For years weight loss experts have said that if you want to lose weight, you need to cut down on your sugar intake. Most people can relate to that and react by buying less cupcakes, brownies and other sweets, but that isn’t where the problem lies. It’s the drinks that are sabotaging your weight loss plan.

The Evidence

It’s all about the soft drink. The term “soft drink” covers a lot of ground. It refers to any beverage with added sugar or other sweetener. This includes soda, fruit punch, all the “ades” including lemonade, sweetened drinks and sports and energy drinks.

Soda makers produce about 10.4 billion gallons of sugary pop each year. That’s enough for each American to have one 12-ounce can every day for 365 days (1 year).

Looking at the numbers, an average can of sugar-sweetened soda has about 150 calories, most of the calories are from sugar. That’s equivalent to 10 teaspoons of soda per day, every day for one year. Put away that much sugar and you’re likely to gain about 15 pounds!

Are Diet Drinks any Better?

OK, so you switch to diet drinks, problem solved…right? Hold on, not so fast. A recent study from the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that drinking diet sodas may help you shed a couple pounds, but may lead to heart attack or stroke.

The study followed 2,564 NYC adults 69 years or older for 10 years. During that time 591 men and women had a heart attack, stroke or died of cardiovascular causes. Daily consumption of diet soda was linked to having a 44 percent higher chance of heart attack or stroke.

Since there still needs to be more research on diet soda and long term affects, I suggest you take this information as a caution.

Weight Gain?

In other studies, researchers found that switching to diet or artificially sweetened drinks can reduce your overall caloric intake and promote weight loss. But, they also found another troubling side affect. Artificial sweeteners mix up the body’s and brain’s signals of what it needs to do when it tastes something sweet. Usually when your body tastes something sweet, it thinks “sugar” and sugar means energy. Your brain responds to sweetness with signals to eat more, then slow down and stop. But with artificial sweeteners comes low or no calories. This confuses your brain and it doesn’t know how to tell your body to react.

In a Purdue University study of rats, the rats that were fed food sweetened with saccharin, took in more calories and gained weight. But this doesn’t happen to everyone and it has yet to be proven that artificial sweeteners cause weight gain in humans. However, it does give you something to think about.

Alternative to Diet Drinks

Let’s face it, you have to take in less sugar in order to lose weight, and since drinking beverages is a big part of your diet, you have to be cautious of the calories you drink also. Diet drinks are ok, as a substitute for sugary drinks, but don’t bet the farm on them, they come with their own set of problems. So here are some low-cal and calorie-free options for you to incorporate into your diet that you can feel really good about.

Provided by the Harvard School of Public Health

1. Infused water (spa water)

You can find fancy flavored waters in the grocery store, including some that are free of sugar or artificial sweeteners. Spas also serve water that has been flavored with herbs, fruits, even vegetables. But you can easily make your own naturally-infused spa water at home. Try adding any of the following to a cold glass or pitcher of water:

• Sliced citrus fruits or zest (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit)
• Crushed fresh mint or other herbs
• Peeled, sliced fresh ginger or sliced cucumber

2. Tea

Black or green, caffeinated or decaf, leaf or herbal, hot or cold, tea is an excellent choice for a calorie free beverage. Adding a teaspoon of sugar or honey only adds about 15 calories to the cup. Some teas taste sweet to the palate even without adding any sugar: Try Japanese roasted barley tea (Mugi Cha), fruit-flavored herbal teas (mango, blueberry), or teas that feature cinnamon, vanilla, or other “sweet” spices. Black and green teas are also rich in antioxidants, flavonoids, and other biologically active substances that may be good for health.

3. Coffee

Coffee is calorie free, as long as you don’t load it up with cream and sugar. Take a pass on the coffeehouse confections that are topped with whipped cream and drizzled with sugar syrup, since those can have upwards of 300 to 400 calories per extra-large cup. If you want to add one teaspoon of sugar to a plain cup of coffee, that’s no problem.

4. Sparkling water with a splash of juice 

Sparkling juices that are sold ready-made are often heavy on the juice, and may have almost as many calories as sugary soda pop. Instead, make your own sparkling juice at home with 12 ounces of sparkling water and just an ounce or two of juice. For a flavor twist, add sliced citrus or fresh herbs.

5. Fresh fruit coolers

Store-bought or cafe smoothies are marketed as “health” foods, but they are often loaded with sugar and high in calories—some have upwards of 300 calories in a 12 ounce serving. Try making a refreshing fresh fruit cooler instead. There’s no added sugar, and just a small amount of fruit, so this drink is only about 18 calories for each 12-ounce glass.

• 1/2 cup of ice
• 3/4 cup of sugar-free sparkling water
• 1/3 cup of melon or berries
• Chopped mint leaves or citrus slices (optional)

Place ice, sparkling water, and fruit in a blender. Blend until slushy, pour into a glass and garnish with mint or citrus slices. Serves 1.

6. Low-sodium broth or miso

There’s no rule that says we must satisfy our thirst with something sweet. Low-sodium broth can give your body the fluid it needs, and can be a savory and satisfying alternative to a sweet drink. The healthiest choice: Look for a broth that has less than 200 milligrams of sodium per serving. Miso, the Japanese fermented soybean paste, can be quite salty, so look for lower-sodium varieties and use it sparingly.

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Little Time, Big Reward
It doesn’t take much time to prep a meal or several meals for that fact, it just takes concentration and some dedicated effort. Once you get in the habit of prepping, you won’t be able to do without it. What you end up with is less stress about food and more items marked off your “to do” list.

Prep Steps for Success
Here are the steps that you will need to put in place to become a prepping master.

1. Decide what you are going to eat
Start with the next week or 7 days and choose what you’ll eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner for each day. If your family is small, one meal can double as dinner and lunch. You’ll also need to decide on snacks. If you leave them out, you’ll be making trips to the nearest vending machine to satisfy that “hunger monster.”

2. Create your list
Now that you have the meals down, you’ll need to create your shopping list for the ingredients. Use coupons to help you keep down the cost and score even bigger savings. Also include the stores you’ll visit and what you will purchase from each store.

3. Mark the date to shop
Choose a day, date and time to shop for the food on your list. Leave the kids at home or give them their own list of specific items to pick up.

4. Cook ahead
Once you’re home, choose which parts of each meal can be cooked ahead of time. The meats can usually be prepared way in advance and then warmed up when ready to eat. The most important thing is to plan how much time each meal will take to fully complete, then you can break down the different parts accordingly. You don’t want to plan to have a crockpot meal that takes 2-3 hours to start cooking when you get home at 6:00pm.

5. Pack and go
Each morning you’ll wake up happy to know that at least food won’t be a stressor for you. Simply go to the kitchen, choose your meals and go.

Now wasn’t that simple, easy and productive? The only thing better is to do it again for the next 7 days and the next. After about 3 weeks, it’ll get easier and become more a way of life than a task.

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Good afternoon fellow fitness followers!

This is Carol Dunlop of Optimum Body Sculpting bringing you this Friday Afternoon Fit Minute. These fitness tidbits will help you focus on fitness and put your wellness back in your hands so that you ARE the boss.

In today’s Fit Minute we’re talking about: 5 Ways to Eat Better Today

A recent study showed that most people don’t follow the healthy advice they know that they should adhere to. Somehow life always gets in the way.

The solution:  By making just a few changes in your daily life, you can be headed towards the healthier lifestyle you were meant to live. Follow these simple suggestions for living healthier and get started today.

1. Shop for Colors: The next time you’re in the grocery store, make sure you pick up a couple of different colored vegetables. The various colors not only look good, they also provide needed nutrients. So go ahead, have a rainbow in your plate.
2. Keep a Food Journal: You won’t know how you’re doing with eating better unless you track it. Keep a journal so that you know when you’re on track and when you can use a little boost. You can do it!
3. Cut Back on Salt:  You need salt and sodium in your diet, but most people get way too much. Too much sodium intake can lead to bloating and can cause health problems like high blood pressure. When you are shopping be sure to read the labels and check the sodium levels. Choose low salt or no salt added seasonings. Better yet, allow herbs and spices to season your food; this will let the true flavor of the food come right out. One more trick, take the salt off the table, you’ll be less tempted to add more salt if it’s out of sight.
4. Cook Once, Eat Twice: Cook enough food so that you can eat leftovers for lunch. The best part about that is the great meal you cooked the night before can be enjoyed all over again the next day. And, you’ll save money by not having to buy lunch.
5. Count to 3: Make your last meal at least 3 hours before bedtime. This way your tummy will be empty when you go to sleep. This allows your body to concentrate on fat burning and rebuilding tissue all while you dose, instead of trying to digest all that food you just ate.

Do you have questions about how to live the Fit Life? Join me each Tuesday and Thursday on Fit4Life Radio at 1:00pm EST and get answers, tips and real solutions. Log on to www.optimumbodysculpting.com and click on the Fit4Lfe Radio banner at the bottom of the page. Each week we’ll talk about how you can be more fit next week.

That’s it for today; remember you can eat better today and tomorrow, so get started right now. See you next time with another Fit Minute.

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I have created a whole post’s worth of tips and information to help you do just that. So what are you waiting for, get your plate in shape!

Learn How to Cut Back on Salt from this video:

Use the posts below to help you help the whole family to eat better

• The Color Guide to Budget- and Flat-Tummy-friendly Grocery Shopping
• No Heart Attacks Here, Healthy Hearts Only
• Cook using fresh herbs

Have some fun while you learn about food and nutrition with Nutrition Sudoku, Word Searches and other healthy nutrition games

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Creating the Plan for Your Garden

First, you’ll need to decide what foods you will plant and grow in your garden. My suggestion is to create variety; plant vegetables that you like and some that you want to try. Also include herbs and spices; they’ll give your garden a wonderful and fragrant scent. If you team up with some neighbors, each of you can plant different things, then exchange and swap out at harvest time.

Commit to “Workin” it

Plan to work or tend your garden for 30 minutes every day. You’ll reap the benefits by having a bountiful harvest and build some strong muscles in the process. All that weeding, hoeing, picking and watering will strengthen your core, back, arms and shoulder muscles. Not to mention burning some serious calories. For 30 minutes of work, you could burn around 115 calories. You can burn more by either working your garden longer or more strenuously.

Spice Up Your Lunch

One of the best benefits of creating your garden is that you get to eat your results. Use this time to experiment with new recipes. Because you will be taking your lunch regularly, you’ll not only save money, but I bet you’ll lose some excess fat in the process.

Water, Weed and Pick

Make sure you give your garden plenty of water when needed. Conserve water by using a rain barrel to capture rain water and set up a drip irrigation system. Instead of using tonics to get rid of the weeds, pick them yourself. Be careful of your back and all that bending, but you will notice a stronger, flatter core before long. Pick edibles often. Be conscious of when your garden stares to bear fruit. You can prolong your growing season by keeping veggies from getting too large before you pick them.

Can Them for Later

Now that you’ve got all that great food, don’t waste it, can it! With the economy as it is, canning is coming back in style. You can purchase a kit or go on the Internet to search for all the info you need.

Good luck with your new garden and your new body!

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Eating fish makes your brain better, faster and stronger, according to the results of a recent study published in Neurology.

The study measured omega-3 fatty acid levels in the red blood cells of 1,575 older people whose average age was 67. The study participants did not show signs of dementia, were evaluated for mental function and underwent MRI scans.

Researchers said the results showed that participants whose diets contained low levels of omega-3 fatty acids, like those found in fish, such as docosahexanoic acid (DHA) are more likely to have memory problems.

“People with lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids had lower brain volumes that were equivalent to about two years of structural brain aging,” says researcher Zaldy S. Tan, MD, MPH, of the Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research and the Division of Geriatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Since previous studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids are known to reduce inflammation, which helps in the fight against Alzehimers dementia, this new research opens the door for more research on how including fish in your diet can help fight against this dreaded disease.

In addition, for people who aren’t suffering from dementia, including fish as a diet staple has shown to increase brain function, visual memory, processing and abstract thinking.

You no longer have to dread getting older and losing your memory, you can do something about it and maintain a better quality of life.

Other Ways to Keep Your Brain Healthy

Get Moving: “The best advice I can give to keep your brain healthy and young is aerobic exercise,” says Donald Stuss, PhD, a neuropsychologist and director of the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care in Toronto. Exercise helps to ward off mental decline and it may even help to restore memory. Numerous studies on animals have shown that aerobic exercise leads to more blood supply, nutrients and oxygen getting to your brain to help it function better.

Eat Better: Remember, what you feed your body, you feed your brain. Fruits and vegetables are packed with antioxidants that help to neutralize the harmful free radicals that break down the neurons in your brain. Eating good, nutritious food helps to keep your brain in tip-top shape, plus ward off other diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Don’t Stress: I know it’s easier said than done, but constant stress wreaks havoc on your body and your brain. You’re always going to have some form of stress in your life and not all stress is bad. But when it’s constant and uncontrolled, you’re asking for problems. Physical exercise is a fantastic destressor. Try out a Yoga or Pilates class or sign up for some meditation sessions. You’ll feel and look better and your brain will thank you by functioning better.

Laugh More: Don’t roll your eyes, laughter really is good for you. It stimulates the parts of your brain that use the “feel good” chemical messenger dopamine. Laughter is something you can do over and over and over and it always leaves you feeling good. You may even want to try out Laughter Yoga.

Keep your brain healthy, wise and strong with Lee Haney’s Omega 3: Mega EPA DHA. It increases your intake of omega-3 fatty acids ahd helps to reduce inflammation, which has been associated with Alzehimers dementia. You’re never too old to start taking care of your brain,

Learn Something New: Your brain is highly adaptable. If you ask your brain to lean, it will oblige. Learning new things helps to slow down typical brain aging and may even treat dementia. “Your brain is a learning machine,” says Michael Merzenich, PhD, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco. “Anything that closely engages your focus and is strongly rewarding,” says Merzenich, will kick your brain into learning mode and necessarily notch it up. For his part, Merzenich, 64, has “4,000 hobbies,” including a wood shop and a vineyard. With dedicated practice, you can train your brain to act like it did when you were younger.

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