Break out your blender and grab some ice! This lemonade-inspired smoothie is decadent, and is the perfect chilling concoction to bring to a pool on a warm, summer day.

The ruby red raspberries in this shake are packed with Vitamin C, quercetin and gallic acid that fight against cancer, heart and circulatory disease and age-related decline.

Ready for a sweet treat?

Ingredients:
1 serving vanilla protein powder
1/4 c. unsweetened coconut water
3/4 c. water
1 freshly-squeezed lemon
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 tsp chia seeds

QUESTION: Every once in a while I get bloating and gas. It’s uncomfortable and embarrassing. What can I do to get rid of it?

Here’s what Anne Fabiny, MD and Editor in Chief of Harvard Women’s Health Watch says…

“Gas and bloating are tough to talk about, but we’ve all have had to deal with these afflictions at one time or another. Although they’re not pleasant, there are things you can do to prevent and treat them.”

“Most gas and bloating stem from your diet. When you eat, bacteria living in your gut feast on the carbohydrates your body can’t digest. They release hydrogen, methane, and other gases, which swell up your belly. Eventually your body expels the gas in the form of flatulence.”

“Gas also can be caused by air you swallow. Try eating smaller meals and chewing slowly, so you don’t inhale extra air. Avoid carbonated drinks, which can increase belching. Most of the time gas is more of an annoyance than a health issue.”

If you want to maintain a flat tummy, it’s IMPORTANT to keep your gut in a healthy zone.

Here are 4 foods that are easy to digest and will keep your gut lining on track.

1 – Liquid Gold (aka Bone Broth) – When made from scratch, bone broth is almost deceptively simple….water and animal bones simmered for hours into an immune-boosting, protein-rich stock. The benefits of the brew seem to be endless…from strengthening the gastrointestinal tract, while giving your body amino acids and important minerals such as potassium, proline and glycine.

2 – Good Fats – Don’t be afraid of fat! Eating avocado each day keeps the doctor away! Okay, maybe I made that saying up, but in moderation, healthy fats promote gut healing. My favorites are avocado, coconut oil, and salmon. 

3 – Fermented Foods – Foods that are fermented (such as sauerkraut, kimichi and kombucha) contain probiotics that help destroy bad bacteria (like candida), which helps your gut health. Probiotics are actually the “good” bacteria — or live cultures — just like those naturally found in your gut. These active cultures help change or repopulate intestinal bacteria to balance gut flora. This functional component may boost immunity and overall health, especially GI health. They also help balance the pH of your small intestines and stomach.

4 – Steamed Veggies– You already know by now that eating a hearty amount of vegetables is forefront in getting fit and staying healthy. But, steaming non-starchy veggies such as asparagus and kale is also an essential part of having a healthy gut lining. Try steaming a few pieces of asparagus and wrapping it with a lean slice of turkey. This will help curb your hunger throughout the day and keep you satisfied.

Eliminate These 4 Inflammation-Boosting Foods:

1 – GMO – Research from the Journal of Environmental Sciences shows that GMO foods cause organ inflammation and  destroy the probiotics in your gut.

2- Gluten – It’s tough to digest, unless it’s gone through a sprouting or sourdough process.

3 – Dairy from Cows  – Go for unsweeteened almond milk instead!

4 – Sugar – “Sugar, not fat, is the real villain that steals our health and sabotages our waistlines!” – Mark Hyman

Good news: you can still snack, even when trying to lose weight  – in fact, I insist on it. Healthy snacking keeps your blood sugar, energy and hunger levels stabilized and your metabolism humming. Check out my mouth-watering snack recipes below. These delicious snacks all provide a good source of fiber and protein and are perfect for tying you over, especially midmorning (between breakfast and lunch) and midafternoon (between lunch and dinner). And you won’t even miss things like crackers, cookies and chips.

1. Apple slices with 1 tablespoon almond butter and raisins
2. Celery sticks filled with 1 tablespoon natural crunchy peanut butter and raisins
3. ½ avocado and 1 small tomato, chopped, with a squeeze of lemon
4. ½ avocado with salsa and diced jicama
5. Handful of raw almonds with 1/2 cup blackberries
6. 2 hard-boiled eggs with bell pepper strips or steamed green beans
7. 5-ounce pouch tuna in water, seasoned with dill, lemon juice, and chopped scallion with a chopped tomato
8. 5-ounce pouch tuna in mixed with Avocado Mayonnaise, wrapped in lettuce leaves
9. 2 sheets nori seaweed topped with tuna, avocado, and cucumber, and rolled up
10. 2 lettuce leaves topped with 2 ounces turkey slices and 1 ounce of cheese, rolled up
11. 2 lettuce leaves spread with 1 tablespoon hummus and raw vegetables and wrapped up
12. 2 to 3 ounces roasted turkey spread with mustard and wrapped around 1⁄4 of a sliced avocado
13. 2 tablespoons hummus with celery sticks and bell pepper strips
14. 1 string cheese with a green apple
15. 3⁄4 cup organic plain yogurt and 1⁄2 cup fresh berries
16. 3/4 cup organic plain yogurt with ground cinnamon and apple slices
17. 1⁄2 cup cottage cheese with 1⁄2 cup berries, sliced kiwi, or chopped melon
18. 1/2 cup cottage cheese with 1⁄2 a chopped apple and cinnamon
19. 1 wedge cantaloupe with 1⁄2 cup cottage cheese
20. 2 ounces turkey or beef with 1⁄2 or 1 medium cucumber, sliced
21. 3⁄4 cup cooked shelled edamame
22. 4 steamed asparagus spears wrapped with 4 ounces cooked sliced turkey

You already know that the formula for burning insane amounts of fat and keeping it off, is more than cutting calories and guzzling detox juices. All that will do is revert you back to old patterns and gaining weight faster than you can say yo-yo!

The vital process in the weight loss journey is to transform good habits into a LIFESTYLE. This requires a mental shift – a new way of thinking that, just like any other new habit, requires practice. Often times, women are hesitant to go all-in on the weight loss journey, because they’re afraid that eventually, their engine of motivation will ware off, and their train will de-rail and fall off the tracks. But, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Studies prove that the best predictor for lasting weight will be to analyze how many pounds you drop within the first 30 days. But, the first two weeks of your weight loss journey are the most important…this is the time where you develop habits and guidelines for healthy eating that you can follow throughout your life. During this time, you learn to curb unhealthy cravings and shift your mindset to change course. Results are motivating, and if you see the pounds start to drop in the first two weeks, you will naturally build momentum, to transform your new habits into a healthy lifestyle.

During the first few weeks when you feel the urge to pick up the fork and go crazy, remember the H-A-L-T method. Ask yourself:

H – Am I actually HUNGRY, or am I…
A – ANXIOUS or ANGRY?
L – LONELY?
T – TIRED?

If you’re still undecided after answering those questions, try the apple test. If you’re truly hungry, the sweet, juicy flavor of an apple will excite your taste buds. If not, it’s time to keep investigating your feelings. Remember, if hunger isn’t what you’re feeling, then food won’t be the solution. Instead of grabbing for the nearest chocolate cake, try lacing up your shoes for a 10-min walk outside.

Most people tend to get caught in a vicious cycle of dieting and then blowing the diet. It usually begins something like this…You’re unhappy with the way you look and feel. You seek a diet that promises instant weight loss through complete control of what, when, and how you eat. It feels safe, because you know exactly what you have to do to reach your goal. Soon enough you discover that you just can’t stick to it..and you end up right back where you started, with the exact same eating pattern that got you wanting to go on a diet in the first place.

And so the cycle continues.

The problem here is that those “diets” treat the dieter like a machine that can be programmed. But the truth is that eating well has to take into account the food’s less scientific side.

You may have already had an experience similar to this one. Maybe you, like millions of others, white-knuckled a liquid detox. If you did, then it won’t come as news to hear that the number-one reason people give up such diets is not because they reach their target weight. It’s because they couldn’t stand to go for so long without “real food.” Anyway, it’s simple human nature to rebel against such rigidity imposed from the outside. being told what we’re supposed to like, and be satisfied with it, will eventually create its opposite intended effect.

Most plans don’t take into account what food really means to us. They don’t consider how the flavor and color and texture and temperature and presentation of food can give us so much pleasure. They don’t consider how food is intimately entwined with our social and cultural customs. They don’t consider how food and the environment in which we eat comfort us. They don’t consider how eating foods that you don’t like leave you unsatisfied.

Eating well has to be seen as an ongoing process in your life. So in 2016, add these 5 eating habits into your routine for optimal eating:

SKIP SUGARY DRINKS

Liquid calories are often the most dangerous, especially when it comes to sugary drinks. That’s because liquid sugars hit our liver even faster than solid foods – and the faster fructose hits our liver, the higher the chances that the liver will convert it to fat. That’s why sodas containing high fructose corn syrup are to be avoided at all costs. But even freshly-squeezed fruit juice can wreak havoc on our blood sugar because of its high Glycemic Index, a system that calculates foods’ effect on our blood sugar. So while orange juice is a great source of Vitamin C, it’s completely stripped of the fiber found in whole oranges, which means when we drink it, a blood sugar spike is right around the corner.

Nothing beats water, of course – but if you’d like to “jazz up” your daily water intake, try infusing it with some fruit or veggies. Sliced lemons, limes, cucumbers, and even strawberries can lend some flavor to a pitcher of water without adding sugar and calories. Herbal tea is another great option – and if you’re craving juice, try cutting it with sparkling water so that you can still enjoy the fruity sweetness without putting yourself back on the blood sugar roller coaster.