A perfect hike prior to throwing the perfect pass… the perfect toss before the tennis rackets slams into it for an ace… the perfectly balanced golf stance prior to winding up for the perfectly timed hit on the golf ball that sends it soaring 300 yards down the fairway, straight as an arrow.

All of these "perfect" outcomes were as a result of having done something before that allowed that perfect "event" to happen flawlessly, and seemingly without effort.

If you want to lose weight quick, so it goes with setting up your day of eating. Starting out on the wrong foot, with unbalanced food groups shooting your blood sugar levels wildly up… then cascading down again, will set yourself up for a failed day - you won’t lose weight quick (or at all) if you start your day eating the wrong foods.

But what is the right… and the wrong way to start your day with a healthy breakfast?

Here’s an easy quiz… see if you can pick out which breakfast (A or B) is the more healthy breakfast way to start your day:

Breakfast A:

bowl of sugar frosted flakes

1 cup of skim milk

1 cup of orange juice

1 slice of toast

1 pat of butter

1 tablespoon of jam

Breakfast B:

3 ounces of sirloin

2 whole eggs

1/2 grapefruit

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup of black coffee (no sugar or milk)

If you chose Breakfast A, do NOT pass go, do not collect $200, and go straight to jail (you monopoly fans will get it).

Let’s take a closer look at these two to see why one is a healthy breakfast, and the other will send you straight to disease haven.

Breakfast A:

Calories = 605

Carbohydrates = 106 grams (70% of calories)

Sugar = 56 grams = 4.7 Tablespoons of sugar (actually 9 tablespoons when you consider that all the carbohydrates in this meal act like sugar in your body)

Fat = 12 grams (18% of calories)

Protein = 14 grams (12% of calories)

Fiber = 4 grams

Sodium = 630 mg (25% of daily recommended amount)

Breakfast B:

Calories = 378

Carbohydrates = 19 grams (20% of calories)

Sugar = 5 grams = 1 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Fat = 15 grams = (36% of calories)

Protein = 39 grams = (41% of calories)

Fiber = 5 grams

Sodium = 130 mg (5.4% of daily recommended amount)

Breakfast A is loaded with carbohydrates that "act" like sugar in your body, AND, actual sugar too. This "double whammy" will overload your pancreas (your organ that produces insulin in response to meals) like you won’t believe. Is it any wonder that type II diabetes is soaring in this country? And with parents feeding our kids these kinds of meals all day long (heavy on the carbohydrates, low on the protein and fiber and nutrients), is it no wonder that the US Surgeon General has issued a warning about the skyrocketing rates of diabetes in kids today?

The US Surgeon General also estimates that 1 in 3 kids born today will develop diabetes in their lifetimes - pretty sobering statistics.

Breakfast A will shoot your blood sugar levels sky-high, then, as your pancreas releases insulin to "clear" this excess sugar from your bloodstream, will cause your blood sugar levels to drop precipitously. This "yo-yo" effect causes you to quickly feel hungry again for, you guessed it, more sugar, and the vicious cycle continues all day long.

And guess which breakfast will cause you to feel full longer? If you guessed healthy breakfast B you get a gold star on your forehead. Even though breakfast B calories are almost half the calories of breakfast A, the stable blood sugar levels that result from eating breakfast B will let you go longer without feeling hungry again.

Here’s another tip - fat burning cannot happen in the presence of high blood sugar levels.

Insulin is an extremely potent "storage" hormone, which means that your body is looking for a place to store all those excess sugars and calories. You cannot "store" and "burn" at the same time. If you guessed that your fat cells are usually the only place for them to be stored (because chronic high blood sugar levels over time have already filled up your other "depot" areas like your liver and muscles cells), then you’re right. This means chronically eating foods like breakfast A are keeping you in a "storage" mode almost all the time.

On the other hand, healthy breakfast B contains about the perfect combination of proteins, low-glycemic carbohydrates, and fats to keep your blood sugar steady — increasing the time when you’ll feel hungry again.

Healthy breakfast B is great for adults, with similar meals consisting of lean meat, fibrous vegetables, and healthy fats (olive oil) the rest of the day.

Quick Tip: You should not eat a high-protein, low-carbohydrate AND low-fat diet. Low-carbs and low-fat will NOT work for the long term. And in fact, you’ll have a harder time losing fat. You must eat a moderate amount of good fats (eggs have been villified for so many years that even in the light of recent data showing the fats in eggs are mainly benign, people still have issues with eating the yolks of eggs…don’t be one of the misinformed!).

For kids, one great way to start their day would be uncooked steel-cut oats (NOT QUICK OATS PLEASE - it digests too quickly sending blood sugar levels soaring) topped with all kinds of fresh fruit (sliced bananas, blueberries, blackberries, etc), and a cup of whole milk mixed with a great-tasting and good for them protein powder (see previous posts for my recommendations here - NO SOY PROTEIN PLEASE), and a 1/2 tablespoon of UDO’s choice (found in your health food store) mixed in. Your kids will love this concoction, trust me.

The reason you don’t want to cook the oats is because cooking it makes it easier to digest. And you now know that the easier a food is to digest, the more potential it has to raise your blood sugar levels. Raw is best.

Next, get the entire list of 20 “Blueprints” I created that allowed me to dramatically transform my body and win the 1998 Body For Life contest. Imagine finally getting the body you’ve always wanted! Only available at Harry’s Blog

Article Source: Can a Healthy Breakfast Help You Lose Weight Quick?

Also called Isphagula, psyllium belongs to the plant family Plantago and among its parts considered to be beneficial to health are the seed and husk. The many psyllium husk benefits have contributed greatly to its growing popularity in the health industry.

What Is It?

The husk of the psyllium is primarily composed of mucilage or soluble fiber. For this reason, they are easily dissolved yet not readily digested and absorbed in the digestive tract.

The fiber component is known to reduce appetite, improve digestion and cleanse your system of harmful toxins. It is a good fiber supplement if your diet is lacking.

What are the Benefits?

Because of its soluble fiber component,it has been widely used for the following health problems:

1. Cholesterol Control - to reduce the risk of high cholesterol-associated illnesses, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), intake of at least 3 to 12 grams of fiber can reduce LDL cholesterol as well as total cholesterol levels
2. Constipation - psyllium husk allows for increased absorption of water during digestion resulting to softened stools and reduced pain associated with hemorrhoids
3. Diarrhea - used as an agent for bulk-forming, it can relieve mild and moderate cases of diarrhea by firming up stools and allow for its slower passage.
4. High sugar levels in blood - Proven to lower blood sugar levels in patients diagnosed with diabetes
5. Inflammatory bowel disease - studies have revealed that it can actually regulate consistency and frequency of stool in individuals with this digestive problem. In addition, it reduces bloating and flatulence.
6. Obesity and Weight Loss - improves lipid and sugar levels in the blood effectively reducing body weight
7. Colon Cancer Prevention - some studies have shown possiblities of reduced risk for colon cancer
8. Preparation for Colonoscopy Procedure - cleanses the colon before a colonoscopy.

With the many amazing benefits, including it in your low-fat diet can improve your overall health.

Henri Junttila is a health enthusiast and loves everything regarding health, he has had colon problems himself but has overcome them. Visit his website on Colon Health and more about psyllium husk benefits to learn more about your health!

Healthy eaters know that easily the best way to please someone dear to you is to make him a Romantic Dinner. We’ve gone one better and prepared a special collection of Romantic Dinners.

See pictures of delicious recipes and other details at:

Romantic Recipes They Love

Popcorns contain more fiber as compared to other snacks made out of flour. There are many different delicious popcorn recipes for health conscious individuals.

Popcorns are fun and convenient whole grain snacks. It is an excellent source of fiber. It also helps steady one’s blood sugar levels. Aside from this, it can be incorporated as a low-fat snack, having a lot of nutritional benefits.

By experimenting with some healthful ingredients on your popcorn, one can achieve a healthy balanced diet without any risks. Below are some of healthy popcorn recipes that can meet your daily needs, for a delicious and quick snack mixture.

Peppy Popcorn

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 14 cups popcorn, air-popped

• 2 tbsp. parmesan cheese, grated

• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano

• 2 tsp. paprika

In a small bowl, mix oregano, paprika and cheese. Sprinkle these onto the popcorn and toss. It can yield up to 14 cups. You can also melt organic raw cheese with organic milk and pour this over the popcorn.

Nutrition Data for 1 cup serving: 30 calories/0.5 grams fat

Spicy Peanut Curry PopCorn

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Number of serving: 1

Ingredients:

• 8 cups air-popped popcorn( no oil or salt)

• 1 teaspoon chili paste (Sambal Oelek)

• 2 tablespoons Better than Peanut Butter

• 1 teaspoon curry powder

Air-pop about ½ cup of corn kernels. Put peanut butter on a microwave cup. Add sambal with small amounts of water. Stir in order to make out a creamy and thick peanut butter mixture. Microwave it approximately 30 seconds. Fold the peanut butter mixture onto the popcorn.

Praline Popcorn Crunch

Ingredients:

• 12 cups popped popcorn

• 1/2 cup margarine

• 1 cup firm-pack brown sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1 cup pecan halves

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Grease a 15×10 inch baking pan and place the popcorn on top. Combine sugar, honey and margarine in a 1 ½ quart saucepan. Cook and stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Place this in medium heat until it boils.

Cook this for about 5 minutes and then remove from the heat. Mix vanilla and baking soda then pour it over the popped corn. Next, add some pecans, stir until evenly coated and bake at 300 degrees for about 15 minutes. Stir gently for five more minutes and lay everything down on waxed paper. Lastly, allow to cool and break into chunks.

Popcorn Trail Mix

Full Recipe: 1 quart

Yield: 3 cups

Ingredients:

1 quart air-popped popcorn

8 ounces raisins

6 ounces dried fruit (apricots, apples, etc.), diced

Add diced fruit and raisins to a large bowl of popped corn. Combine and toss thoroughly.

Nutritional Information (based on 3-cup serving)

o Protein 8g; Calories 651; Carbohydrate 162g ; Fat 5g; Saturated Fat 3g; Fiber 15g; Sodium 420 mg.

Other nutritional ingredients that can be mix in popcorn are:

o 1 /3 cup chopped dried fruit provides iron and fiber

o 2 tbsp. soy nuts gives fiber and calcium

o 2 tbsp. whole almonds gives protein, iron and fiber

o 2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese gives protein and calcium

o 10 pretzel sticks gives B vitamins

o 2 tbsp. pumpkin seeds gives protein and fiber

o 1 /2 cup dry unsweetened cereal gives iron and B vitamins

While enjoying your favorite movies at home you can prepare popcorn in just a few minutes. There are many ways to include popcorn on one’s healthy diet.

For more information on Popcorn Recipes and Air Popcorn Makers Reviews please visit our website.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

See pictures of recipes, along with user comments and more details at

Healthy Popcorn Recipes They Love