Nutrition

By following these nutritional recommendations, you help increase your likelihood of success with the SafSlim plan, and most importantly, promote your overall health.*

Note that these are recommendations only. Please check with your healthcare professional before beginning a reduced calorie diet program.

Incorporate the following into your daily diet:

• Calcium-rich dairy products. Milk, cheese, and plain/natural yogurt are rich in calcium, which research has shown can boost fat reduction by increasing the breakdown of fat cells. Scientists have discovered that eating three servings of dairy products per day helped overweight people lose more belly fat than those on a similar diet minus the dairy. If you are lactose intolerant (you have difficulty digesting the sugar in milk), you may want to use Lactaid or enzymes that are beneficial for breaking down milk sugars.
• Nuts. Nuts are rich in protein and healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats, help keep you feeling full, increase leptin levels and increase your body’s ability to burn fat.
• Protein. You may want to add protein to healthy carbohydrates at each meal. Also consider adding protein shakes to your diet, either as meal replacements or as snacks.◊
• Fiber. Fiber-rich foods, when used as part of your diet, help maintain healthy blood sugar levels, keep your tummy feeling full, curb appetite, and help maintain healthy digestion.
• Green tea. Green tea helps speed up your metabolism and assists your body in burning more fat than carbohydrates for energy, which will help reduce unsightly belly fat. Drink several cups per day.
• Apples. Apples contain pectin, which is thought to restrict cells from absorbing fat. Pectin also encourages water absorption from food, which helps break up fat deposits.
• Healthy fats. Healthy fats like omega-3s from fish oil help improve your cells’ ability to burn fat more efficiently. Incorporate 1000 mg of omega-3 in supplement form into your daily routine.
• Chilies or cayenne pepper. These spicy delights contain capsaicin, which increases metabolism. Because these types of pepper are thermogenic, they will help the body burn extra calories after eating.◊ They also satisfy your taste buds.
• Greens. Veggies are broken down slowly in the body, thus helping to maintain normal blood sugar levels and ultimately resulting in less fat storage. Vegetables also have high water and fiber content, which helps promote the feeling of fullness, reduces hunger, and decreases calorie intake.◊
• Water. Drink plenty of water to help keep your cells hydrated, your metabolism revved, and your tummy feeling full.

Replacing refined carbs with fiber-rich carbohydrates; saturated and trans fats with healthy fats; adding protein and fiber; eating five small meals a day; and drinking eight glasses of water daily are all essential to your belly fat reduction efforts.

Good Fats

Healthy fats are easily consumed from a variety of sources. Avocadoes, dark green leafy vegetables, fatty fish, nuts, seeds, olives, and unrefined expeller-pressed oils are rich in essential fatty acids. They may help maintain a healthy blood sugar level and promote insulin sensitivity when added to your diet.

Adding Good Fats to Your Diet

• Eat cold-water fatty fish such as wild salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, or anchovies two times per week. The American Heart Association recommends this to promote a healthy cardiovascular system. If you don’t like the taste of fish, try a toxin-free fish oil supplement.
• Aim for one gram of omega-3s per day. The American Heart Association recommends up to three grams of omega-3s per day to lower triglycerides.
• Consume a GLA supplement, for example borageoil, to ensure proper levels of the healthy anti-inflammatory omega-6.
• Flax seeds are the best sources of omega-3s in the plant kingdom.
• Eat walnuts, Brazil nuts, butter nuts and macadamia nuts.
• The greener the better. Dark green leafy vegetables are good sources of omega-3s. Include romaine lettuce, mixed greens, spirulina, purslane, kale, Swiss chard, and arugula.
• Make your own salad dressing using flax oil.
• Avoid refined grocery store oils. These oils are heavily processed and contain an abundance of unhealthy omega-6s. Use extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and macadamia nut oil as your primary cooking oils.
• When possible, consume free-range meat, which contains higher levels of omega-3s than grain-fed meat. The grain fed to the animals is rich in pro-inflammatory omega-6s, which changes the fatty acid profile of the meat and leads to fat imbalances.
• Incorporate more essential fatty acids from nuts, seeds, fatty fish, and green leafy vegetables as well as the healthy omega-9 fats from olive oil and avocadoes.
• Decrease your consumption of refined carbohydrates, including white sugar, white rice, and white pasta.
• Increase your consumption of fiber-rich carbohydrates.
• Choose high-quality proteins and balance protein foods at snack and meal times.

Protein

How much protein should you eat? Three to seven servings of meat, dairy, fish, and meat alternatives, such as legumes and beans, is a good start.

The recommended daily requirement for protein for adults is 50-70 grams of protein per day (depending on whether you’re female or male). If you are very physically active and/or trying to lose weight, you may want to increase your consumption of protein up to higher levels (i.e.,1 gram/kg body weight). Your overall aim for your food choices should be about 15-20 percent of your calories from protein, 45-50 percent from fiber-rich carbohydrates, and no more than 25-30 percent from fat (remember to focus on the mono- and polyunsaturated fats).

Fiber and Carbohydrates

Research has shown that we live in a fiber-deficient society. The majority of North Americans consume only one-quarter to one-half of the Institute of Medicine’s recommended fiber levels of 38 grams per day for men and 25 grams per day for women. In fact, the average daily fiber intake is only 12 grams for women and 18 grams for men.

Eating fiber-rich foods is one of the simplest and easiest ways you can shrink your belly. Fiber gives your metabolism a boost and keeps you feeling full so you don’t overeat. Consider the following:

• Buy “whole grain” versions of your favorite foods, including breads, cereals, and pastas.
• Eat more dishes made with beans and legumes.
• Learn to incorporate a variety of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables (fresh or frozen) into your recipes.
• Start the day with whole grains. If you’re partial to hot cereals, try old-fashioned or steel-cut oats or barley.
• Use whole-grain breads for lunch or snacks. Check the label to make sure the whole wheat or other whole grain is the first ingredient listed.
• Experiment with beans, legumes, and lentils by including them in dishes such as chili, soups, and salad.
• Eat unlimited amounts of vegetables. Most veggies are so low in carbohydrates that they have no measurable effect on blood sugar levels. Vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, and onions can be considered “free foods.” Even in large amounts, they have no effect on blood sugar levels.
• Decrease your consumption of refined carbohydrates, including white sugar, white rice, and white pasta. Increase your consumption of fiber-rich carbohydrates.
• Combine proteins with fiber-rich carbohydrates to help support a normal blood sugar balance and promote insulin sensitivity.¹