Here’s how to make a perfect bride on your big day

WASHINGTON - Want to sizzle when you walk the aisle? A food and nutrition expert offers some easy tips to lose those crucial pounds before the wedding day.

On CBS’ “The Early Show on Saturday Morning,” Frances Largeman-Roth of Health Magazine shared tips that can help every bride look her best on her big day.

These are some things all soon-to-be-bride needs to remember:

Incorporate cardio and weight training into your workouts. Doing cardio three to five times a week for at least 30 minutes will help you blast fat.

Weight training, especially for your arms and shoulders will help you look lean and sleek. Great for those strapless dresses!

Foods to eat: Cut out processed foods and load up on low-cal, high fibre foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Not only will they help you lose weight, they’ll also help your skin look fantastic because they’re antioxidant-packed.

Also, now is the time to start eating breakfast if you’re a breakfast skipper.

24 hours from the big day - Last Minute “Do’s” and “Don’ts”

1. Avoid all carbonated drinks and stick to plain water as your main beverage. Add fresh citrus juice or cucumber slices to liven it up. Chill out on booze until your big event.
lcohol can make you retain water and give you that swollen feeling.

2. Skip beans, legumes (including soy products), and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, especially raw. Also, cereals with mega amounts of fibre - look for ingredients like chicory root fiber or psyllium husks - may have the same effect. While very healthy for you, they often create a lot of gas, which can lead to a puffy stomach and sabotage your silhouette.

3. Cut out all fried, processed, and canned foods. The sodium content in these foods can make you retain water and feel bloated. It’s smart to limit bread, wraps, and muffins for the same reason. At lunch and dinner, stick to plain grilled chicken or seafood, plus steamed vegetables like zucchini, carrots, and asparagus.

4. Include these bloat-busting foods in your diet: cucumber, watercress, artichoke, asparagus, and celery. Cucumber has caffeic acid, which helps fight swelling; celery helps balance your electrolytes, and watercress, artichoke, and asparagus are all natural diuretics.

5. Avoid drinking through a straw or chewing gum-both of these can cause you to swallow air, which creates gas in your stomach.

6. If you have any last minute bloating, try a cup of peppermint tea. Peppermint helps relax the stomach and alleviate gassiness.

7. You should avoid anything that will stain your teeth like coffee, red wine, black tea, dark berries, dark chocolate and cranberry juice. (ANI)