Are you confused by good and bad fats?

For years we have been under the impression that ‘fat’ is bad for our health, giving rise to ‘low fat foods’ often produced with chemical sweeteners and substitutes which have now been proved to be even worse for our health! Are you confused by what’s good and bad? It’s the types of fat you eat that really matter. Bad fats increase cholesterol and your risk of certain diseases, while good fats protect your heart and support overall health. In fact, good fats—such as omega-3 fats—are essential to physical and emotional health.

Image: http://www.thefoodadvicecentre.co.uk/reference/fats/unsaturated-fats/

Good Fats:

Unsaturated fats are divided into monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, and both types are thought to have beneficial effects on cholesterol levels.

Sources of monounsaturated fats:

• Olive oil
• Canola oil
• Sunflower oil
• Peanut oil
• Sesame oil
• Avocados
• Olives
• Nuts (almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews)
• Peanut butter

Sources of polyunsaturated fats:

• Soybean oil
• Corn oil
• Safflower oil
• Walnuts
• Sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin seeds
• Flaxseed
• Fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines)
• Soymilk
• Tofu

Bad Fats: 

Saturated fats and trans fats are bad for you because they raise your cholesterol and increase your risk for heart disease.

Sources of saturated fats:

• High-fat cuts of meat (beef, lamb, pork)
• Chicken with the skin
• Whole-fat dairy products (milk and cream)
• Butter
• Cheese
• Ice cream
• Palm and coconut oil
• Lard

Sources of trans fats:

• Commercially baked pastries, cookies, doughnuts, muffins, cakes, pizza dough
• Packaged snack foods (crackers, microwave popcorn, chips)
• Stick margarine
• Vegetable shortening
• Fried foods (French fries, fried chicken, chicken nuggets, breaded fish)
• Candy bars

 

Trans fats – The worst kind of fat! Also known as hydrogenated fats

A trans fat is a normal fat molecule that has been twisted and deformed during a process called hydrogenation. During this process, liquid vegetable oil is heated and combined with hydrogen gas. Partially hydrogenating vegetable oils makes them more stable and less likely to spoil, which is very good for food manufacturers—and very bad for you. No amount of Trans fat is good for you! The main source of trans fats is in processed and fast foods, people are also unaware that cookies, cakes, crisps etc contain them. In fact a survey by the NPD Group, a market research firm, found that 94 percent of us are aware of trans fats!

 

Forget about ‘low-fat diets’ and concentrate on eating a balanced diet, primarily  plant-based! Cut out sugary, processed foods and increase your intake of essential Omega-3 fatty acids (the body can’t produce these so we have to get omega-3’s from our food!). Getting more omega-3 fatty acids in your diet can help you battle fatigue, sharpen your memory, and balance your mood. The best sources are fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, or sardines, or high-quality cold-water fish oil supplements.

 

 

 

Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes: How you can reverse it by diet!

Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body produces insulin but does not use it effectively. When people have insulin resistance, glucose builds up in the blood instead of being absorbed by the cells, leading to type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.

Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are 100% linked in to our diets. Most people with insulin resistance don’t know they have it for many years—until they develop type 2 diabetes. If insulin resistance is the precursor to type 2 diabetes and is 100% controlled by our diets this means its 100% preventable condition! it’s in our control what we eat, so why is type 2 diabetes on the rise? Cases are being seen in child as young as 16! Its costing the NHS billions of pounds each year!

Why am I so hungry?

The majority of overweight people want to lose weight but they find it hard because they are hungry. If we are going to win the war against fat and poor diets we have to understand what makes us hungry. When you’re hungry, you just can’t resist forever. You may last a week or two from sheer willpower, but finally the hunger overwhelms you and you give in and in and in and in..

We eat foods that are so low on the nutritional scale, that our cells are literally starving for nutrients (vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.)  So they send the message to keep eating.  And boy, do we!  But we keep making poor choices. We keep filling our gut with foods that taste great, but have little or no substance.

Until we consistently give our bodies the nutrients they need to function optimally, our bodies are going to keep telling us to eat.

Do you know what tells you you’ve eaten enough at any given meal?  It’s when enough glucose (sugar) gets into your cells, the cells send a message to the brain to turn off the hunger drive.  Now here’s the problem.  Insulin transports the glucose into your cells.  If your cell is resistant to allowing the insulin in, you can’t get the glucose in, so you keep eating way past the amount that should have made you full!

What causes insulin resistance?

Excess Weight (especially fat around the middle), physical inactivity,  certain diseases, hormones, steroid use, some medications, sleep problems, especially sleep apnea; and cigarette smoking.

Eating, Diet, and Nutrition

Adopting healthy eating habits can help people lose a modest amount of weight and reverse insulin resistance. In general, people should lose weight by choosing healthy foods, controlling portions, eating less fat, and increasing physical activity. People are better able to lose weight and keep it off when they learn how to adapt their favorite foods to a healthy eating plan.

The weight control comes as a byproduct of getting healthier. If you do the right things, you won’t have to worry about your weight. I believe we have to support our diets with whole-food nutrition, it’s becoming increasingly difficult in our fast paced lifestyles to get the optimal nutrients from our diet alone.   Ask me about the Juice Plus products and how they can help improve your health! 

 

 

Super foods to aid health and weight loss!!

Forget quick fixes and fad diets, a little education around nutrition and you can introduce a few changes which will have great benefits for your health. If weight loss is your aim you want to make permanent changes to your food choices and the weight will stay off! I have chosen 5 foods below, some you may be unfamiliar with but give them ago and introduce them into weekly shopping list and reap the rewards!!

 

Almonds

“Eating more (and better snacks) is key to any weight-loss strategy, making you far less likely to gorge on belt-busting meals. So enjoy 10 almonds with a piece of fruit, suggests Klein. “These nuts are high in fiber, quick to grab and excellent on the go.”

Almonds are a rich source of vitamin E, containing 26 mg per 100 g (Table). About 20 percent of raw almond is high quality protein, a third of which are essential amino acids. An ounce of almonds contains 12% of necessary daily protein.[citation needed] They are also rich in dietary fiber, B vitamins, essential minerals and monounsaturated fat (see nutrient table), one of the two fats which potentially may lower LDL cholesterol.

 

Flaxseed

Ground flaxseed is the number-one key food for weight loss,” says Klein, pointing to its high amount of fiber. “Sprinkle two tablespoons a day on top of cereal or fat-free yogurt to give you more for your chew.”

Never mind weight loss this super seed maybe one of the most powerful plant foods on the planet. There’s some evidence it may help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes.

 

Quinoa

http://drarjan.com/healthy-recipes-how-to-cook-quinoa/

Deemed “the supergrain of the future” by Deborah Klein, author of 200 Superfoods That Will Save Your Life (McGraw Hill), quinoa is a high-fiber and high-protein replacement for rice that’s packed with nutrients (and gluten-free, to boot).  “Since this grain is so high in fiber, giving you more satiety per chew, quinoa can help prevent overeating and thus help with weight loss,” says Klein.

Quinoa has been called a superfood. Protein content is very high for a cereal/pseudo-cereal (14% by mass), yet not as high as most beans and legumes. Nutritional evaluations of quinoa indicate that it is a source of complete protein. Furthermore, it is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is also a source of calcium, and thus is useful for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest.

 

Sauerkraut

The fermented cabbage called sauerkraut contains a “friendly” bacteria proven to enhance digestion, speed up weight loss and boost immunity, according to Smith. Rich in vitamins and potassium, sauerkraut has a mere 27 calories per serving. Stuff it in your sandwich, heat it as a side dish or load it onto a baked potato.

It is extremely high in vitamins C, B, and K. The fermentation process increases the bioavailability of nutrients rendering sauerkraut even more nutritious than the original cabbage. It is also low in calories and high in calcium and magnesium, and it is a very good source of dietary fiber, folate, iron, potassium, copper and manganese.

 

Brazil nuts

All nuts are generally full of essential vitamins, minerals and fibre. Recent studies suggest that eating a small handful of nuts four times a week can help reduce heart disease and satisfy food cravings.

Brazil nuts are one of the few good sources of selenium that may help protect against cancer, depression and Alzheimer’s disease.

 

Sources:

http://www.ivillage.com/11-surprising-foods-weight-loss-1/4-b-122904#ixzz2Y0KkxpK6

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-369042/The-10-super-foods.html#ixzz2Y0PcGm00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almonds

 

Great book to start with  Nutrition for dummies – “In this fully updated second edition, expert dietitians Sue Baic and Nigel Denby provide no–nonsense advice, equipping you with all the information you need to make informed decisions about your diet. The book acts as a sound reference point if you want to know the facts about food, and debunks the myths behind fad diets.”

8 Easy Ways to Revolutionise Your Diet

“Eating well is an important part of maintaining good health, and can help you feel your best. It can be simple too. Just follow these eight tips to get started…”

 

The two keys to a healthy diet are:

1. Eat the right number of calories for how active you are, so that you balance the energy you consume with the energy you use. If you eat too much, you’ll put on weight. If you eat too little you’ll lose weight. The average man needs around 2,500 calories a day and the average woman needs 2,000 calories.
2. Eat a wide range of foods to ensure you’re getting a balanced diet and your body gets all the nutrients it needs.

Getting started…

These practical tips cover the basics of healthy eating, and can help you make healthier choices:

1. Base your meals on starchy foods.

Starchy foods include potatoes, cereals, pasta, rice and bread. Choose wholegrain varieties when you can because they contain more fibre, and can make you feel full for longer. Starchy foods should make up around one third of the foods you eat.

2. Eat lots of fruit and veg.

It’s recommended that we eat at least five portions of different types of fruit and veg a day. It’s easier than it sounds. A glass of 100% unsweetened fruit juice can count as one portion, and vegetables cooked into dishes also count. Why not chop a banana over your breakfast cereal, or swap your usual mid-morning snack for some dried fruit? Learn more in 5 A DAY.

3. Eat more fish.

Fish is a good source of protein and contains many vitamins and minerals. Aim for at least two portions a week, including at least one portion of oily fish. Oily fish is high in omega-3 fats, which may help prevent heart disease. Oily fish include salmon, herring, fresh tuna, mackerel, sardines and pilchards.

4. Cut down on saturated fat.

Too much saturated fat can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which increases your risk of developing heart disease. Saturated fat is found in many foods such as cakes, pies, biscuits, sausages, cream, butter, lard and hard cheese. Most of us eat too much saturated fat. Try to cut down, and choose foods that contain unsaturated fat such as vegetable oils, oily fish and avocados. Learn more in Fat: the facts.

5. Cut down on sugar.

Sugary foods and drinks are often high in calories, and could contribute to weight gain. They can also cause tooth decay, especially if eaten between meals. Cut down on fizzy drinks, cakes, biscuits and pastries, which contain added sugars. This is the kind of sugar we should try to cut down on, rather than sugars that are found naturally in foods such as fruit and milk. Check food labels to see how much sugar foods contain. More than 15g of sugar per 100g means the food is high in sugar.

6. Eat less salt.

Even if you don’t add salt to your food, you may still be eating too much. About three-quarters of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy, such as breakfast cereals, soups, breads and sauces. Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure, and people with high blood pressure are more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke. Use food labels to help you cut down. More than 1.5g of salt per 100g means the food is high in salt. Adults should eat no more than 6g of salt a day. Learn more in Say no to salt.

7. Drink enough water.

Try to drink about six to eight glasses of water, or other fluids, a day to prevent dehydration. When the weather is warm or when we get active, we may need more. But avoid soft and fizzy drinks that are high in added sugars.

8. Don’t skip breakfast.

Some people skip breakfast because they think it will help them lose weight. In fact, research shows that eating breakfast can help people control their weight. A healthy breakfast is an important part of a balanced diet, and provides some of the vitamins and minerals we need for good health. Wholemeal cereal, with fruit sliced over the top is a tasty and nutritious breakfast.

Eat Your Way to a Healthy You: Eat More Fish Part 3

 

3. Eat More Fish!

So far we’ve covered starchy foods and fruit and veg – but most of us should be eating more fish – including a portion of oily fish each week. It’s an excellent source of protein and contains many vitamins and minerals.

So should aim for at least two portions of fish a week, including a portion of oily fish. You can choose from fresh, frozen or canned – but remember that canned and smoked fish can be high in salt.

What are oily fish?

Some fish are called oily fish because they are rich in certain types of fats, called omega 3 fatty acids, which can help keep our hearts healthy.

How much oily fish?

Although most of us should be eating more oily fish, women who might have a baby one day should have a maximum of 2 portions of oily fish a week (a portion is about 140g). And 4 is the recommended maximum number of portions for other adults.

Examples of oily fish
Salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, fresh tuna, sardines, pilchards, eel

Examples of white or non-oily fish
Haddock, plaice, coley, cod, tinned tuna, skate, hake

Shark, swordfish and marlin 
Don’t have more than one portion a week of these types of fish. This is because of the high levels of mercury in these fish.

Anyone who regularly eats a lot of fish should try to choose as wide a variety as possible. Eating a wider variety of fish and shellfish will also help reduce the environmental impact.

For more information on fish and for advice – including recommended limits – for children, women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying for a baby, see the link below.

Click here for more fishy inspiration…

This series is brought to you courtesy of the Food Standards Agency wonderful diet blog

 

 

It’s all in your head. Read The “S Word” to help understand that what goes on in your head, is more important than what you put in your mouth!

Eat Your Way To An Amazing You!

Many of us made promises to ourselves last year that we didn’t keep and then made resolutions about our weight a few weeks ago!  In order to help you CHANGE, rather than just make resolutions you won’t keep, here’s our guide to eating your way to a better you. Enjoy….

These practical tips can help you make healthier choices. The two keys to a healthy diet are eating the right amount of food for how active you are and eating a range of foods to make sure you’re getting a balanced diet.

A healthy balanced diet contains a variety of types of food, including lots of fruit, vegetables and starchy foods such as wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereals; some protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and lentils; and some milk and dairy foods.

1. Base your meals on starchy foods
2. Eat lots of fruit and veg
3. Eat more fish
4. Cut down on saturated fat and sugar
5. Try to eat less salt – no more than 6g a day
6. Get active and try to be a healthy weight
7. Drink plenty of water
8. Don’t skip breakfast

1. Base Your Meals on Starchy Foods

Starchy foods such as bread, cereals, rice, pasta and potatoes are a really important part of a healthy diet. Try to choose wholegrain varieties of starchy foods whenever you can.

Starchy foods should make up about a third of the food we eat. They are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet. As well as starch, these foods contain fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins.

Most of us should eat more starchy foods – try to include at least one starchy food with each of your main meals. So you could start the day with a wholegrain breakfast cereal, have a sandwich for lunch, and potatoes, pasta or rice with your evening meal.

Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but gram for gram they contain less than half the calories of fat. You just need to watch the fats you add when cooking and serving these foods, because this is what increases the calorie content.

Why choose wholegrain foods?

Wholegrain foods contain more fibre and other nutrients than white or refined starchy foods. We also digest wholegrain foods more slowly so they can help make us feel full for longer.

Wholegrain foods include:

• Wholemeal and wholegrain bread, pitta and chapatti
• Wholewheat pasta and brown rice
• Wholegrain breakfast cereals

This series has been endorsed and brought to you courtesy of the Food Standards Agency wonderful diet blog

 

It’s all in your head. Read The “S Word” to help understand that what goes on in your head, is more important than what you put in your mouth!

Weight Loss Myths EXPOSED!

We’ve all heard them. We’ve all repeated them. We have even believed them a time or two! Now it’s 2011 and all anyone seems to want to do is diet and get fit, we want to sort out the fake info from the truth when it comes to weight loss rumors. Below we’ll help you out with several weight loss myths debunked!

Weight Loss Myth # 1 – Not eating will help you lose weight faster.

This is completely FALSE. Yes, technically, if you never ate your body would feed off the calories you already have and you could lose stored fat.

Technically is the key word!

But that is only a viable option if you plan to NEVER eat again. Unfortunately, not a good end result if that is the plan!

Since you are all smarter than that and won’t actually give up eating all you will end up doing is forcing your body into crisis mode and cause it to cling to whatever calories it gets.

It’s much smarter, effective, and safer to eat smaller portions of healthy foods throughout the day and reach a reasonable calorie intake. 1st of the weight loss myths debunked!

Tip: Try not to consume a meal that has more than 500 calories in one sitting.

Weight Loss Myth # 2 – Eating whatever sugar free or fat free foods you want will not cause you to gain weight.

Sorry, but there is no one on the planet that can eat junk all day long and stay trim. At least not without some severe metabolic condition. Just because a box of cookies says sugar or fat free doesn’t make it calorie free. And calories are what determine whether you win or lose with your weight loss plan.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy a sugar free or fat free item every now and then. If it helps you to feel like you are indulging without going completely off track with your eating then go for it. Just makes sure to read the labels and be aware of how many calories you are taking in. 2nd of the weight loss myths debunked!

Weight Loss Myth # 3 – Working out regularly means you can eat whatever you want.

This is actually a twisted myth because it is based in partial truth. The more you exercise, the more calories you burn, and therefore you have some wiggle room when it comes to your calorie intake. But this thought requires some rationale on your part!

Think about it, if you walk for twenty minutes would it be logical to then eat a whole pizza? Of course not! Walking is a nice low-impact cardio form of exercise but at most a twenty minute walk, even a vigorous one, is only going to burn 200 calories. A slice of pepperoni pizza is about 250 calories.

The point is your exercise (which you can think of as your calorie output) has to exceed the food you eat (or your calorie input) for weight loss to occur.

Don’t be discouraged! Make your twenty minute walk a thirty minute walk and add a few low-cal cookies as dessert. You will get a little treat without ruining your entire goal! 3rd weight loss myth debunked!

There are a lot more Weight Loss Myths EXPOSED articles to come so check back to learn more about what weight loss “advice” you should ignore!

 

It’s all in your head. Read The “S Word” to help understand that what goes on in your head, is more important than what you put in your mouth!

 

Article by Sam Omidi from the wonderful Weight Loss Blog

Why You Shouldn’t Feel Guilty About Failing Your Diet…

Most diets aren’t about action; they’re about thoughts. You spend so much time thinking about not having food, that you develop only two sets of standards when it comes to eating. Either you follow your diet or you don’t. It’s all or nothing.

And once you’ve blown it and deviated even an inch from the plan, that’s it. You head back to the locker room, game over. Your diet’s dead. Pass the fondue pot.

 

What’s worse, you point the finger squarely at yourself. Deep down in your gut, you blame yourself. Not the fast-food industry, not the unrealistic body images of magazine covers, not the 60-hour workweeks at a desk or the cloud-soft recliner and reality TV programs that keep you glued to the set — and sitting down — all night. You blame yourself. And you start to play the “if only” game.

 

If only you had the willpower to step away from the mayonnaise. If only you could stop after four Pringles. If only you had the power, the strength, the discipline, the chutzpah, the energy, the drive, the motivation to control your waist, then you’d finally have the body you want.

 

Ultimately, you blame your mind for not being strong enough to win over your waist. You’ve placed all the responsibility for dietary success or failure on your little 3-pound brain, and you’re ashamed that it wasn’t strong enough to go head-to-head with such formidable foes as deep-fried taco shells and fettuccine Alfredo.

 

But you can’t outwit nature. The truth is, your body is built for eating. It’s full of hormones and neurotransmitters whose jobs roughly translate into “pass the pound cake.” Here are just a few examples:

 

• Overeating works a bit like drug addiction. Studies show that obese people have reward centers in their brain similar to the reward centers of drug addicts.
• Stress eating is cyclical. When you eat to reduce stress, you activate the reward centers of your brain. When the feel-good effects wear off, you reach again for the thing that made you feel relaxed: food.
• Heavy people respond differently to certain foods. For example, in heavy people, the parietal region of the brain — the control center for the tongue, lips, and mouth — is activated by sugar. In skinny people, it isn’t.
• Some cravings are hardwired. When people on a rigid diet crave certain foods, the hippocampus lights up — triggering a willpower-busting memory of the food.

 

To expect that your will or your fortitude can override chemical messages like these is the equivalent of trying to stop a train with your little finger.

 

To get on the road to waist management and stay there, you have to first strip away the guilt that comes with eating, the guilt that comes with diets, and the guilt that comes with occasionally enjoying foods that aren’t at the platinum level on healthy-eating charts.

 

And you have to start listening to your body and responding intelligently to your cravings and your emotions. You have to train your brain to stop obsessing about eating right — and stop punishing yourself for slip ups.

 

Over time, you’ll learn what your body is saying and why, and you’ll learn how to eat right to manage those cravings. Because the unrecognized truth about dieting is that when you stop over thinking, you’ll stop overeating.

Nutrition advice for when every vending machine within 500 feet is calling your name…

So imagine — it’s 10 a.m. Breakfast is a distant memory, lunch is still too far off, but your stomach is saying “feed me.” Or maybe you’ve hit that energy sag at around 4 p.m., and every vending machine within 500 feet is calling your name. What should you do? Here’s what our snack attack advisors suggest:

• Keep sweets small. If you just have to have something sweet, first consider eating some protein and then finish up with a small treat like a Hershey’s kiss, a piece of hard candy or some gum, Giancoli says. “Something small will give you the hit of sweetness you desire but without a lot of calories.”
• Be a cereal snacker. Choose a breakfast cereal that has fewer than 5 grams of sugar and at least 3 grams of dietary fiber, O’Rourke suggests. Have a serving with low-fat milk. Consider putting a portion of your cereal in a re-sealable bag to keep for munching at your desk or in the car.
• Managing the machine. If you’re starving and a vending machine is all that’s available, a small bag of nuts provides healthy protein and fiber despite the higher calorie and fat load. Opt for pretzels or fat-free microwave popcorn over potato chips, O’Rourke advises.
• Don’t drink your calories, but do drink. Liquids help fill you up — just make sure they don’t have too many calories, Giancoli says. Skip regular soda, which piles on more than 100 calories and has zero nutrients. Fruity-flavored drinks with 10% fruit juice or less aren’t much better. Stick to no-cal options like water, diet soda, tea or coffee.
• Beware of granola and energy bars. With the high sugar and salt content and refined flour found in granola and energy bars, “they’re like candy bars using an alias,” says David L. Katz, M.D., M.P.H., a professor of public health at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., and author of The Flavor Point Diet: The Delicious Breakthrough Plan to Turn Off Your Hunger and Lose the Weight For Good (Random House, 2005). The best bars include whole grains (like oats) listed among the first 3 ingredients and that have at least 2 grams of fiber. “Those meeting these criteria include LaraBar, Odwalla bars and products by Barbara’s Bakery, Nature’s Choice, Nature’s Path, Kashi and Healthy Valley,” Katz says.
• Portions, please. Measure out single portions. But don’t guess at how much you should eat, or that snack can turn into a meal. Ideal calories for a healthful snack: 200 or less.

Diet Inspiration : 14 Snacks Under 200 Calories That Can Help You…

1. 2 cups fat-free popcorn (or buy 100-calorie packs for microwaving)
2. Single-serve instant oatmeal
3. Whole-wheat crackers (reduced-fat Triscuits are good)
4. Energy bars with less than 200 calories (Luna, Kashi, 100-calorie Balance)
5. Whole-grain, ready-to-eat cereal (Oatmeal Squares, MultiGrain Cheerios)
6. Sliced apple or celery sticks with 1 tablespoon peanut butter
7. Snack-size light yogurt or fat-free pudding (4 to 6 ounces)
8. Snack-size low-fat cottage cheese packs
9. Single-serving size bag (about ¼ cup) nuts (almonds, soy nuts, pistachios, walnuts)
10. Any whole fruit
11. Serving of soy chips
12. Single stick of string cheese
13. Fruit leathers, or flat strips of puréed dried fruit
14. Single serving of dried fruit and nut mix