Proper Nutrition? Nutrition is a huge part of you health and appearance. Some professionals will attest that as much as 70% of your weight loss and fitness results are based on what you eat. The word alone can make people cringe – as the guiltily think of the drive thru lunch that they just ate. Nutrition is a subject that people spend their careers studying and takes volumes of books to explain. My objective is to teach you how to eat a healthy diet that encourages your body to burn fat rather than store it. You don’t need overwhelming science to “get” this.

A healthy diet needs to be well rounded with the proper amount of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. The RDA’s recommendation for daily intake of such things is a good place to check your optimal intakes.

The first thing that you need to know about nutrition is this fact: Eating small meals every 3 hours will increase your metabolism and reduce fat storage. This is a proven fact that bodybuilders, models, athletes and lean people in general abide by – and so should you.

Eating right when you wake up is vital to breaking the fast your body enters every night. About 3-4 hours after you eat your body shuts down your metabolism and acts as if it needs to store food. This is a great function to have if a famine breaks out and you don’t see food for weeks. After all, if there’s famine you’re going to want your body to work “efficiently” by storing fat, and using it slowly.

However, you don’t want your body to store fat and burn it slowly now, right? Since there is no food shortage or famine at the moment (and there likely won’t be one any time soon) then it is pretty annoying when your body starts packing on the pounds. So, in order to communicate with your body that it is healthy, well fed, and not in need of extra fat storage you need to reprogram your metabolism. Here’s how to go about it. Start your day off with a small meal and continue to eat small meals every 3 hours or so.

What should you eat? In this article, I am just going to give you general guidelines – These suggestions are a basic guideline to healthy meals that do not promote fat storage. Protein: 20% Fat: 15% Carbs: 65

%Each meal that you consume needs to have calories coming from protein, carbohydrates and fat. Your body needs each of these in small amounts throughout the day.

Machelle Lee owns and operates The Invisible Gym in Santa Cruz, CA. Her mission is to inspire people to become physically active and enjoy the benefits of a balanced, healthy lifestyle. For more information and questions you can visit her website. http://www.the-invisible-gym.com/

Article Source: The Importance of Making Healthy Food Choices

Eating healthy is one area where a lot of people struggle, especially when traveling. The Standard American Diet that most Americans consume does not provide the proper nourishment for our bodies to function optimally. It is important to know which foods to focus on and what foods to avoid. Also, knowing how to be sure you are eating enough of the healthy ones when on the road and eating a health promoting diet overall is important. Eating healthy comes down to making it a habit on a daily basis. Focusing our diets on vegetables, fruits, 100% whole grains, lean proteins, and good fats is key to a health promoting diet.

Evidence has shown that good nutrition can help to prevent the occurrence of many diseases and health problems. Most of us are aware that when we eat healthier we feel better, we think more clearly, and we have more energy. But what are these good foods that we need to concentrate on. First and foremost, we must hydrate our bodies with pure water. Soda, coffee, and alcohol all cause our bodies to become dehydrated. Water is vital to our health. It constitutes over 60% of our body’s weight. Not drinking enough water puts a lot of strain on our body. Many of our bodies systems rely on it to function properly, for example kidney function can be affected, gallstones and kidney stones could form and our immune system can become impaired when not drinking enough water. Optimally, one should drink half of their body weight in ounces each day to ensure proper hydration.

Secondly, make sure to include lots of fruits and vegetables in your diet. These are also very easy to take along when traveling. Most don’t need any refrigeration and for those that do a small cooler is all that is needed. Fruits and vegetables provide our bodies with a wealth of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber that are all necessary for good health. They are low in saturated fat and calories. Not everyone likes all vegetables and I’m sure some of you may not like them at all, but please give them a chance. After all, it is your health we are talking about here.

Next, reduce the saturated fats in the diet. They are linked to high cholesterol, numerous cancers, heart disease, and strokes. Eating fewer animal products and more plant products will help to do this. Concentrate on putting good fats in your diet. Foods that contain good fats include nuts and seeds and certain seafood. Nuts and seeds are great to have handy when traveling to give an instant energy burst. They are a little high in calories so keep a serving to a quarter cup.

Many are confused about eating whole grains. As a rule of thumb eat foods that on the ingredient list say that they contain whole grain wheat, whole oats, etc. A lot of foods do not have to have very much of a whole grain in them to be labeled as such. The only answer I have for this is to be a conscious consumer when buying any packaged food and always reading the labels.

The next item to be sure to include in the diet is low fat protein. Focus on lean poultry, fish, and soy products for protein. Red meat is high in saturated fats so limit the amount of this consumed. Good proteins provide a full range of amino acids, vitamin B12 and iron. Also cold water fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and herring provides our good fats known as omega-3 fatty acids.

Also, avoid the unhealthy "whites" as I call them. These are refined sugar, refined flour, shortening, hydrogenated oils (and products they contain). Refined sugar places stress on your blood sugar and other body controls. When refined sugar and flours are eaten they cause a rapid spike in blood sugar levels, producing a higher release of insulin. Therefore, eating these foods is harmful for blood sugar control, especially in people that are hypoglycemic or diabetic. Sugar can also affect mood and our overall feeling of well-being.

Almost all restaurants have healthy options on their menus now; it is just about making the choice for something healthier. Ask for a side salad or vegetables instead of French fries, choose grilled or baked over fried, light soups for creamy varieties. Do be careful of salads, although they can be very healthy, they can be unhealthy very quickly when high calories dressings, bacon, cheese, etc. are added. Choose a light dressing whenever possible and eliminate the unhealthy topping, instead choose different veggies, fruit, beans, chicken, turkey, salmon, or tuna to top your salad.

Eating healthy does not have to be a challenge on the road, it just takes a little practice and some tips to help get the ball rolling.

Christopher McCombs teaches a Orange County Bodybuilding in Southern California. Learn more from Christopher and find out more about his programs by visiting http://www.socalworkout.com/.

Article Source: Eating Healthy on the Go

People who are over 25 years of age should pay more attention to their cholesterol levels. This is because as the body ages, its ability to fight off bad cholesterol decreases. Experts say that in order to avoid having too much bad cholesterol in the body, people should always have a ready list of low cholesterol foods and create a balance diet menu out of it.

The following is a list of low cholesterol foods that can be mix and match to create a low cholesterol diet:

1. LEAN MEATS. Lean red meats or lean chicken/turkey meats and fish should always be included in the list of low cholesterol menu because these are rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients that are excellent for a person’s metabolism as well as in fighting off bad cholesterol.

2. VEGETABLES. This food group is considered as the healthiest among other groups in the food pyramid primarily because they are low in calorie-content. Aside from that, these are also high in dietary fiber and dietary nutrients that aids not only regulated metabolism but also balances cholesterol levels. Vegetables are also perfect low cholesterol foods because these are excellent sources of minerals and vitamins such as vitamins C, E and K, vitamin B-complex, and other micronutrients that reduce vitamin deficiency. Aside from lowering high cholesterol levels, other benefits of eating vegetables also include the reduction of heart diseases and cancer as well as high blood pressure.

3. GRAINS. Because these are in high-energy content and dietary fiber content, grains are effective foods to lower cholesterol level. Whole grains are also known as effective in controlling weight. Aside from whole grains, breads, beans, potatoes, pasta, and cereals can also help lower cholesterol levels.

4. NUTS AND SEEDS. Since these contain large amounts of vitamins and minerals, nuts and seeds are included among the list of low cholesterol foods. These foods also are also high in dietary fiber that is excellent for great metabolism and low in calorie-content that is effective for weight management.

5. FRUITS. Just like vegetables, fruits are also among the top food groups that lower cholesterol because they are very low in calorie content. These also contain large amounts of significant vitamins and nutrients that help prevent of vitamin deficiency as well as other illnesses.

To learn more foods that lower cholesterol, visit http://www.diettolowercholesterol101.com

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Now that you have a new life growing inside you, you must pay careful attention to what foods to eat when pregnant. Your pregnancy diet has a large effect on the growth, development and health of your baby.

Now that you are pregnant, how must your diet change? If you are used to a healthy diet every day, there isn’t really much to change when talking about foods to eat when pregnant. There will only be a few minor changes needed to meet the special nutritional needs of you and your baby. In fact, a pregnant woman only needs 300 more calories a day than needed pre-pregnancy.

This means that an average pregnant woman should take in 2,500 to 2,700 calories a day - all of which should come from healthy foods. What you must pay attention to is your intake of extra vitamins, minerals and other nutrients through a variety of food sources. You must make sure that you get your daily supplementation through prenatal vitamins and healthy natural foods from the basic food groups.

What other nutrients do you need in your pregnancy diet? When you choose which foods to eat when pregnant, make sure that you are getting enough of the following very important pregnancy nutrients:

Folic Acid - You need at least 400 mcg (micrograms) of folic acid in order to prevent birth defects. Folic acid is a B vitamin that prevents defects in your baby’s spine and brain, and can also prevent cleft lip and congenital heart disease. The easiest way to get enough folic acid is to take it through your prenatal vitamins. Alternatively, breakfast cereals, spinach, legumes and orange juice are also good sources of folic acid.

Iron - You need to double your intake of iron when pregnant - you need 30 mg per day. You can get your required iron through an iron supplement, which your doctor should be able to recommend. Pregnant women need extra iron due to the increased amount of blood in the body and to supply the needs of the baby. Rich iron sources include red meat, fish, poultry, whole grain breads and iron-fortified cereals.

Calcium - Another of the important foods to eat when pregnant include non-fat and low-fat milk, cheese, yogurt and other sources rich in calcium. Pregnant women need at least 1,000 mg of calcium a day (young pregnant women need 1300 mg a day). Getting enough calcium is important for the proper development of your baby’s teeth and bones.

Knowing the right foods to eat when pregnant can go a long way in making sure that you and your child stay healthy throughout the pregnancy. It is also the best way to prevent possible congenital problems for your baby.

Find all the essential facts right here about foods to eat when pregnant <= Click the link NOW! Also here is another excellent article on foods to eat when pregnant.

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One of your options for a detox diet program is juice fasting. Other than fruits, you can also consider including vegetables in your juice fast. Contrary to what many think, there are various vegetable drink recipes that can also taste good. Vegetable juices are very beneficial in helping your body detoxify and cleanse toxic waste material. Vegetables also contain one of the most abundant sources of vitamins and minerals. If your daily diet lacks sufficient vegetables, then consuming vegetable drinks is another way of making sure that you do not forgo phytochemicals for nutrition.

Vegetable juice fasting allows your body to absorb what you consume quickly without activating your digestive system too much and thus improves your body’s detoxification process. Taking vegetable drinks for a juice fast should not be an ongoing practice, but should only be practiced in a short period of time, say for about a week. Fasting on a vegetable juice diet would not be able to give you all the nutrients you need if you extend such a diet for more than it should.

If you need some ideas, here are some vegetable juice diet recipes that are easy to make:

1. You can mix carrots, kale and wheat grass. Carrots are wonderful sources of beta-carotene and vitamin C.

2. Another variety of the vegetable drink above is to add spinach instead of wheat grass. Spinach is very good for your juicing diet because it is rich in folate, iron and Vitamin B.

3. Blend tomato, celery, parsley, broccoli and cucumber. Be sure that you get only the freshest tomato that is ripe by the time they are picked from the plant. If they are taken at this state, they contain twice the amount of Vitamin C.

4. Season your carrot vegetable juice with some garlic, ginger and onion. This mix is something different for your taste buds but is still healthy and nutritious.

5. Add cucumber and celery in your carrot vegetable mix. Cucumber is another good source of Vitamin C that aids your body’s detoxification process.

It is best to choose vegetables that are organic and free of pesticides. Before juicing, wash and rinse the vegetables in filtered water. You can also consider mixing vegetables and fruits together to make delicious juice combinations.

It is important that you drink your vegetable juices fresh at all times. You can juice just before consuming your drink. Alternatively, you can buy canning jars with perfect sealing lids for keeping in your refrigerator. Do not keep your juices beyond three days however. Also, always keep your lid jars tightly closed because air exposure can kill the beneficial enzymes in your vegetable drink.

Vegetables are very nutritious and you can take advantage of its health benefits when they are fresh and raw. Making vegetable drinks are the best way you can take them in their raw state. All you need to do is be a little creative in combining vegetables and how you can make them tasty and enticing.

Got constipation, bad breath and weight that you need to lose? Reap benefits from juice fasting by adopting a detox diet. Get free here at http://www.Detox-Cleansing-Diet.com

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Good nutrition helps your dog resist infection and disease. He/she will live longer and spend more quality time being your friend and companion. Dogs need healthy, natural or organic human grade dog foods!

Let’s take a look at the various parts of the body that can give us a signal about the state of overall health. The word ’symptom’ is from the Greek word ’signal’. Symptoms are signs that the body is out of balance or attempting to heal. We want to look at what symptoms mean, not try to suppress or cover them up. Suppressing symptoms can prevent the body from healing.

We will start by looking at the eyes. Take a look at your dog’s lower eyelid. The color here can indicate proper assimilation of iron and other minerals. If they are white or light colored, there is poor assimilation. The lids should be pink to red. Gums are also indicators of the proper use of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. If in poor condition and health, we will see loose teeth, bleeding, tarter build up, light color or white spots. Good healthy gums show no bleeding when rubbed and firm teeth. The gums should be dark in color. Your dog should not have bad breath! Feeding a good diet of human grade dog food will help keep eyes and gums in good shape.

The skin is the largest organ in the body and is an amazing indicator of overall health. Skin needs high quality protein, fatty acids and fluids. Without these, we see dry, flaky areas, ‘hot spots’, recurring infections and susceptibility to parasites. Good skin should be smooth and pliable. Check the elasticity of your dog’s skin by pulling gently on it and observing how quickly it resumes shape. It needs to be elastic and firm.

If your dog’s coat is dry, brittle and dull, it could mean his diet is filled with poor quality proteins and is deficient in fatty acids. A healthy coat will be soft, glossy and bright with minimal shedding. It is not normal for your dog’s fur to always come out in clumps!

A great indicator of overall health is the energy level of your dog. Does your dog have boundless energy or does he seem to tire easily and acts generally lethargic? Dogs that appear hyper or overly nervous may be suffering from a poor quality diet loaded with preservatives and toxins.

Always pay attention to your dog’s look and personality. Changes in either may be reflective of disease or early signs of other physical challenges. Weight change in particular can be especially significant and you should monitor your dogs weight regularly. Most dogs in America are over weight and this can not only interfere with your dog’s quality of life but may shorten it dramatically as well. When you pat your dog your should definitely not feel nothing but skin and bones but in a perfect canine world you should feel their ribs through a well muscled ribcage.

Remember that a healthy diet is the cornerstone of good health for both humans and dogs. Feeding your dog a “Human grade”, unprocessed dog food will provide high quality vitamins and minerals that are readily absorbed by the body. Dogs are people too you know! Alright, maybe not exactly people but your know what I mean and they definitely need high quality nutrition found primarily in human grade dog food to maximize their chance for long and healthy lives.

Dr. Janice Elenbaas

Always remember, Health comes from the inside out!

Dr. Janice Elenbaas has had a long and successful career as a Doctor of Chiropractic. She was the first woman in Canada certified to adjust animals and was instrumental in bringing animal adjusting to Canada. As founder of Lucky Dog Cuisine she continues her passion for animals by advocating human grade food for all dogs. Follow her FREE INFOSERIES Toxic Soup ‘ Truth about Commercial Dog Food here => http://www.luckydogcuisine.com

Article Source: ArticleSpan

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As a Certified Nutrition Specialist, I like to find ways to prepare delicious foods that most people can’t believe are actually healthy for you. If you have a sweet tooth like me, I’m sure you’ve tried to find ways to still enjoy sweet treats, but also try to make them healthier than typical junk food desserts.

The major problem with most so-called “healthy” desserts is that most companies attempt to make them healthier by reducing the fat content and thereby increasing the sugar content or artificial sweeteners… there’s nothing healthy about either of those!

Below is my famous healthy chocolate-peanut-butter fudge recipe that takes only 5 minutes to make and is really simple. The great thing is that I use no added sugars, no artificial sweeteners, and all healthy fat sources. You’ll see why below.

My healthy chocolate-peanut-butter fudge recipe (peanut butter can be omitted if you prefer plain chocolate):

• Extra dark chocolate bar (3-4 oz bar works well — look for at least 70% cocoa content, between 70-85% — this minimizes the sugar content)
• 4 or 5 Tbsp of your favorite organic nut butter (almond butter, cashew butter, peanut butter all work well)
• 2/3 to 3/4 cup of organic coconut milk (great source of healthy saturated fats from medium chain triglycerides - MCTs)
• 2 tbsp rice bran (additional healthy fiber source)
• 2 tbsp oat bran (more healthy fiber including soluble fiber)
• 1/2 cup raw pecans, almonds, or walnuts (yes, more healthy fats, antioxidants, and tons of vitamins/minerals)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional based on your tastes)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• a little stevia to lightly sweeten (stevia is a natural non-caloric sweetener as opposed to harmful artificial sweeteners)

Start with the coconut milk, nut butter, and chocolate bar in a medium saucepan and put it on the lowest heat possible. Continuously stir as the chocolate, coconut milk, and nut butter melts together. Once these melt together add in all of the other ingredients and stir together very well.

Once everything is mixed well together, spread the mixture onto some waxed paper laid out in a baking dish and throw it in the fridge to solidify.

Now you have some of the healthiest chocolate fudge ever known to man!

Keep in mind that you still need to keep your serving portions small because this is still a calorie-dense snack even though it is super-healthy. The good news is that it is lower in sugar and calories than typical fudge and has loads more nutrition than any typical fudge.

Enjoy! Tell your friends that Trainer Mike Geary gave you this recipe.

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Good luck with your fitness goals!

Mike Geary,
Best Selling Author - The Truth about Six Pack Abs

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.

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Often as a personal trainer and fitness bootcamp coach in Singapore, I am asked about herbs and spices and how they can improve health, weight loss and fat loss results. I recommend adding tonnes of herbs and spices to everyone’s daily diet.

Why? Here are three awesome reasons to include herbs and spices in your foods.

1. They improve the flavor and taste of food without adding hidden or unhealthy excess calories. Almost all herbs are premissable on any kind of diet plan that you might be on. No matter what kind of diet you are on (low carb, high protein, etc) herbs can help you boost your results and make your taste buds happy as well.

2. Herbs and spices teem overflow with stuff that are good for you - vitamins, minerals, all sorts of health-giving phytochemicals etc. Many of these nutritive substances are most easily absorbed and effective in thei naturally-occuring forms, rather than the chemically-made, artificial ones found in many multi-vitamins or mineral supplements.

3. In general, they make everything taste so much better without adding evil stuff to what you put into your mouth - artificial colors, chemical preservatives, trans fats, whatever. Well, that is assuming your herbs were not grown close enough to the freeway to absorb tonnes of toxic metals and the like, or on a commercial farm that uses pesticides and fertilizers the way some bodybuilders use steroids. Consider going organic for herbs because there is a large variance in the quality of herbs and the amount of active ingredients they contain, so herbs are one of those things where cheaper is not better. Here are some very brief examples of certain benefits that recent research has been suggesting:

Cardamom - stimulate bile flow for liver health and fat metabolism, reduces flatulence, contains limonene that boosts the body’s production of an enzyme with antioxidant properties.

Cinnamon - helps reduce blood sugar and “bad” cholesterol

Cloves - 1 tablespoonful contains the RDA of manganese for women. Also contains potassium, calcium and phytosterols in significant proportions.

Cumin - has antimicrobial properties, good source of iron, helps reduce heartburn and improves digestion

Garlic - lowers cholesterol and prevents blood clots, current research suggest strongly that garlic has anti-cancer properties, helps in weight control

Ginger - anti-inflammatory, research suggests it lowers cholesterol

Mustard seeds - contains isothicyanates which are believed to play important roles in cancer suppression

Oregano - has more anti-oxidant activity than even blueberries! Oregano oil has been shown to kill parasites in the digestive system and inhibit growth of microbes. Also contains antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic compounds

Parsley - freshens the breath

Tumeric - anti-inflammatory, possible benefits for Alzheimer’s, cancers, digestive disorders and insulin regulation.

So incorporate herbs and spices into your diet, as much as you can, as often as you can, in every creative way possible! You’ll not just get all those health benefits, but you’ll also enjoy your diet more, so it’ll be easy to stay with your healthy lifestyle. That means you’ll surely get those fat burning, fat loss results that you want!

Coach Jonathan Wong, is a sought after Singapore personal trainer and performance expert who has helped hundreds of clients in Singapore achieve their fitness, fat loss and sports performance goals. He Is also a fitness author, fitness boot camp owner and a member of Singapore Men’s Health Advisory Panel. Visit his website and blog for a free 1500 page e-book and constant updates. http://www.coachjon.com http://www.singaporebootcamp.com

Article Source: ArticleSpan

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