Are you a speed eater? In today's fast paced world there is a good chance you are.
Do you gobble down breakfast on the way out the door? Do you scarf down lunch at your desk in between answering emails and fielding phone calls? Do you devour dinner before anyone else is halfway finished?
Many of us are concerned about what we eat. But the truth is, the most nutritious food in the world cannot offset the damage done from eating under stressful conditions day in and day out.
Why Eat Slower?
If you are a fast eater, it's time to slide into the slow lane. Why? Well, first, because speed eating isn't satisfying to your body, mind, or spirit. And because eating too fast can cause a lot of health problems including:
-Upset stomach
-Heartburn
-Indigestion
-Cramping
-Gas & bloating
-Overeating
-Slowed digestion & metabolism
-Weight gain
What are the Benefits of Eating Slower
There are lots of benefits to slowing down and savoring your food. Here are a few of my favorites.
1. Faster metabolism. The slower you eat, the faster your metabolism. By slowing down your digestion will be better and you will burn more calories. That's enough reason for me to want to join the Slow Food Movement!
2. Better digestion. When you eat more slowly you will chew your food better which will make it easier for your stomach and small intestine to do their jobs. This will lead to less digestive upset, better absorption of nutrients, and improved overall health.
3. Weight loss. You may have heard that it takes a full 20 minutes for your stomach to realize its had enough food and send signals back to your brain to stop eating. If you eat quickly it is easy to eat far more food than you need before you get the signal that you have had enough. So slowing down can naturally lead to eating less which can lead to painless weight loss.
4. More pleasure. If you are a food lover like me, slowing down helps you receive more pleasure from the whole dining experience. You take time to really see, smell, taste, and experience what you are eating. It can naturally lead you to be more discerning too. When you slow down, you may find that foods you thought you loved really aren't that appealing.
www.ezinearticles.com
Rabu, 11 Agustus 2010
Will Eating Fruits and Vegetables Make You Lose Weight?
It's no secret that eating healthy colorful vegetables and 1 serving of fruit a day will support your health, but it may also help you lose weight. Changing your lifestyle eating habits is paramount to health and fitness.
Americans are eating themselves sick. They consume an average of 2-3 pounds of sugar per week. This can have an impact on breaking down the immune system which can lead to all kinds of illnesses. Sugar laden food is a major cause of diabetes in adults and more and more children. Too much sugar causes cardiovascular disease. Sugar raises the insulin level in the body which is linked to supporting certain cancers.
Americans also consume at least 2 teaspoons of salt per day, twice the recommended daily allowance. This over-consumption can lead to heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure and stroke.
The culprit is not in direct consumption of salt and sugar, but in the processed foods we consume every day. Condiments, cereals, breads, pastas, refined grains, canned sauces, restaurant food, microwaveable meals all contain far more salt and sugar than any person needs to maintain good health.
How can we support our bodies in maintaining health? Getting back to basic whole foods is one good way to accomplish this. Eating a variety of colorful vegetables and a limited intake of fruits will benefit your body in so many ways.
Eating more colorful veggies and fruits will make you feel better. They produce energy in your body and create less fatigue than processed foods. You will have fewer allergies and fewer headaches because your body is getting the nutrients it needs to work at optimum levels. Fruits and vegetables are filled with water, fiber, and nutrients for every organ in the body.
Choose five servings of the deepest colorful fruits and vegetables per day. (Read no iceberg lettuce!) These colorful fruits and vegetables provide a broad range of vitamins, minerals, nutrients, fiber, and phytochemicals your body needs to maintain optimum health.
Getting back to basics and including fruits and vegetables in your diet offers you endless benefits. Here is a list of just a few of those benefits:
- Rids allergens
- Lower risk of many cancers
- Maintains healthy digestion
- Raises memory function
- Keeps the urinary tract healthy
- Slows the aging process
- Maintains healthy vision
- Great for a healthy heart
- Lowers cholesterol levels
- Strengthens the immune system
- Maintains strong bones and healthy teeth
One secret is to eat perhaps one fruit a day by itself, with no other food. Give yourself an hour to digest food before consuming any fruit. Fruit contains enzymes that immediately start digesting foods quickly and can give you gas if consumed with other foods. Most fruits contain a lot of sugar, so 1 serving a day is recommended for health and weight control.
www.ezinearticles.com
Americans are eating themselves sick. They consume an average of 2-3 pounds of sugar per week. This can have an impact on breaking down the immune system which can lead to all kinds of illnesses. Sugar laden food is a major cause of diabetes in adults and more and more children. Too much sugar causes cardiovascular disease. Sugar raises the insulin level in the body which is linked to supporting certain cancers.
Americans also consume at least 2 teaspoons of salt per day, twice the recommended daily allowance. This over-consumption can lead to heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure and stroke.
The culprit is not in direct consumption of salt and sugar, but in the processed foods we consume every day. Condiments, cereals, breads, pastas, refined grains, canned sauces, restaurant food, microwaveable meals all contain far more salt and sugar than any person needs to maintain good health.
How can we support our bodies in maintaining health? Getting back to basic whole foods is one good way to accomplish this. Eating a variety of colorful vegetables and a limited intake of fruits will benefit your body in so many ways.
Eating more colorful veggies and fruits will make you feel better. They produce energy in your body and create less fatigue than processed foods. You will have fewer allergies and fewer headaches because your body is getting the nutrients it needs to work at optimum levels. Fruits and vegetables are filled with water, fiber, and nutrients for every organ in the body.
Choose five servings of the deepest colorful fruits and vegetables per day. (Read no iceberg lettuce!) These colorful fruits and vegetables provide a broad range of vitamins, minerals, nutrients, fiber, and phytochemicals your body needs to maintain optimum health.
Getting back to basics and including fruits and vegetables in your diet offers you endless benefits. Here is a list of just a few of those benefits:
- Rids allergens
- Lower risk of many cancers
- Maintains healthy digestion
- Raises memory function
- Keeps the urinary tract healthy
- Slows the aging process
- Maintains healthy vision
- Great for a healthy heart
- Lowers cholesterol levels
- Strengthens the immune system
- Maintains strong bones and healthy teeth
One secret is to eat perhaps one fruit a day by itself, with no other food. Give yourself an hour to digest food before consuming any fruit. Fruit contains enzymes that immediately start digesting foods quickly and can give you gas if consumed with other foods. Most fruits contain a lot of sugar, so 1 serving a day is recommended for health and weight control.
www.ezinearticles.com
Can a Person Live on Only Fresh Foods?
Living on fresh foods has never been easier. Most supermarkets carry fresh and organic fruits, vegetables, meats, fish and raw nuts and seeds. All health foods stores carry a very large variety of everything you need to become a fresh foods fanatic. Eating fresh foods is a healthy way to live. You get great nutrients to keep you strong and healthy and your body doesn't have to deal with unknown toxins hidden in processed foods. It's a "no brainer" to live on only fresh foods!
A little research will help you make the transition from eating primarily processed and genetically altered food (90% of the American diet) to eating fresh, organic foods. There are many variations on what "fresh foods" mean. Fresh can be organic (grown with no pesticides and non-genetically-altered produce and animals fed no genetically altered feed. Fresh can mean vegetarian, where you eat no meat. It can also mean vegan where you eat no meat, nor animal products such as eggs. Fresh can also mean raw, eating only uncooked foods. Whatever you label fresh and the diet you decide to follow do research on how you can feed your body the nutrients it needs to maintain optimum health.
Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is necessary for any healthy lifestyle. The more colorful vegetables you eat, the more nutrients you receive. You body responds in kind to eating fresh produce. You have more energy, your brain functions at a higher level and your digestion runs smoothly. Many have found that eating raw produce eliminates allergies and reduces symptoms of high blood pressure and diabetes.
What's so bad about processed foods?
Many processed foods aren't good for you as they are full of saturated and Trans fats, and contain huge amounts of sodium and sugar. Some processed foods to avoid are:
• Sodium laden canned foods
• Anything made with refined white flour including white breads and pastas
• Any high-calorie snacking foods, such as potato or corn chips and cheese-like snacks (not made from real cheese)
• All high-fat convenience foods such as canned ravioli
• All frozen processed fish sticks and frozen dinners
• Processed cakes and cookies in packages
• Prepared boxed meal mixes such as "*-helper" meals
• Most breakfast cereals and especially sugary ones
• All processed meats such as lunch meat, etc.
Processed meats could be some of the worst offending foods. Consuming processed meats can raise the danger of kidney, colorectal and stomach cancer. Other processed meats consist of bologna, hot dogs, ham, sausage and other pre-packaged luncheon meats.
www.ezinearticles.com
A little research will help you make the transition from eating primarily processed and genetically altered food (90% of the American diet) to eating fresh, organic foods. There are many variations on what "fresh foods" mean. Fresh can be organic (grown with no pesticides and non-genetically-altered produce and animals fed no genetically altered feed. Fresh can mean vegetarian, where you eat no meat. It can also mean vegan where you eat no meat, nor animal products such as eggs. Fresh can also mean raw, eating only uncooked foods. Whatever you label fresh and the diet you decide to follow do research on how you can feed your body the nutrients it needs to maintain optimum health.
Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is necessary for any healthy lifestyle. The more colorful vegetables you eat, the more nutrients you receive. You body responds in kind to eating fresh produce. You have more energy, your brain functions at a higher level and your digestion runs smoothly. Many have found that eating raw produce eliminates allergies and reduces symptoms of high blood pressure and diabetes.
What's so bad about processed foods?
Many processed foods aren't good for you as they are full of saturated and Trans fats, and contain huge amounts of sodium and sugar. Some processed foods to avoid are:
• Sodium laden canned foods
• Anything made with refined white flour including white breads and pastas
• Any high-calorie snacking foods, such as potato or corn chips and cheese-like snacks (not made from real cheese)
• All high-fat convenience foods such as canned ravioli
• All frozen processed fish sticks and frozen dinners
• Processed cakes and cookies in packages
• Prepared boxed meal mixes such as "*-helper" meals
• Most breakfast cereals and especially sugary ones
• All processed meats such as lunch meat, etc.
Processed meats could be some of the worst offending foods. Consuming processed meats can raise the danger of kidney, colorectal and stomach cancer. Other processed meats consist of bologna, hot dogs, ham, sausage and other pre-packaged luncheon meats.
www.ezinearticles.com
Choosing Healthy Snacks
The hottest thing in the snack food industry today is portable, healthy snacks. Even when time is short, we can enjoy 100-calorie pre-portioned snacks like wrapped stringed cheese, individually packaged vegetables with low-fat dip, or Go-Gurt. If we want to stay at a healthy weight and avoid cancer and heart disease, it is necessary to make mindful choices when eating. Our diets should be filled with nutrients while our calorie consumption should be monitored. Fortunately, manufacturers are making more healthy snacks in response to this demand. Simultaneously, there are a lot of good blogs that can provide advice and tips on healthy snacks and fast meals.
Do you ever have time to sit down and enjoy your breakfast? Luckily, there are lots of good things you can have in the morning to jump start your metabolism and get you going with good nutrition. Here are some good ideas: Instant oatmeal with sliced peaches, half a peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread, dried fruit and high fiber cereal, a cup of low fat yogurt, or a low-sugar whole grain granola bar. Your breakfast choice should provide you with at least three grams of fiber.
Nutritious snack items at lunchtime are excellent for enhancing mental and physical function. You can eat a banana a lot of ways: Have a peanut butter & banana sandwich on whole grain bread. Blend your banana in a smoothie, cut it up on your cereal, or just enjoy it as-is! You will get 460 mg of potassium, manganese, fiber, and vitamins C & B6 from this healthy diet snack. Check out your dairy foods section for yogurt, a great healthy snack. You could try the new, portable Go-Gurt snack, or just get good old yogurt. Eat it right out of the carton, spoon it on some cereal, or use it as a fruit dip. It provides healthy nutrients such as protein, calcium, and potassium. Additionally, probiotics will improve your gastro-intestinal health and support immune system functioning.
If you don't overdo it, nuts are a great healthy snack. Along with the salt and richness your body wants, you'll also get plenty of the antioxidants selenium & vitamin E, as well as fiber, plant sterols, omega-3, and phytonutrients. All nuts lower LDL cholesterol and decrease the occurrence of heart disease. This is a scientific fact. So choose pecans, peanuts, walnuts, or any nuts for a healthy snack. Some of the more delicious nuts are pistachios, pine nuts, hazelnuts and almonds. A moderate handful is a good snack. Snacking is definitely not something that should be boring!
Be sure to choose snacks that have healthy carbohydrates and fats as well as some protein. Be sure to eat slowly so that you will be satisfied. Remember to keep track of your calories as you sample healthy snacks throughout your day! You can join a free community website where you can enter all the food you have eaten, and the database will add up all the calories, fat, protein, and so forth to help you achieve your weight loss goal.
www.ezinearticles.com
Do you ever have time to sit down and enjoy your breakfast? Luckily, there are lots of good things you can have in the morning to jump start your metabolism and get you going with good nutrition. Here are some good ideas: Instant oatmeal with sliced peaches, half a peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread, dried fruit and high fiber cereal, a cup of low fat yogurt, or a low-sugar whole grain granola bar. Your breakfast choice should provide you with at least three grams of fiber.
Nutritious snack items at lunchtime are excellent for enhancing mental and physical function. You can eat a banana a lot of ways: Have a peanut butter & banana sandwich on whole grain bread. Blend your banana in a smoothie, cut it up on your cereal, or just enjoy it as-is! You will get 460 mg of potassium, manganese, fiber, and vitamins C & B6 from this healthy diet snack. Check out your dairy foods section for yogurt, a great healthy snack. You could try the new, portable Go-Gurt snack, or just get good old yogurt. Eat it right out of the carton, spoon it on some cereal, or use it as a fruit dip. It provides healthy nutrients such as protein, calcium, and potassium. Additionally, probiotics will improve your gastro-intestinal health and support immune system functioning.
If you don't overdo it, nuts are a great healthy snack. Along with the salt and richness your body wants, you'll also get plenty of the antioxidants selenium & vitamin E, as well as fiber, plant sterols, omega-3, and phytonutrients. All nuts lower LDL cholesterol and decrease the occurrence of heart disease. This is a scientific fact. So choose pecans, peanuts, walnuts, or any nuts for a healthy snack. Some of the more delicious nuts are pistachios, pine nuts, hazelnuts and almonds. A moderate handful is a good snack. Snacking is definitely not something that should be boring!
Be sure to choose snacks that have healthy carbohydrates and fats as well as some protein. Be sure to eat slowly so that you will be satisfied. Remember to keep track of your calories as you sample healthy snacks throughout your day! You can join a free community website where you can enter all the food you have eaten, and the database will add up all the calories, fat, protein, and so forth to help you achieve your weight loss goal.
www.ezinearticles.com
How to Add More Vegetables to Your Diet
Most people do not get the required 7-10 servings of veggies a day. Eating vegetables has a ton of benefits including weight loss, anti-oxidants that contribute to less risks of certain cancers, anti-aging and healthier all around body conditioning.
Here are FIVE ways to add more veggies into your diet
1. Reduce wheat based carbohydrate portions in favour of vegetables
Eating a dish like beans and rice is healthy and low in fat but what a carb injection! Try halving portions of both rice (make it brown) and beans and mix in carrots and cauliflower. If you regularly eat couscous try roasting veggies like zucchini, peppers, red onion and mushrooms with a bit of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and dried basil. Serve with a bit of feta and prepare to be wowed!
2. Soups
Soup is an easy and convenient way to get at least one, but most likely more servings of vegetables in a single serving. If making fresh soup is too time consuming for you, buy jarred or boxed soups. If buying cans be on the lookout for reduced sodium content.
3. Sandwiches
A lunch favourite that can be made different everyday. Try a Mediterranean version with eggplant, red peppers and zucchini. Or go for cafe style with avocado, tomato, red onion, spinach, sprouts and a bean spread. My favourite bean spread is really easy. One can of rinsed and drained black beans, 3/4 cup of salsa and a teaspoon of cumin. Blend and enjoy!
4. Breakfast
Put down that sugary cereal! Instead try a breakfast burrito by wrapping up your fave veggies in a small tortilla with a scrambled (microwave is acceptable) egg. Some suggestions are peppers, tomato, spinach, cucumber, and mushrooms. You could also be eating a side of veggies with eggs and toast instead of home fries. If you need the potatoes try sweet potatoes (yams) instead.
5. Juice
Having a juicer is a lot of fun. I am such a health nerd. When I hear "Do you want a shot?" I will assume you are talking about fresh carrot and celery juice! Juicing takes a lot of veggies but it is well worth it once in a while, for a quick dose of delicious vegetables. The opportunities for juicing are endless and it will really make you feel great!
Try eating vegetables with every meal. Within a week you will feel more energetic, and start to notice positive changes in your physique. Personally speaking it was only when I added loads of veggies in my diet that I started to lose the stubborn post weight loss tummy fat. I also have so much energy on a daily basis that I could never go back to a low veggie diet!
www.ezinearticles.com
Here are FIVE ways to add more veggies into your diet
1. Reduce wheat based carbohydrate portions in favour of vegetables
Eating a dish like beans and rice is healthy and low in fat but what a carb injection! Try halving portions of both rice (make it brown) and beans and mix in carrots and cauliflower. If you regularly eat couscous try roasting veggies like zucchini, peppers, red onion and mushrooms with a bit of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and dried basil. Serve with a bit of feta and prepare to be wowed!
2. Soups
Soup is an easy and convenient way to get at least one, but most likely more servings of vegetables in a single serving. If making fresh soup is too time consuming for you, buy jarred or boxed soups. If buying cans be on the lookout for reduced sodium content.
3. Sandwiches
A lunch favourite that can be made different everyday. Try a Mediterranean version with eggplant, red peppers and zucchini. Or go for cafe style with avocado, tomato, red onion, spinach, sprouts and a bean spread. My favourite bean spread is really easy. One can of rinsed and drained black beans, 3/4 cup of salsa and a teaspoon of cumin. Blend and enjoy!
4. Breakfast
Put down that sugary cereal! Instead try a breakfast burrito by wrapping up your fave veggies in a small tortilla with a scrambled (microwave is acceptable) egg. Some suggestions are peppers, tomato, spinach, cucumber, and mushrooms. You could also be eating a side of veggies with eggs and toast instead of home fries. If you need the potatoes try sweet potatoes (yams) instead.
5. Juice
Having a juicer is a lot of fun. I am such a health nerd. When I hear "Do you want a shot?" I will assume you are talking about fresh carrot and celery juice! Juicing takes a lot of veggies but it is well worth it once in a while, for a quick dose of delicious vegetables. The opportunities for juicing are endless and it will really make you feel great!
Try eating vegetables with every meal. Within a week you will feel more energetic, and start to notice positive changes in your physique. Personally speaking it was only when I added loads of veggies in my diet that I started to lose the stubborn post weight loss tummy fat. I also have so much energy on a daily basis that I could never go back to a low veggie diet!
www.ezinearticles.com
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