Epicure’s seven steps for healthy living
Chaim Kimel of www.Epicurechefs.com

EPICURE’S 7-STEP PROGRAM TO HEALTH

Here at Epicure, we believe it is important for people to not only evaluate their fitness by the bathroom scale, but also to focus on increasing their health and their overall physical, emotional and mental well-being.
Epicure promotes a food plan that is similar to that of the US Health Department Recommendation (basically a Mediterranean diet), which encourages a life-style of healthy eating (fruits, vegetables and low-fat intake) in conjunction with a sustainable exercise regime.
Epicure does note that their 7-step program will help you lose weight through establishing better eating habits (resulting in less hunger and emotional eating), but unless a calorie-controlled diet is specified it may not directly correlate with a massive weight reduction.
However, with a wholesome balanced lifestyle, with Epicure cuisine you are bound to reach your optimal weight naturally, without excessive effort or food deprivation.

1. A balanced food intake

At this moment in time, there are a multitude of popular diets promoting things such as:

1. high protein with little to no carbs (Atkins); and

2. high carbohydrates but low GI (Glycemic Index, or simple sugars) (GI Index diet).

In the short term, these diets may help you lose weight, but a recent study conducted in the US and the UK found that the most weight people lost on these diets was only 5-10% of their original body weight, over a year. This is not much if you weigh 150kgs.

The major problem, however, was that most people found it difficult to sustain such unnatural eating patterns, and after 3 months, 80% of the focus group had not only reverted to their old, familiar eating habits, but also regained the weight they had initially lost.

The simple reason for the failure of such diets is that our body is not designed for the consumption of single food groups only. The healthiest people in the world and the individuals with the longest lifespan are primarily from the Mediterranean region, Japan, and rural central Asia.

So, what are the common denominators in these communities’ diets? 3 simple things:

1. a high vegetarian intake (fresh fruit and vegetables);
2. fish and meat are consumed in small quantities only, and not every day; and
3. almost no-one in these communities over-eats.

One of the biggest causes of disease and physical and emotional stress are caused by overeating. It is no surprise that many food related illness (obesity, diabetes, etc) are especially prevalent in western societies, where there is an abundance of poor-quality food available which is often consumed in excessive amounts.

2. Fresh foods

In today’s urban society time is a scarce commodity; so many people tend to shop for food only once or twice a week. Because of this, we are used to eating a large amount of processed foods, usually laden with preservatives and nutritional supplements. These additives can have a detrimental effect on our well being, and have been linked to the development of allergies and food intolerances. Therefore, Epicure understands that it is vital to only eat fresh, whole foods which are bought and prepared on the day.

3. Non/low- allergenic ingredients

Until the body’s functions are balanced through constant exposure to a healthy food regime, it is very important to avoid food stuffs that will slow down the revitalization process.

Where ever possible, Epicure watches out for those allergy promoting ingredients, without compromising on taste.

After a period of healthy eating, however, you will find that most of those allergies will naturally disappear.

4. Correct food combinations

Some foods need acidic juices to digest, and others need alkaline juices. If we eat opposite types at the same time, the acidic and alkaline juices in our stomach will cancel each other out, and the food will sit there and ferment, taking longer to digest. This means that immediately after eating we will begin to feel sluggish and bloated, and who has time to feel like that?!! (Please refer to the attached chart).

For example, good foods such as fruit are digested in the small intestine. If we eat fruit after a meal, the fruit will be held up in the stomach further slowing digestion; therefore, Epicure always ensures that such food types are eaten individually, and at the optimal hour (for digestion) during the day.

5. Hydration

Our bodies are made of 80% water. All chemical and cellular reactions, transport of nutrients, and waste removal all use water in their processes. So for optimal functioning of our system we need to drink a lot of water and eat a lot of fruit and water-rich foods.

Epicure recommends you drink at least 1-2 liters of water a day, but as this may seem like a lot for some people we have some ‘secret ingredients’ we can add to your water to make it more palatable, but which don’t add any calories or sugar.

6. Eating times and frequency

Breakfast can be a difficult meal for many people – either they are too busy to eat and so skip breakfast (not good as it slows down the metabolism), or they eat the wrong foods, leaving them tired and lethargic. Neither option is good way to start the day!

Epicure’s research indicates that the most effective breakfast is fruit (or fruit juice) in the morning, as it works as a cleanser and gives your brain the sugar intake it needs to function.

A balanced lunch is essential, but if you’re still hungry in the afternoon eat something light, and then have dinner as early as possible. Or, if you prefer, reverse your eating habits and eat your main meal at lunch time and have a lighter meal in the evening (as they do around the Mediterranean, which is another reason they are healthier). Who wants to go to bed on a full stomach? You will also wake up lighter and more energetic!

7. Exercise

One of the reasons why people in many rural communities around the world are not overweight is because their life-style forces them to do a lot of physical exercise, such as farming, lifting, walking etc.

Epicure suggests that in order to stay fit and healthy, it is important to do an hour of exercise every day, such as walking, going to the gym, swimming, yoga, etc. Exercise not only burns calories and helps you lose weight, but it also elevates your heart rate, gets your circulation going, and increases your metabolism. Thus, your body is able to cleanse itself more effectively which will further increase your energy.

Unlike cars and other machinery, the more we use our body parts the better they function, so don’t waste any time, get started on your exercise today!

About the Author

Chaim kimel is the the managing director of epicurechefs.com. chaim has studied Physiology And Biochemistry at N.S.W university. He has, over the years researched publications on fad diets, food components on health and different ethnic communities eating habits effect on their health.Currently involved in Team building and teaching cooking. visit the web site http://www.epicurechefs.com

Tags: Allergies, allergy;, Author, Balanced Food, balanced food intake, Balanced Lifestyle, Bathroom Scale, Calorie Controlled Diet, central Asia, chemical and cellular reactions, Correct food combinations, diabetes;, director of epicurechefs.com, disease, Eating Fruits, Emotional Eating, energy;, Excessive Effort, Exercise Regime, food components, Food Deprivation, Food Groups, food intolerances, Food Plan, food stuffs, Food Types, food;, Fruits Vegetables, Gi Index, Glycemic Index, healthy food regime, High Protein, illness, Japan, Kimel, Low Gi, machinery;, managing director, Massive Weight, Mediterranean, Mediterranean Diet, obesity;, Optimal Weight, poor-quality food, Seven Steps, Team building, United Kingdom, United States; —

With all of the various diet contraptions, books and fads that have been released over the years, it would be easy to think that nothing new could be added to the mix. Well, new things related to weight loss are coming out all the time, but the real question is whether or not they are useful. One such item that has people wondering is the electronic calorie counter.

It’s perfectly natural to think of new diets, exercise equipment or supplements as the key to losing weight, but don’t forget about gadgets. An electronic calorie counter is one gadget that can come in handy when you want to lose some weight.

An electronic calorie counter is actually a kind of computer. The newest models are more compact, making them easier to carry, more convenient and more discrete. In other words, it’s the kind of gadget that you are really going to use. Think about that for a moment–how many diets or pieces of exercise equipment have you tried with the best of intentions; only to stop using them much quicker than you ever planned? When that happens you are making your weight heavier and your pocketbook lighter.

So, what does an electronic calorie counter do? The short answer is that it depends on what model you get. The most basic counters will list the nutritional composition of thousands of various foods. That alone can be really useful when you need to know what’s in the food you are eating, but maybe you are looking for more than that. These are basic models, but the good news is that they tend to be the cheapest.

If you want to go with the next level of electronic calorie counter, then look for models that allow you track what you eat during the day. This diary function will help you to stay on the right track, and will prevent you from trying to remember everything you ate. There’s something about seeing the cold, hard facts in front of you that helps you stick to your food plan.

The high-end models combine all of these features but also allow you to update the information online. For example, if a fast food restaurant adds a new item to their menu, or a new breakfast cereal comes out, the counter will add those items to its database. Some models also allow you to add foods of your own. This can be especially handy if you like to do home cooking or eat foods not typically found in calorie counters.

Either way, an electronic calorie counter is a wise investment in your health. You won’t have any more questions about the foods you eat, and you will also have the information you need to make better choices. All of those things are going to help you to take of the weight you want and keep it off.

Tags: Best Of Intentions, Calorie Counter, Cold Hard Facts, Contraptions, Diary, Diet, Diets, Eating Habits, Electronic Gadget, exercise equipment;, Fads, Food Plan, Gadgets, Healthy Diet, Losing Weight, Models, Next Level, Nutritional Composition, Pocketbook, Short Answer, Supplements, Weight Loss —