Younger Next Week Your Ultimate Rx to Reverse the Clock, Boost Energy and Look and Feel Younger in 7 Days

320 Pages·2013·11.48 MB·English

by  Elisa Zied

PRAISE FOR
YOUNGER NEXT WEEK
“If you want to look and feel younger and more energized, you’ve hit the sweet
spot with Elisa Zied’s Younger Next Week. Elisa delivers the perfect formula for
unlocking the anti-aging power of food—I can’t think of a single woman who
wouldn’t benefit from her practical, no-nonsense, science-based tips. You’ll
especially love her Stressipes!”
—Joy Bauer, MS, RD, New York Times bestselling author of Food Cures and
Your Inner Skinny, and Today show health expert
“Elisa not only shows us how to become younger, she lives it every day. That’s
why Younger Next Week rings true. As if women already don’t have enough
aging stressors in their lives, all of a sudden it seems like food has become the
enemy. Elisa shows us how to make friends again with food, and in the process
take better care of ourselves, too. This is a must-have book for sailing into
midlife looking and feeling young again!”
—Marla Heller, MS, RD,
New York Times bestselling author of The DASH Diet Action Plan
“Combines ‘know-how’ savvy with ‘can-do’ spirit…. I love her clear and
practical guidance and holistic view of health. I highly recommend.”
—David Katz, MD, Director, Yale Prevention Research Center and author of
Disease Proof
“Younger Next Week is a truly refreshing read. Instead of preaching, Elisa Zied
empowers and elightens readers by showing them how easy it can be to shop for
and prepare delicious, nutritious and affordable foods—secret weapons for
looking and feeling our very best.”
—Cheryl Forberg, RD, New York Times bestselling author, James Beard
award-winning chef and nutritionist and culinary consultant for NBC’s The
Biggest Loser

To my parents, Barbara (BB) and Ron (the king of my castle), for their
unwavering love and support. And to the three greatest loves of my life, my
husband, Brian, and our sons, Spencer and Eli, for allowing me to pursue my
passions.
CONTENTS
Introduction

PART 1 - CHECK YOUR VITAL SIGNS

Chapter 1 - Have You Lost Your Vitality?
Chapter 2 - Coping Habits That Sabotage Your Vitality

PART 2 - THE VITALITY PROGRAM

Chapter 3 - Settle Down with Starchy Carbs (and a Spoonful of Sugar)
Chapter 4 - Flip Your Fats and Boost Omega-3 Intake
Chapter 5 - Empower Yourself with Protein
Chapter 6 - Don’t Worry, B-Happy
Chapter 7 - Get in Tune with Your PMS-C
Chapter 8 - Protest the Radicals with Antioxidants
Chapter 9 - Drink Clean and Get the Real Deal on Caffeine
Chapter 10 - Vital Moves
Chapter 11 - Vital Relaxation

PART 3 - VITALITY FOR LIFE

Chapter 12 - The 7-Day Vitality Plan
Chapter 13 - Vital Recipes
Chapter 14 - Vitality Menu Ideas

Glossary - Vital Nutrients
Appendix A - Activity Conversion Chart for Women
Appendix B - Daily Recommended Nutrient Intakes for Women Aged 19 to 70+
Appendix C - Dietary References Intake (DRI) Acceptable Macronutrient
Distribution Ranges
Appendix D - Vitality Diet Template
References
Acknowledgments
About the Author
INTRODUCTION
With our revved-up lifestyles, suddenly precarious career paths, piled-up
household duties and the constant pings from our mobile devices, it’s no surprise
that feeling “stressed out” has become the new normal for too many women in
this relatively new century. According to the 2012 Stress in America survey by
the American Psychological Association, women are more likely than men to
say their already high stress levels continue to rise. The survey found that 34 to
45 percent of women in the United States reported that stress makes them feel
fatigued, nervous, anxious and overwhelmed. Their high stress levels result in a
lack of interest in everyday activities and sap their motivation and energy.
Women reported that stress makes them cry, gives them headaches and leaves
them sleepless at night, staring at the ceiling. Moreover, 46 percent said they
cope with stress by overeating or eating unhealthy foods, and 31 percent said
they skip meals to manage stress, which can actually exacerbate stress and affect
how women look and feel from day to day.
These results are supported by the nearly one hundred forty-something and
older women who responded to my Vitality Survey (you’ll see their stories
featured throughout the book, though I’ve changed their names to keep their
identities private). More than 50 percent said that when life gets overwhelming,
they turn to comfort foods, caffeinated energy boosters, alcohol and other vitality
robbers. Some women say they overindulge in high-fat, high-sugar, high-calorie
comfort foods (think chocolate, muffins, chips, and good ole mac and cheese).
Some guzzle lots of high-calorie coffee drinks (a 460-calorie Java Chip
Frappuccino, anyone?), sodas (364 calories in a Big Gulp from 7-Eleven) or
energy drinks (three 110-calorie Red Bulls equal a major problem) for a quick
pick-me-up.
Other women drink alcohol (three Long Island Iced Teas add up to nearly 900
calories) to calm down. Some women skip meals, and when they finally do eat,
they grab cookies, ice cream, candy or even their kids’ Goldfish crackers, most
often swallowed on the run. While these habits may give us a temporary energy
boost or a momentary burst of mental clarity, ultimately they cause us to crash
and give rise to fatigue and brain fog. They also may contribute to a bulging
waistline, drooping skin and unpredictable mood swings. These methods of
coping ultimately increase our body’s stress response, leaving us more likely to
catch that cold that’s going around, and elevate our risk for serious disease.
Do these women sound like you, even a little bit? I wrote Younger Next Week
—which provides a road map to help you look and feel your best, no matter how
challenging, complicated or stressful—to help you feel empowered each and
every day, no matter how many curveballs life throws at you. And, true
confession, I also wrote it to help myself, a forty-four-year-old “multitasker”
with a professional career, a husband and two children. I need Younger Next
Week as much as you do.
Younger Next Week puts the brakes on vitality sappers and helps you recapture
your youthful, energetic, positive spirit. I poured through hundreds of scientific
studies (so that you don’t have to) about diet, fitness and health to pinpoint what
really works. I drew from my experience as a practicing dietitian for nearly
twenty years, during which time I’ve helped hundreds of women, and from my
real-life experience as a working mother, a freelance writer, an author and a
public speaker, to create the Younger Next Week lifestyle plan.
In Part II of this book, the Vitality Program, I share my groundbreaking
Vitality Diet, which incorporates Vital Foods in appropriate portions to help you
feel physically and mentally energized as you achieve, and maintain, a healthier
body weight. When you follow the Vitality Diet, you can rest assured there’s a
sound scientific foundation for all the recommendations. Based on current
science-based dietary guidelines and emerging research, the Vitality Diet is not
meant to be a rigid prescription for how to eat, but rather a flexible, realistic plan
that you can follow and tweak to meet your personal food preferences and
lifestyle. The Vitality Diet includes many of the most common, widely available
foods—some that may surprise you—to help make it realistic to follow and easy
to maintain. After all, you should not have to buy pricey “fad” foods to eat a
vitality-boosting diet.
In Part III of this book, Vitality for Life, I help you put the research and the
diet into action with my 7-Day Vitality Plan (outlined in Chapter 12)—yes, you
will look and feel younger in just one week!—with my delicious kitchen-tested
Vital Recipes (see Chapter 13), many of which take fifteen minutes or less to
prepare. Along with diet guidance, the 7-Day Vitality Plan features exercise and
lifestyle advice designed to decrease stress and increase vitality. (Don’t worry.
No gym is required.) In Chapter 14, you’ll find even more Vitality Menu Ideas to
help you feel satisfied. You’ll also find Stressipes (rhymes with recipes)—food,
fitness and lifestyle remedies—sprinkled throughout the book to help you better
manage or cope with stress, the greatest vitality buster, and turn intentions to eat