Health and Weight Loss Benefits of the 5:2 Fast Diet

My Healthy and Delicious "Fasting" Breakfast on the 5:2 Fast Diet

I recently discovered a healthy eating plan I truly believe I can stick with - it's called the 5:2 Fast Diet. Personally, I hate the word "diet" so I prefer to call it an "eating plan." It was created by the English physician Dr. Michael Mosley. Basically, it involves restricting your eating JUST 2 days (ANY two non-consecutive days) per week. The other 5 days - you can eat anything you like. The funny thing is, restricting your diet those two days -- magically leads your body to want healthier foods the other five days. It's like your body begins to understand that it CAN have whatever it wants, it just feels better if it doesn't go overboard. And the cravings really get in check all week when you eliminate sugar and carbs just two days. It's shockingly easy to fast two days when you can tell your brain that TOMORROW you can have those chips or that ice cream. And when tomorrow comes, your brain tends to say "I don't HAVE to have to have the chips AND ice cream today - because tomorrow I can have whatever I don't have today." In other words, you never end up stuffing your face - because you realize you have 4 other days that week to give into those cravings (which have diminished like you will NOT believe!).

Your two restricted days are considered "fasting" days because you are only allowed 500 calories as a woman or 600 as a man. I have found that a big brunch (organic eggs, all-natural turkey sausage and organic salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar) and a light dinner (chicken and vegetables) fit these criteria and gets me though the day just fine. Personally, I chose to eschew carbs, dairy, soy, and sugar on my two fasting days. Just makes life easier - and means I am eating at my utmost healthiest for almost 1/3rd of the week with little effort.

There is a ton of science behind fasting, which indicates that intermittent fasting makes us healthier and actually adds to our longevity. As Dr. Mosley himself reported in a Huffington post interview: “I went into (fasting) quite skeptical because I’ve looked at diets over the years and I’ve always assumed they’re rubbish. Really seriously rubbish. But the people who study in this area (of fasting) are really top scientists — world-class scientists who are hugely reputable in their areas. And they were all coming at it from their areas of expertise: cancer, dementia, diabetes — they were approaching it from different angles, but coming to the same conclusion.”

I've been doing the 5:2 Fast Diet for three weeks now myself, and I can tell you I sleep much better, my clothes are loser, I feel much more energetic, and I don't crave sugar at all anymore (although I do allow myself dessert when I feel like having it on my five non-fasting days). Reaping such benefits with so little effort means this is a plan I can DEFINITELY stick with ... hopefully for life.

ADDED BONUS: I save money and don't have to think about shopping or meal prep two days a week! That's a VERY welcome break to my busy week!

How to Make Your Own Cinnamon Powder

My kids LOVE our simple homemade cinnamon toast: toasted organic bread (gluten free for the one with Celiac) spread with softened organic butter and sprinkled with organic cinnamon powder. Well, while making toast this morning - woops! - we realized the cinnamon container was empty! What to do? What to do? Thanks to a cooking class I attended over the weekend with the Farmer's Market Groupie, an idea popped into my head. Why not grind our own cinnamon? Elisha Reverby (our cooking class instructor and owner of Farmer's Market Groupie) informed us that ALL spices, seasonings and seeds are best when FRESHLY ground. Those we buy in jars have been sitting on a shelf losing their flavor, scent and overall health benefits for months (maybe even years). Elisha used a mortar and pestle to mash the herbs and seeds we were using in our recipe -- and one of those ingredients (LIGHT BULB MOMENT) was a cinnamon stick. Then, this morning (2ND LIGHT BULB MOMENT) I recalled that some people use coffee grinders for such purposes - and that this might be a faster method for grinding up a whole cinnamon stick. So, we got out our 25 year old Krups Fast Touch coffee grinder (which still works as well as it did the day we bought it), popped in a stick of cinnamon, and PRESTO! We had fresh, aromatic cinnamon powder in seconds. My kids were totally very impressed! And, they found the flavor to be much yummier than the the old powder we were using. Looks like we've discovered a new way to make spices at our house!

Best Organic Face Cream

Let me tell you, I've tried dozens of all-natural moisturizers and face creams - and nothing compares to Honey Girl Organics Face and Eye Creme Extra Sensitive. Mind you - I do NOT have sensitive skin. I was simply looking for a good cream that would make my skin feel soft and hydrated and this particular product did the trick. I was willing to pay a high price if I could just find a natural moisturizer that:

a) Didn't make me break out or clog pores
b) Didn't have an odd smell or too much of ANY smell
c) Contained NO artificial ingredients, chemicals or fragrance
c) Contained organic ingredients
d) Didn't feel like it was sitting on top of my skin
e) Would not feel too light

Well, I didn't have to. Honey Girl Organics definitely doesn't break the bank. One 1.75 fluid oz glass jar of Honey Girl Organics Face and Eye Cream Extra Sensitive lasts for 30-60 days and retails for about $32 at Whole Foods, local health food stores, the Honey Girl Organics website, and Amazon. That price is a steal when you consider the fact that this product contains the USDA CERTIFIED ORGANIC label, a rare distinction in the cosmetics industry, and that it received the HIGHEST SAFETY SCORE POSSIBLE in the EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.

Honey Girl Organics makes lighter moisturizers (and many other amazing organic skin products) but for me, the Face and Eye Cream Extra Sensitive is the ticket. So many skin "creams" these days feel too heavy for true absorption. Not this one. When I apply it (in the morning and before bed) I can literally feel the honey, royal jelly and olive oil ingredients penetrating deep into my epidermis.

I've purchased several jars just to make sure I never run out.

Delicious Affordable All-Natural Ice Cream

I just discovered affordable heaven in the freezer section of my local (aka REGULAR) grocery store: Old-Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream by Tillamook! I have not tasted ice cream this creamy and pure in decades. You will be shocked at the fat content - which is lower than far less tasty and less natural brands. To make matters even better - Tillamook's Old-Fashioned Vanilla uses 100% natural ingredients, NO corn syrup, and - like all Tillamook dairy products - it comes from cows NEVER treated with artificial growth hormones. Many of us don't have access to organic ice cream every day (or at all), which makes Tillamook Ice Cream the next healthiest choice. It's available at most major grocery stores, is priced right (at about $5 for 1.75 Qts) and - to be frank - tastes better than many pricey organic ice cream brands anyhow.

INGREDIENTS: Cream, Sugar, Condensed Skim Milk, Whole Milk, Egg Yolks, Vanilla Extract, Tara Gum, Guar Gum.

NOTE: Some question the use of tara gum and guar gum. Tillamook - and other dairy companies - use these natural plant-derived thickener to give their ice cream an extra creamy texture. It doesn't add or subtract from the flavor though, so personally, I'd love to see how it tastes without.