Many of us are looking for a quick and easy way to get lean, which explains the constant deluge of fad diets/schemes and the increase in liposuction surgeries. Let me start by stating what I believe you already know or suspect, but may refuse to believe:

Diets never work!

Diets are over-complicated, restrictive and frustrating. Basic logic argues if any particular diet actually worked, everyone would be doing it and we would all be lean and healthy. They just don’t work in a long-term plan towards total wellness … it’s that simple.

Shedding fat is extremely simple: Burn more calories than you ingest and make the calories you eat count, and I recommend a healthy combination of exercising more and eating better. Plenty of people take it to the extreme with very restrictive, perfectly scheduled meals throughout the day and while that is fine for the few severely-disciplined people out there, moderation and simplicity works best for most of us. The key to nutritional wellness is to create a meal plan consisting of clean, “less-processed” food you enjoy eating and is easy to prepare.

Embrace:

• grass-fed beef, all-natural poultry and wild-caught fish
• Eating 5 or 6 small meals a day
• Preparing your own meals
• Getting fiber, vitamins, and nutrients from fresh fruits and dark, leafy vegetables rather than supplements
• Drinking 2 to 3 liters of water each day
• Shopping at a local farmers’ market

Minimize/Avoid:

• Over-processed foods; especially white flour, sugar and store-bought breads
• Artificial sweeteners
• Fast-food
• Foods with preservatives or chemical additives
• Artificial foods, such as processed cheese slices
• Saturated fats and trans fats

Many of us have made poor-eating a daily habit, and habits are not easy to change. The biggest push-backs I hear is that clean meals don’t taste as good as their processed counterparts, they are too difficult to prepare, or that they take too much time to make. While I will address all of these concerns in great details in future blog posts, let me give an example of how simple I make it: My breakfast this morning consisted of a 6oz steak which I seasoned with sea-salt and pepper, fried medium-rare in the same pan with two basted eggs. After removing my steak and eggs from the pan, I sauteed spinach in the beef drippings and added it to my plate along with two plums. My breakfast was extremely healthy, took 10 minutes to prepare, used only one pan and one dish, and tasted great.

By the way: My kitchen is a 5′ long converted closet (see photo) so if I can create a quick, healthy meal; anybody can.

Thank you for allowing me to share your journey towards total wellness.

Enzo (about Enzo)