Showing posts with label Diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diet. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Adopting Healthy Eating Habits

Eating healthy is critical whether your goal is weight loss, fitness or a healthier lifestyle in general. However, you don’t have to meticulously count calories or starve yourself to be healthy; rather, you need to provide your body with ample nourishment. While junk food and sugary treats might present challenges and temptations, adopting correct eating ideas and strategies will help make healthy eating a natural habit.

Below is an overview of basic tips and suggestions to help you stay fit and eat healthy.

Learn to Love Your Veggies Include as many vegetables in your diet as you possibly can. In addition to vegetables being packed with more nutrients and fewer fats and calories than meat-based dishes, vegetarian foods also offer a lot of variety and can be a real treat for the taste buds.

Get Creative with Fruits Fruits have natural sugar and can quell a sweet tooth. But if the sucrose from the fruit alone is not enough, add a little honey to sweeten it further. The sweetness from these choices is healthier than refined sugars, and the natural sugars in fruit and honey have far fewer calories.

Eat the Rainbow If you’re concerned about whether or not you’re eating enough from each of the food groups, try seeing each meal as a rainbow. What colors are missing? What colors are present? Are you eating many colors, or do you tend to focus on just one? If your plate usually looks like a multi-colored painting, then you’re likely consuming the minerals, vitamins and nutrients your body needs.

Drink Water or Fresh Juice with Crushed Ice Instead of Fizzy Beverages Although this may sound too easy to be worthwhile, it does have legitimate merit. Crushed ice gives water a slightly fizzy texture that can meet your need for carbonation. If you drink a lot of sodas because of their sweetness, add fresh juices to your water and crushed ice.

Employ Positive Affirmations If you have a problem with willpower and find it difficult to stick with your plan to eat healthy, consider reciting positive affirmations every day to help make eating healthy a natural instinct. Although this may sound too simple to be realistically effective, the truth is that the simplicity of the act is where the power lies. Perhaps the example that follows will illuminate this concept for you.

If someone tells you day in and day out that you are unattractive, over time you will begin to believe that assessment. Similarly, if you tell yourself that you’re ugly over and over again, you will begin to feel ugly regardless of how physically appealing you may actually be. Positive affirmations function the same way, in that telling yourself over and over that you enjoy being a healthy eater will cause you to embrace and believe this statement over time.

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Friday, December 31, 2010

Breakfast: Kick Start Your Day



You must have heard that a good, healthy breakfast in the morning can keep you alert and active throughout the day. Children do better in school and our physical health improves as well, as it is a great way to start the day in a state of nurturing ourselves in a positive manner. But the vital question that begs to be asked is, “What exactly does this healthy breakfast consist of?” The following are some tried and tested suggestions.

Balance between fats, protein and carbohydrates is critical, so when choosing what to eat ensure your breakfast does not contain more than one element from among oil, sweets and fats—especially if you are trying to lose weight. When choosing a fat element, stick to nuts, almonds, flaxseeds or other food containing Omega-3 fatty acids. These acids also carry EFA that can help improve your mental alertness and even IQ.

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Saturday, December 11, 2010

Christmas and Fuel Plans



The holiday season is now in full swing, and for those of us who love to bake and/or cook, you know this is the season in which you are in your glory. For the rest of us, we are challenged not to overindulge or partake in all the food lovingly shared with us by those in our lives. Whether it is home-baked goods brought into the office or sweets offered while visiting, the temptation is all around. I think for most people this is NOT the season for crash diets, restricted food intake or any other thoughts about reducing our weight; but it is the season for reasonable moderation and a daily check-in with your fuel plans.

If you are in the midst of manifesting a more appropriate physical body weight, then let’s take a few minutes to examine what it means to approach the notion of weight loss during the holiday season and how you still need to understand how weight loss needs to be a gradual process. Any technique or fuel plan (Remember, we changed the reference from “diet” to “fuel.”) that promises near-instant results is usually either a sham or extremely harmful for your health. During this season it can be even more challenging; therefore, your chances…

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Saturday, November 20, 2010

Foods that Support Sex Appeal



Yes, you heard it right: foods can indeed add to your sex appeal. How, you may ask? The fact is, eating foods rich in vitamins C, A and E, calcium, iron and antioxidants, etc., can make you look and feel good about yourself. It’s a well-known fact that when you feel confident about your appearance, you feel sexy!

The following is a list of foods that are easily available.

Nonfat yogurt Yogurt is rich in vitamin A and calcium, both nutrients essential for the health of your skin, bones and hair. You may also add fruits to it and improve both its taste and nutritional value.

Dark Chocolate Chocolate has always been associated with sex appeal, but do you know why? Dark chocolate apparently contains phytochemicals that improve blood flow to all parts of your body, including the brain and the sexual organs.

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