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Healthy Meal Plans include organic foods

eatSmart — Fri, 14 May 2010 16:00:57 +0000

Healthy meal plans should include organic foods as often as possible.

It’s true that organic foods (especially produce) are a bit more expensive than conventional foods, but for some foods, you really don’t want to skimp. If you are diligent when it comes to your grocery shopping, then you’ll know healthy meal plans that include organic foods are feasible if you catch weekly store specials.

Healthy meal plans that include organic foods are often easier to achieve if you visit your local farmers’ market because you’ll buy your produce directly from the farmer and you’ll save on the middle man charges.

I’ve covered many times the benefits of eating organic foods, but if you’ve missed any of the posts, I’ve written on the topic, I’ve included a few great recaps:

1) Foods experts NEVER eat

2) Organic celery is WAY better than conventional celery

3) Dr. Oz grocery shopping tips to buying organic foods

4) Quiz: Are you still buying as much organic food as before the recession?

5) Do you think that organic foods are safer for your health?

>>> Why should healthy meal plans that include organic foods?

Before going any further, I wanted to make sure I gave a quick explanation on the definition of organic foods.

Organic foods are foods grown or raised without the use of synthetic (chemically formulated) pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or fertilizers. This method of farming allows foods to grown in nature as they were intended. It’s been reported that conventional farmers in the United States spray 2 billion pounds of pesticides a year on crops to compensate for poor farming practices. All these pesticides inevitably end up in the foods you eat.

>>> Here are a few other facts about organic foods:

* Conventional produce tends to have fewer nutrients than organic produce (I learned that during a farm tour with Slow Foods).

* In fact, conventional produce may only have 83 per cent of the nutrients of organic produce. Studies have found significantly higher levels of nutrients such as vitamin C, iron, magnesium and phosphorus, and significantly less nitrates (a toxin) in organic crops.

* Some experts such as David Wolfe believe that organic foods might be the missing link to weight loss.

>>> How to include organic foods on a budget in your healthy meal plans:

There are some simple tips you can follow to include organic foods in your healthy meal plans that won’t break your food bank budget.

* Visit your local farmers’ market because you’ll not only get great deals on the produce, but you’ll also be able to get to know the person who grows your food.

*Make sure you check weekly flyers for deals on organic foods.

* There are loads of unannounced store specials and many organic foods once they are on sale are the same price as conventional … this is the perfect time for you to make the switch.

* Buy real foods and that will cut back on your food budget and allow you to buy more organic foods. Processed and pre-packaged meals/frozen dinners are quite expensive and can be easily prepared at home with the right set of recipes.

* Stop eating supersized portions! If you start eating normal size portions, you’ll logically eat less food and you’ll also need to buy less food. This means that you can allocate some of the dollars you were overspending on your foods bill to organic foods.

* You don’t have to buy all organic foods to start off. You might just want to start with the most important ones and work your way up. Many food experts believe that foods such as strawberries, apples (because most North Americans eat so many and they are heavily sprayed with pesticides), potatoes and milk should be organic. I switched to organic milk over a decade ago because a friend of mine advised me that as a woman … I should be concerned about the levels of hormones injected into conventional milk. I’ve never looked back and since then I also buy organic yogurt (which I often get on sale or use coupons to buy at a reduced price).

* If organic meats are beyond your budget, you might want to consider grain-fed or grass-fed meats which are a bit more reasonably priced, but they are so much better than conventional meats.

>>> The following two posts are excellent guides to help you determine which foods should be organic foods:

1) Dr. Oz grocery shopping tips to buying organic foods

2) Foods experts NEVER eat

Healthy meal plans that include organic foods are not an impossible task. You might have to do a bit more planning in advance, but in the long run … your body will thank you as you age.

Do you buy organic foods? Has the recession cut back your organic food budget or will you make concessions elsewhere in your life in order to keep eating organic foods?

>>>> If you’re viewing this healthy eating or healthy living tip as part of an aggregated content stream from different sites, or as a re-blogged post, please check out the content on the original Web site at www.EatSmartAgeSmart.com

Healthy meal plans will improve your quality of life

eatSmart — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:00:35 +0000

Healthy meal plans can really change the way your body functions.

Healthy meal plans aren’t just for people who want to lose weight, they are also for people looking to improve the quality of their lives by increasing the energy levels and hence their productivity. Healthy meal plans (or weight loss meal plans for those looking to shed some pounds) should be that complicated to integrate in your life if you try to keep your meal plans to real foods.

A lot of people are quite intimidated by the idea of having to prepare meals from scratch, but that’s the beauty of working with a healthy meal plan … you prepare yourself in such a way that you actually have a plan that allows you to have your weekly meals prepared in advance and you simply need to reheat food when you get home after a long day at work.

If you’ve never followed a healthy meal plan in the past, you might not know where to start. There are a few simple tips I can share with you, but I’d highly recommend that you looking into using a proper structure if you intend on making healthy meal plans part of your lifestyle as you age.

>>> Healthy meal plans to improve your quality of life:

1. Don’t diet, eat better: Dr. Oz has officially said that he doesn’t see anything wrong with dieting for a few weeks to kick start your metabolism and start losing weight, but you cannot survive on a diet for a long period of time because it’s impossible to live your life under such tight food restrictions. It’s best to learn how to eat real foods like vegetables, lean meats, fruits, healthy fats, fish, and low fat dairy products, seeds, and nuts. Include a fitness plan and you most likely will never have to think of another diet in your life.

2. Not all foods are created equally: If you ditch the junk foods and start eating essentials foods like:

* Protein (Choose lean protein more often than not)

* Carbohydrates (Stay away from refined carbs). The brain uses mostly carbohydrates. When you strip these from the diet to lose weight, your brain function slows and damage can occur. You will feel sluggish and lack energy. Concentrating on the smallest things will be difficult if you cut out carbs from your diet because the brain has no fuel to run on.

* Unsaturated fats (Go for extra virgin first press olive oil instead of vegetable oil)

* Raw nuts and seeds (You should not eat too much of these, but a small handful is quite healthy)

* Vegetables and fruits (If you eat a lot more veggies in your diet your health will improve in such a big way. Remember that it will be unlikely that you’ll get fat by overeating vegetables unless you eat them with a pound of butter)

* Drink water or green tea instead of pops. You’ll also want to keep the fruit juice to a minimum.

3. Eat smaller meals throughout the day: If you only eat one or three meals a day, you expose yourself to a few unwanted things: 1) binge eating because you get famished between meals 2) your body will hold on to every possible calorie because you don’t feed it sufficiently.

If you break you meals into smaller portions and eat four-six meals a day, you’ll have a better chance of dropping the weight and of burning more calories because you’ll automatically be boosting your metabolism. Remember that the body tends to store fat when it is deprived or there is no regular food schedule. It is out to preserve itself and the storing action is a way to make sure it has something to run on later when the food supply is not being given.

>>> Creating your healthy meal plans:

You can surely hire a nutritionist to help you plan, but you’ll have to account for the fees, which can be quite considerable.

If you want to learn how to take better control over your own health, why not learn from one of the best in the industry and build your own healthy eating plan. Meal planning does not have to be difficult to work through. The more you practice and work on it, the easier it will be every week to create.

>>> If you are looking for a proper structure if you intend on making healthy meal plans part of your lifestyle as you age, Precision Nutrition would be my recommended choice because I’ve been following the program for a long time now and the results are incredible. I was a healthy eater well before starting the Precision Nutrition, but the program has really helped me improve on my healthy even more and I can tell you with a word of a lie that I have not had a cold for a couple of years now … considered my long work days … I can only attribute this factor to the fact that I’m putting the right foods into my body.

* Precision Nutrition System: The Precision Nutrition System is a complete nutrition program containing seven guidebooks, a gourmet cookbook (Gourmet Nutrition), and access to member’s only resources. It’s everything you need to get into the shape of your life. From the strategies to the food!

Get ready to begin your new lifestyle with healthy meal plans and be as healthy as you can!

Healthy meal plans for beginners

eatSmart — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:00:03 +0000

Creating healthy meal plans can be quite difficult when you don’t know where to start.

Everywhere you turn, you hear nutrition and health buzz words that sound like:

* eat seasonal foods

* cut out the processed foods

* shop for local foods

* avoid refined sugar

* stay away from simple refined starch

* don’t eat foods with saturated fats

* eat more fruits and vegetables

* cut back your portions to healthier portions

* get out of the supermarket and visit your farmers’ market

* don’t eat this, eat that instead

* don’t eat food that comes from a drive-thru window

* don’t eat too much salt

It’s really no wonder so many people are so confused, they don’t know where to start and as a result, they are paralyzed.

Health meal plans are the only viable solution to take control over your weight and the only way you can even get close to mastering the list that I have above is my planning out your meals well in advance.

Most people decide on what they’ll eat when they get home at night after a very long day at work, but the people who are the most successful plan out their meals in advance and they go their grocery shopping in accordance to what they intend on eating for the coming week.

Health meal plans prevent that panic feeling you have at night when you realize you have nothing in your refrigerator to eat, yet you have a family of four to feed.

Health meal plans will also help reduce if not eliminate the number of times you rely on unhealthy take away/take out foods (aka convenience foods) that are loaded with fat, salt and sugar.

Health meal plans can easily be integrated in your life by taking a few hours on Saturday or Sunday to cook or pre-cook your meals for the entire week.

There are thousands of healthy recipes that can be thrown together in 20 minutes or less; you can also plan ahead to make large portions of slow-cooking foods like soups, stews, and large meat cuts on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, then freeze individual portions for easy meals on busier days.

Planning out your meals in advance will also ensure that you plan out healthy lunches. You’ll not only save a lot of money, but you’ll also be better able to control what you eat.

Health meal plans should be a family thing. Involve your partner and make sure to include your kids. Kids learn by modelling their parents. By including them in the meal preparation (even if they end up sitting at the kitchen island and watch you prepare), they’ll end up with a better appreciation of what they eat. These kinds of valuable lessons will ensure that your kids don’t end up turning 18, leaving for university studies and only know how to zap a frozen dinner in the microwave!

Healthy meal plans prepared as a family will strengthening the family bond and help you spend quality time with your kids.

I make a point each week to plan out my recipes and prepare the list of ingredients I need to buy to prepare one week’s worth of healthy meals. I’ve learned many years ago that it was the best way to cut back on multi-grocery shopping trips and on buying meals at the food court.

Healthy meal plans start with making the commitment to yourself, your body and your family that you’ll make healthy eating a priority!

>>> If you still don’t know how to get started with your healthy meal plans, I’d highly recommend John Berardi’s Precision Nutrition which I’ve been using for a few years now.

I’d love to know if you include a healthy meal plan as part of your priority for the week.

Healthy cooking made easy

eatSmart — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:00:41 +0000

The secret to healthy cooking is quite simple: If you know how to cook healthy meals, you’ll be more inclined to cooking healthy foods in the first place!

Healthy cooking may seem to be a daunting task when you’ve never done it before, but there are some pretty easy tips to making healthy cooking a breeze.

If you keep in mind that you need to eat more real foods, raw foods, vegetables, fruits and whole grain and less of all those junk foods and frozen foods packed with salt, sugar and fat, you’ll be that much closer to eating healthy.

>>> Healthy cooking in 10 easy steps:

1. Eat more fruits and vegetables: The sad reality is that most people don’t get enough fruits of vegetables per day! Aim for 5 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Pick produce in a variety of colours to get a range of antioxidants and vitamins (the more colour you add to your diet, the more you increase your chance of getting the nutrients you need from your diet). Keep in mind that a serving size is 1⁄2 to 1 cup depending on the fruit or vegetable.

2. Be careful with portion size: Supersize meals lead to supersize belly and obesity. There are no magic bullets when it comes to lose weight, but I can assure you that eating normal portion sizes will get you there way faster.

3. Unrefined foods pack more nutrients: Make an effort to pick whole grains over refined grains (aka white simple flours that convert quickly into sugar into your body). Whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa and bulgur have their bran intact and thus have more fibre, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and other nutrients.

4. Not all fats are created equally: Instead of saying no to oils, say no to hydrogenated oils (such as vegetable oil and lard fat) and yes to good quality and unsaturated oils such as olive oil and grape seed oil. That said, oil is still oil and you don’t want to eat litres of it every day. Keep it in moderation.

5. Choose reduced-fat dairy products: I only buy 1% organic milk and 1% cottage cheese. I do eat 2% and one of the most amazing organic low fat yogurts on the planet. When it comes to cheese … it’s full fat all the way … which is why I will cut out unnecessary fat in dairy products I eat daily like milk! You don’t want to replace all your dairy products with their low-fat counterparts, but whole fat milk should be reserved for baking and not for daily consumption (unless you are a baby, a toddler or a child).

6. Are you eating too much sugar? I eat raw sugar and avoid white sugar, but I still monitor how much sugar I eat. Remember that sugars of any kind, whether corn syrup, white sugar, brown sugar, honey or maple syrup, add significant calories without any nutritive value.

7. Don’t eat too much salt: Most people will be shocked to find out that the daily recommended quantity of salt is ONLY 2,300 mg (about 1 teaspoon salt) daily. It’s safe to say that most people eat far more than that if their diet consists mainly of fast food and junk food options.

8. Eat meat, but don’t eat too much of it: Meat is a great source of protein but it’s also a big source of saturated fat. The trick, if you are a meat eater, is to eat smaller portions of meat and make sure you vary your protein source with poultry, fish and vegetarian sources of protein like beans. You should keep meat to a minimum and load you plate with healthy vegetables and whole grains to feel full.

9. Add loads of flavour: Herbs, spices and citrus will add loads of flavours and allow you to cut back on fat and salt in your meal preparation.

10. Enjoy food: It’s easy to forget to enjoy the whole activity of eating when you are trying to learn about healthy cooking, but healthy cooking and eating healthy foods should be viewed as a learning ground and not a chore. Make sure you enjoy delicious foods and make sure you take time to savour them.

Healthy cooking can be fun, delicious and eventful. Don’t forget to enjoy the journey!

>>>> If you’re viewing this healthy eating or healthy living tip in an aggregator that collects content from different sites, or as a re-blogged post, please check out the content from the REAL website at www.EatSmartAgeSmart.com

10 foods that will KILL you!

eatSmart — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:00:18 +0000

There is no shortage of foods that will keep you fat or make you fat, but foods that are really bad for you are on a different scale.

It’s now becoming more and more popular to finger certain foods as those that are bad for you and in some cases, foods that will darn right kill you!

If you’ve not yet seen the list of 10 worst foods published by Nutrition Action, allow me the pleasure of introducing you to the list.

>>> The 10 worst foods you can buy, as published by Nutrition Action:

1. Cold Stone Creamery “Gotta Have It Founder’s Favorite”: the chocolate-dipped waffle bowl topped with ice cream, pecans, brownie pieces, fudge, and caramel represent a whopping 1,600 calories and 42 grams of saturated fat. That’s equivalent to eating five single-scoop ice cream cones!!!

2. Starbucks Venti (20 oz.) Caffè Mocha with 2% milk and whipped cream: Don’t bother calling this a coffee because it’s really a dessert. In fact, it’s way worse than McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese. It comes at a staggering 580 calories and 15 grams of saturated fat. Remember women only need about 2,000 calories a day, while men need 2,500 calories and this Starbucks drink eats up a lot of your allotted calories for the day.

3. Pillsbury Grands! Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll with Icing: If you are used to preparing those at home during the weekend, you might think again because they contain 310 calories and 2 grams of saturated fat plus 2 ½ grams of trans fat (the worst kind of fat and experts recommend capping it at no more than 2 grams for the entire day) and 23 grams of sugar. Cinnamon buns in my opinion are one of the worst inventions because they are so unhealthy.

4. Häagen-Dazs ice cream: Do you sit in front of the television with your carton of Häagen-Dazs ice cream? Well you might want to rethink that because an average half-cup serving packs squeezes half-a-day’s saturated fat and a third-of-a-day’s cholesterol into your artery walls and it all comes at a staggering 300 calories. Did I mention that was for half a cup and not half a carton of Häagen-Dazs ice cream???

5. Olive Garden’s Tour of Italy Homemade Lasagne, Lightly Breaded Chicken Parmigiana, and Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo: This combination is mislabelled and should simply be called: “heart attack on a plate”! This Olive Garden concoction comes in at an incredible 1,450 calories (this is well over half of your recommended daily calorie intake), 33 grams of saturated fat, and 3,830 milligrams of sodium (oh, by the way, you should max out your daily salt intake at 2,300 mg, which represents about 1 teaspoon salt). This dish is so out there it’s completely unacceptable that a restaurant would serve this kind of heart-attack-inducing meal.

6. Chipotle Chicken Burrito: This Mexican delight made of tortilla, rice, pinto beans, cheese, chicken, sour cream, and salsa comes in at a eye-popping 970 calories and 17½ grams of saturated fat and 2,200 mg of sodium. It’s the equivalent to eating three 6-inch Subway BLT Classic Subs! It’s true that you could skip the cheese and sour cream, but you’re still stuck with 750 calories! I say PASS!

7. Pop Secret Movie Theater Butter Popcorn Snack Size Bags: This popular snack comes in at 9 grams of saturated fat and 6 grams of tans fat. Need I say more?

Not to mention, microwave popcorn is quite controversial these days.

>>> If you missed the post we wrote on the subject, you can catch it here: Is microwave popcorn dangerous for your health?

8. Cheesecake Factory Chris’ Outrageous Chocolate Cake: The idea of a five-inch-layer of moist chocolate cake, chewy brownie, toasted coconut pecan filling, and creamy chocolate chip coconut cheesecake may sound divine to some, but to me it screams OMG!!!!!!!!

This dessert is an artery-clogger at 1,550 calories, 43 grams of saturated fat and 32 teaspoons of sugar. Oh, did I mention it weighs three-quarters of a pound? You might as well order three Quarter Pounders from McDonald’s after your dinner and call it a day (yup, it’s the equivalent).

9. Progresso Traditional, Vegetable Classics, and Rich & Hearty soups: This is pretty easy: half a can of Progresso soup represents over half of the daily recommended quota of salt (remember you are only allowed about 2,300 grams of salt daily or 1 teaspoon salt)!

10. Marie Callender’s Chicken Pot Pie: Half a pie (like anybody eats half a pie) comes in at 520 calories and 12 grams of fat. This simply means that the full Marie Callender’s Chicken Pot Pie comes in at 1,040 calories and 24 grams.

These foods are only 10 that have been picked by Nutrition Action as being among the worst at most grocery stores. If you take time to check and READ labels, there are a lot of foods that you will decide to no longer eat because it just makes no sense to put your body under that kind of nutritional-stress.

Can those foods kill you in the end? If you have enough of them and they promote weight gain, high levels of sodium intake (and trust me they all contain insane amounts of salt) or spike your sugar levels, you will in the end feel the weight (pun intended) of your food choices.

Highly processed foods are not real foods and the sooner you learn to replace them with real foods, the better off you’ll be. When it comes to the Häagen-Dazs ice cream, remember that moderation goes a long way and putting your ice cream in a separate container is a good idea as opposed to eat right out of the ice cream carton.

>>> Here’s what all these bad food and bad eating habits can do to your body:

>>> If you’ve missed one of the most talked about and life changing (as per the emails I received and messages on Facebook) posts I’ve featured on this site, check it out right now: The body scan of a 250 lbs woman vs a 120 lbs woman (trust me, you’ll never look at obesity in the same way)

I’d love to hear your opinion on this post and I’d love to see your reaction.

Are there any of these killer-foods that you eat on a regular base?

Photo by Incase Designs

Breakfast is ESSENTIAL for kids’ learning!

eatSmart — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:00:27 +0000

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it helps you break the 6-8 hour fast while you sleep.

A nutritious and healthy breakfast is the ONLY way to start the day on the right foot.

“But, I’m not hungry in the morning to eat breakfast!”

I always am shocked when I hear this from people. If you get into the habit of eating a healthy breakfast in the morning, you will get your body on a set clock and trust me, you’ll be hungry in the morning for a healthy breakfast.

It’s as important for you to eat a healthy breakfast as it is for your kids!

Imagine that most adults sleep for 6-8 hours a day and when you get up, you NEED to refuel your body. Now imagine how important it is to help refuel your kids’ body because most kids sleep 12 hours a day and their body needs to get sufficient nutrition to break free from the long hours of fast! A nutritional breakfast not only gives strength to the body, it also energizes your kids’ brain. This part of the equation is crucial because an alert brain will allow your child to be attentive in class, and better understand the concepts taught in school.

Numerous studies have shown that children who skip breakfast tend to have these behavioural issues:

* Low self-confidence

* Lack of concentration

* Laziness

* Distraction

* High levels of frustration due to the fact they retain few lessons

* Short attention span

* Irritability (mood swings) and restlessness are also some of the immediate consequences of skipping breakfast.

I’ve quoted Dr. Oz many times on this site. He’s been quite vocal about the role breakfast plays when it comes to children obesity. The truth is a healthy breakfast helps reduce rates of obesity by as much as 30%!

This might sound unbelievable, but when a child does not eat his/her breakfast, s/he starts feeling hungry during the day. As a result of this, s/he might overeat. Overeating involves the consumption of calorie-rich food, especially junk food (which are loaded with fat, salt and sugar). This can directly result in weight gain, and hence, obesity.

A breakfast is important for keeping the metabolism in good working condition!

Now that you know that breakfast is vital for your child’s health, and growth, let’s talk about the right kind of breakfast.

Unfortunately, a lot of people believe that a nutritious breakfast is often expensive and therefore will opt for cheap options that are devoid of any nutrition. This is a big mistake because it is possible to eat a healthy breakfast without it costing you too much.

>>>Here are some tips to help keep eating a healthy breakfast at the top of your list of priorities for you and your family:

Always choose a healthy and nutritious breakfast:

* Fresh fruit juice (as opposed to concentrate or those juice drinks that contain no real fruits) is one of best things that should be an essential part of your kid’s breakfast.

* Fresh fruits would be even better because they contain a lot of fibre (which is important for your kids to remain regular).

* Whole grains are much better than refined flour breakfast options

* Milk should also be included as part of a healthy breakfast. Choosing organic milk is ideal, but if cost is an issue you might want to make sure to limit how much organic milk your kids drink because of the high levels of hormone cows are exposed to. You can also buy rice milk, soy milk, almond milk, and oat milk if your kids are lactose intolerant or you can select from a variety of lactose-free milk beverages.

* Items rich in fat should be avoided at all cost. That means that a grilled cheese sandwich made with processed cheese and margarine is NOT a healthy breakfast option and neither is a bagel or a donut!

* Don’t forget protein! The tried-and-tested peanut butter on whole wheat is an excellent healthy breakfast option. If your kid is allergic to nuts there are a number of spreads that are peanut-free and that are still high in protein on the market.

All in all, a balanced and healthy breakfast should be rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, antioxidants, calcium and minerals.

>>> But how do you find time to prepare a healthy breakfast in the morning?

It’s true that working parents have a lot of difficulty finding time to prepare a healthy breakfast for their children. Here a few tips to help parents prepare a healthy breakfast in the morning:

1) Wake up a little early (even 10 minutes will give you time to prepare a healthy breakfast).

2) Start breakfast preparations just before going to bed the previous night.

3) Eggs come handy when you have little time to make breakfast (grain-fed or organic eggs are the best and make sure your don’t feed your kids more than three eggs per week)

>>> Here are some pitfalls to avoid when it comes to preparing a healthy breakfast in the morning:

1) Avoid serving foods that are high in sugar like: pastries, cakes, muffins, and jams that contain glucose or corn syrup (choose jams that contain only sugar).

2) Avoid a lot of processed items (those pre-made breakfast options are NOT the best for your kids).

3) Processed white flour is pointless and a waste of calories (because they are ALL empty calories). Whole grains are always better. Whole wheat or whole grain breads are better than white bread (keep the white bread as a treat (which means you serve it only a few times a year) and not as a staple).

Parents should make it a point to include breakfast in their routine in order for their kids to follow in their footprints.

The bottom line is that a healthy breakfast will keep your child active and strong. Serve your child a nutritious and healthy breakfast and see him excel at studies, sports and life in general!

Photo of oatmeal porridge by WordRidden

Best diet: 5 Bite Diet?

eatSmart — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:00:05 +0000

5 Bite Diet the best diet? If you believe that I have property in Spain and one in Miami to sell you at 2007 prices!

The 5 Bite Diet is causing a stir because it’s all about eating only 5 bites of food to keep the weight off.

Well, it’s obvious that 5 bites of food will allow an elephant to look like a zebra in no time.

>>> Here’s the premise of the 5 Bite Diet if you’ve not yet heard of the latest fast weight loss diet:

* The 5 Bite Diet is the brainchild of Dr. Alwin Lewis. In his book “Why Weight Around? Changing The Weight Loss Strategy”, he says that the obesity crisis affecting America can be solved if people only kept their meals to no more than 5 bites – hence the 5 Bite Diet.

> Dr. Alwin Lewis also recommends the following for his 5 Bite Diet plan (see my irate comments in bracket):

1) Drink as much of anything as you want as long as it doesn’t contain calories (I guess that would be water???).

2) Take 5 bites of any food at lunch (Good Lord this is insane).

3) Take 5 bites of anything at dinner (How are you supposed to make it until dinner with only 5 bites of food).

4) Take one multi-vitamin every day (How is that part of a diet, it’s part of a healthy balanced lifestyle and not a stupid rapid weight loss diet).

5) Get a bit of protein a day “on average” (you don’t need a bit of protein to lose weight and maintain muscle, you NEED protein with every meal … even a vegetarian protein like nuts).

Dr. Lewis also says that after three days on this diet you will no longer be hungry: “that then resets what you body sees as full” (yup and a juice fast will do the same, but at least you get all of your nutrients). Once you have reached your weight you can go back to “eating normally” (NO YOU CANNOT eat normally because people still don’t know how to eat healthy meals because for 30 days they’ve been on your ridiculous diet plan).

I mean seriously, who the hell can survive on so little food. I mean your bloody organs will shut down if you survive on the 5 Bite Diet. I’m so mad right now (I’m seeing red) at this type of ridiculousness and it bothers me to no end that this guy is a doctor. So many people will think he knows better … well he does NOT (in my opinion).

May I be honest with you about what I think about Dr. Alwin Lewis’ 5 Bite Diet? I think it’s completely ridiculous. He’s going to sell millions of books to unsuspecting fools who will screw up their entire bodies and the long-term negative effects of such a restrictive diet can be serious.

My God, there are young girls and teenagers who may actually think that this 5 Bite Diet is their solution to fitting into size zero jeans.

You want to lose weight for good? You need to do the following steps that have been repeated millions of times (because they work):

1. Give up junk food

2. Start making fitness a priority

3. Stop with your whining and excuses

4. Make a commitment to yourself

5. Eat real food packed with nutrition

6. Ditch foods high in salt, sugar and fat

7. Give up the stupid diets.

Dr. Alwin Lewis, that is how people NEED to lose weight and not adhere to the 5 Bite Diet plan!

The 5 Bite Diet is honestly a crime because your body is not designed for such severe restrictive diets.

Please let know I’m not the only who is outraged by the 5 Bite Diet and leave me your comment below. I’d love to hear from you on the latest crazy fast weight loss diet.

Will you lose weight on the 5 Bite Diet? Yes you will because you will have cut your calories by a zillion, but will you be able to survive for 12 months on the 5 Bite Diet? Open your eyes and don’t kid yourself … NO ONE CAN SURVIVE on the 5 Bite Diet (it’s unhealthy)!

Photo by malias

Foods to reduce stress

eatsmart — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:58:01 +0000

Oh my, the stock markets are acting up again and it’s almost a flashback to October 2008.

There are so many people who are still looking for work and they are trying to juggle a lot of things with limited means. Not having a job, seeing the value of your home decline, becoming a one-salary household and having to watch your retirement fund melt away is quite taxing (pun intended) on the body.

Stress is one sure way to put on weight because food is an emotional outlet for so many people.

That said, if you chose different types of foods (instead of the fatty-greasy foods), you’ll quickly find out that there are actually a handful of foods that can help reduce stress (and help you stay trim, too).

I don’t think that these foods will turn your current financial situation around, but they will help support your health as you are trying to cope with life’s reality.

>>> These 5 foods will tremendously help when it comes to helping your body cope with the negative effects of stress:
1. Avocados: When you’re under stress, your body tends to use B vitamins at a faster-than-normal rate. In order to replenish that supply, eat ¼ of an avocado when you’re stressed — on a sandwich, in a salad, or all by itself — to boost B vitamin levels. In addition to B, avocados are also rich in vitamin K, vitamin C, potassium and a fatty acid known as oleic acid — this fat has been shown to have a mild influence in lowering cholesterol.

2. Tea: Although caffeine has been shown to lead to a more positive mood and improved performance, there’s a fine line between just enough and too much. Too much caffeine can make you dependent and make you nervous, irritable, and hypersensitive or bring on headaches. Because brewed tea is lower in caffeine per cup than coffee, you can drink more tea than coffee before experiencing these effects. Tea also provides a little L-theanine, a calming amino acid.

3. Berries: Under stress we naturally crave sweet things but the problem is that nine out of ten times, the sweets we’re craving are calorie-laden. Berries are naturally sweet and they have vitamin C which tends to be helpful in combating stress. Furthermore, berries have some fibre — which will decrease cravings by building up bulk in your GI track.

4. Dark chocolate (you’ll want to choose at least 70% to enjoy the full benefits of dark chocolate): Chocolate has a lot going for it in addition to its divine taste. It is plump full of flavonoids — a powerful class of antioxidants — which have been shown to lower high blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes. Other compounds found in chocolate seem to lower the “bad” component of cholesterol (LDL) while leaving the “good” (HDL) component unchanged. Dark chocolate also contains several psychoactive chemicals that promote alertness and even euphoria. The latest scientific literature even shows it has some blood-pressure lowering properties.

To me, though, that’s not what’s so beautiful about chocolate. What I think is beautiful about chocolate is its ability to enhance sensory recruitment in every way. It’s so inexpensive to have a piece of chocolate and it’s so pleasurable, that if that’s something you like and that’s part of what living well is about, I say: go for it.

Once a day, treat yourself to a guilt-free one-third of a typical dark chocolate bar or 1 ounce of chocolate roughly the size of the palm of a woman’s hand. Doctor’s orders!

5. Magnesium-rich foods: Magnesium is an essential mineral for human nutrition. Magnesium in the body serves several important metabolic functions. It plays a role in the production and transport of energy. It is also important for the contraction and relaxation of muscles and has been shown to reduce blood pressure. Green vegetables such as spinach are good sources of magnesium, as are black beans, peas, nuts (peanuts), seeds (pumpkin and squash), tofu, broccoli and whole, unrefined grains.

To reduce stress, and avoid SuperStress, try this today:

Simple as it sounds; focused breathing — during which you think about your breath as you inhale and exhale — is a very effective stress-management technique. A slow, full breath triggers physical and cognitive changes that promote relaxation. Deep breathing helps release tension and anxiety and is a great energizer because the deeper the breath, the more your body is flooded with life-fuelling oxygen. A full breath begins with the diaphragm pushing downward so that the stomach extends out. As your lungs fill with air, your chest expands. When you exhale, the reverse occurs — your chest settles first and then your stomach.

> When anxiety strikes or you find yourself focusing on negative thoughts, immediately exhale through your mouth.

> Now, open your lungs, and breathe in through your nose, drawing in a fresh, cleansing air to the count of four.

> Exhale again slowly to the count of five.

> Repeat four times.

>>> More about Robert Lee

Roberta Lee, M.D., author of The SuperStress Solution, is vice chair of the Department of Integrative Medicine, director of Continuing Medical Education, and co-director of the Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel’s Continuum Center for Health and Healing at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. Dr. Lee attended George Washington University Medical School and is one of the four graduates in the first class from the Program of Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona conducted by Andrew Weil, M.D.

>>> If you want to find out how you can handle your stress more and not give into your junk food ways, you can click on the link: The SuperStress Solution