Annually observed on October 22^nd, National Nut Day celebrates the healthy nutritious snack that is the nut. Filled with healthy fats, proteins, and energy, nuts have been primary sources of nutrients for humans and animals alike throughout the years. The reason for this is because of their ability to resist decay throughout the winter.

Since ancient history, nuts have been in the human diet. Nuts are excellent sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, selenium, potassium, magnesium, folate, copper, and vitamins E and B2, among other nutrients. According to several dietary studies, people who regularly consume raw unsalted nuts are less likely to suffer coronary heart disease. Nuts like almonds and walnuts, for instance, can help lower LDL cholesterol levels.

Where Did We Go Wrong?

We had a good thing going by eating raw nuts, but then we decided to start roasting them and covering them with artificial flavorings, sugars, salt, and array of chemicals. What was wrong with the regular almond or walnut, people? When you eat nuts with all of these processed ingredients, the nutritional properties essentially cancel out. You’ll be consuming excess sodium that can lead to cardiovascular disease, instead of fighting cardiovascular disease by eating raw nuts!

Sorry we went on that rant…but it was necessary. To help you celebrate National Nut Day, we are giving you some of our favorite recipes!

Swiss Chard Pesto With Almonds:

Basil is not the only green with which you can make pesto. This pesto is extremely nutritious and flavorful. Make sure to remove the thick stems from the chard to avoid a bitter taste.

Click here to make the recipe.

Raw Walnut Herb Pate:

This walnut herb pate is great to have while you are cleansing because it is filled with protein and healthy fats. Use it as a dip or a spread on a raw vegan wrap.

Click here to make the recipe.

Garlic Lime Cashew Zoodles:

You have to have a sauce that is on point if you are going to make a zoodle dish. This sauce is out of bounds and you can crank up the heat by adding more chili paste.

Click here to make the recipe.

No Bake Almonds Butter Coconut Bites:

If you are in the mood for a healthy, nutritious, and filling snack, make this recipe today. It is slightly sweet with a satisfying nutty flavor.

Click here to make the recipe.

Raw Walnut Brownies:

Packing a lot of flavor, these raw walnut brownies are just as delicious as the unhealthy, chemically processed brownies you shouldn’t eat.

Click here to make the recipe.

Sources:

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/nut-day/

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-nut-day-october-22/

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The color of stool can vary, although it most commonly falls in the brown color spectrum. Whether you know it or not, the foods you eat can affect the color of your stools, the rate of digestion, and the frequency of your bowel movements. Seldom will you look at your stool to find that the color indicates a potentially serious condition, but it can happen.

Note: While we are providing the possible explanations of stool colors in this article, you should consult your medical professional if you are concerned about the color of your stools.

The problem with most people is that they don’t take the time to look (or even glance) at their stools. Your poo can tell you a lot about your health, people! The color can indicate nutritional deficiencies and the consistency may inform you that a dietary intervention must be made.

Consistency:

Stool should not be difficult to pass; rather, it should be relatively soft and easy to eliminate. If you are struggling to pass stool and the stool that is passed is hard and dry, you are most likely constipated. You may need to cleanse the body if constipation lasts longer than two weeks. You can also visit your medical professional for advice. The reason you don’t want to let constipation go unaddressed is because the mucus and fluid from stool, which becomes lodged in the colon, can leak into the blood or organs. You do not want this to happen.

Watery or loose stools, on the other hand, indicate diarrhea. If diarrhea increases in frequency and is accompanied by fever or severe abdominal pain, you may need to contact your health care professional. For more information about what the color means, look at the chart below.

There are other reasons that stools may have a color change. Eating a lot of carrots and sweet potatoes can result in a slightly orange stool, for instance. If you are ever worried about the color, consistency, or frequency of stools, contact your medical professional for help or advice.

Sources:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/9663-stool-changes-what-do-they-mean-when-should-i-see-a-doctor

https://www.mayoclinic.org/stool-color/expert-answers/faq-20058080

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Think of this chia pudding as the perfect, raw vegan substitute to a cinnamon raisin bagel. You can get fancy with your raw toppings or you can simply follow the recipe. This makes for the perfect on-the-go breakfast if you are running late.

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It can be difficult for the average person obtain the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Satisfy three servings of fruit and one serving of vegetables by consuming this green smoothie for breakfast. You won’t even taste the greens!

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For most people, Friday afternoon is a marker of freedom, a time to go out, binge-watch TV shows, and relax. Sadly, this means that any efforts that were put towards eating healthy and exercising fall by the wayside on the weekend. While it is completely natural to relax on the weekend, you are not excused from sticking to your weight loss goals.

Statistically, adults dramatically increase their intake of fat, alcohol, and calories on the weekend. Different studies have found that weight gain occurs on the weekend due to the higher caloric intake and decreased physical activity.

Why Does The Weekend Get You Off Track?

During the week, most people have a regular routine that provides structure. The weekend, on the other hand, has no structure and allows you to break free from your regular routine and cut loose. The lack of routine, however, can lead to unnecessary snacking out of boredom and can derail any motivation to exercise. While the weekend is a time to reward yourself after a long workweek, it is integral to focus on non-food rewards to prevent weekend weight gain. You’ll find simple changes you can make to your weekends to help you stay healthy below.

Don’t Play Catch-up With Sleep:

Everyone should get their 7-8 hours to keep the body healthy. While it may sound appealing, sleeping all day is a surefire way to disrupt the circadian rhythm, which helps with the regulation of hunger hormones known as leptin and ghrelin. Disrupting the rhythm can cause you to crave fatty foods or unnecessarily increase appetite. The desire to sleep all day is a sign that the body is sleep-deprived, which is why it is optimal to keep your bedtime and wake-up time within one to two hours of your normal sleep schedule. And don’t gorge on carb-centric breakfasts that you don’t normally eat during the week. Stick to oatmeal, chia pudding, or smoothies to avoid blood sugar spikes.

Don’t Save Treats For The Weekend:

Depriving yourself of treats you enjoy during the week can lead to over-indulgence on the weekend. While we don’t encourage cheating all the time, it is crucial to incorporate small tastes of foods you enjoy a few times throughout the week. A little piece of dark chocolate won’t derail your health goals, but a giant bar of it will. If you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, check out our healthy dessert options by clicking here.

Don’t Think The Weekend Is All About Partying:

You always have to remember that alcohol is loaded with calories. It also impairs your healthy decision making ability, which is why many late nights lead to pizza, tacos, or fast food. If you are going to go out, try to pick a place with healthy food options, which you can share with friends. Guacamole, hummus & pita, poke with chips, or roasted Brussels sprouts make great bites to share. Try to limit yourself to two drinks and aim to turn in within two hours of your bedtime during the week.

Don’t Fear The Weekend Workout:

If you are the type of person who enjoys exercising, let your weekend be a time to visit the gym. If the weather permits and you are into outdoor activities, schedule time during the weekend for things like mountain biking, surfing, hiking, kayaking, trail running, or cycling. It doesn’t have to be that intense, though. Try to do some form of physical activity for an hour on Saturday and an hour on Sunday. You’ll still have ample time to relax if you follow this plan.

Don’t Go Out For Every Meal:

When you go out to a restaurant with family or friends on the weekend, you can expect to overeat and load up on a high-calorie meal. While there are healthy restaurants, you should try to cook most of your weekend meals. If you meal prep during the week, apply some of that effort toward your weekend meals. Don’t let portions get out of hand and make sure you are satisfying your fruit and vegetable servings you need each day.

Sources:

https://www.fooducate.com/app#!page=post&id=55BB6616-CCD0-EA52-4A83-A383BBF22FE7

https://www.myfooddiary.com/blog/how-to-avoid-weekend-weight-gain

https://www.health.com/weight-loss/stop-weekend-weight-gain?slide=419766#419766

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Everyone has their own approach to succeeding on the Full Body Cleanse. Some like to make meals every day and some people like to prep meals for the entire week. We suggest batch prepping for anyone looking to save time in the kitchen. You don’t have to dive in the deep end and prep every meal and snack for every day of every week, but it isn’t a bad idea to prep at least one meal a week to help you stay on track.

Most people wish they could have more time in the morning. You never want to feel like you are in a rush, although panic is inevitable when you look at the clock, only to realize that you don’t have breakfast and you should have left ten minutes ago. The best thing you can do for yourself while cleansing is to prep smoothies to shave time off your mornings. When you have a smoothie bag ready to go, you don’t have to think about what to make and it takes less than five minutes to remove from the freezer, add to the blender, and blend it up. Plus, you get to eat a healthy breakfast without reverting to something that is not cleanse-approved.

It is best to start on a small scale so that you don’t fall off the meal prep wagon. The problem with being overzealous is that you are likely to stop meal prepping. Start simple by following this prep, which will provide you with one smoothie for each day of an entire week. That equates to seven breakfasts. The flavor of the smoothie can change by adding different quantities of the different berries.

Groceries To Buy:

• 1lb bag of spinach
• 1 big bunch kale
• 2lb clamshell of strawberries
• 1lb clamshell of blueberries
• 1lb clamshell of blackberries
• 7 bananas
• sealable quart-sized sandwich bags

Ingredients For Each Smoothie Bag:

• 1 cup spinach
• ½ cup kale leaves, washed and big stems removed
• 1 cup berries of your choice (you can mix all of them or use a variety you prefer)
• 1 banana, sliced

Instructions:

• Place the ingredients for one smoothie in a sealable quart-sized sandwich bag. Seal the bag and place in the freezer. Repeat this for the rest of the six smoothies.
• In the morning, remove one bag from the freezer and empty the contents into your blender. Add 1 cup of filtered water and blend until you get a smoothie consistency. Enjoy your smoothie!

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Did the ketogenic diet scare you away from eating fruit? Despite what you may have read, keto-approved fruit is a real thing. The keto diet does not make you to say goodbye to fruit forever, but it is integral to know that not all fruits are keto-friendly.

Many fruits have a high fructose content, and fructose is a big “no no” for people trying to remain in ketosis. Excess fructose is metabolized by the liver, which turns it into fat that typically gets stored in the abdominal area. Fructose-rich fruit need to be omitted from the keto diet in order to avoid blood sugar spikes, which releases insulin (also known as the fat storage hormone). You don’t want your body retaining fat if you are trying to kick it into ketosis.

Why Must You Limit Sugar?

Processed sugar and sugar in fruit are far from the same thing. Sugar is a carbohydrate, and the goal is to drastically limit carbohydrates on the keto diet. Excess sugar consumption can lead to blood sugar spikes, causing you to crave foods you are trying to avoid on keto. Sugar has the ability to trigger the reward and craving areas in the brain, similar to the effects of addictive drugs.

While high-sugar fruits like bananas, apples, mangos, watermelon, and peaches should be avoided on keto, not all fruits are bad. Yes, fruit must be limited, but it is not forbidden to eat certain low-sugar fruits. The important thing is keeping track of your net carb intake. Remaining in ketosis means that carbs should only comprise 5-10% of your total caloric intake each day. You calculate your net carbs be subtracting fiber from total carbs. There is no reason to count fiber on keto because it doesn’t impact blood glucose levels. That’s why you pay attention to net carbs. Now that you know all that, let’s explore the best keto fruits.

Avocados:

Avocados probably have fewer carbs than any other fruit. They should be a staple in every keto person’s diet because of the healthy fats, minerals, fiber, protein, and vitamins they contain. When you consider that half of a medium avocado only has one gram of net carbs, you can see why it is the ultimate keto fruit.

Olives:

With only one gram of carbs per 100 grams, olives were made to be on the keto fruit list. Olives, specifically extra virgin olive oil, contain heart-healthy fats that can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Olives are also beneficial for bone health!

Blackberries:

Blackberries are rich in powerful antioxidants that help to reduce inflammation and fight free radicals in the body. They contain 4.9 grams of carbs per 100 grams and they actually lower blood glucose levels. Make sure to include blackberries in your keto diet!

Tomatoes:

The great thing about tomatoes is that you can include them in myriad recipes. They are rich in micronutrients and contain a cancer-fighting carotenoid known as lycopene. They only contain 2.7 grams of carbs per 100 grams!

Star Fruit:

This tropical fruit is not always available, but you should get your hands on it when it is. Rich in powerful antioxidants and electrolytes, star fruit contains 4.2 grams of carbs per 100 grams. It is amazingly delicious and is a great source of vitamin C.

Coconut:

If you have been on keto for a while, you should already have coconut oil or coconut milk stocked in your pantry. Coconut is the perfect ingredient for fat bomb recipes, and it is useful for making low-carb snacks. Coconut meat contains only 6.25 grams of carbs per 100 grams, and it is rich in medium-chain triglycerides, which the body uses for instant energy production.

Other Keto-Approved Fruits:

• Lemons & Limes
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Gooseberry
• Blueberries

Sources:

https://ketogasm.com/low-carb-fruits-list-carbs-in-fruit-keto/

https://www.perfectketo.com/fruit-on-keto/

https://www.coolwebfun.com/keto-fruit-list/

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Sun-dried tomatoes are amazing and can be used in a plethora of recipes. If you have a newfound love with your dehydrator, you are going to appreciate having this recipe in your life. It is extremely simple to dehydrate them, but they need a slightly higher temperature, so they aren’t Full Body Cleanse approved.

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There is no reason to feel guilty about having a mid-afternoon snack session. Actually, you should be able to snack guilt-free no matter what day it is. Provided you are snacking on the right foods, snacking is a great way to keep you energized between your three primary meals.

There are unhealthy snacks and there are healthy snacks. We are certain that you are familiar with the unhealthy snacks, almost all of which contain some combination of hydrogenated oils, sugars, processed ingredients, and an array of chemicals and dyes. Most Americans have been conditioned to eat those unhealthy snacks for fuel, but they do not actually provide any nutrition. In fact, they perpetuate cravings instead of curbing them, which is not the point of snacking. Snacking should satiate you, give you energy, and keep you from eating excess calories.

Snacking healthily does not have to be complicated. Check out the following snack ideas, all of which are under 150 calories.

Frozen Grapes:

Grapes are actually great sources of potassium, vitamin K, and fiber. They also contain polyphenols that have been known to slow the growth of tumors in lymph, breast tissue, the colon, and the liver. For a healthy snack, eat one cup of frozen grapes. It’s like eating a dessert and a snack at the same time.

Carrot Sticks With Hummus:

Get your vitamin A intake up with this healthy snack! Regularly consuming carrots has been linked to better eye health and lower cholesterol levels. Eat 10 baby carrots with two tablespoons of hummus to fuel you between meals.

Spinach Strawberry Salad:

The great thing about spinach is that it is extremely low in calories. It is also a great source of magnesium, chlorophyll, iron, and vitamin K. The vitamin C content in strawberries is beneficial for a healthy immune system. Mix one cup of spinach with a half-cup of sliced strawberries. Drizzle one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar over it and you’re good to go.

Jicama Sticks:

Jicama is made up of almost 90% water and it is naturally low in calories. Consuming jicama can be beneficial for the immune system because of its high magnesium, potassium, and vitamin C content. Toss 1.5 cups of raw jicama cubes in a teaspoon of lemon juice and a pinch of chili powder for a snack that packs a little heat.

Celery Sticks And Almond Butter:

Because peanut butter is hard on the digestive system, we are using almond butter in this classic snack. Celery is rich in water and very low in calories, while almond butter is rich in healthy fats and protein. Get two tablespoons of raw almond butter and evenly disperse it over five or six celery sticks.

Sources:

https://thefitimpact.goherbalife.com/Content/Article/en-us/content/5-healthy-snacks-for-150-calories-r-less?scheme=/public

https://www.beachbodyondemand.com/blog/snacks-150-calories

https://www.cookinglight.com/food/recipe-finder/low-calorie-snacks#low-calorie-peanut-butter-chocolate-dipped-pretzels

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