I have had a problem with my weight since I was a child. There have been times in my life where I am close to my ideal weight and there have been other times when I have been sixty pounds overweight. No matter how good I feel and look when my weight is down I return to old habits of overeating. I love food, all kinds of food. I love cooking, grocery shopping, and serving food to guests. I know my weight is not healthy, but I love making healthy foods. I also like making foods that are high in calories.
My cooking skills and love of food began to create a weight problem for my husband also. He has never been overweight, but soon the amounts and kinds of food that I had in the house started to catch up with him. He told me that he needed to find a diet that would help him shed the extra fifteen pounds that he had gained. I agreed that I needed to try to lose weight again so we went on a low carbohydrates diet together. I have tried every diet known to man, from weight watchers to pills, to prepared foods plan. I know that I need to make a life style change in addition to the dieting, because no matter how much I lose I put it back on. The hardest part of the new diet is finding a low carb breakfast. It is true that you can eat eggs, cheese and meats; however these things take time to prepare. I leave for work quite early in the morning so taking time to make a low carb breakfast was not something I wanted to do. Many of the quick solutions for a morning meal did not fit the criteria for a low carb breakfast. Toast, cereals, yogurts and fruit which are quick to grab and eat on the run were not on the list of acceptable foods.
When we were on this diet there were not as many low carbohydrate foods available on the market as there are today. Most prepared and packaged low carb breakfast foods and other meals came out a year or two later, after the low carb diet became so popular. I find it interesting that once all of the prepackaged foods began to be available, people were not having as much success with the diet. The convenience of the prepackaged foods leads to a greater calorie intake. My solution for the low carb breakfast was to boil a dozen eggs on Sundays. I would keep them in the refrigerator and eat two of them each morning. For a mid morning snack I would eat a couple of sticks of string cheese and then have a chef salad or bun-less burger with a side salad for lunch. Dinner was always protein and greens. We did both lose weight on the diet and the nice part was that you do not feel hungry
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Healthy Foods To Eat
What are you feeding your body? Are you a sugar, salt and junk food fiend, or do you take the healthy road? believe it or not, there are healthy foods to eat now days that do taste good as well. No longer do you have to suffer in utter agony with the nasty health foods of the past. Technology has come to the rescue. Virtually any cuisines you can imagine are up for grabs and lack the harsh ingredients that can literally kill your body. Anything from Weight Watchers, to South Beach Diet, to Lean Cuisine floods the healthy foods market these days. I don't care if you're merely dieting or trying to stick with a decent eating regime, a variety of wonderful healthy foods to eat are at your disposal.
What healthy foods to eat do you actually prefer? I think some of the standards are fruit, fish, and poultry. We all know that these items are good for us due to the essential nutrients that they provide. We need daily fiber and antioxidants along with protein to replenish our bodies. These are things that can't be found too often in fast foods. Take a cheeseburger and fries for example; there plain and simply isn't much nourishment there. Sure, you may get some carbs, calcium and protein in there somewhere, but it's not enough and in comparison to the fat consumption, it's certainly not worth it. Are you aware of how much fat you're aloud to consume on a daily basis? It's around 65 grams for the average adult. However, if you're currently overweight, it's surely less. America in particular has a problem with this. We consume far too much junk food. It's time to venture out and take a gander at all the healthy foods to eat. Whether you like it or not, your life depends on it. Too often folks will blame advertisers for their weight issues. give me a break. If you're an adult, then you decide what you eat each and every day. All it takes for some folks is to get informed. If you are wondering what healthy foods to eat are available right under your nose now days, you can always hop online for a closer look. Get the skinny on all healthy foods to eat from all food groups. This way you can create a nutritious eating routine that will keep you healthy and happy for as long as you live.
What healthy foods to eat do you actually prefer? I think some of the standards are fruit, fish, and poultry. We all know that these items are good for us due to the essential nutrients that they provide. We need daily fiber and antioxidants along with protein to replenish our bodies. These are things that can't be found too often in fast foods. Take a cheeseburger and fries for example; there plain and simply isn't much nourishment there. Sure, you may get some carbs, calcium and protein in there somewhere, but it's not enough and in comparison to the fat consumption, it's certainly not worth it. Are you aware of how much fat you're aloud to consume on a daily basis? It's around 65 grams for the average adult. However, if you're currently overweight, it's surely less. America in particular has a problem with this. We consume far too much junk food. It's time to venture out and take a gander at all the healthy foods to eat. Whether you like it or not, your life depends on it. Too often folks will blame advertisers for their weight issues. give me a break. If you're an adult, then you decide what you eat each and every day. All it takes for some folks is to get informed. If you are wondering what healthy foods to eat are available right under your nose now days, you can always hop online for a closer look. Get the skinny on all healthy foods to eat from all food groups. This way you can create a nutritious eating routine that will keep you healthy and happy for as long as you live.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Healthy dinner
How many times did your Mom tell you to eat your vegetables? When you think of a healthy dinner, does your nose curl in disdain, remembering those canned peas? Today, a healthy dinner does not need to earn your contempt. As a matter of fact, a healthy dinner can be as tasty and nutritious a meal as you've ever enjoyed. Fresh ingredients are the key to a good meal you'll look forward to eating.
Although convenient and tasty, most fast food shops do not constitute a healthy dinner. Overloaded with salt, sugar, additives and preservatives, these dinners aren't going to rate very high on the healthy scale. I hear you. “It tastes good! Healthy means yukky and boring fare!” That's absolutely a myth.
Cooking is becoming a lost art in the United States, a truly sad commentary on our society. You'd be surprised to learn that even as a non-cook (“I hate to cook!”), if you just choose ingredients you like the taste of and combine them in your own style of savoir faire, you'll be able to produce a healthy dinner you actually like.
The rule of thumb in this cooking without recipes approach is simply to include foods from the major food groups. You can employ the “Dutch eater's” approach, with segregated foods on a plate that make a healthy and delicious dinner. For example, a lean fish or piece of chicken and a little sauce, with a mound of rice and your favorite vegetables is a complete healthy dinner that beats the fast food counterpart all across the board.
For those of you who like the one-dish dinner, you're in luck. Most recipes that claim to be a one-dish meal usually automatically include all the components necessary to be declared healthy. Fried rice is a good example. You've got your grains, protein and vegetables all in one spoonful. A glass of milk or fruit and yogurt for dessert satisfies the definition of a healthy dinner. Much better than a greasy burger and greasy fries!
If you're not concerned with your weight, your possibilities expand. Take a batch of lasagna. By itself, it fulfills all the criteria for a dinner you can love to love eating. With grains, vegetables, meat and cheese, lasagna is truly healthy and nutritious, filling and you don't even need the classic garlic bread as an accompaniment.
The old standby of soup and salad is another healthy dinner choice. Again, the pyramid of food groups is covered, providing all the nutrition, but most importantly to your taste buds, a yummy dinner.
So shed the memories of the canned pea and get with the modern age. Use olive oil to do your cholesterol level a favor. Throw together a dish of your favorite ingredients and enjoy a healthy dinner every night!
Although convenient and tasty, most fast food shops do not constitute a healthy dinner. Overloaded with salt, sugar, additives and preservatives, these dinners aren't going to rate very high on the healthy scale. I hear you. “It tastes good! Healthy means yukky and boring fare!” That's absolutely a myth.
Cooking is becoming a lost art in the United States, a truly sad commentary on our society. You'd be surprised to learn that even as a non-cook (“I hate to cook!”), if you just choose ingredients you like the taste of and combine them in your own style of savoir faire, you'll be able to produce a healthy dinner you actually like.
The rule of thumb in this cooking without recipes approach is simply to include foods from the major food groups. You can employ the “Dutch eater's” approach, with segregated foods on a plate that make a healthy and delicious dinner. For example, a lean fish or piece of chicken and a little sauce, with a mound of rice and your favorite vegetables is a complete healthy dinner that beats the fast food counterpart all across the board.
For those of you who like the one-dish dinner, you're in luck. Most recipes that claim to be a one-dish meal usually automatically include all the components necessary to be declared healthy. Fried rice is a good example. You've got your grains, protein and vegetables all in one spoonful. A glass of milk or fruit and yogurt for dessert satisfies the definition of a healthy dinner. Much better than a greasy burger and greasy fries!
If you're not concerned with your weight, your possibilities expand. Take a batch of lasagna. By itself, it fulfills all the criteria for a dinner you can love to love eating. With grains, vegetables, meat and cheese, lasagna is truly healthy and nutritious, filling and you don't even need the classic garlic bread as an accompaniment.
The old standby of soup and salad is another healthy dinner choice. Again, the pyramid of food groups is covered, providing all the nutrition, but most importantly to your taste buds, a yummy dinner.
So shed the memories of the canned pea and get with the modern age. Use olive oil to do your cholesterol level a favor. Throw together a dish of your favorite ingredients and enjoy a healthy dinner every night!
Healthy dinner recipes
Unlike many people today, I love to cook. It is not just because of the good food that I get to eat. I enjoy making food for people, I enjoy smelling the food and watching it come together, and I enjoy taking all those ingredients and turning them into a winning dish. My parents worked on a farm, and my mom loved to cook as well. The problem is that the food that you need on a farm is not necessarily healthy if you live a more sedentary life.
Now that I have a family, I do my best to cook healthy dinner recipes. I never learned this kind of cooking growing up, and it is foreign to me. Fortunately, there are all kinds of resources that can teach you how to cook healthy low-fat recipes. There are cookbooks available, websites, dieters groups, and of course, friends. One of my favorite sources for healthy dinner recipes is actually my friend Sharon. I was amazed the first time I ate over at her house. We had chicken cooked with vegetables, a dish that I had always found rather bland before. Let me tell you, that healthy dinner recipe was one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted. I immediately started asking her for her secrets.
Now we trade recipes all the time. Of course, it is not a reciprocal relationship. She gives me healthy dinner recipes, and I teach her how to make Southern greens or barbecue. She makes me lose weight and stay thin, and I help her put on 10 or 20 pounds. But we both enjoy the taste sensations that we get to exchange with each other. Cooking healthy dinner recipes is every bit as fun as cooking fatty ones, and I feel better after eating them.
One of the keys to healthy dinner recipes is planning. No one really wants to eat healthy all the time. Everyone wants to splurge now and then. What you need to do is keep track of what you're eating. For example, if your healthy dinner recipes for Monday and Wednesday include chicken, perhaps Tuesday you can eat fish. If you eat small portions with lots of greens all week, on the weekend you can eat barbecued pork. As long as you keep track of what you eat, there's no reason you have to give up on all of your favorite foods. It is better to think of healthy dinner recipes as yet another kind of food that you get to enjoy!
Now that I have a family, I do my best to cook healthy dinner recipes. I never learned this kind of cooking growing up, and it is foreign to me. Fortunately, there are all kinds of resources that can teach you how to cook healthy low-fat recipes. There are cookbooks available, websites, dieters groups, and of course, friends. One of my favorite sources for healthy dinner recipes is actually my friend Sharon. I was amazed the first time I ate over at her house. We had chicken cooked with vegetables, a dish that I had always found rather bland before. Let me tell you, that healthy dinner recipe was one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted. I immediately started asking her for her secrets.
Now we trade recipes all the time. Of course, it is not a reciprocal relationship. She gives me healthy dinner recipes, and I teach her how to make Southern greens or barbecue. She makes me lose weight and stay thin, and I help her put on 10 or 20 pounds. But we both enjoy the taste sensations that we get to exchange with each other. Cooking healthy dinner recipes is every bit as fun as cooking fatty ones, and I feel better after eating them.
One of the keys to healthy dinner recipes is planning. No one really wants to eat healthy all the time. Everyone wants to splurge now and then. What you need to do is keep track of what you're eating. For example, if your healthy dinner recipes for Monday and Wednesday include chicken, perhaps Tuesday you can eat fish. If you eat small portions with lots of greens all week, on the weekend you can eat barbecued pork. As long as you keep track of what you eat, there's no reason you have to give up on all of your favorite foods. It is better to think of healthy dinner recipes as yet another kind of food that you get to enjoy!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Increase In Metabolism Through Healthy Food And Diets
Metabolism is arguably one of the most misunderstood concepts amongst the general public. How often do you hear people saying things like 'she must have a high metabolism – that's why she can eat anything and still be so skinny.' Although this is not entirely wrong, it is important to understand what metabolism is and how it supports your body and how it works for you. Metabolism is nothing but the natural process through which your body transforms food into energy. Food needs to be broken down for your body to be able to use it as energy. Speeding up your metabolism will obviously speed up the process at which your body converts food and stored fat into energy and consequently you ‘loose weight’.
The common misconception that so many people hold is that they are 'born' with either a high or a low metabolism. Your genetic make up accounts for only 5% of your metabolic rate. The rest of your metabolism is determined by none other than you. There are only two factors that can account for your metabolism. Speeding up metabolism needs to focus only on these two areas. Although certain hereditary factors can play a role we will discard them for the sake of our discussion (it affects only a very small percentage of people anyway.)
1. What You Eat:
Loosing weight is not rocket science. We all to often blame things that are outside of us for our weight problems, but the fact remains that it is all just YOU. To loose weight there are only two things that can possibly play a role. What you eat and how you exercise your body. Speeding up metabolism starts with your eating patterns.
Many people deprive themselves of food in a vain attempt to loose weight. This actually slows down your metabolism and consequently it slows down the tempo at which your body burns calories. The key is to eat more, but less. Metabolism is a bit like getting a big heavy stream train to move – getting it moving is the hard part and once it's got momentum it is much easier to keep it moving. By having three to five smaller meals throughout the day you will keep your metabolism high.
Binge eating and depriving yourself of food are the two big no-no's if you are trying to speed up metabolism for weight loss. It is important then to eat high energy foods to keep up your metabolism. Fresh fruit and vegetables are packed with energy and will go a long way in speeding up your metabolism. Eating more does not mean eating and snacking on junk food. You need to eat more quality food.
2. Exercise
This is where most people 'bomb-out', but before you do, consider this. Your body was designed to move and to be active. Like anything in nature, if it's not used, it starts to deteriorate and being overweight is a nothing but a sign of deterioration. The reason why you always feel good after exercise is because the body releases hormones that only get released during exercise.
Your metabolism and the rate at which your body converts calories into energy is directly related to your body’s demand for energy. If your body does not require energy, the food will simply get stored as fat. When you increase the demand for energy you body will respond accordingly and increase your metabolism to meet this demand. Exercise is probably the easiest way to increase the demand and speed up your metabolism.
Speeding up metabolism by applying these two principles are often easier said than done. The cold hard truth however, is that this is all there is to it. To speed up your metabolism, either increase the demand through exercise or decrease the supply through what you eat.
The common misconception that so many people hold is that they are 'born' with either a high or a low metabolism. Your genetic make up accounts for only 5% of your metabolic rate. The rest of your metabolism is determined by none other than you. There are only two factors that can account for your metabolism. Speeding up metabolism needs to focus only on these two areas. Although certain hereditary factors can play a role we will discard them for the sake of our discussion (it affects only a very small percentage of people anyway.)
1. What You Eat:
Loosing weight is not rocket science. We all to often blame things that are outside of us for our weight problems, but the fact remains that it is all just YOU. To loose weight there are only two things that can possibly play a role. What you eat and how you exercise your body. Speeding up metabolism starts with your eating patterns.
Many people deprive themselves of food in a vain attempt to loose weight. This actually slows down your metabolism and consequently it slows down the tempo at which your body burns calories. The key is to eat more, but less. Metabolism is a bit like getting a big heavy stream train to move – getting it moving is the hard part and once it's got momentum it is much easier to keep it moving. By having three to five smaller meals throughout the day you will keep your metabolism high.
Binge eating and depriving yourself of food are the two big no-no's if you are trying to speed up metabolism for weight loss. It is important then to eat high energy foods to keep up your metabolism. Fresh fruit and vegetables are packed with energy and will go a long way in speeding up your metabolism. Eating more does not mean eating and snacking on junk food. You need to eat more quality food.
2. Exercise
This is where most people 'bomb-out', but before you do, consider this. Your body was designed to move and to be active. Like anything in nature, if it's not used, it starts to deteriorate and being overweight is a nothing but a sign of deterioration. The reason why you always feel good after exercise is because the body releases hormones that only get released during exercise.
Your metabolism and the rate at which your body converts calories into energy is directly related to your body’s demand for energy. If your body does not require energy, the food will simply get stored as fat. When you increase the demand for energy you body will respond accordingly and increase your metabolism to meet this demand. Exercise is probably the easiest way to increase the demand and speed up your metabolism.
Speeding up metabolism by applying these two principles are often easier said than done. The cold hard truth however, is that this is all there is to it. To speed up your metabolism, either increase the demand through exercise or decrease the supply through what you eat.
Healthy And Energetic Raw Foods
Raw food detox diet involves eating food in its uncooked form, referring to anything that occurs naturally. There are immense benefits to be derived from a diet consisting primarily or sole of raw organic vegan food. Eating raw foods gives you 100 percent of the available nutrition. But you can lose up to 85 percent of the original nutritional value when you cook the same food.
Raw food detox diet also provides enzymes that help digest your food. Living foods not exposed to temperatures above 116 degrees Fahrenheit keep their enzymes intact; otherwise, the enzymes break up and your body has to work harder to digest your meals. Enzyme-rich foods give you a more realistic and efficient energy source. They rapidly break down in our stomach and immediately begin to provide energy and nutrition.
One of the most life enhancing benefits from eating a raw food detox diet is the abundant amount of energy that is available to you. Energy that is usually use to digest cooked food is freed up for you to spend for other things, when eating raw. You will find that when eating raw foods you will need to sleep less to feel rested.
Many athletes have found that light raw meals give a more sustainable form of energy and improve their performance. Students find that raw food detox diet gives them a more stable blood sugar level, helping them to think more clearly and stay more focused. Eating raw food is also known to enhance your beauty. Most of all, when you eat well you feel good - and feeling good is the essence of life.
To start your raw food detox diet, increase the amount of fresh foods in your cooked food diet. The cleansing process begins and helps flush out old toxins. Greens and fresh fruits are especially effective in pushing debris out of your cells and colon. These two primary raw food sources attune your body to eating more and more raw food.
As you feel fuller and more nourished from the increased quantities of raw food, you may consider trying to let go of cooked food. Cultured foods (like tofu) help initiate beneficial flora. Dried foods assist your transition by giving a raw food way to satisfy a cooked food craving for something heavy. The goal in a raw food detox diet is to achieve the ideal balanced diet of 60 per cent fresh foods, 20 per cent sprouted foods, 10 per cent dried foods, and 10 per cent cultured foods. Try to achieve that to make the most of healthy, energy and culinary enjoyment!
Raw food detox diet also provides enzymes that help digest your food. Living foods not exposed to temperatures above 116 degrees Fahrenheit keep their enzymes intact; otherwise, the enzymes break up and your body has to work harder to digest your meals. Enzyme-rich foods give you a more realistic and efficient energy source. They rapidly break down in our stomach and immediately begin to provide energy and nutrition.
One of the most life enhancing benefits from eating a raw food detox diet is the abundant amount of energy that is available to you. Energy that is usually use to digest cooked food is freed up for you to spend for other things, when eating raw. You will find that when eating raw foods you will need to sleep less to feel rested.
Many athletes have found that light raw meals give a more sustainable form of energy and improve their performance. Students find that raw food detox diet gives them a more stable blood sugar level, helping them to think more clearly and stay more focused. Eating raw food is also known to enhance your beauty. Most of all, when you eat well you feel good - and feeling good is the essence of life.
To start your raw food detox diet, increase the amount of fresh foods in your cooked food diet. The cleansing process begins and helps flush out old toxins. Greens and fresh fruits are especially effective in pushing debris out of your cells and colon. These two primary raw food sources attune your body to eating more and more raw food.
As you feel fuller and more nourished from the increased quantities of raw food, you may consider trying to let go of cooked food. Cultured foods (like tofu) help initiate beneficial flora. Dried foods assist your transition by giving a raw food way to satisfy a cooked food craving for something heavy. The goal in a raw food detox diet is to achieve the ideal balanced diet of 60 per cent fresh foods, 20 per cent sprouted foods, 10 per cent dried foods, and 10 per cent cultured foods. Try to achieve that to make the most of healthy, energy and culinary enjoyment!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Low Calorie Foods For Healthy Living
If you are fat then it is clear that your body burns less calories than your body is consuming. However, Many people are not aware that what a calorie is.
A calorie is a unit to measure energy. It is known as an amount of heat required to raise one degree temperature of one kilogram water. The important part is that your body require certain energy level according to your day to day activities and that energy level requires certain calorie in your food. If your food has more calories than you need then that extra calories go into your safe that is called fat.
So, you should have food with required amount of calories as per the requirement of your day to day activities, like a sports involved person will need much more calorie in his or her food than a software professional.
Some specific Low calorie foods are:
Red Peppers,
Swede,
Mushrooms,
Tomatoes,
Celery,
Broccoli,
Boiled potatoes,
Brussels sprouts,
Water cress,
Famous fruits with low Calories are:
Crape,
Coyote,
Melon,
Currants apricot
Some Non-Veg low calorie foods are:
Low fat Cheese,
Egg's whites,
Beef,
Canadian bacon,
Ground turkey,
Lower fat hot dogs,
Low calorie drinks:
Soft drinks with low calories,
Coffee & tea with no sugar
Water
Water doesn't contain any calories at all. One personal experience is that you can use warm water with lime, this alone can reduce your weight up to 10 to 20 percent in few weeks.
I hope this article will give some awareness about low calorie foods and bit about calorie.
Preference Of Healthy Foods For Good Energy
What are you feeding your body? Are you a sugar, salt and junk food fiend, or do you take the healthy road? believe it or not, there are healthy foods to eat now days that do taste good as well. No longer do you have to suffer in utter agony with the nasty health foods of the past. Technology has come to the rescue. Virtually any cuisines you can imagine are up for grabs and lack the harsh ingredients that can literally kill your body. Anything from Weight Watchers, to South Beach Diet, to Lean Cuisine floods the healthy foods market these days. I don't care if you're merely dieting or trying to stick with a decent eating regime, a variety of wonderful healthy foods to eat are at your disposal.
What healthy foods to eat do you actually prefer? I think some of the standards are fruit, fish, and poultry. We all know that these items are good for us due to the essential nutrients that they provide. We need daily fiber and antioxidants along with protein to replenish our bodies. These are things that can't be found too often in fast foods. Take a cheeseburger and fries for example; there plain and simply isn't much nourishment there. Sure, you may get some carbs, calcium and protein in there somewhere, but it's not enough and in comparison to the fat consumption, it's certainly not worth it. Are you aware of how much fat you're aloud to consume on a daily basis? It's around 65 grams for the average adult. However, if you're currently overweight, it's surely less. America in particular has a problem with this. We consume far too much junk food. It's time to venture out and take a gander at all the healthy foods to eat. Whether you like it or not, your life depends on it. Too often folks will blame advertisers for their weight issues. give me a break. If you're an adult, then you decide what you eat each and every day. All it takes for some folks is to get informed. If you are wondering what healthy foods to eat are available right under your nose now days, you can always hop online for a closer look. Get the skinny on all healthy foods to eat from all food groups. This way you can create a nutritious eating routine that will keep you healthy and happy for as long as you live.
What healthy foods to eat do you actually prefer? I think some of the standards are fruit, fish, and poultry. We all know that these items are good for us due to the essential nutrients that they provide. We need daily fiber and antioxidants along with protein to replenish our bodies. These are things that can't be found too often in fast foods. Take a cheeseburger and fries for example; there plain and simply isn't much nourishment there. Sure, you may get some carbs, calcium and protein in there somewhere, but it's not enough and in comparison to the fat consumption, it's certainly not worth it. Are you aware of how much fat you're aloud to consume on a daily basis? It's around 65 grams for the average adult. However, if you're currently overweight, it's surely less. America in particular has a problem with this. We consume far too much junk food. It's time to venture out and take a gander at all the healthy foods to eat. Whether you like it or not, your life depends on it. Too often folks will blame advertisers for their weight issues. give me a break. If you're an adult, then you decide what you eat each and every day. All it takes for some folks is to get informed. If you are wondering what healthy foods to eat are available right under your nose now days, you can always hop online for a closer look. Get the skinny on all healthy foods to eat from all food groups. This way you can create a nutritious eating routine that will keep you healthy and happy for as long as you live.
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