Category Archives: Health and Fitness

Understanding Fats And Carbohydrates

In recent times it would give the impression that fats and carbohydrates have both gotten a bad rap. First it was fat that was the culprit in all dietary ills, and low fat diets were all the rage. Then the two switched places, with carbohydrates being the bad guys and fat reigning supreme.

Both fats and carbohydrates play an important role in nutrition, and both are vital to a healthy diet. It would be impossible and unwise to remove all fat from the diet, since fat is important for the production of energy, and for carrying valuable fat soluble vitamins like vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K, throughout the body. In addition, fat plays a very important role in regulating various bodily functions.

Even though some fat is essential to a healthy body, too much fat can be harmful. Excessive levels of dietary fats have been implicated in heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol levels and even some cancers. Most nutritionists suggest limiting daily fat intake to less than 20% of calories, although taking that level lower than 10% is not recommended.

The type and amount of fat in the diet makes all the difference. A diet high in saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol has been associated with a variety of ills, including heart disease, stroke and other related diseases. In addition, many long-term chronic problems, such as obesity, are associated with high levels of dietary fats.

Food labels do make the complex process of choosing the right fats somewhat easier. For instance, trans fats will be listed on the ingredient list of foods that include them. In general, trans fats are found mainly in processed foods. When limiting your daily intake of fat and cholesterol, it is good to have an understanding of nutritional labels. This government mandated labels could be a huge help to those who take the time to read and be aware of them.

Carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy diet as well, and carbs are necessary for providing energy and many vital nutrients. Carbohydrates are found in fruits and vegetables, in grains and in milk and dairy products. It is important to choose carbohydrates carefully, however, since not all are equally healthy.

Keeping saturated fats and trans fats to a minimum is important to a healthy diet. Trans fats, which are solid at room temperature, are most often found in highly processed foods like cookies, cakes and other baked goods. In addition, trans fats are often found in fried foods and in salty snacks like potato chips. While these foods are fine in moderation, it is best to avoid large quantities of such snacks.

As with many products, less is often more when it comes to choosing foods rich in carbohydrates. For example, less refined whole grain bread is generally more nutritious than white bread, which has gone through a greater amount of refining. That is because the refining process tends to decrease nutrient content over time.

Of course, there are some elements in the diet that should be limited. Two of these elements are sugar and salt. Most Americans consume too much salt and sugar, and this has led to epidemics of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other ills. Limiting sugar and salt, while choosing good fats and unrefined carbohydrates, is a great way to make the most of the nutritional value of the foods you eat.

Weight Loss Tips Easy Enough To Start Right Now

There just never seems to be enough time to lose weight. Everyone is so busy packing responsibilities and events into their schedule, how are they to keep themselves at an optimal weight and remain healthy? People immediately think diet and exercise when they think of weight loss, both of which already sound time consuming. The following adjustments to your diet plan will easily help you to get started on your weight loss goals without the hassel of being time consuming.

1. Only drink water.

Just by eliminating the sugar drinks, diet drinks and sodas from your diet, you will automatically cause a substantial decrease in weight. Studies have proven that artificial sweeteners can actually cause you to gain weight, even more than sugar can, by reacting as toxins in your body. To make your water more enjoyable, squeeze fresh lemon into it or make herbal tea, cool and turn into iced tea.

2. Stay away from the 4 whites below.

These being white flour, refined salt, white sugar and dairy. By just eliminating these four foods, you will be able to see a dramatic drop in weight and also be more energetic. The majority of people know that flour, refined salt and sugar can have harmful effects but what about dairy? Dairy is actually one of the main reasons so many people struggle to lose weight. Dairy is linked to clogged arteries, weight gain, inflammation to the body and digestive problems. Instead of dairy, you can easily still get your calcium from leafy greens.

3. Know where the health food is.

Honestly, it would take about the same amount of time to run into a supermarket to grab a bag of carrots as it would to run into a corner store to grab some type of processed food. As a rough guide, packaged foods with huge ingredients labels that look like more of a science experiment are to be avoided and the best foods have no labels at all.

Try not to let time be your excuse. It’s just as easy to pick something healthy to eat as it is to pick something unhealthy when you stop 2-3 times daily to eat, not to mention more times aswell when you snack. Just remember that you can replace your material possessions but you only ever get one body! Take good care of it.

The Mediterranean Food Pyramid Modified

The Mediterranean Diet and its accompanying food pyramid has been given a fresh new tweak, making it both more flavorsome and more healthy. In recognition of their health benefits, spices and herbs have now been added to the food group containing plants. This is to ensure that Mediterranean cuisine can now be encouraged to be enjoyed for its full, and often regional, tastes. However, the ground rules which set the Mediterranean Diet apart from all others have been adhered to.

Other modifications to the Mediterranean diet meal plan include:

6 glasses of water should be drunk each day.

The addition of physical activity on a daily basis at the base of the food pyramid.

The very social and pleasant concept that meals should be enjoyed in groups.

The word “whole grain” has been added when describing the legumes and cereals food group.

Consuming shellfish and fish twice weekly. Incorporating vegetables, fruits, cereals, beans, whole grains, seeds, nuts, olive oil, and herbs and spices in the one food group. This particular food group is given a huge emphasis and ideally should be included with each meal. The traditional Mediterranean diet is founded on the principle that the plant food group is extremely important. To achieve optimal health benefits varied foods from this group should be consumed at the same meal.

Poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt can be eaten daily in small portions.

Red wine is also allowed in moderate amounts, so long as your doctor approves.

Other components of the traditional Mediterranean diet include:

Red meat should only be consumed several times monthly.

Olive oil should be the source of fat intake instead of margarine and butter.

Consuming local produce that is both fresh and seasonal.

All foods should be processed as little as possible.

Daily desserts should be in the form of fresh fruit, as opposed to ice creams, cakes, and cookies.

Junk food to be avoided.

Mediterranean food is a healthy and tasty way to reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Researchers have found that people who follow the traditional Mediterranean diet are less likely to encounter the health problems of the Western world such as diabetes and heart disease, and also tend to live longer.

The most recent adjustments to the Mediterranean food pyramid have been the inclusion of drinking plenty of water, and the realization that fresh herbs and seasonings offer both health benefits and the tastes that identify Mediterranean cuisine. The addition of physical exercise on a daily basis make this a healthy diet plan for those looking to lose weight or just wanting to embrace a healthier lifestyle that is also delicious and social.

Lose Weight And Gain Health Using Your Animal Instinct

Diets do not work. Among the people who do them, 98% of the people gain the weight back. Also the stress of not eating as much as you want, makes your system more acid. This causes you to crave more sugar, salt and fat. Then eating these things you crave, causes you to hate yourself and you feel more stress making losing weight even harder. There is a strong connection between obesity and depression.

Here is how it works. No one teaches the animal what to eat and what not to eat. The animal knows instinctively what is good to eat and what is not good to eat. Humans also have the same instinct. The way it works is just eat whatever tastes good and that will be healthy for you and non-fattening. That is why a baby tastes everything. So again whatever tastes good, is good for you. This is why you will spit out spoiled milk. This instinct can help you lose weight.

I love eating Cabbage Crunch from the salad bar at Whole Foods. They are the largest natural foods supermarket chain in the country. Cabbage Crunch contains grated red and green cabbage, sliced almonds, poppy seeds, scallions (green onions), olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Cabbage is one of the healthiest foods for colon health and preventing cancer.

One time I got some. As soon as I put it in my mouth, I spit it out. It was spoiled. But I got my money back and they had someone go there to remove it. Salt can dull your sense of taste. Also salt causes you to eat more thereby making it harder to lose weight.

Butter can be kept unrefrigerated for days without going bad. When it does go bad (rancid) you do not need to taste it. You can smell it (rancid– having a foul smell or taste). But do not be a person who believes. Be someone who knows. Leave a piece of butter out for days and smell it everyday. Have you ever been behind a garbage truck and could hardly stand the smell? That offensive smell is telling you that you should not eat that stuff.

Mark Twain and fasting experts say that the fastest way to get over the flu or a cold is to fast. This is why you lose your appetite. If someone’s sinuses are very congested, maybe he could eat a rancid meal and not know there is anything wrong with it.

But wait! Man has the technology to create rat poison. It tastes like healthy food (good taste) but kills the rat. So man has done that to you. Note that any food unaltered by man (uncooked) that tastes good, is good for you. So if you are stranded in the woods, that is how you would know what to eat. Just taste everything raw and you will spit out the toxic plants since they will taste terrible.

There are poisonous mushrooms called toadstool mushrooms. If you put some raw ones in your mouth, you will spit them out since they taste horrible. But cook them and add salt and you can eat enough of them to kill you. Carnivorous animals love the taste of blood and raw meat since that is what they are supposed to eat.

So man has created fake fruit. It tastes like fruit that exists in nature, but it is addictive, fattening and terrible for health. It is called sweets. So it is natural to like real sweets called fruit, like a baby does. But they have fooled your sense of taste, just like the rat was fooled. But they do not want to kill you. They just want you to become obese so you will buy more of their foods. This is called good business.

Stay In Shape While Travelling

Traveling is fun. Whether you’re doing it on business, or for your own pleasure, visiting other places and seeing different sights and people is great. Naturally, people who have to travel a lot on account of business are less interested in sights and local attractions. But we all have something in common and that thing is the havoc that traveling causes to our bodies, especially when we’re talking long distance traveling. Diets, workout programs, daily work or recreation routines, everything is thrown out of its proper place and confusion reigns instead. This is an unpleasant situation, but there are ways to manage that.

A good thing you can try when you arrive in a new city is to drop your bags at the hotel, put on your sports gear and go running or jogging. Don’t bother unpacking your stuff because this will only sap the last of your energies. Once you’re done unpacking and putting everything in its place, you’ll only have enough energy to crawl into your bed, grab the remote and also some of the tempting high-calorie snacks from the mini bar, while checking out the fifteen channels on TV. That’s not the best way to start your visit, so it’s a good idea to do things differently.

Business trips are most of the time a whirlwind of confusion and exhaustion that drains a person, but that’s not set in stone. While exercising may sound counterintuitive, because exercises require some of that precious energy that keeps a person going, physical effort is actually a very good idea. Working out does not deplete the kind of energy that keeps a person awake in a chair throughout the day, but actually helps increase stress resistance and general stamina. So instead of getting between the sheets as soon as possible, you should do the exact opposite.

If you don’t have the time for a full run and a shower afterwards, you should at least take a brisk walk. This is an excellent way to clear out the cobwebs and also to check out the surroundings and discover all the little sights and shops you may want to visit later. If the hotel has a gym, you can use that, although you miss out on the local parks. A very important piece of advice is to avoid snacking on those overpriced, high-cholesterol, high-fat foods that the hoteliers load in your mini bar. Instead, you should find a local convenience store and buy some good stuff that will keep in the minibar’s refrigerator.

Eating properly is of utmost importance. But that can be difficult, especially on a hectic business trip, when eating improperly begins the moment the flight attendant serves you a tray of something that shouldn’t belong in any healthy diet. What you can do before leaving home is to load up your carryon bag with celery, carrots, raisins, tomatoes, fruit, a lean turkey sandwich, maybe a little cottage cheese with pineapple, even some trail mix or a protein bar. This will keep hunger away and also the pangs that can make anybody give in to overeating.

Sports Nutrition And Acai Berry Weight Loss Treatment

Staying healthy and fit is what everyone desires in this world. Maintaining health includes physical and mental fitness. Due to the complicated daily schedule, people tend to avoid giving their body the demand it requires which leads to an unhealthy life. There has been a rise in the percentage of obese people because of this reason. Staying healthy asks for a constant and complete checkup on body.

Acai berry weight loss is a program which aims at weight loss hence keeping one fit and healthy. Being obese attracts many diseases like diabetes; high blood pressure and also increases risk of heart attack. Acai berries are fruits of acai palm and have a significant value in weight loss programs. The popularity of acai immensely rose in 2004 as a weight loss drug and is considered to be a miracle drug. Acai berry is a nutritional product which proves effective for weight loss. Acai berry weight loss products include acai berry natural juice, acai berry capsules, acai berry shake, acai powder etc. Acai berry is rich in nutrients which not only result in weight loss but also keeps one healthy.

Sports nutrition is a distinct field of nutrition related to athletes and their dietary supplement. A sport person requires a perfect blend of vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates and other nutrients so as to enable him to give the perfect performance. The water intake should also not be compromised since they break glucose into energy and the fluid level of the body should be appropriate. The athletes these days focus a lot on their diet and follow a strict diet chart. Scientists and doctors have been researching in the field of nutrition and have brought appreciable changes making the athletes achieve the desired results.

The inclusion of dietary supplements in the sports nutrition is the most novel idea proving them effective for enhancing the athlete’s performance. Protein diet is must for any athlete therefore protein supplements were used initially. But, too much of protein intake causes side-effects hence medical guidance is required. Other supplements used by athletes are Creatine, Whey protein etc. Different athletes demand different kinds of supplements due to variety of exercises they undergo and sports they play. A number of energy bars and drinks are also available in the market which provides the athlete with instant energy. There is a flood of various supplements or performance efficiency drugs among the retailers which are extensively used by athletes since they prove effective in enhancing their performance but the athletes should consume them under proper medical supervision.

Eating Healthy Plans To Lose Weight

Are you one of those individuals who finds it nearly impossible to shed some pounds off your body? There are many times when losing weight can seem like an impossible task to conquer because lets face it, there are so many temptations around you that it makes it extremely difficult to stick to a healthy diet. Who can resist a fresh slice of delicious cheesecake or chicken korma? With so many good tasting foods available, it can prove to be quite a challenge to choose the right healthy ones that will benefit you the most.

The best way for you to stick to a healthy eating plan for weight loss is to prepare your own healthy meals. Here are a few tips that will help you to improve your meal plans .

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when you put yourself on a healthy eating plan is to completely cut certain foods out of your diet because the more that you deprive yourself of a specific food, the more you are going to want it. Cravings for foods can prove to be overwhelming to stop. This is why they are one of the main reasons why so many diets end in failure. Even those people who are very strong-willed often end up giving in to their cravings. This is why you should eat whatever you desire, but eat it in moderation.

As long as you use your head and use a little bit of common sense, you can eat healthy and enjoy yourself at the same time. Make sure to include plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet and every once in a while, you can allow yourself a small bag of chips or a handful of sweets or a piece of chocolate.

Make sure that you do not starve yourself as most people assume that doing this will make them thinner and this is not necessarily true because when your body puts itself into the starvation mode, it hangs on to the fat that is in your body. The result of this will be that you will start to lose muscle before you lose the fat. You will also start developing all kinds of health problems and this will certainly not be a pretty and best way to lose weight.

You should also start out gradually when you are trying to lose weight. If you make a drastic change to your diet , it can often have a very negative impact on your body. The best thing that you can do is to make small changes over a period of time. If you are used to eating a small bag of chips each day, cut back to a bag every two days and so forth to the point where you will be eating a couple bags a week. Drinking whole milk can be replaced with 2% or 1% and eventually with skim milk. Try using it first in your coffee and that way you can ease yourself into the taste of it and eventually get used to the idea and you will be surprised by how many calories it will save you in the long-term. Making small changes like this can have a huge impact on your diet and weight loss.

If you apply these tips to your life, you should be able to lose the healthy way and the main key is to make small changes to a time. As stated earlier, do not completely cut food from your diet and do not be afraid to have an occasional snack. As long as you choose a healthy snack like nuts, you will find that you can keep control of your hunger and keep your energy levels high while at the same time, you will be able to lose weight.

I hope that you enjoyed this article and if you would like some great free information on healthy eating, than please visit my healthy eating web site where you will find some great tips to help you live a long and healthy life.

Eating Healthy Without Draining Your Wallet

It is a proven fact that by eating a healthy diet, you will keep your medical costs down, but how are you going to justify the added expense of doing this? Healthy foods are much more expensive to purchase, but there are simple tips that you can use to help you stick to your budget and enjoy healthy eating at the same time. Lets take a look at some of these.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are an essential part of a healthy diet, but they can be very hard on your budget. A good way of stretching your shopping dollars is to look for a reduced rack at your neighborhood grocery store. Many times, you can pick up super ripe produce at a fraction of the cost that you would normally pay for it.

Frozen vegetables are another good way to save money. They are usually fresher and cheaper than anything that you purchase in the produce or canned sections in your supermarket. Take your time and look around in the frozen food aisles and you will be amazed at the bargains that you will find. You should be able to find large bags of vegetables at bargain prices and sometimes they are as little as $1 a bag and you can’t beat that.

Many times, you can also find healthy bargains at your local produce stand or farmer’s market. If you want to find the best deals, shop often and wait until the end of the day towards closing time and many times you will find reduced produce or end-of-the-day specials.

Another way that you can save on produce prices is to grow your own healthy eats. If you have the room, start a garden in your backyard or a container garden on your patio. This can be a great way to enjoy homegrown fruits and vegetables all season long and best of all, it can prove to be a very rewarding experience.

You can also cut down on the fat grams in your sweets such as cakes, muffins, and other baked goodies by replacing the oils in the recipes with an equal amount of no-sugar-added apple sauce.
The greatest thing about doing this is that it will not change the taste of the recipe, but it will make it much more healthy for you.

Cholesterol consumption can also be reduced in your diet. Instead of using eggs in your baked goods, try using a tablespoon of soy flour as that will be much more healthy for you. This can also save you money as you can pick up a good size bag of soy flour for as little as $2 or $3 and it will last you for a good long time.

Last of all, you should limit your consumption of salt . This can be found in many of the foods that you enjoy, but the bad thing is that your body does not require a lot of salt. You can help limit your consumption by purchasing no-salt-added or low sodium versions of canned foods. Best of all, this switch will not cost you anything. If you can incorporate these tips into your life, you should be able to eat healthy without having to break your budget.

I hope that you enjoyed this article and I would like to invite you to my eating healthy web site where you will find great free tips and information that is designed to help you live a long healthy life.

Eat Right And Stay Healthy

The tips and hints this site offers in this article, when followed as suggested, should allow you to either improve on what you have already done, or assist you to begin well.

Cut all the white food, excluding cauliflower, through your diet as possible. Most white foods, like baked goods and potatoes, are rich in carbohydrates, fat, and sugar. Your body is not going to need these things, plus they can hinder great health. You may choose wholegrain baked goods, sweet potatoes, and also other substitutes that are better for the body.

Try eating foods that happen to be high in fiber prior to eating full meals mainly because they will enable you to eat much less than you would have otherwise. An excellent example of which is eating an apple before every meal, since apples are extremely rich in fiber.

Iodine is really a mineral that should take part in any healthy diet. Iodine is necessary for thyroid hormones, which manage your energy metabolism, to be produced. In addition, it activly works to prevent goiters. You may get iodine from seafood, dairy food, iodized salt, and bread that has been fortified with iodine.

Tape your primary goal for your bath room mirror, for your refrigerator, your laptop or computer monitor, and even your television remote. When you try looking in the mirror, you will end up reminded of methods you will be bettering your way of life. When you visit open the refrigerator, it would remind you that you should eat healthy.

A fantastic nutrition tip if you’re pregnant is to be certain you’re getting enough iron. Iron is crucial for helping blood carry oxygen during the entire body. You want iron in addition to your baby. A good way to get iron is by getting a supplement or you can have it from eating meats.

To shield your skin from damaging free radicals eat lots of vegatables and fruits. The antioxidants located in berries, beans and also other plant based foods help the body suppress inflammation and protect skin cells from damage. Antioxidants also help your skin retain its elasticity, which prevents wrinkles and stretch-marks.

Good nutrition could be the reply to managing some bothersome digestive medical problems. Fiber is crucial for digestive health insurance and might be included in the dietary plan in order to alleviate constipation. Careful preparation of beans can steer clear of the gas often related to this high fiber ingredient. For diarrhea, try small quantities of nuts or nut butters.

Nutrition in infants is very easy. Younger than six months time, a child needs only breast milk or formula. As soon as the child has reached 6 months old, pediatricians suggest that you introduce solid foods. This is more for acceptance than nutrition, as breast milk and formula has every one of the nutrition that an infant needs in the 1st year of life.

Reducing the volume of fish consume or eliminating it entirely can assist you avoid dangerous chemical contaminants in your diet. Fish are near the top of the meals chain, so pollutants tend to produce with their tissues. Many fish contain dangerous quantities of mercury and other toxic chemicals in their flesh.

This short article must have helped you learn that eating balanced and healthy diet doesn’t really need to be difficult.

Healthy Eating Habits For Weight Loss That You Must Know

When it comes to weight loss many people have to understand that restrictive and fad diets are not the solution to their problems. Even if they lose some pounds, they will rapidly put them back on when they end the starvation period and get back to their eating habits. The key to losing weight and to staying in shape is to combine a healthy diet with an effective workout routine.

Once you stop consuming substances that pile up and form fat deposits and once you start burning more calorie than you eat, you will be on the right track to your ideal weight. It is essential to develop healthy eating habits for weight loss and to stick to them because otherwise all you are going to obtain is temporary reduction of weight and some health problems. Healthy eating habits will have a positive impact on your overall health condition, so the benefits exceed just the weight loss.

One of the healthy eating habits for weight loss that you must be aware of is completely cutting of junk food. Try to eat 4-6 smaller meals a day instead of the classical three and include as many servings of fresh fruits and vegetables as you can. Also work on your portion size and avoid eating very fast. If you eat slower and take the time for chewing the food, you will realize that you will eat less because you will stop the moment the stomach sent the signal that you are full to your brain.

Healthy eating habits for weight loss also include having breakfast every day. Never skip meals because the only result will be that you will be eating more because you will be hungrier. As said, smaller but often meals are recommended. Also watch your sugar intake and reduce it. If you are about to say that you don’t actually consume much sugar, just think about how many cups of coffee or tea you are drinking daily and also think about juices. Give up fatty meat like pork and go for lean meat accompanied by a fresh salad.

Don’t imagine that healthy eating habits for weight loss imply never eating out or never having a desert. Choose light desserts and order small portions when in a restaurant. Also forget about mayo and other sauces containing a high number of calories. Maybe the most important healthy eating habit is to maintain your pleasure of eating and to keep your meals attractive. There are plenty of healthy recipes that you can try and you’ll see that eating healthy does not have miss savory and taste.