The #1 Nutrition Trap to Avoid

You've been feeling pretty good lately;  maintaining your ideal weight and working out regularly. Yay! But before you get too comfortable, I want to tell you about the #1  nutrition trap you need to avoid. If you truly want a healthy lifestyle and want to keep it, this is a rule you MUST follow.

EAT!  Don't Skip Meals

I know, I know. You have heard this before, but if you don't eat, there is no way you can maintain a healthy weight and feel good over time.

It happens. Sometimes you get so busy that lunch falls by the wayside or you spend so much time getting the kids awake, dressed and out the door for school that you forget to eat breakfast, but skipping meals is a major no-no, especially if you're doing it deliberately to cut calories.

The problem with skipping meals is two-fold.

The first is that you aren't getting the nutrients and energy your body needs to function.  Think of your body as a car. It would be sputtering by lunch if you forgot to gas up in the morning.

Second, the longer you go without food, the more you're likely to eat just about anything you can get your hands on. This will typically be the carbs and sugars that pack on the pounds. It's much easier to say no to tempting food when you're not starving.

So the most important thing you can do is EAT. That's right. Try it every 3 hours for practice. If you build healthy snacks (ones with a good protein, good fat, and healthy carb like fruit or veggies), you can't go wrong.

Here are a few snack ideas you can try:

- Apples or celery with peanut butter or almond butter (natural with just the nuts and salt - no Skippy!)

- Crunchy veggie sticks (like cucumber, celery, pepper, etc) and dip (hummus or tabouli)

- Banana, split lengthwise, with nut butter spread in the middle (my favorite!)

- Chopped tomatoes, avocado, onion, olives, and basil with 1 Doctor Kracker (can find these at Whole Foods)

Do you tend to skip meals?  If so, what snack idea will you try?

Lisa Consiglio Ryan is a Certified Health and Nutrition Coach for busy, active women and their families. Areas of expertise include weight loss, stress management, detox programs, and special diets such as vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free. Services include private consulting and group seminars.

Contact Lisa at Whole Health Designs for more information on health coaching programs: http://www.wholehealthdesigns.com.

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