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Ladies, plan on losing a little weight or you just want to start eating healthier? Women's health posted this article about 5 healthy foods that you could purchase at the grocery store that not only taste good, but also have nutrients essential to remaining healthy and keeping your bones strong. This article also includes 10 recipes that you make with these ingredients. The great thing about this article is that it doesnt only apply to the younger generation or just women either...guys. Here is the link to the article: http://blog.womenshealthmag.com/food/5-foods-to-buy-this-weekend/
ReplyDelete50 WAYS TO COOK CHICKEN:
ReplyDeleteChicken is a very high source of protein with four ounces providing over two-thirds of an adult’s recommended daily protein. Protein is essential for every bodily function at the cellular level. Research has also shown that protein can help maintain bone density and prevent osteoporosis in older adults (Food nutrition facts). Aside from these benefits, there are an abundance or other nutritional benefits that chicken (lean, skinless chicken such as breast meat is the best) can provide. Eating chicken everyday is hard to do (trust me I know) unless you can use it in a variety of ways. Here is a list of 50 ways that you can prepare chicken:
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/chicken-recipes?page=3
PALEO DIET:
ReplyDeleteThe Paleo diet is one of the many diets that are becoming very popular in today's society. Given the research I have done on the paleo diet, this is what I have found.
The paleo diet is based on the diet of the hunter-gatherers that existed during the paleolithic era/stone age, before the beginning of the agricultural revolution. It is based on wholesome, contemporary, unprocessed foods such as fresh and lean meats, fish and other seafood, fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and healthful oils (olive, flaxseed, coconut, avocado, etc). Notice that whole grains, dairy products, legumes, refined sugars and processed foods are not mentioned. Although some of these foods may have health benefits, the paleo diet claims to provide the same nutritional benefits but with less of the "bad stuff". Lets explore the rationale behind the diet.
Dr. Cordain, the founder of the paleo diet, claims that extensive research shows that hunter-gatherers typically were free from chronic illness and disease that are huge in Western populations including obesity, cardiovascular disease (stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure), type 2 diabetes, cancer, acne, osteoporosis, etc. He claims this is due to our growing neglect for what we eat coupled with a decrease in activity levels. This is apparent to everyone so lets talk about the not so obvious.
The foods suggested in the paleo diet are high in beneficial nutrients (soluble fiber,vitamins, omega-3 and monounsaturated fats, and low glycemic carbohydrates) and low in nutrients that contribute to weight gain, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and numerous other health problems such as refined sugars, high glycemic carbohydrates, trans fats, and salts. Translated to english, this means that the suggested foods contain all of the required daily nutrients (vitamins and minerals) without all of the things that cause weight gains, bad cholesterol, high blood pressure, and things of the sort. Essentially this is a high protein, high carbohydrate with low glycemic index diet. The high protein levels speeds up the metabolism due to its thermic effect when digesting food and protein has a higher satiety value than carbs or fats meaning you feel full for a longer period of time (therefore you eat less). The high levels of low glycemic carbs causes a lower spike in blood sugar and insulin levels which allows less fat storage.
So whats the downside to all of this you ask? It requires you to cook! Not a bad compromise for good health and a longer life. Below is a list of recommended foods to eat if you are interested in doing the paleo diet:
Eat: Grass-fed meats, fish/seafood, fresh fruits and veggies (frozen works well too), eggs (egg whites for lower cholesterol levels), nuts and seeds, healthful oils (olive, walnut, flaxseed, macadamia, walnut, avocado, and, coconut).
Do not eat: Cereal grains, legumes (including peanuts), dairy, refined sugars, potatoes, processed foods, salt, refined vegetable oils.
For more info on the paleo diet visit this site:
http://thepaleodiet.com/what-to-eat-on-the-paleo-diet/
Food Network had a couple of articles relating to healthy entrees as well as side dishes. Not all are the typically known "healthy" food choices but all are good alternatives to what most normally eat. The links are provided below:
ReplyDelete50+ Healthy Meals: http://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy-every-week/package/index.html
Healthy Side Dishes: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes-and-cooking/healthy-side-dish-recipes/pictures/index.html
The Atkins Diet:
ReplyDeleteThe atkins diet is a low carbohydrate diet created by Dr. Robert Atkins, an American cardiologist. The idea behind the atkins diet is that by lowering your carbohydrate intake, you force the body to change the way it converts food into energy. The body mainly uses carbohydrates to produce energy because it is the fastest process to do so. It does this by converting carbohydrates into glucose which is then used by the body for energy. By limiting the amount of carbohydrates in your diet, you force the body to switch from metabolizing glucose to energy over to metabolizing stored fats as energy. This process is called ketosis.
The atkins diet involves four phases: induction, on going weight loss, pre maintenance, and lifetime maintenance.
In the induction phase, the dieter is supposed to limit their net carb intake to less than 20g/day. By doing this, the body is quickly forced to enter a state of ketosis. Of the 20g of carbs, 12-15g should come from low glycemic vegetables, fruits, and salad greens. The dieter should also drink at least 8 glasses of water on a daily basis and should also exercise regularly. During this phase, the dieter will likely see the most weight loss. The dieter should remain in the induction phase for a minimum of two weeks.
During the on going weight loss phase, the dieter will introduce small incremental increases of their carbohydrate intake. The purpose of this phase is to gauge the amount of carbohydrates one can intake while still maintaining the ability to lose weight. The dieter should increase their carbohydrate intake by 25g the first week after the induction phase and increments of 5g/week thereafter. The dieter is recommended to continue to add carbohydrates until weight loss stops which at that point the dieter should decrease their carbohydrate intake 5g/week until weight loss continues. This phase is all about finding the critical balance between maximum carbohydrate intake vs. weight loss. This phase should continue until the dieter is within 10 lbs of their target weight. The dieter must still remain to drink 8 glasses of water and exercise regularly throughout the duration of the diet.
The pre maintenance phase is essentially the same as ongoing weight loss phase except rather than trying to lose weight, the dieter is attempting to maintain it. To accomplish this, the dieter is recommended to increase their daily intake of carbohydrates by 10g/week compared to the 5g/week in the ongoing weight loss phase. The dieter should continue to increase their carbohydrate intake until weight maintenance is no longer possible. Once again, the idea in this phase is to increase carbohydrate intake levels while losing or maintaining weight but once the dieter begins to gain weight, decrease carbohydrate intake levels until weight is maintainable once again.
The last phase is life maintenance. This phase is to carry on the habits learned in the previous phases. If one wants to lose weight, decrease carbohydrate intake levels substantially and gradually increase until you find that critical point. If you are maintaining a healthy lifestyle with good eating habits, you typically will not have to worry about restarting the diet unless you are wanting to shed a few extra pounds.
This is a basic rundown of the diet, but there are specific foods that are recommended during each phase which I did not highlight. If you are interested in learning more about the diet here is a very good source:
http://www.atkins.com/Program/Overview.aspx