General Guidelines For Choosing Healthy Fats

With so many different sources of dietary fat some good, some bad, some questionable the choices can get confusing. But the bottom line is simple: don’t go no-fat, go good fat.

If you are concerned about your weight or heart health, rather than avoiding fat in your diet, try replacing trans fats and some saturated fats with good fats. This might mean replacing fried chicken with fresh fish, swapping some of the meat you eat with beans and legumes, or using olive oil rather than butter.

How To Find Dietary Fat?

A walk down the grocery aisle will confirm our obsession with low-fat foods. We’re bombarded with supposedly guilt-free options: baked potato chips, fat-free ice cream, low-fat candies, cookies, and cakes. But while our low-fat options have exploded, so have obesity rates. Clearly, low-fat foods and diets haven’t delivered on their trim, healthy promises. 

Quick Ways To Start A Mediterranean Diet

There is new, even stronger research backing up the Mediterranean diet as a way to prevent vascular disease. The diet includes generous quantities of olive oil, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fish; limited portions of red meats or processed meats; and moderate amounts of cheese and wine. So how can you make the switch? Start with small steps, jump-starting your effort with these top five tips:

How To Make The Change To A Mediterranean Diet?

If you’re feeling daunted by the thought of changing your eating habits to a Mediterranean diet, here are some suggestions to get you started:

 

Ø  Eat lots of vegetables. Try a simple plate of sliced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and crumbled feta cheese, or load your pizza with peppers and mushrooms instead of sausage and pepperoni. Salads, soups, and crudité platters are also great ways to load up on vegetables.

Pineapple Smoothies!!!

Ice cream or smoothie


SMOOTHIE of course

Recipe:

1.1 c low-fat or light vanilla yogurt

2.6 ice cubes

World's Best Smoothie

Slurp down this smoothie at breakfast, and you'll feel satisfied until lunchtime.

 

Recipe:

1.1 c plain nonfat yogurt

2.1 banana

A Quick Berry Break

Time for a berry break

Recipe:

1.1 c frozen unsweetened raspberries

2.¾ c chilled unsweetened almond or rice milk.

3.¼ c frozen pitted unsweetened cherries or raspberries.

4.1½ Tbsp honey.

5.2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger.

6.1 tsp ground flax seed.

Green Tea, Blueberry And Banana Smoothie

Aka the nutritional powerhouse.

Recipe:

1.     3 Tbsp water

2.     1 green tea bag

3.     2 tsp honey

4.     1½ c frozen blueberries

5.     ½ med banana

Weight Loss Tips : New routine

Weight loss has become a challenging matter specially who mostly like fat food. People who are concerned with their fat diseases try to weight their loss most easy and quick way. For girls, weight loss has become a regular routine of daily life. It makes them slim and fit increasing attractiveness and beauty. A boy also wants his girlfriend not as fatty. Now let’s take a look of awesome weight loss tips:

o    The common diet routine applied for all that “Eat Less, Move More”

o    Make a control of disorganized and unhealthy life. Give up bad habits and be confident.

o    Fix your target and determine what you should do in the targeted hours.

o    Instead of dieting, you have to be more active and do more exercise to fit yourself. Try to have regular meal without missing it.

o    Weight loss is the difference between having calories and burned calories. Calculate the calories that you should take a day and try to make gradual decrease of calories in your food.

How To Lose Weight This Summer?

Do you want to shed those extra pounds you amassed during the cold winters? The summer weight loss tips given in this post will help you lose weight fast.

When summer is approaching, women get nervous. Why? Because everyone wants to flaunt their body. Little difficult if you have gained some weight during the winters, isn’t it? No. Check out the weight loss tips below to shed ugly fat.

 

Summer Weight Loss Tips For Women

Diet Tips For Weight Loss

Exercise without a specific weight loss diet is incomplete. No matter how many hours you send on the treadmill, you will not be able to realize your weight loss goals, if you do not follow a scientific diet. There are hundreds of diet plans out there. Instead of getting lost into the confusion, let me put down 10 best diet tips for weight loss.

Weight Loss: Doing it right way

Do these work? Definitely. What’s the catch? These tips will help you shed weight fast ONLY if you do not cheat. If you are hell bent at losing weight, stick to every letter mention in the following tips.

5 Steps To A Flat Tummy

Step one:

If you want to build muscle and burn fat at the same time, you have to perform circuit training, three days per week. How can you achieve this? Indulge in full body exercises like lunges, push-ups, and pull-ups, for one set of 15 repetitions. Don't forget to follow every exercise with one minute of jumping rope. You should be able to burn around 500 to 600 calories per workout.  

Preventing Weight Gain After You’ve Stopped Smoking

Weight gain is a common concern when quitting smoking. Some people even use it as a reason not to quit. While it's true that many smokers put on weight within six months of stopping smoking, the gain is usually small about 5 pounds on average and that initial gain decreases over time. It’s also important to remember that carrying a few extra pounds for a few months won’t hurt your heart as much as smoking will. Of course, gaining weight is NOT inevitable when you quit smoking.

Smoking acts as an appetite suppressant. It also dampens your sense of smell and taste. So after you quit, your appetite will likely increase and food will seem more appealing. Weight gain can also happen if you replace the oral gratification of smoking with eating, especially if you turn to unhealthy comfort foods. So it's important to find other, healthy ways to deal with stress and other unpleasant feelings rather than mindless, emotional eating.

§  Nurture yourself. Instead of turning to cigarettes or food when you feel stressed, anxious, or depressed, learn new ways to soothe yourself.

§  Eat healthy, varied meals. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and limit your fat intake. Seek out low-fat options that look appetizing to you and you will actually eat. Avoid alcohol, sugary sodas, and other high-calorie drinks.

§  Drink lots of water. Drinking lots of water—at least six to eight 8 oz. glasses—will help you feel full and keep you from eating when you're not hungry. Water will also help flush toxins from your body.

§  Take a walk. Walking is a great form of exercise. Not only will it help you burn calories and keep the weight off, but it will also help alleviate feelings of stress and frustration that accompany smoking withdrawal.

§  Snack on low-calorie or calorie-free foods. Good choices include sugar-free gum, carrot and celery sticks, sliced bell peppers or jicama, or sugar-free hard candies.

The Truth About Dietary Fat And Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fatty, wax-like substance that your body needs to function properly. In and of itself, 

cholesterol isn't bad. But when you get too much of it, it can have a negative impact on your health.

Cholesterol comes from two sources: your body and food. Your body (specifically, the liver) produces some of the cholesterol you need naturally. But you also get cholesterol directly from any animal products you eat, such as eggs, meat, and dairy. Together, these two sources contribute to your blood cholesterol level.

Good vs. bad cholesterol

As with dietary fat, there are good and bad types of cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is the "good" kind of cholesterol found in your blood. LDL cholesterol is the "bad” kind. The key is to keep LDL levels low while, conversely, low HDL can be a marker for increased cardiovascular risk. High levels of HDL cholesterol may help protect against heart disease and stroke, while high levels of LDL cholesterol can clog arteries, increasing your risk.

Research shows that there is only a weak link between the amount of cholesterol you eat and your blood cholesterol levels. The biggest influence on your total and LDL cholesterol is the type of fats you eat—not your dietary cholesterol. So instead of counting cholesterol, simply focus on replacing bad fats with good fats.

§ Monounsaturated fats lower total and bad (LDL) cholesterol levels, while increasing good cholesterol (HDL).

§  Polyunsaturated fats lower triglycerides and fight inflammation.

§  Saturated fats may raise your blood cholesterol.

§  Trans fats are the worst types of fat since they not only raise your bad LDL cholesterol, but also lower the good HDL cholesterol.

Why we don’t exercise

“I don’t have enough time to exercise.”
Even short low-impact intervals of exercise can act as a powerful tool to supercharge your health. If you have time for a 15-minute walk with the dog, your body will thank you in many ways.

“Exercise is too difficult and painful.”
Consider “no pain, no gain” the old fashioned way of thinking about exercise. Exercise doesn’t have to hurt to be incredibly effective. You don’t have to push yourself to the limit to get results. You can build your strength and fitness by walking, swimming, even playing golf or cleaning the house.


“I’m too tired to exercise.”
Regular exercise is a powerful pick-me-up that can significantly reduce fatigue and make you feel much more energetic. If you’re feeling tired, try taking a brisk walk or dancing to your favorite music and see how much better you feel afterwards.

“I’m too old to start exercising,” “I'm too fat,” or “My health isn’t good enough.” 
It’s never too late to start building your strength and physical fitness, even if you’re a senior or a self-confessed couch potato who has never exercised before. And exercise is a proven treatment for many diseases—from diabetes to arthritis. Very few health or weight problems make exercise out of the question, so talk to your doctor about a safe routine for you.

“I’m not athletic.”
Do you hide your head when the tennis ball approaches? Are you stumped at the difference between a foul ball and a free throw? Join the ranks. Don’t worry if you’re not sporty or ultra-coordinated. Instead, find an activity like walking, jogging, or yoga that makes you feel good to be in your body.

“Exercise is boring.”
Sure, pounding on a treadmill for an hour may not be everyone’s idea of a good time. But not all exercise has to be boring; just about everyone can find a physical activity they enjoy. Try playing ping-pong (table tennis) or activity-based video games with your kids. So-called “exergames” that are played standing up and moving around—simulating dancing, skateboarding, soccer, or tennis, for example—can burn at least as many calories as walking on a treadmill; some substantially more. Once you build up your confidence, try getting away from the TV screen and playing the real thing outside.

Omega-3 fatty acids: Superfats for the brain and heart

Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat. While all types of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are good for you, omega-3 fats are proving to be especially beneficial.

We’re still learning about the many benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, but research has shown that they can:

• Prevent and reduce the symptoms of depression
• Protect against memory loss and dementia
• Reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer
• Ease arthritis, joint pain, and inflammatory skin conditions
• Support a healthy pregnancy

Omega-3 fatty acids and mental health

Omega-3 fatty acids are highly concentrated in the brain. Research indicates that they play a vital role in cognitive function (memory, problem-solving abilities, etc.) as well as emotional health.

Getting more omega-3 fatty acids in your diet can help you battle fatigue, sharpen your memory, and balance your mood. Studies have shown that omega-3s can be helpful in the treatment of depression, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and bipolar disorder.

There are several different types of omega-3 fatty acids:

EPA and DHA – Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have the most research to back up their health benefits. Both are found in abundance in cold-water fatty fish.

ALA – Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) comes from plants. Studies suggest that it’s a less potent form of omega-3 than EPA and DHA. The best sources include flaxseed, walnuts, and canola oil.

Fish: The best food source of omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fats are a type of essential fatty acid, meaning they are essential to health, but your body can’t make them. You can only get omega-3 fats from food.

The best sources are fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, or sardines, or high-quality cold-water fish oil supplements. Canned albacore tuna and lake trout can also be good sources, depending on how the fish were raised and processed.

If you’re a vegetarian or you don’t like fish, you can still get your omega-3 fix by eating algae (which is high in DHA) or taking a fish oil or algae supplement.