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HEALTHY DIET PLAN FOR WOMEN: TOP TIPS, RECIPES & SUPERFOODS!

As busy women juggling work and family commitments we all know that a healthy, well-balanced diet is the key to looking and feeling our best, but there's so much information out there that it can be hard to know where to start.

You've heard and seen them all: Pill-popping appetite supressants right through to the cringe-worthy cabbage soup diet. Launch head-first into any of these quick-fixes and you're bound to lose some weight.

What they don't offer though is a long-term, practical solution to help you look better in your birthday suit, make you feel super-sexy in the sack, boost your energy levels, stress-proof your day and keep the kilo's off for good...but eating the right foods can!

Don't let the dreaded D-word throw you off - our strategies aren't about deprivation or eating tasteless cardboard crackers, they're about noshing on healthy, delicious foods so you'll look, feel & perform better. All the information you need to kick-start a healthy weight loss eating plan is right here in our essential nutritional guide for women. Keep reading for easy-to-stick-to strategies, handy tips, delicious recipe's and access to the lifestyle blueprints to help you eat well and stay healthy for life!

DITCH THE SNOOZE BUTTON! After fasting all night, it's time to wake up your body and fire-up your fat-burning metabolism with a heart-healthy, belly-busting brekkie. But instead of reaching for a nutritionally bankrupt bagel, croissant, waffle or bowl of frosted-flakes, go for eggs - whatever your style.

They're loaded with high-quality proteins which help to keep you on-the-ball and feeling fuller for longer. Add in a slice or two of whole-grain toast for a dose of slow-digesting carbohydrates and you'll fuel you AM activity and fend of any afternoon sleepiness too.

Need a break from sunny-side up? Reach for a yoghurt instead. You'll get a sustained hit of low GI energy to keep you going well into the morning and slip in some essential bone-building calcium too. Better yet, opt for the low-fat or natural versions and sweeten them yourself with some fresh fruit and honey.

THE PERFECT BREAKFAST BALANCE: For your morning meal, always aim to eat a protein-rich food, like eggs, with a whole grain Low-GI carbohydrate like grained bread or breakfast cereal (oatmeal/museli). An ideal breakfast should keep you feeling full for about 2-3hrs. So if you're getting hungry after an hour, boost your protein intake. On the flip-side, if you're not getting hungry until lunch-time, that's the signal to tone it down a little.

Can't get into your morning groove without getting your daily juice-fix? We've got you covered. If you keep-in-mind that it takes 3-4 oranges to make that glass of orange juice. That's alot of energy that most of us simply don't need. Instead, stick to your vegetable juices, like tomato. They're lower in energy and packed with heart-healthy nutrients.

Another option is to whip up a smoothie. Load up your blender with low-fat milk/yoghurt & fruit/berries (use ice as the base) and you've got a filling, waistline-friendly snack to go in under 2 minutes!

Put down the frying pan and ditch the microwave. That's the message coming from nutritional experts the world over. Keeping your food fresh, uncooked and undressed can help you slim-down, boost your mood, keep your meal's nutritional content intact and fight disease. Here's how to keep it simple, yet tasty!

GREEN YOUR PLATE: No-one is suggesting you become vegetarian, but meat doesn't always need to take centre stage either. Instead, for lunch, snacks and dinner look to make plants and vegetables the star of your plate. 80% of women are not getting their recommended 5 serves of vegetables a day. So boost it! Salads, raw vegetables dipped in olive oil, smoothie's - diversity is the key to boosting your intake, and you really can't go overboard.

ADD A SPLASH OF COLOUR: Antioxidant's seek out & destroy free-radicals (molecules in the body that cause cellular damage). As a rule, the more colors on your plate, the more powerful the antioxidant punch. Nosh on green leafy vegetables (like spinach, lettuce & broccoli), peppers/capsicum, beetroot, egg-plant, red cabbage, carrots, corn and squash.

MAKE FRUIT YOUR FRIEND! FEEL FULL, FIGHT FAT: Just because fruit contains sugar doesn't mean you should put in the same category as other processed sweet treats. Waistline-friendly fruits like melons (watermelon, honeydew & rock melon), grapefruits, berries (raspberries, blueberries & blackberries), papaya and peach are low in kilojoules and loaded with belly-filling fibre which is essential for both healthy digestion and keeping your appetite in check. Lurking among these everyday-staples are also super-fruits. Chief among these is the pomegranate. Keep reading to see how it can benefit you!

POMEGRANATE: THE CRIMSON HEALTH CRUSADER: Loaded with antioxidant's and Vitamin C, this tart-tasting fruit is good news for every aspect of your health, from glowing skin to fighting disease. Here's two ways to get your dose.

1. Juice It! Roll the fruit back & forth on a table with your palm, pressing lightly. Cut it in half and squeeze out the juice. 2. Sprinkle It! Use a spoon to scoop out the arils (red seeds) and then give your salad a summery spin with a generous sprinkling of these small, ruby-like jewels.

Is all this talk making you peckish? Take a break and checkout this short video on the best way to handle a snack-attack and how to rustle up something that's healthy and delicious double-quick! Please make sure your speakers are turned on.

HEALTHY DIET PLAN VIDEO: SMART SNACKING

If you're waging war on the battle of the bulge, consider protein your NEW SECRET WEIGHT LOSS WEAPON. The moment it passes your lips, this mega macro-nutrient begins to attack the fat around your middle and helps regulate your appetite during the day.

High protein power foods, like eggs, red meat, fish and low-fat dairy, force your body to work overtime to break them down. The best part? This work doesn't come cheap. It uses up stores of energy in the form of calories which means you burn fat while processing them.

What's more, these foods have a habit of hanging around longer in your stomach which helps to control your appetite and keep the hunger pangs at bay. And if, as part of a healthy lifestyle, you're also burning calories by getting active (be it pumping iron or taming the treadmill), getting your protein-fix is doubly important.

HERE'S WHY THE SCIENCE: Protein helps you build and hang onto muscle tissue, which not only makes you leaner, but eagerly churns through calories when you're not active. This keeps your fat-burning metabolism firing on all cylinders around the clock - even while you're watching TV - and helps you burn off the occasional sweet treat!

SO, HOW MUCH DO I NEED? THE NUMBERS: As a general rule of thumb, experts advise between 0.5 and 1.0g of protein per pound (lb) of bodyweight. So if you weigh 160lb's, that's 80 to 160g each day. If you're active and want to slim down, aim for a happy-medium -- around 120g.

OK, WHERE DO I GET IT? THE FOODS: Just like the 'lite' and 'regular' versions of yoghurt you see at the supermarket, protein too comes in two different varieties; complete and incomplete. While nuts, whole grains, and veggie's technically count, they don't contain all nine of the essential amino acids (building blocks of protein) that your body needs to build muscle. Those that do—known as complete proteins—are typically found in animal products. Here are our best picks. Look to make each of these a regular staple of your diet.

VEGETARIANS: Of course, this doesn't mean each of your meals should be a vegetable-free zone. Pairing incomplete proteins - like grains (i.e. Cornmeal, Barley, Oats, Rice, Pasta & Buckwheat) together with legumes (i.e. Beans, lentils, dried peas, chickpeas & soy) - gives you the full protein-punch and comes complete with all the body-boosting benefits we've outlined here. The great thing about protein is that with so many delicious and exciting combinations for you to try, getting your daily dose is a simple pleasure you - and your waistline - can look forward to everyday!

Your diet sucks - literally. Every single day you guzzle down sugar-laden, nutritionally bankrupt drinks at home, on the job and during happy hour. Luckily, cutting back your consumption of these over-sweetened fluids & making some smart swaps along the way is an easy route to a healthier, happier you. Re-think the way you drink with our healthy diet plan for women 4-point action plan.

GO EASY ON THESE: FRUIT JUICE: If it's fruity it must be healthy, right? Wrong. Many fruit drinks are loaded with added sugars which can cause your waistline to balloon. For a healthier juice fix, go for fresh whole-fruits, smoothie's or pump-up your juice with still or sparkling water. You'll cut back on kilojoules without sacrificing the flavour.

'GO EASY ON THIS' ALCOHOL: Happy hour may be good for man things, but weight loss isn't one of them. Most people are simply unaware of the high kilojoules and sugar content of alcoholic drinks (ignorance truly is bliss!). Just checkout these belly-bulging kilojoule comparisons:

Of course, enjoying the odd glass won't hurt and even has it's perks, including reducing your risk of heart disease, but beware; go overboard and they're on a one-way passage to that stubborn jelly-roll around your middle. The fix? Stretch out the kilojoules by adding soda water and ice to make a spritzer. You'll still have fun, minus the guilty conscience.

DRINK THESE WITH ABANDON! TEA & COFFEE: Want to boost your metabolism and clock up some essential nutrients double-quick? You can with a humble cuppa'. Tea is a kilojoule free-zone if you drink it black, which is great news for your waistline. The same goes for coffee too. If you can't handle trading in your two-sugar latté for a long-black, go for skim-milk instead. You'll get a flavorsome mix without the extra calories.

WATER, A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND! BANISH THE BLOAT: Maybe you've heard your girlfriends talk about "retaining water" and "feeling bloated", and you're afraid extra H2O might obscure your long, lean shape. "Fear not!" say experts. Ironically, the best way to get out of 'cactus mode' and shed excess water-weight is to boost your intake; the more dehydrated you are, the more you'll hang onto available H2O.

Since your body doesn't sense you're parched until after the fact, staying topped up means drinking fluids pre-emptively. Keep a water bottle with you and sip it throughout the day. A good hydration test? Sneak a peak at your wee. If it's not a clear/pale yellow, boost your aqua intake.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Ever notice when you're at your healthiest, life seems so much better? But rather than being limited by rules of deprivation and restriction, the secret to healthy eating is about making smart choices an effortless and enjoyable part of everyday life - which is what The Diet Solution Program is all about.

Created by health & nutrition guru Isabelle De'Los Rios, The Diet Solution was designed with you in mind. No calorie counting...no going hungry...no bland, boring foods...just an exciting and effective everyday eating lifestyle to help you look and feel great.

A TASTE OF WHAT EXPECT: Sculpting a long, lean shape with natural fat-burning foods...quick, easy & delicious recipes...having more energy...the knowledge to stay trim and satisfied...plus much more.

HERE'S THE BEST PART: Try the full program RISK-FREE FOR 60 DAYS and let your mirror, energy levels & bathroom scales be the judge of the programs success - it's that easy! If you're ready to get started, click the banner below!