FAT-BURNING CHICKEN SALAD

If you love chicken salad, you know there’s one ingredient you must AVOID if you’re on a weight loss plan…

MAYONNAISE
This ingredient is killer for your waistline and your overall health. And the “low fat” or “no fat” options for mayonnaise are also a no-go.
So you’ll be happy to know that I created a fat-burning chicken salad recipe that is absolutely delicious! Give it a try and I promise you’ll never use mayonnaise again.

Fat-Burning Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS

6 oz. cubed chicken breast
1 c. plain greek yogurt (I love Fage)
1/2 c. sliced celery
1/2 c. small cubed apple pieces
1/4 c. sliced, small cubed onion
2 tbsp. raisins or craisins (optional)
2 tsp. cumin spice
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Mix all together and it’s ready to eat.
This is fast, easy to make and so yummy! You can top it on a bed of greens or eat it plain.
Want more deliciously simple and fat-burning recipes like this? Click Next Page below to see over 150 of my most popular fat-burning recipes that you can make in 15 minutes or less.
Leave your comments below and let me know what you think about this recipe.
Much love,

WHY THE SUGAR SCALE (HYPOGLYCEMIC INDEX) MATTERS

Most foods have some carbohydrates (sugar), except for fats and oils.
Depending on the type of sugar in the food your blood sugar will spike immediately or raise at a slower pace.
This is where the glycemic index (sugar scale) comes in handy.
What is the Glycemic index?

Glycemic index or GI tells you how fast or slow a food raises your blood sugar after eating it.
Foods get their ranking based on how they compare to a reference food. The reference food used is glucose or white bread.
A food with a high GI raises blood glucose more than a food with a medium or low GI.
A carbohydrate-rich food is ranked based on its glycemic index score as follows:
It is best to eat foods that have low or medium GI foods for health. This helps in sustained weight loss as well as maintain stable blood sugar levels.
What happens if you choose foods high on the glycemic index? 3 Things
1. Sugar ”highs” & ”dips”:
Your blood sugar tends to spike within a short span of eating the food giving you a sugar ”high”. This is immediately followed by a sugar crash.
2. Hunger:
You will feel hungry often, which can lead to frequent food intake. This leads to weight gain.
3. Increased risk of diseases:
Eating foods with a high glycemic index increases the risk of diseases. Some common diseases include certain types of cancers, diabetes, heart diseases etc .
But don’t be alarmed, with some awareness and planning you can maneuver your way to stable blood sugar. Here are some tips to keep your blood sugar stable.
3 Tips to choose low GI foods that stabilize blood sugar
1. Plan your meals:
Combine high carbohydrate meals with protein-rich foods. Presence of protein can slow down digestion of carbs. This results in slower release of sugar into the blood stream.
2. Choose fiber:
Choose foods with high dietary fiber such foods have a low or moderate glycemic index.
Some examples include:
Dried beans and legumes (like kidney beans and lentils)
All non-starchy vegetables
Some starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, most fruit
3. Include non-carb foods:
Meats and fats don’t have a GI because they do not contain carbohydrates.
The Glycemic index is useful for diabetes patients and for those trying to lose weight. It is also a useful tool to eat healthy.
But not all foods with low glycemic index are healthy.
For example, a bar of milk chocolate may have a glycemic index of 49. This is a low score for GI, but it delivers little when it comes to nutrients.
Be mindful, choose foods that deliver the most nutrition. Use this plan along with the GI to avoid confusion.
Yours in Health,

Alcohol + Caffeine

Hey it's Shawn and today I have a little science lesson for you about your "belly fat" hormone, also known as cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that your body releases to deal with stress, and unfortunately high levels of cortisol have been linked to increased levels of abdominal fat.
Want to reduce cortisol and burn more belly flab? Here are 3 things that you can do starting today:

1. Work less - New research shows that if you work more than 48 hours per week, the likelihood of consuming excess alcohol goes up dramatically. Alcohol consumption increases cortisol, and together they both increase belly fat. If you're looking to shrink your belly, trimming back your working hours while choosing calorie-burning exercise for stress relief (in lieu of alcohol) will do wonders for your waistline.

2. Don't consume caffeine after 6PM - Although caffeinated beverages can enhance fat-burning when consumed around exercise, caffeine can be a double whammy on cortisol levels, especially if consumed at night when it's very likely to negatively affect the quality of your sleep. Getting quality, uninterrupted sleep each night is critical to reducing cortisol, so you'll want to avoid caffeine in the evening hours.

3. Take time to "unplug" - A recent Canadian study showed that those who were constantly "plugged in" to technology all throughout the day (TV, smart phones, computers) were significantly more stressed than those who took time to "unplug" during designated time blocks each day. More stress = more belly fat, so if you want a trim belly start planning some device-free time each day.
Now, if you really want to get the cutting-edge on reducing belly fat, you'll be happy to know that there's a brand new way to burn belly fat that has been shown in more than a DOZEN research studies to help you burn fat and slim your waist at an accelerated rate.
In fact, one breakthrough study showed that those who performed this belly-burning trick just twice daily burned 400% more fat than those who didn't. Another study published in the Journal of International Medical Research showed that those using this powerful flab-burning trick lost 20% of their body fat in just 12 weeks. And get this... the trick takes less than a minute to perform!