“He who has health has hope and he who has hope has everything”

- Arabian Proverb -

And you better believe it. The world’s leading medical specialists are more and more saying how having a predominantly vegetarian diet has the potential of reducing a string of heart problems, fights cancer, helps induce fat loss and generally improve your health and wellness…

But there’s more to it than that.

My Journey To Healthy Living

My name is Mohana Gill and I was born in Burma, spent many years of my life in Melbourne, before settling down in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I was never an overtly unhealthy person – I enjoyed the multitude of foods available down under and especially here in Malaysia and was never really concerned all that much about what I put in my body.

I have three sons, Sanjeev, Anil and Rakesh. In our family food has always played a significant role. From the time they were babies food was always prepared  at home. My husband and the boys enjoyed a variety of food and were very discerning in their tastes.

Of all my children Sanjeev was the one who was most passionate about food and relished each and every meal. It was fun and heartwarming to see him devour food laid before him. During holidays from boarding school in Melbourne and later from University he would approach each meal with relentless fervour. Our many friends enjoyed taking him out because he would enjoy all genres of food, from hawker stalls to fine dining. I was constantly thinking of ways and means to satisfy his wide ranging appetite.

One day he told me “Mum you are a good cook, but for a gourmet palate like mine I need more exotic and exciting cuisines like venison, partridge and such”. So for me it was fun thinking of different things to feed him, be it in Burmese, Indian, Malaysian style or any other preparations.

One day at the age of 24, for spiritual reasons, he decided to become vegetarian, a strict vegetarian forgoing eggs, gelatin or any food item containing animal products. That was a very challenging time for me, I still wanted him to enjoy the variety of food that he was used to, but at the same time I had to make sure that the food did not have any animal products. I learnt to read labels in all the food items I bought and I realized that a lot of chocolate had lecithin, biscuits had egg white and a lot of food had gelatin.

Baby Steps: Experimenting With Ingredients

I started to experiment with different types of food and learnt to cook food free of animal products.

When I went to live in Australia, I would visit the markets, pick an assortment of vegetables that I was unfamiliar with and experiment. At the end of the day I was always rewarded with “That was tasty Mum”.

To add to this challenge very soon I was faced with yet another. My husband, a doctor began to take a keen and serious interest in healthy living and wellness. Although we had always cooked food I thought of as healthy, it now dawned on me that healthy food could be prepared without compromising taste and variety.

My second son Anil soon became a willing convert to a healthy lifestyle. Accordingly his food preferences changed. I ensured the food laid out on the table met with these high standards of nutrition, variety and taste. This was another phase in my life where I started to pay more attention to ingredients, method and flavor. I wanted the food to be exciting, interesting, tasty yet healthy. I discovered that all I needed was a little imagination, time, a little effort and love and the food was enjoyed by all. I hope that my youngest son Rakesh will follow the path of healthy living, wellness and longevity by adopting these ideas.

Vegetarianism, Taking The World By Storm

Globally, vegetarianism is on the rise, no longer exclusive to parts of Asia and the Indian subcontinent. This ‘green’ revolution has taken place subtly over decades and continues to gather momentum, its pace quickening into the 21st century.

Today the growth of vegetarianism is a matter of choice, primarily a decision based on health. Health researchers have long advocated a reduction in the consumption of meat with many going so far as to recommend a complete cessation of meat. It is widely accepted that there are a host of health benefits associated with meat reduction. Amongst these benefits are a reduction in cholesterol levels and consequently heart disease, reduction in blood pressure levels and reduced risk of cancer and diabetes. While these are just some of the more published benefits there are many others.

The definitive answer to optimal nourishment is the consumption of a variety of produce from the three main food groups i.e. fruit and vegetables, legumes, pulses and seeds and dairy. Each of these food groups and its components has a unique combination of nutrients that work together effectively in providing the mechanism for the smooth operation of the body.

The assortment of vegetables available at the markets of Malaysia to the bazaars of Turkey and beyond is bewildering. These vegetables present themselves with descriptive expression in hues of green, red, yellow and an unrelenting riot of colors. The rich colors and textures of vegetables nourish and protect the human body from not only common diseases and illnesses but are a defense against infection, as they bolster our immune system and fortify our body’s defenses.

Packed with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, they combine to offer us nature’s miracle anti-oxidant, far more potent than any single medication and completely without side effects.

Save The Vegetable, Save The World: The Environmental Benefits Of Crops

In terms of sustainability, the amount of land that we need to clear to grow vegetables is so much less than what is required to raise cattle.

Whereas a field of crops could feed a small village, the same field used to graze cattle could maybe only feed a fraction of that. What’s more, you have to consider the potential food that is wasted as you have to grow feed for the cattle to eat.

Did you know the total amount of grain that is consumed just to raise animals for food is enough to feed the less fortunate of this world?

Secondly, you don’t have as big a carbon footprint when you choose not to contribute to the resource depletion that is caused through the slaughtering of animals for food. It is becoming increasingly popular to choose to become a vegetarian because people object to the harsh treatment of animals that are slaughtered for food.

“A 400-page United Nations report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) states that cattle farming is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gases. The production of cattle to feed and clothe humans stresses ecosystems around the world, and is assessed to be one of the top three environmental problems in the world on a local to global scale.” – [Wikipedia]

How Eating Vegetables Can Help You Live Longer

It has been documented that people who eat an entirely vegetarian diet, or for those who eat more vegetables have been shown to live an average of 10 – 15 years longer than those who do otherwise.

Additionally, the National Cancer Institute estimates that roughly one third of all cancer deaths may be diet-related.

Vegetables have been shown to:

• Reduce the chance of heart disease
• Reduce the chance of getting cancer
• Help people with diabetes

I feel we really need to take care of our bodies’ right from the beginning. Your body is like your home, the house that you live in.

If you build your house with good cement, bricks and mortar, it will stand strong for a long time. Similarly, whatever we put in our bodies, our bodies will become. All the health gurus are singing by the same tune, in that you need to increase your intake of fruit and vegetables.

Some ingredients that have been shown to fight cancer:

• Tea (green and black)
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Broccoli
• Onions
• Carrots
• Papaya
• And the list goes on and on…

Thumbs Up To Your Karma

When you choose to eat a vegetarian diet, you choose life - as nothing needs to die for you to get your meal. The amount of cattle that is slaughtered every month is astounding; at 4.12 billion pounds in the month of July!

In the bigger scheme of things, we’re only on this Earth for a short time and during this time, what do you want to be remembered by?

One Day May Be All You Need To Change Your Life

The question that is asked of me the most often is:

“Is vegetarian food hard to prepare and how do I start implementing it into my life?”

My answer is always the same in that vegetarian food is not difficult to prepare, it takes less time than meat dishes as meat requires more time to cook through, and you can have a full meal ready in less than 5 minutes.

And for those who need some help in implementing more vegetables in your diet, try the following 1 day meal plan, it’s easy to follow yet wonderful for your body:

BREAKFAST

•    1 glass of fresh juice: Any type will do, but try and add some vegetables such as celery or cucumbers blended in with your fruit juice as well.
•    1 bowl of cereal: Add berries or nuts into your cereal to give it a healthy kick. Use multigrain cereal for added goodness.
•    1 serving of papaya or banana

LUNCH

•    1 small bowl of fruits: A small bowl of apple cubes or pears before your lunch would be ideal
•    1 serving of salad with your normal meal: If you like eating pasta for lunch, try a wholegrain pasta with a side of salad. Reduce the serving size of the pasta to accommodate the added vegetables.

DINNER

•    Try the simple recipe below from my cook book Vegemania! (page 118)

Zesty Peppers & Garbanzo Beans

Garbanzo beans or chickpeas are the most widely consumed legumes in the world.

Ingredients

• 1 can garbanzo beans/ chickpeas
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 stalks celery, cut into small pieces
• 1 medium red and green bell pepper/ capsicum each cut into small pieces
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• Juice of one lemon, or to taste
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Chill the serving plates to keep your salad crisp longer
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the beans, celery, peppers and onion
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients and pour over the bean and pepper mixture
4. Stir to combine and chill to serve
5. Optional garnishes: tomato-, cucumber.- and lemon wedges

Preperation time: less than 10 minutes!

The New Millenium of Wellness

In this new millennium, the key words must be wellness and healthy ageing. The population all over the world is ageing and more and more people are celebrating their hundredth birthday. However studies have shown that not all these people are ageing well.

The populations with the highest expectancy and longevity are those found in the Mediterranean and Okinawa, Japan. What is their secret? In the Okinawa study, it showed that it was the rich diet of fruits and vegetables that helped promote longevity. All current research has proven that persons with a rich diet of fruits and vegetables live longer and suffer less from chronic disease and disability.

“Thy food is thy medicine and thy medicine is thy food”

- Hippocrates-

It’s not that hard for you to take that first step in eating a better, vegetable and fruit filled diet, very much like I did so many years ago. With these baby steps, you can truly make a profound change in your life, or even the lives of your closest loved ones.

I’ve always said to my family and friends, ‘your fate is on your plate’ which to me delves straight to the problem yet highlights the solution all at the same time. It really is as simple as that, but you have to make the conscious decision for change…

And what better day to start than on this lovely day?

With that I leave you,

For healthy living, longevity and wellness,

- Mohana Gill.

Click here to download the FREE "Cancer Busting Miracle Foods" Special Report from Mohana Gill (comes with 5 cancer-smashing recipes that are fun and delicious) >>

Think about the last time you went grocery shopping. You probably saw signs like these all over the place: "99% Fat Free", "Low Fat", "Healthy Alternative", or "Non-Fat".

Unfortunately these signs aren't always true. In fact, they could be warnings that you should look further into their nutritional break up.

Find out how the biggest corporations are tricking you and the rest of the world with their creative math and need for profits.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This video left me pretty miffed. What are your thoughts about this form of manipulation?

Yes, that means there'll be a lot of fun and excitement, but it also means there's going to be a long string of excessive eating.

So to prep you for this onslaught of food, here are 3 ways you can keep the weight off while maintaining a healthy and nutritious diet.

1. Eat Healthy Foods

If you're going to binge at least make it healthy binging (if that's possible). Check out this blog post for more on nutritious, yet delicious things you can eat that'll give you health benefits.

Some things that get covered: lime, parsley, and mint!

Click here to find out more >>

2. Shed the holiday weight you've gained as fast as possible

Statistically people only gain 1 pound each holiday season. But unfortunately that 1 pound stays and it keeps adding up throughout your life. So what might seem like a measly pound 1 year will turn into a giant pot belly when you're older.

Check out this video. It's not just for the holidays either. It gives you the 7 fundamentals to maintaining a healthy weight and how to lose weight if you have to.

Lose that holiday pound >>

3. Stop drinking soda pop!

Yeap, these innocent looking things can be deadly. Soda pop is actually detrimental to your health. In fact it hurts your teeth, your weight, can cause diabetes, and hurts the environment.

Sounds like a lot against pop. But if you don't believe me, then check out this article. You might find yourself opting for a nice water and lemon drink instead.

Why pop needs to be kicked out of your diet >>

For those who've never gone to one of Tony's events, they're incredible. And extremely exhaustive. You're basically jumping up and down and screaming for 4-days straight. Not to mention the long hours.

But it's worth it. Self-discovery aside, one of Tony's most important talks was surprisingly about health!

Most of the time, your health or diet are just side notes to the more important stuff like releasing negative beliefs or discovering your passions. But at Unleash The Power Within, Tony dedicated an entire day to just health and diet.

It was a pretty eye-opening speech. Not to mention a little gruesome. Images and videos of debeaked chickens and the disgusting conditions in which they live in sent quite a chill down all our spines. The information was packed and the value was more than enough to last a lifetime, but at the end of the day we were asked to do this 10-day challenge.

At first we all thought it was a little extreme.

But the funny thing now is that half the people at MindValley are doing this 10-day challenge. And even if you're not too keen on your health or figure it's not important enough. Think about it this way. If you want to change the world, fulfill your dreams, live your passions, and accomplish all your goals, you're gonna need energy and a lot of it. And where does that energy come from?

Your body.

If your mind is willing but your body is not, you're going to hit some obstacles. So why put yourself through unnecessary hardship and take care of your body and health. It's not as hard as you think and it'll give you a sense of achievement and power that will make any other goal of yours seem easy.

So if you want to set a new standard for your life and have energy flow into your mind and body, check out this 10-day challenge.

I can't put down every single detail and reason from the entire day but I can give you the most important takeaways from the 10-day challenge so that you can replicate it for yourself.

The 10-Day Challenge:

1. Practice deep breathing. It can be a breathing meditation or just simply take 10 deep breaths 3 times a day.

2. Drink half your body weight in ounces everyday.

3. Eat a diet of water-rich foods. Make this at least 70% of your diet.

4. Supplement your diet with essential fatty acids like Omega 3 and Omega 6. You can get these at any health store or even your supermarket.

5. Make your body more alkaline instead of acidic. This means eat lots of green vegetables. Like green veggies, almonds, avocados, lemons, and limes. And avoid the acid-forming foods like animal meats, dairy products, sugars, and caffeine.

6. Add fresh lemon to your water everyday to help boost your alkalinity.

7. Do 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 3-5 times a week. Walk or swim or jog or even take an aerobics class. Don't forget to figure out your ideal heart rate = 180 - your age.

8. Drink water before and after your meals but never during.

9. Eat in a relaxed state and don't mix carbs and proteins together and have fruit on an empty stomach.

10. Exercise your mind: Show gratitude, think about positive memories and future visualizations.

11. Avoid processed fats, animal flesh, dairy products, and other acid addictions (alcohol, sugars, vinegar, nicotine, whites, and drugs)

I know all that seems a little intimidating but try it and see what happens. You might be surprised at the end of 10 days.

If you've done this before or are trying it, please drop a comment below and tell us exactly what you think about this diet or way of life.

Nobody likes to be told that they're unhealthy (least of all me) but at some point you have to come to terms with what you're doing to your body.

After all, it is a temple, isn't it?

So if you're ready to have a health check, then step up and take the How-Healthy-Are-You Quiz. While it won't give you a detailed medical opinion of your health, it'll give you a rough idea of where you stand on the health-o-meter.

After you finish answering these 7 short questions, scroll down to see your results.

It doesn't end here though. Next week, we've got a special treat for you guys (healthy or not) that's going to be really fun.

Your Scores!

If you said yes to only 1 to 3 questions...

...Then you're probably not getting enough fruits, plants, and grains and are eating too much high-calorie, high fat foods. But don't fret. All that's easily changed.

And if you think you'll never get used to the taste of spinach, whole-grains, and fruits, you'd be surprised. Try a healthy, well-balanced diet for just 2 weeks and you'll be surprised at what your body craves at the end.

If you said yes to 4 or 5 questions...

...Then you're on the right track to having a highly balanced diet. There are still a few things you could improve on but it won't be as hard as you think. Take the time to re-evaluate what your current diet is and where you can make improvements.

Try writing down everything you're eating everyday for 1 week and from there you'll be able to see what areas you can work on. And if you're not getting enough exercise, try walking to work, taking public transport, or even just going up the stairs instead of using the elevator.

If you said yes to 6 or 7 questions...

...Then you're pretty much on the path to perfect health. Of course there's always room for improvement but don't beat yourself up on it. You're already doing a great job.

Keep up the good work and maybe improve your health with some more exercise like running a half-marathon or even a 10-k. If you're already physically active, then think of delicious creative meals you can share with your friends and family so that they can get addicted to healthy living too.

Thanks for taking the quiz. See you next week with a healthy and fun treat that you're gonna want to share with your friends and family.

And for good reason. It doesn't matter if you're doing it for religious reasons or health reasons, fasting can be a way to rejuvenate the body, mind, and soul.

Enjoy these 5 benefits and if you're currently fasting or will be in the near future, drop a comment. I'd love to hear what your reasons were for your decision.

1. Retune your digestive system

Not many people know this but fasting can be a way for you to give your digestive system a tune up. According to Dr. Naomi Neufeld, an endocrinologist at UCLA, "You re-tune the body, suppress insulin secretion, reduce the taste for sugar, so sugar becomes something you're less fond of taking."

What happens is that the body eventually uses up the stored sugar (glycogen) so that less insultin is needed to help the body digest food. And that gives your pancreas a rest.

2. Reduce your intake of free radicals

Mark Mattson, a scientist with the National Institute on Aging, has reported that fasting can reduce your intake of free radicals, which can cause cancer. In fact, according to Mattson, "These free radicals will attack proteins, DNA, the nucleus of cells, the membranes of cells. They can damage all those different molecules in cells."

Even just reducing your calorie intake can have the same effects as a fast. In a study amongst rats and mice, it was noted that those who were fed very little and restricted in their food intake had a reduction in disease compared to those who were fed normal daily diets.

3. Speed up your journey to self-discovery

We are all creatures of habit. And eating, just like smoking and sleeping, is a habit. What happens during a fast is that by taking away such an essential part of your daily routine, you mess up your whole schedule. This sounds bad but it's not. It's really a time to reflect on your routines and give you a pause to think about how you want your life to move forward.

By fasting, you become more conscious of yourself and you can take the time usually spent eating to meditate, journal, or do any other form of reflection.

4. Increase your gratitude

How could you not be grateful to break your fast? And after each day when you do break fast, it's a celebration. A celebration for a completed day of fasting, reflection, and persistence. So rejoice and celebrate your success! Show gratitude to yourself and others.

And when you break your fast, you will be very very happy to taste food again. And contrary to some beliefs, you won't binge on food. In fact you will be more conscious of what you allow into your body and feel gratitude for the food you receive.

5. Launch yourself into your ideal life

Sounds like a pretty big benefit for something as simple as fasting. But it's true. When you begin your fast you can take this time to break old patterns, examine your current situation, and use it as the starting point for a whole new life.

What really makes this possible is that by fasting you are exhibiting control over yourself and your situation. And controlling your eating habits may be one of the hardest things to do. For each day you complete a successful fast, you condition your mind into to believe it can and will do anything. You are training your mind to be successful. And after days of a successful fasting your mind will be neurologically conditioned for success.

So the next time you set a goal for yourself, it'll be easier to attain!

There are tons more reasons why fasting can be good for you and before you begin a fast, check out some resources for the safest and best way to do so.

There's a lot of truth to that and when you think about how you eat as well as what you eat, you might be surprised at what it says about your personality.

It's more than just counting calories and fat content.

Check out this article as it goes through the 7 core aspects of eating. How do you relate to each aspect and what can you eat to improve that area?

Eating with Soul: The Ultimate Seven Steps to Complete Nourishment

From ExploreYourSpirit.com

“We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are.” – Adelle Davis

Eating is an act that no human being can truly escape. We eat throughout the day, many times per day, taking in thousands of pounds of food on every year. One way to view eating is simply an act that provides the body with energy. Another aspect is what we eat and how we eat are anchored more deeply into providing insight as to what in our lives needs healing. Even though I am a nutritionist that has been trained to look at food as calories, what I have discovered is that foods and eating are vehicles to our personal growth.  When someone tells me about their eating, I immediately see the connection to the rest of their lives.

This concept may seem far-fetched, but let me give you some examples:

•    Jean eats convenient foods and can’t find time to prepare meals. A common theme in her life is that she is always on the run. She never has time for anything she really wants to do, including something for herself.  She started to heal after taking a look at what she was running from – and asking the question: where does my focus need to be, and what do I need to make time for?
•    Jim binges on sweet foods. He also talks about how his life feels lackluster and that he never quite “gets around” to having some joy and fun? Looking from the outside in, maybe his life doesn’t seem so “sweet” so he needs to get it from other places. He also feels that he can never make sweetness last in his life – something always stands in the way – ultimately leading him to binge.

Since we eat so often, it becomes only logical that our food choices and eating practices start to intermingle with our lives. Therefore, to get some insight on your life, you can begin by looking at how and what you eat. There are seven main areas of our lives that may require healing, and we can jumpstart the process by altering our foods and eating:

(1) Survival: Do you have some “fear” around eating – whether not wanting to eat because you don’t know what to eat, or distrusting your bodies’ messages about eating ? Do you have difficulty with family traditions around eating and struggle with being able to eat in the presence of a community? By letting go of protecting ourselves with food or of any fear of eating, we open up our ability to trust and feel safe. Eating with others in community is healing for this part of us.

Foods for grounding and protection: Protein, minerals, root vegetables, edible and medicinal mushrooms, red-colored foods (apples, pomegranates, etc.)

To continue reading, click here >>

The bitter sweet addiction that goes on all around us everyday, everywhere. Think about it. When we go to any fast food chain, just look at the sizes of the drinks.

It's a little bit crazy. That's why I'm bringing up this article and documentary. It'll get you thinking the next time you put those two scoops of sugar in your coffee or tea.

From slavery to sugar cartels, it's a documentary you can't miss.

The “SUPER SIZE ME” Sugar Addiction

by Angelique from TheHealersWay.com

Dear Angels,

WARNING: Sugar is a drug. I am serious.

A friend of mine, Morgan Spurlock, made that film Super Size Me.

Little did I know before he made it that he would go on to prove how bad McDonald’s was for you. Even though many of us already knew, like his then girlfriend Alex, now wife.

I remember I was a vegan and Morgan explaining to me some things he’d learned from Alex. It was great to see how probably a little of what he learned from her probably inspired the movie.

Let alone how bad McDonald’s is for our environment as well.

According to recent studies, reduction in meat consumption leads to 30% mortality increase!

THIRTY PERCENT!

Now please, don’t get me wrong, I am not a perfect being on the planet (having been a DJ after all, I think one of the healthiest I know, but I can only speak for myself).

But that’s besides the point. The main point is that if you think about it, we are addicted to sugar and McDonald’s is one of the leading contributors to this damage and to things like obesity. How is that so?

To continue reading and for the documentary click here >>

Fresh water, clean air, sweet fruits, and the list goes on. So Mother Nature certainly isn't going to hold back when it comes to your health.

There are a million natural things out there that can make you feel a whole lot better but here are 5 extremely useful, easy to find, and fun to eat foods and herbs that'll kick start your day and make you a healthier being.

1. Cinnamon

The thought of cinnamon brings back such nice memories. Cinnamon buns and apple cider.  Ahhh. But on the health side, cinnamon is a miracle worker.

This old school spice can help you control your blood sugar (which is linked to heart disease). It also prevents vomiting, relieves flatulence, and is useful for those suffering from diarrhea. On top of reducing your blood sugar level, it also brings down the cholesterol.

Ways to eat: Throw some cinnamon into your coffee, lattes, hot chocolate, or baked goods.

2. Turmeric

Turmeric is chock full of health benefits. It can help with your digestive problems and even your skin complaints. It has also been used for quite some time to relieve menstrual pain.

On top of that, turmeric can be used to treat liver disease, jaundice, and colon cancer.

Ways to eat: Use it in your next curry or make it into a thirst-quenching beverage.

3. Parsley

You find this guy everywhere. Fresh parsley is an herb filled with vitamin C. It has been rumored to prevent tumor-cell growth too. In fact, parsley also aids in digestion and can even relieve itch if applied externally.

This green miracle worker is eaten to cleanse the blood and boost circulation too. And one last thing. Parsley helps to ease muscle spasms.

Ways to eat: Sprinkle it in your soup, use it in a salad, or throw it on as a garnish.

4. Lime

Who could possibly forget lime. Used everywhere in the world, this sour fruit is a life saver. Because of it's high concentration of vitamin C, it was used to cure scurvy during the 19th century.

The leaves of the lime can be infused as an herbal tea is great for headaches. The juice is also known to counter diarrhea. In addition, lime can be used to clear up congested skin and can even stem bleeding from minor cuts.

Ways to eat: Make limeade or squeeze it on top of meats for marinade. You can also use it for salad dressings.

5. Peppermint

Not just a breath freshener, mint is also used to treat morning sickness, nausea, dyspepsia, flatulence, and stomach aches. It's the king of all herbs when it comes to indigestion and cramping.

For those who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, mint will become your best friend. It is scientifically proven to improve the conditions of any IBS sufferer. It can also be used to slow the growth of bacteria and fungi.

Ways to eat: Peppermint leaves make a delicious tea that can soothe a sore throat and improve your digestive tract.

The bad news is we don’t take this ‘holiday’ pound off come January. We slowly accumulate weight through our adult years, which contributes to obesity later in life, as reported in a study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

According to NICHD Director Duane Alexander, M.D., "These findings suggest that developing ways to avoid holiday weight gain may be extremely important for preventing obesity and the diseases associated with it.”

Prior to this study, it was known that Americans gain an average of 0.4 to 1.8 pounds each year during their adult lives. The unknown part was whether they gained weight at a steady rate throughout the year, or just at certain times, such as during the winter holiday season.

To find out just how much of this weight occurred over the holidays, they measured the weight and collected other health information from 195 volunteers. Compared to their initial weight in late September or early October, the volunteers gained just over a pound by late February or early March. Most of the weight gain occurred during the six-week interval between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.

"Although an average holiday weight gain of less than a pound may seem unimportant, that weight was not lost over the remainder of the year," Dr. Yanovski, the lead scientist, said. When 165 of the study volunteers were weighed a year after the study began, they had not lost the extra weight gained during the holidays, and ended the year a pound and a half heavier than they were the year before.

The researchers believe that knowing that people actually accumulate a large proportion of their yearly weight over the winter holiday season may prove useful in treating obesity.

How to Shed the Holiday Pound

Now that the holiday season is winding down, we want to help you shed the holiday pound (or more).

Taking a hard look at your diet is a good place to start. Chances are you’ve been indulging in second helpings of holiday goodies for a last month or more. This is less than ideal for the waistline.
There are some easy changes you can make that will help you lose at least a pound, which will help you reduce your chances of obesity over the long-term.

The video below features Dr. Clay Hyght, a nutrition and training consultant, who is going to elaborate on 7 nutrition fundamentals that will help you maintain a healthy weight.

1. Prepare your meals in advance
2. Eat every three hours
3. Do not eat to get full
4. Eat lean protein with each meal
5. Eat natural foods
6. Do not drink beverages the contain calories
7. Have only one cheat meal per week