You know, we’re surprised that there’s still a LOT of folks out there who don’t know that this stuff is pure poison.

We’re talking about:  Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils.

This ingredient is the code name for “trans-fats” and it runs rampant in fried foods and packaged goods…it also has been closely linked to these conditions:

Heart Disease…

High Cholesterol…

Alzheimer Disease…

High Blood Pressure…

Stroke…

And how about this one? DEATH.

And that’s even by consuming just a small amount daily.

What foods most commonly contain trans fats? Here are some of the most common:

French Fries – 14.5 grams of trans fat in the average medium sized order of french fries! Eat that every day and you won’t be living long. Go with baked sweet potato fries instead.

Margarine and Vegetable Shortening – Anywhere from 30 – 40% trans fat…no thank you! Go with organic butter instead.

Fast Food – An original chicken dinner at KFC will reward you with 7 grams of trans fat, but it’s not just the fried foods…it’s even in the desserts! You’ll find trans fat in almost all heavily processed foods, and there’s very few foods more processed than fast food!

If you want a quick meal on the go that isn’t full of trans fats, go with our favorite “quick service” joint as of late, Chipotle. A full meal including hormone free meats, fiber rich legumes, and a bunch of tasty, low-calorie topping choices…all for less than $7. Can’t go wrong with that!

Donuts and other baked goods – BAD. Trans fat often in the batter and dough and then many times fried on top of it! This includes cookies, pastries, muffins, brownies, and just about every other baked good you can think of. Instead, go with true “baked” baked goods (not fried) and try some of the gluten-free varieties to avoid the wheat on top of it.

Cereal (even most “healthy” varieties) – For example, Post Selects “Great Grains” contains 2 grams of trans fat per cup. NOT so healthy. Go with old fashioned oatmeal instead, or a true sprouted grain cereal that doesn’t contain processed wheat.

Salad Dressings – Notorious for containing loads of partially hydrogenated oils and trans fat, steer clear of most store-bought salad dressings. Instead go with a homemade recipe that calls for extra virgin olive oil at the base.

And there are a bunch of others, but those are some of the biggest culprits. Again, READ your labels and make sure you avoid partially hydrogenated and hydrogenated oils like the plague.

Although high fructose corn syrup (called HFCS and “corn sugar”) may sound healthy, it actually is anything but. This dirt cheap, chemically-altered sweetener shuts down leptin, a fat-regulating hormone in your body that is responsible for sending “hunger signals” from your stomach to your brain.

Essentially leptin lets you know when you’re full. And when your brain doesn’t get the message, you keep eating and eating and eating while the manufacturers of high fructose corn syrup, and the products that contain it, keep making more and more and more money.

Here’s an example from a recent study. Test subjects were divided into two groups—one was given a glucose (sugar) beverage to add to their diet, while the other group was given a beverage containing high fructose corn syrup to add to their diets. While both test groups gained weight, the group consuming high fructose corn syrup packed on intra-abdominal fat (or belly fat).

Why is that so startling?

It’s because this particular kind of fat causes diabetes and heart disease. So, not only is high fructose corn syrup causing you to eat more than you should, it is literally putting your health at risk.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average American consumes 42 pounds of HFCS a year. That’s more than 75,000 empty calories that have no nutritional value! What’s more, teenagers are consuming 15 to 20 teaspoons of HFCS a day when they need to be eating nutrient-dense foods for growth and lifelong health.

It’s no wonder that The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that HFCS use increased by 4,000% between 1970 and 1990. The manufacturers of HFCS really are cashing in big… just like drug dealers… while America is adding belly fat at a very dangerous rate.

Speaking of a drug, have you ever indulged in a sweet dessert that just wouldn’t fill you up no matter how much you ate? One of those treats that you have no self-control over, like, oh, I don’t know… maybe soft drinks, fruit juices, energy drinks, ice cream, pudding, jellies, most “fat-free” foods, chocolate, crackers, cereals, syrups, candies, or desserts? If that’s the case, you may want to check out the food label. Chances are it contains a large amount of high fructose corn syrup.

And remember, on American food labels ingredients are listed in order of the most abundant to the least. So if, for example, you see HFCS listed anywhere in the first five ingredients, that’s very bad. Instead, you’ll want to choose a version that doesn’t contain HFCS at all.

As an alternative to HFCS, try the new zero- or low-calorie sweeteners like truvia™, Z-Sweet®, and Sun Crystals™ that are made with natural sources, such as erythritol and stevia. You can find these at most grocery stores. These natural sweeteners can be used instead of sugar packets in your hot beverages, on oatmeal, and even in baked goods to some extent.

It’s important to remember that you should use all sugar alternatives, even natural ones, sparingly. Let your body learn that it doesn’t need sweets all the time to be satisfied, and you’ll be on the fast track to better health.

Now, while High Fructose Corn Syrup just may be the #1 worst carb ever, does that mean you should be avoiding ALL carbohydrates? Absolutely not! Carbs aren’t the enemy, just like fat isn’t…these nutrients are a healthy part of any wholesome fat-burning diet.

While getting adequate sleep is an essential part of any healthy weight-loss plan, there may be advantages to setting that alarm for the early morning and getting your exercise in first thing.

Here are a few advantages:

1. You get it over with. There’s nothing better than getting home after a hard day at work and then settling down to relax, or enjoying time with your kids, because you know you already got your exercise in that morning.

2. More efficient fat burning. When you exercise on an empty stomach, your body doesn’t have any stored sugars to provide fast energy to your working muscles, so you tend to burn proportionally more fat. When you exercise later in the day, you tend to burn more sugar. You will burn similar numbers of calories regardless of when you exercise, but you may experience different long-term results in your overall body composition if you exercise earlier in the day.

But one word of warning: Early-morning exercise can make you more prone to injury. Your body temperature is lower in the morning than in the afternoon, and this may increase the risk of injuring muscles. Also, exercising later in the day gives you a chance to stretch out naturally over several hours, and some would argue that this decreases your risk of muscle injury.

Regardless of how or when you exercise, talk with your doctor first to make sure it’s safe for you.

Can’t find the time to work out? Here’s a smart tip to help ignite your daily fitness routine: Place exercise reminders in places where you’re sure to see them.

Lay your workout clothes on the bed so that it’s easy to slip ‘em on when you come home from work. Plop your big exercise ball in the middle of the TV room so you can crunch while watching your favorite prime-time show. And those dumbbells that are buried in your closet: Relocate them to an end table or next to a potted plant, and every time you walk by them, do a few curls.

Most importantly, place post-it notes on the fridge with workout reminders. A friendly note with “30 minutes of cardio today” or “Do leg exercises tonight after dinner” will make you think twice about gobbling down a pint of ice cream. One last tip: Place your sneakers by your front door to motivate you to walk or jog a few times a week.

If you’re skipping breakfast, you’re not doing your body good. The health benefits of a morning meal include weight control, mental focus and overall well-being. Here’s how to choose a delicious, nutritious breakfast that will help you achieve your weight-loss and fitness goals…

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

You’ve probably heard that adage dozens of times, but do you heed it?

Most Americans don’t – they eat their biggest meal at night; 20% don’t have breakfast at all.

“We should be eating the exact opposite way,” says Karen E. Brewton, R.D., a clinical dietitian at Methodist Wellness Services in Houston. “We don’t need a huge meal [when] we’re getting ready to rest.”

In fact, breakfast isn’t just important, it’s vital – to weight loss and fitness goals, well-being and performing at your mental best.

Your brain needs morning fuel (glucose), which is provided by food, especially carbohydrates. Without a nutritious breakfast, you’ll suffer a mental slump by mid-morning.

Skipping your morning meal may seem like a simple way to cut calories. Yet all the respected research shows that breakfast is essential for maintaining a healthy weight.

“I have patients who skip breakfast to limit their day’s food intake,” Brewton says. “These are the absolute wrong calories to cut if weight loss is their goal.”

Those who pass on breakfast end up overeating at lunch and dinner, more than making up for the morning calorie deficit, Brewton says.

The most convincing evidence comes from the National Weight Control Registry, an organization that studies successful long-term weight loss. It compiled data on 6,000 people who’ve lost 30 pounds and maintained the loss for at least a year. Nearly 80% of these successful losers said they eat a morning meal every day.

And a 2008 study of 12,000 adults published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that eating a healthy breakfast promoted wise food choices the rest of the day.

Best bet: Eggs! Men and women who ate two eggs for breakfast lost 65% more weight and showed a 61% greater reduction in BMI than those who ate a bagel, according to a 2008 Saint Louis University study.

Obviously, you can’t eat eggs fried in butter and achieve this result. Try these low-fat, low-calorie cooking methods instead:

• Poaching. Just break eggs into hot water and cook until firm. Serve over whole-wheat toast with fruit on the side.
• Hard-boiling. Hard-boiled eggs last a week in the fridge, so keep a half-dozen on hand. A whole-grain English muffin and a cup of berries are perfect accompaniments.
• Microwaving. Mix eggs with chopped bell pepper, onion, mushroom and low-fat cheese and pour into a mug. Nuke for 45 seconds or until cooked through (stirring if needed). Eat as an omelet or plop the veggie-egg disc on toast.
• Baking. Create a “crustless quiche” by pouring an egg-veggie mixture into muffin tins; bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean). Freeze leftovers, then heat them in the microwave for less than a minute.

Don’t touch that remote! Although we’re trained to flip through channels during commercials or fast-forward through our digitally recorded favorite sitcoms, we’re overlooking a great exercise opportunity.

Commercials tend to run in two-minute segments for the average hour-long show. If you use that time to get off your butt, get your heart rate up, move around the house, and maybe even sweat, you’ll be putting it to much better use than absorbing the details of the ShamWow.

Can two-minute intervals really help you lose weight?

Definitely! It turns out you can burn 20 calories in two minutes pretty easily if you get intense about it. Here’s what you can burn during a commercial break:

Two minutes of sit-ups — 20 calories
Two minutes of push-ups — 20 calories
Two minutes of step-ups — 20 calories
Two minutes of fast stairs — 20 calories
Two minutes of jumping rope — 20 calories
Two minutes of shadow boxing — 20 calories
Two minutes of plyometrics (fast, powerful movements) — 20 calories
Two minutes of jogging in place — 20 calories

Get the idea? Twenty calories may not seem like a lot when you consider that you need to burn at least 3,500 calories to lose a pound, but just one hour of watching television could mean more than 100 calories. (And heavier people actually burn more.)

You know you’re doing it right if you get your heart rate up and feel that slight bead of sweat on your brow as you settle down for the next tribal council.

I recently  shared with you some simple things you can eliminate from your diet completely to drastically cut down on your sugar intake, including sweetened beverages, fruit juice, and many “hidden” sources of sugar like sauces, dressings, breakfast cereal & bars, and many brands of yogurt.

And then of course there are those “snack” foods that you already know you should be avoiding, except for the occasional indulgence, but are likely creeping into your diet on a daily basis.

But the real question is, how can you cut out these foods without feeling deprived?

Easy! Eat more fiber-rich foods!

Fact is, fiber-rich foods are much more filling and satiating than sugary foods, giving you much more food volume per calorie. So, not only will you avoid a ton of sugar and excess calories, but you’ll also be MUCH more satisfied and full.

Here are some of the best fiber-rich foods for a flat stomach and a full belly!

Apples
Pears
Peaches
Blueberries
Raspberries
Blackberries
Oranges
Bananas
Figs
Avocado
Quinoa
Oatmeal
Brown Rice
Barley
Sweet Potato
Edamame
White Beans
Black Beans
Chickpeas
Red Beans
Pinto Beans
Lima Beans
Kidney Beans
Navy Beans
Black Eye Peas
Butter Beans
Lentils
Peas
Artichokes
Broccoli
Spinach
Green Beans
Asparagus
Brussels Sprouts
Arugula
Mixed Greens

So you’ve got a lot of choices there,  And that’s not even an extensive list!

Again, by replacing sugary foods with fiber-rich foods, you’ll automatically cut a tremendous amount of calories from your diet while enjoying much more filling and satiating meals…a clear win to keep your stomach satisfied and your waistline slim!