Extraordinary tomatoes

Tomatoes are so common and popular we just have forgot how extraordinary they are. They are treated as vegetables but they are fruits actually, the best ones still smell of vine, they have made it to an hollywood super star movie title and a great book - Fried Green Tomatoes. I could go on and on. They are low in calories but high in vitamin A and C. Potassium levels are also significant. They do have some traces of sodium, iron and even calcium. Weirdly, one ounce of tomato puree has twice the vitamin C and 20 percent more beta carotene than one ounce of fresh tomato, so maybe all those Italian pastas I indulge in recently aren't all that bad for me;)

It is claimed that the fruit had aphrodisiac powers on top of this. Try it. Enjoy it.

How to drink yourself slim

How to make a small change with huge effect?

The easiest way to lower your daily calorie intake is to wisely choose your drinks.
Drinking mineral water is the best way - no calories at all, detoxifying effect for free, make your skin looks nicer and healthier. So, no worries, just benefits. You cannot go wrong with water.
For you regular tea or coffee watch out for sugar - 2 coffees a day with 2 spoons each equal to 120 calories, which is easily a nice little chocolate passing you by or this extra 15 minutes you have to sweat in your gym. And, be honest, we drink more than 2 teas/coffees per day. So forget the sugar or at least cut it by half and soon you will see benefits.
I am not even talking about hot chocolates, the worst ones really, with often more than 120 calories per cup. Allow them only on treat-once-in-a-while-basis. You will enjoy it more if it is less often.
By the way, switching to herbal teas let you explore huge variety of uncommon tastes, making it easier to swallow. Vanilla, toffee, strawberry - possibilities are endless.
People are also swearing their lives on the benefits of the red tea [bit of earthy taste, I quite like it actually] or green tea. They boost your metabolism, prevent cancer, are anti-aging and so on. Makes for interesting reading and it is worth a try.
So go on and make your tea brake more interesting with different kind every week. It is easy, it's nearly effortless and beats coffee every time.
My new favorite is white tea. It used to be the most expensive, most rare and all, but now you can probably find it close to you with a little bit of effort. Why? It is believed to be the best. And you deserve the best, don't you?

After the wedding diet - Introduction

Usually, we all go frantic just after we get the wedding invitation. Well, competition is always enormous as every girl is trying to look her best. And all those aunties doing nothing but commenting... So we go on diet, start some excercises and so on. You know the drill. But what I find most annoying is that whatever promise I made to myself I always put weight AFTER THE WEDDING. Simply, there is no pressure anymore. The dress is back in the closet. Hello chocolates and cakes and pizzas and ice creams and pastas and... wider waistline. Pure horror. How could I let myself slip like that? I ask that question every single time. So how to go on with dieting life without the wedding invitation standing before your eyes as a reminder? Well, apply some 'After the Wedding' tips and tricks.

1. Find new motivation
2. Have an extraordinary treat - small portion, great taste
3. Get a new outfit and go out there

Hot water with lime

For a detoxifying effect first thing in the morning you can drink hot water with a bit of lime juice. I find it is more tasty than a lemon juice. It will kick-start your metabolism without you running around a block in a pajamas. Lemon or lime juice aids your liver in flushing out unwanted toxins from the body.

As you see, you can achieve wellness through simple healthful remedies like this one. There is a belief in Ayurvedic medicine that a cup of hot water with lemon juice in it tonifies and purifies the liver. My friends tried it and they are saying that it definitely prevents 'this bloated feeling' mentioned so often in tv commercials. It doesn't actually taste so bad as it sounds, especially with a hint of honey in it and it does make great pictures, don't you think?

There are basic lifestyle habits that are important to incorporate into your daily life, I would recommend this one. Just give it a try.

The Lazy Sunday Tricks

Well, you don’t want to be on diet on Sunday, don’t you? Me neither. So first trick - start it with a breakfast. That’s a good, healthy rule you should actually follow every other day of the week. For a detoxifying effect you can drink hot water with a bit of lime juice (Hint: lime is more tasty than a lemon juice). It will kick-start your metabolism without you running around a block in a pajamas.

If you like porridge, you can have it, but muesli with sprinkle of almonds will provide more taste and benefits (Hint: watch out for sugar content and do not buy those already sweetened. Use honey instead).

A slice of a whole - goodie - grain bread with a real butter (unless you watch cholesterol) and boiled egg (well, again, unless you frantically watch cholesterol) plus lettuce and tomato would do nicely as well. I find those both propositions very filling and easy to prepare but feel free to experiment with your own lazy breakfast. It should be made from real ingredients and no microwave is allowed. Just keep it simple, coz you don’t want to spent your precious day in a kitchen (Hint: do not bake your own bread unless you really like it), but do not eat the same breakfast you had for years. Make it enjoyable experience. For a midmorning snack for example, have a pointy red peepers salad with olive oil and bit of chili for extra hot taste. Or a fruit you rarely eat, something extraordinary. Smoothie makes a great afternoon snack as well.

Second trick - keep it going. Get active, go sightseeing, nowhere near fast foods though. If it’s raining I usually clean the bathroom and do the hoovering. It is easy, quick, gives you satisfaction of the job well done and it burns calories as well. Just do something, move around, go bungee jumping if you want or pick some yellow flowers from the garden. Remember, your body is designed for motion. The more muscles you have the more calories is burnt without you noticing.

The third one - laziness is a piece of cake. Being lazy doesn’t mean being sloppy. It means relaxed view on life, quality over the quantity, most of all - doing all this things you always wanted to do, finding pleasure in a simple things. Living a lazy life means avoiding a rat race and all this big city every day mess. It does count even if you do it for a day or an hour. Get more sleep, drink more water, say no to fast food - slow down and enjoy the moment. Carpe diem.