Calories

Calories

Say Cheers To Good Health The Natural Way!

January 21, 2011
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Good health is always within our reach. Believe it or not, maintaining a sound health is not, after all, a burdensome task. All that you require is to eat right at regular intervals. Sounds quite simple, isn’t it? But most of us hardly pay enough attention to our diet. With a generous addition of fruits and vegetables to our daily diet, we can take a big stride forward towards the course of a blooming health.

It is commonly observed that most people take a lot of stress upon themselves nowadays. One hardly has the time to devote to his family owing to the mounting pressure of workload. Our body can meet these stressful circumstances only when it enjoys a sound health. Hence the need to remain fit and healthy has become necessary; else it would be hard enough for a normal human being to survive.

There’s nothing more logical than keeping an eye on your diet in order to remain healthy. Your daily diet should be monitored to help you cope with your hectic schedule and make you feel healthy and cheerful throughout the day. Nothing can be as refreshing as a cool fruit juice or a natural drink to relieve a stressful situation. Fruit juices not only serve as energy boosters, they also cool your system and help you relax.

Fruit juices are an excellent source of essential vitamins. It is always wise to consume a glass or two of seasonal fruit juice daily. These seasonal fruits contain essential components that help human body to adjust to the changing seasons. For instance, a cool watermelon juice during a hot summer day helps to rehydrate the body and supplement the loss of fluids. Fruit juices offer resistance to fight diseases and thus are a tasty way to say cheers to good health. Certain flavors like watermelon or strawberry are hot favorites among people.

With more and more people becoming self-conscious about their health, fruit juices have gained an upper hand over aerated drinks in recent times. Certain fruit juices are consumed much more than a banana or milk shake owing to the greater calorie content of the latter. For this reason, watermelon juice is preferred over other natural drinks. With one cup serving of watermelon providing around 48 calories, watermelons form an excellent way to keep your calorie count under check. This is because watermelons boost your body’s metabolism and burn loads of calories. A little exercise combined with a glass of refreshing watermelon juice can really help you shed those extra pounds! Talking of essential vitamins, watermelons are an excellent source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Besides, watermelons are a very good source of the potent carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene.

So guys! Fasten up your belts and prepare yourselves to lead a life, the natural way. You should always remember that there is nothing so precious as your own health. Strive to attain the ‘pink of perfection’ and cheer your way to success. So drink healthy and get going!

Suzanne is an Internet marketing professional with expertise in content development and technical writing in a variety of industries.http://www.sundiacorp.com

Abs Diet Habits – 6 Tips On Eating Right To Get Six Pack Abs

January 21, 2011
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Many people do not realize to get six pack abs, they not only need to do the right abs workouts, they also need to eat right. But even though you know the importance of abs diet, there’s a lot of information that gives you conflicting recommendations when you search abs diet. Sometimes, it makes you wonder does the abs diet work? Yes, it does, but only if you do it right. Here’re 6 tips to overcome your abs diet challenge.

1. Drink more water

Our body comprises 75% water, it helps to transport nutrients, minerals and vitamins to various part of our body. If the water level in our body is low, it will affect our body ability to bring the much needed nutrients to and to remove the waste material out of the different part of the body. Water is also one way to control your appetite.

If you suffer from water retention, one of the best way to get rid of that is to drink more water, and not less. Water retention is actually another aspect of our body survival mechanism. Drinking more water while you eat helps to alleviate the nagging feeling of not having eaten enough.

2. Eat carbohydrates together with protein

A good abs diet meal will need a balance of carbohydrates and protein to build muscle and burn fat. Protein is essential for building healthy muscles and maintaining a strong immune system. It also helps to stabilize the body insulin level. It has a high thermic effect – meaning it will expend more energy for digestion, absorption and disposal of ingested food.

Carbohydrates are a major source of fuel your body uses for activities. However, too much of it will stimulate the appetite, causes mood swings and promote fat storage instead of burn fat. Therefore, striking a balance is important when you eat – balance the protein and carbohydrates intake.

3. Take protein and carbohydrates 1 hour after workout

To burn fat and gain muscle, research shows that taking abs diet smoothie containing protein and carbohydrates one hour after workout is more effective in muscle protein synthesis.

4. Eat 5 to 6 meals a day

Research has shown that the best way to get flat abs, burn fat and gain muscle is to consume 5 to 6 small balanced abs diet meal throughout the day. Such meal can be as simple as a shake, low fat cottage cheese mixed with fruits or yogurt.

5. Serving size appropriate for your body weight

In order to control your calorie intake in your abs diet meal, you have to keep the appropriate serving size of your food intake to be that of the size of your clenched fist.

6. Give yourself a treat once a week to help your abs diet plan

Eating whatever you want once a week, outside your abs diet menu, may in fact help you burn fat and gain muscle. You see, when your body starts to burn fat, it causes your body’s survival mechanism to kick in and tells that you are starving. Eating whatever you want once a week may calm that ‘feeling’. We do not want your brain to feel that you are starving because that will cause your body to start storing more fat.

Now that you know the 6 abs diet tips, are you interested to learn the scientifically proven abs diet recipes and abs diet workout secrets that will quickly achieve six pack of your dreams? Visit http://www.absworkoutsecrets.com now. Ian Kuro is the creator and founder of ABsolute Workouts where he provides valuable tips and resources on how to get lean and muscular six packs. Visit http://www.absworkoutsecrets.com for your free workout plans now.

Burrito Calories

January 21, 2011
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A burrito is made with a flour tortilla that is filled up of minced meat, refried beans, vegetables, salsa, Mexican rice and cheese. The flour tortillas are steamed or grilled before the filling is wrapped inside it. Since there are different varieties of fillings that can be used in making a burrito, the burrito calories also vary. Moreover the burritos that are served in popular fast food chains in America are larger and contains more fattening fillings than a regular Mexican burrito. One way to lower the calories and fats in a burrito is to opt for a vegetarian version. Also make sure that cheeses, sauces and sour cream are left out or at least decreased in portion, so that the number of burrito calories is decreased. Here we are going to discuss about this popular Mexican food, and know the burrito calories in different types of burritos.

Chipotle Burrito Calories

When you have a burrito from Chipotle Mexican Grill, you can choose from the kind of tortilla wrapping you want, the vegetables, the meat, salsas and extras like chips, cheese and guacamole. Of course the kind of wrapping and the filling you choose will have a bearing on the number of calories the burrito will have. Here we have given you a list of Chipotle burrito calories with different fillings. All the calories given above for burritos that comes with 6 inch tortillas.

Burrito with black beans, chicken, Fajita vegetables, lettuce, sour cream and tomato salsa ~ 745 calories
Burrito with pinto beans, steak, lettuce, Fajita vegetables, red salsa, cheese and guacamole ~ 895 calories
Burrito with Mexican rice, Carnitas, Fajita vegetables, corn salsa, cheese, chips and salad dressing ~ 1620 calories
Burrito with black beans, Barbacoa, green salsa, guacamole, lettuce and chips ~ 1300 calories
Burrito with pinto beans, chicken, tomato salsa, sour cream, lettuce and salad dressing ~ 985 calories
Burrito with Mexican rice, Fajita vegetables, steak, red salsa, cheese, sour cream, chips, guacamole, lettuce and salad dressing ~ 1855 calories
You must have noticed from the above table that piling up on things like cheese, salad dressing, sour cream, chips and guacamole can increase the burrito calories to a very large extent. The Mexican food calories are very high so when ordering a burrito, stick to fresh vegetables and grilled white meat.

McDonald’s Breakfast Burrito Calories

Here is a list of all the McDonald’s breakfast burritos that are on offer. This food calories list will help you to choose a healthy option.
McDonald’s Sausage Breakfast Burrito ~ 290 calories
McDonald’s McSkillet Burrito with Steak ~ 570 calories
McDonald’s Classic Breakfast Burrito ~ 300 calories
McDonald’s McSkillet Burrito with Sausage ~ 610 calories
Taco Bell Burrito Calories

Here is a list of all the Taco Bell burrito calories.
Taco Bell Cheesy Potato Burrito ~ 550 calories
Taco Bell 7 Layer Burrito ~ 510 calories
Taco Bell Supreme Burrito Beef ~ 420 calories
Taco Bell Supreme Burrito Chicken ~ 400 calories
Taco Bell Bean Burrito ~ 370 calories
Taco Bell Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito ~ 490 calories
Taco Bean Grilled Chicken Burrito ~ 430 calories
Taco Bell Cheesy Double Beef Burrito ~ 470 calories
Taco Bell Grilled Stuft Burrito – Chicken Enchilada ~ 690 calories
Taco Bell Fresco Bean Burrito ~ 350 calories
Taco Bell Grilled Stuft Burrito ~ Steak ~ 640 calories
Taco Bell Grilled Stuft Burrito ~ Chicken ~ 660 calories
Taco Bell Chili Cheese Burrito ~ 380 calories
Taco Bell Beefy 5-Layer Burrito ~ 560 calories
As you have seen the Taco Bell chicken burrito calories for grilled chicken is 430 and that of grilled stuffed chicken is 660. The Taco Bell bean burrito calories is 370. This Taco Bell nutrition guide for burritos will help you to make a healthier choice.

This was all about different burrito calories of different fast food chains. Burritos prepared at home have considerably lesser calories than these fast food ones. Burrito nutrition facts, differ from the kind of fillings used. A burrito that has any kind of meat and beans in it will have more proteins, dietary fibers as well as saturated and trans fat than a vegetarian burrito. To make a burrito healthy, just add more vegetables and don’t add salad dressings, mayonnaise and cheese. Also use whole wheat flour tortilla recipe to cut down the calories in burritos.

Red Bananas

January 21, 2011
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The red bananas are a variety of bananas with a skin that is reddish purple in color. The regular (Cavendish) bananas are larger than these fruits. The red ones are plumper than the regular bananas. These bananas have a flavor which resembles that of raspberry banana. The fruits are also aromatic. Red bananas grow in Asia and South America and are exported to other parts of the world from this region. Costa Rica is the region/country of origin of red bananas.

Red Bananas: Overview

The rind of a red banana is maroon/red in color. These are ideally eaten when in a slightly soft state. The bananas should also not be bruised at the time of eating. Storage of this fruit should be done at room temperature. Refrigeration of bananas is not recommended. The refrigeration process causes bananas to become mushy and therefore, need to be avoided. The health benefits of bananas along with information about its cultivation can be found in the following paragraphs.

Red Banana Plant
The leaves of this plant have a color ranging from yellow to burgundy. Skins of fruits have similar shades. Stalks of the red banana are formed in the late summer season. Ripening of the fruits takes place by spring. Height of the red banana tree ranges from 8-25 feet; the difference in height is attributed to different varieties. The banana tree information should prove to be useful.

Growing Red Bananas

This plant can be grown in the hardiness zones from 8 to 11. Let us have a look at the different points/factors associated with growing this plant.

Soil and Area
The soil used for growing red bananas needs to be well-drained; it should also be slightly acidic. Keeping the soil moist is necessary. To provide the plant with favorable conditions for growth, the place used for planting has to be dug out and filled with a mixture of 50% organic matter and 50% sand. It provides fertile and also a well-drained soil. It is necessary to plant the red bananas in bright sunlight; a little bit/partial shade won’t cause much of a problem. Also protection from wind is necessary to avoid tearing of leaves.

Watering and Fertilizers
As stated above, the soil needs to be maintained in moist state for proper growth of this plant. Use of mulches should prove to be useful. It is however, necessary to avoid over watering. Monthly application of fertilizers is necessary in the growing season of red bananas. Those plants grown in containers require half the amount of fertilizers planted in fields. The dose of fertilizers for red bananas (younger) needs to be just over half pounds every month. Mature plants on the other hand, require 2 pounds of fertilizers as a monthly dose.

Red Banana Nutrition

The nutritional value of bananas is known to us. Red bananas too are highly nutritious. These bananas are rich in vitamin C. The degree/amount of vitamin C present in these bananas depend on how red the fruit is. This fruit is also rich in potassium content. The high content of potassium that is present in red bananas proves to be useful for those who are suffering from health problems like muscle cramps. The build up of cramps or stress after performing exercise can be reduced greatly by the intake of red bananas. The different red banana recipes can be used in preparation of salads. Slices of these bananas are used to prepare such kind of salads. Different kinds of baked foods also include red bananas in their ingredients. A healthy amount of red banana calories should keep the body fit. Information about banana calories should prove to be useful.

The article presents information about red bananas taking into account different aspects of the red banana fruit. The red banana is a highly nutritious fruit that must be included our diet.

Creating a Healthy Eating Plan

January 21, 2011
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I am sure that you have your own reasons for deciding to develop a healthy eating plan. Let me be the first to commend you. You have made a wise decision. Eating healthy is great and the benefits last a lifetime!
I want you to think of your healthy eating plan like a blueprint. A blueprint is a rough design of the structure of a building. An architect will use a blueprint to plan out your building’s walls, floors, ceilings, etc. Use the knowledge you acquire here at Healthy-Eating-Habit.com to build a detailed plan or program of action for a balanced and nutritious lifestyle.

Ok… lets get started!

Here are the major nutrients that make up the foods we eat:

1. Carbohydrates

2. Protein

3. Fat

4. Vitamins

5. Minerals

6. Water

Lets go over each one:

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are a type of food that supplies energy for our body. There are two types of carbohydrates:

1. Simple carbohydrates: These are easily digested by our body and are found in processed or refined sugars.

2. Complex carbohydrates: These take longer for our body to absorb. They are found in foods such as breads, rice, legumes, and pasta. Starchy vegetables such as corn, peas, winter squash, & potatoes also contain complex carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates should be part of your healthy eating plan, however most of your carbohydrates should come from complex carbohydrates because they provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber that are important to our health. On the other hand the simple carbohydrates found in processed or refined sugars have little or no nutritional value.

As you create your healthy eating plan, I want you to also keep in mind that even though our body converts carbohdrates into glucose ( blood sugar ) and are used as energy, if we consume too much carbohydrates the body converts the excess amount into fat. Too much fat in the body can lead to high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and other serious conditions.

Protein

Protein is our body’s building block. It is used to build bones, repair tissue, strengthen our immune system and build muscle. We get our dietary protein from meat, dairy, nuts, and certain beans and grains.

Most Americans get more than enough protein in their diet. You might be saying to yourself, “how much protein do I need? Well… in order to calculate how much protein you need this what you do:

1. Find out how much calories your body needs each day to maintain your desired weight, by using our calorie calculator (link will open in new window).

2. After you’ve figured out your maintenance calories, next figure out what percentage of your diet will come from protein. The percent you choose will be based on your goals, fitness level, age, body type and metabolic rate. Most nutritionist recommend that your protein intake be somewhere between 15 and 20%. When you’ve determined your desired percentage of protein, multiply that percentage by the total number of calories for the day.

Example: For a 164-pound male, calorie intake=2551calories, protein=20%: 2551x.20=510 calories from protein. 1 gram of protein equals 4 calories, so divide protein calories by four: 510/4=128 grams of protein per day.

Fat

A lot of people only associate fat with weight gain. However our body does need fat and thus should be included as part of your healthy eating plan. Experts say that our diet should consist of 25-30% calories from fat.

*Fat is needed for energy

*Fat is needed so your body can absorb certain vitamins (like A, S, E, K,)

*Fat helps food to stay in our stomach longer, thus giving us a greater sense of satisfaction

*Fat acts as a cushion for our internal organs

*Fat is found in meat, poultry, nuts, milk products, butters and margarines, and oils.

Types of Fat:

The five different types of fat are: saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, trans-fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids.

Saturated fats are fats that stay solid at room temperature. Some of the foods that contain saturated fat are: meat, poultry, whole milk, cream, butter and cheese.

Eating too many foods high in saturated fat is not good because it can cause high cholesterol which can lead to heart disease.

Unsaturated fats (found in foods like olive oil, and canola oil) are liquid at room temperature. It is a good idea to replace saturated fat with unsaturated fat in your diet because this fat may aid in lowering the bad cholesterol levels and reduce risk of heart disease. Remember… when creating a healthy eating plan you need to be wise in your food selections and not simply leave it up to your sense of sight, taste or smell.

Polyunsaturated fats are oils (liquid or soft at room temperature) from plants such as corn, sunflower, soybean, safflower and cottonseed oils.

Trans-fatty acids are processed by taking liquid oils and transforming them into solid form (hydrogenation). Examples of foods that contain trans-fatty acids include margarine and vegetable shortening. These fats are a lot like saturated fats because they raise your cholesterol.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a family of polyunsaturated fats. Studies show that Omega-3 fatty acids may help lower triglycerids and increase good cholesterol. A good source of Omega-3 fatty acids is fish, walnuts and flax seed. I get most of my Omega-3 from flax seed. It has been part of my healthy eating plan since 1996.

Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and minerals are a must for your healthy eating plan. They cause our body to work properly. They aid our immune system and support our body’s growth and development. We get our vitamins and minerals from our daily diet.

There are two groups of vitamins: fat soluble and water-soluble. The fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E, and K. They are called fat-soluble vitamins because they dissolve in fat. The water-soluble vitamins are C, and the B-complex vitamins. These vitamins are called water-soluble vitamins because they must dissolve in water before our body can use them.

Unlike fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble vitamins cannot be stored in our body. Any water-soluble vitamin that our body does not use is quickly excreted from our system mostly when we urinate. That is why these vitamins must be replenished daily.

Water

Last but not least, your healthy eating plan should include water. Did you know that 55-75% of our body is made up of water? A person can only live three to seven days without water. It’s no wonder why water is said to be the most essential nutrient for our body.

How much water should you drink each day? Well…I guess that depends on your health, how active you are and where you live. I grew-up hearing that a person should drink 8 glasses of water per day. However, today some nutritionist dispute that amount. So my advice is that everyone should strive to know more about their body’s need for fluids, which will intern help them get an estimate of how much their daily consumption of water should be.

Smoothies to a Healthier You

January 21, 2011
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Smoothies are very yummy and are packed with vitamins and minerals. They are also very refreshing especially on a hot summer’s day. But did you know that you can make healthy smoothies? We all know that a regular smoothie is made from fruits and should therefore be healthy. But not all can avail or enjoy smoothies. These people are diabetics and of course, the health-conscious and weight watchers.

Diabetics are on a strict diet and cannot consume anything sweet. They need to watch their sugar intake. That is why most of the diabetics’ food is bland. Smoothies made from fruits are naturally sweet due to sucrose and glucose content of the fruits. But this does not mean that diabetics cannot enjoy smoothies. It is only that they need to choose fruits that are not high in sucrose and glucose for them to be able to enjoy their smoothies. Sugar should also be lessened and if possible eliminated.

How about for weigh watcher and are on diet? They would love to have a glass of smoothie as well. They can enjoy a smoothie but the ingredients are altered to suit their taste, lifestyle and preference. Here is a recipe for a great smoothie. This smoothie is not only good for those who are watching their weight but also for those who want to lose weight. This smoothie can aid in burning fat and therefore a great diet supplement.

For this smoothie, put 8 strawberries, a half of a banana, 30g of protein powder and 150ml of apple juice in a blender with crushed ice. This is very rich in vitamins as well as whey protein. It will help you with muscle retention and will make you feel fuller for a longer period of time. Protein is very important in burning of calories. This is the perfect recipe for any weight watcher.

Now, if you want to have a smoothie for breakfast, then you should try this recipe. This is a very filling breakfast smoothie and this recipe has more protein than your regular cereal. In the blender, put 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds, 1 tablespoon of oats, strawberries, 1 banana, 6 and 200ml semi skimmed milk. The oats and berries provide this recipe with antioxidants while the pumpkin seeds provide it with zinc, iron and omega3 fatty acids. This recipe is great when you do not want to cook for breakfast. Just toss the ingredients in the blender and everybody will definitely enjoy this creative, filling, delicious and healthy breakfast.

For those who want to build muscles and strength, take this power smoothie recipe. This is the perfect shake for those going to the gym and who want to increase their muscles. Put 4 ice cubes, 20g whey protein, 300ml skimmed milk, 50g of blueberries, 50g of raspberries and 1 banana. The berries provide vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants for the body. It also has easily absorbed proteins which help in building muscles.

Take your pick and enjoy a delicious way of staying healthy.

A Calorie is Not Just a Calorie

January 21, 2011
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“Don’t worry, a calorie is calorie. It doesn’t matter what you eat as long as you stay within your calorie limit.” Sadly, this is a trap that many people fall into. Even a lot of fitness professionals still believe this concept, I used to be one of them, but the idea that a calorie is a calorie is simply untrue. Eating 200 calories of ice cream versus 200 calories of vegetables isn’t even close to the same when it comes to eating healthy.

First off, if you remember talking about the glycemic index, you remember that the speed of the breakdown of a carbohydrate effects how fast your blood sugar is raised and how much insulin is released. The faster the blood sugar spike, the faster the resulting blood sugar crash and feeling of hunger. The more often you feel hungry, the more likely you’ll consume excess calories. So from this aspect alone, a low-glycemic, carbohydrate calorie is a lot more beneficial for decreased weight gain compared to a high-glycemic, carbohydrate calorie.

Another reason all calories aren’t the same has to do with the amount of fiber in the food. A high-fiber calorie promotes a faster feeling of fullness compared to a calorie that has little fiber. This means that you’ll nave some help in controlling your appetite and fighting off those unhealthy cravings. Fiber also reduces the speed at which foods are broken down, so as a result, your blood sugar won’t rise as fast and the amount of insulin released at one time will be reduced. All of this is good for weight control, as well as preventing or controlling diabetes.

As if these reasons weren’t enough for getting fiber in your diet, fiber has also been shown to lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of heart disease, and possibly reduce the risk of stroke, along with many other benefits. The recommendations for fiber are 25 grams per day per 2000-calorie diet,1 and although you can get fiber supplements, it’s always better to get your fiber in the natural form from plants because your body handles natural nutrients better than synthetic nutrients.

One final piece of information to consider when deciding which foods to eat is TEF or the thermic effect of food. The thermic effect of food is how many calories your body burns in order to digest the food you eat. The great news is, as you workout, the thermic effect of food goes up. Basically, as your metabolism goes up, so does the TEF; your body burns off more calories digesting food when you maintain a lifestyle of working out.2

Another influencer of how high the thermic effect of food is is whether or not you’re eating regular meals. It has been shown that those who don’t eat every 2 to 3 hours have a decreased TEF.3,4 Just another reason why only eating 2 to 3 times per day isn’t going to cut it; 5 meals/snacks a day is essential if you want to have the greatest potential for fat loss.

Back when I was an athlete in college, the rumor going around the cafeteria was that you actually spend more calories digesting celery than you get from eating it. Unfortunately, there’s nothing out there that really proves this about celery, but hopefully this theory helps explain the concept of the thermic effect of food.

The reason the TEF is so important is because fats, carbohydrates, and protein all have different TEFs! The body only burns off a few calories when it is digesting fat; in fact, the TEF of fat is only about 3%.5 This means that for every 100 calories of fat that you consume, 3 calories are used by your body to digest the fat to either store it as body fat, use it as energy for something else, use it for padding in the joints, etc.

When digesting carbohydrates, the TEF is 7%,5 so for every 100 calories of carbohydrates digested, 7 calories are burned off digesting it. Keep in mind, these numbers may be lower for someone who doesn’t exercise, and while it may not be too much of a difference, it’s still a difference.

Now here’s the kicker when it comes to concluding that a calorie isn’t just a calorie. The TEF of protein is a whopping 25-30%!5 This means that for every 100 calories of protein you consume, your body burns off approximately 25-30 calories just to digest the protein! So when you’re talking about fat loss, you have to make sure that you’re getting your protein because as you can see, all calories are not the same.

A 300-calorie hotdog, with ketchup, has a ratio of about 50% fat, 40% carbs, and 10% protein. This means that you would burn off about 22 calories digesting the hotdog, but take something like a 300-calorie piece of chicken where the ratios are closer to 20% fat, 0% carbs, and 80% protein. Now you’re burning off about 74 calories in order to digest the chicken! That’s a difference of 52 more calories burned off by choosing a piece of roasted chicken over a hotdog. Imagine burning off 52 more calories each day just by making better food choices. That’s 364 more calories burned off in a week and 18,928 more calories burned off in a year! That means by choosing to make healthy choices with eating, not by choosing NOT to eat, you could burn off that many more calories in a year and have the potential to lose a little over 5 more pounds of fat per year just by choosing to eat healthier foods! You’re not even changing the amount of calories you eat, and because the TEF is higher with increased meal frequency, you’re eating every 2 to 3 hours and still burning off more fat! How cool is that?!

If you’ve made a commitment to yourself that you want to lose some excess body fat, it only makes sense that you make conscious choices with the foods you eat because as you now know, all calories are not the same. I’m sure you’ve noticed that when talking about calorie burn, on top of the benefits you get from exercising, you get more “bang for your buck” when eating protein. Besides having the highest thermic effect, protein also has many other benefits that will make your weight loss efforts even more productive. That brings us to the topic for next week, the importance of protein for fat/weight loss.

References:
1 Sizer, F., & Whitney, E. (2003). Nutrition concepts and controversies, (9th ed). Belmont, Ca.: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
2 Denzer, C., & Young, J. (2003). The effect of resistance exercise on the thermic effect of food. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 13(3), 396-402.
3 Farshchi, H., Taylor, M., Macdonald, I. (2005). Beneficial metabolic effects of regular meal frequency on dietary thermogenesis, insulin sensitivity, and fasting lipid profiles in healthy obese women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 81(1), 16-24.
4 Farshchi, H., Taylor, M., Macdonald, I. (2004). Decreased thermic effect of food after an irregular compared with a regular meal pattern in healthy lean women. International Journal of Obesity, 28(5), 653-660.
5 Lee, R. (2007). The millionaire workout, (1st ed). New Canaan, CT.: Okenzie Publishing.

Dan Falkenberg is the cofounder of Your Live Trainers. Join a community of readers who’ve discovered Dan’s enlightening, monthly newsletter packed full of exercise tips, healthy recipes, and exercise video demonstrations to help improve your fitness! To top it off, it’s free, and you can unsubscribe anytime.

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The Truth About Food ~ How to Eat Like an Ape!

January 21, 2011
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It’s pretty hard to work out what you can and can’t eat these days. Which is not a good situation given the alarming scale of obesity and chronic illness in the US and UK.

Can eating like an ape improve your health? Can natural nutrition reverse the effects of modern diets?

BBC2 decided to find out and got some volunteers to go ‘back to nature’…

The ‘Evo Diet’ Experiment

Take one zoo enclosure in Devon, England – only metres away from the great apes. Put in some huts and tents. Add 9 people with dangerously high blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Add a dietician prepared ape diet and then simmer for 12 days.

High blood pressure and cholesterol are high risk factors for heart disease and strokes. The program pointed the finger at too much saturated fat in modern diets which increase bad cholesterol. This sticks to the walls of arteries and eventually causes blockages, leading to heart attacks and strokes. Was 12 days enough to make any difference to this risky state of affairs?

The Diet

The diet goes back 6 million years – to when the evolution of man and the great apes diverged. At that time, it’s well accepted that we ate a largely vegetarian diet, pretty much as the great apes do today. 5Kg (11lb) / 2,300 calories per person of raw fruits, vegetables, and nuts / seeds were delivered in cool boxes. A single olive soaked in brine provided the salt allowance for each day.

In the second week, there was a nod to more recent changes in humans diets – from 3.5 million years ago to 350,000 years ago due to stone tools, hunting and fire. Some paleontologists believe that it was meat eating that increased our brain size and gave us the evolutionary edge. The volunteers got to go fishing and had a meal of fresh grilled mackerel – just the one meal then it was back to veggies. To put these time-scales in perspective, we saw that farming only occurred within the last 10,000 years and processed foods mainly within the last 100 years.

The beauty of a diet plan like this is that you eat it as it comes… no packaging, no preparation, no cooking and all the left-overs are biodegradable. But do we have all day to munch on raw food? How practical is it in the modern world?

The Results

What really surprised me was that there were no symptoms of detoxification, once the initial caffeine withdrawal was over. No moodiness or sickness at all, just lots of giggling going on. They seemed to be in very high spirits.

An unexpected side effect of the diet was weight loss. But then they didn’t finish their food, so you’d expect weight loss. By bedtime on the first day they were still munching away! Other side effects were lots of trips to the loo and lots of farting! :)

The results – staggering – an average of 23% reduction in cholesterol. Blood pressure returned to normal in everybody. And all this without any serious exercise, although we did see them kicking a ball about on one occasion.

One guy – the most worrying case of the group reported “lots of energy” and “sleeping well”. His insulin level went from 20.7 to 8!

The response in camp to the mackerel was very interesting – they were gagging for it! “Heaven”, “Delicious”, “I’m glad it was cooked, but if it wasn’t I probably would have gone for the raw method”.

Life and Death Stuff

It’s interesting to note that the volunteers looked healthy enough at the start and yet “their diet could be killing them”. It always pays to look beneath the surface of things where health is concerned.

The program showed how quickly health can change for the better given the right conditions. But make no mistake – this is life and death stuff we’re talking about. If these folks hadn’t changed, all the signs showed they were likely to develop life threatening conditions. Why wait ’til you have high blood pressure and cholesterol?

Conclusions

The program explained…

“Scientists believe that many of our modern health problems stem from a mismatch between what we ate as we evolved and the food we eat now”

I think it’s fair to say that many do. But this information also eludes many scientists and health professionals who don’t really consider the evolutionary picture when giving out health advice. This is a really under-studied area of nutrition.

This was a very light hearted look at our ape ancestry with a serious message. I think many people will have dismissed the program as a stunt and the diet as impractical but there are many folks following raw vegan ‘ape’ diets such as this. I’d like to see the actual list of food they ate. And I’d like to see longer term studies – over years, decades, exploring the whole evolutionary idea properly. I’d like studies adding animal foods into a diet like this to see the health impact. This is important stuff!

It’s a shame there wasn’t a real-life application of the ideas behind the diet, we weren’t left with much we could take away apart from ‘eat lots more fruit and veg’ :)

The most important thing about this program is the mainstream exposure. The idea of eating a diet of natural, healthy food, in a way that we evolved to eat, is now in the minds of a lot of people. Hoorah! :)

About the Author

Mike Kinnaird has studied health and nutrition for over 20 years, to overcome long-term chronic illness. Discover the 7 sure-fire steps to beating bad habits and kickstarting your health… To receive your free email mini-guide visit Passion for Health’s free natural health newsletter.

Women Do Not Have To Settle For Weight Gain As A Part Of Getting Older

January 21, 2011
By

It seems as though most women gain weight as they age. This is not a necessary part of getting older. You can take steps to prevent weight gain or lose what you have already gained through proper diet and exercise. It is never too late.

Women gain about a pound a year during the perimenopause period (the years just before menopause. However, changing hormone levels are not necessarily the cause of weight gain. In this article read how some simple tips to help you get rid of the unwanted pounds or stop them dead in their tracks. You don’t want extra weight to carry around while taking care of your business of “living.”

Review below some of the possible causes for this weight gain:

• Exercising less
• Eating more
• Burning fewer calories
• Genetic factors may also play a role in weight gain

Excess weight can lead to serious health problems that include but are not limited to:

• Increased risk of high cholesterol
• Increased risk of high blood pressure
• Increased risk to insulin resistance

All of the above can lead to type 2 diabetes as well as heart disease and stroke. There is also evidence that suggest weight gain during the menopausal years increases breast cancer risk.

Women who lose weight after menopause can reduce their risk of breast cancer by 20 percent. By contrast, women who gain in excess of 20 pounds after menopause increase their breast cancer risk by nearly 20 percent.

You can prevent or reverse weight gain at any age. The techniques for maintaining healthy weight at any age are the same. Eat healthy, nothing in excess and keep moving. It is never too late to begin a healthy lifestyle, and lose unwanted, unhealthy pounds.

An effective approach to losing weight after menopause includes:

• Aerobic exercises that will boost your metabolism and help you burn fat. Strength training exercises increases muscle mass, boost your metabolism and strengthens your bones.

• In addition to traditional aerobic exercise routines you can spend time doing the things you love that keep you moving such as gardening and dancing.

• Reduce calorie intake. Eat less of the foods you normally consume each day. Be careful not to cut back too drastically or it will make shedding extra pounds harder. Due to slower metabolism as you get older you need about 200 fewer calories a day. Try eating before you actually become hungry, smaller portions, several times a day. A good rule to follow is not to let more than 5 hours go by without fueling your body with something nutritious. You should have 3 meals per day, 2 snacks and a bedtime snack. Fill up on fruits and vegetables; give yourself a little protein and healthy fat for each snack and meal.

• Decrease dietary fat. Emphasize fats from healthy sources like nuts, olive, canola and peanut oils.

• Drink 8 eight ounces of water per day

The single most important factor for maintaining a healthy body composition, which translates into more lean muscle mass and less body fat, is:

• Increased physical activity that includes strength training

If you apply these few simple tips it should be enough to get you started on either keeping the weight off as you age or losing those pounds you have put on while taking care of the business of life otherwise.

Source: Mayo Clinic, and personal knowledge.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please consult your health care provider for advice about a specific medical condition and/or before you begin any kind of exercise routine.

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box.

Connie Limon. Please visit our collection of Nutrition and Health articles at http://nutritionandhealthhub.com Articles are available for FREE reprint to your newsletter, website or blog. Please sign up for our weekly nutrition and health tips.

Count Calories – Calorie Restriction is Vital for Effective Diets

January 21, 2011
By

The simple fact of weight loss is we must count calories.

Why do we deny ourselves effective diets when the simple facts are staring us down and undressing our voluptuous Rubinesque bodies with their cold appraising eyes? I reckon it’s because calorie restriction, both in what we eat and our portion sizes is somehow seen as a type of deprivation.

So many aspects of our lives in these modern times are so easy, so immediate. We have labor saving “this” and immediate gratification “that”. Sadly our body design and function predate these modern conveniences.

The fact that we have to work hard to maintain a healthy body through nutritious diet and regular exercise goes against our “I want it, I’m going to have it right now” mentality.

Now, there are diet purveyors who claim you can lose fat fast without calorie restriction, without exercise, without hunger – no calorie count.

Actually these claims are simply without any base in fact and therefore without success. Don’t waste your valuable time and hard won cash. You deserve to succeed and you will if you can just learn to live with the fact that you cannot have an effective diet without sensible calorie restriction.

It is simple and unfortunately indisputable logic.

To lose weight on any one of a number of effective diets, you must take in less energy than your body needs. Whether you want to count calories or points or units or grams, you have to accurately measure your food portions and balance them against your daily energy output. To make calorie restriction easier for you, you should treat your intended improvement in diet and exercise regime as a bit of a long term hobby.

Take away your “desperate to lose weight” scenario and replace it with a “determined to have permanent weight loss” mindset. Inform yourself by finding out as much as you can about correct nutrition and how to balance the essential elements of your diet. Get familiar with your body type and work out what combination of exercises are best for you.

Record your daily statistics; weight and fat. Chart your journey. Note setbacks and work out the reasons (not excuses) for them. They will happen again.

Devise strategies to cope with your setbacks, so that they don’t do your head in and send you reeling for your emergency ration of cream donuts. When you embark on a weight loss diet you have to see it as a fresh start; it’s not a free ride. And it is going to work for you if you are sensible and logical about it.

Rosie Peters gives common sense advice, encouragement and tips for weight loss, sensible diet and lifelong fitness. Visit Rosie at lose-fat-get-fit.com.

Download Rosie’s 5 simple steps to fat loss and start losing weight today.

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