10 Food Tricks in 10 Minutes to Get Back On Track!

September 7, 2020
Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

Award-winning nutritionist and New York Times bestselling author.

For way too many of us, eating healthy for a fast metabolism and losing weight has taken a back seat during the pandemic. And now it is time to get back on track! Many of you want easy tips for slimming and immune building so I recently did a short video about the fastest ways to transition to a healthier eating plan for life!

Here are my Top 10 Food Tricks to Get Back on Track.

1. Unsweetened Cranberry Juice (Cran-Water)

This signature Fat Flushing beverage is full of proanthocyanidins and phenols that helps strengthen connective tissue, protect blood vessels from free radical damage and lessen the appearance of cellulite and varicose veins. The acids in cranberries can purge your lymphatic system and they get rid of stagnant fluids and waste. They also clean the urinary tract, help digestion and keep the colon healthy by providing an acidic environment that is inhospitable to pathogens, allowing probiotics to live happily in your gut. It is important to charge, recharge, and discharge. I recommend 4 ounces of cran-juice combined with 28 ounces of water twice per day to get these benefits.

2. Organic Hibiscus Tea

Chock-full of phytonutrients and disease fighting antioxidants, this herbal tea can help clean out your arteries to keep you heart healthy. Try sipping 3 to 4 cups per day to keep heart disease at bay.

3. Horseradish

Ah, welcome to my mother’s favorite specialty condiment – a cousin of the mustard family. As I speak so much about in my book – Radical Metabolism, it is a bitter herb, which is so good for your bile and gallbladder. It also has ten times the cancer-fighting power of broccoli due to chemoprotective compounds called glucosinolates that flip the switch on cancer-fighting genes in your body This, in turn, means it can take away that temptation to eat salty foods (too much sodium can cause bloat). I recommend ¾ to 1 teaspoon in dips, salad dressings, sauces – and even for an extra pizzazz in meat loaf like my mom has made. Horseradish is what kept my family going for more than half a century!

4. Mustard

Mustard is thermogenic spice which plays a role in regulating body weight. Did you know that a mere teaspoon of dried mustard has a 25 percent metabolic-raising effect up to three hours after ingestion? Mustard is not only tasty, it can help you burn more calories and control blood sugar levels. If you put a little bit in your dips, salad dressings, and sauces – like horseradish – it will help you burn fat.

5. Pickles

Kosher dill pickle, anyone? Savoring a pickle was a trick I learned when I was Director of Nutrition at the Pritikin Center for more than three year. During the low-fat diet craze, people suffered from cravings for sweets. My sour-sweet remedy was the pickle prescription! And it seems that something sour would take away the need for something sweet with empty calories. Try Bubbies.

6. Mesquite Spice

Speaking of treating our taste buds to fill up but not out, I found mesquite spice online. It has a special deliciousness! You don’t need a lot of pepper or salt (more sodium). So, substituting mesquite spice can help to ward off retaining water weight. Bonus: If you use this spice on grilled fish or poultry it can help reduce glycation aging. You can find the seasoning at this website High Quality Organics Express.

7. Cream of Tartar

The reason I’m choosing this – a recipe staple to bond ingredients — is because you can also use it as an add-in for smoothies. A pinch of the powder provides a beneficial source of potassium. The more of this mineral in your diet, the more revved up the thyroid will be. If you have too much calcium it slows down your thyroid. I put ¼ teaspoon in a smoothie every morning to ward off a sluggish thyroid.

8. Root Veggie Burgers

Forget that hamburger! I just discovered Hilary’s Root Veggies Burgers. These are tasty root vegetable burgers including cooked whole grain millet – a whole grain that I love. Millet is good to keep your liver and spleen happy and healthy.

9. Bitter Apricot Kernels

And coming to a near end of my food tricks and tips is something I suggest everyone to have in their kitchen. Bitter apricot kernels contain vitamin B17, commonly known as amygdalin or laetrile (which can have anti-inflammatory properties and can act as a natural disease fighter). A few goes a long way in delivering the benefits of them. I eat just 3 kernels per day. Be careful not to eat more, as tempting as it may be.

10. Yeast Cleanse

When we are under stress, we all need comfort food. I found taking a little bit of Y-C Cleanse, a homeopathic yeast and Candida remedy to help belly bloat and quell cravings of sweets and carb-rich foods. I recommend 1 teaspoon in the morning before breakfast and 1 teaspoon in the evening. Bonus: Another food trick to kick cravings to the curb is a natural probiotic like the powdered form found in Flora-Key from Uni Key Health. I put it on whole grain popcorn mixed with coconut oil. It was my version of yummy “caramel corn”!

So all of my slim down food picks can be found at your grocery store or online. For more information detailing what other helpful herbs and spices are hiding in your kitchen spice rack, check out this podcast interview, “The Cures Are in the Cupboard” with Dr. Cass Ingram.

Stay safe, slim and well!

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Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS, is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty books including The Fat Flush Plan series and her latest book, Radical Metabolism. She’s been rewriting the rules of nutrition for more than 40 years and is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the field of diet, detox and women’s health issues. 

For a FREE daily dose of tips and strategies for maintaining healthy weight, conquering insomnia, and much more…check out my Radical Health Tips.

I’d like to meet and greet you on my Facebook groups, so won’t you check us out at the Radical Metabolism RevolutionFat Flush Nation, or my Inner Circle!

3 Comments

  1. Lisa

    I learned so much from these tips. I am excited to try the cream of tartar and horseradish.

    Reply
  2. Cindy

    The text for numbers 1 & 2 are the same – both for the cran-water. Would like to see what you have to say about number 2 – the Hibiscus tea!!!

    Reply
    • Team ALG

      Thank you Cindy, it has been corrected now.

      Reply

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