The Unhealthy Side to Fruit

You know that healthy weight loss comes as a result of regular exercise and a diet filled with plenty of fruits and vegetables.

But is anything with the word "fruit" or that contains one fruit or another a valid way to meet your fruit quota? No. Here's proof.

Proof One: Fruity, Sweet Cereals
By now, eating bowl after bowl of fruity cereals that leave your milk pink and orange may only be a problem for your kids. But if you're still addicted to the cereals that claim to have some semblance of fruit but are filled with added sugars and calories, it's time for a change. Sure, they may taste good, but sugar-laden breakfast cereals are ruining your fitness results—even if they supposedly have real fruit flavors. Wean yourself from the fruity cereals by chopping some real fruit into a bowl of healthy, sugar-free, cereal.
Have a look at this YouTube video on FAKE BLUEBERRIES.  It will explain what those fruit filled foods are really filled with.  Shocking!!

Proof Two: Fruity Desserts
Your stomach may think strawberry ice cream, raspberry cheesecake, and cherry pie are desserts from healthy heaven, but your mind knows otherwise. Though many desserts that lean on fruit for flavor are unhealthy, there are also many healthy fruit-based desserts to enjoy. Fruit parfait and fruit sorbet are good alternatives. And if you just have to have your cake and eat it with berries too, a light angel food will do just fine. Just make sure the slice of cake is thin.

Proof Three: Fruit Smoothies
Now, now. Don't get all up in arms. All fruit smoothies are not unhealthy. In fact, some of them are quite healthy, giving you a big boost of vitamins and minerals that help you feel energetic and ready to face the day. However, if you dabble too far beyond the healthy fruit smoothie, you can add more sugar than is found in many desserts.

To keep your smoothie nice and healthy, don't add soft-serve ice cream or frozen yogurt, candy, or other items that are obviously high in sugar and unnecessary calories. Rather, keep your smoothie nothing but fruit, ice, almond milk, yogurt, and a nice scoop of protein powder to ensure it is high on the health chart.

Proof Four: (Un)Fruit Juice
Juice can be wonderful. It has great flavor, great color, and great amounts of important vitamins and minerals. At least it does when it is fruit juice. Unfortunately, many drinks claim to be fruit juice, while only containing a very low amount of fruit juice. For these low-fruit fruit juices, sugar and water make up the bulk of the contents, robbing you of the important benefits of all-natural fruit juice.

Keep fruit juice indulgences to a minimum, as even the fruit-only kind is loaded with simple sugars.

Go Natural. To clearly sidestep unhealthy fruit options, go for raw, whole fruits and avoid packaged fruit in any shape or form. These will keep you on track with your fitness and weight loss goal.

Don't forget that true success comes from a combination of a consistent, challenging exercise routine coupled with clean eating.

Happy Day After Thanksgiving!

Are you experiencing food hangover symptoms? Do you somehow find yourself overdoing it on the mashed potatoes and stuffing?

One of the biggest challenges I deal with as a nutritionist and fat loss expert is the issue of fat storage from eating carbohydrates. There is a wide held belief that eating carbs is the WORST thing for fat loss, and for most people these days, that’s 100% true.

It’s not the whole grains fault. It’s our faults. For years and years now we have consumed a diet of processed carbs and high sugar foods. These horrible choices result in our bodies becoming VERY INSENSITIVE to one of the most vital hormones in our body.

Depending on what it’s used for, the hormone INSULIN can either be a huge asset or the devil when it comes to achieving body transformation and fat loss, spoiling all of your efforts and making your will power seem non-existent.

INSULIN'S job is to help keep your blood sugar levels stable by clearing the glucose from your blood stream (after you’ve eaten a carb) and deliver it to your brain, liver and working muscles to be used for energy.

However, this process is usually the exact opposite of what occurs when most people eat carbs these days. 

Getting back to insulin sensitivity and carbohydrate tolerance, which is due to a diet full of processed and blood sugar spiking carbs, most of our clients, especially, menopausal women are unable to lose significant amounts of fat until we resolve this troublesome hormonal problem.

The result of insulin resistance is the reduced ability to burn fat while increasing fat storage but most importantly this condition may lead to Type II Diabetes.

How do you know if you are insulin insensitive or have poor carbohydrate tolerance?

If you answer YES to some or all of the following questions then you need to improve your body’s ability to metabolize carbohydrates.

1. Do you crave carbohydrates?
2. After you eat a meal that includes carbs are you tired, fatigued or have low energy?
3. Do you feel shaky, light headed, nauseous, anxious, irritable when you go longer then 3-4 hours without eating or generally in between meals?
4. Are you always hungry and never feel satisfied after eating?

So how can you increase insulin sensitivity?

One way is to go completely low-carb for an extended period of time. This method helps to repair your insulin receptors to recognize insulin again. This option isn’t realistic or fun for most people and can often lead to binge eating.

Our way of helping clients improve their carbohydrate tolerance is to have them remove the high starchy and higher sugar carbs (fruit, dairy and grains) and replace them with proper portion sized very low glycemic load carbs at specific times of the day.

Some examples of low glycemic load carbs can include:

1. Blackberries and raspberries
2. ½ cup cooked of steel cut oats (not instant or slow cooking)
3. ¼ cup of buckwheat (gluten free too)
4. ½ cup of sweet potato with skin
5. Greek yoghurt (plain)

If you answered YES to any of the questions above and you’ve been trying to lose weight unsuccessfully then its time to get serious and ask me for help. If you ate too much and need a jump-start I’m happy to help. Give me a call at 778-836-3831 to request your complimentary nutrition analysis to get started repairing your hormones and accelerate your fat loss today. 


In good health,
Cheryl Wahl, RHN

I have to share a quick story with you.  The other day, I left the house at 2:30pm to take my son to rugby.  At about 5:00pm I realized that I wasn't going to be home for any length of time until 9:00pm, after yoga.  It was at that moment that I realized I had not even thought about dinner!  Uugh!!  Don't I always tell my clients to plan, plan, plan?  Not only does planning help you eat healthier, but it reduces stress levels dramatically!  Clearly, I wasn't following my own advice and I was stressed!

The story turns out okay because I had some chili in the freezer that I could defrost (LAST week I did some planning and made a double batch!).  We all lead busy and hectic lives and if I am going to be of any help to others, I need to become more organized and use my time more efficiently.  I need to take advantage of the tools that are on the internet (hello Aweber!), which will help me set up and plan my weekly emails, and reduce my stress in the meantime (who doesn't want THAT!).

So, please take a moment out of your day and subscribe to my weekly newsletter. As a thank-you, I will send you "The Thanksgiving Day Survival Guide" e-book with some tips on how to maintain your weight over the holidays, as well as some mouthwatering recipes that might become your family's new favourite! 

Thanks again for all of your support, comments and suggestions, I really appreciate it. 

In good health, 
Cheryl Wahl, RHN