Posts Tagged fresh fruit and vegetables
Fad Diets – Negative Facts, Positive Solutions
Posted by in Weight Loss on August 17th, 2010
We are often bombarded by new fad diets. We all know someone who swears they have found one that really works, but do they in the long term? Although many of the fad diets sound simple and the promise of losing weight quickly is more than a little tempting, the truth is it is usually only a temporary quick fix. Rarely is the weight we lose fat, most we will find is just water. Fad diets are really not the best route to take in reducing our weight. They can in fact be quite detrimental to our health and well being and usually ineffectual.
Here are a few points to consider before embarking on a fad diet.
When we first begin our fad diet, we are full of enthusiasm. Many of these diets allow us to eat large quantities of foods we may enjoy, that formerly we had labelled fattening. We have all heard of banana diets, cabbage diets, egg diets and so on. They all sound so easy but after a few days of constant consumption, we begin to get bored and get to the stage where we feel sick at the thought of yet another day of the same routine at meal time. The next stage we progress to is craving for forbidden foods, and just dying to have a little variety. As the cravings increase so does temptation to deviate from the diet, leading ultimately to failure.
Our body needs many vital vitamins, minerals and other important ingredients within our diet to keep us functioning healthily. Many fad diets radically omit certain groups of foods, whilst encouraging more of others. By omitting foods containing vital nutrients we are compromising our health. Yes, we may lose those unwanted pounds, but at what cost?
It is vital that we include lean protein, healthy fats, fresh fruit and vegetables in our diet. Fad diets often omit many of these foods which are rich in the essential nutrients we need to give us energy and keep us fit and healthy.
Fad diets are not the way forward in our weight loss programme
as they are not intended to be followed long term. Although sometimes very effective in the initial first few weeks, encouraging us to carry on, in the long term how do we know that we are not damaging our health and bodies. These diets are not intended to be followed forever, we should think twice before possibly jeopardising our health and well being later.
We really need to take a long hard look at the basic reason that we have gained our extra weight initially. Fad diets cannot resolve any problems connected to our weight gain, all they can give us is a quick fix solution to a long term problem. Our excess weight gain may be for emotional reasons or perhaps mental or physical, fad diets cannot address these issues.
Our best option in battling excess weight is to improve our lifestyle and eating habits. By dieting sensibly on a healthy nutritious low calorie plan, we are much more likely to succeed, and can carry on dieting long term without compromising our well being. Combining exercise with our diet will not only strengthen our bodies but help burn up those calories. A marriage of these two components can only help us to lose those unwanted pounds, keep us both happy and healthy and stop the weight returning.
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Article Source: Fad Diets – Negative Facts, Positive Solutions
6 Ways To Start A Low Fat Diet Weight Loss
Posted by in Weight Loss on July 27th, 2010
A healthy diet that includes a variety of foods and is rich in fresh fruits and vegetables along with regular physical activity can help most people manage and maintain weight loss for both cardiovascular health and appearance. The healthiest type of diet plan is a balanced diet which includes foods from all food groups in the Food Pyramid. According to the food pyramid, all fats and oils should be eaten sparingly. This means your diet should be low in fat, especially saturated fat. As a rough guide, no more than about 30 percent of your calories should be eaten in the form of fat.
We need certain fats (essential fatty acids), so a low-fat diet doesn’t mean a no-fat diet. Also, just because a food is low-fat doesn’t mean it’s healthy or less fattening. It may be high in sugar which is not good for your health or weight. So whenever possible, choose low fat brands that are also low in sugar. Some high-protein diets de-emphasize high-carbohydrate, high-fiber plant foods. These foods help lower cholesterol when eaten as part of a nutritionally balanced diet. Reducing consumption of these foods usually means other, higher-fat foods are eaten instead. This raises cholesterol levels even more and increases cardiovascular risk.
You might be thinking about how to start or restart a healthy low fat diet. Or perhaps a medical condition requires you to follow a low fat diet. Whatever your reasons or motivation, here are 6 things you can do to get started:
1. Again, the low fat kitchen article can give you plenty of ideas. Basically, substitute low-fat or fat-free products for their full fat counterparts. Buy whole grain pastas, breads and grains; and stock up with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Try to eat at least nine servings (4 1/2 cups) of these a day.
2. Remind yourself not to be intimidated, as this is reallyeasy. Turn on flame of gas stove. Place pepper directly onburner, burning the outer skin evenly. Use two forks to turn pepper. Don’t usefingers. Place pepper in plastic bag, tie tightly, leave for ten minutes. Have ready a bowl of water to rinse your fingers. as pepperis messy. Shuck blackened skin off of pepper with fingers, rinsing fingers. Do not just rinse pepper, as you will lose lots ofgreatflavor. When mostly clean, pull into sections along the ribs. De-seed, rinsing fingers again. Discard green top of pepper.
3. Water is essential for digestion, and also helps us feel fuller for longer. Sometimes we confuse thirst for hunger, so keep a bottle of water by your side and sip it frequently—you’ll probably end up eating less. This is one of the best natural weight loss.
4. Take a can of chick peas and drain out the liquid. Place chick peas in a bowl add a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of sesame seeds, some hot sauce, 3 cloves of garlic finely minced and a tablespoon of olive oil. Mash this stuff with a big spoon for about a minute (work out the forearms) or longer till it becomes a paste. Can be had with pita bread or use it as a dip or just have it with mashed potatoes, great stuff.
5. Eat healthy snacks. When you do get an attack of the munchies, make sure you reach for nutritious snacks such as fruit, low-fat yogurt, whole-grain crackers, air-popped popcorn or raw veggies. An occasional cookie or square or two of chocolate are not the end of the world.
6. Eat fish at least once and preferably twice a week. Fish is naturally low in fat, and fish that have higher levels, such as salmon, contain heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Chose 1/2# nice whitfish fillet for each serving. (Whitefish, catfish, whatever). Brush fish with a little plain olive oil. Season withsalt, pepper. (Add Old Bay if you live on the Eastern Shore ofMaryland). Grill over coals and turn once only or fish will fallapart. Fish is done when flesh has firmed to the touch, about 10 minutes. Serve dinner with boiled baby new potatoes and freshly choppedparsley, with a side of steamed green beans and yellow wax beans.
Author is an online researcher on natural weight loss. Nutritionist. Click read more on natural weight loss, high protein low fat diet.
Article Source: 6 Ways To Start A Low Fat Diet Weight Loss
How to Lose Your Body Fat Safely and Naturally
Posted by in Weight Loss on July 17th, 2010
Losing fat can be a very difficult task, but there are ways of losing excess fat safely and naturally without using any chemicals or unsavoury ingredients that could affect your health in the long run. There are a plethora of products on the market that advocate safe weight loss but these products although are marketed as natural may not be. The safest way of losing weight is to take regular exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet. There are some natural products you could take in order to lose excess fat. These are some of the things you should consider doing in order to lose fat and live a healthier lifestyle.
Drink plenty of water
Many weight loss experts have argued that drinking plenty of water is vital when it comes to losing fat. The idea that keeping yourself hydrated can aid in the weight loss process has been prevalent in the weight loss industry for many years. Experts state that you must try and drink at least 8 large glasses of water a day to help flush out toxins and to act as a catalyst for fat burning. Water is vital when it comes to efficient running of the human body. Therefore a body without water is an unhealthy body. Anyone aiming to lose body fat should try endeavour to drink at an extra half a glass for each hour of exercise.
Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables
The idea that eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables can help you lose fat safely and naturally has been a prominent one for generations. There are various vegetables and fruits that have a fat burning effect on the body. Such food types are called negative calorie foods, for example; celery. Celery is one of the most well known negative calorie foods, the idea of a negative calorie food is that, it takes more calories to eat and digest the food than the food actually contains. This may sound confusing but let’s break it down. Celery has 5 calories per stick, and it takes 10 calories to chew and digest therefore creating a deficit. The more negative calorie foods consumed the faster you will lose excess fat. Many believe that in order to lose weight fast you must take some kind of fat burning pill. However there are fat burning properties in many natural foods.
Exercise to lose body fat safely
When it comes to exercise you don’t have to spend a fortune joining a gym, exercise is free! You can start off very small by just walking for an hour every day. You will be surprised at how quickly you will start to see results. Always try and make sure you do some small form of exercise every day and work your way up to achieving more challenging exercise regimes. Doing cardiovascular exercise is key if you wish to lose fat. However in order to lose fat safely you must make sure you consult your doctor before embarking on any weight loss regime.
Read information about Fat Loss Slimming Pills. Find useful Fat Loss Diet to lose excess body fat. Also know about Fat Loss Supplements.
Article Source: How to Lose Your Body Fat Safely and Naturally
Losing Weight With A Low Fat Diet Plan
Posted by in Weight Loss on July 10th, 2010
Losing weight is not always easy; you need to change your lifestyle and adopt a low fat diet plan, which will help you reduce the fat and calorie intake.
1. Changing Your Diet Plan.
It takes time to learn how to make the proper adjustments to lose weigh but, rather than focus your diet on foods you have to avoid, you need to learn to focus on substituting one kind of food for a more suitable alternative – e.g. change fries for basmati rice which is just as filling and tasty but much more healthy; or a bowl of ice-cream for a piece of fruit.
2. Find The Best Diet Plan.
How can you find the proper diet plan for you? Thankfully you have a good ally today; the Diet Solution is a new system that helps you learn everything you need about low carbs diets, low fats diet plans and all the methods to lose weight properly.
Looking for a miracle diet that shifts all the pounds you have to lose in just a few weeks will not work – there is no miracle diet! Losing weight fast and permanently takes commitment and is hard work: it is a positive action that you have to focus on for yourself. Despite this, however, the end really does justify the means and, despite the hard work, when you learn how to lose weight fast and permanently, it is well worth the effort.
3. The Basis Of a Low Fat Diet Plan.
The basis of this diet should be fresh fruit and vegetables, with a vast reduction on processed foods and snacks that are high in calories and saturated fat. Part of the learning process through the Diet Solution is how to replace refined foods with more natural alternatives which have a better effect on blood sugar and appetite and help to control the kinds of cravings that can result in overeating. You will get a list of processed foods and products you need to stop eating if you want to lose weight.
The Diet Solution will also teach you how calorie counting is great if you want to adopt an effective fat loss plan.
The Diet Solution is a fat loss system that focuses on nutrition. This program will show you exactly what foods you need to eat to be healthy and lose unwanted fat.
Visit http://www.millionsreview.com/the-diet-solution-review.html to read a FREE report and learn more about this All Natural Diet & Nutrition Program On The Internet!
Article Source: Losing Weight With A Low Fat Diet Plan
How Safe is Fast Weight Loss?
Posted by in Weight Loss on July 5th, 2010
We all want to lose weight fast. There is a wedding, or a holiday or a party soon and our clothes will not fit. No problem, we are told. We can lose 30 pounds in 30 days, or even 10 pounds in 3 days – easy. Well, it can be done – but is it a good idea? Not really. You can harm your health doing it.
There are a lot of pills on the market which make impressive claims. Some decrease appetite, others increase calories burned. There are those which block absorption of dietary fat. The problem is we do not know enough about their side effects. A few pills are banned by the American FDA, but what about the others? It is all a grey area. If you do use pills to lose weight do your research first. Try to find out what they do and if there have been any problems with the ones you propose using.
So what are the dangers of fast weight loss? These include.
Dehydration caused by mainly losing water weight and also the possibility of diarrhoea.
Gallbladder and gallstone problems.
Tiredness and lack of energy.
Cramps through reduced sodium and potassium levels.
Muscle loss, as the body uses its own muscle to produce energy.
When it undergoes fast weight loss your body tries to protect itself from famine and slows down its metabolism, thus burning fewer calories. This in turn prevents it losing weight, as it is adapting to a lower calorie diet. You have abused your body by becoming fat, now you are abusing your body by trying to lose weight too quickly.
There is nothing wrong in losing weight. In fact there is a lot right in doing so, but you must do it the right way. You should lose weight with a combination of exercise and a healthy diet. This is the way to go, but it is not an instant solution.
Start by cutting out fats, sugars, fizzy drinks and junk food. Do not just decide not to eat them. Ban them from the house. Instead eat fresh fruit and vegetables, grains, lean meat and oily fish such as mackerel. There are plenty of recipes available which show you how to use these ingredients in imaginative and appetising ways. The Mediterranean diet is one of the best available.
You must exercise, walking, swimming, or cycling are all good if you do not like going to the gym. Start by exercising for half an hour a day and after two or three weeks work up to an hour a day. This can be split into half an hour morning and half an hour evening if that is more convenient. This way you should lose 1-2 pounds a week. If you are losing more reduce the exercise. You will then lose weight without any of the problems of fast weight loss diets and become fit and healthy in just a few months. That is plenty fast enough.
Peter Stockwell is a writer, walker and author of the
Senior Walking Fitness Blog, helping all ages to achieve lifetime fitness.
For more articles, tips and help on any aspect of diet and fitness visit
http://www.seniorwalkingfitnessblog.com
Article Source: How Safe is Fast Weight Loss?
