Variety Is The Key To A Healthy Diet
Dave Saunders

When examining the diets of my clients, I commonly find that even of those who tell me they eat from a healthy diet actually eat from a very narrow selection of foods. Most of their food choices are also processed or heavily prepared before eating. These people also frequently complain of failed diets and of their desire to maintain a more healthy weight and to feel the benefits they expect from a healthy diet. One of the most frequently cited reasons that diets and attempts at healthy eating fail is boredom. Many people simply do not know how to meet the challenge of keeping a healthy diet interesting day after day.

With just a little bit of planning and the huge variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meats and other healthy foods at the local grocery store, it is possible to create exciting, nutritious meals that will keep boredom at bay.

The key to the success of any plan for healthy eating is to eat what you like, but to exercise moderation when it comes to the less healthy foods. Improving your level of health and fitness does not mean saying no that piece of chocolate cake, but it does mean limiting yourself to one piece, and possibly a smaller piece than you normally eat. A key contributing factor in unwanted weight gain is lack of portion control. Restaurants provide portions which often provide the entire daily recommendation for calorie intake, but in a single meal!

A healthy diet contains all types of foods, including carbohydrates, proteins, and even fats. However, there is a significant difference in the quality of the fats in fried foods compared to the fats in a lightly cooked fish, an avocado or flax seed. Seek out quality sources of nutrition and limit your intake of processed foods. Look through some simple cookbooks with pictures. Look for a small collection of appealing dishes that use similar ingredients. This way you can economize at the grocery store by shopping for ingredients you can use for an entire week. Do not buy too far in advance and avoid buying ingredients in bulk because you will likely get tired of them before you finish using them up.

The revised USDA food pyramid contains five major food groups – grains, vegetables, fruits, milk and dairy, and meat and beans. When choosing foods from these groups, it is important to eat an appropriate amount of a wide variety of foods from every food group. Doing so will not only give you a great deal of variety and keep boredom from setting in, but it will provide the best nutritional balance as well. Seek out new food items and try them out. Perhaps you can choose a new type of bean or a fruit that is new to you. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to buy it again, but try new foods and think about how the flavors might work in simple dishes or as replacement ingredients in your favorite recipes.

When choosing foods from within the various food groups, some choices are naturally better and healthier than others. For instance, choosing skim or 2% milk instead of full fat whole milk is a good way to cut down on both extra fat and calories. Choosing poultry or lean meat is a great way to get the protein you need every day without extra fat, cholesterol and calories. You don’t even need to eat animal protein for healthy protein intake. Even champion bodybuilder, and vegetarian, Bill Pearl, manages to get all the protein he needs from vegetable sources only. You don’t have to “go vegetarian,” but you don’t have to eat an animal every day either.

Not all low fat foods are created equally. Check the label! Many low fat foods add starches and sugars which will raise insulin levels and may lead to unwanted weight gain. Remember, your body is designed to store extra sugar in the fat cells around your middle, so low fat eating isn’t necessarily going to help you loose weight if that is your goal.

Cereals and breads that carry the whole grain label are healthier than those that do not. Not all breads labeled whole wheat are entirely whole wheat. Don’t forget to check the label. Even in the world of fruits and vegetables some choices are better than others. For instance, peaches packed in heavy syrup add unnecessary sugar to the diet, while those packed in water or juice provide better nutrition. The best sources are always the unprocessed variety.

Eat seasonal foods when they are available. Berries are excellent sources of essential nutrients, and antioxidants. Eat them raw, in homemade smoothies, and as toppings for a desert. Berries can also be an excellent ingredient in entries as well. Search your cookbooks, or the Internet, for great recipes that are quick and simple. In the fall, the many varieties of gourds provide a surprisingly wide range of flavors and nutrition. They are also an excellent source of dietary fiber, which is a critical factor in the support of optimal health.

Eating well does take a bit more effort than popping a prepared meal in the microwave, but with a little bit of planning it should not require a significant time investment. You also don’t need to be a gourmet cook. Preparing your own meals is easier than you may think so give it a try and don’t be afraid to mess up a dish from time to time. The learning experience will lead to you being an even more skilled cook. The benefits include better nutrient intake, and lower intake of sodium, transfats, and preservatives. Invest a little time for a healthier you and enjoy the wide variety of tastes that real, unprocessed foods have to offer.
About the Author

Dave Saunders is a professional lecturer, and certified nutritional educator. He enjoys creating interconnections through his writings and lectures to help others create context and see new discoveries and technologies in more a practical light. You can find out more about how to maintain a healthy diet at www.glycoboy.com.

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Lose Weight the Healthy Way
Marlene Mathis

It’s definitely no fun to lose weight — put it back on, lose weight, put it back on, and so on. Just as you learn the rules of a new diet, you find yourself trying to get around them. What if all you had to do to lose weight was to eat less?

You may think it can’t be done. However, experts say it can. Of course it sounds simpler than it is, but it’s no more difficult to commit to healthy eating habits than it is to follow the diets most of us have tried.

In the end, it will actually be easier because you will feel less restricted as you begin to learn how to eat right instead of how to follow the rules of the newest popular diet. Here are a few tips to help you started:

• Eat smaller portions, including items with protein, fat, and fiber in each meal. This combination is the one that researchers have found effective in helping to keep hunger pangs away.

• Drink two full glasses of water with each meal. It will help you feel full and keep your body hydrated.

• Eat breakfast. This critical meal jump-starts your metabolism for the day. But avoid empty calories like those found in doughnuts, many cereals, and sugar-laden pastries. They will only leave you feeling tired and hungry by mid- morning. For best results, eat items with plenty of protein and fiber.

• Don’t count calories or weigh food. Simply use the palm of your hand as a portion control guide. Most of us are fully aware of what a ‘too large’ portion looks like. We also know how it makes us feel. You should never feel bloated or stuffed-eat only until you are not hungry. You really aren’t giving up anything if you save the rest for later. If it helps, think of it as taking a break when you set food aside for another time.

• Give up something. It might be your nightly glass of wine, chocolate bars, or regular soft drinks. Then, commit to doing without the item for one full year. You’ll find that you’ll feel better without the sugar, caffeine, or alcohol. You certainly won’t miss the calories as your waistline begins to shrink.

• Identify your comfort food. What is it that you reach for in times of stress? Pizza, fried chicken, or a burger with fries all seem to top the list of foods people reach for when feeling down, anxious, and tired. Instead of reaching for food to comfort you, engage in a favorite activity. Go golfing, take a walk through your neighborhood, or hop on your bicycle for a quick spin.

• Be aware that food is often used as substitute for other types of satisfaction. Take a look at your job, your family life, and your spiritual connections. Work to improve areas that are causing you discomfort and you will see the desire for unhealthy food fade away. Maybe it’s time to start looking for a new job, go back to college, or find a church.

Taking control of your weight is more about taking control of your life than anything else. Don’t allow yourself to make decisions based on food. Why be chained to someone else’s diet rules when you know yourself better than anyone else. Put that knowledge to work, and watch your weight disappear.

If you want to make weight disappear faster, and to help keep those pounds off, be sure to exercise regularly. Walking 30 minutes daily is something most people can achieve and keep it up right into the senior years.

Marlene Mathis is webmaster at Ana Health, the comprehensive health information resource. Subscribe to her ezine Health Vista at http://www.anahealth.com.

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What are some healthy, effective ways to reduce belly fat in women? Well, you can learn to cook healthy meals or you can buy one of those meal plans that are all endorsed by famous people and ex sports stars, or go online and order your meals from those online diet plans that are available if you have that type of budget.

Some parameters you should follow when looking for good, healthy ways to reduce belly fat in women start with how many pounds per week these weight loss plans promise you will lose if you choose to go that route.

Do not choose any diet plan that promises that you will lose any more than two pounds per week. Losing more than two pounds per week is not healthy and you will more than likely not keep the weight off.

The meals should be balanced and have some flavor otherwise you will get bored with it very quickly. You should be given enough food to have five small meals throughout the day. This will keep your metabolism stoked to help you burn fat continuously, even when you are sleeping.

Remember that losing weight is a learning process and if you are going to be successful you will eventually need to learn how to cook healthy meals for yourself. A good meal plan should help you learn new ways of eating and offer guidance and instruction so you learn the right way to cook and eat so you keep the weight off for the long haul.

Then when you get to your weight loss goal, the weight loss plan should teach you how to keep the weight off. Throughout your weight loss journey you will be shown the correct way to eat and you will be able to practice portion control. Continuing to follow these guidelines and sticking to them will mean you should be able to keep the weight off. Portion control is the biggest problem a lot of people have when putting the weight on.

There is no way you can continue to eat the same way you did when you were younger because the only thing that will happen is you will gain weight because as you age your metabolism slows down. If you continue to eat the same amounts of food at age 40 as you did when you were 20 or even 30 you will gain a lot of weight in very short order.

When the time comes for you to start cooking for yourself, remember to always read the labels and make sure that the fat content of what you buy is no more than 30% of the total calories and that your carbohydrate intake is less than 30% of the total calories.

The weight loss plan you choose may include supplements in their plan for you to take along with eating their food. This may be a really good idea because some nutrients are difficult to get enough of in the foods we eat and taking a good supplement can give you what you need to keep everything on track so your body is in tip-top shape.

Finding healthy ways to reduce belly fat in women will help you lose the weight and can even help reduce cravings for certain foods you can’t seem to stay away from.

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Why choose health food quick weight loss diets? Because they give you all the nutrients you need to sustain your life and help you lose weight at the same time. The health food aspect may take some getting used to but in the long run you will be better off.

If you find there are things you just do not like and cannot tolerate with the health food then make some changes and substitutions to things you do like and can tolerate. There are all kinds of choices you can choose from.

So, why choose health food quick weight loss diets? If you have been overweight for a long time you have probably tried your share of the many, many diets out there and failed to lose the weight or if you did lose some weight, failed to keep it off.

What some people do not understand is the fact that if you are going to lose weight and keep it off it will take dedication, perseverance, and a commitment to change the way you think about the food you eat and the way you live your life. Fad diets just do not work.

Most people who go on a diet are looking for instant gratification but in reality healthy weight loss diets will show you that if you are going to lose the weight and keep it off the process will be slow and steady not fast and furious.

So what do you think you need to be successful? You need a meal plan that is balanced, tastes good, controls hunger, does away with cravings and increases your energy level.
Health food can help you accomplish this because a diet low in fat and eating at least five small meals a day will help keep your metabolism stoked and help you burn more fat.

Do not try to eliminate all fat from your diet, some fats are ok and your body needs fat in small amounts. Stay away from bad fats like saturated fats and trans fats. Good fats include the polyunsaturated fats found in olive oil and omega 3 you get from eating fish.

Make sure to read the labels on your food and eat only the serving size amount. Portion control is key to losing weight. If you give your body more calories than it needs you will gain weight. If you give your body the exact amount of calories it needs in a day you will maintain the weight your are right now. If you give your body less calories than it needs you will lose weight, it’s just that simple.

If you combine a little exercise with your new meal plan You will be at your ideal weight before you know it. Get a good mix of cardio and strength training to improve heart and lung function and tone muscles to make them work more efficiently and aid in your weight loss effort. Toned muscle helps burn more fat even when you are asleep.

Even if you do all this and start eating healthier you still may not get all the nutrients you need on a daily basis. You may need to find a good supplement to take each day. If you do not know anything about supplements you can talk to you doctor, pharmacist, or local natural food store owner and get their recommendation. When you get all the nutrients you need each day you may find your cravings for certain foods will decrease.

Follow these simple suggestions on why choose health food quick weight loss diets and exercise and you will lose those extra pounds in no time.

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