How to Make Tea-Sangria

My fasting journey began with juice.  Juice fasting has been quite a hot topic nowadays and there are even books on this subject. I am happy to promote this way of fasting as well. But when I ask people if they drink juice, there are lots of hesitations. Namely I get answers like “Sugar from fruit makes me fat,” or “it’s just too much sugar.”

The argument that the sugar in fruit (fructose) makes you fat is weak at best, however I can see how some people find the sugar content in some of today’s juices to be way too high.

If that’s your concern, I have a suggestion for you – Tea-Sangria. In fact, I didn’t invent this recipe, I learned it from Brad Pilon, author of Eat Stop Eat. I have subscribed his newsletter, and found this Tea-Sangria is easy to make and yet healthy and yummy.

Here is the easy fix from Brad.

Brad’s simple solution for enjoying juice in the summer: Tea-Sangria!

First, mix one cup of the juice of your liking with one cup of water.

Next, boil water and make two cups of either green tea or white tea (let it steep for a minute or two).

Then, mix the 2 cups of tea with the juice/water mix, add lemon slices, lime slices, some blueberries and lots of ice.

Wait for it to chill and enjoy.

You get all the health benefits of tea and juice at only 7-10 grams of sugar per glass!

My 24-Hour Diary of Intermittent Fasting

Have you ever tried or heard of a 24-hour fasting concept? This is what we call intermittent fasting (IF). If you do some internet research, you will find many ways of doing IF, such as alternate day fasting, 2 meal a day and many other models.  In terms of a full meal, I will only have one per day. However I occasionally add a small breakfast or mini snack as I wish.  

I have been having this ‘eat once every 24 hour’ lifestyle in the past 12 years and have been doing well. But please do not follow my pattern if you are a beginner.

You may wonder how my life is and how I can survive by eating only one meal a day. My work life is extremely hectic and work hour is very long. Once I’m at my office, I keep multi-tasking throughout the day. By way of professional background – I have been in the executive search business for the past 19 years.

Here is a report on one of my typical working days while practicing intermittent fasting.

08:00 Wake up and a brief visit to the bathroom. I don’t need an alarm clock, because the sun and my body logic wake me up naturally on time.

08:05 Calisthenics at home for 20 minutes

08:25 Prepare to go to work

09:00 Arrive at the office. Make a cup of tea at the pantry – no solid food. Start a day’s busy work

12:00 Swim at the Island Shangri-La pool for 30 minutes as this pool is just opposite to my office

13:30 Arrive at the office, feeling groomed and energetic as to continue with my heavy workload for the rest of the day. Make a cup of tea at the pantry – no solid food. 

18:00 Make sure today’s work are done and prepare for tomorrow’s.

20:00 (may be later) Go home. My work hour is very long. I move to live nearby my office, so I can save transportation time. If time permits, I’ll do some simple cooking at home. Otherwise I’ll eat when I walk home. As this is the only time I eat in a day, I will look for a reasonably nice restaurant where I can sit down and enjoy a meal relaxed and peacefully. I have no restriction on the type of food, but generally a set dinner.

21:30 Evening activities at home. Multi-tasking among watching TV, taking phone calls, checking private emails and updating my blogs. iPhones nowadays make me work 24/7 which I don’t really appreciate, but cannot survive without it.

00:00 – 08:00 Sleep

You may notice I go do swimming during lunch hour without eating before and after. In fact I have been doing this since 2006. Yes, I don't need to constantly eat to have energy. The beauty of intermittent fasting is not only to help lose weight in the short term, but it is a long term lasting way to help me stay fit and healthy. 

How does my daily schedule compare with yours? In fact if your schedule is heavier than mine, and still want to try intermittent fasting, I would suggest your starting with skipping a meal or a breakfast. See the results and move on gradually.  Give it a try and develop a style that you feel comfortable with. No worries, skipping a meal is no big deal, any normal adult can do it. Change of lifestyle is the major concern. If you have a good start, you will soon develop a new and healthy lifestyle that you will love to stay with.

Simple Life Weight Loss

Bear in mind, the simpler your lifestyle is, the easier for you to stay long with it. So try to make weight loss as simple as possible. 

In terms of simplicity, intermittent fasting just reduces the total calories intake. There are no phases, no point systems, no weighing foods, and most importantly no foods that are ever off-limits. Simple enough?

Simple Cooking at Home

You may wonder if I eat big meals because I eat only one meal a day. No, my meal portions are absolutely normal.  Below is a sample of my home cooked simple meal. I may add a fruit and a cup of tea to wrap up the meal.

 My most favorable home cooked dish – ham and vegetable risotto.

Simple Life and Weight Loss

What is Simple Life Weight Loss?

Does simple life contribute to weight loss? Yes, certainly. I’ve come up with a website called the Power of Positivity which suggested 101 ways to live a simple life.  They suggested if you can pick at least 5 out of the list, you’re off to a great start. In fact I’ve picked more than 5. Below is the first one I’m going to share with you and I’m sure that will help greatly in going slim. 

Eat at Home More – Simple Life Rule #79 

For each restaurant meal that you replace with a home-cooked meal, you can save 200 calories (and more than 400 milligrams of sodium). So plan ahead and have ingredients on hand at the beginning of the week. And as you get used to cooking a dish, you’ll become more efficient and can make it part of your weekly schedule.

Eating at home involves cooking.  So let’s apply some simple cooking methods that will produce delicious foods as well as staying healthy.  It is such a short list, I’m sure you can remember by heart, and apply these healthier cooking methods as much as possible.

1. Grilling – Grilling is a quick and healthier way of cooking as it doesn’t use any fat. And it is great for meat lovers and vegetarians alike. 

Here are some grilling tips and recipes from food.com for your reference. 

2. Poaching – Poaching is a fat-free way of cooking eggs, some meats and fish, using a pan of boiling water. This easy, low-fat cooking technique can be used to create light and delicious meals with ease. 

Here are some poaching tips and recipes from delish.com for your reference. 

Egg poaching tips from Jamie Oliver 

Salmon poaching tips from Simply Recipes

3. Steaming – Steaming is a fat-free way of cooking vegetable and fish. For eating lighter and smarter, you don’t need fancy equipment to steam fish, vegetables or dumplings in your kitchen. 

Here are some easy and tasty recipes to get you started - 10 Best Steaming Recipes from NDTV Food.

4. Boiling – Boiling doesn’t require any oil and therefore adds no calories to food. Here are some ideas of what to boil and how to make delicious dishes with this simple cooking method – boiling recipes from All Recipes.

5. Raw Foods – Please do not go deep into this topic. Keep it simple. The goal of eating more raw foods is to obtain plenty of nutrients in an easy-to-digest manner, one that our bodies are naturally suited for. While there’s no need to go completely raw or to declare yourself a “raw vegan,” making sure to consume at least some raw vegetables such as green salad and fruits every day is important for just about everyone.

NOTE: Put up a yellow sticky on your kitchen wall with these five words – grilling, poaching, steaming, boiling and raw foods.  This will serve as a little reminder for you to cook and eat in a healthier way.

Try these simple life weight loss cooking methods.  You are going to see results no matter what kind of diet plan you are following or going to follow.