Wednesday, March 25, 2009

What to Eat to Lose Weight Fast

By John Davenport




We all know that weight loss begins at the mouth. Your nutrition determines how and if you will shed pounds. So, what should you eat to lose weight?


In order to lose weight in a healthy way for the long term you need to eat a sensible and balanced diet with all the major food groups like carbs, fat, and protein, so all must be included in your diet. It is the quality of these nutrients which will determine your success... or failure.


Healthy Protein
You need to eat protein from lean sources. In that way you will get your protein sources without also eating unnecessary fats. Good sources of protein include:


Tuna
Salmon
Egg whites
Chicken breast
Turkey
Beans
Lentils
Nuts and almonds


Healthy Carbs
Carbs are considered the enemy by many people who wish to lose weight but this is not the case. The truth is that some carbs are good and some are bad. You need to eat high quality complex carbs to feel full and shed fat. Carbs are necessary so don't cut them down too drastically for too long.


Here are some sources of good, healthy carbs:


Wild rice
Sweet potatos
Fruit and vegetables
Nuts of all sorts
Almonds
Whole flour bread
Whole pasta


Healthy Fat
Fat is considered the arch-enemy of course and it's counter-intuitive to believe that you need to eat fat in order to lose fat. But the fact remains: our body needs fat to function well and operate as it should. It's just a fact of life. Don't make the mistake of eliminating fats from your diet. It will backfire. Here are some healthy source of fat you should eat to lose weight:


Olive oil
coconut oil
Fish oil
Nuts and almonds
flax seeds


As always, the key is moderation. Don't eat too much or too little of any one thing. Do that and you will lose weight.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Dietary Fiber - What is it and What Do I Need it For?





Dietary fiber is an often-overlooked, but vital part of your diet. Not only does it supply needed nutrients, but it helps your digestive tract to function normally. Without your daily dose of fiber, you run the risk of hemorrhoids and constipation.


Dietary fiber is divided into two main classifications: soluble fiber and insoluble fiber.


Soluble fiber dissolves in water. In the digestive tract, soluble fiber is broken down by bacteria, resulting in the production of gas and other metabolic byproducts. Some of the chemical compounds that result from this fermentation process are absorbed by the small intestine and used as nutrients by your body. Nutritionists estimate that soluble fibers supplies you with approximately two calories of energy per gram.


Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. It passes through your digestive tract mostly unaltered by the digestion process. This fiber adds bulk to your diet; it is sometimes called roughage. In the past, a diet high in insoluble fiber was credited with reducing your chances of falling prey to colon cancer. However, in recent times, the cancer-reducing benefit of insoluble fiber is being questioned. New evidence shows that high-fiber diets do not confer any additional protection against colon cancer. That's not to say, however, that a diet which lacks fiber is not unhealthy. The US Food and Drug administration recommends that you eat between 20 to 35 grams of dietary fiber every day. Furthermore, the FDA recommends that you get 14 grams of fiber for every 1000 calories in your diet. Therefore, a man on a 2500 calorie diet should consume at least 35 grams of dietary fiber per day.


Make sure to get enough dietary fiber. Natural, high-fiber foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are not only tasty, they're good for you too!

Monday, March 23, 2009

Small Changes Can Effect Your Diet in Surprising Big Ways





Each day we make as many as 200 food choices.


These are influenced by many things, even the folk we're eating with. Even though each of those choices may only represent a small contribution to our final health - they all add up to making an immense difference. Here's how...


Many of the questions people ask me about diet and health are about the small things. They are about the details in diet. Sometimes people ask me "surely, if I just take care of the big things then I don't really need to worry about the small things?"


But when you analyse anything, the big things are made up of lots of small things. If you take care of the detail in your diet, then each of those things that you take care of will add up and make the big things far more effective. Here are a couple of those small things that you might like to consider:


Firstly, when you go to the supermarket or your local shop to stock up, look down the ingredients list to make sure you avoid eating foods that have got artificial sweeteners, MSG and a whole range of additives and colorants. These are the things that many manufacturers have to put into their food in order to put back the flavour and vitamin content that their processing has processed out.


Try as much as you can to use organically sourced and grown produce. By sticking to organic (from a reputable producer), you know that you are not going to be eating and digesting pesticides, phosphates, all kinds of hormones and all the other things that commercial food producers use in order to overcome the problems that their fast-food production line cause.
It's making those healthy choices, the small ones, that all add up to a much healthier lifestyle.
And it's not just what you eat!


A small choice you can make every day is just to take the elevator to get up two floors, or take the stairs. Taking two flights of stairs briskly will do far more for your heart than taking the elevator, that's for sure.


Doing that five or six times a day, is just like jogging to the top of a ten-storey building!
It's those type of small changes that I'm talking about, those small changes can make a really big difference.


The reason for making those choices is clear.


In Europe, the U.S.. Australia and in fact most of what would be considered the western world, its poor lifestyle choices that (e.g. what we choose to eat, to exercise, etc) account for the leading causes of death. Things like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and the rest.


In fact, the WHO (World Health Organization), in it's recent World Cancer Report, have said that the rates of cancer would increase by 50 percent over the next 15 years. Statistics like that are cause for concern.


However, all is not doom and gloom as WHO also intimates that at least a third of the cases could be prevented by folk making better lifestyle choices.


Some folk think that in order to make these changes they have to make a lot of sacrifices. But in reality, this is just not so.


If you think about it, it won't cost you much at all to take the stairs (often times it's quicker than taking the lift). In fact just 20 or so minutes of exercise a day can make the difference .


And to eat organic may cost you a few more dollars a month, but these are all a small price to pay in exchange for a long, healthy, active and sickness free life.