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"Years ago, Maria Menounos--host of Extra, author of The EveryGirl&amp;#x27;s Guide to Life, competitor in Dancing With the Stars, owner of gorgeous hair and super-fit bikini body&amp;amp;#8212;lost 40 pounds, going from a size 14 to a size 4. And later on, she broke two ribs and fractured her foot while competing on Dancing With the Stars&amp;amp;#8212;it was a huge bummer, obviously, and she was off her feet without the opportunity to exercise. When I talked to her about both, she said there was one thing that kept her on track: healthy eating. &amp;quot;When I lost 40 pounds, I lost the first 20 by diet alone,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;At that point, I started working exercise into the equation.&amp;quot; The same thing was true when she was off her feet due to her DWTS injuries: &amp;quot;I was injured all this last year. My feet were not healing and I wasn&amp;amp;#8217;t able to do much. But I maintained my shape with healthy eating.&amp;quot; Now, Maria is bringing awareness to the link between healthy eating and self-esteem with a new PSA for avocados from Mexico. &amp;quot;There are so many things that contribute to self-esteem,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;But I&amp;#x27;ve found there&amp;#x27;s a lot to say about eating healthy and feeling good about yourself. When you eat healthy, you feel healthy. And that equals good self-esteem.&amp;quot; But it doesn&amp;#x27;t stop there! Her new partnership was born out of the fact that she&amp;#x27;s always been a big fan of avocados (she even used to have an avocado tree!)&amp;amp;#8212;and she credits avocados for helping her stay lean while she was down and out with a bum foot. &amp;quot;[Celebrity trainer] Harley Pasternak told me, &amp;#x27;Oh, I have this new 10-day smoothie plan&amp;amp;#8212;it&amp;#x27;d be perfect for you.&amp;#x27; One is called the &amp;#x27;green smoothie,&amp;#x27; and it has lot of avocado in it. I couldn&amp;#x27;t believe how it affected my body&amp;amp;#8212;it was lean. I really only worked out about three times during that period.&amp;quot; Avocados really are filled with a lot of good-for-your-bod stuff: heart-healthy fat, protein, fiber, B vitamins, and vitamin K. And, in the spirit of Maria, smoothies and avocados, I found these can&amp;#x27;t-resist-&amp;#x27;em drink recipes that are&amp;amp;#8212;well, irresistible: The Lean &amp;#x27;n&amp;#x27; Green (with spinach too!): Source: theflirtyfoodie.com via Lexi on Pinterest The Blueberry-Avocado: Source: babble.com via Lexi on Pinterest The ChocoCado (chocolate lovers, holla!): Source: kblog.lunchboxbunch.com via Lexi on Pinterest Want to try any of these recipes? What&amp;#x27;s your favorite avocado recipe? More avocado treats: * Avocado fries (um, I&amp;#x27;m making these today) * Avocado-pistachio &amp;quot;pudding&amp;quot; * Chocolate chip avocado cookies (drool) Photo: Splash News"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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