Many people are unsure about fruit and the role it plays in weight loss efforts. All fruits bring a range of vitamins and health benefits but can you just eat as much as you like and still lose weight? Should some fruits be avoided altogether?

Firstly, fruit is always going to be one of the best choices of snacks. And not just in terms of health benefits, in terms of calories fruit is far lower than many more common ‘healthy’ snacks such as cereal bars. However fruit cannot be treated in the same way as vegetables. Vegetables have little or no sugar and are all very low in calories so you really can eat as many as you like. However fruits do contain quite high sugar levels (although natural sugars, not processed), so you should limit the amount you eat if you are looking to lose weight. A maximum of 3 pieces a day is what I recommend.

Also some fruits are better than others. Berries are always the best choice, being low sugar, low carb and low calories. Tropical fruits such as mango and pineapple have a higher sugar content and therefore should be eaten more sparingly. Dried fruits are basically concentrated sugar so ideally should be kept to a minimum.

But the most important tip is to always mix the fruit with another food. Because of the sugar content if you just eat a couple of pieces of fruit as a snack you blood sugar levels will be spiked and then come back down meaning you will be hungry again shortly afterwards.  Mix the fruit with some yogurt or nuts and this will leave you fuller for longer.

Today’s Takeaway – Fruit is a great, healthy snack. But it is still sugar and calories so don’t over-eat it.

When people try to ‘diet,’ a massive reason they fail is their inability to resist their favourite (unhealthy) foods. You can cut foods out in the short term, but sooner or later you are going to give in. Do you really want to be living your life like this?

Well, you don’t have to. Today I have a super-tasty milkshake recipe for you that will curb your cravings for sugary treats such as ice cream.

Have you ever had one of those milkshakes from Mcdonalds? Let me tell you, if you knew the long list of horrible ingredients that went into them you wouldn’t, but nevertheless they did used to taste good.

You can still have a sweet, creamy milkshake that tastes great without all the horrible junk in and the countless calories. Here is the recipe for my mixed berry milkshake;

(Recipe will make 4/5 milkshakes)

500 grams mixed frozen berries (blueberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, etc)

150ml semi skimmed milk

150ml natural/greek yogurt.

4 (pre-frozen is possible) bananas

Just throw them all into a blender and away you go! It will taste delicious taking care of your sweet tooth, and is seriously healthy at the same time.

If you make a big batch at the weekends you can keep it in the fridge and have a glass every day for the rest of the week. And it will take a matter of minutes to make.

Don’t feel you have to limit… Read more->

Some foods are good for you, some foods are bad for you, and some foods have properties that will help you burn fat fast and lose weight. Sounds good doesn’t it? Here are 3 great fat burners;

1/Avocados

Some people know avocados are good for you. Some people shy away from them because they are ‘high in fat’ – bad move. But research shows that people don’t eat avocados that much. Here’s why they are so great;

Avocados contains up to 17 grams of fibre. Fibre is a appetite suppressor, so it will make you fuller for longer. They also contain monounsaturated fats, which have actually been shown to spot reduce stomach fat. Sounds good doesn’t it!

2/ Green Vegetables

Green vegetables such as kale, broccoli and cabbage (among others) contain special phytonutrients. These phytonutrients protect you against ‘environmental estrogens’ that add to the fat levels in your body. So stock up on the green veggies!

3/ Cinnamon

Research shows that cinnamon contains a special, rare type of antioxidant. This antioxidant helps to stabilise your blood sugars levels. Which basically means you will store less fat!

So just sprinkle a bit of cinamon in you food and store less fat - how easy is that (that rhymes!)

Today’s Takeaway – Be honest with yourself and ask how often do you actually eat these foods. If, like most people, its not that often do something about it. Get some avocado in your salads, get some green veggies in your stir-fry’s, and get some cinnamon in anything.

Every now and then I get asked about the real ‘healthiness’ of fruit. Some studies out there claim that certain fruits can make you fat. Whereas most healthy diets recommend a diet full of fruit to be healthy and help you lose weight. So what’s the truth?

All fruits do contain sugar, that’s the first thing to confirm. However the type of sugar they contain is natural and organic. This means the sugar is good for you and useful to your body rather than being refined and unhealthy like the sort of sugar people put in their tea/coffee.

It’s the fruits that are highest in these sugars that often get accused of being fattening. Bananas are the prime example of this, and you would be amazed you many people avoid them because of it.

I strongly believe that all fruit is good for you and will not make you put on weight. As I have already said, the sugar is fruit is unrefined and natural so the body uses and burns off the sugar.

If I were to be ultra critical I would steer people away from eating too much fruit all together in one sitting without any other food. If you ate 3 or more pieces of fruit at the same time your body would have a lot of sugar to deal with all in 1 go. The best way to get round this is add something else to the fruit to balance out the sugars. Some low fat natural yogurt would be a great choice.

Today’s Takeaway – Fruit is not fattening! And don’t believe anyone who says it is.

To grab your copy of Rob’s Free Report ‘Cheat’s Guide to Fat Burning From Home – Simple 5 Step Plan,’ plus 2 other great free gifts, click here; ‘www.homeworkoutsuccess.co.uk/free-report.’