How Small Diet Changes Can Improve Your Health

According to a number of dietitians and nutritionists,making small changes to your diet, as well as your lifestyle, can do a great deal towards improving your weight and cholesterol levels, and also enhances you overall well-being. A healthy eating plan  generally involves making those small but significant changes to what you eat, and how you eat. Here's why how small diet changes can have positive effects on you health.  

Switch To Healthy Fats

A few decades back, whenever we were told to cut back on dietary fat, many of us sadly went extreme, and actually gave up on good nutrition as well. A healthy diet includes the consumption of healthy fats and oils, which are derived from fish, legumes and nuts. Low-fat diets can also help to increase the body's level of HLD, or good cholesterol. Good sources of healthy cholesterol include fatty fish, which is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, and is good for the heart.

Lessen Your Serving Size

If you're the kind who loves super-sizing your food, since switching to up-sized drinks fries and burgers at the fast food joint only costs a few bucks, you may be loading your system with a lot of artery-clogging fats. Make sure that you check your food item's  health labels, because each extra calorie will add on to those pounds of unwanted fat that are stored in your body. A recent report by the American Journal of Public Health notes that obesity rates have soared up because serving portions and sizes have grown too. The best thing to do, is to decrease your usual serving portions of food by a quarter or a third. Instead of serving the usual hamburger-sized bun, give yourself sandwiches on dinner rolls, and make it a habit to order child-size portions each time.  

Increase Your Intake Of Fruits and Veggies

In 1990, the US National Cancer Institute, in tandem with the Produce For Better Health Foundation, began a five-day program to encourage people to eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day, to reduce the risks of developing certain cancers. Today, more public and private health programs advocate increased vegetable and fruit consumption among the public. Five to nine servings of vegetables and fruits per day, according to the NCI, helps reduce a person's  risk of developing certain cancers, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and even macular degeneration. Serve yourself at least one serving f fruits and veggies every breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also stock up on dried o canned light fruits, and buy fruits in bulk, whenever they're in season.      

If you slowly educate yourself the basics of good nutrition, and you also start making healthy lifestyle and food choices, you'll certainly be able to see positive changes in your body, as well as in your general outlook. You'll feel better about yourself, and you'll  have a better attitude towards family, friends and work. You'll also have a lot of energy left at the end of the day to do the things you want. 

Why Do People Diet?

There are so many reasons why people go on diet. They have different answers depending on what they believe motivates them. You can ask your friends or your colleagues if they are on a specific diet. Most of them may have started on diet long ago or have just started. Then you can ask why they go through this process. Chances are, you will hear a lot of reasons and unique ways to have successful dieting.

For most people who have been dieting, one major reason is to look better. Probably, they want to look good because it is being required by their job. Some actors and actresses are paid to act on screen and they are required to look their best. Models on runways are expected to be thinner.

Getting thinner; however, is difficult and poses a challenge to some because it involves changing the lifestyle and food habits. Some people go through with difficult ways and means to get thin. Some people also go for healthy options like exercise and eat more vegetables to achieve better built. For others, they just want to satisfy themselves and they experience fulfillment when they get the weight they want. 

What is The Road to Health and Fitness?

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Walking towards health and fitness is not really the hard arduous job that everybody seem to think it is. When you really think about it, the hard part is often the start. Afterwards, everything else will be easier once you really get the hang of it. All it takes is discipline and commitment.

Below are some tips on how to get a head start on your road to health and fitness. Read each one and you’ll realize that it is actually easier to undertake. You just need to take the first few steps.

1. Start small If your favorite dish is something that your doctor asked you to avoid, there is no sense in skipping it altogether and then binging on the dish when you can’t take the abstinence anymore. Take moderate steps towards the goal. If you eat the dish everyday, try to cut down on your consumption and make it just three times a week. IF you have managed that, cut down further and make it once a week. That way, you are able to still enjoy the food and not increase your craving for it.

2. Plan modestly Set goals for yourself but that does not mean that you have to kill yourself to get it and when you don’t you’ll also kill yourself. Setting too high goals will often only lead to disappointment and frustration. When you plan, make sure that you can do it. How will you know? Be realistic. You know what you are capable of. It is better to set goals for yourself that you know you can do. Accomplishing them will give you a sense of achievement that will make you more confident and more willing to continue with your task.

3. Have a buddy Sharing the aches and pains as well as the joys of accomplishment with a buddy will help make the process easier and more bearable. In fact, people with a buddy when doing a self-improvement project are better able to stick with their plans than those who are doing the projects alone. This is because when you have a buddy with you, he or she acts as a support system that will help keep you on track and prevent you from giving up. Besides having a friend with you experiencing the same things makes the process more fun and more enjoyable.

4. Have discipline This is one of the few things that will make or break your plans to finally live a healthy lifestyle. In order to really stick to the plan, you need to develop self-discipline especially when it involves things that you really want to do or things that you are used to doing. Temptations along the way will be many and you need to be prepared to face all that!

5. Do it for yourself A lot of people start to live a life of health and fitness when they are trying to get a new guy to notice them or when they want to impress a lover. Although these are valid reasons, sometimes, they are not enough to see you through the entire process. It is better that you do it for yourself because you want a healthier and better you than do it for other people’s approval. After all, the only approval that you will ever need is your own.

11 Easy Weight Loss Tips

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TIP #1: Fruit juice isn't as healthy as most people think either. Juice actually has a lot of sugar in it as well. If you are craving a glass of juice, drink fresh fruit juice instead of juice that has artificial flavors and coloring. It is even better if you can make your own fruit juice. Just be sure not to add too much sugar which adds to the calories. Instead of drink fruit juice, eat more fruit. Fruit provides your body with much needed fiber as well as vitamins.

TIP #2: If you must have your tea and coffee, try to drink it black. Black tea or coffee actually has health benefits to it as long as you counteract the caffeine in your body with a nice big glass of water. Caffeine is also not good for you because it affects functions in your body, like your metabolism.Another type of tea that you can drink freely is green tea. Green tea has been used as a medicine in China for over 4,000 years. It aids the digestive system and can help ease an overly full stomach and it has been linked to a reduction in cancer risk.

TIP #3: Avoid drinking excessive amounts of coffee, as it desensitizes your body to the natural fat burning effects that caffeine has. One or two cups (if the day's really slow to get started) max.

TIP #4: Eat fresh fruit and vegetables that have high water content. These are foods like tomatoes, watermelons, cantaloupe, kiwi, grapes – you get the idea. All of those fresh and flavorful juicy fruits and veggies are good for you. These items contain about 90 to 95% water, so you can eat a lot of these and they will fill you up without adding on the pounds.

TIP #5: Eat fresh fruit instead of processed fruit. Anything that is processed as more sugar. Processed and canned fruits also do not have as much fiber as fresh fruits.

TIP #6: Increase your fiber intake as much as you can. This usually means eating more fruits and veggies.

TIP #7: Veggies are your friends when it comes to shedding pounds. There are tons of options here and you may even want to try some you haven't had in the past. The leafy green varieties are the best and you always want to work in a salad when you can. Salads are packed with nutrients as long as you don't pour too much dressing on and load them with too much cheese. The leafy greens also have a lot of natural water.

TIP #8: Watch everything you consume from the food itself to what you top it with. Garnishments and condiments can sabotage a healthy meal because they are typically high in fat.

TIP #9: Set meal times and stick to them. Try to have your meals at specific times and eat them at that time. An eating pattern will help you to control what you eat and when you eat it. Also, it really is better to have 5 small meals a day rather than just one or two huge meals. Just eating once a day makes your body feel as though it is starving, which packs on fat instead of using it as fuel. Also, don't wait until your starving to eat. This only makes you overeat until you're stuffed.

TIP #10: Veggies make great snacks. They can get you through the hunger pangs if you are having them. Carrots are great because they satisfy hunger and they are packed with nutrients.

TIP #11: Work off the extra calories by the end of the week. If you feel you have splurged too much this week, be sure to get to the gym or go walking a little longer to work off those extra calories you have consumed

Healthy Eating Myths That You Should Break

Regular exercise, checking your serving portions and eating right. Healthy eating requires a lot of will power and commitment. However, there are a number of myths that continue to deceive dieters and healthy eating advocates. The key to eating healthy lies in how you check out the food items you buy, as well as on how dedicated are you in making sure  that you watch what you eat every day. Here are some food myths that you need to watch out for. 

All Low-Fat Foods Are Healthy

When you go to the grocery store, and you see food items labeled as “low fat” or fat-free”, beware of them. Just because they have the “fat-free” sign posted on them doesn’t mean that they’re truly healthy. The truth is that some of these food items actually have the same number of calories as the regular versions, and sometimes sugar is added to replace the flavor lost when fat is removed. By having more sugar, these food items will have empty calories, which may lead to you gaining weight instead. Fats come in different forms, and some of them actually are good for you. The fats that you need to steer clear from are trans fats and saturated fats. Monounsaturated fats and the fat found in olive oil or nuts are good for the heart.   

All Fruits Are Created Equal

Not all fruits are created equal. Some of them actually contain lots of calories, which may help to add more weight to you. The healthiest fruits are those that have low sugar and high fiber content. Apples, bananas and grape fruit are one of the nice fruits, because they contain high fiber and are low in fat and calories. 

Chocolate Is Bad For Your Health

While some so-called fitness advocates frown on eating chocolate, because they think these make you fat, the truth is that chocolates are good for you. However, you must also know that not all chocolates are created equal. High-quality dark chocolate is one of healthy variants, because it contains high levels of flavonols and antioxidants. Commercial chocolate bars however, such as milk chocolate and white chocolate contain high amounts of fat, sugar, wax and artificial chemicals. To eat healthy chocolates, try making your own unsweetened cocoa with sugar and skim milk instead.  

Salads Help You Lose Weight

A large bowl of leafy greens is actually very good for your health. However, the problem starts once you pour in the dressings and other toppings. Some salad offerings include stuff like fried chicken, bacon bits, and thick creamy dressings, which are jam-packed with calories and fats. But if you fill up on the leafy greens alone, the salad mix can be very healthy. A truly healthy salad mix includes a variety of vegetables, mixed greens, beans, almonds, and a light vinegar dressing. 

To ensure that you’re eating healthy, and losing or maintaining weight at the same time, eat high-fiber veggies, fruits and grains, but never skip breakfast. Instead, you need to stop drinking energy bars and drinks, sodas and alcohol, as well as lessen your intake of fatty junk foods and snacks.