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My Bone Broth Diet takes your extra pounds off fast—but of course, no diet works instantly. In my last post, I shared fashion tips that will help you look slimmer while you’re reaching toward your goal. Today I want to talk about something even more important: how to stop over-focusing on your weight, and instead draw attention to the terrific things about you--accentuate your assets! Here’s the thing: When you put all of your attention on your weight, you draw other people’s attention to it as well. But that number on the scale isn’t the most important thing about you—so let the world see what really is important! Here are some powerful assets you can accentuate. Your sense of style. Think about the most popular celebrities these days. One thing that draws people to them is that they cultivate a style that stands out from the crowd. Adele, Lady Gaga, and Mindy Kaling, for instance, have very distinctive styles, and all three totally rock their unique looks. So what’s your style? Is it classic, retro, or cutting-edge? Do you love leather, velvet, lace, or denim? Are you crazy about Manolos, or are you happier in boots and blue jeans? Define your own style—and then flaunt it. Even in the workplace, you can show off your style while staying professional. For instance, I once knew a corporate trainer who totally radiated style with her signature red dresses, stylish heels, sculpted nails, and fabulous hair. Although she was twenty or so pounds overweight, she was so dazzling that everyone thought “wow!” when she walked by. She turned more heads in a room than anyone else, including her teeny size-two colleagues. Your favorite features. Rather than focusing on hiding your extra pounds, play up the features you like best. Show off gorgeous hair with a new “do.” Draw attention to beautiful eyes with designer frames or a new shade of eye shadow. Frame a beautiful face with some spectacular earrings. Remember, nobody’s perfect. So, in realtor terms, do a little “staging” to camouflage your flaws and emphasize your strong points. Your amazing self. Are you funny? Adventurous? Creative? Smart? Kind? Right now, I want you to make a list of the things you like best about yourself, and think about just how great you are. It’s a cliché, but beauty really does start on the inside—so let your inner beauty shine. And don’t just take it from me—take it from celebrity stylist Michelle Phillips, who says that confidence is the biggest key to being beautiful. “No one's going to look at your nose or your thighs,” she says. “They're going to be looking at your great smile or your cute personality.” — These three strategies will ease your path to your goal weight—and they’ll continue to make you happier even after you reach that goal. So give them a try… and show the world how awesome you are! Keep Thinking Big and Living Bold!

It takes a lot to shock me—especially when it comes to the corrupting influence that food manufacturers have on people’s beliefs about what’s healthy and unhealthy. However, even I was stunned by a new article in the New York Times. Headlined “How the sugar industry shifted blame to fat,” it describes how sugar promoters paid researchers back in the 1960s to downplay the dangers of sugar and demonize fat. According to recently discovered documents, the Sugar Research Foundation (now known as the Sugar Association) paid three Harvard researchers the equivalent of about $50,000 in today’s dollars to review research on sugar, fat, and heart disease. The catch? The sugar group picked the papers to review and made it clear that they expected the results of the review to be pro-sugar. I can’t imagine any scientists—especially Harvard researchers—accepting terms like these. All the money on the planet couldn’t make me lie to you about sugar being okay for you.  But these researchers apparently had no problem at all with the deal. They replied, “We are well aware of your particular interest and will cover this as well as we can.” In other words—nod, nod, wink, wink. We get the hint. As they worked on their paper, the researchers shared drafts of it with John Hickson, a leading sugar industry executive. At the end, Hickson said, “Let me assure you this is quite what we had in mind, and we look forward to its appearance in print.” The review, published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine in 1967, had the intended effect. Stanton Glantz, who coauthored a new exposé of the incident in JAMA Internal Medicine, says, “They were able to derail the discussion about sugar for decades.” In addition, they skewed their findings to vilify saturated fat—which is currently being exonerated as a culprit in heart disease. As a result, the paper played a key role in creating the epidemic of obesity and diabetes we’re facing today. Along with misleading research by other scientists like Ancel Keys, it gave us a government-sponsored food pyramid that’s heavily loaded with carbs and stripped of healthy fats and proteins. After decades of this diet, we’re fatter and sicker than we’ve ever been. The New York Times article notes that journals now require authors to disclose their sources of funding. But I can absolutely guarantee you that food manufacturers still find ways to corrupt scientific opinion. If you don’t believe it, check out Scientific American’s recent hard-hitting article, “Science for Sale,” about the food industry’s influence on the American Society for Nutrition—which has ties to companies ranging from Coca-Cola to the World Sugar Research Organization. I know it’s unsettling to discover that much of the nutritional advice you’ve accepted from “experts” for decades is bought and paid for by the processed food industry. But I hope that it’ll encourage you to be more skeptical about this advice in the future. And I hope that it will encourage you to eat more natural, unprocessed foods—because I trust the farmers who grow organic kale and the ranchers who raise pastured cows way more than I trust multi-million-dollar food lobbies and “nutrition experts” who are in bed with Coca-Cola! Keep Thinking Big & Living Bold!

I know that when you’re dieting, you can’t wait to get those extra pounds off. But it may take a while to reach your goal weight, especially if you have more than a few pounds to lose. Luckily, there are some ways you can look slimmer as you’re waiting to hit that goal. Here are seven of my favorite tips for instantly looking slimmer. 1. Ditch the baggy clothes. Yep, I know you think you’re hiding those pounds. But in reality, clothes that are too big actually make you look larger. Buy clothes that fit you well without being too tight. 2. Black is the bomb! We all know that black is the most stylish color. And luckily, it’s very slimming as well. (Other dark colors, like navy blue, also can make you look thinner.) One good trick is to use black strategically to draw attention away from a problem area. For instance, if your booty is bigger than you’d like but you’re happy with your figure from the waist up, team up black pants with a splashy blouse. 3. Wear heels. Higher heels give you a better leg line. They also add to your height, which makes you look slimmer. One more tip: Shoes that match your skin color closely will make your leg line look longer and sleeker. 4. Think “skim,” not “cling.” Avoid lightweight, clingy materials, which have a tendency to accentuate the wrong spots. Instead, go for high-quality, medium-weight fabrics that skim your body gracefully. 5. Accessorize wisely. Long necklaces, scarfs, and sweaters can create slimming vertical lines, while dramatic earrings can draw attention up to your face and away from your tummy. 6. Keep sipping bone broth. It will make you look less bloated. The glycine reduces inflammation and bloating giving you a thinner appearance pretty quickly. 7. Cultivate beautiful posture. You know how they say the camera adds ten pounds? Well, so does slouching! People shown photos of women who were either slouching or standing with good posture rated the women with good posture as thinner—even when they were significantly heavier than the slouchers. — In my next post, I’m going to share still more tips for “faking it ‘till you make it.” In the meantime, try my seven strategies—especially the one about posture, which is the most important one of all! Keep Thinking Big & Living Bold

People ask me all the time about stevia. Is it a guilt-free way to satisfy that sweet tooth—or, like sugar and artificial sweeteners, does it have a dark side? Well, here’s the deal. I’d like to give you a simple answer when it comes to stevia, but it’s a little more complicated than that. First, before we get into the pros and cons, let’s talk a little about what stevia is. Stevia is an herb that contains two substances—stevioside and rebaudioside—which make it very sweet. You can buy stevia in different forms: Green leaf stevia contains both stevioside and rebaudioside, and it’s minimally processed. It’s very sweet, but it has a bitter aftertaste. Stevia extracts (for instance, SweetLeaf) undergo more refining to lessen the bitterness. They contain varying amounts of stevioside and rebaudioside, as well as some additives (for instance, SweetLeaf contains inulin, a vegetable fiber). You’ll notice that I didn’t include stevia “derivatives” like Truvia and PureVia on this list. That’s because while these contain a touch of stevia, they’re largely made up of other ingredients you don’t want in your body. (The large amounts of erythritol in Truvia, for instance, can give you headaches, diarrhea, and gas.) In fact, the manufacturers of both Truvia and PureVia had to pay millions of dollars when they were sued for advertising their products as “natural.” So let’s just cross these guys off the list right now. Okay, back to stevia. Let’s take a look at the good and bad news about it—starting with the downside. As a weight-loss specialist, I know that one of the biggest keys to staying slim and healthy is to break the Sugar Demon’s hold over you. And you won’t accomplish this if you use lots of stevia, because it’s really, really sweet. Also, using large amounts of stevia may have some negative effects on your gut bacteria. For instance, one recent study found that it inhibited the growth of the beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus reuteri. Now, let’s flip the coin and look at the benefits of stevia. Luckily, there are a lot of them! Here’s a sampling: • It may lower your risk of breast cancer. • It appears to lower blood glucose levels in Type 2 diabetics. • It can reduce blood pressure in people with mild hypertension. • It has anti-inflammatory effects. • It protects against atherosclerosis. • It can help fight infection. • It has antioxidant properties. That’s a pretty impressive list, and for me it tips the scales in favor of stevia. It also helps to explain why some cultures have used stevia for centuries both as a sweetener and as a folk remedy for a wide variety of medical problems ranging from circulatory disease to diabetes. Because of these many powerful benefits—and because stevia is infinitely better for you than sugar or artificial sweeteners—my opinion is that, as long as you don’t overdo it, this sweetener can definitely be part of a healthy diet. (Just remember to select an authentic stevia product like green leaf stevia or SweetLeaf, and not Truvia or PureVia.) So go ahead… reach for the stevia occasionally, and give your sweet tooth a happy surprise! Keep Thinking Big & Living Bold       P.S. Made from 100% grassfed beef and a hint of stevia, my Bone Broth Protein comes in rich chocolate or creamy vanilla flavors. Use it in shakes or smoothies to help you stay on track with your Bone Broth Diet or your 80/20 maintenance plan. This is the ONLY protein powder that boasts 70% collagen with 30% coming from beef meat. It gives you the highest level of collagen to help you heal your gut and slow the clock on your aging skin, joints, and other soft tissues.

I know some nutritionists who are perfect. They eat right at every single meal. They’re never tempted by a doughnut, a ballpark hot dog, or a bite of birthday cake. Never. I am not one of these people. Yes, I eat right at least 80% of the time, and I actually hit closer to the 95% mark. That’s because I love the fabulous foods on my Bone Broth Diet. As a result, I’m hardly ever tempted to stray. But you’ll notice the words “hardly ever”! Every once in a while—especially if I’m rushing from airport to airport, burning the candle at both ends, and grabbing meals when and where I can—I’ll over-indulge in foods I shouldn’t eat. And eventually, I’ll pay the price. One day I’ll look in the mirror and realize that my butt is starting to look like Kim Kardashian’s… and that’s not a good look for me. When that happens, I don’t waste time beating myself up. That’s because I’m fine with being perfectly imperfect—and because I know how to get back in shape really, really fast. I do it with five “magic eraser” foods that burn off extra fat while they repair and de-age my skin. Here they are. Bone broth. You knew this would be on my list, right? In fact, I’m putting it right at the top. That’s because intermittent fasting with bone broth is, hands down, the fastest way to erase the effects of over-indulging. Fasting allows your body to burn off the extra calories you took in, and bone broth gives you a big shot of fat-burning nutrients. So if you loaded up on pizza or drank way too many margaritas last weekend, intermittent fast for 24 hours. It’s easy: Simply replace your meals and snacks with bone broth. In addition to melting away your extra pounds and healing your gut, you’ll be mainlining a big dose of collagen building blocks to your skin—and your face probably needs some serious damage control if you’ve been partying hearty! Coconut oil. Your body metabolizes coconut oil in a different way than other fats, so this oil actively helps you burn off fat. To get a dose of it, treat yourself to a cup of Dave Asprey’s Bulletproof Coffee in the morning, or enjoy a hefty serving of cauliflower “rice” sautéed in coconut oil at dinnertime. Green, leafy vegetables like spinach, cabbage, and kale. These foods contain thylakoids that lower your blood sugar—and that translates into faster weight loss. In addition, thylakoids are powerful natural appetite suppressants. Greens also contain lots of fiber, which fills you up. So dish up my Tuscan Spinach Salad or my Kale with a Kick—or for extra fat-burning and skin-smoothing power, make a batch of my Beyond Botox Soup. Eggs. Egg yolks are loaded with choline, a potent lipotropic nutrient that helps carry fat away from your liver so your body can break it down and metabolize it. Banned diet drugs like ephedra worked because they were lipotropic—but you can get the same fat-burning boost from eggs in a healthy way. My Crustless Quiche is a great way to load up on choline—and it’s delicious, too. Berries. The nutrients in berries help your body turn white (bad) fat into beige (good) fat. White fat makes you fat, while beige fat helps you burn fat. Add these five foods (along with a day of intermittent fasting) to your diet in the days following an over-indulgence, and you’ll quickly erase your extra pounds and wrinkles. It’ll be like your little “cheat” never happened… and that’s what I call magic! Keep Thinking Big and Living Bold!

I’m going to tell you a little secret about me. Yes, I love super-healthy foods like kale and avocados. But I also love ooey, gooey desserts! Even though the Sugar Demon no longer has a grip on me, I still like to indulge in the occasional sweet treat. Luckily, I can satisfy my sweet tooth without feeling guilty at all. That’s because I’ve discovered how to make desserts that are ooey, gooey and healthy. Here’s the trick: Don’t sacrifice… swap! Today, I’m sharing five of my favorite “swaps” for making desserts that taste sinful but aren’t. Here they are. Swap dairy whipped cream for coconut whipped cream. Everything’s better with whipped cream, right? And when you make your whipped cream from coconut milk, it’s yummy and healthy. Here’s how to do it. 1. Refrigerate a can of coconut milk for at least 3 hours (overnight is best). 2. When it’s time to make your whipped cream, place the can, a metal mixing bowl, and the beaters from a mixer in the freezer for 15 minutes. 3. Pour the coconut milk into the chilled mixing bowl and add one teaspoon of almond or vanilla extract. Whip on the mixer’s highest setting until the milk is fluffy and resembles the texture of whipped cream, about 5 to 7 minutes. Swap grain flours for non-grain flours. If you’re new to non-grain flours, you have a treat in store! These flours are so versatile that you can use them to create just about any dessert you can imagine. Here’s a Huffington Post article I wrote a while back on how to bake with them. Swap sugar for healthy sweeteners. You don’t want to over-indulge in even the healthiest of sweeteners… but it’s fine to treat yourself occasionally! Look for recipes that use honey, maple syrup, blackstrap molasses, coconut sugar, or stevia. All of these sweeteners, in addition to tasting delicious, pack some nutritional power. Also, look for recipes sweetened with applesauce, bananas, figs, and other fruits. Swap “junk” chocolate for good chocolate. Is there anything chocolate can’t do? It can lower your blood pressure, increase blood flow to your brain, improve insulin sensitivity, and even make your teeth stronger! The key, however, is to choose the right chocolate. Look for chocolate that’s free of soy, dairy, and other unhealthy additives. (My favorite brand is Enjoy Life.) And the darker the chocolate, the better, so look for a cocoa percentage of at least 70%. Swap peanut butter for almond butter. Peanuts aren’t really nuts—they’re legumes—and they aren’t really good for you, either. For instance, they’re often contaminated with aflatoxin, one of the worst carcinogens on the planet. Almonds are much, much better for you, and you can substitute almond butter for peanut butter in just about any dessert recipe. — As you can see, eating a healthy diet doesn’t mean kissing desserts goodbye. Instead, it means opting for smart desserts that are every bit as delicious. Remember my mantra: Don’t sacrifice… swap! You’ll find loads of fabulous desserts that feature my healthy swaps right here on my website (like the Chocolate Almond Dip pictured above)—everything from cool, light puddings (perfect for that coconut whipped cream), to brownies and chocolate chip cookies, to soufflés and tortes that are elegant enough for dinner parties. Just limit these desserts to occasional delights rather than every-day indulgences, and you’ll be able to enjoy them without even a touch of guilt—and without ever gaining an ounce. Keep Thinking Big & Living Bold!       P.S. Protein shakes are always a great, quick, guilt-free dessert and our Bone Broth Protein Isolate in Chocolate or Vanilla is the perfect grass-fed protein powder.

The best way to get slender and healthy is to break the fast-food habit and start cooking from scratch. This means spending more time in your kitchen—so today, I want to share four “hacks” for creating a kitchen that’s totally in tune with your new slim lifestyle. #1: Get rid of temptation.  If you’re new to healthy eating, I know it can be hard to break old habits. I also know from experience that the best way to do it is to start with a clean slate. So be firm. Toss out flour and sugar. Food colorings. Products that contain soy. Dairy products. All of it. Stay strong! Next, get rid of cookbooks that call for the foods you’re cutting out. I know they’re like old friends, but they can also be serious triggers. (If they have sentimental value, keep them, but box them up.) Replace them with brand-new cookbooks loaded with fun and healthy recipes. Finally, pack up kitchen tools that you don’t need anymore. For instance, that pasta maker or bread machine can go—and that’ll make more room for the fun tools you’ll want to add (more on this shortly).   #2: Bring in the good stuff. It’s easier to make healthy food if you have all the ingredients you need right at your fingertips. So stock up on basics like these: Healthy fats: Get a good supply of coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, and pastured butter or ghee. Herbs and spices: Buy a variety of spices and a spice rack to hold them. Purchase your spices in small quantities or keep bulk quantities in the freezer so they’ll stay fresh. Pantry items: Pick up basics including coconut milk, canned tomatoes, canned tuna and salmon, seaweed snacks, and plenty of high-quality collagen protein. Freezer foods: Fill your freezer with healthy proteins, frozen berries, nuts and seeds (these stay fresh longer if you keep them in the freezer), and a good supply of bone broth. Eggs: Get several cartons—or, If you don’t have time to cook eggs, buy them pre-boiled at the store. Fresh vegetables, berries, and grapefruit: Go for lots and lots of these! In particular, grab a cauliflower or two; you can use this versatile veggie to make mashed cauliflower, cauliflower “rice”, or even a killer pizza crust. #3: Get all the gadgets and goodies you need. Now that you’ve loaded your kitchen with healthy food, treat yourself to some great tools that will make preparing that food a cinch. Here are some things that will make your kitchen fun and super-efficient. A pressure cooker. One of the main reasons why people fall off the wagon when it comes to dieting is that cooking healthy food can take a lot of time. With a pressure cooker, you won’t have this problem. In just minutes, you can cook meat or poultry—even if it starts out frozen. And BTW, if pressure cookers scare you, relax. Modern pressure cookers have tons of safety features to guarantee that you’ll be totally safe. Containers. Load up on glass storage bowls and Mason jars in every size. When you batch cook (more on this below), you’ll have plenty of containers for your bone broth, chili, soups, and stews. A vacuum sealer. For thirty or forty dollars, plus about ten dollars for bags, you can pick up one of these incredibly handy kitchen appliances. When you batch cook, use it to package cooked veggies, chicken, or ground meat. Ice cube trays. These are great for freezing small quantities of lemon juice, bone broth, tomato sauce, or tomato paste. You can also freeze leftover herbs in olive oil. Good pots and pans. You’ll want to have at least one humongous pan for batch cooking (more on this below), plus various sizes of saucepans. Also, make sure you have both large and small skillets. Avoid nonstick pans, unless they’re ceramic. A slow cooker. This can save you tons of time in the kitchen, and it’s great for making bone broth. A cookie sheet. Get a nice, sturdy sheet, because you’ll use it for everything from baking no-flour cookies to roasting winter veggies. And while you’re at it, stock up on parchment paper to line your cookie sheet. It’ll make clean-up way easier. A zoodler or Vegetti. You’ve gotta have one of these—no question. I use mine all the time to make “noodles” from zucchini, sweet potatoes, and even beets. Fresh herbs. If you have enough sunlight, I recommend putting little pots of basil, thyme, cilantro, sage, and parsley on your windowsill. Nothing’s healthier than fresh herbs picked right before you use them, and they also give your kitchen a homey feeling. #4: Prep your kitchen for batch cooking. Once you’re done with step #3, it’s time to start using your kitchen more efficiently—and that means batch cooking. Let’s face it: Some days you feel like cooking, and some days it’s a drag. The best way to avoid temptation on those days when you can’t face the kitchen is to set aside one or two days a month to prep and package up lots of meals ahead of time. For instance, you can make a big pot of bone broth, roast a couple of chickens, boil a dozen eggs, and cook up a big pot of chili, all in one afternoon. To prep your kitchen for a batch cooking session, make sure you have all the kitchen tools you need, plenty of those storage containers and Mason jars I talked about earlier, and lots of freezer bags. Also, have labels handy so you can label and date each container. Clear off your counters—you’ll need lots of space—and have essentials such as cutting boards, strainers, and mixing bowls ready to go. In addition, make sure there’s room in your freezer for everything you’ll cook. Also, take stock of your cooking options and plan your recipes accordingly. Get the biggest payoff from your batch cooking session by having as many gadgets and appliances as possible—slow cooker, pressure cooker, stovetop, oven—all working for you at the same time. — It only takes a little effort and money to set up a kitchen that’s tailor-made for making healthy meals and doing efficient batch cooking. Once you do this, I think you’ll find that cooking is much less work and far more fun. And think about the amazing reward: a lifetime of fabulous meals that will keep you slim, young, and healthy! Keep Thinking Big & Living Bold

Do your kids whine, moan, or make gagging sounds when you put green beans or zucchini on their plates? Or does your partner infuriate you by saying “no thanks” when you serve kale, Brussels sprouts, or spaghetti squash? Then welcome to the Great Dinner-Time Veggie Battle. If it makes you feel better, you’re not alone in this battle. One of the biggest complaints I hear from my patients is, “It’s tough for me to lose weight without my family’s support, but they fight me tooth and nail over eating vegetables.” I know it’s frustrating when you wage this war over your dinner table each night—but don’t give up! The fiber and nutrients in those veggies are absolutely crucial for weight loss, a glowing gut, and vibrant health. So for your own sake and your family’s, you need to convince everyone that veggies aren’t the enemy. And luckily, there are ways to do it without tempers flaring. Here are some of my favorite tricks: Have your entire family help you plant a garden. When they help you dig your garden plot, pick out plants at the nursery, and gather what you grow, they’ll develop a sense of ownership—and that will make them more likely to try a taste of their harvest. If you don’t have room for a garden, have your family help you plant veggies in pots on your patio. Cook together. Again, this fosters a sense of ownership. Ask your partner to create a dinner salad each night, or give your kids fun chores like “zoodling” zucchini noodles or scooping the strands out of spaghetti squash. Visit farmers’ markets together. Ask each member of your family to pick out one vegetable that you’ll include in your menu that week. Also, give them a say in how they’d like their veggies prepared. Add veggies to fruit smoothies. You can sneak spinach, pumpkin, cucumbers, and steamed zucchini or carrots into fruit smoothies without anyone noticing. Take a lesson from advertisers. Sell those veggies! For instance, transform plain sweet potatoes into cute, tasty silver dollar sweet potatoes. For kids, cut cucumber slices into hearts with a small cookie cutter. Call broccoli florets “little trees.” Stuff celery with almond butter and add a sprinkle of raisins to make “bugs on a log.” The more fun you make veggies, the less intimidating they become. Offer a dip. My BLT dip, for example, will make the pickiest eater enjoy bell peppers, carrots, and celery. Try different cooking approaches. A partner who hates baked sweet potatoes may love sweet potato fries. A child who says “eeeuuw” when you serve steamed cauliflower may decide that cauliflower rice is great stuff. Take your time. If your family members freak out when you introduce a new vegetable, try the “one-bite” rule. As them to take a single bite each time you serve it, and they’ll eventually get accustomed to the taste (and maybe even start to like it!). Respect strong opinions. Foods taste different to different people. For instance, while most people love cilantro, it tastes like soap to others. If your partner or child really, really, really hates a certain vegetable or herb, don’t force the issue. Transform your veggies into dessert. For starters, try this awesome chocolate zucchini bread from Elena’s Pantry. Above all, be patient with your picky eaters. Instead of nagging them, encourage them. Rather than getting mad when they say “no,” find creative ways to tempt them. In time, you’ll win them over… one veggie at a time! Keep Thinking Big and Living Bold!

Soup is one of my most powerful weight-loss secrets. It fills you up without weighing you down—and because it satisfies your hunger, it helps you eat up to 20% less and still feel just as full. Translation: pain-free slimming! And here’s another great thing about soup: It’s not just for winter. In fact, I put soup on my table just about every day during the warm summer months. It’s the perfect way to take advantage of the bounty from my farmers’ market, whether I’ve bought sun-ripened tomatoes and beautiful bell peppers or sweet watermelon and spicy basil. Better yet, soup is so healthy—especially when it’s rich in fat-melting, wrinkle-blasting bone broth. (It’s easy to make your own broth—or, if you’re in a hurry, use my ready-to-go beef or chicken bone broth or instant collagen broth.) Add in the vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients from those glorious fruits and veggies, and you have a perfect prescription for good health, weight loss, and anti-aging. Want more? Soup is versatile, too. You can eat it for breakfast, serve it as an appetizer before dinner, or take some to work in a thermos for lunch. You can dress it up for company, or keep it simple for family. And you can play around with your ingredients, so each pot of soup is a brand-new experience.   To help you get in the summer soup habit, I’m sharing ten of my favorite recipes in my FREE new ebook. In it, you’ll find everything from Szechwan Carrot Ginger Soup to my Avocado Soup with Smokey Chipotle Adobo. Click here to get your copy, and start “souping up” your summer! Keep Thinking Big & Living Bold!

I’m delighted that my Bone Broth Diet is getting lots of people who are part of the “take-out” generation to venture into the kitchen. It makes me happy that they’re discovering how good real food tastes—and how fun, creative, and satisfying cooking can be.   If you’re one of these new cooks, good for you! To make your time in the kitchen even more fun, here are ten of my favorite little kitchen hacks to save you time and money. (And who knows… even if you’re an experienced cook, you may pick up a tip or two.)   Wrap the top of a bunch of bananas in plastic wrap. It’ll keep the bananas fresh for days longer. When you make bone broth, freeze some of it in ice cube trays. That way, you’ll never waste any. (This is also a good way to save leftover wine for cooking.) Peel avocados with your hands, not a knife. This way, there’s no waste, and you get all the healthy nutrients that are just under the skin. Simply cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, cut each half in half, and then peel the avocado like you’d peel a banana. Store asparagus upright in a mason jar, with the bottoms of the stems in water. It’ll stay fresh much longer. Place a wooden spoon over a pot of boiling water to keep the liquid from spilling over. You won’t lose a drop—and you won’t need to clean the top of the stove! Use an egg slicer to slice mushrooms. You’ll get neat, even slices. Use a serrated grapefruit spoon to peel ginger. It works far better than using a knife, and there’s less waste. Save cardboard egg cartons, add a little dirt or potting soil to each section, and use the cartons to start herb seedlings indoors. No need to buy starter kits at the nursery! Hate chasing pieces of eggshell when they fall in the bowl? Use another eggshell to fish them out. It’s much easier than trying to catch them with your fingers. Use a plastic straw to hull a strawberry. Poke the straw through the bottom of the berry and push it up to the top, twisting it as you go. The top will pop right off. Try out these tips when you’re cooking—and if you have great kitchen hacks of your own, share them with me and I’ll pass them along. I’m always on the lookout for ways to save time and money for my peeps! Keep Thinking Big & Living Bold!

DOWNLOAD THE COCKTAIL RECIPE BOOK! If you’ve finished my Bone Broth Diet and you’re on my 80/20 maintenance plan now, here’s great news: Alcohol is back on your “yes” list. (Woohoo!) CLICK HERE to purchase The Bone Broth Diet 80/20 Maintenance Plan E-Book! And here’s more good news: While you’re sipping your cocktail, you can be treating yourself to a big dose of fat-melting, wrinkle-blasting nutrients. As a result, you can be wicked and virtuous, all at the same time. Sweet, right?   Today, I’m sharing my free new ebook, Dr. Kellyann’s Cocktails: Seven Fun, Fancy, and Flirty Cocktails for your 80/20 Plan. Each of my cool, refreshing drinks contains fat-busting fruits or veggies, along with bone broth or collagen broth to smooth your skin, heal your gut, and take pounds off fast. (If the idea of putting broth in your cocktails sounds strange, trust me: It’s delicious. Try it and see!)   Download my free ebook instantly. Then invite your friends over, and kick off a fantastic summer with an assortment of these refreshing and sinfully delicious drinks. You and your guests can enjoy a party and get a beauty treatment all at the same time. Cheers—and happy summer!   Keep Thinking Big & Living Bold!

Hate looking in the mirror and seeing that roll of fat on your neck? Then fight back!

Do you hate floor exercises? Then check out these seven powerful ways to get flat abs WITHOUT lying down! A while ago, I shared some killer exercises for flat abs. But several readers wrote to me and said, “I hate getting down on the floor. Do you have any tips for exercising my abs while I’m standing up?” Well, your wish is my command! Here are seven quick and powerful exercises for flat abs that slim your waistline while you stay on your feet. In addition to working your abs, these are the best exercises for flat abs that will also improve your balance, enhance your posture, and burn off more fat than floor exercises. What are the best exercises for flat abs? Standing Side Crunch for flat abs Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and the toes of your left foot pointing out to the side. Hold your left arm out to your side, with your forearm pointing up in an “L.” Bring your left knee to your left elbow in a side crunch, keeping your arms and shoulders as still as possible. (This forces your oblique muscles to work hard.) Repeat this move 20 times, and then switch to the other side Do the "side-to-side" to build flat abs. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Hold a five-pound weight (or a soup can or book, if you don’t have a weight) vertically in front of your chest with both hands. Slowly move the weight to the left, back to the center, and to the right. Repeat for one minute. Keep your abs pulled in the entire time you’re doing this exercise, and keep your hips as still as possible. The reverse chop will help you gain flat abs. You’ll need a weight or medicine ball for this exercise. Stand with your feet slightly more than hip-width apart.  Squat slightly and lower the weight or medicine ball to the outside of your right knee with both hands, keeping your arms straight. With your arms still straight, raise the weight and rotate it across your body until the weight is above your left shoulder.  Do 10 to 15 repetitions on each side. Sculpt flat abs with the crossover crunch. Starting with your feet a little wider than hip-width apart, bring your right elbow to your left knee, and then switch sides. Repeat for one minute. Single-leg sprints for flat abs Stand in a lunge position with your left knee bent, your right leg stretched out straight behind you, and your arms extended over your head.  Lift your right knee toward your chest, pulling your arms down to your chest at the same time. Do 15 to 20 repetitions on each side. Do standing pike crunches if you want to build flat abs. Start with both arms straight overhead. Slowly bring them down until they’re straight in front of you, simultaneously raising your right leg straight in front of you, and touch your leg with your hands. Repeat 20 times on each side. Alphabet Abs help you obtain flat abs. This is a fun one! Holding a light medicine ball (or any ball you can comfortably hold) in front of you at chest level, move the ball as though you’re writing the cursive alphabet from A to Z. Keep your belly pulled in and your hips and butt as still as possible as you do this. Want still more ideas for working your abs without getting down on the floor? Then check out this fun and free YouTube video from world-famous fitness guru (and my good buddy) Kathy Smith. It only takes about ten minutes, and trust me—you’re gonna feel it the next day. A flat ab diet that will change your life. And, of course, keep tackling that belly fat from the inside out, with foods like bone broth. Bone broth heals your gut, quelling inflammation and making you a natural fat burner so extra pounds—especially around your waistline—melt away quickly. Combine a healthy bone broth habit with easy standing exercises like these, and you’ll be cinching in that belt before you know it! Keep Thinking Big & Living Bold!

In Victorian times, diners prized bone marrow—but today, we toss it in the trash. In this post, I’ll tell you why rediscovering this yummy food can make you healthier and help you take off extra pounds. If you love to go antiquing, chances are you’ve run across the little spoons called marrow spoons. In Victorian times, it was all the rage to serve an appetizer of bone marrow, which diners scooped out of the bones with these tiny spoons. Queen Victoria herself indulged in bone marrow every day. Well, guess what: This wasn’t just a snooty upper-class trend. It was also incredibly healthy, because bone marrow is packed with nutrients ranging from iron and vitamin K to immune-stimulating lipids called alkyglycerols. (This is why wild animals will actually eat the marrow from their prey’s bones before eating the meat—and it’s why cave people smashed bones to get to the marrow.) And here’s another benefit to indulging in a bone marrow appetizer before a meal: It can help you lose weight! It takes time to scoop that rich, luscious marrow out of a bone, and this slow pleasure—along with the deep, deep nutrition you get from the marrow—will take the edge off your hunger. By the time you reach your main course, you’ll eat less and still feel satisfied. If you’ve never roasted marrow bones before, it’s simple. Here’s a recipe from my book, Dr. Kellyann’s Bone Broth Diet I want the Roasted Marrow Bones recipe!   When you select marrow bones, remember that it’s easier to scoop out the marrow if the bones are larger. (However, you can still manage it if they’re small.) If your grocery store doesn’t offer marrow bones, ask your butcher to order them for you. Oh, and don’t worry: You don’t need a marrow spoon to enjoy this treat. Any small spoon—for instance, a demitasse spoon or even a baby spoon—will do the trick. By the way, if you’re still iffy about trying this delicious food, and Queen Victoria’s thumbs-up isn’t good enough for you, consider that Anthony Bourdain—one of the world’s most renowned food critics—calls this bone marrow appetizer his “death row meal” because if he had to choose a last meal, this would be it. How’s that for an endorsement? But here’s my advice: Don’t save bone marrow for your last meal. Give this nutritious, melt-in-your-mouth food a try right now, and I’m betting that you’ll fall in love and want to serve it all the time. In fact, you may even find yourself buying your own set of Victorian marrow spoons! Keep Thinking Big & Living Bold!

As a weight-loss transformation expert, I know all of the tricks for taking weight off successfully—and I also know all of the pitfalls that can trip you up. Today, as part of Dr. Kellyann’s Weight Loss Month, I’m going to talk about the five biggest weight-loss booby traps and share tips on how you can easily avoid them. 1. Bailing Out There are two primary reasons why people give up early on a diet. Here’s a look at each of them. First, many people start a diet without preparing for it. By day three, they’re out of healthy food and they don’t have time to shop or cook, so they say “the heck with it” and reach for that burrito in the freezer. To avoid this pitfall, do some up-front planning and prep work. Know exactly which foods you should eat, and stock your kitchen with them. Also, get rid of foods on the “no” list (like that burrito). And finally, cook up some big batches of healthy soup, chili, or stew. It’s a good idea to have a week’s worth of meals in the fridge and freezer before Day One of your diet. The second big reason that people quit is that they don’t understand the “carb flu.” Early on in a low-carb diet, most people experience several days of feeling “tired, cranky, wired, and weird.” At this point, many of them throw in the towel and grab a burger and fries. But here’s the thing: The carb flu is very temporary, and it’s a good sign! It means that your body is switching from burning sugar to burning fat (which is challenging for your cells at first), and that’s what turns you into a fat-burning machine. So if you experience the carb flu, don’t give up. Instead, ride it out, because it only lasts three to seven days—and when it’s done, you’re going to feel fantastic (and drop pounds like crazy). To ease your carb flu symptoms, nibble on a little avocado, some unsweetened coconut chips, or a handful of olives with the salt rinsed off. 2. Freaking Out Many dieters are terrified of fat. That’s because “experts” have demonized healthy fats like avocados, coconut, clarified butter, and beef tallow. If you’ve fallen for the fat scare, it’s time to get over it. Healthy fats actually help you lose weight faster, in addition to giving you beautiful skin (because they strengthen the walls of your skin cells). They also satisfy your hunger, keeping you from binging on the foods that truly are fattening. So eat healthy fats at every meal! 3. Pigging Out You don’t need to count points or calories, but you do need to learn how to build a proper plate. Here’s a quick guide to creating a healthy low-carb meal: PROTEIN. A serving of meat, fish, or poultry should be about the size and thickness of your palm. A serving of eggs is as many as you can hold in your hand (that’s about two or three for women and three or four for men). A serving of egg whites alone is double the serving for whole eggs. Each meal should include a serving of protein. NON-STARCHY VEGETABLES. A serving of these vegetables should be at least the size of a softball. You can’t eat too many of them, so fill your plate with at least two or three softballs’ worth. STARCHY VEGETABLES. A serving of starchy vegetables (such as sweet potato, jicama, kohlrabi, or winter squash) should be about the size of a baseball for women and the size of a softball for men. Note: Eat starchy vegetables only if you’re recovering from a workout or you’re feeling weak and tired and you know it’s not due to the carb flu. FRUIT. A serving of fruit is half an individual piece (half an apple, half an orange) or a tennis-ball-size serving of berries, grapes, or tropical fruits (about 1⁄2 cup). That’s a closed fistful, or about 1⁄2 cup if they’re diced. Eat no more than two servings of fruit per day, and break them up across meals and snacks to distribute your sugar intake. FATS. A serving of liquid fat should be about the size of a ping-pong ball, a typical bouncy ball, or one to two thumb-size portions (that’s about one tablespoon). A serving of nuts, seeds, coconut flakes, or olives is about one closed handful. A serving of avocado is one-quarter to one-half an avocado. A serving of coconut milk is one-third to one-half the can. Each meal should include one or two servings of fat. 4. Dining Out I love going out to a restaurant with my buds. However, I learned early on that restaurant dining needs to be the exception, not the rule. While you can eat wisely at restaurants, it’s too easy to over-indulge… especially when the wine starts flowing! So even if cooking is a chore for you, try to make most of your meals at home. Again, batch cooking will make it faster and easier. 5. Stressing Out Stress hormones make you crave sugar and fats. Worse yet, the stress hormone cortisol causes you to deposit fat around your belly. (That’s one reason why even skinny people sometimes have a “cortisol tire.”) Reduce your stress with simple breathing exercises like this one and mindful meditation (here’s my recent post about how to meditate). Also, burn off that cortisol by exercising every day. — Follow these simple tips, and you’ll have a much easier time sticking to your diet, taking off your extra pounds, and getting the beautiful body you deserve. And speaking of taking off those extra pounds… have you started your Bone Broth Diet yet? If not, it’s time… because another big diet booby trap is procrastination! Keep Thinking Big & Living Bold!

Do you think a midlife “muffin top” is inevitable—especially if you’re a woman? Then I have good news for you! Remember my official proclamation last week? This is Dr. Kellyann’s Weight Loss Month—so between now and May, I’m going to load you up with tips and advice to help you take those extra pounds off fast. And here’s something else I want to give you: Inspiration! I want you to know that no matter where you are on your life journey, transformation is possible. Are you skeptical? Then let’s talk about one of the biggest weight-loss challenges there is: taking off pounds during perimenopause and menopause. This is when that extra weight really starts piling on, especially around your waist, and nothing—diet, exercise, even prayer!—seems to make a dent. There are some good reasons for this weight gain. For instance, research indicates that reduced levels of estrogen can lower your metabolic rate, make you hungrier, and make fat accumulate around your waistline.  In addition, you lose muscle mass as you age, decreasing the rate at which your body burns calories. The mid-life years are often filled with stress as well—especially if you’re in that “sandwich” zone with both kids and parents relying on you for help—and this stress can make you gain weight more easily. So it sounds like the cards are totally stacked against you, right? Wrong. Every week in my clinical practice, I guide successful transformations involving women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. So I know it’s possible (and, in fact, not all that hard) to lose weight if you’re a woman who’s nearing, in, or past menopause. And a new study backs me up.  In this study, researchers asked 35 obese postmenopausal women to eat a diet very similar to the one I prescribe. It focused on lean meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and healthy fats like olive oil and avocado—and it cut out dairy products, cereals, refined fats, and sugar. So what happened? Over the two years of the study, the women eating this diet lost weight, improved their cholesterol profile, and lowered their risk of diabetes and heart disease. And they did it without having to count calories. So if you’re thinking that it’s too late for your transformation, think again! I don’t care if you’re in your 40s, 50s, or 60s—or even older. You can lose weight, feel younger, and dramatically reduce your risk of diseases of aging. And it all starts with those two little words: I can. That said—why wait until you’re another day older to start changing your life? Celebrate Dr. Kellyann’s Weight Loss Month by starting the Bone Broth Diet now, and you’ll love what you see in the mirror in May! Keep Thinking Big & Living Bold!

Do you know anyone who’s changed millions of lives with a single TEDx Talk? I do. She’s Dr. Terry Wahls, and if you don’t know about her, you need to. If you don’t know who Dr. Terry Wahls is yet, now is the time!  Best-selling author of The Wahls Protocol, Dr. Wahls is offering a free webinar that will dive deep into functional medicine, the healing power of nutrition, and more on April 21! Join us for what could be the turning point in your journey to wellness. To reach out to the people who need her help, Dr. Wahls has started hosting annual seminars about the Wahls Protocol. This year’s Wahls Protocol Seminar 2016 will offer participants an individualized functional medicine worksheet and health timeline, along with countless other benefits and tips and access to an incredible community of support. More than half of the people who attended last year have already registered to return this year, and seats are going fast! I hope you’ll consider attending this transformative event and begin the process of reclaiming your story and your life. Dr. Wahls will be sharing more information about her story, her protocol, and her seminar at her free upcoming webinar. Dr. Wahls is living proof of the power of natural healing. I can’t wait to hear what she has to say, and I hope you’ll join in! You can register for the FREE webinar HERE!  Register for the Wahls Protocol Webinar

Ask yourself: Are you ready to be slimmer, healthier, and younger by the end of April?  Have you noticed that there’s a special month for just about everything? For instance, July is National Horseradish Month (I’m not making this up). And October is National Dental Hygiene Month—it’s a long wait, but I know you’re excited already. But from my point of view, this month is absolutely the best—because it’s MY Weight Loss Month. And you know me—I’m all about weight loss! What’s more, this year I’m thrilled that my Bone Broth Revolution is helping people all over the world lose their extra pounds. I’m getting thousands of emails a week from people who are achieving their weight-loss goals with the help of my book, Dr. Kellyann’s Bone Broth Diet. So I’m feeling especially warm-and-fuzzy about this special month. To celebrate, I’m going to be offering you blog posts on a whole host of weight-loss topics this month. For instance, I’ll have posts on these topics: ·       Weight loss traps to avoid ·       How to get a flat belly ·       Tips for weight loss ·       Can you lose the fat under your chin? In addition, I’ll share fat-burning recipes, exercise tips, and news about exciting upcoming events. So stay tuned! And in the meantime, I want you to ask yourself: Is this your time to get rid of the extra pounds that are dragging you down? Are you ready to start feeling young, healthy, and good again? Are you tired of hiding behind the camera, and ready to start starring in selfies? If so, think about setting a personal goal of being slimmer, healthier, and happier by the end of April. Believe me, it’s doable—as the people who’ve already joined my Bone Broth Revolution can testify. The only question is… are you ready to do it? To help you decide, here’s what I want you to do: ·       Write down five ways in which your weight is holding you back from living the life you want to live. ·       Write down five things that losing that extra weight will empower you to do. ·       Write down two things that scare you about starting a diet. Then see if you can reframe your thinking. For instance, if you are afraid of failure, do you think you could reframe a slip-up as a moment of “being perfectly imperfect” and simply get right back on track, rather than giving up? Or if you’re afraid of cravings, would you be willing to explore a diet like mine, in which you always have the option to eat if you’re hungry? ·       Write down how success would make you feel. For instance, how would losing ten to fifteen pounds or a dress size in three weeks feel? Visualize this in your mind. ·       Write down five reasons why you are important enough to deserve to be slim, young, and happy. Too often, people say that they need to lose weight to please their doctor, a partner, a parent, or a child. I want you to realize that you want to do this for yourself—because you are worth it. Now, look at your list. Is it inspiring you to take action… and are you ready to take that first step now? LET’S DO THIS! Keep Thinking Big & Living Bold!

Want to lose your extra pounds even faster? Then check out these easy “kitchen hacks”! One thing I know from decades of helping people lose weight is that little changes can make a big difference. And I also know that the more positive changes you make, the bigger your reward on the scale will be! So today, I’m sharing five of my favorite weight loss “hacks.” Here they are.  Get a pressure cooker. One of the main reasons why people fall off the wagon when it comes to dieting is that cooking healthy food can take a lot of time. When you come home tired and starving, it’s all too easy to say “the heck with it” and order up Chinese food or pizza. With a pressure cooker, you won’t have this problem. In just minutes, you can cook meat or poultry—even if it starts out frozen! If pressure cookers scare you, relax. Modern pressure cookers have tons of safety features to guarantee that you’ll be totally safe. Ditch rancid, unhealthy fats and replace them with natural fats. Did you know that so-called “healthy” seed oils like corn and canola oil are heavily processed, bleached, and usually rancid by the time they reach your store? Ick! These oils also have an unhealthy ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. So toss them, and switch to virgin coconut oil, grassfed ghee (clarified butter), olive oil, avocado oil, and beef tallow. These fats are packed with nutrition, and they’ll actually help you burn fat. In addition, they’ll build the healthy cell walls that give you the gorgeous skin you want.

Can you spare an extra ten minutes a day to get healthier? Today, I’ll tell you how you can lower your blood glucose levels with mindful meditation. My life is crazy these days—but no matter how busy I am, I schedule a few minutes every day to meditate. That’s because I learned a long time ago that meditating makes me feel happier, calmer, and more focused. In addition, research shows that it lowers stress and inflammation. And guess what: There’s another big plus to meditating! According to a new study, the mindfulness you achieve by meditating can actually lower your blood glucose. Why is that such a big deal? Because rising blood glucose levels can lead to obesity and metabolic syndrome, and eventually can result in diabetes. And high levels of blood glucose damage every part of your body, from your eyes to your heart to your brain. The best way to reduce your blood glucose, of course, is to cut high-carbohydrate, low-nutrition foods like sugar and grains out of your diet and replace them with foods like pastured meats, eggs, vegetables, and healthy fats. You can also lower your blood sugar by exercising and by fasting. But here’s why adding mindful meditation to your arsenal is also a good idea. In the new study I mentioned, researchers evaluated nearly 400 people using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). After adjusting their data for a number of factors, they found that people with a high MAAS score were 35 percent more likely to have healthy blood glucose levels than those with low MAAS scores. One reason, they speculate, is that mindfulness gives people a greater sense of control over their lives, leading to healthier habits. So cultivate your own mindfulness through daily meditation. It may take time to get the hang of it—but when you do, you’ll love the results. If you haven’t tried mindful meditation, here’s how to do it: Find a quiet place where no one will interrupt you. Get in a comfortable position in a chair or on the floor. Rest your hands lightly on your thighs. Notice how you feel. Are you cool or warm? Are you experiencing any tension or pain in any part of your body? How does your clothing feel against your skin? Are you hungry or full? Are you wide-awake, or tired? Notice your surroundings. What do you see, hear, and smell? Let your mind wander where it will. At first, it will probably be swirling with thoughts about work, money, or family issues. That’s okay. Simply examine each thought without judging it, and then gently let it go. Focus on your breathing. Take deep breaths in, as if you’re filling your abdomen with air. Then slowly let each breath out. Focusing on your breathing helps you stay anchored as you meditate. When your mind wanders, let it—and then return your attention to your breathing. Say a word or a sound as you breathe out, if it helps to relax you. When you’re first starting to meditate, aim for just five or six minutes each day. Keep practicing every day, getting up to 10 or 20 minutes a day, and keep focusing on your breathing because that’s the key to success. Above all, be patient. At first, you may think that not much is happening. But you’ll soon discover that meditation is powerful medicine for your mind and body—and your blood sugar levels! Keep Thinking Big & Living Bold!