Fats and carbohydrates – their place in your healthy diet
Zaak OConan

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

As with most extremes, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. There is no such thing as a bad food, only bad dietary choices. While some foods are naturally better for you than others, there is no reason that all foods cannot be enjoyed in moderation. After all, the most successful diet is not one that you can follow for a day, a week or even a year. On the contrary, the only successful diet and nutrition program is one that you will be able to follow for a lifetime.

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

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

Of course not all fats are created equal, and some fats are more harmful than others. Saturated fats and trans fats are generally understood to be more harmful in the diet than polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. These lighter fats, like canola oil and olive oil, should form the basis of cooking a healthier diet.

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

One additional word here about good fats – yes there are such things, and one of the most powerful of these are the so called omega-3 fatty acids. These fats are most often found in fish, and they have shown great promise in preventing and even reversing heart disease and high cholesterol levels.

When limiting your daily intake of fat and cholesterol, it is good to have an understanding of nutritional labels. These government mandated labels can be a huge help to those who take the time to read and understand them. Not only do nutritional labels provide valuable information on calories, fat content and sodium, but they provide valuable information about the most important vitamins and minerals as well.

Like fats, carbohydrates are found in a variety of different foods, some healthier than other. For instance, both Twinkies and whole wheat bread are sources of carbohydrates, but while one can form the basis of a healthy diet, the other is best used as an occasional snack.

In addition to cereals and breads, carbohydrates are also present in fruits and vegetables and in milk and other dairy products. Carbohydrates and fats are both important to a healthy, varied diet.

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

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

Zaak O’Conan discovers and presents useful information on how to enhance and/or repair your life, body and relationships. You’ll find his other articles on eating better and other ways how to improve your life at http://your-health-center.com

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Recipes For Detox Diets That Help Clean Your System And Reduce Pounds

Body cleansing diets seem to be all the rage right now; movie stars and regular folks alike are clapping their hands in joy over the benefits of cleaning out your body and ridding it of all those toxins we have spent a lifetime accumulating in our systems. Chemicals, preservatives, fats, hormones, insecticides, and the like tend to inhabit our bodies for years, and lots of folks claim that the key to feeling better, functioning the way nature intended, losing weight, and being healthier is to enjoy recipes for detox diets.

If you thought that detoxification was meant only as a system for bringing drug or alcohol abusers down from their chemical dependencies you would be only partially right. However, this is not the case with detoxifying diets. Formulas for detox diets are meant to clean your bodys elimination system of impurities from the food we eat and even the air we breathe. Generally, detoxification diets are designed to clean the colon and liver, where impurities tend to accumulate.

The key to most blueprints for body cleansing diets is to include lots of fiber, lots of water, and eating veggies, nuts, fruits, and beans. What is missing from the above lists of foods? Meat! Meat intake needs to be reduced. What else is missing? Processed starches! Bread and pasta are notoriously absent when you are cleansing your bodies digestive system.

Cleansing drinks are a great way to give another boost to the healthy detoxification your body needs. Simply get some of your favorite fruits berries are especially nutritious and delicious and throw them in the blender with some purified water and ice. Whip them up until they are a thick-but-drinkable consistency, and you have an awesome breakfast or snack that will help your colon get rid of the yucky stuff that resides there.

Soups of various kinds are also some of the recipes for detox diets that you can find. Gazpacho soup and alkaline diet soups are very frequently used for body and colon cleaning diets. Alkaline diets are those that rely heavily on vegetables, nuts, and legumes, all of which help move things along in the digestive system and thus, are beneficial ingredients for any soup recipe.

One particularly popular and tasty alkaline soup recipe is for a vegetable broth. You simply chop up celery, broccoli, spinach, and a zucchini into tiny pieces. Add them to a big pot of distilled water, and simmer for about a half an hour.

Then, run the ingredients through a strainer or colander, reserving the broth. All those natural vitamins remain in the water when you boil those veggies, which is why you should minimally steam your vegetables when eating them. In this case, you are after the broth, so it is okay to boil the heck out of the vegetables. Discard the chopped vegetables and drink the broth.

Each of these recipes for detox diets contain viable ingredients for helping you to lose weight and keeping your bodys elimination system working as it should.

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Fast weight loss seems to be all the rage these days but the question is can you do it? Losing weight is definitely a challenge for you to undertake because you are probably doing it against your will, habits that have been built over several years, and against your genes. Thus what will it take for you to lose weight? Although you may think that you can do not do it because of the above reasons you need to realize that fine you can. There are several tips that can help you develop an honest weight loss strategy that will work for you.

1. Attitude:
The first thing you need to do is develop an I can do it attitude. Without this sensibility you might as well throw in the towel now. You need to work hard at building and maintaining that attitude and do not give up. Instead you need to try and relax and set your mind to doing it. Try visualizing yourself once you have reached your goal. Think about how good you will feel and how healthy you will be.

2. Support system:
The next thing that you need is a good support system or a team if you will. This will give you even more motivation if you have a good support system of family and friends who will stand behind you the whole way. There will also be less risk of you giving up if you have a strong backing of support. You power even want to consider joining others that have the same goal in mind as you. There are even good forums on the internet today that can offer you support along your way. These forums help administer you with strength and determination to move you forward.

3. Tackle and tools:
This is a very influential step as it will help you stay focused from beginning to end. You need to be aware of how you are going to achieve your weight loss goal and with what.

Also you will need to supply yourself with the right foods and supplements that will aide you along the way. You need to be sure that you have uncondensed of the things you will need to reach your golden goal.

4. Timetable:
You will need to besides set a schedule and an overall time goal. Your weight loss goal will take time and cannot be achieved over night.

You need to make a goal that is both ideal and realistic to you and mark it on a calendar somewhere that you will see it every day. This will help your mind stay focused and visualize the finish line.

5. Merry:
The most important thing for you to remember is to have fun. You need to remember that you are doing this for yourself and possibly your health. An example of that would be playing active games, with your family and friends. Having fun while doing it will make it seem like less of a engagement.

These are just some of the tips to a successful weight loss strategy. You need to remember to keep your goal in mind and you will be well on your way to your weight loss goals.

24 Hour Fitness
http://www.www.24-hr-fitness.com

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