My Indulgent Chocolate Dessert Recipe To Help You Lose Weight

By Paul Scicluna

Having worked in the health and weight loss industry as a certified personal trainer, nutrition specialist, and health coach, I've had so many clients tell me they love their desserts or a chocolate or sugar fix. Yet, when they want to lose weight they don't want to give them up.

So that's why my absolutely delicious chocolate dessert was created. It doesn't contain the bad fats, sugars, additives and chemicals that most desserts do. This is just one of my many healthy desserts that tastes amazing, is packed full of goodness and could help you lose weight - yes, that's right. Plus, it's so simple to make. Read on to find out more.

I usually tell my clients that they can have a "day off" per week from their weight loss meal plan. So on that day off, they think by having a sweet treat labelled "low fat", "no fat", "fat free" or "99% fat free" then that's OK. Well the truth is, no it's not OK! Why?

Most companies label their products with these words to lure you into buying their so-called healthy desserts or sweet treats. But in actual fact, they are more often than not unhealthy. They won't help you to lose weight to get the body you want, even if it's labelled as low fat desserts, for example.

By reducing the fat content it makes the food item taste bland or even bad, so they put other additives in such as artificial sweeteners and the like in order to improve the taste.

However, by doing this you end up with a dessert or "treat" that's loaded with all sorts of nasty ingredients like flavor enhancers, additives, preservatives, fillers and emulsifiers. And unfortunately these supposedly healthy low calorie desserts that may actually contribute to weight gain right through to messing with your hormones.

It's always better to go for the healthy option even if it's a dessert.

So here's my super indulgent and one of my most popular healthy dessert recipes:

Delicious Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

• ¼ cup pitted medjool dates
• ¼ cup honey (preferably raw)
• 1 vanilla bean seeds
• 1 avocado, chopped
• ¼ cup cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil (optional)
• ¼ cup water
• Pinch of salt

Method

Blend the dates, honey and vanilla bean seeds in a food processor until smooth. Add the avocado, cacao powder, coconut oil, water and salt and process until creamy.

Decorate with fresh strawberries if you like.

Now see how simple this dessert recipe is, as well as containing all truly natural ingredients - it's healthy and will satisfy your chocolate and sweet desires. I've even had clients say their children loved it and they no longer ask for sweets like unhealthy ice-creams.

What makes it even healthier is that it doesn't have bad ingredients in it and it tastes amazing. The avocado gives it a lovely creamy texture. Yes, the avocado does contain fat but it's the good fats that everyone needs. Even if you're trying to lose weight you need good fats to help your body function. Good fats are essential to a healthy body.

So it really is one the healthy desserts that you should consider as an option. But you don't want to sabotage your weight loss efforts, so make sure you keep your portions small!

Enjoy, and tell your friends and family about my recipe, which is in my Time To Get Healthy Information and Recipe eBook.

If you want to accelerate your weight loss to get that body you want quicker, go to http://www.stopdietingtoday.com

The Truth About “Nutrients” that are in Supplements and Meal Replacements Drinks

By Paul Scicluna

I had a friend contact me recently to find out my thoughts on a particular brand of supplement she was thinking of taking. I’m glad she contacted me - it’s spurred me on to write this blog, and open people’s eyes to some of the elements, additives and flavors in supplements that will shock and surprise you. Plus, it will expose some of the industry’s tricks.

For privacy, I have replaced my friend’s name with “Sally” and removed the brand of supplements.

Now, the supplements industry is HUGE! According to the FDA, Americans spend more than $25 billion a year on dietary supplements. What’s more, the global supplement market is worth close to $70 billion according to research from Euromonitor.

Thanks to companies with their influential marketing, they’ve had the public believe that supplements are good for you, but while not fully disclosing all the ingredients contained in them. Therefore, manipulating them to believe it’s healthier.

As a health coach and nutrition specialist, I’ve had so many people ask, “What supplements should I take?”

My answer, “You don’t need to take supplements.” If you have holes in your nutrition you shouldn't be filling those holes with pills and powders. You need to adjust your diet to get quality nutrition instead of synthetic chemicals.

I checked out the products on the website that “Sally” referred me to. I looked at the high protein meal replacement shake (strawberry flavor). The ingredients list is huge and that’s always a sign to steer clear of the product. The bigger the ingredients list of anything the further you should keep it from your body. Apples contain thousands and thousands of nutritional components but they don’t need an ingredients list, as they are all truly natural.

The product also contained a lot of oxides. Anything oxidized is rusted. Metals that have rusted have oxidized. These elemental forms of minerals are the cheapest form they add to supplements and also the worst kind.

So as an example, Iron Oxide or Zinc Oxide are both oxidized (rusted) elemental minerals. Not good at all. They only have about an 8-10% absorption rate in the body and those compounds get caught up in muscle and organ tissues. The body has a hard time removing them. So can you see why you aren’t getting the quality of nutrients these companies claim you should be getting?

There were also plenty of chelates (chelated minerals) such as “copper amino acid chelate”. To increase the absorption of an elemental mineral they use amino acid chelates. So they take the elemental mineral or oxide as previously mentioned, and bond or wrap it with an amino acid. This increases the absorption rate to between 30-40%.

However, when it’s processed by the body you end up with far more elemental minerals and oxides in your body. Your body now has even more to deal with as explained previously.

The FDA allows the blended version of Vitamin E added to supplements and other products to be labeled as “Natural,” even though 95% of the blended version is synthetic and only 5% is natural.

99% of all vitamins on the market are synthetic chemicals. No wonder there’s such as big vitamin deficiency in society! In my opinion the ones in these products would be of this type.

For example, 99% of Vitamin E supplements are usually made from petroleum, turpentine, sugar, and artificial preservatives. According to the New York Academy of Sciences, synthetic Vitamin E has been shown to block the absorption of natural Vitamin E from the foods you eat.

Also the FDA allows the blended version of Vitamin E added to supplements and other products to be labeled as “Natural,” even though 95% of the blended version is synthetic and only 5% is natural. Work that one out! So do you really think you’re getting the quality nutrients that your bodies actually need? Think about it, you’re paying for this rubbish.

Unfortunately, most people have no idea what they are consuming due to the labeling laws that allow manufacturers to hide ingredients and additives or label them with a code. This only makes it harder for the consumer to know what they are consuming.

Also, the product contained “natural strawberry flavor” and “natural flavors”. The term “Natural” is misleading. Most “Natural” flavors are not what you think they are.

The "natural" flavors in your meal replacements are produced from castoreum. Castoreum actually comes from the castor sacs of the beaver. These castor sacs are located within the animal’s anus.

For example vanilla, strawberry and raspberry to name a few are produced from castoreum. Castoreum actually comes from the castor sacs of the animal we know as a beaver. These castor sacs are located within the animal’s anus. It’s times like these you wish you didn’t have an imagination! The beaver use this slimy brown substance to mark its territory but we use it to flavor many things, even the majority of perfumes will contain castoreum.

So it’s up to you if you want to consume these types of products to supplement your diet. Trust me there are a lot worse elements than what I’ve listed here.

But as you can see, the marketing and sales around all these products doesn’t lead you to the truth of what is inside them. And in my belief, they won’t lead you to improved health.

Many sales people selling supplement products wouldn’t have a clue where the ingredients in these products come from or what they are derived from. Now, in many cases it’s not their fault either. They’re just learning what they’ve been told is the supposed truth.

If you wanted a super healthy meal replacement drink or a pre or post workout drink, then smoothies or juices using fresh fruits and veggies are the best alternatives.

Plus, if you use ingredients such as spinach it will give you a huge boost of nutrients, enzymes, fiber and amino-acids to help fill you up and give you a large injection of quality “natural” nutrients. If you have veggies you can sweeten it up by adding fruits such as berries, watermelon and bananas.

Now that’s what I call a truly natural and healthy “supplement.” The way you are meant to get your daily nutrition.

Fresh is best, but if you need to, freeze your favorite veggies or fruits when they’re not in season. You can also save money by implementing this tip.

You can download my free eBook here with some of my favorite juices and smoothies, including one with avocado! They contain only truly natural nutritional components with no harmful additives or flavors that may harm you. They’ll smash any multi-vitamin supplement or any meal replacement protein shake on the market when comparing the nutritional content.

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4 Effective Ways to Stay Motivated During Exercise and Your Workout Routines

By Paul Scicluna

Suddenly got tired of your workout routines? We’ve all been there, and I know it’s not easy to keep up with your gym schedule or exercise when you have other important things to do. Sometimes it can seem like a chore. But to maintain a healthy lifestyle exercising is crucial. Plus, if you want to lose weight, working out can help you reach that body you’ve always wanted more quickly.

So where can you get that motivation from? Let me share with you 4 effective ways on how to get motivated to exercise:

1.  Set your goals - Nothing works better than setting a goal that you can focus yourself on. Set realistic and timely goals that will be achievable for you, such as losing 2 pounds each week. You can start with lighter routines. It could be as simple as walking 30 minutes a day; then increasing the time or starting to jog. Then in 12 weeks, for example you can achieve the waistline that you desire. You can use these goals as your workout motivation instead of just sitting on the couch all day.

2.  Add some variety in your routine - One way to lose motivation is by doing the same old routine. But know that there’s a simple way of spicing up your workout sessions such as by changing the type of exercises, adding recreational activities to your routine such as yoga and playing sports, or choreographing your own aerobic steps. These activities might make you feel excited enough to look forward to working out.

3.  Make a pact with a friend - Go on a "gym-date" with a friend whose fitness passion and level matches yours. That friend might just rekindle your fitness motivation because you won’t cancel each other out! And to stay true to this partnership, consider the idea of creating a written contract that obliges you to pay a friend $10 every time you skip a fitness class. If he/she agrees, sign it in front of a witness. Holding each other to account like this is a great way to keep on top of your exercise routine.

4.  Find inspiration in some multimedia resources - Does listening to music keep you pumped up? Does reading a motivational quote daily keep you inspired? Does watching motivational videos work for you? For example, listening to music affects people emotionally so the right songs can help you to do more in your workouts and the lyrics may echo your goals and aspirations. Hence, it gives you the power to keep going.

So time to throw all your excuses out to the window and put your shoes on, hook those earphones to your ears, and get motivated to move!

If you want complete exercise and workout routines to lose weight, burn body fat fast, and get the body you want for life, check out my FREE webinar at www.stopdietingtoday.com

5 Tips to Overcome Binge Eating Behavior

By Paul Scicluna

Since when have you taken notice that emotional eating isn’t good for you? Since when did you start labelling foods as “bad” or “good”? What triggered you to overeat in the first place?

“Eat, feel guilty, repeat”; this has been the cycle of many people who have set themselves on autopilot when it comes to their eating behavior. Maybe you are upset about something, and you know that food makes you feel good. So you start binging on bad foods and that’s where you start subconsciously linking certain foods with specific emotions. The next thing you know you’ve gained weight, feel ashamed about it, but ignoring your food addiction isn’t going to solve your problem.

Don’t stress, though, because I'll share with you some tips to overcoming binge eating behavior that even psychologists, dieticians, and other fitness experts recommend:

1.      Accept the truth and self-awareness – You may uncontrollably consume a lot of food due to an event or situation. But know that as with any type of behavioral disorder, self-discipline and being true to yourself can be one of the keys to overcoming binge eating behaviors. Only then you will understand what you really want and need. Recognizing that you have a problem is accepting the truth and becoming self-aware of this issue. Once you have done this you can move forward and start making changes.

2.      Keep a positive mind set – Believe that there is a way to overcome your emotional eating. You can do this by committing to a healthier lifestyle through regular exercise, socialize with your friends and family more often, start making healthier choices in your diet, learning to eat smaller portions and learn when to say ‘no’.

3.      The process of elimination – Start to slowly eliminate the bad foods you’re binging on. For example, if you have a soda or soft drink daily, reduce it to one can for six days, then next week one for five days and so on. Another example is instead of eating a carton of ice cream in one sitting, then eat a small amount a day and slowly decrease the portion size, then reduce it to six days, then five days and so on. Not only will this help you stop your binge eating slowly, but you may completely eliminate this food from your diet over time. Plus, you could lose a good amount of unwanted weight.

4.      Keep a food diary – Researchers from the Center for Behavioral Medicine in Chicago have found out that the 38 participants in the study were able to gain control over their bad eating habit by keeping a food journal. As such, they have been able to keep track of foods that trigger overeating and the emotions that are connected with this behavior.

5.      Curb those cravings with a balanced diet – Cravings of certain foods are mostly linked to a nutritional deficiency. Your body sends signals for you to keep eating in the hope you’ll eat something nutritious to receive the essential vitamins and minerals it needs. For example, if you crave fatty foods, your body maybe lacking calcium. So some good alternatives are almonds, broccoli, kale, and legumes, for example. Eating a healthier balanced diet with nutrient dense foods will help to minimize those cravings. Plus, your energy levels will improve as well as your overall health and wellbeing.

These are just 5 tips on how to stop binge eating behavior. It can be hard to stop emotional eating immediately, so just take it one step at a time.

If you're interested in more techniques on how to stop certain cravings so you don’t go into that binge eating cycle again, go to my site stopdietingtoday.com and watch my free webinar. Plus, I'll share with you in 5 steps how you can lose weight, so you can achieve a rejuvenated life full of vitality.

Discover 5 Tips On How To Reduce The Calorie Count When Eating Out To Keep That Weight Off

By Paul Scicluna

When you’re on a path to shed the pounds to get the body you want, it doesn’t mean that you can’t go out to eat and enjoy yourself. The trap with eating out is that some restaurants, cafes and eateries serve not so healthy foods, laden with fat which can add plenty of calories to your meals in just one sitting. Don’t sabotage your weight loss efforts! The last thing you want is to put the weight back on. To avoid that happening, here are 6 tips on how to eat healthy when you’re out, so you can keep those calories down while still enjoying yourself.

1. Say NO to big servings.

What usually happens when you go out is that regardless of a person’s size, everyone is expected to eat 3 meals – entree, main and dessert. Unfortunately this method of eating will generally result in you stacking on the calories and making you round. Instead, order healthy appetizers or entrees which are usually smaller portion sizes. What’s great with this is that you can order a few different dishes and share the meals with your partner or friend. At least you get to try some different dishes and have variety.

2. Limit the bread.

Many restaurants offer bread to start before your meal. Sometimes they keep filling up your bread plate until you say no. Now if you’re going to be tempted to do this then don’t have any bread at all, because the calorie count will be piling up – just like the weight you’ll put on as a result. Otherwise, if you MUST indulge, just have one small piece of wholemeal or rye bread.

A lot of places serve margarine and not butter which contains the bad fats. Margarine is definitely not one of those healthy foods to eat as it’s full of chemicals and processed elements. I personally recommend that you opt for a bit of extra virgin olive oil to have with your piece of bread. And then if you want, dip it in good quality salt.

3. Don’t order drinks like alcohol and sodas.

How many calories does alcohol and soda contain? One glass of red wine has a whopping 85 calories or thereabouts, and a glass of soda has about 60 calories. Imagine if you had a few glasses throughout your meal! And that is only your drinks, no food included. Really, it’s not worth it. You can always ask the waiter for water or even soda water, and to put a slice or two of fresh lemon and lime slices to jazz it up. Squeeze the juice from the slices and you get a naturally healthy flavored drink, which will help to keep those calories down.

4. Trim visible fat and skin from meats.

For those of you who enjoy your meat and the skin, you need to be reminded that it’s full of fat! So it’s definitely not one of those low calorie foods. So the question is, do you want to shed those pounds, or do you want to get fatter?

If you choose a meat without skin then that’s a great start! Then, if you see any visible fat on the meat, remove it and do not eat it. You have to decide what you want more, a few seconds of pleasure eating skin, or a lifetime of carrying around an extra 40 pounds, for example?

Do your body a favor, eat healthy by not having the skin and trimming fat off meat. Trim that off and you’ll trim your weight off too! Why not experiment and indulge in a vegetarian meal? You can get plenty of vegetarian meals packed full of flavor and nutrition. Just stay away from rices, pastas and creamy sauces as the calorie count can be huge!

5. Finishing off your meal with a low calorie alternative.

I can hear many of you now thinking that you want a massive piece of cake or ice-cream for dessert. My advice, skip dessert. Desserts are generally you’re high calorie foods. Did you know that as a rough guide, depending on the type there can be up to 70 calories in a few small bite-sized chocolate pieces? To get that off you’d need to be running on the treadmill for around 20 - 30 minutes depending on the speed, just to burn off the calories from that little bit of chocolate. That’s not including the rest of your day’s food and drink intake.

So be sure to avoid desserts, as there can be hundreds if not thousands of hidden calories in them. If you want alternative low calorie desserts, have a fresh fruit platter or fruit salad. Fresh mint leaves, a few nuts or even lemon or lime juice can add a flavor explosion to fruit salads.

BONUS TIP: Slow down when eating!

This is such a simple trick to keep the calorie count down. Take your time when eating, enjoy the flavors. A big part of getting in touch with your hunger signals and learning to eat what really will satisfy is learning to recognize the subtle signs of hunger.

You won't know when you're approaching satisfaction if you've gobbled everything down in five minutes. More often than not, you’ll eat more. Then before you know won’t know how many calories you’ve had which will set you back in losing weight.

So make an effort to chew your food slowly. A very large part of digestion begins in your mouth, not to mention you'll get much more pleasure if you let the food linger. Incorporate this as one of your healthy eating habits when going out, and even at home.

If you want to get more hints on reducing the calories to keep that weight off forever, so you can achieve the body you want faster, watch my webinar at stopdietingtoday.com

Here’s to your weight loss success,

Paul

How sugar addiction continues to ravage the health of billions of people globally

By Paul Scicluna

A lot has to be said for processed sugar - unfortunately most of it is not good news. Sugar is addictive. I’d say that there aren’t many people out there who are on a no sugar diet or at least consume minimal sugar. Good news is, there are healthier alternatives.

The cycle of sugar addiction has resulted in billions of people globally suffering obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, being overweight and more. Yet millions of dollars is still being invested by some companies to promote products, which contain this seemingly simple, yet unhealthy ingredient to induce a food addiction resulting in more sales, which is what they want.

It’s even got to the stage where sugar is produced in many forms via laboratories such as sorbitol, maltose, fructose corn syrup and dextran to name a few. Confusing? Yes. So this makes it even more difficult for you to determine what foods you should avoid if you’re trying to have a low sugar diet.

How many times have you been craving sweets, and then eaten a piece of chocolate and then stopped? In most cases you keep going back for more. So not only are you ingesting processed sugar and other chemicals flavors and additives, you’re also putting on the calories which can lead to you contracting the diseases I mentioned earlier.

It’s not only the foods that contain sugar either that are bad for you. Some soft drinks and sodas can have up to 12 teaspoons of sugar, not to mention the damaging preservatives. The sugar-free ones are even worse.

Research now shows that artificial sweeteners make you gain just as much if not more weight than normal sugar. The research has actually shown that artificial sweeteners worsen insulin sensitivity to a greater degree than sugar. Plus, they may actually double your risk of obesity.       

Sugar addition is a vicious cycle and here’s how it works:

1.     You consume sugar – Sugar has addictive properties making you crave it. The more you have the more you want.

2.     Blood sugar spikes – Your brain releases dopamine helping to create the addiction. Your body releases insulin to drop blood sugar levels.

3.     Your blood sugar levels fall rapidly – The increased insulin levels cause fat storage. Your body craves the sugar high.

4.     Hunger and cravings – Your low blood sugar levels will cause increased appetite resulting in more cravings. This is where we go back to point 1 and the sugar addiction cycle begins again.

For example, if you are stressed you could start to have those sugar cravings. When an emotional situation such as this occurs, your body releases a hormone called cortisol, which in turn can make you crave sugar. Then once you’ve had your fix of sugar the “feel-good” hormones are released. So your body and mind has been tricked into associating consuming sugar as a stress-reliever.

If you have sugar cravings then there are healthier alternatives for giving up sugar, including raw cacao beans, nuts, seeds, fresh fruits, sweet potato and spinach. Have a sugar detox by ditching the processed sugar and choose a healthier alternative. Let’s stop the sugar addiction - your body and health will be thankful for it.

                   Our healthy and absolutely delicious sugar-free strawberry crepes. Get the recipe here.

Click HERE to join the Global Health Renegade community and stay updated with more hints and tips.

7 Food Tips To Improve Kids Health So They Don’t Become Another Statistic

By Paul Scicluna

It’s shocking that 1 out of every 3 children overweight or obese. So one of the most important steps you can take to ensure great health of your child is to create healthy food habits from the onset. Make smart food choices, and help your child develop a positive relationship with healthy food. Your children will learn from your example. So their health truly is in your hands.

Here are 7 food tips to improve kids health:

1. Keep healthy food at hand.

Generally, children will eat what's readily available. Keep fruit in a bowl on the kitchen table and not in the back of the fridge. Your child can only choose foods that you stock in the house, by limiting junk food you will teach your child how to choose healthier foods.

2. Don't label foods as "good" or "bad."

Instead, tie foods to the things your child cares about, such as sports, academics and hobbies to influence them to eat healthy. Let your children know that green vegetables are great for their muscles and gives them strength for their sports and academic performance, the antioxidants in fruits and vegetables not only add luster to skin and hair, but they protect them on many levels, and the carbs in whole grains will give them energy to play.

3. Praise healthy choices.

Creating healthy kids is as simple as giving them a proud smile and tell them how smart they are when they choose healthy foods. Emotional connections to foods start from when we introduce solids to our children, especially if they are told things like eat this and you’ll grow up to be strong like daddy. Or, be a good boy or girl and eat this or that. So provide kids with positive reinforcement!

4. Don't nag about unhealthy choices.

Your children will be surrounded by other parents’ children at school who have packed them an unhealthy, sometimes fat-laden lunch and snacks. You will hear about it from your children! If your children want these bad foods, create a healthier option.

Our wickedly delicious and healthy Chocolate Truffle Balls (alcohol free), get the recipe here.

Healthy snacks for kids could include, making your own muesli bars with healthy ingredients rather than processed foods and sugar. Make your own raw chocolate brownies – the other children will be envious! Make chunky roasted potato wedges baked in the oven with good extra virgin olive oil and spices instead of buying deep fried chips where you don’t know what oils or additives they’ve used. Or, if your child wants sweets or lollies, have fresh or dried fruit on hand or some home-made treats with raw honey or raw chocolate buds in them. This way they are still eating healthy but don’t feel left out.

5. Never use food as a reward.

Although you want your kids to eat healthy, by doing this it could create weight problems in later life. Instead, reward your children with something physical and fun like a trip to the park, fun-park or movies.

6. Sit down to family meals.

If this isn't a tradition in your home, it should be. Research shows that children who eat meals at the table with their parents have better nutrition and are less likely to get in serious trouble as teenagers. Make it a habit!

7. Prepare plates in the kitchen before serving.

Whilst having healthy meals for kids is critical, I believe that portion sizes is contributing to making children, let alone adults overweight and obese. When you’re in the kitchen, you can put healthy portions of each item on everyone's plate. Your children will learn to recognize correct portion sizes.  Too often people go for seconds and even thirds just because the food is right there in front of them.

And here’s a bonus tip...

8. Get your kids to help you in the kitchen.

I have nieces and nephews, so I know how many kids generally hate vegetables. However, I can educate them to eat healthy by making it fun in the kitchen. This way, they’ll be more willing to learn. I have my standard recipe for a simple green smoothie which is packed full of nutritious spinach and fruits. So, just by telling them we’re going to make a Green Monster Smoothie, they get excited and eagerly put on their chef’s costumes to help – and learn.

By implementing some if not all of these tips you’ll be improving kids health so that they don’t become another statistic; it’ll set their future up to be a healthier one. After a couple of weeks, these new behaviors will become a healthier pattern in their lives that they will carry and use in their future.

For more healthy meal ideas that you and your kids will love click HERE.

Busting the myth on foods high in protein

By Paul Scicluna

The question of whether or not we need to eat meat to get protein has and will continue to be debated. Meat is of course, touted as the highest protein rich food. But there are other foods high in protein!

We’ve been led to believe certain things by vested interests, certain industries and companies about proteins.  

So let’s get back to basics. What is protein? Protein comes from the late Greek word “proteus” which means “first quality” or “first source,” from the early Greek word “protos” which simply means “first.”

Our ancestors knew back then that the best type of protein was from the first source, which came from plants. But along the way, certain industries and companies have influenced us to believe that you can only get protein from meat.

There’s over 200,000 identifiable proteins and all of them can be found in varying levels in plants meaning fruits and vegetables, as well as meats. Isn’t it interesting though how 99% of the public doesn’t know this…

You actually don’t have to consume copious amounts of meat to get the protein you need in your diet. That doesn’t mean you have to become a vegetarian or vegan if you don’t want to. I’m just simply letting you know the simple fact that protein is available in basic produce such as all vegetables in varying levels. Yes, that’s right, there is such a thing as high protein vegetables!

Our society is consuming far too much meat these days which is being linked to a whole range of health related issues. If you wanted to mix up your diet and have less meat, then replace it with other protein rich foods including, nuts, legumes such as lentils, beans and chickpeas and green leafy vegetables such as kale, silver beet or chard and spinach – remember what Pop-Eye said “I’m strong to the finish coz I eats me spinach”. That was said for a reason.

The biggest and strongest animals on earth are herbivores - elephants, bison, giraffes, buffalo and rhinos, for example. Rhinos can weigh about 4,000 kilos (about roughly 9000 pounds) – they are solid bone and muscle. Yet, they get their protein just from plants.

Our closest relative is the gorilla. They are close to 99% anatomically and physiologically matched to humans. Now those big silverback gorillas don’t have a stash of supplements or a barbeque behind the bush to cook meat do they? So how does it get its protein? Their sources of protein are basically from plants - eating certain fruits and green leafy vegetables.

Gorillas are also one of the strongest land mammals on earth from a power to weight ratio perspective. 

The thing is that we have been trained from a very young age that you have to eat meat to become big and strong. I think every man was told that when they were young. Good marketing on parents who then pass it on to their children. This is how we are turned into “consumers” for companies to profit from.

You see now that you can get good sources of protein from plant sources such as fruit, vegetables, grains, seeds and nuts. Not only that, you can get calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, iron and plenty of other nutrients as well.  

So when someone says to you that you can only get your proteins from meat, you now know the truth and can tell them other foods high in protein!

 Subscribe to our YouTube channel here and watch my video on the protein myth.

How to get rid of the redness in your bloodshot eyes naturally, and without eye drops!

Written By Paul Scicluna

When you go to a supermarket or pharmacy, there are plenty of eye drops that claim to help stop red eyes. But is it possible to prevent red eyes or work out how to get brighter eyes without eye drops? Yes, of course it is!

The sclera, or the “white part of the eye” should actually be white. If it’s not white, then this may be due to a nutritional deficiency or even simply a lack of sleep. Certain companies have jumped on board this problem, and produced eye drops to clear people’s red eyes. However, what chemicals are in these products and are there possible long term damaging effects on the eyes?

Before I go into how to stop red eyes without eye drops, I want to share a story with you...

When I met Vi, who is part of the Global Health Renegade team, I noticed that she would repeatedly use a particular eye drop. When I asked what it was, she said that it was to clear up the redness in the white area of her eyes. She felt self-conscious about having bloodshot eyes. She was looking for something on how to get rid of red eyes so that they would look healthy and clearer.

Having red eyes can be attributed towards lack of sleep, an eye infection, tired eyes, itchy eyes, an eye irritation, stress, nutritional deficiency or being exposed to cigarette smoke, and alcohol consumption, for example.

When I found out she was taking those eye drops, I had to let her in on a little secret.

I mentioned to her that those drops she was using to supposedly get rid of red eyes was doing her more harm than good. Why? They might initially make the redness go away but when the redness comes back it is usually worse.

So the more you use the product to get rid of the redness the worse it will be in the long run. This is because you’ll need to use more and more of the product to continually clear the redness from your eyes. This is done with intention to keep you using the product.

So I told here that if she stopped using the eye drops for between 1 – 2 weeks that the eye redness will go away and she’ll never have to use those eye drops again.

So Vi stopped using the eye drops, and all the while hoping to get rid of her bloodshot eyes and gain clearer, white eyes. And sure enough, her eye redness naturally subsided. She tossed out those eye drops in a flash! So she no longer had to put chemicals in her eyes anymore and she saved money - BONUS!

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Discover why unhealthy foods in the office is lowering staff productivity and potentially your company’s profits.

Written By Paul Scicluna

How many of you have gone to a work meeting, conference, seminar or training event where it’s been catered for? I’d say 99.9% of you have – I know I’ve been to plenty!

Now let’s have a think about what foods you get when you’re there...

Muffins, cakes, biscuits, donuts, sausage rolls, pies, deep fried foods, lollies, chocolates, chips, pastries, some sandwiches, pizza - sound familiar? Well out of that list, how many of those would be healthy food? It’s not rocket science, most of them are unhealthy foods and foods to avoid. Why?

Most of them contain preservatives, flavorings, colorings, additives, sugars or even chemical sweeteners, and harmful chemicals, let alone animal by-products. I don’t know about you but this isn’t making my mouth water!

What some of these can do to you is give you an initial energy spike, but then within a short time frame you hit an energy low. So then you’re brain function decreases and your ability to think is hampered due to your tiredness. So as a boss I’d want to get the most out of my staff, so giving them lifeless, energy sucking foods isn’t going to help propel your department or company.

Let’s think about it, most people spend a lot of time at work - some people up to 16 hours a day, or even more! So having a healthy lifestyle includes your work life too.

It really is easy to provide staff with healthy snacks for work, healthy lunches, healthy dinners or whatever it may be. At the end of the day if you get your staff to eat healthy and provide them with healthy options their cognitive function as well as energy levels will improve. This is a win for your company as they’ll be more productive.

I know that lots of workers look forward to a treat and that gets them excited. And as a boss or manager you want your employees to be EXCITED and engaged at work! So, I’m not saying to completely rule out the treats, but to incorporate mainly healthy meal options.

Now this could include:

1.     Fresh fruit platter

2.    Dried fruits and nuts

3.    A range of sandwiches or wraps, preferably with sourdough, brown or wholemeal bread

4.    Quiches

5.    Salads, but include a bit more interesting ones that are colorful and appealing to the eye

By simply incorporating these easy healthy meals options, you’ll have more productive staff.

So if you’re a manager or even an employee, make a point in requesting more healthy food options. Who knows, if you’re department is seen to be performing exceptionally you might get a good bonus, or pay rise or be acknowledged for great work – of course, I can’t guarantee that! But imagine if that were to happen...

For more healthy meal ideas click here.