Isn't It About Time For Healthy Food?

If you're sick and tired of being overweight and truly want to remedy the situation, then it's time for healthy food. If your diet has consisted of either an enormous amount of fast food or excessive portion sizes at home-cooked meals, this is the area you need to address first in an effort to get things turned around and moving in a more positive direction.

One of the most difficult things about being successful with transitioning over to healthy nutrition is because your body/mind will put up some resistance. That fast food tastes the way it does because they want you coming back over and over again. Your body has gotten used to eating a certain amount of food until it is full. It will take effort on your part to be willing to reduce your portion sizes at meals to one that is an appropriate, healthy amount.

Here's an important point to always keep in mind. It is possible to gain weight even if you eat healthy food! It all comes down to portion size. Your body only needs a certain amount of fuel each day. When you put too much fuel in the form of food and drink into your body and don't burn off the excess in the form of exercise, then weight gain will occur.

Therefore when you do begin to change the types of foods and drinks you consume regularly, also remember to maintain an appropriate portion size at each eating moment. This is often the most overlooked aspect about sticking with healthy nutrition. Not only does that encompass the types of food you eat but also in what quantities.

An easy way to get started is by first getting rid of, or at least not purchasing, unhealthy items when you go grocery shopping. This includes items such as potato chips, cookies, soda, crackers, muffins, donuts, ice cream, pies, cakes, etc. Don't be in shock. You can really survive without this stuff.

If you truly want to have success losing weight, these are the types of items you don't want to have stocked all throughout your kitchen. Why put yourself in a situation where you will be surrounded by temptation after temptation especially when you're trying to make a positive change.

When you eat healthy food and maintain appropriate portion sizes at meals, you will likely be able to lose a pound each week. That may not sound like much, but in actuality that turns out to be more than 50 pounds in one year. And that's without exercise!

Now are you starting to see the power healthy nutrition can provide you and why it's time for healthy food?

Gregory L. Gomez, a LAUSD teacher who's also on journey to develop a healthy life in an effort to lose weight and get in shape. Follow his progress on http://HealthyChoicesInLife.com as he strives to lose nearly 100 pounds by eating healthy and maintaining a consistent exercise routine. Get a FREE monthly Healthy Choices Newsletter along with a Healthy Eating eBook just for stopping by at http://healthychoicesinlife.com/five-simple-healthy-recipes-for-kids.

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What Should I Choose at the Canteen?

When it comes to making good lunch choices, it's not always about the lunch that you pack at home. While you have control on what ends up in your packed lunch, when you have to choose from the available options at the tuckshop, canteen, cafeteria or local cafe, it sometimes becomes a little more difficult.

Whether you're thinking of your own choices at the cafeteria at work or coffee shop down the road or of the choices that your child needs to make at the tuckshop at school, its good to have a bit of an idea of how to make some good choices.

In the last few years there has been a push on changing the options offered at school tuckshops to reflect better choices for students. Below are 3 summaries of the guidelines that are now being developed in various countries around healthy eating in schools and in school tuckshops, cafeterias and canteens.

Firstly, the Education department of the Queensland Government in Australia have developed a program called Smart Choices which pitches the foods offered to students at their tuckshops as green, amber or red (reflecting the colours of the traffic lights on the roads).

Green choices are to be encouraged and promoted in schools and it is encouraged that children eat plenty of these. The amber choices shouldn't dominate the menu and should not be offered in large amounts, children are advised to select these carefully. And finally, the red choices should not be offered any more than 2 occasions during the term and are classed as occasional.

While this program is implemented into Queensland schools it is currently in a trial phase, which runs from October 2011 to June 2015. Each of the groups have more detailed descriptions and they can be the education Queensland website.

The Singapore Government also has some nutrition guidelines in place for catering in schools. Theirs is a 10 step set. They are:

1. The sale of drinks and desserts must be with less sugar - Commercial products they sell must have the Healthy Choice Symbol logo and homemade choices must have less that 7g/100g of product, no artificial sweeteners and no sweetener added to homemade fruit juices.
2. Deep fried and preserved food must not be offered more than one day per week and this day needs to remain the same day each week.
3. When high fat ingredients are used to prepare food at least half of that must be replaced with the lower fat version of the food.
4. Skinless poultry and lean meat must be used when preparing foods
5. Rice dishes offered must have at least 2 dessertspoons of vegetables given with them and noodle dishes there must be at least 1 dessertspoon of vegetables given
6. The canteen or cafeteria must sell at least 2 types of fruit everyday
7. Gravies, sauces and soups must not be supplied unless requested and when they are requested not more than 2 dessertspoons may be given
8. There must be at least 2 operating water coolers within the canteen/cafeteria area.
9. Wholegrain or wholemeal bread must be used to prepare at least half of a sandwich.
10. Limit the sale of commercially prepared chips, crisps, cookies, biscuits, cakes, buns and steamed paus to those with the Healthier Choice symbol or the healthier snack symbol logos. (Healthier Choice - eat all foods in moderation, Healthier Snack - limit to 2 servings per day)

And Scotland has the Tuckshop Policy, which is based on their healthy eating guide, which is called the Eat Well Plate.

It divides the items into High, Medium and Low categories. These are also indicated by the colours red, amber and green. They set down some standards for nutrients within each of these categories. The first is the High group (indicated by the colour red) and per 100g of product they are foods that have greater than 15g sugar, 20g of fat, 5g of saturates and 1.5g of salt. The Medium group (indicated by the colour Amber) has between 5 and 15 g sugar, 3 and 20g fat, 1.5-5g of saturates and 0.3 and 1.5g of salt. And finally, the Low group (indicated by the colour green) has less than or equal to 5g sugar, 3g of fat, 1.5g of saturates and 0.3g salt.

While all of these guidelines relate to what's on offer in schools these a great place to start when deciding what you need to think about when purchasing good choices at the tuckshop, canteen, cafeteria or even the local café or corner store.

So here's a summary on what to choose at the tuckshop/cafeteria/shop...

1. Stick with fresher, less commercial choices, as these are less likely to have hidden sugar, fat or salt.
2. Ensure you can choose something that allows you to balance your lunch For example make sure you include something from all the food groups - a bread/cereal, a fruit, some vegetables, some dairy and some protein (either meat/poultry/fish or a vegetarian protein choice)
3. Choose a low or no calorie drink (water is best and sparkling water will make it feel more like a treat!)
4. Watch the sauces, mayonnaise, butter/margarine, aioli etc. Simply being aware of whether the dish contains these will allow you to avoid the unnecessary calories.
5. Limit or better still avoid deep fried foods and choose wholegrain/wholemeal foods in your choice.

By sticking to these principles it will narrow down the choices which, deserve your attention and then you can choose from these within what your taste preferences direct.

For more details on choosing healthier lunch choices that taste great and for learning just how to put healthy eating guidelines into practice while still satisfying your taste preferences see http://www.TheBalancedLunchbox.com

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Helpful Advice On Nutrition

Good nutrition is required for good health. When you consult with a doctor or nutritionist, he/she will offer helpful nutrition advice. If the doctor has talked with you about a risk factor or a medical condition, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure, foods that contain lots of vitamins and minerals (including vegetables, fruits, and non-fat dairy and whole grains) will be recommended for you. If you have cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis or heart disease in your family and/or if you are overweight, your doctor may recommend better nutrition to improve your condition.

• Doctor nutrition tips

The thought of changing eating habits can be challenging for many people. However, you may be surprised to discover a slight change in your nutrition can improve your health considerably. Therefore, the secret is to choose healthy foods and consult with your dietician or doctor regularly. A professional will help you discover the weak & strong points in your diet and track your food intake. Moreover, you need to understand good nutrition is not available in vitamin supplements. Take vitamins with the doctor's recommendation, because your body benefits more from eating whole foods.

• Journal nutrition tips

Many people seek to find out whether nutrition advice from magazines and newspapers are trustworthy. However, most of the sources conflict with one another. It is therefore advisable to check with a dietician or doctor first. Bear in mind there is no "magic-bullet" with nutrition. Short-term remedies can help you lose some weight, but prove difficult to keep-up. Moreover, short-term remedies may end-up being unhealthy in the long-term. Eating a variety of diets is recommended for your body.

• Personal nutrition tips

Every person can benefit from eliminating unhealthy fats from their diets. If you consume many fats, instead of frying, baking, grilling or broiling meat, remove the skin before eating the turkey or chicken. Furthermore, take fish at least once every week and eat lots of fruits & vegetables as snacks and with meals. Moreover, cut back on fat, including /butter on bread, salad dressings and sour-cream on baked potatoes- use low-fat versions of these products. When eating out, watch out for large portion sizes and "hidden" fats, like those in desserts and salad dressing. It is equally important to read the labels on foods/drinks before buying them. In case you need help understanding the labels, find out from your dietitian or doctor. Follow this advise and you will be on your way to achieving personal fitness.

We provide the best info about nutrition advice. For further details please visit the provided links.

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Butter and the Saturated Fat Issue

Often misconceptions arise when it comes to the health attributes of certain fats. Over time we've taken foods such as butter and eggs, foods that for a large part of human history have been staples in the diet, and suddenly decided that they cause heart attacks. In our attempt to make for a healthy diet we often listened to so-called experts that are misguided in the way they analyze data from testing, and soon that information is taken as fact.

Butter certainly has a history as one of those foods. There was a time when pure, natural butter was in the diet of many societies. Then it was decided that the saturated fat in butter caused high levels of cholesterol, and the leap was made that butter produced heart attacks, even though there wasn't a lot of basis for that hypothesis. Only after we started manufactured butter substitutes, which produced margarine, did we start to really have issues. That certainly is the case with processed foods, as we now know that these foods with poisonous Trans Fats are the real cause of our prevalence of heart disease.

So where did all of this misinformation come from? A lot of the confusion comes from exactly what LDL cholesterol is, and what its impact is on our health. It is always been thought that high levels of LDL brings on heart disease, and this bad cholesterol tends to be raised by saturated fat. We now know that there are two very different types of LDL cholesterol: small, dense LDL and large, lighter LDL cholesterol. And we're now finding out that this second, lighter cholesterol is not bad at all.

But foods that are causing the dense LDL particles are found to have been increased by eating refined sugar and carbohydrates. Foods such as bagels, soda and bread, along with other highly processed foods are now being identified as the real culprits. You all are almost certain to be eating Trans Fats if you eat processed foods. You may think that when the label shows minimal or zero Trans Fats, you must be safe. But manufacturers get away from with this by identifying the portion sizes as so minuscule that the Trans Fat levels fall below the permissible limits, and as a result don't have to be listed on the ingredients label.

So we can conclude by saying that butter certainly isn't a food to be shied away from. Most chefs use it as a staple because of its culinary appeal, and if it is manufactured from high-quality sources it is truly nutritious. It is rich in vitamins A, E and K2, plus it is high in minerals such as selenium, chromium, manganese, zinc, copper, as well as a highly absorbable form of iodine. But the source of your butter will say a lot about how healthy it really is. The best quality of butter is from grass-fed pastured cows. Stay away from butter spreads, and of course any substitute such as margarine is strictly out of bounds.

Our goal is to inform those people who are trying to lose weight on comprehensive, realistic programs for weight loss. We are definitely not into quick-fixes, but programs that involve proper diet, cardio work, and muscle tone. Rich Carroll is a writer and health advocate now living in Chicago.

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Total Body Health - Your Body Needs Bacteria

Our bodies require a balance of good bacteria and bad bacteria. In moderation, each has its own task to keep our bodies healthy. The ideal ratio of good to bad bacteria is 80% good and 20% bad. The good keeps the bad under control, so they only to the good tasks to keep you healthy.

What are good bacteria?

Probiotics are one of the most important good bacteria that the body needs to function properly and maintain health. They are similar to yeast. Probiotics are found in fermented foods like butter milk or yogurt. Most yogurt varieties contain useless forms of dead probiotics due to pasteurization.

How Probiotics benefit Health

Probiotics stop the multiplication of bad bacteria in the digestive system. Often diarrhea is a side effect of taking antibiotics or can result due to an infection. Adding probiotics will improve these effects and help prevent intestinal infections.

Irritable bowel, constipation and ulcerative colitis are all signs that your body does not have enough good bacteria. Increasing probotics will often "cure" these conditions.

Enhance Immune System For Healthy Aging

As we age, probiotics promote a strong immune system. Short chain fatty acids need probiotics to exist. Without short chain fatty acids, the body has a difficult time absorbing minerals like magnesium, zinc and calcium. Vitamins B and K are also absorbed easier when probiotics are at optimum levels.

There Many Different Healthy Probiotics

There are several types of probiotics. All have their own particular function. A single addition of one type will not solve all health problems. There needs to be the right combination of all of them to solve health problems. To choose the probiotic combination that is right for you, some things that you should consider: first, know what probiotics do to help your body and digestive system.

Choosing a Supplement

Read the label of any probiotic before taking it. Check the strains, doses, storage information, and review how many live probiotic microorganisms of each strain per serving there are. Pay attention to what is mixed with them if they are in powder or capsule form. Always check the expiration date. Keep in mind, research has shown that it is better to take probiotic supplements right after eating. There is a high acid content in the stomach when it is empty. This acid may harm the microorganisms.

Storing Supplements

Probiotics are alive. Some supplements must be refrigerated to keep them alive. Powdered forms should be kept dry as moisture will cause them to die. Keeping them away from heat, light and moisture will keep them alive.

Get Probiotics Naturally

There are foods that contain probiotics. Yogurt, kefir, kimchi, tempeh, fermented soy beverages and aged cheeses all contain them. Many strains are present in yogurt. Lactobacillus, delbrueckii, streptococcus thermophilus and bulgaricus can all be added to yogurt. After the fermentation process, bifidobacterium or lactobacillus is added.

As with adding any supplement when you have other health issues, always consult your health care provider before taking them. Some conditions may worsen by taking supplemental probiotics.

Katrina Oakley loves to blog and keep readers informed about ways to stay healthy and be kind to the environment. Visit today and learn more about keeping healthy.

http://wesaynotogmo.com

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15 Tips for Better Family Nutrition

This list of tips for better family nutrition is a compilation that have worked with numerous patients over the years in a variety of settings with a myriad of backgrounds. Not every tip may work for you but focusing on one or two will still help you to stay healthy.

(1) Know yourself, find out how many calories you need for a day. 2,000 calories a day is an average, you may be more or less.

(2) Enjoy your food but pay attention to what you are eating. I love my food and you should too, building a good relationship with food is essential to maintaining balance.

(3) Avoid oversized portions of food that involve very little chewing. Many families ingest massive calories eating foods that start to vanish once you put them in your mouth, this can lead to overeating.

(4) Eat lean proteins and vegetables more often. It can take up to 30% of the calories you eat from the protein to digest it.

(5) Make half your plate vegetables.

(6) Switch to fat-free or low-fat milk; especially in your coffee. Some people don't like the change in texture when you switch milk but in coffee and tea you may not know the difference. Give it a try.

(7) Make half your grains whole. Whole grain breads, brown rice.

(8) Rinse canned foods before cooking or eating. This helps to eliminate the sodium that is used to keep the vegetables fresh.

(9) Make your own flavored waters using herbs and fruits. Water can get boring so make your own flavors so you're not tempted to drink higher calorie drinks throughout the day.

(10) Cook fresh or frozen vegetables in the microwave to speed up cooking. Even gourmet restaurants have microwaves, so don't be afraid to cook healthfully in yours and speed up your cooking time.

(11) Pre-package fresh vegetables for snacks throughout the day. Cut up some veggies in the morning and keep them in plastic wrap for later in the day. You'll never scramble for a snack.

(12) Choose vegetables rich in color.

(13) Get frozen vegetables since they store well and are just as nutritious as fresh. The techniques to freeze vegetables are much better now then when we were kids.

(14)Eat Seasonally.

(15) Use spices to change the flavors of your favorite meals.

Following these simple and easy 15 tips will allow you to keep your family healthy all year-round and may even save you some money the next time you are shopping.

To learn more about nutrition and how to stay healthy follow Gina Keatley, CDN on twitter @chefginakeatley or check out the website at http://KeatleyMNT.com

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Powerful Health Benefits of Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a nutrient-dense fruit. They are often referred to as a functional food because they provides more than just nutrition for the body. They can actually prevent illness and disease.

A Rocky Start

About 200 years ago, the tomato was thought to be poisonous. Since the tomato plant belongs to the nightshade family, people believed that the leaves and fruits could not be consumed. Fortunately, that was not the case. It's one of the few nightshade plants that are not poisonous and it's a good thing too, because they contain many nutrients.

What You Get from Tomatoes

When you eat a medium sized tomato, you consume only 22 calories. There's no fat in it, and you only get about 5 grams of carbohydrates. Each tomato has plenty of Vitamins A and C. It also has alpha-lipoic acid, folic acid, beta-carotene, lycopene, choline, and lutein.

Vitamins A and C can help you ward off illnesses because they boost the immune system. Folic acid is a great nutrient to help you stay strong and feeling good.

Alpha-lipoic acid converts glucose in your body to energy. This is what makes you move more easily and have more motivation to move. Since it aids in glucose conversion, it helps many people who are at risk for diabetes. It can also help people control diabetes. Research has found that alpha-lipoic may help preserve brain and nerve tissues as well.

Lycopene is an antioxidant and the nutrient that gives tomatoes their bold, red color. It's also a great way to protect your skin from the harmful effects of the sun. It has been shown to help prevent cancer as well.

The choline in tomatoes helps you sleep better. It has also been shown to help people learn better and remember more. This is probably because it maintains cellular membrane structures and helps the transmission of nerve impulses. Additionally, choline can help promote weight loss because it helps the body absorb fat and reduce inflammation.

Eat Your Daily Tomatoes for Better Health

Tomatoes are highly nutritious. They should be a part of everyone's diet and for most people, they are, with obvious exceptions, such as when people are allergic or if they suffer from arthritic conditions, which may be exacerbated by tomatoes. You don't even have to eat the fruit raw to reap the benefits. Recipes with cooked tomatoes can also deliver the nutrition you need to stay healthy. Everything from pizza sauce to soups can include tomatoes, making them taste great and good for you.

Tasti-Lee for Good Health

Tasti-Lee tomatoes are naturally-developed, vine-ripened tomatoes that not only have all the nutrients we know and love in tomatoes, but also the homegrown taste that is usually lacking in a grocery store tomato. For health, flavor and freshness, go Tasti-Lee! Visit our website to learn more about us: http://tastilee.com/

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