Monday, 28 February 2011
No Excuses!
Going on a diet takes resolve, and all the planning may seem scary for some people. But the thing is, as clichéd as it may sound, it’s all about priorities. Eating right is good for the body, and there’s no better way to start setting things straight than now. However, going on a diet shouldn’t be stressful. Adding a fruit or two to your baon or choosing healthier options to fast food chains are quick and easy ways to kick off a diet that won't add to your busy schedule.
Sunday, 27 February 2011
Sugar Substitutes ~ Are They for Real?
Sugar-free foods and drinks are lower in calories than their full sugar alternatives, but are they good options for weight loss? While sugar substitutes are generally safe, the debate about how they should be used continues.
Other sugar substitutes are being developed, and many products contain a mix of sugar substitutes to enhance flavor. Each sugar substitute is several thousand times sweeter than sugar, but has a slightly different flavor. Whether you reach for the pink, blue, or yellow packet to sweeten your coffee is a matter of personal taste. Sugar substitutes are now so common that many people use them without consciously considering their use as a weight-loss strategy.
As part of an overall healthy diet, sugar substitutes are believed to reduce calories and the risk of cavities. Interestingly, controlled studies that compare weight loss between people who use sugar substitutes and those who consume sugar show very little difference in weight loss between the two groups, although over the long term, sugar substitutes can help maintain weight loss.
Conscious calorie-cutting strategies can include sugar-free products. Replacing a sugary drink with a sugar-free drink will reduce your calorie intake, and cutting back by just one full sugar soda a day could result in losing over 1.4 pounds in 18 months. The key to losing weight using sugar-free products is to use them strategically.
Sugar Substitutes: How Much Can You Have?
A big question surrounding sugar substitutes is how much diet soda is safe to drink. Though you might never consider consuming this much in a day, the FDA says these are the maximum amounts allowable for daily consumption, listed by type of sugar substitute:
* Aspartame: 18 to 19 cans of diet soda
* Saccharin: 9 to 12 packets
* Acesulfame-K: 30 to 32 cans of diet soda
* Sucralose: 6 cans of diet soda
Other sugar substitutes are being developed, and many products contain a mix of sugar substitutes to enhance flavor. Each sugar substitute is several thousand times sweeter than sugar, but has a slightly different flavor. Whether you reach for the pink, blue, or yellow packet to sweeten your coffee is a matter of personal taste. Sugar substitutes are now so common that many people use them without consciously considering their use as a weight-loss strategy.
As part of an overall healthy diet, sugar substitutes are believed to reduce calories and the risk of cavities. Interestingly, controlled studies that compare weight loss between people who use sugar substitutes and those who consume sugar show very little difference in weight loss between the two groups, although over the long term, sugar substitutes can help maintain weight loss.
Conscious calorie-cutting strategies can include sugar-free products. Replacing a sugary drink with a sugar-free drink will reduce your calorie intake, and cutting back by just one full sugar soda a day could result in losing over 1.4 pounds in 18 months. The key to losing weight using sugar-free products is to use them strategically.
Sugar Substitutes: How Much Can You Have?
A big question surrounding sugar substitutes is how much diet soda is safe to drink. Though you might never consider consuming this much in a day, the FDA says these are the maximum amounts allowable for daily consumption, listed by type of sugar substitute:
* Aspartame: 18 to 19 cans of diet soda
* Saccharin: 9 to 12 packets
* Acesulfame-K: 30 to 32 cans of diet soda
* Sucralose: 6 cans of diet soda
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Bad Health Habits You Should Drop ASAP
Still struggling to keep up with your health resolutions? Read on and see how you could be slipping.
By now, you’re aware of at least some of the bad health habits that can shorten your life. Still, here are some more that you should drop in 2011—not just to keep a resolution, but also to stay in tip-top shape and help you weather the summer sicknesses that could well be rolling in during the coming months.
1. HITTING THE SNOOZE BUTTON. It may be tempting to hit the snooze button and ask for 10 more minutes of shut eye, but remember that every minute is valuable. And those 10 extra minutes you ask for could translate into 30 minutes of being stuck in traffic. "No matter what you feel, get up, dress up, and show up!" Not only is being late unprofessional, it’s also being inconsiderate. You’ve got to be respectful of other people’s time too, you know!
2. NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP. Grade school science taught us that we need eight hours of sleep at night. Lack of sleep causes a myriad of health problems--while you’ve probably experienced the difficulty in focusing and thinking when you’re deprived of sleep, for example, did you know that this can eventually lead to colon cancer? So, forgo your unnecessary nocturnal activities and hop onto bed early! Besides, this would most likely solve bad habit no. 1!
3. POOR EATING HABITS. Whether it’s eating on the go or neglecting the food pyramid entirely, poor eating habits have serious negative consequences on our bodies. Remember that this doesn’t just mean missing out on meals; it also means eating too much salty or greasy food. Wrong nutrition can cause obesity and digestive disorders, and it may even contribute to diabetes.
4. PROCRASTINATING. Procrastination is the counterpart of the snooze button when you’re awake. We all know that "five more minutes" can extend indefinitely, so save the chats with your co-workers and checking on your social network feeds on for free time!
5. NOT EXERCISING. Not having a gym membership is not an excuse to forgo physical activity. Exercising even for only 30 minutes a day can do your immediate and future health a world of good. Aside from reducing the risk for diseases, exercise has also been proven to be an effective way to counter anxiety and depression. Exercise gives you endorphins, and endorphins make you happy!
By now, you’re aware of at least some of the bad health habits that can shorten your life. Still, here are some more that you should drop in 2011—not just to keep a resolution, but also to stay in tip-top shape and help you weather the summer sicknesses that could well be rolling in during the coming months.
1. HITTING THE SNOOZE BUTTON. It may be tempting to hit the snooze button and ask for 10 more minutes of shut eye, but remember that every minute is valuable. And those 10 extra minutes you ask for could translate into 30 minutes of being stuck in traffic. "No matter what you feel, get up, dress up, and show up!" Not only is being late unprofessional, it’s also being inconsiderate. You’ve got to be respectful of other people’s time too, you know!
2. NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP. Grade school science taught us that we need eight hours of sleep at night. Lack of sleep causes a myriad of health problems--while you’ve probably experienced the difficulty in focusing and thinking when you’re deprived of sleep, for example, did you know that this can eventually lead to colon cancer? So, forgo your unnecessary nocturnal activities and hop onto bed early! Besides, this would most likely solve bad habit no. 1!
3. POOR EATING HABITS. Whether it’s eating on the go or neglecting the food pyramid entirely, poor eating habits have serious negative consequences on our bodies. Remember that this doesn’t just mean missing out on meals; it also means eating too much salty or greasy food. Wrong nutrition can cause obesity and digestive disorders, and it may even contribute to diabetes.
4. PROCRASTINATING. Procrastination is the counterpart of the snooze button when you’re awake. We all know that "five more minutes" can extend indefinitely, so save the chats with your co-workers and checking on your social network feeds on for free time!
5. NOT EXERCISING. Not having a gym membership is not an excuse to forgo physical activity. Exercising even for only 30 minutes a day can do your immediate and future health a world of good. Aside from reducing the risk for diseases, exercise has also been proven to be an effective way to counter anxiety and depression. Exercise gives you endorphins, and endorphins make you happy!
Improve Your Cholesterol
Whole foods and great recipes for a healthy heart. The best meal for anyone worried about their cholesterol is a meal low in saturated fat and abundant in fruits and vegetables. And although there are no magic bullets beyond that healthy prescription, certain foods have been shown to give cholesterol levels an extra nudge in the right direction.Alcohol. Drinking a glass of wine with dinner—any alcoholic beverage, in fact—has been shown to raise good-cholesterol levels and lower the risk of a heart attack. (Excessive drinking, however, raises heart-disease danger.
Almonds. Substances in almond skins help prevent LDL “bad” cholesterol from being oxidized, a process that can otherwise damage the lining of blood vessels and increase cardiovascular risk.
• Sprinkle almonds on cereals and salads, nibble on a handful for an afternoon snack.
Avocados. The monounsaturated fats in avocados have been found to lower “bad” LDLs and raise “good” HDLs, especially in people with mildly elevated cholesterol.
• Slice avocados into sandwiches and salads or mash with garlic, lemon juice and salsa for a terrific guacamole.
Barley. When volunteers in a USDA study added barley to the standard American Heart Association diet, LDL “bad” cholesterol levels fell more than twice as far.
• Barley makes a great substitute for rice, adds depth to soups and is terrific combined with dried fruits, nuts and a little oil and vinegar for a hearty salad.
Beans & Lentils. From a recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, LDL “bad” cholesterol levels fell almost twice as far in those volunteers on a low-fat diet who added beans and lentils (along with more whole grains and vegetables) to the menu.
• Experiment with beans in soups, salads, and dips. Tuck them into burritos, lasagnas and casseroles.
Blueberries. Blueberries contain a powerful antioxidant called pterostilbene that may help lower LDL cholesterol.
• Toss a cup of frozen blueberries together with a half-cup of orange juice and vanilla-flavored yogurt into the blender for a healthy breakfast drink. Sprinkle fresh blueberries on cereals and eat them by the handfuls for snacks.
Oats. When women in a University of Toronto study added oat bran to an already heart-healthy diet, HDL-cholesterol levels—the beneficial kind—climbed more than 11 percent.
• Consider a daily bowl of oat bran hot cereal or old-fashioned oatmeal for breakfast. Oat bran muffins can also pack a tasty dose into your day.
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
Grocery Shopping Myths Busted
Food Myth #1: Eggs with brown shells are more nutritious than those with white shells.
The color of the eggshell does not affect nutrition, but indicates the color of the bird’s feathers and earlobes. White eggs come from white hens with white earlobes, brown eggs come from red hens with red earlobes. And since brown eggs often cost a bit more than white eggs, you can save a little money and not sacrifice nutrition.
Food Myth #2: A clear bottle is the best container for your milk.
Some people swear milk tastes better in pretty glass bottles, but actually it’s best stored in opaque containers to help prevent milk’s riboflavin—an extremely light-sensitive B vitamin—from breaking down.
Food Myth #3: Fresh vegetables are always a better choice over frozen.
Frozen vegetables may be even more healthful than some of the fresh produce sold in supermarkets. That’s because fruits and vegetables chosen for freezing tend to be processed at their peak ripeness, a time when—as a general rule—they are most nutrient-packed, while fruits and vegetables destined to be shipped to the fresh-produce aisles around the country typically are picked before they are ripe, which gives them less time to develop a full spectrum of vitamins and minerals. The first step of freezing vegetables—blanching them in hot water or steam to kill bacteria and arrest the action of food-degrading enzymes—causes some water-soluble nutrients to break down or leach out, but the subsequent flash-freeze locks the vegetables in a relatively nutrient-rich state. Plus, they’re relatively inexpensive, especially when compared with their “fresh” counterparts out of season.
Food Myth #4: Wheat bread is made with whole-wheat.
Appealingly brown-colored bread or crackers labeled “flour,” “multi-grain” or “cracked wheat” are sometimes made mostly from refined white flour. The only reliable guide to ensuring that your choice is a true whole grain is to check the ingredients list: the term “whole” or “whole-grain” should precede the grain’s name, such as “whole-grain rye” or “whole wheat.”
Food Myth #5: You should always pick the bag of spinach at the back of the produce case.
A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, revealed that spinach stored continuously under the light for as little as three days boasted higher levels of vitamin C and preserved levels of K, E, folate and the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. The lights enhance nutrient levels by encouraging photosynthesis—the process by which plants use energy from the sun to create food and compounds that protect them. That means that the package of spinach at the front of the case could actually have more nutrients than the one in the dark at the back of the case in the dark.
source: eatingwell
The color of the eggshell does not affect nutrition, but indicates the color of the bird’s feathers and earlobes. White eggs come from white hens with white earlobes, brown eggs come from red hens with red earlobes. And since brown eggs often cost a bit more than white eggs, you can save a little money and not sacrifice nutrition.
Food Myth #2: A clear bottle is the best container for your milk.
Some people swear milk tastes better in pretty glass bottles, but actually it’s best stored in opaque containers to help prevent milk’s riboflavin—an extremely light-sensitive B vitamin—from breaking down.
Food Myth #3: Fresh vegetables are always a better choice over frozen.
Frozen vegetables may be even more healthful than some of the fresh produce sold in supermarkets. That’s because fruits and vegetables chosen for freezing tend to be processed at their peak ripeness, a time when—as a general rule—they are most nutrient-packed, while fruits and vegetables destined to be shipped to the fresh-produce aisles around the country typically are picked before they are ripe, which gives them less time to develop a full spectrum of vitamins and minerals. The first step of freezing vegetables—blanching them in hot water or steam to kill bacteria and arrest the action of food-degrading enzymes—causes some water-soluble nutrients to break down or leach out, but the subsequent flash-freeze locks the vegetables in a relatively nutrient-rich state. Plus, they’re relatively inexpensive, especially when compared with their “fresh” counterparts out of season.
Food Myth #4: Wheat bread is made with whole-wheat.
Appealingly brown-colored bread or crackers labeled “flour,” “multi-grain” or “cracked wheat” are sometimes made mostly from refined white flour. The only reliable guide to ensuring that your choice is a true whole grain is to check the ingredients list: the term “whole” or “whole-grain” should precede the grain’s name, such as “whole-grain rye” or “whole wheat.”
Food Myth #5: You should always pick the bag of spinach at the back of the produce case.
A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, revealed that spinach stored continuously under the light for as little as three days boasted higher levels of vitamin C and preserved levels of K, E, folate and the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. The lights enhance nutrient levels by encouraging photosynthesis—the process by which plants use energy from the sun to create food and compounds that protect them. That means that the package of spinach at the front of the case could actually have more nutrients than the one in the dark at the back of the case in the dark.
source: eatingwell
Monday, 21 February 2011
Milk and Sugar ~ Culprit for Acne Breakout
A recent study says that dairy products and sugar cause acne. Studies have shown that the prevalence of diets that include a high intake of milk and sugar increase “both the number of people who got acne and its severity.” Apart from that, people who eat more refined carbs such as bread, rice, pasta, and flour products had significantly more acne.
Aside from sugar, milk, and refined carbohydrates, inflammatory fats (saturated fat, trans fat, and processed vegetable oils like soy and corn) can also cause hormonal imbalances, which, in turn, promote acne. Certain foods have been linked to improvements in many of the underlying causes of acne and can help correct it. These include fish oil, turmeric, ginger, green tea, nuts, dark purple and red foods such as berries, green foods like dark green leafy vegetables, and omega 3-eggs.
source: femalenetwork
Aside from sugar, milk, and refined carbohydrates, inflammatory fats (saturated fat, trans fat, and processed vegetable oils like soy and corn) can also cause hormonal imbalances, which, in turn, promote acne. Certain foods have been linked to improvements in many of the underlying causes of acne and can help correct it. These include fish oil, turmeric, ginger, green tea, nuts, dark purple and red foods such as berries, green foods like dark green leafy vegetables, and omega 3-eggs.
source: femalenetwork
Yogurt Fix
Your yogurt fix is either a smart way to satisfy your sweet tooth or a diet disaster - it all depends on the toppings you choose.A small, unadorned serving of frozen yogurt has 150 calories, but pile on the extras and you could be digging into a 500-calorie sugar bomb.
Here are some calories per serving so you'll know exactly what you're getting in your cup if you decide to indulge:
42% Fresh fruit ~ 40 calories
24% Hot caramel ~ 160 calories
14% Granola ~ 280 calories
13% Chocolate chips ~ 360 calories
7% Cookie crumble ~ 200 calories
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