Posts Tagged ‘Healthy’

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Healthy Food Choices for fast effective weight loss

Monday, August 30th, 2010

A healthy diet should be a priority for each person every day, but this may be difficult to do on a regular basis. In order to eat healthy you need to make the right food choices, what you eat directly affects your body. Making the right food choices are crucial for fast effective weight loss results.

Here is an overview of what foods you should be adding to your diet each day.  Try to aim for lots of colors on your plate each day.

Whole Grains – You should eat around 6 ounces of grains each day.This includes whole grain cakes, pasta and rice.

Vegetables – five to six servings a day is recommended especially dark vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and spinach. Carrots and sweet potatoes are excellent choices along with beans either dried or canned, if using beans from a can rinse well to remove any excess salt.

Fruits – Try to eat fresh fruit when possible as the whole fruit has more vitamins and minerals compared to drinking fruit juices.Fruit juices tend to have more sugar so be careful how much you eat. Limit bananas to one per day and grapes are great to have especially when frozen. They make a good sweet treat.

Milk – Select nonfat or 1%, if possible, close to two servings per day is good, helps elderly women in the prevention of osteoporosis.The Low-fat yogurt can be substituted if you do not like drinking milk.Broccoli is another excellent source of calcium.

Protein oz – 4 per day to eat any red meat, 6 ounces of chicken or turkey and allow for eight ounces of fresh fish daily. Always try to bake or grill your meat and trim off any excess fat.

When cooking try to limit the amount of fat and oil you add to your frying.While the reduction to half of what we currently use provides a big plus.  Olive oil is the better choice and is great for adding flavors to your meals.

If your diet is not currently in good health you will experience weight loss quickly and efficiently, while adding these foods to your diet daily routine.  Along with drinking plenty of water and adding some form of daily exercise even if it is walking the dog or going for a bike ride.

There are no pills for quick weight loss quick and effective, commonsense approach and the plan is all you need to achieve a healthy lifestyle, which will only benefit the long-term health.

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Refrigerator, Cornerstone of Any Healthy Eating

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

In many ways the refrigerator is the cornerstone of any healthy eating plan.  How you stock that fridge can make a huge difference in the success or failure of any healthy eating plan.  From what foods it contains, to where they are stored, the refrigerator can be vitally important to healthy eating.

The first step should be to take stock of just what the refrigerator contains. The bachelors among us may already be familiar with this process, but taking stock of the fridge means more than just throwing away those foods that have begun to turn green or grow hair.

Taking stock of the contents of the fridge should mean a monthly review of everything it contains.  During this review, separate the healthier foods from the others.  It is important to make sure that you have more low fat, high fiber and low sugar foods than high fat low fiber and high sugar ones.  If the ratio is off, try to shop for healthier foods.

Another great trick for keeping a healthy refrigerator is to hide the less healthy foods.  Try hiding the desserts and other such foods in the crisper, where they will be out of sight and not constantly tempting you.  Since fresh fruits and vegetables tend to dry out if they are not used right away, store them in plain sight to increase their likelihood of being eaten.  Hiding cakes in the produce drawers, and prominently displaying the fruits and vegetables, is a smart way to keep a healthy fridge.

Another tip is to organize the refrigerator into different sections, and to segregate those sections into sometimes foods (unhealthy choices) and everyday foods (healthy choices).  Try to place the healthier foods in the front of the refrigerator, while relegating the unhealthier choices to the back.

Substitution is another great strategy for creating a healthy fridge and a healthy lifestyle.  There are low fat and nonfat versions of literally hundreds of different foods.  Try substituting skim or 1% milk for whole milk, soft margarines for fattier butter, and low fat sour cream for the full fat varieties.  Try replacing fattier meats with leaner ones, or with chicken and fish.  Even a simple change, like substituting a soft margarine for butter, can result in significant savings of saturated fat.

For those families with young children, it is important to involve the entire family in healthy eating lifestyles.  The habits children learn in childhood often follow them throughout their adult lives, so it makes a lot of sense to get them off to a great start.  Try decorating healthy foods with fun stickers, stars, or other colorful items.

Stickers and stars are not the only way to make healthy foods more appealing.  Try storing healthy foods with attractive, delicious toppings to make them more interesting and appealing.  Try storing a container of berries next to the low fat yogurt, or a bottle of chocolate syrup with the 1% milk.  Mixing these foods together is a great way to create healthy snacks quickly.

Another key to creating a healthy refrigerator is to use leftovers wisely.  Leftovers can be very useful, and healthy meals make healthy leftovers.  Try using leftovers as lunches, or as healthy snacks for the next day.

Ready to eat meals are a great way to encourage healthy eating.  Try this handy trick – when you return from your weekly grocery shopping, take the time to create some quick single serving meals and stack them in the fridge.  In addition, try making some quick snacks by cutting up fresh fruits and vegetables and storing them in single serving containers.

Using the freezer space in your refrigerator wisely is important as well. Freezing foods that won’t be used right away is a great way to make your food dollar go further and to provide quick meals for your family.  Try freezing foods in portion sizes.  This will make it easier to eat healthier meals, and it will help ensure everyone gets their favorites.  When looking at portion sizes, remember that the recommended serving size of meat is 3 ounces, roughly equivalent to the size of a deck of playing cards.  The standard serving size for pasta is one cup, while a serving of vegetables is ½ cup.

The freezer can also be a great way to create fun fruit snacks for the entire family.  Freezing healthy fruits like grapes, orange slices and bananas make great snacks for children and adults alike.

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How can I make a boxed cake mix more healthy?

Sunday, August 22nd, 2010

I don’t have all the stuff to make a cake from scratch, so I would like to know how I can make a boxed cake mix healthier.

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Healthy Eating Food Pyramid Guidelines

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

The Food Pyramid is a graphical guideline of the various types of food to be taken during the day to achieve a healthy, balanced diet. 

As a concept the pyramid is simple.  You should eat more of the foods from the bottom two shelves of the pyramid, namely, breads, cereals, potatoes, fruit and vegetables, with smaller amounts of foods coming from milk, cheese, yoghurt, meat and alternatives. Fats, oils and sweets forming the tip of the pyramid should be thoroughly controlled with few servings as possible.  Choosing a correct mixture of foods from each shelf of the Pyramid will provide a balance of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals each day.

Ideally it is suggested to take 6 to 11 servings of the foods in the bottom category of the pyramid.  Breads, grains, cereals and pastas provide complex carbohydrates and Vitamin B, which are an important source of energy, especially for a low-fat meal plan.  One serving of this group is considered to be one half cup cooked rice or pasta, one slice of bread, half  a bread roll or baguette, one half cup cooked grains or cereals, one ounce muesli or breakfast cereal.

Fruits and vegetables are rich in nutrients. Many are excellent sources of vitamin A & vitamin C, high in fibre, whilst low in fats, sodium and sugar.  The Food Pyramid suggests 3 to 5 servings of vegetables each day. One serving of vegetables can be one cup of raw leafy vegetables, half a cup of other cooked or raw vegetables, and three quarters of a cup vegetable juice.  It also suggests to take a minimum of two servings of fresh fruit daily.  One serving may be composed of, one medium sized apple, orange or banana; half cup of chopped, cooked or canned fruit and three quarters of a cup fruit juice.  It is also suggested that fruit juice should be fresh and not from any of the ready bottled juices at supermarkets, as these contain high volumes to added sugars and calories which might interfere with your diet plans.

Meat, poultry, fish, eggs and nuts are an important component of the daily diet as they supply protein, iron and zinc.  Non-meat foods such as dried peas and beans also provide many of these nutrients.  The Food Pyramid suggests 2 to 3 servings of cooked meat, fish or poultry.  Each serving being composed of, one egg; two tablespoons seeds or nuts and two to three ounces of cooked fish, meat or poultry.

Milk, Yogurts and Cheeses are good sources of calcium and protein.  The pyramid recommends two to three daily servings with each serving including one cup milk or yogurt; or two ounces of cheese.

The top section of the food pyramid is the smallest part, which signifies that the fats and sweets in this category should comprise the smallest percentage of your daily diet. These foods being chips, salad dressings, oils, mayonnaise cream, butter, margarine, sugars, soft drinks, cakes, biscuits and pastries should be eaten sparingly ideally less than 3 servings, because they provide calories but not much in the way of nutrition.

Following the guidelines in the food pyramid was proven as a very good way to control the intake of every food category required for the human body.  As an add-on to the pyramid guideline you may view some nutrition facts on proteins, carbs, etc… at this link on my website http://www.physical-fitness-instructor.com/fitness-nutrition.html . My site is totally free and you may also download workout routines which may be performed in a Gym or at Home.  Bookmark my site and enjoy.

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Healthy Travel. Five “Must Know” Secrets

Monday, August 16th, 2010

In September 2004, my wife and I enjoyed a bus tour of central and southern Europe. We had prepared for it with a fitness and exercise program before we left home and it paid dividends!

Towards the end of the tour, our journey took us past superb scenery on the Italian Ligurian Sea coast en-route from Florence to our overnight stop at Nice. The 5 coastal villages of the Cinque Terre with the shimmering sea as a backdrop made an unforgettable sight. It was one of the scenic highlights of the our.

Sadly, almost half the people on the bus didn’t enjoy these spectacular sights because they were asleep! A surprising aspect was the age group of those who were fatigued. Most were under 50! My wife is in her 50s and I am in my 60s. We had traveled from Australia and were determined not to miss a thing. Similar sentiments were expressed by an active and alert couple from Seattle. We estimated they were in their 70s. They both agreed: “Why travel all this way to miss these views?”

So what are the secrets to travel fitness? Here are some suggestions:

START A FITNESS PROGRAM BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME.

Dr Mark Wise, author of “The Travel Doctor. Your Guide to Staying Healthy While You Travel,” believes that “A healthy vacation starts several weeks before you head out the door.” The last minute stresses of packing as well as the myriad of pre travel tasks can make you fatigued and vulnerable to illness.

My suggestion is to start an exercise and fitness program at least a month before you travel. The main focus of your exercises should be walking. If you want to really explore a city, you’ll do a lot of walking and walking can be tiring. Go for a daily brisk walk for up to 30 minutes to get your heart rate up! You don’t have to run or jog, just walk.

To supplement this aerobics program, include a strengthening or resistance program using light weights. Just a slight increase in strength, can make climbing stairs, walking and carrying cases that much easier. Weight bearing exercises also strengthen bones and are part of a program for those with osteoporosis.

One last suggestion. Wear comfortable shoes. When I travel, I know I’ll do a lot of walking. I wear cross trainers or joggers that give good cushioning, particularly in the heels. A thick pair of walking socks also helps.

WATCH YOUR DIET.

To fully enjoy your travels you need energy to keep you sharp and alert. There are foods that are highly nutritious, that give you high energy and vitality throughout the day. There are also foods that are hard for your system to digest, that tire you out and make you slow and drowsy in the morning and afternoon.

The chief culprits are foods that contain saturated fats. These include sausage rolls, cakes, chips and doughnuts. Sadly those delicious cakes and pastries in Europe are very tempting, but they can make you drowsy and be difficult to digest. The process of digestion is the activity of your body that consumes the most energy. When you eat foods that are hard to digest, your body rushes blood from everywhere to the digestive system to work and break them down. In this process, your digestive system draws away blood from your brain and muscles. This is why you feel drowsy after a large meal.

The solution. Your breakfast and lunch should include food that is easy to digest. Eat more whole grain products such as oat meal and plenty of fruit and vegetables. Bananas in particular, will give you an energy boost. Supplement with nuts including almonds, walnuts and Brazil nuts. They are nutritious and easy to carry.

HAVE A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP.

Jetlag and tiredness can take the edge off your holiday enjoyment. Most adults need around 7 hours’ sleep a night, but when traveling, this is not always possible or desirable. When my wife and I visited Venice, we walked through St Marks Square at midnight. It was a surreal feeling with a sea fog drifting in from the Adriatic and almost total silence. We shared this experience with no more than a dozen other people. What a contrast to the mid afternoon tourist hordes!

The secret is quality sleep and a number of herbs and supplements can help. These include valerian, B group vitamins, magnesium and passionflower. A few drops of lavender on the side of your pillow will also help soothe and calm.

Never start a new treatment before consulting your doctor, especially if you are currently taking medication. The information published in this article is not intended as a substitute for personal medical advice from your physician or other qualified health-care practitioner. It is for information purposes only.

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Healthy Eating Menu

Friday, July 30th, 2010

What comprises a healthy eating menu is a question that we often ponder. Various Health and Nutrition organizations recommend eating a diet rich in fiber and antioxidants because it helps in weight loss. Eating low fat protein like lean meat and fish is essential for new cell formations and for health brain function. While eating a variety of fresh fruits, whole grains and vegetables are essential for the optimal health of the body.

Snacking is the most favorite pastime for many people; its fun and de-stressing activity, along with healthy or unhealthy foods consumed by us. However, with a carefully planned menu, junk food can be avoided. Divide your plate into three categories to develop a healthy eating menu plan. One half will consist of non-starchy fruits and vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes and greens. One quarter will consist of lean protein like fish, chicken and low fat dairy. And, the remaining quarter will constitute whole grains like brown rice, barley, whole-wheat pasta or starchy vegetables – corn, potatoes and peas.

Restrict your healthy eating menu plan by avoiding foods that are high in saturated or trans fats. Foods with hydrogenated oils like many processed foods should be eliminated. Trans fat contained foods include commercially prepared cakes, pies, cookies, pastries, breakfast cereals and energy bars. Avoid deep fried foods and processed meats like bologna, salami and pepperoni. According to the USDA, high fat protein like beef, lamb, pork, and organ meats like kidneys and hearts should be monitored. Read the food labels before you buy a food product, it will help you make an informed decision if you are buying healthy or unhealthy foods.

Macrobiotic, vegan and vegetarian diets are tremendously healthy. However, such diets rely heavily on simple carbohydrates derived from bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes. Therefore, its equally important to find protein and calcium resources, soybeans and nuts provide the missing link

If aiming to lose weight avoid the simple carbohydrates obtained from sweetened drinks, potatoes, bread, pasta, and rice and try green tea, strawberries and yogurt instead. Our aim is to offer you meal samples to jumpstart your healthy lifestyle:

Raisin bran, muesli, granola with soy-milk, fresh fruit or juice, whole wheat toast, bagel, rice cake with peanut butter, egg white omelet with ham and vegetables. Any of these food items are an essential breakfast meal.

For lunch, include any of the following food items – Turkey sandwich on whole wheat with veggie crisps, raw veggies with hummus and pita bread, vegetable sandwich on whole-wheat bagel with cream cheese, salad with lime and olive oil dressing and vegetable soup.

Snacks can readily adjust foods like celery, apples, and carrots with peanut butter; cheese; yogurt and nuts. Incorporate celery sticks with peanut butter, munch crisp apple wedges and low fat cheese or almond butter, frozen berries, grapes banana, plain yogurt and whole grain crackers are an excellent snacking choice.

According to a famous proverb Eat Dinner like a Pauper, youre dinner should be frugal. Thus, curried vegetable stir-fry with brown rice, baked or grilled fish with asparagus and brown rice, salad with grilled chicken, black beans and brown rice with spinach and grilled chicken with steamed vegetables are good options.

Organic, locally grown and seasonal fruits and vegetables should be given priority over canned or cold storage foods in your healthy eating menu.

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How to make “healthy” organic cake mix more moist?

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

I’m either looking for an excellent brand of organic cake mix (various flavors – chocolate, yellow, spice, carrot) that will be nice and moist. OR any suggestions on how to make the cake fluffier and more moist, without adding the very garbage we’re trying to avoid.
Instead of oil and eggs, I’m using applesauce and egg whites. This works calorie and heart-healthy-wise, but not flavor-wise. The cake turns out dense and dry.
Someone suggested adding an organic pudding mix to the batter, but I wanted to see what my friends at Yahoo Answers would come up with. Thanks!

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Going To The Store And Buying Healthy

Friday, July 9th, 2010

The local grocery store is a great place to find healthy, nutritious foods.  Unfortunately, it’s also a place to find less healthy foods and many junk foods. Learning how to follow a healthy lifestyle means learning how to shop for the healthiest foods, and learning how to avoid temptation.

Learning to read labels is an important skill for any healthy shopper. The information on nutritional labels is very valuable, providing complete information on the percentage of many vitamins and minerals a particular food contains. In addition, nutritional information labels provide valuable information on things like the amount of calories, number of at grams, percentage of total fat and amount of fiber each food contains.  It’s important to choose those foods that have the best nutritional qualities as you roam the local grocery store.

There are some important guidelines to follow to make sure that every trip to the grocery store will be a healthy experience. After all, you cannot have a healthy refrigerator or a healthy dinner table without first stocking your kitchen pantry with the healthiest foods available.

One of the best pieces of advice is probably something you have heard a million times, and that is to never go grocery shopping when you are hungry.  Even if it means stopping for a quick snack on your way, it is important to not enter the supermarket while you are hungry. Hungry shoppers make bad choices, and those unhealthy choices will be around long after your hunger has abated.

Another good trick is to hit the produce section of your grocery store first.  Fill up your food basket with healthy, nutritious fruits and vegetables.  Not only will this allow you to stock the fridge and the pantry with healthy choices, but it will leave less room for all those less healthy foods.

It is also important to always make a detailed shopping list before hitting the grocery store. A well thought out grocery list keeps you from overspending, and also helps keep you from succumbing to the temptation of less healthy junk foods. To keep a detailed list of what you need on your next shopping list, try keeping a notepad by the fridge or on the dining room table. Write down each item as you think of it, and come shopping day, you will have a complete list of everything you need to buy.

As you shop around the grocery store, it is a good idea to take advantage of the many low fat foods that fill grocery store shelves. There are low at varieties of many foods, including milk and dairy products, meats and cheeses, even cakes and pies. Most of these products contain all the taste of the full fat products, without all the fat.

When shopping for low fat foods, however, be on the lookout for extra sugar content. This is not so much a concern with milk and dairy products, but it is sometimes a concern with low fat baked goods. Some manufacturers pack their low fat baked goods with extra sugar, so it pays to be a smart label reader.

As long as you watch sugar content, however, low fat desserts and sweets are excellent choices. When grocery shopping, try to choose naturally lower fat alternatives, such as angel food cake, fig bars and vanilla wafers. Buying smaller portion sizes is another smart strategy for enjoying sweets while limiting fat and calories.

Another smart strategy is to choose whole grain breads and cereals whenever possible. Whole grains contain more fiber and other nutrients than do more processed foods, so buying whole grains makes a lot of sense.

When shopping for the healthiest cereals in the grocery store, it is helpful to understand how the cereal aisle of the typical grocery store is arranged.  Shelf space at a grocery store is in high demand and short supply, and cereal manufacturers take advantages of this fact in their store shelf marketing. In general, the less healthy, sugar laden cereals are arranged at kid height, while the more adult, healthier products are on the top shelves.

That is one reason why your kids are always trying to put those sugar cubes disguised as cereal in your cart as you shop. Choosing the healthier cereals from the top shelves is a good strategy, but it is still important to read the labels to make sure you are getting what you think you are.

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Where to get a healthy birthday cake for baby’s first birthday in Michigan?

Friday, May 28th, 2010

Now I know there are quite a few recipes that are healthy alternatives to standard birthday cake. Is there any place that would make a healthier alternative for a baby’s first birthday? Thanks.

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healthy banana cake recipes?

Friday, May 14th, 2010

i am making my daughters birthday cake,but i want something with a little less sugar.i am thinking about doing a banana cake with vegan coconut whipped topping.vegan and sugarless would be ideal but it doesnt HAVE to be vegan(were not vegan but i like vegan food,and i cook lots of vegan desserts).i would like to use wheat flour.i need some ideas please.the main thing im trying to eliminate is sugar.
oh yeah,i also need enough to fit in a rectangular birthday cake pan

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