The sky is blue, the land is vast

The wind blows, the grass lies flat

Revealing cows and sheep

Sheep comes eighth in the Chinese zodiac. Sheep are docile and benevolent, and many auspicious Chinese characters, such as “善” shan (kindness), “美” mei (beauty), “祥” xiang (luck), and “鲜” xian (brightness), include the component “羊” yang (sheep). The sheep is the symbol of Guangdong, one of the largest cities in southern China, which is also known as Yangcheng (Sheep City).

The sheep symbolized justice in ancient China. Legend has it that a type of divine sheep called xiezhi was able to recognize wrongdoers, and would gore them in punishment. Consequently, judges in the ancient State of Chu (present-day Hubei Province) wore an image of the xiezhi on their hats as a symbol of impartiality.

Characteristics of Sheep

Docile Sheep corresponds to Cancer in the Western zodiac. According to some legends, it is relatively inauspicious to be born in the Year of the Sheep, but this prejudice is unwarranted. People born in the Year of the Sheep are meticulous and considerate by nature, and are able to find appropriate ways to deal with any situation. They are steadfast and unafraid of hardship, and understand the value of thrift.

However, people born in the Year of the Sheep can be self-absorbed and obstinate, while also timid and irresolute. They are attracted to the mysterious, and prefer to resign themselves to fate rather than struggle to overcome it. Women born in the Year of the Sheep are kindhearted and supportive, and are ideal domestic partners.

Perpetual Calendar for the Year of the Sheep

People whose birthdays fall during the following periods are born in the Year of the Sheep:

February 01, 1919 – February 19, 1920
February 17, 1931 – February 05, 1932
February 05, 1943 – January 24, 1944
January 24, 1955 – February 11, 1956
February 09, 1967 – January 29, 1968
January 28, 1979 – February 15, 1980
February 15, 1991 – February 03, 1992
February 01, 2003 – January 21, 2004
February 19, 2015 – February 07, 2016

The first date indicates Lunar New Year’s Day. The second date indicates the last day of the lunar year.

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An old story relates that Ye Gao was a high official who loved dragons. His clothing and home were all decorated with images of dragons. The Heavenly Dragon heard about this and came to pay Ye Gao a visit, but faced with an actual dragon, Ye was terrified and fled. As a result, the saying “Lord Ye loves dragons” is used to describe someone who insincerely professes affection for something. Another saying, “Dotting the eyes on a painted dragon,” refers to providing the finishing touch to a work of art or literature, and thus bringing it to life.

Dragon comes fifth in the Chinese zodiac.

Characteristics of Dragon

Dragon is the only animal in the Chinese zodiac that does not exist in the natural world. Dragon corresponds to Libra in the Western zodiac. People born in the Year of the Dragon are physically vigorous and full of energy. They are highly ambitious, and do not easily admit defeat. Their intense sense of self leads them to strive for perfection in all things and to be quite concerned with their public image.

Due to their constant pursuit of perfection, people born in the Year of the Dragon may be rather irascible. They expect a lot from others, and tend to be intolerant. They are easily frustrated and lacking in tenacity, and prefer to retreat rather than risk failure.
Perpetual Calendar for the Year of the Dragon

People whose birthdays fall during the following periods are born in the Year of the Dragon:

February 03, 1916 – January 22, 1917
January 23, 1928 – February 09, 1929
February 08, 1940 – January 26, 1941
January 27, 1952 – February 13, 1953
February 13, 1964 – February 01, 1965
January 31, 1976 – February 17, 1977
February 17, 1988 – February 05, 1989
February 05, 2000 – January 23, 2001
January 23, 2012 – February 09, 2013

The first date indicates Lunar New Year’s Day. The second date indicates the last day of the lunar year.

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beibei

jingjing

huanhuan

yingying

nini

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Yes, Hong Kong and China are one country. However, in practice and for all practical purposes they remain separate, meaning making a China Visa application in Hong Kong is easy if not simple.

Hong Kong and China have separate currencies, the Yuan for China and the Hong Kong Dollar, these are only usable in their respective territories. Most importantly, entry into Hong Kong doesn’t win you entry into China. See below for information on China visa application in Hong Kong and entry onto the Chinese mainland. Hong Kong is referred to as a SAR (Special Administrative region), whereas China is referred to as the mainland.

Can I Get a Visa for China in Hong Kong?
As there has been so much confusion regarding the issuing of Chinese visas in Hong Kong in the wake of the ban during the Chinese Olympics, we’ve created a dedicated Chinese Visa in Hong Kong page which is updated monthly Please check there for the most current information and information on how and where to get the visa. The short answer, however, is yes, you can get a Chinese visa in Hong Kong. Alternatively, if you just want a quick peek at China, some nationalities can get a Shenzhen visa, which is specific for that city.

Can I travel straight to China from Hong Kong Airport?
Yes, if you are transiting to a flight into China, then you won’t have to pass through Hong Kong immigration. Dragon Air and China Air offer a selection of flights to most Chinese cities. You can also travel directly to Shekou in Shenzhen from the airport by bonded ferry, if you fly on selected airlines. This option requires you only to clear Chinese immigration in Hong Kong airport. However, you will need a Chinese visa in advance, as you cannot obtain one at Hong Kong airport. There is also a selection of buses at the airport that travel directly to various Southern Chinese cities, however they require you to pass though Hong Kong immigration first.

What is the most common way of travelling from Hong Kong to China?

Apart from the bonded ferries and flights mentioned above, the most common form of travel onto the mainland is by train. If you simply want a taste of China, you can actually take the MTR all the way to Shenzhen from Tsim Sha Tsui Station. Those going to Guangzhou can take advantage of a regular and quality train service. Trains leave hourly, take about 2 hours and cost roughly $25. A daily overnight train to Beijing and Shanghai, costing around $100 -$150 is available. All trains leave from Hung Hom KCR Station, and tickets can be bought at the station.

Can I book hotels and transportation for China in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong travel agents are licensed to book hotels and onward transportation on the mainland – you’ll find your hotel will probably offer this option also. A number of agents also have stores at the airport, however these are after immigration, so if you’re transiting you won’t be able to use them. The advantage of booking in Hong Kong is that it will be more straightforward than on the mainland , however the cost will be a premium.

What languages are spoken where?

Hong Kong speaks Cantonese, however the majority of speakers on the mainland use Mandarin, these languages are not interchangeable. Cantonese is also spoken in the southern parts of China, such as Guangdong and Shenzhen, however Mandarin is becoming increasingly popular. Mandarin is the Lingua Franca for the rest of the country.

Where can I get China destination Information?

Right here of course. Check out the links below for essential information on your destination.

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Pronounced “poo tuoh shan”, meaning beautiful white flower in Mandarin, Putuoshan is the Buddhist holy mountain in the east. The other Buddhist holy mountains are
Wutai Shan (north)
Jiuhua Shan (south)
Emei Shan (west)

The temples here are dedicated to Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, or Guanyin, the goddess of mercy and compassion.
The island is a national park and garners an entrance fee (not inclusive of inexpensive entry fees for temples and other attractions).

Location:

Putuoshan is located on a small island off the coast of Zhejiang province in the East China Sea. It is easily (and best) accessible from Shanghai. (See Getting There below.)
History:

While there are many legends surrounding the establishment of Putuoshan as a Buddhist sanctuary, the most-repeated is that during the ninth century, a Japanese monk making his way from China back to Japan carrying a statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, was caught in a storm. The Goddess appeared and told him to leave the statue and guided him to safety at Putuoshan where he erected a temple (Puji Si) in her honor.
Currently about one-third of the population of 3,000 are nuns and monks. Today the island attracts numerous pilgrims and holiday makers.

Features & Attractions:
Visit the three famous temples: Puji, Fayu and Huiji.
Walk and hike around the whole island. Only 12.5 square km, it can be circumnavigated in a day.
Try the beaches in the summer; the two most famous are the Hundred Step Beach and the Thousand Step Beach.
Hike up to the top of 297m highest peak and site of Huiji Temple for views of the island and the sea.
There are minibuses that you can hop on and off of when you tire of walking and a cable car that will take non-hikers up and down the peak.
Getting There:

Putuoshan is accessible by ferry from Shanghai. There are two daily ferries:
12-hour night ferry
3-hour high-speed ferry (leaves mid-day).
Buses leave from downtown to the ferry wharf and tickets can be organized through hotel concierges.
Staying There:

There are many hotels and hostels on Putuoshan. There is a hotel counter at the ferry wharf where you can find available accommodation but it’s best to book in advance during peak (summer) months. Two recommendations are
Purple Bamboo Hotel, tel +86 58 0669 8001
Putuoshan Hotel, tel +86 58 0609 2828

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An insider’s guide to touring China and Beijing

1. “Budget” or super-cheap tours

These tour prices are really cheap, but there is a reason for it – they will take you to shopping places that are not listed on your itinerary, and you may spend more time at these places than at the places that you intended to visit. Usually you will be herded on to an often overcrowded and dirty bus, headed to the Great Wall for example, and you will stop on the way there at a very touristy shopping stop for 45 minutes to an hour. You may also stop at a “tourist” site – which is actually just another shop disguised as a tourist site with horrible carnival-type acts that will expect tips once they have performed. You may also have to stop at a Chinese traditional medicine “clinic” (more on that one below.) You will also likely have someone yelling into an extra loud (and usually horrible sounding) loudspeaker on the bus, either in Chinese or barely understandable English. There is nothing really wrong with taking these types of “join-in” tours as long as you know what you are getting yourself into.

2. “Black” taxis

The term “black” here does not refer to the color of the taxis themselves, rather it refers to the illegal taxis or cars that are found all over China. You may first encounter them at the airport upon your arrival, where many men will approach you asking you “where are you going” or saying “taxi” to you. Don’t even talk to these people – they will not only overcharge you but there have been reports of tourists taken out into the middle of nowhere where several of the black taxi drivers friend showed up and took all of the tourists belongings. That is very rare though, and nothing to be scared of as long as you follow the signs and take the legal taxis that are plentiful in all Chinese cities.

3. The free “tour guide” scam

These people are commonly found in tourist-heavy areas of the major cities such as The Bund in Shanghai and the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square in Beijing. A young, attractive male or female will approach the tourist (always easy to spot the Western tourist in China) and offer to be a free tour guide and show you around “their” city. They may actually take you to a place or two, all the while learning more about you to find the best way to get your money. The actual way that they try to scam money from you will vary according to your personality – for some, it may be that they need money for a sick family member, for others, they may take you to a bar of a fellow scammer and run up a bill that runs into the hundreds or thousands of dollars. As the saying goes, there is no such thing as a “free lunch”, nor are there truly free “tour guides” to be found in China.

4. The “tea shop or tea ceremonies” scam

These people also haunt tourist-heavy areas looking for an unsuspecting Westerner. Usually female and attractive, they will approach the tourist and invite them to a traditional Chinese teashop or ceremony, and they will seem innocent and sincere. There will be a real teashop and real tea, maybe even with a ceremony, but the scam comes when it comes time to pay the bill, and it can again run into the hundreds or thousands of dollars. Do not fall for this one – there are real tea shops with real tea ceremonies but make sure that you only go to the legitimate ones that won’t hand you a huge bill for it at the end. The basic rule of thumb is to not follow any strangers anywhere in China.

5. The “art show/art student” scam

This scam involves young Chinese people approaching tourists and claiming to be art students having an art show nearby. They will lead you to a shop selling all kinds of various “art”, and of course they will show you the art that they have allegedly (and undoubtedly have not) produced. This one is usually more of a waste of your time than anything, and once you have realized that they are only selling the same “art” that you can find everywhere and that they are selling it at much higher prices, you can simply leave.

6. The Chinese Traditional Medicine Clinic scam

These can be found in numerous places and are often included as part of the “budget” or super-inexpensive tours that were discussed earlier. Your bus will unload in front of an alleged Chinese traditional medicine clinic, and everyone will be examined by a “doctor” of Chinese medicine, who will diagnose everyone with various ailments no matter how healthy they are. Luckily enough, they will have just the right traditional Chinese medicine for everyone’s problems, and they will sell it to you at over-inflated prices. Certainly there are real and effective Chinese medicines but only go to authorized shops with someone that you can trust.

7. Pickpockets

Although found everywhere in the world, be especially careful around the major tourist sites with your wallets and bags. Thieves have been known to come up behind tourists while they are walking and unzip their backpacks to help themselves to whatever is inside. Always keep your eyes on your bags, and carry your wallets in a front pocket or a pocket inside your coat, and constantly be aware of people around you. If you have something especially valuable in your backpack, wear it on your front – no shame in that! This is one scam where a true tour guide is very helpful, as thieves will not target tourists with a tour guide that knows how to turn them in to the police.

8. Lady Bars

Found especially near the bar streets in major Chinese cities, such as Sanlitun in Beijing, men will stand around and yell “lady bar, massage” at any foreign men that happen to walk by. Definitely do not fall for this one – at best you will get a lousy massage at a massively inflated price, and at worst – we won’t even get into that discussion but you may lose your health as well as all of your money.

9. Child Beggars and Flower Sellers

Found just about everywhere that you can find tourists, these children will beg for money, sometimes even grabbing onto your legs until you pay them some money, or try to sell you flowers for your girlfriend or boyfriend (no matter who you are with.) There are reports that these children may have been kidnapped from other places specifically to be used for begging purposes, but regardless of the truthfulness of these accounts, these kids are forced to stay up far too late and do the dirty work of begging for adults who are too lazy to work. The best policy is just to ignore them, as any money that they are paid goes straight to the adults who are controlling them, and it just serves to further the problem by showing them that it is a profitable venture to enslave children this way. Furthermore, if you give money to one beggar, all of the others will flock to you to be paid off as well.

10. Bar tabs

Most bars frequented by foreigners are good about keeping proper bar tabs, but it never hurts to check to make sure that you are paying for exactly what you received. Better yet, pay as you go, without having to worry about whether you had four or five beers at that last stop.

China is an incredibly interesting place to visit, and crime here is probably no worse than any other tourist destination in the world. Violent crime is almost unheard of, but it can happen. The best advice is just to always be aware of yourself and your surroundings, and do not allow strangers to talk you into going anywhere with them or doing anything that you don’t feel comfortable doing, no matter how sweet and innocent they may seem. A good idea is to book your Beijing tour through a reputable tour company. Be careful, and enjoy your trip to the Middle Kingdom!

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What is the Great Wall?:
It is commonly thought that the Great Wall is one long wall that runs along the mountains north of Beijing. In fact, the Great Wall winds its way across China covering over 5,500 miles (8,850km) and is made up of a number of interconnecting walls spanning China that different dynasties and warlords constructed over the years. The Great Wall that we think of is the Ming wall, constructed after 1368 but the “Great Wall” refers to the many sections of wall that were built over 2,000 years.
Early Beginnings:
In c656 B.C., the Chu State wall, called “The Rectangle Wall” was built to protect the Chus from strong neighbors to the north. This part of the wall resides in modern-day Henan province. This early wall actually connected small cities along the border of the Chu state.

Other states continued the practice of building walls on their borders to protect themselves from unwanted intruders until about 221 B.C when during the Qin Dynasty, the Great Wall, as we know it now, began to take its shape.

Qin Dynasty: the “First” Great Wall:
Qin Shi Huang unified China into a centralized feudal state. To protect his newly established state, Qin decided a large defense barricade was needed. He sent one million soldiers and laborers to work on the project that would last nine years. The new wall utilized existing walls built since the Chu State wall. The new, Great Wall, spanned northern China starting in modern-day Inner Mongolia. Little of this wall remains and was located much further north than the present-day (Ming era) wall.
Han Dynasty: the Great Wall is Extended:
During the subsequent Han Dynasty, 206 B.C. to A.D. 24), China saw battle with the Huns and the wall was extended using an existing network of older walls another 10,000 kilometers (6,213 miles) into western China, modern Gansu province. This period was the most intense building period and the longest stretch of wall ever built.
Northern and Southern Dynasties: More Walls Added to the Great Wall:
During this period, from A.D. 386-581, four dynasties built and added to the Great Wall. The Northern Wei (386-534) added about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of wall in Shanxi province. The Eastern Wei (534-550) only added an additional 75 kilometers (47 miles). The Northern Qi (550-577) dynasty saw the longest extension of the wall since Qin and Han times, about 1,500 kilometers (932 miles). And the Northern Zhou (557-581) dynastic ruler Emperor Jingdi renovated the Great Wall in 579.
Ming Dynasty: The Wall’s Importance Reaches a New Height:
During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Great Wall became an important line of defense again. Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang began renovations at the outset of his reign. He assigned his son Zhu Di and one of his generals to repair the existing wall and build forts and watchtowers. The Great Wall for the Ming was ultimately a way to keep raiding Mongols from the north from invading and ransacking Beijing. For the next 200 years the wall was fortified ultimately covering 7,300 kilometers (4,536 miles).
The Wall Today:
The Ming wall construction is what remains today. It begins at Shanhai Pass in Hebei province and ends in the west at Jiayuguan Pass in Gansu province at the edge of the Gobi Desert. There is not much to see in the last 500 kilometers (310 miles) as nothing remains but broken stones and rubble.

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Introduction:
Travelers send me a lot of emails about their upcoming trips to China but the subject that most frequently comes up is travel with children and the related medical worries. Here are the answers I give to these folks for the benefit (and peace of mind) for all.
Disease – Do I Need to Worry About My Child Contracting Something Horrible in China?
Of course there’s a chance of getting something. But there’s a chance that you win the lottery too. The quick answer is no. Your kid’s chances of picking up some horrible Far-East Disease that no doctor can diagnose are slim.
The first advice I give is always to consult your and your child’s physician before embarking on a trip to China. While the Center for Disease Control does not advocate any specific vaccinations for China, it’s always best to check with a doctor who knows about such things. Read all about Health Concerns and Medical Needs for China travel.

OK, No Vaccinations, but Surely There’s Something to Worry About?
Well, it all depends on how long you’ll be staying in China and again, the best thing to do is check with your physician. Yes, your child is going to be exposed to different germs here in China. So there are some precautions to take:
Be Well Before You Go. Try to ensure that everyone is taking their vitamins and is in good shape before you embark on a long trip. If you’re already prone to sickness, twelve hours on a packed airplane can do you in. Trust me: more of our visitors to China arrive sick than become sick here.
Keep hands clean. That’s good advice for all the travelers in your group no matter what the age. Bring along disinfectant gel and handy wipes (wipes are readily available in China too). Wash your hands as often as you can remember – this is your First Defense against germs.
Try to Stay Rested. Don’t push everyone too hard. There’s a lot to see in China but you can’t see it all in two weeks anyway. The time difference is a big adjustment, especially for little ones. Being tired and run down can lead to sickness so make sure everyone gets rest and try to adjust slowly to the time difference.
Jet Lag – How Do We Deal with It?
There’s no easy answer and it depends on how old your kids are. When my child was under one, we just had to be awake when he was awake and slept when he did. After 2, we discovered the portable DVD player and have become enormous fans of the contraption (for the airplane journey as well). Now when he wakes, we plug him in and try to sleep. If your kids are older and can entertain themselves, then be sure to bring along some of their favorite books and toys so they can play while you try to get some sleep.
The first three nights are the most difficult; and the second night is probably the worst. The best advice is to take it slow and sleep when they do. This might mean slowing down your sightseeing activities for the first couple of days.

I Heard They’re Crazy Drivers – Should I Bring the Car Seat?
1. If you’re child is still in the infant type, and that buckles into a stroller that can be easily folded, then yes. But taxis generally don’t have useable back-seat safety belts so you won’t be able to buckle it in. Still, it’ll be easier to manage and safer than holding your baby.
2. If your child is bigger, than there’s no reason to bring it unless you’ll be hiring a car for much of your journey. Like I say above, most taxis don’t have belts, and you’ll find the seat a big burden if you’re not using it. If most of your tour involves the use of a private car, then yes, bring your seat. But if this isn’t the case, leave the seat at home.

What About Water and Food Safety?
Happily, you don’t have to worry much about that. If your kids are the least bit adventurous, they will find a wide array of interesting snacks and candy in every local grocery and convenience store. Bottled water is available everywhere from shops to street stalls and in restaurants, if you’re served water that is in a glass, it is coming from a large cooler – not the tap.
Read lots more about Water & Food Safety here.

I’ve Heard Bad Things About the Toilets…
Yes, you have, and probably rightly so. But China’s made BIG improvements, even in the four years since I’ve been here. They know their own reputation and with the Olympics coming and lots of foreign attention, public toilets are being cleaned up. Here’s the scoop on Using the Toilets in China.
Should I Bring a Month’s Supply of Baby Food and Diapers?
It depends on if your baby has special needs, but no, you can get a lot of your supplies in China, especially in the larger cities. Where there are large expat communities, you’ll even find brands and items imported from home. Many brands have Chinese counterparts, like Huggies and Pampers. They’re not exactly like the ones back home but pretty much OK.

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Since you’re one of my subscribers, I know that you actually do care about your health and the appearance of your body.

Surprisingly, many people falsely believe that “diet” soda is in some way a good thing for losing body fat. In fact, I hear people all the time proudly state that they eat so healthy and only drink diet soda.

So let’s set the record straight…

There is NOTHING even remotely healthy about drinking diet soda. In fact, I’ve even seen several studies that showed dedicated diet soda drinkers got even FATTER than their regular soda drinking counterparts.

Here’s some findings from an 8-year University of Texas study that I had read…

An excerpt from the study author:

“What didn’t surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to overweight and obesity,” Fowler tells WebMD. “What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher.”

“There was a 41 percent increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day,” Fowler says.

Ok, as if we didn’t already know how bad regular soda was for us, and now they’re showing us studies that diet soda makes us even fatter than the already bad stuff!

There’s a lot of complicating factors as to why this occurs…

One reason is that the artificial sweeteners in diet sodas create a negative hormonal response in the body that increases fat storing hormone production and increases cravings for more sweets and refined carbohydrates in the time period after consuming the diet drink.

Another reason is that people may subconsciously think that because they are drinking a diet soda, that gives them more leeway to eat more of everything else, hence consuming more calories overall.

I’ve said this all along, but the bottom line is that if you’re serious about your health and body, soda of any kind (and artificial sweeteners in anything for that matter!) should be avoided at all times, except for very rare occasions when you can’t avoid them.

So what is a good alternative to diet sodas?

The best alternatives are good old water with lemon or unsweetened iced teas… you have plenty of options with teas – green, white, black, oolong, red… be creative in making your iced teas and you’ll enjoy it more. Plus you’ll get a more diverse array of antioxidants.

I just add a little of the natural non-caloric sweetener stevia to my iced teas and I love them.

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1. Grass-fed beef or bison (NOT your typical grocery store beef!) – I know most people think that red meat is unhealthy for you, but that’s because they don’t understand how the health of the animal affects how healthy the meat is for consumption. Keep this in mind — “an unhealthy animal provides unhealthy meat, but a healthy animal provides healthy meat”.

Typical beef or bison that you see at the grocery store is raised on grains such as corn and soybeans. Soy and corn are NOT the natural diet of cattle or bison, and therefore changes the chemical balance of fats and other nutrients in the beef or bison. Grain-fed beef and bison is typically WAY too high in omega-6 fatty acids and WAY too low in omega-3 fatty acids.

On the other hand, grass-fed beef from cattle and buffalo (or bison) that were raised on the type of natural foods that they were meant to eat in nature (grass and other forage), have much higher levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids and lower levels of inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids (that most people already eat way too much of) compared to grain fed beef or bison.

Grass fed meats also typically contain up to 3 times the Vitamin E as in grain fed meats.

Not only that, but grass-fed meat from healthy cattle or bison also contain a special healthy fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in MUCH higher levels than grain-fed meat. CLA has been proven in scientific studies in recent years to help in burning fat and building lean muscle (which can help you lose weight!). These benefits are on top of the fact that grass-fed meats are some of the highest quality proteins that you can possibly eat… and this also aids in burning fat and building lean muscle.

Grass-fed meats are a little harder to find, but just ask your butcher or find a specialty grocery store and they usually have cuts available.

2. Avocodos – Even though these are typically thought of as a “fatty food”, it’s all healthy fats! Not only is this fruit super-high in mono-unsaturated fat, but also chock full of vitamins, minerals, micro-nutrients, and antioxidants.

Also, I think guacamole (mashed avocados with garlic, onion, tomato, pepper, etc) is one of the most delicious toppings ever created, and you can be happy to know that it’s also one of the healthiest toppings you can use on your foods. Try sliced avocados or guacamole on sandwiches, burgers, scrambled eggs or omelets, in salads, or as a side to just about any meal.

The quality dose of healthy fats and other nutrition you get from avocados helps your body to maintain proper levels of hormones that help with fat loss and muscle building. Also, since avocados are an extremely satiating food, eating them helps to reduce your appetite in the hours after your meal. Say goodbye to junk food cravings and bring on that lean body!

3. Whole Eggs, including the yolk (not just egg whites) – Most people know that eggs are one of the highest quality sources of protein. However, most people don’t know that the egg yolks are the healthiest part of the egg… that’s where almost all of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (such as lutein) are found in eggs.

Egg Yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid of the egg. In addition, the yolks contain ALL of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as ALL of the essential fatty acids. Also, the protein of whole eggs is more bio-available than egg whites alone due to a more balanced amino acid profile that the yolks help to build.

Just make sure to choose free-range organic eggs instead of normal grocery store eggs. Similar to the grass-fed beef scenerio, the nutrient content of the eggs and the balance between healthy omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids (in excess) is controlled by the diet of the chickens.

Chickens that are allowed to roam free outside and eat a more natural diet will give you healthier, more nutrient-rich eggs with a healthier fat balance compared with your typical grocery store eggs (that came from chickens fed nothing but soy and corn and crowded inside “egg factories” all day long).

4. Nuts: Walnuts, Almonds, Pecans, Macadamia, etc — Yes, this is yet another “fatty food” that can actually help you burn fat! Although nuts are generally between 75-90% fat in terms of a ratio of fat calories to total calories, this is another type of food that is all healthy fats, along with high levels of nutrition such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Nuts are also a good source of fiber and protein, which of course, you know helps to control blood sugar and can aid in weight loss.

Nuts also help to maintain good levels of fat burning hormones in your body as well as helping to control appetite and cravings so that you essentially eat less calories overall, even though you’re consuming a high-fat food. My favorite healthy nuts are pecans, almonds, and walnuts, and by eating them in variety, you help to broaden the types of vitamins and minerals and also the balance of polyunsaturated to monounsaturated fats you obtain.

Try to find raw nuts instead of roasted nuts if you can, as it helps to maintain the quality and nutritional content of the healthy fats that you will eat.

Also, try to broaden your horizons beyond the typical peanut butter that most people eat, and try almond butter, pecan butter, or macadamia butter to add variety to your diet.

5. Berries – including blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and even the “exotic” Goji berry: Berries are a powerhouse of nutrition… packed with vitamins and minerals, and also some of the best sources of antioxidants of any food in existance. Berries also pack a healthy dose of fiber, which slows your carbohydrate absorption and digestion and controls your blood sugar levels to help prevent insulin spikes (which can stimulate fat gain).

Get creative and mix up your berry intake by using the basics — blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries… but also get adventurous and give a more “exotic” berry a try, such as Goji berries (which are one of the most nutrient-dense berries on the planet).

I like to add berries to my yogurt and cottage cheese mixtures, as well as oatmeal or oat bran, salads, or just taking a bag of mixed berries and mixed nuts with me for the day as a mid-day healthy snack!

I hope you enjoyed this look at some of the healthiest fat-burning foods you can possibly eat. I could list a ton more, but wanted to give you my favorites for now!

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