Author: Lacy Ngo

The short answer is yes! Christian Mindfulness can improve your health! Hi, my name is Lacy Ngo. I am a registered dietitian who specialized in Christian mindfulness and nutrition. In fact, I lost 50 pounds and dramatically improved my mood, outlook on life, and health with the help of Christian Mindfulness. Keep reading to find out how Christian Mindfulness can help you as well…

Christian Mindfulness as a Way to Cope with Stress

You want the weight to be lifted off your shoulders, but you just don’t know how. We certainly don’t like the way stress and worry make us feel, but stress and worry can do more than just make us feel lousy. Stress can harm our health. Stress can increase the risk of chronic diseases and mood disorders and can promote weight gain and wreak havoc on our immune systems. 

We can’t live a completely stress-free life, so, how do we fight against the negative effects of stress? Turns out that learning how to cope with stress is the key. 

Christian Mindfulness is one of the best techniques I have found when it comes to coping with the stressors of life. 

In the following sections, we will discuss:

• How stress impacts our health
• How mindfulness reduces feelings of stress
• How Christian Mindfulness can improve our health

How Does Stress Impact Our Health?

Stress Can Cause Poor Gut Health

Our gut and brain are directly connected by the vagus nerve; so, what happens in the brain can affect what is happening in the stomach.  Think about when you are nervous. What is one of the first symptoms you experience? Is it butterflies in your stomach? Those butterflies occur because your brain is telling your stomach something is wrong and your stomach reacts. This is an instant reaction to an emotion your brain is experiencing. 

Long-term, your gut can take a hit when your brain keeps telling your gut you are in distress. Chronic stress increases inflammation in your body, including your gut. This can cause a multitude of conditions like an increased risk of heart disease, mood disorders, autoimmune diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases (1)

Stress Can Promote Weight Gain

When we are in a state of chronic stress our bodies will have elevated cortisol levels. Elevated cortisol levels lead to an increase in appetite and according to research, can cause weight gain (2,3). 

Remember that stress can increase chronic inflammation and harm the gut. Both of these scenarios also hinder weight loss goals and possibly promote weight gain. 

Stress Increases Your Risk of Chronic Diseases

Based on what we have discussed above, you may be able to predict why stress increases your risk of chronic diseases. Poor gut health, excessive weight gain, and chronic inflammation can significantly increase your risk of all sorts of conditions like:

• Heart disease
• Mood disorders like depression and anxiety
• Autoimmune Diseases 
• Some Cancers
• Seasonal Allergies and Asthma
• Frequent colds and flu
• Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s Disease
• Joint pain
• Diabetes

So, in a nutshell, stress can cause poor gut health, increase inflammation, and cause weight gain. All of these conditions can increase your risk of chronic diseases.

How Does Christian Mindfulness Help Reduce Stress?

Fortunately, God has given us the tools to help us cope with stress. These tools have always been available to us. We just need to slow down to notice these stress-relieving gifts!

Slowing down is the key to mindfulness. Mindfulness is about being present in the moment. The past is done. The future hasn’t happened yet. All you have is the present. When we focus on the present AND focus on God around us in the present moment, something amazing happens…

Our worries seem to drift away. 

Think about it. What do we spend most of our time worrying about? I’m willing to guess, that we spend most of our time worrying about something that has already happened or something that could happen in the future. If we stop letting the past and future consume us, we get to notice the beauty in God’s world in the present moment. 

When we focus on listening to the whispers of God in the present moment, then we also tend to make better choices that will eventually positively affect our future. 

From Stressed to Joyful

It was a busy afternoon for my family. I had just enough time to drop my child off at choir practice before I had to head to a meeting. But when I got to her practice, the teachers hadn’t arrived yet. I could feel my stress begin to rise. I kept glancing at my watch, to see just how late it was getting. Finally, I looked at my daughter. She was twirling in the big open choir room. 

It was at that moment that I realized that looking at my watch didn’t help me get to my meeting any faster. At that moment, I couldn’t do anything but wait for my daughter’s teacher to arrive. Worry and stress weren’t going to get me to the meeting in time, so I stopped glancing at my watch and started twirling with my daughter. 

I said a prayer, thanking God for that moment, and I was overcome with joy. I would have missed out on that joy if I hadn’t stopped to notice the gift that God had right in front of me. 

This is the power of mindfulness. 

Christian Mindfulness is So much More…

Christian Mindfulness is about stopping to smell the roses AND remembering who gave you the roses.

Faith-based mindfulness is about praying and being present with God everywhere you go. When you pray before you call a friend, eat a meal, go into a grocery store, or scroll social media, you are more likely to remember what God taught us- to love our neighbors as ourselves. 

When we take the time to pray before…well… everything, we tend to make better choices. We also get to see God at work in our lives because we take the time to notice. I have experienced so many more amazing goose-bump-God-moments simply because I took the time to listen for God’s guidance and notice God at work. 

Christian mindfulness is about resting in the knowledge that God is with you, guiding you, and helping you. You can give your worries to God because God will never abandon you. Praying before eating, talking, or entering a store, reminds you of these truths, which can bring you comfort. 

How Christian Mindfulness Transformed My Life?

I want to share a little bit of my transformation story with you. My hope is that my story encourages you to add more Christian mindfulness into your own life. I challenge you to try it and watch what happens.  You may just find yourself completely and utterly amazed!

Before I incorporated this Christian mindfulness way of living, I was struggling. 

I naturally have a type A perfectionist, worrier personality, and my mind, body, and soul started feeling the effects of this way of living. Before changing my approach to living, I frequently caught colds and cases of the flu. I had asthma and severe allergies, and I was experiencing feelings of sadness I just couldn’t shake.

But then I started trying to listen to God and notice the gifts of God where ever I went. I noticed the flowers growing us through the sidewalks and the smiles on the faces of the people I loved. 

When I went to the grocery store, I mindfully selected the food that came from God’s earth and took the time to truly appreciate these foods. 

Because I am a dietitian, I had knowledge of what different foods could do for our bodies but before mindfulness I didn’t let that knowledge sink in, so to speak. 

When I started pausing and praying before I made food choices and before I ate, I began to truly appreciate just how miraculous God’s gift of food was. God gave us substances that could promote a healthy gut, support the immune system, reduce the risk of chronic diseases and cancer, and could even reduce the risk of developing mood disorders. Miraculously, these amazing substances grow right out of the ground of God’s earth!

God has provided us with foods that don’t just help us survive but actually thrive! 

Once I slowed down and listened to God when I made life choices and even food choices, joy spilled out of me. 

My mood improved exponentially, and my seasonal allergies and asthma improved as well. (Did you know that certain foods can help improve asthma and seasonal allergy symptoms?). 

Before I changed my approach to life, I would catch colds frequently. Now I rarely get colds. I even lost 50 pounds while still enjoying my food. 

How is All of This Possible?

Christian mindfulness helped me:

• Reduce my stress levels
• Make more loving and positive choices
• Choose and crave foods from God’s earth that promote a healthy mind, body, and soul

All three of these completely transformed my health and outlook on life! 

You can read my full story as well as learn the exact faith-based mindfulness strategies that produce the biggest healthy results in my book 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life.

About 18 Weeks to a Healthier Happier More Purposeful Life

Perhaps you have struggled for years to feel happier, improve your health, or lose weight. You have tried countless diets, programs, and strategies, but all have fallen short. Something was always missing. You needed something more. To truly transform, you must address all of you-your mind, body, and spirit. This is the only way to experience drastic lasting change. This 18-week program address all of it! This program provides the exact steps that, based on scientific research, produce the most dramatic health and weight loss success. 

What is included:

• The 18-week journey: This journey will provide small, simple challenges each week to produce the biggest impact on your health, mood, and life.
• The Mindful Journal: This journal helps you keep a record of what is really important when it comes to wellness and weight loss. 
• Easy meal plan ideas that can be tweaked to your preferences and lifestyle.
• The exact steps that, based on scientific research, produce the most dramatic health and weight loss success.

About Lacy Ngo, MS, RDN

Lacy Ngo is nationally recognized as the top expert in faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. Ngo is sharing her secret tips and tricks with readers on how to get into shape not only physically but mentally as well. Ngo has been featured on Eat This, Not That!, Byrdie, The Healthy, Fitbit.com, Parade, and many more…

Many people become discouraged when they follow a strict diet and don’t see results. Ngo experienced this frustration firsthand, even as a registered dietitian. “My life revolved around weight loss, yet my weight continued to go up and down,” she said. “Eventually I let go of my obsession and discovered a whole new approach to life and health. I nourished my body, soul, and mind with mood-enhancing food and behaviors, and I experienced miraculous results I never achieved before.”

If you want to experience a day like you have never experienced before, try incorporating Christian Mindfulness techniques throughout your whole day!

For those of you who are new to my website, welcome! My name is Lacy Ngo. I am a registered dietitian who specializes in Christian Mindfulness and Nutrition.

Based on my own experiences as well as scientific research, I believe Christian Mindfulness can transform your day…your week…your year…your life. Christian mindfulness can transform all of you- your mind, body, and soul. 

Let’s take look at a day filled with Christian Mindfulness Moments…

But first might I make a suggestion…

After reading this blog post, take a moment to ponder how a day filled with Christian Mindfulness could impact you. How would your day, your outlook on life, and your behaviors look different?

The Morning Run

My eyes opened. I could see soothing darkness all around me. I could feel the covers nestled around my body. I was warm, but I could tell that the air was cool beyond the covers. It was time to get up for my morning run, but first I smiled as I told God good morning.

“Thank you, God, for this soft bed and these cozy covers. Thank you for my cool house on this warm August day.” I prayed. After I prayed, I sat up and placed my feet on the soft carpet, and once again I was thankful for the softness of the carpet upon my feet. I brushed my teeth. I pulled a handle and miraculously clean cool water poured out of the faucet. Again, I thanked God for clean water and for the great mind that invented plumbing. 

I put on my shoes and walk to the front door. I opened it, and a breeze instantly hit my face. My hair lightly danced around my neck. It felt wonderful. I looked up. The dark sky sparkled with twinkling stars. I prayed again as I began my jog. I marveled at the night sky and the breeze. It was peaceful outside, but not quiet. The cicada serenaded me with their continuous song, and the crickets joined in from time to time. My feet hit the pavement like a drum beat. I listened to the song of the early morning as I ran. 

I returned from my run, refreshed and thankful for God’s first few gifts of the day. 

Eating in God’s Presence

My stomach growled. It was telling me my body needed food. I prayed, thanking God for the signals our body gives us, telling us what we need to flourish. I needed to make a snack decision so I thought for a moment about what miraculous foods I had in my fridge. I grabbed a bowl and a handful of blueberries. I dropped them in the bowl and they ever so slightly bounced as they hit the glass.  I picked up one blueberry and examined it. It was hard to believe this little sweet ball grew on a plant- nature’s candy.  I wondered what the first person who discovered blueberries thought about this little marvel. When they took that first bite, were they overjoyed with excitement that they had found something so sweet growing in nature?

Then I thought about the power the blueberries possess. The dietitian in me thought about how a study found that when people ate blueberries every day for 90 days, their memories improved. Wow! God gave us these little sweet memory balls! Again, another miracle from God. I thanked God and took in the knowledge that God was with me right then as I ate. I took a bite. The blueberry burst in my mouth as I bit down. Sweet liquid delighted my tastebuds. Thank you, God. 

Christian Mindfulness while Driving: Is That a Thing?

I was in a hurry. I felt anxious. At that moment, I was sitting at a light, and I was growing more and more impatient. The light turned green. My foot hit the gas a little harder than it needed to. My heavy foot was pointless because soon after I picked up a little speed I had to pump the brakes again at the next light. Ugh! I thought. 

But then I remembered…

Tapping on the steering wheel in frustration isn’t helping me get all my errands done any faster. Watching the light doesn’t make it turn green any faster. I have to be in the car for a while no matter what I do, so why not embrace it?

So, at the next light, I prayed. I thanked God for that moment- the quiet time I was getting to spend in the car with Him. Then, I looked outside at a bright sky filled with puffy clouds. I decided to roll down my window so that I could feel the breeze. 

I asked God to help me show kindness to others at my next destination (i.e. the grocery store), and I thought about the ladies who work there. They are God’s creation-my sisters. I get to see more of God’s creation soon! Love for the people at the grocery store suddenly washed over me. I was excited to see them. 

Mindful Reading: A Few Minutes of Reading Can Change Your Life

It was the end of the day. It was time to rest my mind in God’s presence. I picked up the book, In the Presence of Jesus: A 40-day Guide to the Intimacy with God you Always Wanted.

The words of the book felt like a warm hug from Jesus. The calm swept over me. 

 The day was just as busy as always, yet I was filled with joy and peace. Although God had always been with me, now that I was focusing on Christian mindfulness, I was more fully noticing God all around me. 

I actually saw God and God’s miracles throughout the day- in the little things AND the big things. 

I finished reading and snuggled into my blanket. Then, I talked to God until I drifted off to sleep. 

My mindfully beautiful day was complete. I rested, so that, God willing, I could wake up to embrace another miraculous day.

The Transformative Power of Christian Mindfulness

This Christian Mindfulness approach to life is absolutely transformative. It certainly transformed my life. Thanks to Christian Mindfulness, my health, behaviors, and outlook on life have profoundly improved. My prayer is that Christian mindfulness can help you as well.

So, if you want to:

• Notice those goose-bump God moments more often
• Find peace and comfort for your soul in a chaotic world
• Have more joy and patience 
• Have a love-filled heart that is ready to spread joy and love to others

Then I recommend reading the book, In the presence of Jesus: A 40-day Guide to the Intimacy with God you Always Wanted.

In the Presence of Jesus is an easy-to-follow, step-by-step daily guide that will help you truly understand in your heart what your head knows- that God is present in your everyday life. God’s comfort, love, and guidance are with you all the time.

You can learn more about this beautiful devotional written by Paul Bane and Matt Litton, here. 

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy spending the rest of your day In the Presence of Jesus.

About Lacy Ngo, MS, RDN

Lacy Ngo is nationally recognized as one of the top experts in faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition.

Ngo shares her secret tips and tricks with readers on how to get into shape not only physically but mentally as well in her Christian Mindfulness and Nutrition book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. Ngo has been featured on Eat This, Not That!, Byrdie, The Healthy, Fitbit.com, Parade, and many more…

Many people become discouraged when they follow a strict diet and don’t see results. Ngo experienced this frustration firsthand, even as a registered dietitian. “My life revolved around weight loss, yet my weight continued to go up and down,” she said. “Eventually I let go of my obsession and discovered a whole new approach to life and health. I nourished my body, soul, and mind with mood-enhancing food and behaviors, and I experienced miraculous results I never achieved before.”

One of the top Christian weight loss programs was developed by Lacy Ngo, a dietitian nationally recognized as a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. She shares the exact steps that, based on science, produce the most dramatic health and weight loss success in her book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This book is like nothing you have ever seen before. It combines faith and science. Both are crucial when it comes to producing real change because real change involves the mind, body, and spirit. 

Lacy Ngo wrote this book after losing 50 pounds. She lost those 50 pounds AFTER she stopped weight obsessing and started focusing on faith-based mindfulness and nutrition.

What Makes this Program Different from all The Other Christian Weight Loss Programs?

This special book combines Christian Faith with evidence-based nutrition to uplift, encourage, and inspire change…

With 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life you can finally:

• Put a stop to weight obsessing and start enjoying food.
• Discover the peace that occurs when you eat your meals mindfully aware of God’s presence.
• Learn how to easily incorporate nourishing foods (foods that feed the mind, body, and soul) into your daily life and learn what foods do according to science-based research.
• Experience the awe of God’s presence in your daily life and catch sight of more “goose-bump” moments that leave you saying, “Wow! That was God!”
• Improve your mood, stress, and anxiety; decrease “brain fog;” and reduce the risk and/or symptoms of chronic diseases, autoimmune disease, neurodegenerative diseases, asthma, and even seasonal allergies.
• Manifest “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” in your daily encounters (Galatians 5:22-23)

In other words, you will discover how faith-based mindfulness and nutrition can help you live a happier, healthier, more purposeful life!

About the Author

Lacy Ngo is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in Human Nutrition and one of THE top experts in Christian Mindfulness and Nutrition. Over the years, Ngo has worked as a nutrition instructor at Winthrop University and a nutrition columnist for the Rock Hill City Paper. Ngo has been quoted/featured in Parade Magazine, The Healthy (a wellness site of Reader’s Digest), VeryWell, and Eat This, Not That!,

A Note From the Author

Thanks to Faith-based mindfulness and nutrition, I went from being weight obsessed to healthy and happy in my own body. Ironically, I lost 50 pounds AFTER I stopped focusing on weight. But more importantly, I noticed God’s presence more throughout my day after I began incorporating the lessons I learned from mindful eating into my daily life.  Faith-based mindfulness changed my life: my health, mood, relationship with God, and actions towards others. How does this happen, and I NOT share all the knowledge I have gained with others? What if this way of living and eating can have a similar impact on others…on You!

So if you are..

• Tired of feeling deprived
• Tired of mustering up enough willpower to follow all the food rules
• Tired of living for “cheat” days
• Tired of doing all of this and still feeling like you aren’t making any progress
• Tired of feeling tired, overwhelmed, and stressed

And

if you long to…

• Feel healthier and happier
• Feel like you are living a fulfilling life
• Feel God’s presence and have awe-inspiring experiences

Then maybe it is time to…

Try this easy-to-follow 18-week program. Each week, you will add one simple, yet incredibly helpful actionable steps to your day. Do these steps and see your mind, body, and soul transform.

Do you ever feel like you are getting signs God is speaking to you? Maybe it’s a coincidence that just keeps occurring over and over. Or maybe you pray and then someone comes along and answers your exact prayer. Perhaps you read a Bible verse that speaks to the exact thing you were struggling with, questioning, or discussing. It’s as if God finds a way to actually speak to you through the Bible…

This story is written by Lacy Ngo, a dietitian nationally recognized as a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. She shares even more inspiring stories as well as the exact steps that, based on science, produce the most dramatic health and weight loss success in her book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This book is like nothing you have ever seen before. It combines faith and science. Both are crucial when it comes to producing real change because real change involves the mind, body, and spirit. 

This site contains affiliate links (See full disclosure here.)

This is a story about one of those times when God appears to speak through the Bible in a way that seems too amazing to be a coincidence. What do you think? Did God speak in this story?

Signs God is Speaking to You: An Inspiring Story

“Time to get up,” I whispered.

“I don’t want to!!!” my son moaned. “Why do I have to go work on that house again?” He continued to whine.

My thirteen-year-old had been helping pain a family in need with his youth group. He had enjoyed being with his friends and working on the house the day before, but at that moment all he wanted to do was continue to sleep.

“Yes, we need to go. Jesus says that when you do things for others it’s as if you are doing it for him” I found myself saying.

“Fine,” he reluctantly replied as he rolled out of bed.

After he was dressed, he walked into the living room and plopped on the couch. He sleepily rubbed his eyes and moaned again, “Why do I need to do this?”

Again my thoughts went to one of my favorite verses about service, “Because the Bible tells us that when you do good for others, you are doing it for Jesus too” I paraphrased. “You know we have about 5 minutes until we have to leave. Let’s quickly read our next devotional entry. We forgot to read it last night, and we are already behind.”

We were currently reading Max Lucida’s One God, One Plan, One Life: A 365 Student Devotional. For this devotional, you were supposed to read one of the devotions a day.

I opened the book to the one we were on and read. The passage for the day was…

The Verse that Spoke Loudly

Jesus said, “I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear…I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my people here, you did for me.”

After I finished reading, I looked up. Hilt was staring at me with narrowed suspicious eyes, “Did you read that one on purpose?” he questioned.

It wasn’t until he questioned me that I even notice that the Bible verse I had just read was the one I had been paraphrasing all morning!

I could feel my mouth dropping open and my eyes widening.

“Woah!” I exclaimed, “No, I didn’t plan this!”

Hilt didn’t say another word about how sleepy he was. He got up and walked to the car so that I could drive him to the house. He was ready to help his brothers, sisters, and Jesus.

More Signs God is Speaking to You Stories

The Desperate Prayer

Signs from God After Losing a Loved One

Is God Real?

God Knocks, God Whispers

Read more Inspiring Stories in 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life

You or your child have developed a passion for soccer. You (or your child) want to be the best soccer player you can be. Maybe you are on a soccer team but you want more. You are wondering if private soccer training and making diet changes could help you improve your playing.

This site contains affiliate links (See full disclosure here.)

As a dietitian and soccer mom, I can tell you that private soccer training and diet can help improve your soccer performance by leaps and bounds.

In the next sections, we will discuss how both private soccer training and diet can impact your soccer playing performance.

Private Soccer Training

The 10,000 rule is a well-known training rule. This rule states that the most successful soccer players put in 10,000 hours. Ten thousand hours averages out to about 20 hours a week for 10 years.

A travel soccer player in the United States usually has around 3 to 4 practices per week. Those practices last about 1 to 2 hours. They will also often have 1 to 2 games per weekend. Based on these numbers, a travel soccer player will practice at a minimum of 4 and a half hours to a max of 11 hours per week if they don’t do anything extra.

These numbers don’t meet the 10,000 rule. In fact, it may be hard to meet that rule and focus on other important areas of life like school and homework.

Still, if you want to get closer to this number, you do have a couple of options:

Practice on Your Own

Practicing on your own is the cheapest and most convenient option. You can fit ball skill drills into your schedule whenever you have spare time…and it’s free!

Start Private Soccer Training

Private soccer training has its own set of benefits. You have guidance from a professional so you get more bang for the buck so to speak. The private soccer trainer knows the exercises that will produce the best results.

Some people also do better and work harder when they have a coach pushing them, motivating them, and encouraging them. When training on your own, it is easier to get bored and just go through the motions instead of pushing yourself.

Finding a good trainer is also extremely important. My son currently does private soccer training with Optimist Training. If you live in Rock Hill, South Carolina, Fort Mill, South Carolina, or the surrounding area, I recommend checking out Optimist Training. The trainer, Billy, is a member of the United States Soccer Federation. He played NCAA division 1 soccer and has coached for 30 years. He also happens to have a passionate personality and is great at inspiring and motivating kids.

Practice on your Own and Do Private Soccer Training

This is also a great option because you get the best of both worlds. With this option, you might mostly practice on your own and do private soccer training for a short period of time or for maybe only one day a month. If you choose this option, the trainer can give you homework to do on your own. This is a more budget-friendly way to get help through private soccer training.

Practice with Friends

Practice doesn’t feel like practice when you do it with friends. Get a few friends together and play a pick-up game of soccer. Remember to make time for fun!

The Best Diet for Soccer Players

Training will only take you so far. Nutrition plays a huge role in promoting optimal soccer performance.

Did you know that in one study, athletes who changed their diet saw improvements in their speed in as little as four days? This is just one example of how food can influence athletic performance.

For a complete soccer nutrition guide, I recommend reading my book, Nutrition for the Youth Soccer.

Nutrition for Youth Soccer will show you how nutrition can help you transform on the soccer field. You will also find out what foods you need to eat before a game for optimal athletic performance, learn what foods will help you make quick game-changing decisions on the pitch, and learn what foods to eat through the week to promote peak fitness and endurance.

This 60 Day Weight Loss Challenge is simple, yet hugely impactful. And you can do the whole challenge at home for free.

How the 60 Day Weight Loss Challenge Works

This challenge encourages you to make one small change each week. The weekly challenges are meant to be super simple, but extremely impactful to your wellness journey!

For the first 4 weeks, you will get two challenges a week sent to your email. The first four weeks are meant to kick-start your transformation. Then, for the last 5 weeks, you will get one challenge a week. 

That is it! You just read the challenges each week and do them the best you can. And you can do them on your own in the privacy of your own home.

This 60 Day Weight Loss Challenge does not involve changing your whole diet or exercising hours a day. It is about incorporating these impactful small changes each week. It’s not about a full diet overhaul.

The Results

I am a registered dietitian with a master’s in human nutrition. But I am not only a dietitian but also a person who has lost 50 pounds and kept it off.

When I developed this challenge, I wanted to pull together the easiest, tiniest secret tips that had the biggest impact and share them each week. So that is what I did.

In other words, according to research and my personal experience as a dietitian and a person who has lost weight, these specific challenges will bring about the biggest results.

You can get the free 60 Day Weight Loss Challenge here, and you can currently get it now for free!

Free Bonuses for Joining the Free 60 Day Weight Loss Challenge!

When you join the 60 Day Weight Loss Challenge you will also get the (Almost) Zero Calorie Foods List pdf and the Meal Plan Checklist. The checklist shows you what your every day meals should look like for oprimal health and weight loss success. You will also get all of the printables listed below!

• (Almost) Zero Calorie Foods List 
• The Mindful Planner
• The Meal Plan Checklist
• The Healthy Lunchbox Checklist
• The Printable Mindful Lunch Box Notes 
• The Random Acts of Kindness Planner
• You will also get notified when anything exciting is happening on “Mindfulness in Faith and Food”

About Lacy Ngo, MS, RDN

Lacy Ngo is a registered dietitian with a Master’s in Human Nutrition. She is also the author of several books including The Nourishing Meal Builder, BIG Mindful Meals, and Nutrition for Youth Soccer. She has been featured and quoted in publications like Parade Magazine, The Healthy (The health division of Reader’s Digest), Fitbit.com, Eat This, Not That!, Fitwirr.com, Carewell.com, VeryWell Fit, Byrdie, Authority Magazine, and KOR Shots, and she came in 5^th place in her group in the Ms. Health & Fitness Competition. 

We have put together the (Almost) Zero Calorie Foods List pdf for you and it’s free to download. You can download your free list here.

With this list, you can add volume to your meals without adding calories.

Who Will Love this (Almost) Zero Calorie Foods List pdf

I love food, and I love to eat BIG meals, but I don’t want to eat more calories than I need. In other words I want:

• Big Meals
• Mouth-watering tasty meals
• Low-Calorie Meals

Is that too much to ask? Actually, it’s not! You can pile on the foods from this Almost Zero Calorie Foods List and top them with flavorful ingredients to have it all–Big, Low Calorie, tasty meals! In other words, you can add these foods to your recipes to increase the quantity without increasing the calories!

This List is perfect for volume eaters who love eating BIG Mouth-Watering Meals and still feel good in their bodies!

Want The Recipes?

You can get 55+ recipes that include a variety of the best Almost Zero Calorie ingredients in our new book, Big Mindful Meals.

With Big Mindful Meals, every day will feel like a cheat day because you are always eating BIG meals!

Find out more about Big Mindful Meals here.

With this Build Your Own Salad Recipe, you will never get bored of salads!

Salads are one of the easiest, most nutritious meals around. When salads are loaded with non-starchy vegetables they contain minimal calories yet provide maximum nutrition. Although I eat salads multiple times a week, I never get bored. This is because my salads are never the same.

With this huge ingredients list, your salads don’t have to be the same every day either. To build your own salad, pick and choose from the ingredients below.

You will notice that some of the ingredients on the list lead you to recipes. For example, chickpea salad is one salad topping option. You can click on the link to find a delicious chickpea salad recipe.

Healthy Dressings for your Build Your Own Salad

I have provided a variety of healthy dressing options. Some options are simple pre-packaged dressings and some are easy healthy homemade dressings. Links to the homemade dressings are provided.

Ingredients:

Basic Ingredients (Use one or more of these in every recipe):

• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Kale
• Spring mix
• Arugula

Add a Protein (Pick 1 or more):

• Nuts: Almonds, Walnuts, Cashews, Mixed Nuts, Pistachios
• Seeds: Sunflower, Pumpkin
• Chickpeas
• Boiled Eggs
• Black Beans
• Chicken Salad
• Salmon or Tuna Salad
• Hummus (Store-bought or homemade)
• Tuna Yogurt Salad
• Turkey Slices, chopped (look for no nitrite/no nitrate added turkey slices)
• Black-eyed pea dip
• Canned beans (black beans, kidney beans)
• Edamame
• Buffalo Ranch Chicken Dip
• Black Bean Hummus
• Pre-packaged black bean burger (Warm per package directions)
• Chickpea Salad

Add Vegetables (pick one or more)

• Blanched Asparagus (Place Asparagus in a colander in the sink. Meanwhile boil water on the stove. Then carefully pour the hot water over the vegetables in the colander.)
• Blanched Brussel Sprouts, Halves or shredded (Blanch the same way you would blanch Asparagus.)
• Blanched or raw zucchini (I prefer them blanched)
• Blanched or raw squash (I prefer them blanched)
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Tomato slices
• Cherry tomatoes
• Carrots
• Cucumber
• Corn
• Onion, chopped
• Peppers, chopped
• Roasted Red Peppers
• Olives
• Red Cabbage
• Avocado Slices

Optional Dips:

• Salsa
• Avocado Ranch Dip
• Guacamole
• Pico De Gallo

If You Want Something Sweet Add a Little Fruit

• Blueberries
• Grapes
• Strawberries
• Raspberries

Dressing (Pick One):

• Store-bought no sugar added Vinaigrettes
• Store-bought no sugar added Asian Dressing
• Dressing that is made with no sugar added and made with healthy oils like extra virgin olive oil. (Brands will note this on the label. Examples of brands that make no sugar added dressings are Primal Kitchen, G. Hughes, Walden Farms)
• Lime Tahini Dressing (See recipe)
• Avocado Green Goddess Dressing (See Recipe)
• Tahini Balsamic Dressing (See Recipe)
• Dairy Free Ranch (See Recipe)

Instructions:

• Add one or a combination of leafy greens onto a plate.
• Add 1 or more ingredients from the protein list.
• Add 1 or more ingredients from the vegetable list
• If you would like, add a dip.
• Drizzle with a healthy dressing.
• A serving should equal about 2 cups.

A salad is only as good as its dressing, so, the dressing better be fantastic! This Balsamic Tahini Dressing is out-of-this-world. It’s creamy and healthy. That is a rare and beautiful combination when it comes to salad dressings.

This Tahini Balsamic Dressing checks all the boxes.

• Nutritious? Check
• Low-Calorie? Check
• High-protein? Check
• Delicious? Check
• Satiety-promoting? Check

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It is nutritious. This dressing is packed with antioxidants, fiber, Protein, vitamins, and minerals. It has it all!

This dressing also happens to be low in calories and high in ingredients that help you feel full, like protein and fiber. And of course, it also tastes delicious!

Bonus, this dressing is also simple to make. Just mix the ingredients together in a bowl and you are done!

Serves 4

Ingredients for Tahini Balsamic Dressing

• 4 Tablespoons Tahini
• 3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

* Note, if you want it creamier, add more Tahini. If you want a more liquid balsamic-flavored dressing, add more balsamic.

Instructions

• Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl until the ingredients are well blended and done!
• Add this dressing to your favorite salads.

Related Recipes

Cucumber Pico De Gallo

Cucumber Guacamole

Salads are a staple at my house. They are filling and nutritious, and since non-starchy vegetables have very few calories, you can eat a large portion of salad and still have only eaten a minimum amount of calories. That is unless you soak your salad in high-calorie dressings. This dairy free ranch is the perfect dressing for a healthy salad. It is packed with flavor, fiber, and plant-based protein. In other words, the dressing actually provides nutritional value along with flavor.

This site contains affiliate links (See full disclosure here.)

Plus, this dairy free ranch is quick and simple to make. See the recipe below.

Serves 4

Ingredients for Dairy Free Ranch

• 1 cup Cashews
• 1 Green Onion
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon powdered onion soup mix
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dill
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

• Mix the ingredients together in a food processor until the mixture is well blended. That is it. It’s done!
• Store the dressing covered in the refrigerator.

More Healthy Salad Dressings

Avocado Goddess Dressing

Lime Tahini Dressing