Now that summer is here, looking good and feeling good is on everybody’s minds. We want to be more active and show more skin, but many of us are still feeling lethargic and likely heavier than we want to be. We asked celebrity nutritionist, lifestyle guru, New York Times bestselling author Kimberly Snyder her advice for healthy weight loss so we can feel and look our best during the warmer months.
Her philosophy: Consume foods that make digestion easier for your body. “Digestion is such an energy-intensive process,” Snyder explains. “When you free up energy from digestion, it can go into cleansing and detoxification and aid weight loss.” Here’s how.
Focus on smoothies
Smoothies, besides being cool and refreshing for the summer, are blended, so they’re predigested and easy to break down in your body. Snyder calls them her “big secret” in how to slim down “without having to chart and track and app all your calories and obsess.”
She recommends her glowing green smoothie for summer mornings. It combines organic fruits — lemon, banana, pear, apple — and vegetables — spinach, romaine and celery — for a low calorie, high fiber protein, antioxidant, vitamin and mineral rich drink that will fill you up and energize you for your day.
Drinking a green juice is not the same thing, she notes. “Green juices are not a meal replacement, because there’s no fiber, so you’ll get hungry afterwards.”
For an afternoon snack to tide you over between lunch and dinner, she recommends her power protein smoothie. It blends almond milk or water, hemp or brown rice protein powder, chia seeds and acai, with a touch of cinnamon and vanilla and stevia for a hint of sweetness, and will help you power through without turning to carbs or junk.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
Being dehydrated can often confuse us that we’re hungry, when we’re actually thirsty. Staying hydrated will keep your appetite in balance and help to flush out your system.
But make sure you’re hydrating with the right liquids, Snyder says: water and herbal tea. Begin your day with hot water and lemon. The lemon helps support your liver, your body’s main detoxifying organ, she explains. Cut out sodas — including zero calorie diet sodas — which are too acidic and can interfere with your digestion.
Avoid dairy, which is difficult to digest, Snyder says. Switch to almond milk in your coffee, opt for coconut ice cream instead of regular. “Lightening up in the dairy will open up your whole system and makes it easy to lose weight in general.”
Keep your meals simple
“We live in a world where there’s so much choice,” she says. “Having twenty different things on your plate can lead to bloating and digestive overload, because your body has to break down each one.” Instead, fill your meals with more of fewer items, she says. For example, a meal could be veggies, quinoa or lentils, and fish. “That’s a lot easier on your whole system,” she says.
Get your gut in check
Snyder recommends taking SBO Probiotic supplements daily.
While yogurt and kombucha are good for the gut, they’re what Snyder refers to as “transient probiotics,” which pass through your system, as opposed to “resident-forming probiotics,” which help grow good bacteria and create a environment that maintains strong gut health. Snyder says many issues she was facing, including acne, weight gain and candida, were cleared up after she incorporated SBO probiotics into her diet.
Exercise is about balance
“We’re meant to be dynamic beings,” she explains, a concept she explores in her book “Radical Beauty,” which she cowrote with Deepak Chopra. “We live in a world where people do this hard-core spin class in the morning for two hours and then sit for ten hours.” Instead, get up and be active throughout your day, from a fifteen minute walk at lunch, to after work errands on foot.
She also recommends incorporating “yogic twists” into your day. You can even do them at your desk at work. “Twist to both sides keeping your hips straight is really beneficial for squeezing out your kidneys and liver, your main fat-burning organ.”
Visit KimberlySnyder.com in September when she launches the 30-Day Roadmap for healthy weight loss, a comprehensive meal plan and coaching program to lose weight and boost your beauty and wellness.”
