Bill Phillip's | Transformation

Transformation Assignment #3

Okay… now it’s time to make another step in the right direction. It’s time that we focus on one of the most important aspects of being healthy: How to feed our bodies the right way, so we enjoy great health and abundant energy.

No matter what your transformation goal -- whether your aim is to successfully complete a Body-for-LIFE program or simply let go of some unhealthy body fat or if, like me, you're training for an endurance event such as a marathon, triathalon or a mountain climb -- you've got to know the ins and outs of nutrition and then, you've got to have the discipline to apply what you know, each and every day. 

To help with this, I want to draw your attention to what I call The Right Recipe.  This is a way of eating that puts an end to nonsense like dieting, deprivation, and fads.  The Right Recipe is a plan that can help you loose body fat, increase your energy, strengthen your muscles, and also nourish your mind as well.  It's scientifically proven and it's a practical approach which works in the real world as well.  Please carefully read the following text -- it's chapter 6 from my book Eating-for-Life.  Also, please note that all the food photos in the text are linked to delicious nutritious recipes.  Just click on the photo.  In a few days, I'll send you more information about how to eat right; however, it's very important that you get started now, by reading about The Right Recipe.

Bill

P.S. This week, make time for 3-4 more hours of exercise. Build on your momentum and pick up the intensity and focus a bit!

P.P.S. Also, take a look at your before photo and read the words and phrases that describe how you felt then. Be aware of your starting point. Then look over your page where you describe your destination. See it, feel it, and know you are on your way there!

The Right Recipe

Excerpt from Eating-for-Life Chapter 6

“Eat right.”

Each day, nutritionists, dietitians and diet doctors dish out this wellintended advice to clients, patients and those seeking the right way to reduce bodyfat and improve health.

Unfortunately, the wellintended admonition “eat right” has become a very obscure and ambiguous “prescription.” I receive so many letters and emails from people who are confused about what it really means to eat right. “Is that low carb? Is that low fat? Does that mean joining a weightloss clinic? What, when and how do I eat to ‘eat right’?”

Good news: There is an answer. I call it the “Right Recipe.” It has four primary ingredients. Each plays an important role in the overall process. And in this chapter, I’m going to teach you about each of these ingredients. Then I’ll go on to explain how they all work together—in harmony—to form the Eating for Lifestyle.

So, if you’re ready to learn what it really means to “eat right” once and for all, please review this chapter closely. I promise it reveals the right way.

The Right Recipe Ingredients

As you can see in the “pie chart” above, the four primary ingredients are: the Right Foods, the Right Amounts, the Right Combos and the Right Times.

That’s it. That’s all there is to it. When you combine these four ingredients, you absolutely, positively will have the Right Recipe to feed your body in a balanced, healthy, hearty, satisfying and effective way. You’ll be able to gain energy, build strength, look and feel younger and reduce bodyfat.

As I walk you through an explanation of each ingredient in the Right Recipe, rest assured, I will not drag you through a complicated, convoluted and overly detailed dissertation of the many idiosyncrasies and trivialities of nutritional biochemistry. That’s not my style.

As I see it, my job is to do the reading, the research, the reviews, then separate the wheat from the chaff, trim the fat and simply serve you the basic bottomline facts. And that’s what you’ll find here.

That said, let’s get down to business… let’s learn what we need to know about the four ingredients that form the Right Recipe of the Eating for Lifestyle.

INGREDIENT #1: The Right Foods

The foundation of your success with Eating for Life begins with knowing which foods are right for you—which ones provide the highquality, essential nutrition your body needs. In my book BodyforLIFE, I called these the “authorized” foods, which are the ones that are aokay to include in each of your daily meals. These foods get the green light because of the amount of nutrients they contain compared to calories. The best foods offer the most nutrients per calories. The technical term for these right foods is “nutrient rich and calorie compact.” That is the opposite of “empty calories” or “wrong foods,” which means they contain calories but little nutrition.

Right foods are healthy sources of the six nutrients that are essential to great health: protein, carbohydrates, essential fats, vitamins, minerals and water.

Just as every single one of the ingredients listed in each of the 150 very delicious and nutritious Eating for Life recipes featured in this book are absolutely essential for the meals to turn out right, the same is true in regard to these six essential nutrients and you. In order for you to “come out right”—in order for your mind to think clearly, your muscles to maintain strength, your body to metabolize fat efficiently and for you to enjoy great health and energy—you must feed your body the right foods, rich with ample amounts of essential nutrients.

Consider this statistic: Your body is made up of well over 75 trillion (75,000,000,000,000) cells.

Mind boggling, isn’t it?

So is this: Within a year, each and every one of those cells will be completely gone. It’s true!

You see, just as sure as the earth is revolving at this very moment, so too are our bodies—they’re always moving, cycling and “recreating.” Life (yours, mine and everyone else’s) is in a constant state of motion, even when you’re just sitting there!

As sure as you’re reading these words on this page, right now, each and every one of those 75 trillion cells is degenerating and regenerating. For example, our entire skin is “recreated” approximately every four weeks; our skeleton every three months; and our blood supply every four months. Every second of every minute of every day, your cells and mine are completely transforming.

Now, for this process to proceed in a healthy way—for all those new cells to be recreated the right way—it’s vitally important that all the right raw materials and the essential nutrients are available when and where they are needed.

Problem is, far too many Americans aren’t getting nearly enough of these nutrients. Scientific research shows most people are low on water, dangerously deficient in essential fats, undersupplied in quality protein and malnourished in many vitamins and minerals. This is not good. You see, even when nutrient deficiencies exist, new cells will still be created. Your body will do the best it can, in spite of the missing ingredients. The body is brilliant, and it can adjust and adapt to so many circumstances. But when it is starved of essential nutrients, day after day, its ability to recreate cells the right way becomes crippled. Over time, as your body’s cells become unhealthy, so will you.

The signs and symptoms of this serious problem are often ignored: low energy, depression, insomnia, aches and pains and constant cravings for “something.” The “new” you being created is an unhealthier version each and every day. But it doesn’t have to be that way!

By eating right, you can feed the recreation process and actually become a healthier new you beginning now and continuing far into the future. That’s why eating the right foods that provide your body with all the essential nutrients it needs to keep the recreation process going strong is so important.

Here’s some essential information about essential nutrients you need to know before we go on to the next ingredient of the Right Recipe.

Protein

Protein is included in each Eating for Life meal, for good reason. It is an essential component of every one of those 75 trillion cells our bodies are made of. Protein is a very important nutrient; in fact, the word itself originates from the Greek word meaning “of prime importance.”

Some of the very highquality proteinrich foods that are ingredients in Eating for Life meals featured in this book include: chicken breast, turkey breast, lean beef, swordfish, orange roughy, salmon, tuna, crab, lobster, shrimp, lean ground beef, buffalo, eggs, cottage cheese, lowfat cheese, nutrition shakes and protein powder.

Click on the photo above to get the recipe

All of these foods offer complete proteins, which contain all nine of the essential amino acids: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine. (By the way, knowing the essential amino acids by name, plus 2 bucks, will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks!) The reason these amino acids are “essential” is because your body can’t make them on its own, so they must be provided through the foods we eat.

The amino acids, derived from quality complete proteins, are the basic building blocks of muscle as well as a countless number of enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters and antibodies. Also, when you eat meals containing quality protein, it supports your metabolism, helps stabilize energy levels through its effect on insulin and blood sugar and satisfies your appetite.

Now, although protein is of prime importance, it is only one of the six essential nutrients. And despite the proclamations of protein powder pushers, it is not in and of itself the panacea—it is not the “one key” that opens the door to increased muscle, health, strength and vibrancy.

Variety is as important as anything when it comes to protein. That’s why I eat some chicken. I eat some turkey. I eat some beef. I eat some cottage cheese. And I eat eggs. And I drink my nutrition shakes, which are fortified with proteins derived from soy sources as well as whey.

The bottom line is, the right protein is not derived from just one source.

Your body craves, intuitively, instinctively and very, very intelligently, a lot of sources of protein. Feed it, don’t fight it. And, don’t let protein pushers, who proclaim the power of their “source” to be superior to any other, to persuade and override your intuition.

The power of protein is in the variety, the satiety, the healthenhancing, musclestrengthening effects, which are best derived from feeding your body with as many different quality right proteins as possible.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates, like protein, are essential to your health and are also included in Eating for Life meals. Among the foods that provide quality carbohydrates you’ll find included in the 150 Eating for Life meal recipes are: brown rice, oatmeal, potatoes, yams, pasta, barley, apples, berries, oranges, wholegrain breads and pitas.

Carbohydrates are first and foremost a source of immediate energy for all of your body’s trillions of cells. Carbohydrates also cause the release of insulin, a powerful hormone needed to help amino acids enter cells, which is very important. In that way, carbohydrates and protein work together, which is one of the many reasons I have included both in every meal.

In recent years, there has been a great deal of discussion and debate, amongst the diet doctors in particular, about the eminent evils of eating carbohydrates. And although I agree that the food supply in America, in particular that fastfood frenzy which I talked about in Chapter 2, is serving us a surplus of crummy carbs, that does not, I repeat NOT, mean that all carbohydrates are bad for you.

Other “experts” have alleged that you can draw the line between “good carb” and “bad carb” sources depending on whether they are refined, processed or what their score is on a scale called the “glycemic index.” Once again, although I believe there is a morsel of truth to this, I don’t think it’s as literal—as black and white—as these diet doctors make it out to be.

For example, on several of the very popular lowcarb diets, the authors fight

that fruits, such as apples, are actually bad for you.

Come on… that’s just silly!

If you have your nose stuffed so far up the scientific literature and lab reports that you determine something as natural, healthy and wholesome as an apple is to be a condemned carb and blamed for being part of America’s big fat problem, then you have simply lost touch with reality!

Make no mistake, I am not going to tell you there are merely good and bad carbs and that they can be determined by a lab test, judging how fast or slow they are digested, how much or how little they, on their own, cause your body’s blood sugar to rise and fall, and how much insulin levels are affected as a result.

The fact is, in the real world things don’t work just like they do in the scientific laboratories. In the real world, I know for certain that what works, long term, is eating a variety of carbohydrates. And that’s why I eat some brown rice, barley and oatmeal, which cause a relatively slow, steady release of blood sugar into my body. And I also eat ample amounts of apples, oranges, berries and other foods that contain carbs that provide quicker energy. But variety is the key!

This approach works! I’m living proof.

You know this already, intuitively. It’s that common sense I’ve been talking about throughout this book. It’s that natural intelligence we have inherited from our longlost ancestors. We naturally reach for brightly colored fruits, which have been “kissed” by the sun and which literally contain particles of light energy, phytonutrients, as well as numerous vitamins and minerals, along with energyrich carbohydrates.

Fact is, I recommend right carbs based on many factors, not simply on how fast they do or don’t cause your blood sugar to rise or what their glycemic index is. For example, the carbohydrate foods that are included in the recipes featured in this book are there because they are nutrient rich. This not only makes them good for you, but it makes them taste good too.

You see, “good taste” is something we are all born with; something we inherited. And the desire to taste delicious, sweet and soft fruit is, once again, something we should feed and not fight.

So the bottom line is, the right carbs to eat for life include a vast variety and are not just selected solely on whether they are good or bad, quick or slow. Such classifications have been greatly exaggerated; they are counterintuitive and make the issue of carbs complex when, naturally, they should be a source of simple, sweet satisfaction.

Essential Fats

That’s right, essential fats. I know that might sound and seem a little strange—the idea that any form of fat could be essential is quite foreign to most. For certain, the fact that fat fortifies and nourishes those 75 trillion cells within our bodies has been very well established for over 40 years. Unfortunately, that message has been lost in the marketing and media hype, which would have us believe bodyfat is simply a form of consumed fat from foods. Fact is, that is not so!

Click on the photo above to get the recipe

Bodyfat, that extra flub on your belly and buns, is not just there because you ate food with fat in it. The buildup of bodyfat is always a result of not following the Right Recipe. It’s not simply a matter of eating something with fat in it. In fact, it’s an established scientific certainty that the right fats, the essential fats, increase the metabolism of stored bodyfat and decrease fat production in the body.

So how could fat be essential in any way? It’s because cell membranes, hormones, antibodies and enzymes all must have the “raw material” of certain essential fats in order for our DNA, our genetic blueprint, to fulfill its destiny and recreate the new you, the best you can be.

If you’re malnourished in essential fats, which research shows over 95 percent of all Americans are, this process is compromised and certain deficiency symptoms begin to manifest themselves: dry skin, a depressed metabolism, mood disorders, decreased energy, dizziness and even memory loss.

You certainly don’t need to know everything about the essential fats. Just remember that they, like the other nutrients included in Eating for Life meals featured in this book, are there for important reasons. Not just for flavor but because they are good for your health.

There are two particular types of essential fats in Eating for Life meals. These are ones that cannot be made by the body but are necessary for thousands of biochemical reactions to take place. These essential fats are called linoleic acid (sometimes called an omega6 fatty acid) and linolenic acid (omega3). In the ideal metabolism, linoleic and linolenic acid are the only dietary fats you need. These are found in healthy vegetable oils (canola oil, olive oil, safflower oil), fish oils (good fats in salmon, tuna, halibut, etc.) and in darkgreen leafy vegetables, such as spinach. As long as you’re eating ample amounts of these right foods every week, you will be getting the essential fats you need.

Now, there are right fats, and there are some wrong fats. Those which are bad for you include the saturated fats and the true dietary devil, trans fats, which are found in sick amounts in margarines, crackers, cookies and fastfood fries, burgers and so on. These fats have been proven to cause diseases ranging from cancer to diabetes to heart disease. They also are the fats that are the most likely to make you fat! We certainly want to avoid those fats, at least most of the time.

So the bottom line is, be sure to eat the essential fats your body needs in forms and foods such as healthy vegetable oils; fresh fish like salmon, albacore tuna and halibut; as well as darkgreen leafy vegetables, such as spinach. That’s what I do, and it works for me!

Vitamins and Minerals

All three of the nutrients I’ve talked about so far—proteins, carbohydrates and essential fats—need to be consumed daily in relatively significant quantities that are measured in ounces or grams. Scientists call these “macronutrients” (macro meaning large).

The other essential nutrients I’m going to tell you about now are con

sumed in very small quantities (often measured in milligrams). They’re known as the “micronutrients” (micro meaning small). These are the vitamins and minerals. Although only small amounts of these nutrients are needed by the body, they serve a very important role in maintaining the proper biological functioning of everything from your muscles to your mind. Vitamins and minerals contribute to good health, muscle growth and proper fat burning by regulating the metabolism and assisting the biochemical processes that release and recharge energy from the food you eat. If you don’t eat enough of these essential micronutrients to maintain proper levels, deficiency symptoms, which include muscle weakness, slow fat loss, connectivetissue deterioration and frequent colds and infections due to suppression of the immune system, just to name a few, will appear.

Vitamins are “organic” compounds, which means that they are produced naturally in both vegetables and animals, where they are found in abundant quantities. The main function of vitamins in the body is to help enzymes with reactions, including energy metabolism, protein synthesis, nutrient digestion and absorption, to name but a few of thousands of processes. Vitamins are essential—you cannot live without them. Literally.

Vitamins are either fat soluble or water soluble, depending on whether fator waterbased molecules transport the vitamins through the bloodstream. Fatsoluble vitamins include A, D, E and K. Because these vitamins have an affinity for fat, they can be stored in both adipose (fat) tissue and in the liver, extending their effective life span in the body and strongly decreasing the chance of developing deficiencies. The watersoluble vitamins include all of the B vitamins and vitamin C; they aren’t stored in the body for more than a few hours, so daily intake is a must.

Minerals are inorganic in nature, meaning they are not produced by plants or animals. They can, however, be found in food sources, for example, iron in red meat, calcium in milk and potassium in bananas. Minerals are extremely important for your body to work right. They are essential for nerve cell communication, flexing muscles, fluid balance and energy production. Many minerals also serve as building blocks for body tissues, such as calcium and phosphorus for bones.

Minerals are referred to as either “bulk” or “trace” depending on the amount needed by the body. Bulk minerals include calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium. Trace minerals, on the other hand, may be required in quantities as little as a few micrograms (that’s just one onethousandth of a milligram). These include minerals such as chromium, copper, iodine and selenium.

Within the Eating for Life meal recipes, you’ll find vast amounts of vitamins and minerals in the form of fruits and vegetables, such as apples oranges, tomatoes, bananas, berries, broccoli and spinach. Also, right carbohydrates and proteins—whole grains, lean beef, chicken and nutrition shakes—provide rich sources of essential micronutrients.

Water

Water is so important to good health—consuming ample amounts is absolutely essential for fueling health and energy. Water covers approximately 70 percent of the earth’s surface and makes up over 70 percent of our bodies as well. All living things rely on water to thrive, you and I included. It helps produce energy, detoxify our bodies, regulate body temperature, build new cells and lubricate joints, among thousands of other functions.

We naturally lose water every minute of every day, just through breathing. During the summer months, water losses are greater because body perspiration, which is used to cool our systems, evaporates faster in a hot environment. Caffeinated and alcoholic beverages are diuretics—they cause you to lose even more body water.

We generally lose about 10 cups of water per day. Unfortunately, most Americans, research shows, don’t drink nearly that much. Consequently, many people are walking around in a chronic state of dehydration, which is not good to say the least. Water losses of one percent of your total bodyweight can impair functioning both mentally and physically. Losses of four percent can cause headaches, loss of energy, muscle weakness and irritability. Losses of seven percent can be fatal. Serious? You better believe it is! But it is easily prevented.

Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink water, or you’ll give back less than what you really need. It is essential that you replenish your water losses daily.

It’s not a discussion topic for good company, but watching your urine may be the best way to tell if your body’s properly hydrated. Dark, goldcolored urine is a sure sign you’re low on fluids. Drink enough water to aim for lightyellow or, better yet, almost clear urine. The average person needs at least 10 cups of water per day. People who exercise regularly need even more. I drink water from dawn to dusk and then some. I drink 16 ounces of bottled or filtered water first thing in the morning and another 16 ounces during my workouts. All total, I drink almost a gallon of water each and every day, and I drink an extra cup of water for each cup of coffee or diet soda I drink during the day. I suggest you do the same.

INGREDIENT #2: The Right Amounts

Now that you know which foods are right—which ones are high in nutrients, convenient and taste good—it’s time to move on and discover the right amounts of the right foods you should eat in each meal.

Fortunately, you don’t have to become a calorie counter nor do you need to meticulously monitor the carbs or fat grams of each and every food to know if you’re eating the right amount. What works well is to gain an understanding of the importance of portions.

You don’t need to get out a calculator to figure out if you’re on target with the right portions of right foods included in each Eating for Life meal. In fact, the information you need to know is transmitted to you at 186,000 miles per second! That’s the speed of light. And that’s how fast the answer to the question, “Is this the right amount of food for me?” is reflected.

So what is a portion?

Well, a portion is an amount of right protein roughly equal to the size of the palm of your hand. For example, a chicken breast about the size of the palm of your hand is a proper portion of chicken for you.

A portion of a right carbohydrate is an amount roughly equal to the size of your clenched fist. For example, a baked potato about that size is the right amount for you.

The right amount of a serving of vegetables is approximately what you might imagine you can hold in the cupped palm of your hand. For example, a portion of steamed broccoli could be a little or a lot, depending on your appetite, really. You see, with vegetables, like those included in the Eating for Life meal recipes in this book, you have a lot of leeway—you don’t have to limit yourself to a certain amount, and you certainly don’t have to forcefeed yourself a certain serving size.

What I do, generally, is eat a portion of protein and a portion of carbohydrates in each of my daily meals, and in two of these meals, I include a serving of vegetables (my favorites are broccoli, steamed spinach and zucchini). Sometimes I’ll eat a little serving of vegetables, and sometimes a lot, depending on my appetite… depending on what I’m intuitively craving. Once you too begin the Eating for Lifestyle, you’ll get the hang of it.

Eating the right amounts of the right foods in each meal is important. I’ve discovered that people eat too little amounts just as often as they do too much. The critical component is eating the right amounts of the right foods. When you do this, you become more connected with what a satisfying meal actually feels like. You’re not hungry or stuffed. Your appetite and cravings are satisfied. Your energy is fed.

Be forewarned: Eating too little or overeating the right or wrong foods in one meal will throw your energy off for hours later in the day. For example, eating too little for breakfast may manifest in overeating dinner or dessert. And the contrary… a breakfast binge may mean missing midmeals and abruptly interrupting energy, as well as physical and mental performance throughout the day. When I say eating the right amounts of the right foods is vitally important to your success with the Eating for Lifestyle, I’m not kidding at all!

And, as I’ve already explained, eating the right amounts is not complicated or inconvenient. You just must simply know what to do!

INGREDIENT #3: The Right Combos

Now that you know about the right foods and the right amounts, it’s vitally important to understand the right combinations.

Quite simply, what you do is choose a portion of protein and carbs, and include that in each of your Eating for Life meals. For example, chicken breast (protein) and brown rice (carbohydrate). And in at least two of your daily meals, include a portion of vegetables. An example of this would be a dinner with a chicken breast, brown rice and broccoli. Throughout the 150 meal recipes featured in this book, you’ll see an array of ways to combine protein, carbohydrates and vegetables.

Click on the photo above to get the recipe

Combining the right foods in the right amounts not only calms your cravings, but it also helps feed your muscles by providing both the amino acids from protein, along with carbohydrates, which help “shuttle” that protein into cells. Scientific studies and realworld results reveal that eating a portion of protein along with the right amount of carbs provides a synergistic effect—carbs help protein fulfill its destiny, so to speak.

Rest assured, the Right Recipe ingredient of combining protein and carbs in each meal is based on sound, scientific research. For example, in a recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers found that balancing protein and carbohydrates stabilizes blood sugar and insulin (the purported benefits of the lowcarb diets) and tended to decrease bodyfat, cholesterol and reduce the risk of type2 diabetes.

In another study reported last year in the journal Physiology and Behavior, a team of Swiss researchers reported that by balancing protein and carbs in each meal, you could benefit not only your muscles but your mind. Balanced eaters experienced better overall cognitive/mental performance compared to test subjects who ate meals that were not balanced.

In yet another study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists cited, once again, that eating a balance of protein and carbohydrates and essential fats in each meal resulted in greater feelings of energy and lower levels of fatigue. They determined that balanced meals promote stable energy and greater endurance.

In another scientific study, this one published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, researchers reported that in test subjects who exercise, consuming a postworkout meal with both protein and carbohydrates resulted in better moods—enhanced feelings of strength and confidence. That’s good news because the more optimistic you are, the more likely it is you will continue to eat right!

More proof for the pudding: Scientists have also shown that people who eat a balance of protein and carbohydrates have better digestion and absorption of nutrients and a higher “thermic effect” (fatburning effect) from each meal. On top of all that, studies show that meals balanced in protein, carbohydrates and essential fats help people like you and me control our appetite.

I could go on and on, but rest assured, the results of research in the realm of traditional science, as well as reams of realworld results, absolutely and positively support the Eating for Life recommendation of combining protein and carbohydrates in each meal. This advice, although it goes against the grain of the popular lowcarb diet dogma, provides a basic, balanced and in my opinion the best approach to making the most of each and every meal.

INGREDIENT #4: The Right Times

Okay… now you know that eating the right foods, in the right amounts, in the right combinations are three of the essential ingredients in the Right Recipe. And the fourth and final ingredient, that’s eating at the right times.

Q: What are the right times?

A: Six times a day is the right way!

It’s true!

What about the old adage that “three square meals a day” is best?

Well, that nonsense is not based on anything even remotely related to good health or sound nutrition. The expression “three squares” comes from centuries ago when serving crew aboard warships gave the gunners three daily meals served on square wooden platters—meals that consisted of salty, halfrotten meat and crusty old biscuits. I think you also get three square meals a day in county jail, but I don’t know for sure.

Anyway, the fact of the matter is, your body, my body, everybody’s body works better when we eat the right foods, in the right amounts, in the right combos, not three but six times per day.

Eating six meals a day creates a “metabolic environment” that supports your energy and muscle metabolism, while helping you burn bodyfat. Study after scientific study has shown this to be so. For example, a recently published report in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition cites that people who ate six times a day had a faster resting metabolic rate than those who ate just three meals daily. As you may very well know, your metabolic rate is the pace at which your body burns fat and food energy to keep you going strong. This study showed eating meals frequently throughout the day allows you to burn fat more efficiently. That’s good!

Researchers at Georgia State University recently arrived at the same conclusion. They found that those who ate just “three squares” a day had, on average, a higher percentage of bodyfat than those who ate six times per day, leading the researchers to cite that the idea of eating three square meals is best is downright wrong. (I agree, by the way!)

Another way eating six complete meals a day helps you lose bodyfat is by allowing you to maintain lean muscle. Remember, muscle not only helps you look leaner but also makes your body more metabolically active. Muscle

burns calories even when you are just sitting there. Fat does not.

Numerous studies have shown that eating frequent meals increases fat loss while helping you keep your muscle. One recent report studied physically active people who ate the same amount of food each day but in a different number of meals. The people who ate only two meals a day lost about twice the muscle and half the fat as the people who ate six meals a day. In other words, the weight lost by those eating six meals was primarily bodyfat, while those eating just two meals lost mostly muscle.

When you eat meals every few hours, you’ll have more energy; you’ll also have less hunger and cravings, as was demonstrated in yet another recent study where it was shown that people who ate two large meals a day, given the same food choices as those eating six meals a day, consumed an average of 27 percent more food.

As I see it, eating one big meal causes your blood sugar to spike, then crash. Research shows that this “nosedive” in your blood sugar strongly stimulates hunger. So at your next meal, you’re more likely to get to the table ravenously hungry, which, of course, can cause you to eat too much. But with six balanced meals per day, you never get to that point of ravenous hunger. At meal time you feel a little hungry; then you eat; you feel full—you feel satisfied until your next meal.

Another study published recently in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that in as little as two weeks, people who ate frequent, portioncontrolled meals as opposed to three large meals (containing the same total amount of food) reduced their “bad” cholesterol levels by nearly 15 percent, reduced their cortisol levels (the “stress” hormone that contributes to belly flub and many other side effects) by more than 17 percent and reduced insulin levels by almost 28 percent.

There’s more… a scientific study reported in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that eating “compact,” balanced, nutritious meals every two to three hours throughout the day increases your metabolism, allowing you to burn more fat. When your daily food intake is eaten in a small number of large meals, there is an increased chance to become overweight.

Yet another study revealed that eating often helps your blood sugar and insulin levels stay strong and steady. When insulin levels spike, fat storage starts, blood sugar drops and energy levels plummet. Six meals per day do away with the highs and lows of blood sugar and insulin, as demonstrated in a recent study which clearly shows blood sugar remains much more constant and insulin levels stayed much lower in the sixmealaday group than in the twomeal group. That’s good.

I could go on and on. Another study published in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders found that when you eat frequent meals throughout the day, it helps control the appetite.

Again, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that people are most successful at losing fat and keeping it off when they eat numerous meals throughout the day.

Had enough?

I have!

The bottom line is, when you eat every few hours, when you work with your body instead of against it, you’ll not only look better but I’m certain you’ll just flat out feel better too… a lot better.

Right Recipe Wrapup

So there you have it—the Right Recipe. What it really all boils down to is this: When you eat the right foods, in the right amounts, in the right combos, at the right times, you simply cannot go wrong!

Got it?

Good!