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.

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

By Thomas Urville

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!

Small Changes Can Effect Your Diet in Surprising Big Ways

By Mark Moxom

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.

Should You Drink Milk to Grow Taller? - Foods That Help You Gain Height

By Joey Gladwell

We've all heard our parents telling us when we were young to finish our milk. There's a lot of benefit in doing just that well beyond your toddler and teenage years. Calcium is crucial to proper development and is also instrumental in keeping bones strong and healthy. If your goal goes beyond that and you're looking to gain a few inches in height, you definitely should drink milk to grow taller. In addition, adding yogurt, cheeses and orange juice to your diet will give you all the calcium you need each day. There's a whole host of other foods that will also be beneficial to you.

Protein ranks right up there in the list of foods to grow taller. Protein is essential to proper growth and it's also a good idea to turn to lean sources of protein. Foods such as chicken, fish and lean beef are best. Adding nuts to your diet as a snack will help your body to grow much more than eating a handful of potato chips or cookies will.

Getting adequate calories on a daily basis is also essential if you want to reach your full height potential. The source of those calories is just as important as the number though. Don't fill up on foods that offer little nutritional value as this won't help spur any growth other than adding excess weight to your frame. Choose nutritionally dense foods like fruits and vegetables. Whole grains also offer a good deal of calories while not sacrificing nutrition. It's important to focus on eating things that offer vitamins and nutrients as opposed to empty calories

There are other natural steps you can take if you want to grow taller, regardless of your age. Doing the wrong thing can actually stunt your growth. Find out what you should be doing and what you need to avoid from this Helpful Site.

Do not give up on growing taller if you aren't happy with your current height. There are specific methods you can use today that will help you grow 2 - 3 inches taller in the next six weeks.

Getting More Out of Seafood

By Allie Moxley

The bounty of the planet's oceans is a coveted prize on the table of just about every home in the world: people are dying to eat good seafood, especially if they live far from the coast. Though some people have the privilege of having shrimp, prawns, lobsters, crabs, and other delicious treats almost all year round, many communities do not have such luxuries; or do they? While the real thing is unmistakable, surimi is an ingenious alternative that can be cooked in such a variety of ways that it is almost more versatile than the real thing! So, what exactly is this unique product?

Surimi is a fish-based product that has been used in traditional cooking in many parts of Asia for a very long time. It is obtained by pulverizing fish meat to such a fine paste that, with heat, can be turned into a cohesive, firm substance, compacted and molded into many different shapes-often, imitating the shapes of shrimp or crab legs. In fact, in the US it is often referred to in restaurants as sea leg, which, as a name, doesn't provide the same elegance as the borrowed word from Japanese. Not just any kind of fish is used to prepare it, however: certain white meat fish are chosen, like Alaska pollock, tilapia, and swordfish. When the flesh of these types of fish is pulverized and over time exposed to heat, there is a particular protein called myosin that cures the paste and yields the final product that you may have served on your table. Of course, the flesh is rinsed several times before the final step, to get rid of the sort of "fishy" odors that it may have, giving the final product a uniquely smooth taste, which is enhanced by adding shrimp or crab flavoring in many cases.

As mentioned, it is particularly present in Asian cuisine (in fact, surimi is also made out of beef and pork in many countries of the region), and is commonly added to stir-fries and wok preparations. It is also served cold in salads frequently. Some times it is battered and deep fried. Really, surimi is a very versatile ingredient that can be eaten as is or also cooked (though it's not a good idea to do so for very long), and can be matched with a wide variety of sweet and savory preparations.

Work on Your Odds For Living a Healthier Life!

By Audrey Frederick

Just about every time we pick up a newspaper or a magazine we find a do or don't article regarding our health. There are articles on preventing cancer, heart trouble, high blood pressure and many more aliments. On other pages you will find an equal number of articles telling you what is wrong with most of the food we eat. It is a catch 22 syndrome with most of us not knowing what is right or what is wrong.

After much research and some common sense thinking I have come up with my own code of good health living requirements. Since I have reached the ripe young age of almost 77 years and my primary care doctor is not getting rich from my semi-annual visits, I have come up with a plan that will give you greater odds for living a long and healthy life.

The first thing you need to do is "move." No, not to another location, but to exercise in some small way every day, walking is great, jumping on an small indoor trampoline, (which I try to do everyday,) doing some vigorous household activity or go to the gym. Do something that requires at least 30 minutes of active movement every day and you will lower your risk for just about everything.

Every time you exercise you reduce the production of free radical cells in your body. Many diseases come from an accumulation of free radicals, these cells work on making your good cells become dysfunctional.

Use the stairs instead of an elevator, park farther away at work or when you shop, take a brisk walk around the block at lunchtime, do something to get you and your body moving.

Eat a salad and some fruit each day. Fruits and vegetables are great antioxidant fighters, blueberries, strawberries, spinach and red and green peppers are high in antioxidants. You can lower you risk of heart disease and certain cancers just by eating at least 3 servings of veggies each day and that is not hard to do.

Watch your weight. Being healthy means not being overweight, by watching the portions you eat, you can lose even those awful five pounds you have been trying to lose for years. Obesity can cause heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and many other diseases. Think smaller and not larger portions and you will be healthier.

Omega-3 fatty acid is of great benefit in preventing many diseases, again helping to prevent heart disease, diabetes and others. Fish is a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids and if you are not too fond of fish, walnuts, almonds, and flaxseed are good sources along with omega-3 supplements, if all else fails.

Wear your seat belt. Now how is that going to make you live a long and healthier life? By keeping you alive in case of an accident on the road, about 55 percent of the people killed in accidents were not wearing their seatbelts. Keep in mind the life you save, may very well be your own.

Eat whole grains like oatmeal for breakfast. Whole grain bread, brown rice and air-popped popcorn are also good for you. Whole grains along with fruit and vegetables can delay the onset of osteoporosis, heart disease and even dementia. Eating oatmeal or another multi-grain cereal for breakfast can help you to lose weight and keep it off, as it has been proven that those who eat a good breakfast tend to eat less during the rest of the day.

Learn to relax, take a deep breath and sit for at least 10 minutes each day. You deserve to relax and your body needs to relax, even if it is for 10 minutes. Stress is a silent killer and your body needs to have an opportunity to sit and do nothing. Take time to think about some of your favorite things, your garden, a book you are reading, listen to some soothing music, do something that is relaxing for you and takes away the stress and strain of the day for at least for a few minutes.

Stay smoke free! Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths. Smoking is linked to at least fifteen different types of cancers and it also leads to heart disease and osteoporosis. Yes, giving up smoking can be hard, but would you rather be living a healthy life and live longer or finding yourself huffing and puffing after climbing a few steps because you could not give up that cigarette?

Get enough sleep. Did you know that night owls (those who do not think they need to sleep) are at a greater risk for diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and a long list of other things. Us chickens, those who feel that when it is dark, we need to go to our roost and sleep will stay much healthier. Fewer than five hours a night is not good, you put your whole body at risk and who, for heaven sakes can function on five hours or less and do a good job.

Most research has shown that the average person needs between 7 ½ to 8 ½ hours each night and should get that amount on a regular basis. If you are getting the proper amount of sleep for you and your body, you will not need an alarm clock to wake up at your regular time.

Keep your bedroom an oasis for sleep, leave your work on the dining room table along with the laptop computer and let your bedroom be a place to relax and sleep.

Well, that is it for now, this is my code of requirements that has kept me very healthy for 77 years and has made my odds for living a longer and healthier life a good one. I wish you a long and healthy life and just for fun, put one or two of my ideas into practice in your life and see how much better you feel.

Whole Foods As Brain Energizers - How Do They Stimulate Your Brain?

By Manuel McDaniels

How do we stimulate our brain? It is said that as much as our heart works, our brain also works as hard as our hearts every minute of every day to ensure that our bodies are properly working. If we nourish our body in every way we can, it is also important that we nourish and energize our mind which is like the central processing unit of our body. In order to do this, you need to know all about the whole foods as brain energizers.

There are plenty of whole foods to choose from in order to energize our mind. However, among them, the blue green algae is regarded the best brain energizer as it contains the essential vitamins and minerals plus proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and active enzymes too. Algae have a soft part called the cytomembrane and this is readily available to us. It only takes a simple effort from our body to convert algae into fuel that energizes our mind that is why blue green algae are considered the most nutritious whole food as brain energizer.

There is a specific nutrient found in ancient blue-green microalgae called AFA or Aphanizomenon Flos Aquae which is said to be the principal key why they are considered as whole food. Aside from this, it also contains Vitamin B12, protein, and chlorophyll that are beneficial to our mind. According to medical researches, AFA can do the following:

1. Enhances mental alertness

2. Increases mental endurance

3. Resolves memory problem like short and long term memory problems

As we all know, algae are the organisms found on the bottom part of the chain and serve as food to fishes but despite that, they are considered to provide the most complete and balanced food nutrients than any other sources. That is why they are highly in demand today as the most popular brain energizer.