DO LIKE BRIT: KEEP A HEALTHY DIET!

Did you know Britney's personal trainer and food guru, Bobby Strom, to spilled some of her fitness and diet secrets? Yup, he did.. N we did some research for you to understand why it works n how to make your diet a healthy one n look as beautiful n fit as Britney! They’re: Eat regularly, Go easy on the starch, Boost protein, Watch the portion size, Go for the fruits n veggies, Eat some fat and Reward yourself! But to start off we’ll remind you of an other essential fitness tip: exercising! Brit is all about exercising n so should you. Food helps you look your best by keeping your body in a beautiful health condition. Basically we eat to have energy, so we need to use it. There is no way we can keep a balance n look our best without it. So the key is definitely not to stop eating, but moving more. Get up on your feet to dance like Brit or copy or if dancing is not your thing try walking 45 minutes 3 times a week.

EAT REGULARY
Everybody's has a different metabolism - the rate at which our bodies work off food -. The faster it is, the more calories we'll burn at all times. Ever wondered how did that gurl eat soo much n not get one bit fatter? Well, that's the reason. The differences are essentially a genetic issue but there are a few things you can do to speed it up. A big thing, which Bobby suggests, is eating small meals every three hours, instead of bigger ones every four or five. If you're hungry, you need to eat. So don't go holding back. Now, if you just had a good meal n then see some candies, think twice before you go for them. No matter how thin you are, eating all the time without some schedule will, in a way, make you body "tiered" and it'll end up making the whole of tiered, sleepy n unfocussed. So try to organize your eating times. A big note out of this: if you thought not eating was the key, now you see it was the other way around. If you don’t eat your metabolism gets slower = you burn less calories! "You have to eat, you can't deprive yourself," Britney insists. "I eat whatever I want, I just don't overeat."


HOW 2 DEAL WITH SWEETS + BREAKFAST
So who doesn't like candy, chocolate or anything sweet? One could even wonder what better way to start the day that with some sugar? But it's actually the other way around. At any time, you should leave the candy to the end. It's essential that sugar is not the first thing you get in your mouth in the morning. "Getting Britney off the bagels was important," Bobby says. Of course you can add sugar to your cereals or milk, or put some jam on your bread, but try to at least keep that to the second thing of your breakfast. When it comes to breakfast, you need to take it really seriously. Lots of people skip this meal, but research says it’s the most important one. This doesn't mean it has to be the biggest meal, but that it has too be very complete, balanced, since it will give you energy to face the entire day. Where do you get the energy from? Carbohydrates. But not the sugar of a bagel, toast or muffin. It turns down to the fact sugar gets stored as fat, and starchy carbohydrates like bread turn into sugar when you eat them. Brit has admitted that since she got in the spotlight she's been taking care of her body, beauty n health, a lot more cos she's been learning about food, n cos she always needs to be on her best day to handle such exhausting schedules. So make sure you have a good breakfast to face these crazy days, just like Brit! Here are some balanced breakfast ideas from "The Joy Of Cooking" cookbook to make your breakfast the Britney way!

Here are some balanced breakfast ideas from "The Joy Of Cooking" cookbook to make your breakfast the Britney way!

1. Hot pitted prunes, or hot applesauce between slices of french toasts with cinnamon, or chilled prunes sprikled with cinnamon and brown sugar, served with cream and french toasts. Link sauges. Cofee (with milk).

2. Orange juice. Creamed chipper beef, on fried mush, or on squares of hot corn bread, hot pineapple slices. Coffe with/or milk.

3. Sliced peaches. Beef kidney stew. Buckwheat cakes or popovers. Lime marmalade. Coffee with/or milk.

4. Apples filled with sausage meat, or small saussages, with cinnamon apples or sausage ring, filled with scrambled eggs, surrounded by fried apples. Graham muffins. Plum jelly. Coffee and/or milk.

5. Fresh pineapple.Poached eggs blackstone or benedict. Toasted english muffins. Orange marmalade. Coffee and/or milk.

6. Broiled grapefruit smoked salmon on toast with poached egg or broiled ham, and sauteed eggs. Coffee cake. Apple butter. Milk.

7. Sliced rounds of Honeydew melon filled with red rasberries. Ham cakes and eggs. Fried grits with maple siru. Coffee and/or milk.

Too complicated for the daily life? Then try: bred, a fruit and a glass of milk, even if you're having coffee aswell. Or cereals, milk and a fruit. Britney loves cereals n never forgets her fruit!


An other good tip about sugar, is not to rush buy cookies or candies when you feel those uncontrollable craves for sugar. Cookies, candies, n even some stuff we buy thinking it's "chocolate" are just a mix of products that are just harming our bodies in zillions of ways, not to mention our pockets. It's no good to be counting calories like crazy, but the back of the wrappers are important. Just check them n you'll see how many weird n totally unhealthy ingredients you'd be making a part of your body. Remember the saying: you are what you eat. There are all kind of stuff, form seriously harmful ones, to disgusting "essences". Wouldn't you want to eat the real thing? If it's being imitated then the original thing must be great. So when you want something sweet, bake it. You will enjoy it a lot more after a bit of sweat n you will be using energy, you will have got to control yourself, you'll be making something productive, n to top it you'll be a lot more willing to share your goodies. In any way you look at it, it'll be good. N the "I don't know how to cook" doesn't count, cos it's all about reading a recipe. Brit cooks too, n her favorite food is her mum's home cooking. So there must be something about homecoming!


BOOST PROTEIN
Protein is a basic so in those every 3 hours lil meals, your snacks should be protein based shakes, yogurt, fruit or protein bars to give your body energy while keeping the carb count down. For lunch and dinner, Britney eats high protein meals, like lean meat or eggs and lays off the starchy carbs.


WATCH THE PORTION SIZE
Like we quoted before "I eat whatever I want, I just don't overeat". That's a basic, watch the portion size. If you eat every 3 hours 3 plates of food it won't work. If you bake yourself a 6 portions cake n eat them all yourself altogether, it won't work either. Even if your snacks are fruits n you eat 8 oranges (or bananas, or apples, etc), it won't work. The balance won't work. Seventeen quoted an example with meat or fish, but don't misunderstand it cos the idea goes for everything. "If you want to lose weight, you should never eat more meat or fish than you can hold in the palm of your hand," Bobby says. That's roughly three to five ounces. Overeating will make you no good, so even if you are trying to gain weight, watch the portion sizes. When it comes to eating, you have to learn listen to yourself n see when your eyes want more n when you stomach does.


9 FRUITS N VEGGIES A DAY
Did you know that the 1/3 of every meal should be veggies or fruits? In the end of the day you should have eat 6 to 9 veggies and/or fruits. Not 9 fruits and 9 veggies. But, for instance, 3 fruits n 4 veggies. It might sound like a lot, but it's not. The campaign the health departments of countries around the world, started by the USA, is promoting 5 per day not to make it sound like so much. So if you find 9 overwhelming, start with 5. Fruits n veggies are so good cos of all the vitamins, that 5 will have a great effect on you, like the 6-9 did for Brit! N Bobby adds, "eating fruit, you get fiber too, which helps digestion". So why don't people eat fruits n veggies if they need them so much? We tend to think salads are boring, but there are unlimited ways we can make them. You just have to find you fav ones - stress on the S, cos the variety is what will help you the most to get what you need n also not to overeat -. Brit's favorites are the ones that go with tuna so we found a few recipes with it for you! Plus we also made a list on what do some veggies n fruits n other food have n how it helps you look better, so you keep learning more about food n get inspired with that like Brit was!

Fruit N Tuna Salad
Taken from: "Hamlyn all colour vegetarian cookbook", ('not quite vegetarian' chapter ;)

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Serves 4
Calories 185 per portion

You will need:
1 (200-g/7-oz) can tuna
2 dessert apples, cored and diced
1 orange, segmented
1 banana, sliced
shredded white cabbage to serve (optional)

Drain and flake the tuna. Place in a bowl with the prepared fruit. Mix together the ingredients for the dressing and toss into the salad. Serve on a bed of shredded white cabbage, if you like.

Cook's Tip: A curried apple and tuna salad is a tasty variaion. Peel and grate the apples and mix them with the tuna, omitting the oranges and banana. Substitute 1 teaspoon curry powder for the prepared mustard in the dressing and add just enough to moisten the misture. Mound on a bed shredded cabbage or lettuce.


Tuna Fish Salad
Taken from: "The Joy Of Cooking"

4 Servings

When making this salad utilize oil from the can. Drain the contents of:
1 can of tuna fish.

Flake it with a fork. Add:
1/2 ti 1 cup diced celery or cucumber
Make a French dressing using:

2 tablespoons tuna fish oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Or use 1/4 cupful mayonnaise.
[remember: mayonnaise made with canola oil is good but regular one is real bad 4 your body cos it's unbalanced cos it has too many omega 6 fatty acids]
You may add:
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped chives

Serve very cold on:
Lettuce


Fresh Tuna Salad
Taken from: "Family Cookbook Voulmen III"

Yield: 6 servings, 1 cup size
Ingredients:

3 cups cooked pasta, wagon wheels or any small shape(5 ounces cry)
1/2 pounder fresh tuna, broiled, cooled, cubed (or 1 61/2-ounce can water-packed tuna, drained)
1 cup unpeeled zucchini (1 medium zucchini), cubed
1/2 cup red or green pepper, cubed
1 broccoli florets, blanched
1/4 cup carrot, thinly sliced
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup sweet gherkin pickles, sliced
1/4 cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise
[remember: mayonnaise made with canola oil is good but regular one is real bad 4 your body cos it's unbalanced cos it has too many omega 6 fatty acids]
1 tablespoon reduced-calorie sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chervil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Method:
1. Combine pasta, tuna, vegetables, oniion, and pickles in a large bowl. Stir in mayonnaise, cour cream, and seasonings.
2. Serve at room temperature.


EAT SOME FATS
Yup, you have to eat fat too. But not any kind, the good kind. The bad kind is the type that cookies have, but things like nuts have good fats. "Don't be afraid of avocados or nuts," Bobby says. "They're healthy fats -- monounsaturated fats -- and they make you feel full. Dressing on your salad's fine, too, just don't go wild."


REWARD YOURSELF
What do we eat for? To feel good, having energy, keeping healthy n shaping our body the way we want to. Every meal you have has to be a delight. Work with every meal n with every kind of food to make it what you need and you favorite at the time. N sometimes, just forget about it! With food you gotta be aware of what n why you need it but after you know it, you gotta let go n never get stressed counting calories or cos you eat some chips/french frites. If you like them then good! Like we said before, the key is not to overdo it. As long as your diet is based on something else it will do no harm. Or you can try balance it, having the chips/french frites with something else than a McDonals burger. "Britney eats pizza sometimes -- it's her reward," says Bobby. "Get into the shape you want to be, then you incorporate the reward. If you're cutting down on bread and pasta and eating regularly, [and exercising] your metabolism gets so revved up it zaps the extra calories."


Lynne Spears Chicken Spaghetti
An other reward for Brit is her mum's homecooking, that's her fav food. So here we have a recipe of Lynne for you too see for yourself how much of an expert she is!

4 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1 14-1/2 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 8-oz. Velveeta cheese, cut in cubes
1 lb. spaghetti
1 medium onion, chopped

Instructions:
In large bowl, combine chicken, tomatoes, soup, and cheese. Boil spaghetti and the onion according to spaghetti directions. Drain spaghetti and add to the chicken and tomato mixture. Stir, add salt and pepper to taste and cover. Let sit for 10 minutes until the cheese has melted. Stir and serve.


Foods' Goodies 4 U List
Fruits n veggies just like everything - natural, at least - have loads of things we need but it doesn't mean that each one has it all. Variety is one of the healthy dieting rules. If your 4 fruits of the day are all different, you will be getting a lot more vitamins n good stuff than if you were eating 4 portions of the same fruit. Yet, with just one orange, for example, you might not be getting all the vitamin C you need. So make sure you're getting enough of everything. N if you don't like one or the other, think twice n focus on how good they are n how can you cook it to like it better. Or go for variety n find other veggies or fruits that have what your likes are skipping.

This are just some stuff from the list of "The Handbook of Natural Beauty" by Virginia Castelon. But you'll find some of Brit's favs like strawberries n stuff Bobby says she bases her meals on like oatmeal, n some that are included in the breakfast ideas like pineapples.

[FOOD
External Properties [for the skin, hair -body-]
Food Value]

ALMOND
cleansing, smoothing, softening skin.
protein to rebuild skin, hair and nails; vitamind B to metabolize other nutrients, promtoe growth of hair n nails, for healthy skin, eyes, nervers, digestion; calcium to clear blemished skin, calm troubled nerves, stregthen bones and teeth; vital minerals.

CORNMEAL
cleansing, friction-producting - bath enricher*'How to use it'.
vitamin A for healhy skin, eyes, mucous membranes; vitamin B to metabolize other nutrients, promote growth of hair n neails; for healthy skin, eyes, nerves, digestion, vital minerals.

CUCUMBER
cleansing, cooling, toning skin - for general care lotions n masks, undereye drightener.
vitamin C for healthy connective tissues, bones and cartilage, for reparing damaged cells; calcium to clear blemished skin, calm tense nerves, strengthen bones and teeth; vital minerals.

EGG
tightening, nourishing skin, undereye, wrinkle-chaser.
vitamin A for healthy skin n teeth; vitamin D for strong bones n teeth; protein to rebuild skin, hair n nails; iron to buil red blood cells; vital minerals.

GRAPES
nourishing, cleansing. vitamin A for healthy skin, eyes, mucous membranes; vital minerals.

HONEY
softening, nourishing, healing.
natural bactericide to soothe irritations; vital minerals.

LEMON
astringent, acidic, refreshing, bleaching.
vitamin C for healthy bones, cartilage n connective tissue; vitamin A for healthyskin, eyes n mucous memberanes.

MILK
nourishing, cleansing, softening.
read more in our DLB: Drink Milk

OATMEAL
cleansing, softening, nourishing.
vitamin B to metabolize other nutrients, promote growth of hair n nails; for healthy skin, eyes, nerves n digestion; calcium to calm tense nerves, clear blemished skin, streghen bones n teeth; iron to build red blood cells; vital minerals.

PINEAPPLE
enzymatic, rejuvenating.
vitamin A for healthy skin, eyes, mucous membranes; vitamin C for healthy bones, cartilage n connective tissues; for repairing demaged cells; vital minerals.

STRAWBERRY
bleaching, softening, nourishing.
vitamin A for healthy skin, eyes, mucous membranes; vitamin C for healthy bones, cartilage n connective tissue, for repairing damaged cells; vital minerals.

TOMATO
bleaching, cleansing, stimulating.
vitamin A for healthy skin, eyes, mucous membranes; vitamin C for healthy bones, cartilage, and connective tissue; for reparting damaged cells, vital minerals.

YOGURT
bleaching
protein to rebuild skin, hair, nails; vitamin A for healthy skin, eyes, mucous membranes; help intestinal tract to manufacture vitamin B; calcium to clear blemished skin, calm troubled nerves, strengthen bones n teeth; minerals.

Also, don't forget to drink 8 glasses of water per day! Now you have loads of info n tips to start adding to your diet n recipes to cook to healthy diet like Brit!



HAS BRIT INSPIRED YOU TO HAVE A BETTER DIET?
- Yeah, she made me see veggies n fruits with a new face
- I've always eaten well but it's cool to know she does too
- No, but she does inspire me not to eat
- No, how would she? She inspired me to drink Pepsi remember

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