Before we get into the article there is something I have noticed lately, and that is how fast some of my friends eat. This could be the general fast pace of life these days, but it’s not a good practice. The problem with eating fast is we can easily miss the signals telling us we are full. I used to eat quickly but I try to put my knife and fork down between bites, and when I do I tend to eat less. This is something that costs nothing to try, it can help you eat less, and you do enjoy your food more.
The unwanted weight gain,
Now that autumn is with us again, when it only seems like five minutes ago that we were looking forward to spring, it’s that time of year that we all tend to put on a little weight. It would appear that this weight gain is in our makeup from a time when there was always plenty of food in the summer months, but it became more difficult in the winter, so our bodies were programmed to store fat. Rather than look at this as a negative, we should use it to make us even more determined in our weight loss challenge
Cold weather food choices,
Just because the weather is getting colder doesn’t mean we have to stop making healthy food choices, and as such we have put together our list of the top ten for autumn and winter.
Turkey Breast, the days when turkey was only for thanksgiving or Christmas are long gone. Turkey is a very healthy meat option, as long as you avoid the skin and go easy on the dark meat, its very low fat, and a good source of protein.
Sweet Potato, this is the perfect replacement for normal potatoes, as it is a very good source of fibre, and low-glycemic, which means it take longer for our bodies to convert it to glucose, giving a longer steady supply of energy. I have been eating sweet potato for a long time, and cooked it many different ways, but I got a tip recently, to just wash and place it on a baking tray, gas mk.5 for 45 minutes, its really good.
Broccoli, this has to be as a super vegetable, as it supplies, fibre, protein, vitamin C, and even calcium. This is a vegetable you should include every day in your winter diet for health and weight loss.
Brussels Sprouts, this is one of my all time favorite vegetables, it is a source of fibre, but they take longer to digest so help stabilize your blood sugar. This vegetable also contains protein, 1 cup of sprouts gives around 3 grams of protein, which helps make you feel full longer. A lot of people say sprout are bitter and horrible, but this is not the sprout, it’s the way they are prepared. Firstly you must remove the lose outer dark green leaves, and remove ALL the stem and putt a cross cut in the bottom of the sprout, and I add them to boiling water for 7 to 10 minutes, if you like them firm cook for 6 to 7 minutes.
Cauliflower, Low carb, no fat, high fibre, and a good source of vitamin C, this is another vegetable that is a must for your autumn and winter weight loss diet. One word of caution, do not overcook cauliflower as it destroys the vitamin C, and folic acid content.
Kale, not one of the most popular vegetables which is surprising when you look at the benefits, good source of fibre, and just 1 cup will give you a lot more vitamin K than we need each day, which also helps to regulate our insulin levels, and balance our blood sugar for longer.
Avocado, supplier of healthy fats, also low in sugar but it is high in monounsaturated fat, which is a fat easily converted into energy, a great source of fibre, and it,s also a really tasty snack.
Apples, another good source of fibre, but apples have a much bigger benefit for anyone trying to lose weight, or someone with poor digestion. Apples also contain antioxidants which aid in fighting disease, and amino acids which help in muscle growth. Because of their fibre content if you eat one up to an hour before a meal it can help surpress your appitite meaning that you eat less. This is a fruit you could write pages about its benefits, but it is one of the best fruits you can eat. I must say I don’t like all apples, but I have three favourites that I really enjoy, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Golden Delicious and Cripps Pink, often called Pink Lady.
Pomegranate, are a true super fruit, high in antioxidants and fibre. Becausae of its contents it has been used by several companies to produce a pill to aid in weight loss. As they are in season from the end of September right through to the end of Febuary, you are much better off eating the real thing, as they help to keep you healthy in many ways.
Figs, fresh figs are in season from July to October, there a good source of calcium and they are also rich in potassium and also magnesium. The good news is that dried figs have most of the goodness of fresh, but dried have a higher calorie content.
Very few people realize the profound effect that weight has on diabetes. Even instances of gestational diabetes are much greater in patients that are overweight than in those that are not. Type 2, or adult onset diabetes is more commonly found in overweight people than those that are within their ‘ideal’ weight ranges. In fact, almost 90% of those with Type 2 diabetes are overweight. If you are suffering from Type 2 diabetes, the best gift you could possibly give yourself just might be the gift of getting your weight under control.
Among those that suffer from Type 2 diabetes almost 40% have high blood pressure, which is another condition that is believed to be exacerbated by excess weight. Being overweight might also lead to a condition known as insulin resistance in which the body no longer responds to the insulin that is needed to assist the body in using sugar and glucose as fuel on a cellular level.
There are some things you can do to help yourself out if you have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes or labelled at risk for this devastating condition. First of all, take off the pounds. I know this is much easier said than done. Dieting is never easy and rarely fun for the average person. However, if you do not begin to take drastic steps toward procuring the best possible health for yourself you may not be able to enjoy the quality of life you had planned for your golden years. Let your condition be your motivation and make plans to enjoy watching your grandchildren and great grandchildren graduate college.
Fight it standing up. Don’t sit down and let Diabetes control you. Stand up and take control of your body back. This is a fight to the finish and if you let it, diabetes will be your end. If you fight it standing up, lose the weight, get out there and exercise, listen to the doctor’s orders and follow them. Find the strength within you to battle this disease head on. You’ll be amazed at what happens when you decide to stand up and fight for your health.
Get active. Find activities that you enjoy and get out there and do them. Don’t make those activities passive activities either. Even if it’s just going out to play shuffleboard everyday get out there and play. Enjoy your time in the sun. Pick flowers with the little ones. Take up golf. Do whatever it takes to get up and moving each and every day in order to remember why you want to live forever in the first place.
Watch what you eat. Garbage in, garbage out, right? You have strict dietary requirements once you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes. This means that you absolutely must follow your dietary restrictions. Learn to live within those limits in order to live and enjoy life to the fullest you can. The amazing thing is that there are all kinds of foods available that are friendly to those with diabetes that weren’t around just a few short years ago. It is quite possible to live and eat quite nicely with diabetes if you stick to your plan. The most important thing about dieting with diabetes is that you never lose sight of how crucial it is to do so.
The vegetarian way of eating can be a very healthy style of eating. The rules still apply with healthy eating, although you should add variety, balance, and moderation. A vegetarian is someone who avoids all types of meat, whether it be hamburgers, hot-dogs, chicken, or even fish.
Vegetarians are also sometimes classified by the type of food they are or aren’t willing to eat. For example, Lacto-ovo vegetarians will avoid animal flesh yet they will eat eggs and most dairy products. A Vegan on the other hand, will avoid all food that has any trace of
animal origin. Because they don’t eat meet, vegetarians will often wonder how they’ll get enough protein. Although you may not realize it, the average American actually consumes more protein than he actually needs. For the lacto-ovo vegetarian, dairy products are an excellent source of protein. Vegans on the other hand, get their protein from nuts, seeds, and soy products.
Along the lines of beans, there are several to choose from, including green or red lentils, peanuts, split peas, pinto, soy, kidney, and many more. Some of them you are already familiar, such as kidney beans in chilli, refried beans in Mexican dishes, red beans and rice, and pinto beans. Although some beans taste good as they are, others are available with different flavours to help enhance their taste. Nuts are high in protein, although they deliver a lot more fat than beans, which means you should enjoy them in moderation. By having one cup of cooked beans, you’ll get the same amount of protein as eating two ounces of meat!
The nutrients of concern for vegans, who avoid all types of animal food, are vitamin B12, calcium, and vitamin D. In the average North American diet, the primary source for B12 is animals. To have an adequate intake of B12, vegans should regularly consume vitamin B12 supplements or foods, which contain vitamin B12, such as soy products or milk.
For calcium, vegans can rely on orange juice or soy milk, as they are fortified with calcium. Beans and leafy green vegetables will also contain some calcium as well. Although all types of vegetarians rely on simple food groups, controlling your vitamins and calcium intake is something you should always do. This is very important for eating healthy, as well as staying healthy. If you control what you eat, you’ll have many years of healthy eating ahead of you.
Before I get into this article I have to make an admission, I love food, and yes most of the time I do enjoy my diet, is it always the healthiest, well, then unfortunately I would have to say no. When I started this website I was more than just grossly overweight, and as one doctor jestingly stated that he had seen fitter corpses. I have come a long way since then, fitness wise I have accomplished more than I expected, but my weight loss is definitely behind schedule.
When we are young time isn’t very important, and the future almost appears to be infinity, (please stay with me here as I do have a point to make) but once we reach our mid sixties, we realize how fast a lifetime passes, and how much faster time seems to be passing us by. Now my point is, because time passes so fast, and we don’t have any rehearsals, just the one take at life, its important that we enjoy every minute as much as we can, and that has to include our food.
I know a couple of people my age who constantly worry about what they should and shouldn’t eat, if they have put any weight on, and the silly part is, they are far from being overweight, and if anything I would say they are underweight. In my view life is too short for that, but I am not saying live on McDonald’s, or have fries with every meal, or eat cream cakes every day, but every now and then in moderation can’t do any harm. Now I know there are going to be some of you out there shaking your heads going “no no that can’t be right” but please bare with me until the end of this article, and my point will be explained.
I must say I hate the word diet, it just conjurers up all the wrong images for me, rice cakes, bland looking meals, cabbage soup, all the things that make us cringe, so I think it should be meal plan, or eating plan, it sounds so much more appetising. Healthy does not have to be bland, you can make some very tasty meals, and still lose weight, and I will be giving you some of my favourite recipes later in this article.
In the opening of this article I said “is my diet always the healthiest, then unfortunately I would have to say no” now let me explain what I meant. Some things I have been able to give up when I needed to, smoking, alcohol, no problem, but stick to a strict eating plan, and I am in trouble, for me it is difficult, and sometimes I do eat something that I know I shouldn’t. Now I am lucky, as a young friend of mine is a fitness trainer, and qualified dietitian. I have to say he has given up trying to get me to stick to his eating plans, but he has come up with an alternative that seems to be working quite well for me.
When I say I sometimes eat things that I know I shouldn’t, I don’t mean that I binge out on cakes and ice cream, though that is a disgustingly nice thought, no seriously its just enough to slow down my weight loss. Now when you think about it, what my friend has come up with is nothing more than plain common sense. He has said that as I enjoy my eating plan and its not outrageous on the days when I do bend the rules a bit, I just spend more time exercising, or do an extra walk before I go to bed, it seems like a fair trade-off to me. This brings with it extra benefits, because I can often find the answer to a nagging problem when I am walking, it can clear your head and give you a fresh perspective on things.
Lets get down to the important bit food, and when you enjoy food like I do, one thing that helps is to fill up on a bowl of tasty healthy soup before your main meal. While I was researching for (Weight Loss Foods That Can Help to Shed Those Excess Pounds), celery kept cropping up, as a good source of fibre, and a very healthy snack. I have to say that celery was one vegetable I thought was put here to annoy us, I absolutely hated the stuff, because of those disgusting stringy bits that keep getting stuck in your teeth. I now have to admit that celery makes fantastic soup, (you can find it on my recipes page) and is now one of my favourites along with, Leek Potato and Carrot soup. Both of these are really tasty, and great fillers before any main course.
Food is very important, but enjoying the food we eat is also very important, of course we need to be careful, but that shouldn’t stop it having plenty of flavour. I have had some requests for healthy recipes, and I have decided to now include a recipes page, and over the coming weeks I hope to be constantly adding to the list of tasty and healthy choices, so then if you are stuck and need some ideas, you will be able to just go to the recipes page. Just a couple of reminders before I go, water is our friend, for losing weight, drink at least 2 litres per day, but 3 litres is better. Increase your water intake, and after a couple of weeks you will notice your skin looking younger. Secondly eating slowly is the secret to eating less, it gives your body a chance to let you know when you have eaten enough, and you soon find you are enjoying your food more. Also watch out for the monthly news letter which will be starting soon, with health and exercise tips and more recipes for spring…..
It doesn’t make any difference if you arrived here because you have decided to make 2014 the year to take control of your weight, or you over indulged during the festive period and just need to get back on track, you’re in the right place. In many parts of the Western World obesity has now almost reached epidemic proportions, but many dietary experts believe that the large numbers of people becoming seriously overweight is directly linked to the ever growing number of convenience fast-food outlets. Dietary experts are now telling us that it’s not just how much we eat, but as much the types of food we are eating, and also our eating patterns, which are causing many of us to gain considerable amounts of unwanted weight. I believe many of the problems stem from the modern fast pace of life, where many of us want everything now, hence the success of the fast-food chains. Another change that has come about, mainly due to the way of life, is how we approach breakfast, as this is the most important meal, as it dictates our energy levels and sets us up for the day. We used to have a well balanced sit down breakfast. In summer it could be cereal, and maybe a boiled egg and toast, with a cup of tea or coffee, and in winter it could be porridge, a nice slow energy releaser. For many these days breakfast has become something we grab on the run, or replace with a cup of coffee, and even worse in some cases missed out altogether. There seems to be a misconception that if we partially starve ourselves by missing out meals it will help us lose weight at an accelerated rate. In reality the complete opposite is true, it sends a signal for our bodies to store more fat. The only way to lose weight and then keep it off is with a properly planned well balanced diet.
Food and Effect,
It is important that we get to know what foods are going to aid us in our weight-loss. The problem is there is no single food that can reduce weight, but when used in the right combination it can make a big difference. As we continue you will see why it is important to have a proper diet plan, to make sure we are getting all the right foods in the proper proportions, and to make sure we are keeping away from anything with high sugar, salt and saturated fats. What we are looking for is a balance, between the amount of energy we take on board in the form of food, and the amount of energy we burn in our daily life, to lose weight our input needs to be less that our output. When we eat the right foods our bodies work properly, we have more energy, we are able to concentrate better, we have better moods, and we can shed those unwanted pounds, but when we eat the wrong foods its like our bodies are full of sludge, we have no energy, and can become moody. So lets take a look at what we need.
Fibre; We need fibre for our digestive system to work properly, but it also has many health benefits, and when we are trying to lose weight it helps to fill us up. Eating plenty of fibre rich foods will help prevent conditions like, constipation, haemorrhoids, and can even help in the prevention of bowl cancer. If you have not had a lot of fibre in your diet it is important that you introduce it gradually so as to prevent any side effects like, excessive wind and bloating. There are recommended daily amounts of fibre which are women 25 grams, and for men 35 – 40 grams if you go above these recommendations you must increase your daily intake of water, which should be around 2 litres per day. I am going to list the top ten sources of fibre, but there is not the scope in this article to go into detail about each one of them. If you want more information about how fibre and particular fruits and vegetables work in our diet, I suggest you Google (Dietary Fibre) and you will find all the information you could possibly require.
The top ten high fibre foods,
#1 Corn Bran, but Wheat Bran and Rice Bran are just as high, there is also Oat Bran but it is no so high.
#2 Cauliflowers and Broccoli, Broccoli is a super vegetable and should be included in every diet, ideally every day.
#3 Cabbages, raw Savoy Cabbage is the best but all cabbage is very good.
#4 Berries, Raspberries are the best followed by Elderberries, Blackberries, Gooseberries, Cranberries, and finally Strawberries.
#5 Leafy Salad Greens, Cos and Romaine Lettuce, also Spinach is very good.
#6 Celery, not only is Celery a good source of fibre but it is also a great dieting vegetable, because it is almost zero calorie rated.
#8Beans, Kidney beans are the best followed by Navy beans also known as Haricot beans, French beans, Pinto beans, black beans and Chick Peas, are all good.
#9 Mushrooms, cooked White closed cup mushrooms.
#10 Oranges and that covers all of the various varieties. There we have it the top ten best sources for our dietary fibre, but we have only scratched the surface, there is so much more information than we could ever try to cover in this type of article, you just have to look on line if you are interested.
Vitamin B; It’s like a driving force, it breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, which is our bodies energy provider, it also breaks down fats and proteins, which is essential for a normal functioning and healthy nervous system. Although it is possible to cover our vitamin B needs with a B Complex Vitamin, most doctors and nutritionists agree that the best way to get our daily B vitamins is naturally, through the foods we eat. Now you might be wondering “why do I need to know all this, I only want to lose some weight?”. But if you know how something works, and in this case the way our bodies use the food we eat, then its easier to understand why we need certain foods to stay fit and healthy, and able to lose weight. Vitamin B has actually eight types, B1 Thiamine, B2 Riboflavin, B3 Niacin, B5 Pantothenic Acid, B6 Pyridoxine, B12 Cyanocobalanmi, Folic Acid, and Biotin. Let’s take each one in turn and see how much we need and how we acquire it.
B1 Thiamine; Thiamine is important with several functions, including, working with other B-group vitamins to help break down and release energy from food, and keeping our nerves and muscle tissue healthy. Thiamine is found in many foods, but the best sources are, vegetables, peas, fresh fruit and dried fruits, eggs, wholegrain bread, fortified breakfast serials and liver. There are recommended daily amounts, which are 1mg for men and 0.8mg for women, but the body cannot store thiamine so we need a daily supply through a well balanced diet.
B2 Riboflavin, Riboflavin’s main functions are keeping our skin, eyes, and nervous system healthy, plus it helps the body extract energy from carbohydrates. The best sources of riboflavin are, milk, eggs, fortifiedbreakfast cereals and rice. A problem with riboflavin is it can bedestroyedby UV, therefore foods containing riboflavin must be kept out of direct sunlight. The daily amount our bodies need is 1.3mg for men and 1.1mg for women, but as we cannot store it we need to get our daily supply from a balanced diet.
B3 Niacin, Niacin comes in two forms nicotinic acid and nicotinamide, and both of these are found in food, they help to produce energy from what we eat, and work towards keeping our nervous and digestive systems healthy. The best sources are, meat, fish, wheat floor, eggs, milk and maize. We need 17mg per day for men and 13mg for women, again our bodies cannot store niacin so we have to get it daily through our diet. One point worth noting, if you are on a proper well balanced diet including the foods listed above, you don’t want to be taking nicotinic acid supplements, as high doses can cause skin flushes, and high doses over an extended period can even lead to liver damage.
B5 Pantothenic Acid, Pantothenic Acid is a water-soluble vitamin, it’s an antioxidant, and is very important in the breaking-down of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, and used in the production of several enzymes, and also helps our nervous system communicate with the brain. This is a multi role vitamin essential for the running of our bodies so preventing any deficiency is extremely important. Small amounts of pantothenic acid are found in nearly every food but large amounts are found in wholegrain cereals, brown rice, chicken, beef, kidney, potatoes, porridge, eggs, broccoli, avocado, tomatoes, and yogurt. With the range of foods containing pantothenic acid it is easy to get your daily supply with a reasonable diet without needing any supplement.
B6 Pyridoxine, Pyridoxine allows the body to store and use energy extracted from protein and carbohydrates, it also helps form haemoglobin which carries oxygen around our bodies. Pyridoxine is found in many foods, the best of these are, pork, turkey, chicken, fish, bread, whole cereals, eggs, vegetables, milk, soya beans, peanuts, and fortified breakfast cereals. Pyridoxine is an essential vitamin and we need 1.4mg per day for men and 1.2mg for women, as it can’t be stored in the body we need our daily supply from our diet, but with the large number of foods carrying this vitamin it should be easy with a healthy planned diet to get enough, without having to resort to any supplements.
B12 Cyanocobalanmi, Cyanocobalanmi is another of the multi roll vitamins and one of the most important, as it is responsible for the production of red blood cells, helping to keep our nervous system healthy, releasing energy from food, and also processing folic acid. Good sources of vitamin B12 are, meat, salmon, cod, milk, cheese, eggs, and some of the fortified breakfast cereals. Men and women only need about 0.0015mg per day, and with a proper diet including some dairy and meat or fish it should be easy to get our daily amount. That said, according to an article by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition2, approximately 6% of people aged 60+ years are vitamin B12 deficient in the United Kingdom and the United States, the common symptoms are, tiredness, lethargy, feeling faint, breathlessness, the less common effects are headaches, palpitations, loss of appetite, tinnitus, and you can also look rather pale.
Folic acid, This is another of the B group vitamins, which works with B12 to form red blood cells, and helps to reduce defects in the central nervous system. Folic acid is found in many foods in small amounts, but good sources include, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, liver, spinach, asparagus, peas, chickpeas, brown rice, and fortified breakfast cereals. Adults require 0.2mg of folic acid per day, as it can’t be stored you need to acquire it from your varied and balanced daily diet.
Biotin, Biotin is another water soluble B group vitamin, which is essential in the formation of fatty acids and glucose. The best sources are, Swiss chard, which is also a very healthy salad choice and provides antioxidants, carrots, almonds, walnuts and most other nuts, eggs, milk cows and goats, raspberries, strawberries, halibut, vegetables, mainly onions, cauliflower, and cucumbers, which are all very healthy options to include in our daily diet. That is the eight group B vitamins, what they do, and what foods we need to get them from, and by now you must be able to see why it is so important that we have a proper well balanced diet including all the food groups, to enable us to stay fit and healthy.
Snacking and weight loss,
When we normally think of a snack, it’s a cup of tea or coffee with a biscuit or a cake or bun, but if you want to lose weight you need to re-think it. You need to be drinking water and at least two litres per day, and a glass before any snack or meal will help reduce your calorie intake and speed your weight loss. The best snack would be celery, as I mentioned earlier it is almost zero calorie rated. On its own it is very bland, but with a low fat dip it becomes more attractive. A vegetable salad or fresh fruit are good to snack on, plus low fat yogurt and cereals without sugar, are also healthy options, One thing you have to watch out for when shopping, just because something says low fat it does not automatically make it healthy, you must check the label for its contents. There are also many food supplements on the market, which work on the principal of thermogenics which makes the body metabolism run faster so as to burn fat faster and more effectively. Such supplements include ephedra, green tea extract, caffeine, guarana and synephrine which stimulate the breakdown of fat cells in the body. There are also some appetite suppressants namely plantago psyllium which gives a feeling of fullness and stops the intake of food, also hoodia which is derived from a prickly plant from South Africa and makes the brain think that the stomach is full, it removes the desire to eat and drink. Whichever way you look at it, nothing beats a proper balanced diet, that covers all the food groups we need to stay healthy, and having read this article to here, you now know how important the right foods are. Another important part to the weight-loss puzzle is EXERCISE, even if its only walking, get out there and get yourself moving. If you want some good information on your healthy diet plan I recommend checking out these sites.
A Low carb diet does not use the ‘official’ food pyramid; therefore it can be difficult to know what you can and cannot eat when on the low carb diet. However, the Food and Drug Administration has made it easy for you to figure out what you can and cannot eat on your low carb diet. It may be a little difficult, but figuring out your carb will be a little easier after reading this article. As you may know, the key to maintaining your low carb diet is in counting carbs; however, it’s not the overall carb count that you need to watch, you need to figure out the net carb count. To figure out your net carb count, you need to identify the carbs that don’t have a high impact on your blood stream and glucose levels – those carbs that are found in fiber and sugar alcohol, and subtract that total from the overall carb count. To figure out net carbs, you need to take the total number of carbohydrates and subtract the total amount of dietary fiber and sugar alcohol content.
Let’s use an example. Right here I have a can of Campbell’s Select™ New England Clam Chowder Soup. The total amount of carbs for this bowl of soup is 16g. The amount of carbs from dietary fiber is 2g and alcohol sugar is 1g. Therefore, this bowl of soup has a net carb count of 13g. That wasn’t too difficult, was it?
Finding the carbs hiding in your house has become easier, how about when you are out running errands, going shopping, picking up your dry cleaning, and dragging yourself from one after-school activity to another? Since the easiest thing to do in these times of time-crunching is stopping by the local fast food chain restaurant, they’ve made it much easier for you to find something that will satisfy your appetite and maintain your delicate balance of carbs.
Many fast food restaurants, such as Blimpie’s, McDonalds, Arby’s, Subway, and Burger King even have low carb diet friendly menus. The really neat thing about the way the fast food industry is tackling the low carb diet trend is how they’re sidestepping the bread issue. As anyone with on one of these diets know, the bread is public enemy number one when it comes to your diet. So, instead of serving the usual bakery bread, they’ve created new low carb diet bread, so you can have your sandwich and eat it too! It’s a great way to bring the low carb conscious consumer into their restaurants without having to worry about all those carbs – it’s the best of both worlds.
As you can see, it’s now simple to figure out how many carbs are hiding in your pantry, and your local fast food restaurants have healthy low carb diet alternatives to your favorite McMeal. Your local supermarket will have healthy low carb diet alternatives that you can add to your next meal. If you continue counting your carbs using our simple formula you’ll be able to maintain your balance of carbs and lose weight and stay healthy – without much work at all!
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If you are on a low carb diet, one of the great things is your choice of fresh fruit and vegetables; you really have a large choice. On average vegetables have higher carb values than fruits, ranging from 4 to around 12 per 100 grams, and fruits range from 2 to around 10 grams per 100. Even if you want to stay with just the low end range, you have some really healthy options, with broccoli, cabbage, cucumber if its peeled, closed cup white mushrooms, Brussels sprouts next to broccoli are one of the healthiest vegetables you can get, the reason so many people don’t like them has nothing to do with the sprouts it’s the preparation, you have to cut the stem level with where the leaves start, and cut a cross in the stem and remove the outer layer of dark green leaves, before you boil them for about twelve minutes, and then you will never again have bitter tasting sprouts. Next we have green, red and yellow peppers, cauliflower, red onions, carrots, and green peas in the pods. The fruits are just as good, water melon being lowest, strawberry’s, avocado, cantaloupe, blackberries, honeydew melon and peaches are all good for you, grapefruit and the various oranges are next, with plums, raspberries, pineapples, apples, pears, blueberries and kiwi fruits, all of these are really healthy. To add some meat to your selection of fruits and vegetables, one of your best choices is chicken breast with no skin, which has a 0 rating. For some interesting low carb recipes try:
Vegetarian Food Can Help With Your Weight-loss Plans
For those on a diet vegetable soup can be an excellent way to cut calories while enjoying the wonderful nutrients and vegetables that our bodies need. The most famous of these types of diets is the Cabbage Soup Diet. The thing to remember with this diet though is it is not a very healthy long-term solution. You must go off the diet on the days that should be taken off. To stay on this diet all the time will rob you of very important nutrients that the body needs aside from vegetables. While vegetables are good for you, they are certainly not a replacement for all the other wonderful ingredients on the food pyramid.
The good news is that there have been a few variations and modern twists to the original diet vegetable soup. Those twists include things such as beef stock added to the soup or different vegetables. The important thing to remember is that it isn’t the diet vegetable soup that is the miracle worker so much as the fact that you are significantly reducing your caloric intake during the course of this diet. Calories are the bane of every dieter and if you are doubling your caloric intake on the days when you aren’t dieting, then you run the risk of erasing all the weight you lost while adhering to the rigors of the diet.
The truth of the matter is that you could probably enjoy a decent supply of your favorite vegetable soup each day as long as you are being reasonable in your consumption and enjoy very similar benefits to what you would experience on the cabbage soup diet. Your body does need vegetables in order to operate at its best. It also needs proteins and carbohydrates so consider these things when selecting a diet vegetable soup substitution if that is the way you wish to go.
While this is certainly not the preferred method for most people, a sensible diet combined with reasonable exercise and physical activity will go a lot further towards achieving your fitness and weight loss goals than enduring bowl after bowl of a so called diet vegetable soup. I wish there was a miracle pill, soup, or chocolate (especially chocolate) that could instantly transform me to my perfect size. The truth of the matter is that everything that is really worth having is worth the sacrifice required to achieve it.
If eating 5 helpings of a miracle cabbage or diet vegetable soup each day for a week will help me achieve my fitness goals then I’m willing to suffer through it. The question you should really ask yourself is how long will you reasonably be able to do what is required and how long will it reasonably take to experience your weight loss and/or fitness goals? Are you willing to combine exercise and a physical fitness routine with your diet in order to maximize your results? If so, the only question that remains, which diet vegetable soup will be the best choice for you?
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This is a good way to kick-start your weight loss if you can stick with it, but it is only a seven day plan, then you must get back to a sensible balanced diet. I have used this plan a couple of times, the first time I followed it to the letter and lost 19lbs in seven days, the second time I did Lapse a few times but still lost 10lbs. If you are Diabetic you should check with your doctor before going on any diet, but there is nothing in this plan that will harm you, and the weight loss can only be beneficial. If you are looking for a recipe and seven day eating plan you can try here, http://www.food.com/recipe/7-day-soup-diet-recipe-215370 or just Google “the vegetable soup diet plan” for more options. Whatever you decide to do please remember this is ONLY a seven day kick-start NOT a diet plan to use for longer, and I wish you the most success with your weight-loss plans.
A 1200 calorie diet is nutritionally adequate for most grown adults. Also, it’s the recommended amount of calories for safe and healthy weight loss. Starving your body with too few calories causes your body to slow down the use of its calories, which is why there is no noticeable weight loss on the scale when you starve yourself. The 1200 calorie diet has proven itself to be nutritious while at the same time allowing your body to lose weight naturally. Standard diet programs recommended by physicians, dietitians, and nutritionists use 1200 calorie diet plans as a foundation for meal plans.
There are criteria that alter the number of calories a person needs to consume each day for weight loss. Examples include age, gender, basal metabolic rate, body size, exercise regime and any medical needs. A formula is often used when calculating a person’s individual calorie requirement.
The 1200 calorie diet plan may seem like more than enough calories to suffice the average adult, with the amount of processed foods with saturated fats and refined sugars make the calories add up very quickly. For this reason, the balance of micronutrients is crucial to sustain the feeling of ‘fullness’ without consuming more calories. These macronutrients consist of protein, carbohydrates and fats. Usually, you’ll want to have at least half of your calories (or over fifty percent) come into your system from complex carbohydrates, fifteen percent from protein, and thirty percent of calories from fats (with no more than ten percent of that thirty from saturated forms).
There are many advantages to the 1200 calorie diet. For example, when you are consuming nutritious food you’re less likely to overeat because of the effect of ‘fullness’ these foods give you. Also, because you can choose from a vast variety of foods in the 1200 calorie diet, you’re allowing yourself variety in your diet all the while supplying much needed energy and a sense of ‘well-being’ to every cell of your body. It is also recommended with this diet to drink forty eight ounces of water daily with your meals and snacks. Because being well hydrated not only provides energy but it also helps your body reduces the amount of fluid in your shrinking fat cells – which is weight loss! It’s a win-win scenario.
Because the 1200 calorie diet is highly regarded by the medical community, dietitians, and nutritionists, its’ considered the safest way to lose weight. By limiting your amount of calories, you allow your body to burn the fat reserves in your body, allowing yourself to lose weight naturally. Combined with a strict regimen of diet and exercise, the 1200 calorie diet is a sure fire way to create long lasting weight loss results that will be maintainable and noticeable throughout your life. As with any diet, be sure to consult your physician to get the proper training and plan for safe and permanent weight loss.
The rice diet is a fabulous way to not only lose weight, but also lower your cholesterol and blood pressure. The diet was developed by Duke University as a treatment for diabetes,hypertension, and obesity. However, this low fat, low salt diet has proven itself time and again to be a great source for not only lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, but also weight. Because of this, many overweight diabetics should join the program as a surefire way to get their diseases under control, lose weight, and lose the prescription co-dependence. In the treatment of diabetes, the rice diet is substantially useful. It reduces the need for insulin in patents in all patients – thirty two percent of which were able to completely lose their co-dependence on insulin. The remaining percent of patients were able to severely diminish their medicinal intake for their diabetes.
In coronary artery disease it reduces the symptoms of angina pectoris and congestive heart failure – therefore making the drugs associated with it unnecessary. In conjunction with the rice diet, research shows that lowering cholesterol with diet and/or medication can reduce the risk of death from this disease, and that the diet is a very effective treatment for it. Many coronary artery disease patients have even been able to completely stop their prescription medications after using the rice diet program.
Hypertension is also affected by the rice diet. Trials have shown that the rice diet lowers the blood pressure of hypertensive patients and therefore prolongs life as it lowers cholesterol, normalizes blood sugar, uric acid, weight, and heart size.
Overweight patients can lose on average one half to one pound a day on the diet. On www.ricedietprogram.com it says, “The average initial weight for women was 204 pounds. The average weight for men was 266 pounds. The average weight loss in the first week was eight pounds for women and twelve pounds for men, but some patients have lost over 30 pounds in the first week. In four weeks, women lost an average of 19 pounds and men an average of 30 pounds. Again, some patients have lost over 90 pounds in the first four weeks.” Afterwards, sixty three percent of patents reported weighing the same or less than they did when they left the program. Such high success rates are reported across the board, and are indicative of what patients learn while in the program.
While the rice diet program may not be for everyone, it is a safe way to not only lose weight, but also fight major diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. The creators, at Duke University, have created a useful and safe method for you to lose weight (and keep it off) while under the direct supervision of a physician/doctor. If you feel that the program may be of help to you in your quest for weight loss, speak to your physician/doctor to see if the rice diet program will work for you.
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There have been many books on the rice diet, and even more focusing on different menus, some can be rather bland, with others being rather tasty as well as being healthy. The author Kitty Gurkin Rosati has written several books on the Rice Diet, I think one of her best is The Rice Diet Cookbook, anybody really interested in trying this diet should check it out. Another alternative is to open Google and type in The Rice Diet, then you can check out the relevant sites.
