Healthy Fast Food

Are you craving for fast food cuisine? If yes, here are some tips that you could do to make healthy fast food choices:

* Pizza may actually be a good choice for people with type 2 diabetes; just be sure to order the thin-crust type and top it with vegetables rather than high-fat meats and extra cheese.

* Tacos, burritos, and wraps can be tasty and permissible in your diet; when possible, ask for whole-wheat tortillas, and avoid any entrees that are fried.

* Look for fast-food places that offer salad bars. These can be good for you, as long as you limit the amount of salad dressing you use and don’t load up on high-fat salad ingredients, like cheeses.

* Keep an eye out for various healthy-diet special menu items. Some restaurants offer foods lower in cholesterol, fat, and sodium, and higher in fiber. Many offer reduced-calorie salad dressings, low-fat or fat-free milk, and salt substitutes.

Stop Being A Closet Eater!

Finding ways to eat healthfully is important. Try the following tips to help close the door on closet eating:

Eat often. Eat healthfully every four hours to control hunger. Eating small, frequent meals can help prevent binges by steadying blood sugar levels. Include some carbs to boost levels of the mood-lifting brain chemical serotonin.

Suppress stress. If you often turn to closet eating when faced with stressful situations, try relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation, guided imagery, and tai chi.

Allow treats. If weight loss is a goal, you may have placed all sweets off limits, and that can be a mistake. Reserve 10 percent of your caloric intake for treats. Then gradually taper off. When you cut back on sweets, you’ll eventually stop craving them.

Get enough sleep. Studies show that sleep deprivation can sabotage weight-loss efforts. One study reported that sleeping six or less hours on a regular basis was linked to an increased risk of obesity. Sleep problems don’t directly cause closet eating, but they can exacerbate this eating disorder.If you’re tired, you may retreat to your bedroom or car for binging to try to give yourself an energy boost.

Do a busy-hands activity. When a closet eating urge strikes, keep your hands busy. Try knitting, crossword puzzles, reorganizing your sock drawer, or playing with your pet. It’s tough to binge when your hands are otherwise occupied. By the time you finish the activity, the urge may have passed.

Exercise. Working out is a form of distraction that can do double duty. Exercise has been shown to reduce hunger urges and ease depression at the same time. Simply taking a 20-minute walk will often do the trick.

Avoid being alone. For some people, this can be a trigger for closet eating. Make an effort to socialize and make new friends. Joining a group of people interested in activities you like — movies, books, traveling — can be an easy way to meet other people.

source: everydayhealth

Vegetable of the Week: Olives

If you love olives, you'll be happy to know that you can enjoy them on your diet. You can use them to add flavor to salads or fish or chicken dishes or add them to whole-wheat pasta dishes.

Olives contain healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, which may help to lower “bad” LDL cholesterol. Because they are high in calories, however, try to limit yourself to 15 small olives or 6 large olives per serving.

Olives come in many varieties and from numerous regions of the world. The color spectrum of olives varies depending on how long they are left on the tree to mature, or ripen, as well as the curing method used. Green olives are picked early in the season, whereas black olives are fully ripe.

All olives, no matter the color, contain the same good fats.

What can proper abdominal breathing do for you?

Proper breathing is when you pull your belly and keep the muscles in your core (your abdominal area) lifted without contracting it too much. Breathing while holding in your belly and groin will keep the core muscles lifted and your breath will go in sideways. Proper breathing regulates your state of mind, emotional state, stress levels, and sleeping.

Are Energy Drinks Healthy?

Energy drinks are beverages that usually contain large amounts of caffeine and sugar. They are marketed as stimulant, which is why they are invariably linked to increased energy. Life coffee, energy drinks contain caffeine. But you sip a cup of coffee over a couple of hours, whereas an energy drink is gulped down in large amounts. Unfortunately, caffeine, the very ingredient which purports to improve energy, is the same one people must avoid when exercising. This is because caffeine is a diuretic and therefore, one will end up getting dehydrated if consumed in large amounts. Energy drinks area lot like coffee in that it contains caffeine. You will be better off drinking sports drinks, which will keep you hydrated with its fluid and electrolyte content, as well as provide you with energy as it also contains sugar.

Avoid Getting Injured

Sure you want to get in shape as soon as you can. But if you over-exert yourself, if you perform a move o a certain exercise the wrong way, and if you push yourself when you’re already hydrated, you could end up seriously hurt.

Don’t wait until you actually experience one of these. Follow these simple watch-outs:

1) Avoid muscle fatigue – Know when to push and when to quit. Pain is your body’s way of saying, “No more!” Be sure to listen.

2) Stretch regularly before and after any physical activity – Stretching beforehand helps prepare your muscles for the exertions you’ve got planned ahead. Stretching afterwards helps your muscles get ready to rest.

3) Warm up before physical activity – Warming up also helps your body get used to whatever sport or exercise you’ve got planned ahead, and can help you avoid an injury that can last weeks or months. Or worse, a lifetime.

4) Wear proper footwear – Many injuries occur when you don’t have the right shoes to give your feet the right support when you’re doing a particular sport or exercise.

5) Rehydrate constantly – always make sure you replace the fluids you lose while sweating from a sport or exercise. When you’re dehydrated, you can experience dizziness, exhaustion, cramps – symptoms that can lead to even more serious injuries.

On Eating Beef

Beef has important benefits because of its protein and iron content. You don’t need to deprive yourself of beef. But you should train yourself to eat in moderation. According to a study, two ounces of beef per day (about 57 grams or a little over half the size of deck of cards) is already considered high consumption. This has been correlated to the risk of developing colon cancer.

Here are some pointers to avoid unwanted weight gain:

Limit beef intake to a maximum of two servings per week. One serving of beef is equal to the size of a deck of cards (or 3.5 oz; 100g; 200 calories). A serving of fish or chicken without skin has way less calories of beef.

Choose lean parts of the beef like the eye round part and top sirloin. Aside from the exposed fat in beef, don’t forget that beef’s fat is intricately marbled in the tastiest cuts like rib-eye steaks, so trim off the visible fat by cutting the beef into pieces.

Cook beef the low-fat way by baking, roasting, grilling, steaming or even stewing. Stay away from deep-frying and adding extra butter or oil since it will only double the calories. Add more vegetables to your beef dishes so you’ll get fuller easily and avoid extra serving.

Combat Weight Loss ~ Use Cinnamon

Cinnamon is one of the oldest known spices.

Most recently, several studies have found that those individuals who regularly use cinnamon were better able to control their blood sugar levels throughout the day (diabetics and non diabetics alike). These same individuals also experienced a decrease in triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol.

Anything that will help you to better control your blood sugar levels and keep them balanced throughout the day will also help you to control your insulin levels. It is also one of the biggest contributors to NOT being able to lose fat.

Here are some delicious ways to get your daily dose of cinnamon:

1. Add cinnamon to your morning coffee.

2. Add ½ tsp of cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick to 1 black tea bag.

3. Add cinnamon to hot cereal.

4. Cinnamon Toast.

5. Spice up your meals.

Link Between Fats and Weight

Fat is a necessary part of a healthy diet.

Only about 33 percent of our daily calories come from fat. Why the discrepancy? One possible reason is that people are exchanging fats for even more unhealthy alternatives, like calorie-rich, sugar-laden carbohydrates.

There's actually no proof that restricting fats in the diet improves weight loss or reduces heart disease risk. A major study by the Women's Health Initiative found no health benefit in women who followed a low-fat diet over those who didn't restrict their fats. And a Nurses' Health Study found no improvement in heart health or weight loss, probably because they were cutting out the protective good fats as well as bad fats.

The current recommendation is between three and nine servings of fats each day; most of these should come from good fats, with very little saturated fat and ideally no trans fat.

Relieve Muscle Soreness

Your perfect, grapefruit-shaped glutes aren't the only things suggesting you've been working hard. Your tired, creaky muscles are aching for a little attention too. Melt away muscle tension with a few good rubs and keep your pain from sidelining your workouts. Muscle creams are generally easily to find, and they soothe varying levels of soreness - even after just one application. Most work by boosting circulation enough to remove lactic acid, a buildup of muscular debris that occurs when you pump blood to your muscles faster than it flows back to your heart.

The way you apply muscle cream can mean the difference between straight-legging it to work like Frankenstein and striding out in heels. To start, slather the stuff on, then apply firm, even pressure, always styroking toward your heart. (For Legs, work from ankle to knee and repeat. For arms, stroke from elbow to shoulder and repeat).

Here are more tricks to maximize your muscle rub:

>>Calves. Start with your thumbs together behind the center of your calf and pull them apart toward the outside of your muscle, rubbing firmly in a circular motion.

>>Butt. After you appply the product, take a tennis ball and sit right on it, keeping it under one side of your glutes. Roll around to break up knots, pausing at extra sore spots for 15 to 30 seconds. Switch sides.

>>Arms. Wrap one hand around your arm and firmly stroke. Spend extra time on biceps and forearms, which tend to be sore from overuse. Using fingertip pads, rub in a circular motion.

>>Neck. First, lightly hold your head with both hands, fingers up, and place your thumbs at the base of your skull. Rub small circles with your thumbs all along the base. Next, place the fingertips of both hands right alongside the top of your spine, and firmly pull them down toward your shoulders, away from each other. Apply pressure using small, firm strokes with three fingers.

>>Lower back. Place your thumbs on either side of your spine, and pull down toward your hips with long, even strokes. Next focus on specific sore spots deeply circling your fingertips for 15 to 30 seconds. To finish, place thumbs on hips, fingers down, and rub fingers up in a circular motion, pulling your back muscles away from your spine.

Decoding Food Claims

Walk into any grocery store and you’ll find products boasting a wide range of health claims. Some foods are labeled “enriched” while others are labeled “organic” or “all-natural,” which is appealing to health-conscious consumers.

Be sure to read all the ingredients, regardless of what the label says. All healthy food products should use whole ingredients and not list any processed flours, additives, or added sugars, such as high fructose corn syrup. Take whole-wheat crackers, for example. The first ingredient listed on the box should be whole-wheat flour — not to be confused with wheat flour, which is a form of white flour.

Preparing meals using fresh whole foods and ingredients and limiting your use of packaged convenience foods. But chances are, you may be purchasing prepackaged foods from time to time. So to help you make the best food choices, here are the facts on some of the most common food claims:

EnrichedThe facts: “Enriched” means the nutrients that were originally in the food were lost during the refining process and have been replaced to make it more nutritious. Enriched foods don’t compensate for the natural nutrients and fiber that were lost during processing.Common examples: Breads and pastas that are enriched with B vitamins and iron

FortifiedThe facts: Foods that are “fortified” have nutrients added that were never present in the original product. Fortified foods still have their natural ingredients (they haven’t been stripped of nutrients during processing) and in most cases have added health benefits, such as vitamins. Fortified can also mean that the food must contain at least 10% more of the daily value for a particular nutrient, such as fiber, potassium, or antioxidants.Common examples: Cereals fortified with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids; margarine spreads, soy milk, and low-fat/nonfat milk with vitamins D and A

All-NaturalThe facts: Beware of foods labeled “all-natural” or “100% natural.” The FDA and USDA don’t regulate products with these claims. The labels “all-natural” and “100% natural” suggest that the foods are nutritious and wholesome, but they may contain hydrogenated oils and chemical preservatives, all of which are not natural ingredients. Foods that are “made from concentrate” are also not considered all-natural. However, the USDA recognizes poultry and other meat products labeled “all-natural” or “100% natural,” even if they have added chicken or beef broth.Common examples: Fruit juices, canned goods, and frozen meals

OrganicThe facts: All food products that have the “USDA Organic” seal must contain at least 95% organic ingredients. Products that have the “made with organic ingredients” label consist of at least 70% organic ingredients.Common examples: Cereals, milk, juices, fruits, vegetables, etc.

source: southbeachdiet

Blame Cravings?

Your inability to put on the brakes when you're chomping something yummy is about more than wimpy willpower. Evidence suggests that we evolved to crave fattening food. Our taste buds have special sets of receptors that pick up flavors associated with calorie-dense foods; even newborn babies are born with desire for sweet things.

Our hairy human ancestors were mostly herbivores- today they're known as vegans- and getting enough calories was a daily struggle. To avoid starving to death, they had to learn to recognize calorie-and-nutrient-dense foods by their taste and texture. As a result, we inherited a powerful hankering for anything sweet ( a sure sign of energy-boosting sugar) or fatty (a guarantee of precious calories).

Now that we're no longer digging up roots, picking berries, and casing woolly mammoths, calorie-dense foods are more curse than blessing. Further proof that Mother Nature is determined to foil your weighlt loss plans: Fat combined with salt or sugar gives your mouth the flavor of sugary, high-fat foods (like ice cream) and salty, high foods (like Doritos) are especially delectable. Seem depressing? Chin up-evlution may have stacked the deck, but ultimately you deal the cards.

Feel and Look Younger

Tomatoes. Lycopene, in red grapefruit, tomatoes, watermelon, and pink grapefruit, is a powerful weapon against free radicals. It has the ability to inhibit sun-induced aging and can neutralize free radicals. Fill your glass with tomato juice or V8 juice daily.

Tea. Catechins, found in green tea, dark chocolate, and red wine, are another antioxidant that packs a wallop. Have four to six cups of tea a day with lemon, which enhances the antioxidants’ activity in your cells.

Spinach. Lutein is found in spinach, kale, corn, and other vegetables. It has the ability to give additional antioxidant capacity to your skin and enhances skin hydration.

Water. Stay hydrated: Drink six to eight glasses of water a day. (And if you are drinking decaffeinated tea, that counts.) Caffeinated beverages can dehydrate you, which can contribute to dry, sallow-looking skin.

The 309 Calorie Cheeseburger

Burgers aren't all that bad for you, if you choose the right ingredients to put in. A fast food cheeseburger with beef patty with cheddar, ketchup and relish on the bun can easily top 475 calories, but you can slim it down considerably without sacrificing flavor- or a bikini-ready bod.

Here's how to build a better burger:

Tomato: 4 calories per slice.
Get ripe, juicy flavor without the added sugar of ketchup.

Cheese: 48 calories per slice.
No need to bypass cheese. Just go for a low-fat variety of Swiss.

Burger: 140 calories.
Switch from 75% to 95% lean beef in your patty. You'll never know the difference.

Pickles: 4 calories.
At just 1 calorie each, dill slices are a slimmer but still flavorful sub for relish.

Power Up With Cereals

After your morning workout, it is recommended to have a healthy breakfast of whole grain, low sugar and with skim milk. Thus, cereal is the best bet for this. Most of cereal eaters, usually add slices of bananas or raisins or nuts to make it more flavorful and powerful. But of course if day after day, we just eat the same thing, it gets a little frustrating and annoying.

There are many brands of cereals in the market today but what you need to consider is how you can jazz up your cereal meal each day.

Mix it up. If you think that your cereal lacks aroma or taste, mix it with equal parts of honey and cherries. Remember, we don’t want to add sugar to make it more flavorful.

Upgrade to cereal and milk 2.0. Aside from milk, we can also use low-fat yoghurt. Yoghurt is a great calcium-rich substitute for milk. Since yoghurt has other flavors, you may try other yoghurt variants.

You can also try this:

Mix a 6 oz container of vanilla yogurt with 1 cup raw oats, ½ cup steel cut oats, ½ cup orange juice and a small chopped apple, then stir together and let sit overnight. In the morning, dish out a serving, and top with two tablespoons of dried fruits and nuts.

Have it your way. Nowadays, we can buy cereal bars in the grocery. So instead of the traditional cereal, you can opt for this one. This is also good as a snack bar.

Fill'er up with fruit. Aside from sliced bananas, you can always try different fruits like mango or papaya. You can also consider blackberry, kiwi, peaches, and plums, among others. Of course, any fruit, especially those fresh and in season, make perfect cereal toppers. Dried fruits or canned fruits can be an alternative as well if you don’t have fresh fruits in sight.

Add a little heat. Cereals are best when they are cooked. I know it would be easy to just tow in instant oatmeal but nothing takes the chill off better than a steaming bowl of oatmeal. So while heating up, stir some real strawberries and cream or chunks of fresh berries and during the last few minutes of cooking. Very delicious.

What is Core Kinesis?

Core Kinesis uses a cable and pulley system that enables over 550 moves. The system can be used and manipulated in 360-degree angles, unlike the lateral movements of gym machines. The workout is able to mimic your everyday moves, making you more flexible and balanced while toning your core.

Core Kinesis is meant to accommodate everyone: from young, active athletes to mature individuals. It engages multiple muscle action that conforms to the natural mechanics of the body. This makes it a a safer and more efficient workout.

Muscle Groups Worked: Core, glutes, arms

Calories Burned Per Hour: 400 to 800 calories in 45 minutes

If you've got a crazy schedule and need more personalized workout, this is for you. You can work anytime as long as you schedule it with your trainer.

Cause For Concern

Aside from weight gain and energy loss, that will greatly affect your every day activities, somatopause also results in decreasing muscle and bone density loss - a sure cause for concern for your health and well-being. After all, your bones and muscles must be able to withstand this period in order for you to have less aches and pains later on in life.

Despite Somatopause being a natural occurrence, there are natural ways to counter the ill effcts that Somatopause may cause you physically and emotionally.

A regular fitness regimen, coupled with a balanced diet that include fruits, fiber, and vegetables, drinking at least 8 glasses of water and getting 8 hours of sleep every night, will have positive effects on your slow metabolism rate. Adopt a positive attitude and mindset towards aging- after all, everyone goes through it and it is within our power to control. Most importantly, make smarter lifestyle choices that will surely reflect better on your general well-being!

"Y" is for Yoga and Youthful

Ever wonder what makes yogis look so yound and fresh? Practicing yoga...

Silence stress. Yoga helps improve the efficiency of the immune system by eliminating stress. Regular Pranayamas (breathing exercises) like Kapalabhati and Anulom-Vilom can help you shut out negativity and concentrate on the good stuff. This means less wrinkles and frown lines.

Gives Glowing Skin. The perfect oxygen boost, yoga brings to the body great blood circulation from doing those various asanas (poses) and mudras (hand gestures).

Improves Skin Elasticity. Yoga can return elasticity to skin by removing tension away from the body as it strengthens it with posture-perfecting poses. So when you strretch during yoga, you also firm up sag-prone areas like chin, cheeks, and arms - aprt from building great core muscles! No wonder yogis are lean and lovely.

Curb Cravings Without Eating A Thing

Before insane urges force you to eat more than you'd like, make sure it's really your appetite talking and not something else entirely.

The human brain has a tendency to fire off an " I need to eat" message in response to emotions and situations that have nothing to do with appetite and constantly misreading that cue and chewing down can pack an extra pounds. The trick is to learn what your body is trying to tell you and what kind of fix your system truly needs. These tips will help you avoid loads of calories in the easiest way possible.

You're Stressed.
Food, on the other hand, is an almost instant reward, especially if you get it by speed-eating through the fridge or racing out to the nearest fast-food joint. It's such a natural way to pamper yourself that nutritionists say many women subconsciously start to associate feeling overwhelmed or overworked with a trip to the food court or plate of fries.

Scarfing all that junk won’t really satisfy you, though. When you’re stressed, you’re actually less likely to savor the taste of your food or respond to feelings of fullness. So, pop in a piece of gum instead. It can help you in two ways: Some expert claim that chewing is calming, and you’ll sidestep those calories that you wouldn’t have enjoyed anyway.

You’re Exhausted
Ever notice that you’re desperate for sugary and carb-loaded foods that after a bad (or short) night of sleep? That’s because when you’re dragging, your body craves a jolt of energy and a sweet snack often delivers an instant boost.

Thing is, not only does your body not need the calories, but indulging in something sweet and junky will actually make you feel more tired, since sugar-energy highs are followed by rapid energy plunges. Instead, wake yourself up when you’re feeling beat with a quick burst of exercise- a 20 minute gym routine or a brisk walk. Then, plan to better manage your fatigue next time, by either getting to bed half an hour earlier or taking a power nap.

You Worked Out
Exercising depletes your body’s protein, which may explain why you sometimes want to chow down on meat right after clocking time on the treadmill. But, that craving doesn’t mean you have to eat a mega meal. Instead of inhaling hundreds of calories (and negating the hard work you put in at the gym), satisfy your protein need by drinking a glass of non-fat milk. One cup has just 86 calories but enough protein to quell your urges ‘til it’s time for lunch or dinner.

You’re Procrastinating
Women often eat to delay making a tough decision or to put off an unwanted task. Nutritionist say we tend to choose food over things, like watching TV or going online, because those types of activities seem like a waste of time and “real” procrastination, whereas eating doesn’t.

You’re Thirsty
Hunger and thirst fire off nearly identical messages in the brain, so our bodies often confuse the need to drink with the need to eat. If you ate recently but are suddenly jonesing for some solid sustenance, the explanation is probably dehydration. That’s why nutritionists say the first thing to do when you’re craving food is drink water. Guzzle it down, and wait for about 10 minutes; that lingering hunger will probably fade.

You’re Bored
We migrate to the kitchen when we have nothing to do because, well, it’s something to do – something fun and pleasurable to boot. If you can’t get out of the house or away from your desk and you start fantasizing about chips, ice cream, do something competitive, like playing a video or online game. It’ll entertain you and keep your hands too busy to reach for food.