Eating Healthy Diet Tips
Some (not so) Silly Diet Tips and Why They’re Not
At first glance some of these diet tips may seem downright silly. You may find yourself thinking, "That’s couldn’t possibly make enough of a difference. Plus I’d feel silly doing it." I have a response to those negative thoughts. First, the longest journey begins with a single step. And second, would you rather feel silly being overweight and unfit or doing something about it?
Diet Tip 1: Fidget
Every little movement burns calories. Twiddle your thumbs. Squeeze one of those little exercise balls while you watch TV to burn calories and tone your arms at the same time. Take that more distant parking spot. Walk wherever possible. Even if you have physical limitations, you can tailor a program to your needs. Move whatever you can, whenever and wherever you can. And just think – laughing is good exercise. It’s like jogging on the inside.
Diet Tip 2: Portions and Proportions
Pay attention to portion sizes according to the eating plan you choose. Use a normal size plate – don’t supersize it! One plan suggests that ? of the plate should contain protein and the rest should be fruits and vegetables. You can weigh your food, at least until you become attuned to proper portion sizes or use some of the simple guidelines like "3 oz. of protein is about the size of your palm or a deck of playing cards" or "one serving of rice is the size of a tennis ball".
Diet Tip 3: Eat More Slowly
This allows your body the several minutes it takes to signal your brain that it is full.
Diet Tip 4: Substitute Low Calorie Density Foods for High
Choose foods with a low calorie density – foods that have fewer calories relative to their weight. "If you decrease the energy density of your diet,
caloric intake will decline", says Barbara Rolls, professor of nutritional sciences at Pennsylvania State University and co-author along with Robert Barnett of The Volumetrics Eating Plan.
Think lower cal fruits, vegetables like salad greens and broths. What these foods have in common is the magic diet ingredient, water! Water has zero calories, so the more volume represented by water, the less room there is for calories. Water also creates a feeling of fullness, helping one to eat less.
Fiber is another low calorie density food. In this category, we again find many fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains, such as whole wheat bread or pasta, whole grain cereals and brown rice. A study at Tufts University in Boston found that increasing daily fiber intake by 14 grams resulted in a
10% decrease in total calorie intake and a weight loss averaging one pound a month. This is a very small diet change to make. Substitute about 28 calories of fiber for some high calorie density food you have been eating.
Diet Tip 5: Be Aware of What You Eat
Keep a food diary (and be brutally honest – no one else needs to see it). Don’t forget the spoon that you licked while putting away the leftovers or the sampling(s) you had while adjusting the seasoning. The purpose is not only to monitor your food intake but to identify what circumstances tempt you to overeat or eat unhealthily. Keep a food diary long enough and patterns will start to emerge.
Diet Tip 6: Try New Spices and Herbs in Place of Butter and Salt
Try some new spices and herbs and cut back on the butter and salt. You might be surprised to learn the antioxidant strength of some herbs – another reason to add more to your diet. When food tastes different or more flavorful, we tend to savor it more and eat more slowly.
Diet Tip 7: Add Variety
Along the same lines, The American Dietetic Association recommends increasing variety. Occasionally adding a single new food to your routine can end monotony and increase nutrition.
This year’s ADA “Get a Taste for Nutrition” campaign suggests adding a new fruit, vegetable or grain to your shopping list each week. Among its suggestions: kumquat, passion fruit and pomegranate for fruits; kohlrabi, bok choy, jicama and parsnip from the vegetable aisle; and quinoa, flaxseed, amaranth and bulgur for new grains.
This article is for informational purposes only. It does not purport to offer medical advice.
Jean Bowler is a life long fitness freak. She was a ballet dancer and teacher, a private fitness trainer and more. Visit her site, ageless-beauty.com for advice on diet and nutrition, skin care and more.
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Of Super Mice and Supermen- and the Magic Apples of Avalon
Recently, a Japanese study showed dramatic results of organ fat loss and increased muscle strength, in test rats fed rare phytochemicals from baby green apple skins.
Without additional vitamins or supplements, these rats lost 27% of their internal organ fat — “belly fat” in you and me– and increased in muscle strength by 16%, in just three weeks. Should these findings translate to humans, we could be looking at a true health breakthrough of the new century.
Belly fat in mice and men is a signature of aging. The body deposits additional fat around the organs and raises blood levels of cholesterol in response to uncontrolled oxidative stress (aging) in the organism, because body fat and blood fat are the natural protectors of every cell in our bodies.
Exercise, which elevates human growth hormone, was the only proven way to reduce organ fat before the discovery of the remarkable water-soluble polyphenols given to these test animals.
What could this mean for you? It means that a concentrated natural apple extract, with no side effects, may reverse some of the aging markers in the human body. It is also worth noting that every drug which is given to humans has first shown its effectiveness and safety in mice and rats.
Ancient Supermen
In ancient mythology, the apple was considered to be the Goddess’s sacred heart of immortality. The Celts called the western paradise Avalon, which means “Apple-land.” The Irish kings received the Goddess’s magic apples of immortality. King Arthur was taken to Avalon (Apple-land) by the triple Goddess, in the form of the three fairy queens.
The Scandinavians thought apples essential to resurrection. The Greeks said Mother Hera kept the magic apple garden in the West, where the tree of life was guarded by her sacred serpent, represented by icons showing the great Goddess offering life to her worshippers in the form of an apple. The Norse Goddess Idun kept all the gods alive with her magic apples.
And now science is proving the mythic legends. In recent human tests, polyphenols from apples dramatically raise the biological activity of all three of the body’s anti-aging, disease-fighting enzymes- superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase, and catalase. No wonder the apple eaters were considered to be "consorts of the Goddess." Such a man would be stronger, look better, and live in radiant health much longer than his non-apple-eating peers.
Modern Medical Marvels
Phytochemicals in baby apple skins may be the closest thing to “magic” to come out of the labs since penicillin. The list of health conditions that these botanical compounds improve or prevent is truly impressive. Apple phytochemicals are showing promising test results in 3 of the 5 leading disease killers of Americans, including seven types of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
Apple polyphenols are 6 times more powerful than vitamin C against human cancer cells in lab tests. They may prevent asthma attacks, inhibit dental carries, lower cholesterol, and stabilize insulin response. Recently, scientists from Cornell University proposed that extracts from apples “could reduce the risk of neurodegenerative disease such as AD (Alzheimer’s Disease).”
But unfortunately, an apple a day won’t keep the doctor away. Polyphenols in ordinary grocery store apples are lost through ripening, storage and processing. Immature green apples, which are too bitter to eat, contain up to 10 times more polyphenols than mature fruit. And in nearly every study, the test animals are not eating whole apples. They are given dehydrated, highly concentrated powder extracted from the apple skins, the richest source of these phytochemicals.
The blessing of these natural botanicals are our inheritance as children of the legendary Goddess, Gaia. Her crown jewels are the fruit of the trees, and the blossoms of the rain forest. And her most precious emerald gems– baby apples– may one day reverse aging, cure disease, and help her children realize their ultimate perfect health and longevity.
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Katrina Kern is an author, women’s health counselor and former practicing nurse. More information on these exciting health discoveries, and her new e-book, “How to Absolutely, Positively Know When Your Body is Burning Fat,” are available now at applepoly.com/bellyfat/. You can find a link there for current medical studies and breaking news on apple phytochemicals.
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