Posted on by Hilary

The Food Effect Dr: Tips for Healthy Eating & Weight Loss

the food effect doctor weight loss tips on the skinny confidential

LET’S TALK WEIGHT LOSS TIPS- but in a fun, approachable, relatable way?

Enter: Michelle Braude.

She is the brains & beauty behind The Food Effect Diet. No big deal, a doctor, a blogger, an author & an influencer !! MEOW.

Anyway backstory: Dr. Michelle Braude & I met through our mutual friend, Ingrid de la Mare Kenny ( OG TSC contributor ). Michelle was on Ingrid’s podcast & a lot of their theories & opinions were similar & on point. I personally Ioved what she had to say, so I invited her on The Skinny Confidential to share her wellness tips, tricks, & modifications with you guys !!

One of the things I love about Michelle is that she’s very realistic. Some of my favorite tips from her are to chew well & know yourself before you set goals. She’s also not super strict on the alcohol, which we love. I mean, right? Like I’d love a margarita with my lettuce cup spicy tacos if I’m being honest. But really, when you need a chilled glass of rosé, you need a chilled glass of rosé.

( Before we get into it you should also know I was featured on Michelle’s website this week too- stalk the entire feature here- we will talk morning routines, cortisol, light, movement, & hydration. Happy reading! ).

Ok, ok, I’ll let Michelle take it from here.

MEET DR. MICHELLE BRAUDE OF THE FOOD EFFECT:

Hi TSC readers! I’m Dr. Michelle Braude, also known as The Food Effect Dr. I’m so excited to be sharing some health and weight loss tips with you today because I’ve been a longtime reader of The Skinny Confidential. Like Lauryn, I love everything health & wellness related, as well as jade-rolling, & inulin fiber!

I love that I get to combine my passion for cooking, nutrition, and medicine to help people all over the world achieve not only their weight loss goals, but overall health goals too.

Here are my top tips for healthy living & weight loss:

Eat whole, natural foods

Avoid highly processed, packaged foods as much as possible. Stick to eating whole, natural foods that are close to, ( if not the same as! ) their natural state- such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, eggs, dairy, fish, poultry or plant-based proteins ( like chickpeas, lentils, or even chickpea pasta! ).  I always tell my clients: the shorter the list of ingredients on the package of food, the better it is!  Don’t buy products with an endless list of ingredients you can’t pronounce or have never heard of.

Change your mindset

Don’t think of healthy eating and weight loss as a “diet”– something you ‘go on’ and eventually ‘go off’. Reframe it as a new way of life. That way, when, or if, you do ‘slip up’ or have a few days of overindulging, you’ll be less likely to give up and get despondent because you’ll realize that one or two meals ( or even days! ), of not-too-perfect eating won’t undo your overall commitment to a healthy lifestyle; you’ll just get straight back on to your normal, healthy routine afterwards.

Stay hydrated

Often when we think we’re hungry, we’re actually just thirsty. Make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day, as well as one glass BEFORE every meal or snack you have. Water aids weight loss by keeping your cells functioning at their fat-burning best, and also helps your kidneys flush out excess toxins and chemicals, which may be slowing down your metabolism. I don’t like setting a fixed daily amount for water drinking, as this will vary depending on your body size, activity level etc. but just make sure you’re drinking enough! If you have difficulty drinking enough plain water, herbal teas, green tea ( hot or cold ), or lemon in hot water, are all just as good.

Slow down your eating, chew thoroughly & enjoy your food

Focus on the food you’re eating and don’t just wolf it down. Avoid eating lunch in front of your computer, or dinner whilst trying to catch up on e-mails or messages- take time out to enjoy your meal & actually pay attention to what you’re eating. Chewing your food properly will aid efficient digestion, stop you from overeating, and reduce any uncomfortable bloating you may experience from eating too quickly. It will also ensure your brain actually registers when you’ve eaten enough food…before it’s too late!

Eat healthy fats…DON’T go fat-free

This means eating good, healthy, unsaturated fats found in nuts, peanut or almond butter, avocados, olive oil & various other healthy oils. Incorporating good fats into your diet will help reduce sugar cravings, increase energy levels and keep you fuller for longer. In its absence, we tend to reach for sweet and starchy foods. So don’t go down the “fat-free” route! Healthy fats are also proven to lower the risk of heart disease and aid the body in absorption of vitamins and minerals ( for example from any salads or vegetables you eat ). While too much fat can cause weight gain, too little of the right fats prevents your cells from functioning properly, which affects fat metabolism, hormone balance & energy– all leading to weight gain.

That being said, trans fats ( often listed under the names ‘hydrogenated oil’ or ‘hydrogenated vegetable fat’ ), found in many packaged, processed foods, are toxic, have no health benefits, and should be avoided as much as possible.

Don’t shun carbs

Instead, stick to whole grain unrefined carbohydrates such as oats, wholemeal bread, brown or basmati rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, chickpeas and lentils, which are great sources of fibre and various other nutrients. Don’t try to cut out all starchy foods…it’s the biggest “diet” disaster ( & myth ), and also slows down metabolism in the long-term.

Know yourself & be realistic

Each individual has different needs, goals & preferences, combined with different body types and genetic make-up. You have to recognize your individual needs and be realistic about the changes you can make. So, for example, if you absolutely live for chocolate or a sweet treat, don’t try to stick to a long-term healthy eating plan thinking you’ll never have these things again! Instead, be realistic and allow for special occasions, indulgences or controlled amounts of your favorite “vice” food– or try switching to a healthier version of it, such as 70% dark chocolate instead of poor-quality, highly processed milk chocolate.

Eat a RAINBOW

Whether it’s fresh, frozen or canned – try to increase and vary your intake of fruit and vegetables. You’ll feel so much better and your body will benefit from all the added vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants and fibre. Diets rich in fruit and vegetables have been proven to decrease the risk of heart attacks, stroke and a variety of cancers, & healthy glowing skin is another by-product of eating a colorful, varied diet – so it’s a real win-win!

Know your portions

It’s essential to understand that: just because something is healthy, it doesn’t mean that it can’t make you gain weight! Even if you stick to healthy foods, you still have to watch your portion sizes and quantities when consuming things such as nuts, hummus, avocado, olive oil & dark chocolate. There’s definitely benefit in snacking on nuts, but eating a whole big bag will lead to excess calories and weight gain. Learn what a normal serving size looks like and stick to that!

Be patient…don’t give up or get despondent

Making sustainable changes to your diet and lifestyle, & noticing results can take some time. Don’t expect to shed weight and have glowing skin overnight! It can take a few weeks to achieve noticeable results. We’re all human and have our ups and downs. There will be days when you don’t eat as planned, or slip up on your new healthy regime… it’s not the end of the world! Don’t beat yourself up, or worse…give up. Be patient, get back on track, and stick with your new healthy habits. Your body is benefitting every day in all its internal processes from changes you make. Getting despondent and impatient, with a need to see “fast” drastic results, will sabotage all your efforts. Stick with the changes you are making, and you are guaranteed to see results… most importantly, ones that will last!

Be sure to follow along on Instagram, @thefoodeffectdr, where I share all my recipes, healthy eats, tips, tricks, advice, + lots more!  More information is available about me and THE FOOD EFFECT is available on the website.

And my book, THE FOOD EFFECT DIET, is available worldwide on Amazon ( USA, Canada, UK ).

Hope you guys got some valuable tips from Michelle. I sure did- because portions, portions, portions! Hope you all had a nice, relaxing weekend ( we made INULIN chocolate chip cookies, watched tons of movies, & read! ). So ready to hit Monday with a fucking bang- anyone else?

Be sure to read about my morning routine on Michelle’s blog ( lots of easy tips for you guys to implement in to your morning routine too ). See you tomorrow.

x, lauryn

+ How to drink more water effortlessly.

++ Up your fiber with these skinny blueberry waffles.

STEAL MICHELLE’S TIPS & TRICKS:

LEAVE A COMMENT

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

76 replies to “The Food Effect Dr: Tips for Healthy Eating & Weight Loss”

  1. This is literally nothing new at all. “Eat whole foods, drink water, don’t go fat free.”

    Seriously?

    Reply

    1. Hi Beth, so sorry you didn’t enjoy the article! It’s great it’s nothing new for you, but I do see so many clients & people on social media, Instagram, etc. who aren’t so familiar all this and don’t eat according to these tips at all! (e.g. eat a lot of highly processed, packaged food; are scared of healthy foods that are high in fats such as nuts, avocado, etc.) and are scared of healthy carbs that have many nutritional benefits. So hopefully this article will help them and others! Appreciate the feedback though. Best Wishes, Michelle

  5. Love the tips, just started my weight loss journey and was trying to Keto diet, and loss weight! I also want to look into intermittent fasting to see and review that program soon!

    Reply

  11. Hey, you used to write excellent, but the last several posts have been kinda boring?
    I miss your super writings. Past few posts are just a little bit out
    of track! come on!

    Reply

  16. Health is wealth & to continue good health nutrients food & weight balance is the most important things. U have described here some important matter briefly that is so much helpful. Thanks for that.

    Reply

  18. There are no magic foods for weight loss. Some foods may help you suppress your appetite a little. Some other foods may slightly increase your metabolic rate. Unfortunately, the effect is minuscule. The only way to really lose fat is to consume fewer calories than you burn. This way your body will tap into the fat stores to get the energy it needs.

    Reply

  19. These are some great diet tips! Losing weight is not that easy specially when you don’t follow a certain guideline. This one here from you is really helpful!

    Reply

  20. Loving those tips! People love to lose weight and they tend to look for tips on how to do it. And here you are, sharing us something that we can do to lose the unnecessary fats in our body. And in order to do it we must eat healthy foods and avoid junk and fatty foods which are harmful to our body. Aside from that we also need to follow a health and diet guide in order to achieve our goal.

    Reply

  23. It is important to note that regardless of the cost, healthy eating should be a top priority as it’ll save thousands of dollars in medical bills and save you plenty of physical and emotional pain down the road in life. Eating so much food is not good for health although it is harmful to health.

    Reply

  24. If losing weight were easy, no one would be overweight. Many people try and fail every year to shed extra pounds; according to the International Food Information Council Foundation, a whopping 69 percent of American citizens are attempting to lose weight or keep it off.

    Reply

  26. Their studies also have a tendency to be quick term. Back in 2014, Phinney and scientist Tim Noakes wrote an editorial that said that in the past 31 years, there have simplest been a handful of studies measuring sports activities overall performance and low carb diets. Out of a complete of 11, best three discovered exercising upgrades.

    Reply

  28. I came across over the web to look for a specific topic to help me in my weight loss journey. You are right. Health is wealth.

    Reply

  29. Great Article. Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience with us.Thank you for sharing this information with us, I hope this post will help a lot.

    Reply

  31. Interesting, I loved the way you explained it, it’s unique and really helpful. I loved the part about setting a mindset, where I lack sometimes. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  36. Responding to comments really gives the sense of community to readers, it really shows them that you care about your readers and that your not some robot behind a keyboard. I think it is my favorite tip on this list. Good work!

    Reply

  40. • Thanks for crafting this beautiful information. I’m thankful and humbled to you. This is the best blog I have ever read. I’m going to make sure that I will share this with my friends and relatives.

    Reply

  42. Good blog post. I want to thank you for interesting and helpful information and I like your point of view. Thank you!- I love to read this type of material Good and attractive information I take from it.. Thank you for posting such a good article.

    Reply

  43. Great post!! Eating whole & natural food is one of the game-changer. I have been practicing eating natural food nutrients & natural weight loss products, it does really help. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  44. When dieting to lose weight, due to the reduction in the food eaten, the intake of various vitamins is also reduced, which is likely to cause the symptoms of various vitamin deficiencies and cause the sequelae of weight loss. But in fact, vitamins do not have calories, and some can also help calorie metabolism. For example, B1, B2, B6, and B12 in the vitamin B group can promote the metabolism of fats, proteins, and sugars.

    Reply

  45. Hey Michelle!! Nice ideas. I am overweight and I do gym and regular exercises but still not seeing any visible change in my weight. So I want to know if there are any natural foods that will help me to loose weight?? Waiting for your reply.

    Reply

  48. Well, recently I got on some weight and starting to feel the different effects it’s having on my health. I read your article and I think that this information is useful. We don’t need to think of this in the short term but as a long term process.

    Reply

  49. Thanks for writing on this important topic. I always like to take healthy food and don’t wanna do any diet, but I do regular physical exercise and I think all of us have to do it.

    Reply

  51. Loved the article, thank you for sharing this wonderful information. Running & walking is the best practice, i completely agree with you.

    Reply

  52. I have been reading so many reviews lately on different types of diets and how to get healthy. So many people will say … this is a scam , this does not work etc. the irony . they never actually followed the program. Thanks for the info , appreciate the hard work you have put into this

    Reply

  53. This is really a great article and a great read for me. It’s my first visit to your blog and I have found it so useful and informative. Thank you

    Reply

  57. I love this post. You said eat a rainbow and I was so intrigued to read what it is all about. But that just means we should eat more fruits and vegetables and fruits and vegetables are very colorful. Thank you for this lovely post. Well done.

    Reply

  58. Great article. This article is really well written and I agree with everything you said. Having a healthy lifestyle change your life so much, you feel more motivated, you feel productive and you feel more active.Really nice article. Keep it up.

    Reply

  61. You should take part in a contest for one of the best websites online.
    I most certainly will highly recommend this website!

    Reply