Food Health
Weight Loss: “Watch Your Thoughts”
Do you have a desire to improve the quality of life you lead? Do you really want to look and feel better than what you are or you were ever before? The answer would most likely be yes from every person.
Now the point is this that why aren’t you getting what you want? Let’s glance at some of the reasons. Negative thoughts, beliefs, feelings and ideas, ineffective coping skills while dealing with problems, self-defeating behaviors, lack of self-love and forgiveness, ignorance of better ways to achieve your goal, obsessive-compulsive addictions and thoughts.
The main problem is self-defeating cycle. This common cycle of being “good” at sticking to a sensible eating plan and being “bad” when you slip is very frustrating. But when it comes to our favorite food, our self-defeating attitude weakens. Lots of psychologists make out that behavior modification strategies rather than diets can help us break this self-defeating cycle and make it as everlasting lifestyle changes.
What is behavior modification?
It starts with a change in self-talk and thought which then helps us change our attitudes about our eating, our bodies and our weight which ultimately helps us changing our behavior. In language of weight loss, our behavior will be reflected by how we feel inside. When we feel good about ourselves, we start loving our self; we can’t help but be attractive to others. This is the ultimate objective—to feel better about ourselves inside, so that our body and personality will reflect confidence and light to others.
How to win the weight management battle?
When it comes to weight loss, many people are searching for the rapid fixes and the fad diets to come back with their weight problems, when in reality these are the programs that are hindering their weight loss in the long run. To win this weight management battle you need to understand the dynamics of the relationship you have with food. There is always a right and a wrong way to do a thing. Do the right things you will get great results. This battle can be easily won by using the correct knowledge and correct tools.
Stop Dieting:
Do not skip meals. Eating normally throughout the day will stimulate your metabolism. To lose weight, you should eat, or it will result in slowing the rate of metabolism. Skipping meals can decrease your metabolism.
Watch your thoughts:
Do you think “I will never lose weight” or “I feel fat”? Watch for thoughts that are negative or are not supportive of your goals. Realize that “fat” is not a feeling. Try to exactly make out the emotion that you are having that may be driving your need to eat, overeat, or suffer from low self-esteem. Our thoughts show the way to our actions, so if we can stop our hopeless and self-critical thoughts, we can modify behavior more readily, with more enthusiasm and get what we want.
Comparing Atkins & South Beach Diets
Among all low carb diets, the South Beach and Atkins diets are fairly popular. Here are some similarities and differences in how Agatston and Atkins designed their weight loss diets.
Similarities
1. Plans: Both diets put emphasis on that their individual diets are lifetime plan for healthy nutrition and disease prevention. Losing weight is roughly an afterthought but both claim you’ll lose plenty.
2. Structure: The structure of both diets (South Beach and Atkins) is nearly the same. Both of these start with a restrictive phase which lasts for about two weeks.
- In first week both have recommended a restricted carbohydrate diet (No breads, pastas, rice, alcohol, sugar, etc.) that is virtually indistinguishable.
- In the second week, they both slowly add carbohydrate (such as fruits and whole grains) to get the optimal level for each person. Once the desired weight is reached, they go to a maintenance phase.
3. Best part in the diets is that both are structured to help one find the level of carbohydrate that works for him.
4. Both Atkins and South Beach make a distinction among various carbohydrate sources. Both have advised not to eat refined carbs (such as sugars, white flour, etc).
5. Both say to avoid Trans fats completely.
Differences
1. Both the diets differ the way carbohydrates are accounted.
- In South Beach, sources of carbohydrate are accounted for by the size and number of portions.
- In Atkins, every gram eaten is accounted in the daily carbohydrate intake. It requires counting all digestible carbohydrates; generally this means carbohydrates that are not fiber.
2. Fats: The major difference between the two diet plans is the advice concerning fat in the diet.
- In South Beach, emphasis is put on reducing the intake of saturated fats, i.e., butter or the dark meat of poultry. Agatston also emphasized on getting adequate Omega-3 fatty acids.
- In Atkins, eating a variety of fats is recommended. Omega 3s and 6s are advised to be balanced, which means that many oils that are primarily Omega-6, such as corn oil, should be avoided. Saturated fats, such as butter or dark meat, are allowed in greater amounts than South Beach.
There is no doubt that there are differences in the details, but both are trying to teach dieters to decrease the consumption of carbohydrates in junky processed foods and refined sugars. The diets can agree that building a diet around healthy proteins, lots of vegetables, tons of fiber, good fats and some fruits and nuts is the best you can do.
Multivitamins and You!
Follow the food pyramid and eat your vitamins!
This might sound familiar from the days when your parents would pack your lunch and cook you dinner. Luckily, your parents were right, but there is another essential elements to goes into this equation for a healthy diet. Enter, multivitamins!
Many of us do not realize it through our everyday diets, but the typical person does not eat nearly enough vitamins, through ways of food, each and every day. To fill the deficit of vitamins for the day, multivitamins can be used. Because it is so difficult for the typical eater to fill themselves with enough vitamins, the use of multivitamins can be very beneficial. As these supplements are very good tools to fill the deficits, they should not be used as the only means for vitamin consumption. It is essential to consume as many vitamins as we can from foods because they are the only source we can receive fiber, phytonutrients, and other beneficial compounds.
For example, according to the Dietary Guidelines of Americans 2005, it shows that many adults are deficient in a variety of vital elements:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C (Carotenoids)
- Vitamin E
- Magnesium
- Calcium
Since many of us have a difficult time keeping track of what we’re eating, or don’t even know what to eat, below are some quick tips to follow that will sure be able to assist you when paired up with a multivitamin.
- Eat foods rich in whole grains
- Keep a balanced diet of fruits and veggies (I know it’s been said many times before)
- Stick more to eating lean meats, such as chicken and fish
- Begin looking on the back of a lot of food products… following the Nutritional Facts can help limit a lot in your diet. If it doesn’t immediately limit your diet, like me, it will definitely make you feel pretty guilty for eating so much!!
- Track your caloric intake by using a program, such as CalorieKing.
As multivitamins sound like a great idea to “get on track” and balanced with our nutritional elements, they are not always the all-in-one solution… of course! For instance, multivitamins are not a great idea for those recovering from or have cancer, along with other diseases. Sometimes the various elements of the multivitamins aid a particular disease. Always check with a doctor anytime before choosing vitamins if you are one in this circumstance.
Now that I’ve gone this far with briefly explaining some of the basics on multivitamins, I realized that I originally wanted to write about the type I take. I guess a post in the near future will do for that one!
Stevia: The Best Sweetener, Ever!
What the heck is stevia, and why is it so good?! Many of have never heard of it, or at most possibly passed it while in the supplement section of a natrual foods store. Whatever the case, stevia is the next and upcoming large sugar-alternative. It’s a sweetner that Japan has been using in abundance since the early ’70s. They have been using it in products such as Coca-Cola, added in other food products, and have had it set out for table-use at resturants around the country.
So, what is stevia?
Stevia is a scrub that is found in abundance in the subtropical regions of Central America and South America. Some other names that stevia goes by is sweetleaf and sugarleaf. As the name says, the leaves are where all the flavor is found. After previous generations have found the great sweetening qualities of these stevia leaves (about 300 times the sweetness of sugar), it has been used since. Extracts are taken from these leaves and then produced into one of its many forms: liquid concentrates, crystal form, dried and also fresh stevia leaves.
Technically, stevia is a supplement
As of now, stevia is a natural herb that has not been approved by the FDA. Because of this, stevia is sold at stores as a supplement, not a food sweetener. As a supplement and a sugar alternative, stevia is used by people with Diabetes, obesity, and high-blood pressure because of its very low carbohydrate content, being calorie-free, and its ability to actually increase glucose tolerance. Since stevia has not been approved by the FDA, it cannot be sold in food products as a “sweetener”. Since the FDA has labeled stevia as a supplement, if a company were to produce a stevia sweetened drink, it would be have to be labeled as a supplement drink. Because of this, large health grocers such as Whole Foods and Wild Oats hurt because they cannot offer these alternative sweetened drinks in some of its products. Companies are now working to create a slightly altered version of stevia so it can become FDA approved. We’ll just have to wait it out and see when that time comes. In the mean time, go purchase the packets or its other forms and use it as a sweetener for your own creations!
Experimenting with stevia
The key thing that you need to remember with stevia is that it is about 300 times the sweetness of sugar. Don’t forget how much more that really is! When experimenting with stevia during cooking, always be sure to add small amounts at a time and taste-test everything before moving any further with a recipe. It may seem like a pain to try and learn exactly how much stevia equates to that of sugar, but the benefits of having a calorie-free, all-natural sweetener completely outweighs your long efforts. When using stevia in place of previous sugar-included recipes, try and stick with those that include fruits and dairy products. Generally, stevia mixes really well with these food groups because of its texture. Some simple recipes to start off with are baking a batch of chocolate cookies, making lemonade, creating a variety of types of salsa, soups, and so many others.
Give this simple hot cocoa recipe a shot for starters…
(Makes 4-5 servings)
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp of cocoa
- 4-5 cups of soymilk or milk
- 1/2 tsp powdered stevia extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
Mix the stevia extract and cocoa together in a medium-sized pot. Add 1/2 cup of your choice of milk to make a paste. Work to thin out the paste by adding another 1/2 cup of the milk. While bringing it to a low boil, add either the honey or maple syrup. Boil all of the ingredients for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rest of the milk to your desire of thickness and richness. Add the vanilla and heat the ingredients thoroughly. Be sure to not scorch the cocoa on the bottom of the pan.
Pour, serve, and enjoy!
Photo credit: daxiang
The Importance of Magnesium In Your Body
Many of us have heard of magnesium, but probably only from some crazy high school science class years ago. What many people do not know is that it is vital for the health of our body and its proper functionality. There are many forms that magnesium can be found in so we can easily balance our diets. Check out some of this important information that you’ve probably never known about magnesium and your body.
What is it? About 50% of it is found naturally in our bones, but the rest is located all around our bodies: muscles, tissues, organs, and blood. The body works to try and keep a healthy level and balance of natural magnesium in our system through our blood.
What does it do? There are no solid, agreed upon reasons of why we sometimes experience muscle cramps, but some speculate that it is caused by the dehydration in muscles and lack of vital nutrients after a difficult workout. Magnesium is a bone-building nutrient that is thought to help calm and relax muscles during these times. It’s believed that without the proper amount of magnesium, it will cause muscles to contract and spasm more often than not.
What you should do. If you workout intensely or don’t exercise at all, magnesium is right up your alley. Magnesium is vital for everyone, but deficits can be noticed if you are putting your body through strenuous exercises. Your muscles are prone to cramps and uncomfortableness without a proper amount of magnesium. Intake magnesium daily in one of its various forms to prevent injuries like this from occurring.
Magnesium is essential to over 400 various enzyme reactions and other daily bodily functions. Unfortunately, research has shown that many American diets are deficient in a proper daily amount of magnesium.
Magnesium aids the body with:
- Nerve conditions
- Muscle contractions
- Bone and tooth formation
- Protein metabolism
- And more importantly, heart and circulatory health
How much should you receive per day? It is recommended that a male over 19 years old should consume around 400 mg of magnesium per day. Women of the same age are said that they should eat roughly 300 mg per day. A deficiency of magnesium in a diet can occur and some pretty obvious results could show from it. Some of these are feeling fatigued, a loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and weakness. If the deficit continues, it can lead to various muscle contractions, spasms, cramps, numbness, abnormal heart beats, and even a change in personality.
Where can I find magnesium in food? Green vegetables are normally the best and easiest place to eat magnesium in foods. Beans and peas, various nuts, and unrefined grains are also great sources. Sticking to unrefined grains, such as whole wheat foods are much higher in magnesium than flour or white bread products. Some excellent food sources are listed below:
- Halibut (90mg)
- Dry roasted almonds (80mg)
- Soybeans and spinach (75mg)
- Cereal and oatmeal (65mg)
- Baked potatoes (50mg)
Are there other ways to consume magnesium? There sure are!
- I have recently begun to consume magnesium in a liquid form. This is generally much quicker to digest and gets to areas in the body much quicker. I mix mine in water and drink it pretty quickly since the taste isn’t the best, but not anywhere near unbearable. I have chosen this method because it aids my aching muscles much quicker and effectively.
- Pill form. Calcium/Magnesium supplement pills are normally the most popular on the shelf in a nutritional store. They come in this combination because the two work hand-in-hand with each other. As the magnesium helps with muscle relaxation, calcium helps rebuild muscles and control muscle contractions after workouts and other daily activities.
- Powder form is also available. This isn’t nearly as popular, but if used, it can be mixed in with a drink, very similar to the liquid magnesium form.
Photo credit: brokenchopstick
