How to get started in healthy living — part 3A

Improving your diet and increasing healthy activity

Eating a nutritious, balanced diet is perhaps the lynchpin of healthy living. Not only does it keep all your body systems working efficiently, it also provides energy, protects your heart, helps prevent and fight off disease, maintains a healthy body weight, contributes to healthy skin, hair and nails and even influences mood.

Eat more healthy foods 

Most of us eat too much processed and refined food (containing excess sugar, fat and salt) and not enough whole grains, fiber, fruit and vegetables. The average daily intake of fiber in the UK, for example, is 12g per day — significantly less than the 18g target, while a recent Nutrition and Diet Survey found that although fruit and veg consumption has increased, the average is still less than three portions per day.

Take action

• Take a daily pill. According to the Harvard Medical School, most people benefit from a daily multivitamin and mineral complex, particularly if they don’t eat the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables each day, if they regularly miss meals or rely on highly-processed foods.
• Up your antioxidants. These naturally-occurring compounds fight disease-causing free radicals in the body and are found mainly in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes and nuts. Vitamins A, C and E and the mineral selenium are powerful antioxidants, so foods rich in these micronutrients are a great place to start.  
• Eating more fruit and vegetables is one of the simplest things you can do to enhance your health — and up your antioxidant intake. While ‘five-a-day’ is the well-known recommendation, the ideal is seven to nine portions, according to many experts. Don’t get stuck in the trap of eating the same varieties, day in day out. Make it a rule never to leave the house without having consumed one of your five a day, and always have another one in your bag or car.
• Avoid trans fats. Increasingly, evidence is building to suggest that this type of ‘manufactured’ fat is more harmful even than saturated fat — no safe level has been established. Read food labels and avoid products with the words ‘hydrogenated vegetable oils’ or trans fats on.
• Switch to wholegrain and brown versions of rice, pasta and bread — these are more nutritious, in terms of their vitamin and mineral content, and also contain more fiber than white varieties.
• Eat more fish. There is strong evidence that the 'omega-3 fatty acids' in oily fish helps to protect against heart disease. Eat sardines, salmon, herring, mackerel or fresh tuna once a week, and another type of non-oily fish once a week. 

Maintain a healthy body weight

More than half the adults in the UK are overweight, one in five are obese. If you are overweight, losing weight and making healthier food choices is crucial to better health, as obesity is associated with an alarming number of diseases including diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart problems, some types of cancer, arthritis of the back and legs, gallstones, breathing problems, some complications of pregnancy and depression. One study found that just a 10 per cent weight reduction helped overweight people reduce blood pressure and cholesterol and increase longevity. The two main factors are reducing overall calorie intake and reducing fat intake.

Recent research from the University of North Carolina found that portion sizes have expanded not just in the home but also when we eat out — it’s quite common to be eating a serving that is up to three times larger than a ‘standard’ portion, piling on additional calories. The average British diet contains 41 per cent fat — significantly higher than the recommended maximum percentage of 30 per cent. What’s more, too much of the fat we eat comes from unhealthy saturated and trans fat sources (derived from meat and dairy products, pastry, fried food, refined and pre-packaged products and cakes), which is damaging to heart health.

Take action

• Weigh yourself and check your body mass index. If you are overweight, aim to lose 0.2 to 0.4kg (0.5 to 1lb) per week. Don’t be tempted by quick-fix diets. The best way to keep weight off is to lose it slowly and sensibly.
• Don’t cut out, cut down. Instead of banning cookies from the house, for example, allow yourself one in the morning and one in the evening instead of eating half the packet.
• Learn what portion sizes look like. For example, a serving of cheese should be about the size of a matchbox, a serving of meat the size of the palm of your hand. While what you eat is obviously a very important part of the equation, even very healthy food, like wholegrain bread, oily fish and pasta, when eaten to excess, is fattening.
• Reduce your use of oil or fat in cooking. You can substitute water, tomato juice or white wine — with a dash of soy sauce — for oil in pan frying.
• Go easy with fat-filled condiments and sauces, like mayonnaise, oily salad dressings, rich or creamy sauces and gravy.
• Trim visible fat from meat, and don’t eat the skin of meat or fish. Opt for leaner cuts, such as back bacon rather than streaky, chicken breast rather than leg
• Don’t forgo dairy products, as these are the richest source of calcium, which has an essential role in muscle contraction and in metabolism. It’s also vital in maintaining bone health, as calcium is a component of bone. Go for low fat versions instead.
• ‘Frontload’ your diet, so that you eat most of your calories earlier in the day and eat lightly in the evening. One study found that people who skipped breakfast or lunch and ate most of their calories in their evening meal had lower metabolisms than ‘frontloaders’, while research has also shown the body is more responsive to insulin in the morning, and therefore more capable of handling carbohydrate efficiently compared to in the evening, when the action of cortisol is more likely to cause carbohydrates to be converted and stored as fat.
• http://www.realbuzz.com/articles/how-to-get-started-in-healthy-living-part-3/

Is A Detox Diet Plan An Effective Tool For Weight Loss?

But whether or not a detox diet is to be implemented for the purposes of weight loss is a different story... sort of.

The truth is, any time you decide to give your body the gift of cleanliness, purity, and renewal, anyone who would try to talk you out of it would be an absolute fool. And here's the kicker. I have actually heard people suggest that this is a great way to get healthier and more energized, but shouldn't be used as a primary means of weight loss. I couldn't disagree more.

Body fat is a defense mechanism. It protects your vital organs, blood vessels, sensitive tissues, cells, and even nerves from acids and pollution within the bloodstream. The fat cells grab onto these dangerous chemicals, essentially trapping them and blocking them from doing damage to the body's critical players. In football terms, fat cells are your body's offensive linemen!

But if you've got weight to lose, then a detox diet can help the body start getting rid of these toxins, while preventing new toxins from entering. As a result, your body will no longer have any need to hold onto excess fat, and alas, fat loss becomes totally effortless, healthy, and substantial. On certain detox diet plans, you can SAFELY lose up to two pounds a day!

Of course, you don't want to remain on a detox diet permanently, generally keeping 30 days as your absolute maximum. However, you can implement them several times within a given year. Many nutritionist recommend a 14 day detox once per quarter (4 times per year).

There are many detox diets to choose from, each with varying degrees of intensity and effectiveness. Perhaps the most extreme is a fast, where you will only drink purified water for the entire duration of your cleanse. There are other variations of a fast, such as a green drink cleanse and the Master Cleanse (aka the Lemonade Diet).

Another popular and well-respected detox diet is the Raw Food Diet, which can actually end up becoming a permanent lifestyle plan if followed correctly.

Naturally, you will want to consult with your trusted health care practitioner, who will ideally be someone who is well versed in preventive, natural medicine as opposed to being a gung-ho pharmaceutical pusher who's only interested in treating symptoms and ignoring causes.

A doctor with a good balance of prevention and treatment focus is a great choice. Talk to him or her about your desire to lose weight with a detox diet and see if they have any recommendations that will meet your specific needs.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Is-A-Detox-Diet-Plan-An-Effective-Tool-For-Weight-Loss?&id=8636728

How to Lose Body Fat and Depression at the Same Time: Fight Depression by Fighting Fat and Get Fit!

Many times we think about losing body fat because we have a wedding or high school reunion coming up.

I want to suggest that there are even more powerful reasons to zero in on how to lose body fat for our mood and for our ability to fight depression when necessary.

Depression affects a large swath of the population in the United States, some estimates go as high as 10 percent of the country which is an astounding 30 million people. Obesity is said to affect nearly 70% of the country's adults. These are shocking numbers, but it is not difficult to imagine that there might be a link between obesity and depression.

By default, I believe that obesity is driven by a lack of real food nutrition and an over abundance of processed junk food. I have rarely seen obese people who eat too many vegetables. Usually our overweight fellow citizens are scarfing down too much processed food.

One time I was with a friend who was on line in a pizza place and the patron in front of us ordered a Sicilian slice, three regular slices, an eggplant parmigiana hero, french fries, a tiramisu and after all of that, a diet coke!

It was no surprise that this customer was quite large, but the real surprise was the diet coke. At that point I thought, what is the difference?

You can usually tell what people are eating by the shape they are in.

People in real good shape are generally eating real good food. When people are not eating real good food, it stands to reason that their brains are not getting sufficient nutrition. That is what typically fuels binges, that is the body trying to push us to get the nutrients that the body wants and we mistake it for mere hunger and try to satisfy the cravings with Ben & Jerry.

When you start to eat real food, not only will your body be feeling better, but so will your mind. Once your brain is getting the nutrients that it needs, you have a much better chance of effectively managing the situations that you are facing, with a clear mind and with a positive perspective.

What comes first, depression or obesity? My experience tells me that depression can be latent and can be genetic, you do not need to be obese to be depressed, and all obese people are not automatically going to become depressed.

However, if you are already battling depression, then I urge you to think how to lose your body fat before you think of which antidepressants to take, and if you are already taking meds, then start to workout to help your overall performance and then perhaps you can come off of the medications.

Side effects of anti depressant medications are serious business. If eating better quality food, sleeping on time, managing your stress, getting in a good walk or swim every day and doing strength training, with your body weight or with actual weights, if these habits can relieve you of depression, then they are worth the time to try on.

Think of getting into physical shape before you assume that there is nothing else that can help stabilize your state of mind besides medications. There is and it is called good old common sense healthy habits.

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Lose-Body-Fat-and-Depression-at-the-Same-Time:-Fight-Depression-by-Fighting-Fat-and-Get-Fit!&id=8777471

Burn Up Your Body Fat and Rev Up Your Metabolism

As a woman in my 40's I can be honest and tell you that getting older "Really Sucks!" Your metabolism starts to slow down, menopausal symptoms set in, your Doctor tells you at a routine visit that your thyroid isn't working correctly, and you have a Vitamin D3 deficiency. All of these medical indicators prevent weight loss and promote weight gain-Wonderful!

So What Can We Do To Maintain a Healthy Weight?

One of the first things I would recommend to anyone who has gained a large amount of weight in a 2-3 year time frame is to make an appointment with your family physician and have your Thyroid checked and Vitamin D3 levels tested. These two medical conditions can wreak havoc on your metabolism-slowing it down to a turtle crawl and that's not going to promote a healthy weight loss no matter how many diets you try.

In addition, who wants to waste money on a diet or weight loss supplement-if there is No Way you are going to lose weight. So take a moment-make an appointment with your Doctor and get tested for these medical conditions. I am only suggesting this because this is EXACTLY what happened to me. Once my thyroid was working correctly and a started taking Vitamin D3 gel capsule daily- I knew I had a chance to lose weight and get back to my healthy-happy self!

Tune Up Your Metabolism

Your metabolism can slow down for many reasons, such as; aging, from foods that you consume; like fast foods and foods that are processed, hypothyroidism, vitamin d deficiency, just to mention a few. Don't get discouraged-- all hope is not lost! There are some things that you can do to kick start your metabolism and wake it up.

Exercise:

Believe it or not movement and moderate exercise is essential to your metabolism functioning correctly after a certain age. I am not suggesting in any way that you need to go out and purchase a gym membership or one of those intense -almost impossible to do work out videos. What I am suggesting is taking daily walks and increasing the distant weekly, parking further away from the door when you go shopping, utilizing the stairs instead of an elevator. All very simple and inexpensive ways to add movement into your life and trust me your metabolism will know and thank you-- and in a few weeks you will notice the difference.

A Healthy Diet and Drinking Water:

When most people think about a healthy diet they associate it with foods that are tasteless, bland, and expensive. It is true that purchasing processed foods is inexpensive, but at what cost? Adding foods high in protein to your diet like chicken, fish, and lean cuts of meat can boost your metabolism and promote healthy weight loss. By eliminating or moderating foods from your diet such as; fried foods, white carbohydrates, processed foods, and foods with a high sugar content will reduce the chances of heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. It will also increase your ability to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Drinking eight 8 ounce glasses of water has been scientifically proven to increase weight loss and boost your metabolism. So, before you ask "what about flavored water?" If you make it yourself-sure! Most of the ones at your grocer, even though they say 0 calories have ingredients that can sabotage weight loss efforts.

There are several healthy websites that have easy flavored water recipes that are healthy, tasty, and inexpensive. It only takes a moment to search "Healthy Water Recipes."

And lastly, breakfast. I have to be honest I hate breakfast! And I know as a certified nutritionist that I should eat at least a 400 calorie breakfast to boost my metabolism. I had to find an alternative solution that was high in protein and healthy calories to start each and every day and keep my metabolism going strong. My solution, a peanut butter protein smoothie. It's very simple to make. Here is the recipe.

Peanut Butter Breakfast Smoothie

½ Cup of all natural peanut butter

1 tablespoon shredded (raw coconut)

1 cup of almond milk (unsweetened)

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a blender and mix until smooth and creamy. You can also add ice if you want. I sometimes also add a ½ cup of black coffee or use coconut milk.

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