How to choose low fat high fiber foods for a healthy diet
Zaak OConan

Raising the level of dietary fiber, while lowering the amount of fat in your diet, is one of the most effective changes you can make, both in terms of weight loss and overall health and fitness. Unfortunately, most people consume too much fat and not enough fiber, and reversing that trend can be difficult even for the most motivated.

A good place to start is by knowing which foods are highest in dietary fiber. Eating a diet rich in these foods is a good way to boost fiber while lowering fat and other negative dietary elements.

When boosting the amount of fiber in the diet, however, it is best to start gradually in order to let your body adjust. An abrupt change in the amount of fiber in the diet can lead to cramps, abdominal pain, bloating and gas.

Among the highest fiber foods are cooked legumes (including dried peas and beans), dried fruits, nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and berries. These foods all contain more than six grams of fiber per serving.

Foods which contain from four to six grams of fiber per serving include a baked potato (with the skin), apples, pears, barley, brown rice, bran muffins, lima beans, snow peas, green peas and sweet potatoes.

Further down the scale at two to four grams per serving are vegetables, citrus fruits, whole wheat bread, rye bread and melons. These foods are still good sources of fiber, but you will need to eat more of them to get the full effect. That’s fine, though, since they are healthy, nutritious foods in many ways.

In order to enjoy healthier eating habits for life, it is important to make fundamental changes in the way you shop, cook and eat. A diet should be more than a temporary change in eating habits; a true dietary change must be one you can follow for a lifetime.

When doing the weekly grocery shopping, get into the habit of hitting the produce section first. Fill your shopping basket with fresh, in season fruits and vegetables, as they are rich sources of vitamins and minerals as well as fiber. Canned fruits and vegetables are good substitutes when the fresh varieties are out of season.

When choosing baked goods, always try to find those made with more nutritious and fiber rich whole wheat flour, wheat bran, oat bran, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, oatmeal or raisins.

Become a label reader. The federally mandated nutritional labels contain a wealth of valuable information for those who take the time to understand them. Nutritional labels contain valuable information on the calorie content, fiber content, and vitamin content of all packaged foods, and many meats, seafood and poultry products as well.

Finally, there are some popular myths about fiber. It is important to dispel these myths as you seek to increase the level of fiber in the diet.

The first myth concerns the relationship of crispness to level of fiber. In short, the crispness of a food is no indication of the amount of fiber it contains. For instance, the vegetables commonly used in salads, although crisp, are not significant sources of fiber. The crunch of the lettuce is a result of the amount of water it contains, not its fiber content.

Many people also think that cooking foods breaks down fiber – it does not. Cooking has no effect on the fiber content of foods. Peeling vegetables and fruits, however, does remove some of the fiber, since the skins of fruits and vegetables contain fiber. Edible skins, such as apple peels, can be good sources of fiber.

No matter what your reasons for increasing the amount of fiber in your diet, you may well find that this is one of the most positive dietary changes you ever make. Increasing fiber can have a significant impact on your future health and well being, and the change is easier to make than many people think.
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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The pH miracle diet is a revolutionary new way to view at how you eat. The essentials of the diet are to keep the ph balance of food intake at 80 % alkaline with 20 % acidity. The purpose with this diet is to match the ph level of the bloodstream, which runs on the alkaline side. This mission can equate daunting for many because foods that powerfully people love to indulge themselves on are considered high in acidity. The goal in adding more alkaline into your diet is to identify good sources of alkaline. Creating a comprehensive brochure of alkaline sound foods will avail you make the most of the pH miracle diet.

Alkalizing foods have a tonic effect on the body. By neutralizing the acidity in the bloodstream, alkaline foods act as a breath of fresh air to the system regenerating and restoring damaged cells. Diets altitudinous in acidic foods cause the body to break down prematurely, the bloodstream carries these acid bombs throughout the system wreaking havoc in their wake. By determining what foods have an alkalizing effect on the constitution, we can incorporate them into our diet in larger amounts, setting the pH levels in the bloodstream to the optimum level. On average, the pH level of human blood is between 7. 35 and 7. 45; levels 7 and above are considered alkaline.

Vegetables and fruits are the easiest ways to get more alkaline into your diet. Vegetables that are alkalizing are: alfalfa, barley grass, beets, beet greens, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, chard greens, collard greens, cucumber, dandelions, eggplant, garlic, green beans, green peas, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, nightshade veggies, onions, parsnips, peas, peppers, pumpkin, radishes, rutabaga, sea veggies, spinach, sprouts, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, watercress, wheat grass, and wild greens.

Fruits that have an alkalizing effect are: apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, berries, blackberries, cantaloupe, cherries, coconut, currants, dates, figs, grapes, grapefruit, honeydew, lemons, limes, muskmelons, nectarines, oranges, peaches, pears, pineapple, raisins, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries, tangerines, tomatoes, tropical fruits, and watermelon.

Protein can be a problem when attempting to add more alkaline into your diet. All protein derived from animals is acidic. Incarnate is possible to add protein to your diet that will own an alkalizing effect in your bloodstream. Proteins that are alkaline are: almonds, chestnuts, millet, tempeh, tofu, and whey protein powder.

Food is nothing without the spices, herbs and sweeteners that give true that extra bit of character. You charge add these alkalizing additions to your culinary efforts to bring your PH levels into balance. Alkalizing condiments are: cinnamon, curry, relish, mustard, chili pepper, sea zest, stevia, miso, tamari, and all herbs.

Minerals are essential to optimum health. Paying attention to which minerals have alkalizing effects can add the proper balance to your blood pH. Minerals that have an alkalizing effect on the body are: cesium, potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium.

There are other incidentals that can make adding alkaline to your diet even easier. Other ways to add alkaline to your diet are: apple cider vinegar, alkaline antioxidant water, bee pollen, lecithin granules, molasses, probiotic cultures, soured dairy products, green juices, veggie juices, fresh fruit juice, and mineral water.

Judicious which foods and supplements that embody alkaline to your pH levels is just the dawning. Implementing them is the next procedure which takes planning and commitment. After adding these healing foods to your diet you can test your bodys pH levels with a saliva strip test available at most health food stores. Keeping your pH level between 7 and 8 is the target for good health.

Get the goal of the pH miracle diet is to have the alkaline intake higher than your acidic intake. This does not mean that you cant enjoy the foods that are higher in acidity, quite the contrary; the balance of your diet should be geared toward alkaline producing foods. By maintaining a proper pH balance you can ensure that your body is performing at its optimum level.

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Eating healthy is something we all would like to do, although it can be hard. In order to eat healthy, you must first make the right food choices. Eating healthy is all about what you eat, which makes the choices very crucial to your results.

Grains
You should consume 6 ounces of grains per day. To do this, you can eat 3 ounces of whole grain cereals, breads, rice, crackers, or pasta. You can get an ounce of grains in a single slice of bread, or 1 cut of cereal.

Vegetables
These should be varied, as you should eat 2 1/2 cups of them each day. You should start eating more of the dark vegetables, such as broccili and spinach. Carrots and
sweet potatoes are good as well. You should also eat more dry beans such as peas, pinto beans, and even kidney beans.

Fruits
Fruits are very important. You should try to eat 2 cups of them each day. Focus on eating a variety, such as fresh, frozen, canned, or even dried fruit. You can drink fruit juices as well, although you should use moderation when doing so.

Milk
Milk is your calcium rich friend. For adults, 3 cups is the ideal goal. For kids 2 – 8, 2 cups is where you want to be. When choosing milk products or yogurt, you should go for fat-free or low-fat. Those of you who don’t like milk or can’t have it, should go for lactose free products or other sources of calcium such as fortified foods and beverages.

Meat and beans
Eating 5 ounces a day is the ideal goal, as you should go lean with your protein. When eating meat, always bake it, grill it, or broil it, as this will prevent grease from
adding to the equation. You should vary your protein as well, with more fish, beans, peas, and nuts.

When cooking your food, you should also limit solid fats such as butter, margarine, shortening, and lard. These foods may add flavor to your dishes, although they can
also help raise your cholesterol as well. Therefore, you should try to add these foods and any foods that happen to contain them.

To help keep your saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium low, you can check the nutrition facts label. This label can be found on the food package and will tell you all the
information you need to know about the food item.

By picking your foods wisely and watching what you eat, you’ll help control your lifestyle. Exercise is great as well, as it goes along perfect with a healthy eating
lifestyle. No matter what your age may be, eating healthy will help you keep your active lifestyle for years and years – even help you and your health in the long run
as well.

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The Mayo Clinic 3 Day Diet is designed specifically to returns bump off weight fast. The beginning view of the diet is said to have been to help heart patients take chill weight in a matter of days so that they could undergo open heart surgery. Three days was the longest they could keep to wait, so the diet was designed to help the patients lose weight as swiftly as possible.

This also makes Mayo Clinic 3 Day Diet ideal for people who need to lose weight in a hurry, from nation with a high school reunion coming up to models and actors who need to slim down quickly for photoshoots. Countless people lose as much six pounds on the diet, and occasionally more. In addition to serving as an emergency slimdown diet, it can also be used as a jump setting out to another weight loss program or, properly used, a long term weight loss program on its own.

The Mayo Clinic 3 Day Diet is besides known as the Grapefruit Diet because you eat a portion of grapefruit at every meal. This is because grapefruit contains a number of enzymes that both help digestion and kickstart the strapping burning progress. Its important that you eat the grapefruit first; to get the weight loss process started before you begin to eat.

The rest of the diet is designed around a especial combination of foods designed to accelerate your metabolism and help your body flush excess toxins and fluids from your body, which is the reason the Mayo Clinic 3 Day Diet works so quickly; its activating all the possible pathways for losing weight.

On the diet, youll be eating three meals a day, and you should avoid snacking. Remember, this is only for three days, so giving up snacks shouldnt be a brimming deal. There are a few foods that are restricted entirely; bread products, pasta, pure potatoes, sweet potatoes, white onions and sugar in general. You will also need to avoid dairy goods, including cheese, while on the Mayo Clinic 3 Day Diet

Every meal should start with half a immense grapefruit or four ounces of unsweetened grapefruit juice; if you gratify delicious, the diet will not drudge nearly as well, and may not work at all. The actual grapefruit is the better choice, but it may not always be possible to have them at every meal if youre a busy person.

Breakfast on the Mayo Clinic 3 Day Diet should consist of two eggs, done anyway you like, and two slices of bacon. Make sure that you are using regular bacon for this, and not a substitute like turkey bacon or tofu bacon. You may use as much butter as you like.

Lunch will consist of a portion of any meat you like, and any kind of salad, making sure to avoid the foods prohibited. Eat as much as you like of both of these. Remember, you need these foods to burn fat, so trying to starve yourself wont work.

For dinner, you will again have a portion of meat and any vegetables you like that are not on the restricted foods list. Again, you may use butter, real butter and not margarine, to flavor.

Thats the Mayo Clinic 3 Day Diet in a nutshell; Make sure to eat your grapefruit before every meal, and be sure to stick with the diet as laid out, and this will help you drop the pounds quicker than you ever thought possible.

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

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