How many calories we eat has the largest impact on our weight. Protein, fat and carbs are where we get calories from. Calories are our source of energy that fuel our body. If we eat the amount our body needs or more, we will not be able to lose weight.

Eating at least 3 meals a day is a good rule of thumb. However, if you are a person who dislikes larger meals and naturally grazes throughout the day, the structure of 4-6 small meals might suit you better.

No diet is best for everyone. There is no one size fits all. The best diet pattern is one that you can maintain and keep up with long term. Sticking to a diet or crash diet for a short amount of time can lead to short term benefits, but it’s easy to lose those benefits if you return to old eating habits. It is best to steer clear of restrictive diets and include all food groups.

Although researchers have been exploring this question, not much has proven to be effective. There is some evidence that has seen chili peppers or caffeine from green tea and coffee could possibly help to burn calories. Including these in your diet with other changes to food or physical activity could be beneficial, but would not produce a large enough impact on their own.

Eating a small snack anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour after a workout can help to refuel the body. However, if you plan to eat a meal within that time frame, there is no need to eat both a snack and meal unless you have completed a high intensity activity such as long distance running or heavy weight lifting. Eating protein and a small amount of carbs is the best following a workout. Some examples could be crackers and cheese, apple and protein drink, or nuts and dried fruit.

Calories are the biggest thing to focus on in your diet when trying to lose weight. All foods offer calories. After knowing this, you can prioritize foods you enjoy while sticking to your calorie needs for weight loss. Plan to include them in your day ahead of time by learning their calorie content and subtracting this from your daily calorie goal. You then can use this to guide the rest of your day of eating.

The first meal of your day is extremely important. The word breakfast itself means “to break your fast”, usually the fast you are naturally doing while sleeping at night. Skipping breakfast can lead to reduced hunger signals which may sound helpful at first, but can lead to overeating later in the day.

When looking at vitamins, it’s best to know that less is more. There is no need to buy “mega doses” of any vitamins. We can meet a lot of our vitamin and mineral needs by eating a variety of different foods. However, if you tend to avoid large food groups like vegetables, fruits, dairy or whole grains, taking a daily multivitamin can help cover your bases to make sure you aren’t lacking in anything. Speak with a physician or dietitian if you are concerned you are deficient in a vitamin or mineral.

The word organic can be misleading at times. The label of “organic” means that the ingredients or produce itself was not exposed to synthetic or man-made chemicals. Organic foods are still grown using pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers, but these are naturally sourced. This does not mean that the ingredient or produce has better nutrition. Also, when non-organic and organic produce are tested, they have very similar trace amounts of chemicals. In the end, neither can be said to be healthier. Any produce is good produce.

Most people look to juicing as a way to detox or cleanse the body most often as a way to lose weight. Juicing of fruits and vegetables does not help to detox or cleanse the body or support weight loss. Actually, our body has a system in place that naturally detoxifies itself all the time. Continue juicing if you enjoy it, but know it does not have more special benefits than simply enjoying whole fruits and vegetables.