s keto diet plan (or one of our other super healthy plans) and have us do the hard work for you.  

The post Easy 7-Day Keto Diet Plan (for Beginners) appeared first on Fresh n' Lean.

The Keto Diet (aka Ketogenetic or Ketosis Diet) is famously known across the fitness and health world for helping people reach their wellness goals. The Keto Diet is a highly effective tool for weight loss because it utilizes the body’s natural processes to break down fat faster.  

Of course, this diet presents challenges and constructing a Keto diet plan can be difficult if you don’t understand how the body works. Being able to trigger ketosis is key to succeeding, but not many know what that means. We’re here to help you understand the Ketogenic Diet and its ins and outs so you can decide if it aligns best with your health goals! 

Table of Contents 

The Basics of The Keto Diet 

Understanding Glucose and Its Role In Your Body 

What Are Ketones? 

The Benefits of The Keto Diet 

How To Follow a Keto Diet Plan 

Potential Downsides to The Keto Diet 

The Basics of the Keto Diet 

The Keto Diet is a plan designed to put your body into a constant state of ketogenesis. In this state, your body burns fat for fuel rather than carbs! As you would expect, this means severely limiting carbohydrate intake and replacing them with other energy sources.  It also prioritizes getting more daily caloric intake from fats than from protein, as high levels of protein can interfere with maintaining a ketogenic state. 

In practice, the Keto Diet consists of consuming less than 50g of carbohydrates per day. For reference, a cup of cooked white rice has 44g of carbs.  A “normal” diet might involve consuming around 225-325g of carbs per day, so this can be a big change from the way you usually eat. 

With the Keto Diet, you will completely avoid foods you usually think of as “carby”, like bread, pasta, potatoes, or rice.  Since you still obtain a certain amount of carbs from even low-carb foods, you won’t have room in your daily carb budget for higher, carb-heavy foods (that means passing on your Morning Muffin from Starbucks!) 

Understanding Glucose and Its Role In Your Body 

Glucose comes from almost all the foods you eat and provides the body with the energy it needs to function properly. Normally, you need about 10% of your daily calories to come from glucose. Your body gets its energy from what you eat each day and will usually hold that energy (in the short term) in the form of glucose.  

If you think of energy as money that your body “spends” on activities like jumping or thinking, then glucose is like cash. Quick and easy to use. Carbohydrates are easily broken down into glucose molecules, which is why they are a fast source of energy (and why you crave carbs when you’re tired). When you have more energy than you need (excess calories), your body stores those calories by converting the glucose into fat. So, if glucose is cash in your wallet, then fat is money in the bank. 

Low glucose levels in the body stimulate a state of Gluconeogenesis. This involves the liver generating glucose from non-carbohydrate sources like lactate or certain amino acids. However, this process makes it difficult for the body to keep up with its energy demands, especially if your diet is very low in carbohydrates. This is when the body turns to glucose’s close “energy-cousin,” ketones.  

What Are Ketones?

Whereas glucose is created via the breakdown of carbohydrates, ketone bodies are generated via the breakdown of fat. This process is called ketogenesis. So now, instead of storing new fat, we are aggressively breaking down our existing fat stores to solve the fuel shortage created by not consuming carbohydrates. 

Optimal levels for ketones while on the Ketogenic Diet are about 0.5 – 3 mg/dL in the blood. To reach these levels, a strict restriction of carbs is necessary. If you want to measure these levels accurately, there are blood ketone measurement devices available, as well as breath and urine tests, to test your body’s ketone levels. However, this isn’t necessary unless you want to keep a rigid regime.  

The Benefits of The Keto Diet 

Having more ketone bodies in your bloodstream instead of normal blood sugar (glucose), is associated with a number of beneficial health effects. Weight loss alone is an incredibly important health effect.  In fact, by losing weight you are improving your ability to fight or prevent many of the most important chronic diseases and doing one of the best things you for preventive health and wellness.

Ketosis and Weight Loss 

Ketogenic diets have been shown to be effective for weight loss. Unfortunately, it’s not well understood why it leads to weight loss. While it may seem obvious based on the fat-burning mechanism caused by ketogenesis, regardless of if your body is using fat or glucose for fuel; eating more calories than you burn will still cause weight gain. 

There are several theories on how Ketogenic Diets lead to weight loss. The leading theory, based on available studies, is that it suppresses appetite. This may be because the Keto diet allows the consumption of more protein and fat than a normal diet does, and since protein and fat are more filling than carbohydrates, you feel hungry less often.  

There also may be a direct appetite suppression effect by the ketone bodies themselves. Either way, it seems that people eat fewer calories per day when on the keto diet and this seems to contribute to weight loss. 

There are other more complicated theories as to why ketogenesis causes weight loss. Some of the most popular notions are related to metabolic topics like resting energy expenditure, the balance of lipogenesis vs. lipolysis (or the creation of and burning of fat in storage, respectively), and the amount of energy bodies use to break down food over the amount of energy that food provides.  

Each of these may provide some insight into the effectiveness of keto diet, but none have substantial clinical evidence to support them yet.  

Lower Cholesterol 

Being on a Ketogenic Diet can decrease the amount of cholesterol and lipids in your blood despite the high amounts of fat allowed. This is likely due to the decrease in blood sugar. High blood sugar would ordinarily stimulate the body to release more cholesterol and triglycerides into the bloodstream.  These molecules are major sources of plaque which causes heart attacks and strokes. 

Studies have shown that people following a Keto Diet are more likely to have lower levels of “bad cholesterol” (LDL) and high levels of “good cholesterol (HDL). This can reduce the chances of developing heart disease and other complications.  

However, this also depends on how well you balance this diet, as it is easy to overdo fatty foods on the Keto Diet, which are known to lead to heart disease and other health issues.  

Regulates Blood Sugar Levels 

Speaking of blood sugar – consistently high levels of glucose in your blood stream can cause your pancreas to lose its ability to regulate your blood sugar which can lead to diabetes.  

Diabetes is an incredibly destructive disease, and one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. The Keto Diet has been shown to be effective at preventing and treating diabetes alongside medication for the disease. 

Other Health Benefits 

There are many other potential benefits that come with eating a keto-friendly diet. You can feel more energized and happier due to the increase in healthier foods and removal of processed foods. Other benefits that have been found can be found below.  

• Manage hormonal disorders like Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) 
• Help prevent breakouts by lowering insulin levels which normally trigger the release of acne-causing hormones 
• It may play a role as an adjuvant therapy for cancer (meaning, it may be useful alongside chemotherapy and other cancer treatments) 
• Initially created as a treatment for epilepsy, the keto diet has long been known to be effective for reducing seizures 
• Can protect the brain and nerve cells to help prevent dementia and protect against or manage Alzheimer’s 

How To Follow a Keto Diet Plan

When you do keto, your diet will revolve around high fat foods like cheese or oils, as well as fatty proteins like red meat or fish. Ideally, you’ll utilize your 50g carb limit to make sure you’re getting plenty of fruits and vegetables.  

Eating ONLY high fat meats and cheese all day will technically work for a keto diet, but it’ll mean you’re not getting a lot of necessary nutrients in your diet and it’s not recommended. Nuts are also an important component of a low carb diet since they’re high in fat, reasonably low in carbs, and packed with vitamins and minerals. 

A sample Keto Diet plan might include: 

Breakfast: Broccoli cheddar quiche made with coconut creamer, eggs, almond and coconut flour, and vegan cheddar cheese 

Lunch: Mini eggplant pizza, replacing the traditional dough with sliced eggplants. Top with a big helping of arugula, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, shredded chicken breast, red onion, balsamic glaze, and low-fat mozzarella cheese and voila! 

Dinner: Keto Big Mac sliders made with beyond beef and vegan cheddar cheese 

Dessert: Chocolate chip cookies made with almond or coconut flour and monkfruit sugar instead of regular flour and brown sugar. 

Snack: Cream cheese avocado dip with carrots, celery, and baked sweet potato veggie sticks for dipping 

Potential Downsides to the Keto Diet 

For many, maintaining a very low amount of carbohydrates can be difficult to maintain. Many people fall back into their old eating habits and gain back the weight they lost. In the end, rapid and significant weight loss does not matter if it is not maintained in the long term.  

That being said, sustainability is a major challenge for every weight loss method. There is little data on whether a keto diet is any harder to maintain than other options like low calorie or low-fat diets.  However, there are studies suggesting that keto diet can be a highly effective long term weight loss option when combined with Mediterranean Diet in the maintenance phase.  

Some people may also experience other symptoms, such as muscle cramps, bad breath, changes in bowel habits, keto-flu, and loss of energy 

The Keto Flu 

It is unclear exactly why, but starting a Keto Diet may cause flu-like symptoms. About 2-3 days after starting a Ketogenic Diet symptoms like headache, brain fog, fatigue, nausea, constipation, difficulty sleeping, and body aches can appear.  

Some health officials suggest this is due to a “withdrawal” from the lack of carbohydrates, an immunity reaction in the body, or simply a change in your gut’s microbiome. Whatever its cause, to avoid the keto flu or to reduce its effects, starting slow, staying hydrated, resting, and more can help. 

Long-Term Concerns 

Going through long-term periods with consuming low amounts of carbohydrates but very high fats has been shown to promote inflammation and advance biological aging. There have also been studies showing potential cardiovascular concerns with long term Keto Diet. As such, it is only recommended that this diet be followed short-term, or in tandem with another diet that can help you control your fat and carb intake. 

Cardiovascular Issues 

The Keto Diet can lead to very high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol, especially with the “bacon and cheese” version of the diet. Just because bacon and cheese are technically allowed on this diet, eating them every day can have serious health risks! 

Even though people seem to have lower cholesterol as a result of Keto dieting, that may only be due to them losing weight or managing their diabetes. For an otherwise fit person, long term, it is possible that Keto could increase risk of heart disease or stroke.  

Possible Nutrition Deficiency 

As mentioned above, this diet tends to exclude foods which are important for good health like whole grains, fruits, and veggies. Studies on epileptic patients using the keto diet have shown that it can cause micronutrient deficiencies. 

TL; DR  

When you eat extremely low amounts of carbohydrates (about 50 grams or less a day), the body runs out of the blood sugar it needs to keep going. After a few days, your body will start breaking down proteins and fats for energy instead which can help you lose weight. This is usually only an ideal diet for short-term use! 

If eating a very low carbohydrate diet is something you think you can handle, then it can absolutely improve your health via weight loss and better blood sugar control.  However, long-term, we would encourage you to look into switching to a more sustainable choice like the Mediterranean Diet as your maintenance phase diet. 

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You know that lunch is an important meal and that it can affect your overall health. But even after hearing all that lunch can do for you, you still have to learn how to “do lunch” right!  

Sure, healthy eating is a big part of it, but there’s other things you might not have considered – where and when you eat, for one! And what exactly is “eating healthy?” Let’s answer these questions and give you a good starting point for what a proper lunch should look like. 

What is “Eating Healthy?” 

For everyone, the definition of healthy will change. A well-rounded diet is adjusted to the individual depending on their age, health concerns, and lifestyle. However, as a general guideline, a good place to start is seeking out foods that can fulfill most (if not all) essential food groups.  

This means lean protein, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and dairy to get the calories, carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals to stay our mental and physical best. It also means avoiding refined and processed foods as much as possible.  

What To Eat: 

Here’s a list of the foods you might include in your lunch to help you construct your ideal healthy diet: 

Vegetables: Leafy greens like lettuce or kale, starchy vegetables like potatoes or beets, legumes like black beans or peas, colorful root vegetables like carrots, onions, or radishes, and other things like cauliflower, zucchini, fennel, broccoli, or mushrooms.  

Fruits: Tomatoes, apples, all types of berries, avocado, bananas, mangoes, melons, guava, and cherries. 

Proteins: White fish including cod, haddock, halibut, tilapia, or bass, skinless chicken and turkey breast, beans, peas, and legumes, as well as eggs, tofu, nuts, Greek yogurt, and lean beef or pork.  

Dairy: Low-fat and/or lactose-free options for cheese and milk, plant milks, soy milk, Greek yogurts, or cottage cheese 

Whole Grains: Quinoa, buckwheat, barley, brown rice, farro, whole wheat pasta and breads, oats, and sometimes popcorn! 

What To Avoid: 

Avoid things like baked goods, fast food, white bread, soda, fried foods, processed meats, fruit drinks with added sugars, and other processed foods as much as possible! Indulging every now and then is okay, but a well-rounded diet should mostly consist of foods from the above list.   

Right Place, Right Time 

Where and when you eat can affect your eating habits. Most Americans say they eat at their desks and often check social media or the news during lunch. “Distracted” eating can cause you to consume more calories than you mean to. Studies have also proven that eating socially with coworkers or friends causes us to be more mindful of what we are eating so we have more control over our habits. Eating socially can also improve teamwork! 

Timing when you eat also aids in better eating habits. Believe it or not, you feel your best when you eat about every 4-6 hours! Another key to successful eating is planning small, frequent meals to keep yourself full and happy. Think about what time you ate breakfast today. Has it been more than 4 hours? It might be time to eat your lunch! 

What’s even more enticing is that people who take their lunch breaks every day feel more satisfied with their jobs, too! The next time you feel cranky at work, check the last time you ate! 

Other Lunch Tips 

Practicing these other lunch habits will help you make better lunch choices and keep you going strong. Though habits take time to build, they’re worth it in the long run. Give them a try! 

• Bringing Your Own Lunch – Packing lunch is a surefire way to make sure you eat healthily every workday! Waiting until you feel hungry to think about what you want to eat makes you more likely to go for quick, likely processed, convenience food. Planning a menu for the week is an easy way to make sure you have control over your food selection, portion size, and availability – No more desperate, last-minute fast-food runs!  
• Set a Schedule – Decide when you’ll have your meals and stick to a schedule! This ensures you never miss a meal and that you get your body used to a regimented eating schedule.  
• Sit, Don’t Stand – Standing while eating has a connection to overeating! Take the time to relax, sit down, and practice mindful eating (that means putting away your phone).  
• Choose Filling Foods – Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest, which means you feel fuller for longer after eating foods that retain their natural fiber profiles like whole wheat bread or sweet potatoes. High protein foods also work!  
• BIG Lunch, Small Dinner – Opt for a filling lunch that can keep you satiated until dinnertime to avoid over snacking in the late afternoon. 
• Make Healthy Swaps – Use olive oil instead of butter, skim milk instead of whole, honey with maple syrup, or brown rice instead of white to enjoy the same meals you love with healthy and just as tasty alternatives. 
• Drink Water – Drinking a full glass of water half an hour before eating can help you feel fuller. And don’t forget that it’s easy to consume more sugar and calories with sodas, juice, and other sugary beverages. 
• Use A Meal Delivery Service – Don’t have time to make food every day? A meal delivery service can cut hours out of your day while still getting you the nutrition you need to stay healthy.  

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Every meal can have an impact on your health, but maybe none so much as your lunch. “It’s just one meal!” you might be thinking, but that’s simply not true! Eating a quality and healthy lunch has the power to make or break the rest of your day!  

The Hard Facts 

The truth is, skipping lunch (or any meal, really) creates a domino effect on your wellbeing. Approximately 3 out of 4 people who skip meals fail to consume enough essential vitamins and minerals needed to stay healthy and energized. Even worse still, skipping lunch causes your body to go into “starvation mode,” which triggers those intense cravings for fatty, greasy, salty, convenience foods.  

The body’s response to a skipped meal is to overeat to try and regain the nutrition it missed out on. The result is usually consuming lower food quality and more calories than if you had just eaten lunch in the first place. 

Basically, skipping a meal isn’t simply missed, it creates a domino effect that’s hard to recover from! 

Lunch Fuels Your Brain and Body 

Have you ever felt super sluggish after working through your lunch break? Over 70% of employees say the number one reason they don’t take their lunch break is because they have too much work to do. However, the strategy of skipping lunch to make time for more work actually works against you. 

 Skipping lunch is associated with mental fatigue and poor memory because your body hasn’t gotten the nutrients it needs. In fact, passing on your mid-day meal can cause your blood sugar to drop which makes you feel sleepy, weak, and even disoriented in some cases. When you’re tired, you’re more likely to be irritable and experience brain fog, which can create a cycle of depletion. 

On the other hand, eating a large lunch or an unhealthy lunch can cause a spike in blood sugar, which can lead to mental fatigue. It can also backfire and cause you to eat worse food later in the day! (And a whole new set of problems comes with that, too…)  

Eating a balanced lunch complete with healthy foods every day is the key to staying alert, energized, and on top of your A-Game. But odds are when you think of “healthy,” you probably picture chomping down on a salad sans-dressing. The good news is eating clean doesn’t have to mean sacrificing flavor. Our fresh, chef-crafted meals make it easy to eat delicious and nutritious lunches.  

Weight Loss and The Irony of Skipping Lunch 

If you’re trying to lose weight, not eating is NOT the answer! Remember how skipping a meal causes your body to go into “starvation mode?” Skipping a meal simply alerts the body that you’re at risk for starvation which means it stores more calories in preparation for “survival” later on. This causes your metabolic rate to slow down and your carb-cravings to go into overdrive.  

Studies find that skipping meals lowers your metabolic rate and you burn fewer calories. It’s a lot like removing a workout from your day! So not only will you consume more calories by the end of the day, but your body burns less of them off. 

There’s plenty of research that has proven time and again that those who skip meals are more likely to be overweight or obese. Starvation is not the answer. If you want to lose weight or avoid putting on extra pounds, then you must eat! 

What Else Can Happen If You Skip Lunch 

There’s a big association between blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, higher BMIs, and more in those that eat less throughout the day! Young adults who skip meals are likely to eat more added sugar, have a lower nutrient intake, and have a lower Healthy Eating Index than those that ate a well-balanced lunch. Other things that can happen when you skip lunch can include: 

• Feeling anxious 
• Being at a higher risk for nutrient deficiencies 
• Developing digestion issues 
• Being at a higher risk for developing an eating disorder 
• Slowing down your metabolism 
• Losing the ability to focus 
• Lack of healthy skin, hair, and nails 
• A decline in overall health over time 

While these may take time to develop, you’re certainly not doing yourself any favors playing a risky game of lunch skipping. Fitting in your lunch break is a simple way to save yourself a possible future of lengthy and scary health problems. 

A Good Lunch = A Good Life! 

Making sure you have a satisfying and healthy lunch every day can prevent the above issues from ever happening. And of course, it can help you avoid the dreaded hangry syndrome (which is pleasant for anybody). 

A good lunch keeps your metabolism going strong, which in turn results in better, healthier body systems overall. Whether you want to lose weight, be more productive in the afternoon, or just feel better, the key lies in taking your lunch break.  

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Have you ever opted to work through lunch on a busy workday in order to get more done? Most Millennials say they skip lunch to “get ahead“ at work, but is this a smart move? You always hear that breakfast is “the most important meal of the day,” but lunch is pretty important too – it fuels the second half of your day and has a huge effect on your physical and mental performance. 

Why is Lunch Such a Big Deal? 

Not eating a balanced lunch complete with healthy fats, proteins, vitamins, and more means less energy in the afternoon (and no, pecking at that bag of trail mix throughout the day doesn’t count as lunch!)  

Skipping lunch can leave you feeling sluggish, tired, slow, and generally just NOT in the mood to do anything productive. If you pass on your break to finish a big work assignment, you might be doing more harm than good!  

What Happens To Your Body When You Skip Lunch 

When you skip lunch, you get overly hungry and usually end up reaching for easy, quick, high-calorie foods that you’ll likely regret an hour later – AKA a major midday carbo load.  

If you’ve ever found yourself craving carbs during the day it’s probably because you’re not getting the nutrients you need. When you miss a meal or overcompensate with highly processed foods your body goes into “survival mode.” 

Basically, your decision-making abilities get overtaken by your body’s natural response to skipping lunch and you start making bad food choices. In fact, skipping lunch can also lower the quality of your diet which can lead to major health problems down the road.  

Your Health Suffers When You Don’t Eat 

Is it really that bad to skip a meal? Studies show that both your mental and physical health takes a hit when you don’t do lunch properly — that is, if you skipping it altogether, or eat too much or too little during the day! It’s all about finding the sweet spot to keep you performing at and feeling your best.

What Should You Be Eating for Lunch? 

When you think “lunch”, you probably imagine leftovers, sandwiches, or some takeout down the street from the office. The good news is you don’t need to follow a formula when it comes to your lunch. As long as you avoid carb-heavy foods like white bread and include a rotating variety of vegetables, fruit, protein, and whole grain you’ll be on the right track.  

When it comes to eating right you don’t need to try to squeeze in every tier on the food pyramid into one meal. Instead, your goal should be to balance out the meals you eat throughout the day with a healthy serving from each food group. 

You also don’t need to stuff yourself full of salads either! While leafy greens can help, losing weight, staying healthy, and meeting all your fitness goals isn’t contingent on a diet made up exclusively of kale. Making a few substitutions in your diet can make a big difference. For example, swapping out butter for olive oil when cooking, or eating fresh or frozen fruit instead of dried.  

Bottom line… 

Lunch should be your priority. If you want to get ahead at work, take your break. Studies show that workers who take a consistent lunch break report feeling more refreshed, productive, and happier. Plus, fueling the second half of your day is a big part of job performance and mental clarity. You’re not doing you or your boss any favors by being hungry! 

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