Showing posts with label Healthy Eating. Show all posts
Management Your Weight With Fruit and Vegetable
There have been recent statistical reports about obesity and being overweight. Some people really have a tendency to become overweight especially if being “full-bodied” is a family trait. Genetics play a major role is literally shaping our bodies.
Fruits and vegetables are part of a well-balanced and healthy eating plan. There are many different ways to lose or maintain a healthy weight. Using more fruits and vegetables along with whole grains and lean meats, nuts, and beans is a safe and healthy one.
Helping control your weight is not the only benefit of eating more fruits and vegetables. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer and other chronic diseases. Fruits and vegetables also provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other substances that are important for good health.
Another reason why many people struggle with weight gain is due to the consumption of high-calorie foods. Most of processed food are high in calories and are not actually nutritious. These foods are also high in sugar content and other chemicals that are not good for the body.
One safe way to lose weight is to go natural --- that is, to eat only natural foods that are free from harmful chemicals, preservatives, calories, and other ingredients that cause or contribute to weight gain. A good alternative to consider is to go on a fruit-diet. It is said to be very beneficial since fruits are rich in vitamins and have a lot of components and substances that help fight against various illnesses and diseases.
Fruits are also good for detoxification of harmful substances inside a person's body. Moreover, fruit-dieting does not cause a person to lose the necessary energy to perform daily activities unlike when a person chooses not to take any food because of a lack of appetite. A fruit diet, therefore, is one of the most healthy ways of losing weight which makes it a better option than taking medications.
Here are some simple ways to cut calories and eat fruits and vegetables throughout your day:
Breakfast: Start the Day Right
Substitute some spinach, onions, or mushrooms for one of the eggs or half of the cheese in your morning omelet. The vegetables will add volume and flavor to the dish with fewer calories than the egg or cheese.
Cut back on the amount of cereal in your bowl to make room for some cut-up bananas, peaches, or strawberries. You can still eat a full bowl, but with fewer calories.
Lighten Up Your Lunch
Substitute vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, or onions for 2 ounces of the cheese and 2 ounces of the meat in your sandwich, wrap, or burrito. The new version will fill you up with fewer calories than the original.
Add a cup of chopped vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, beans, or red peppers, in place of 2 ounces of the meat or 1 cup of noodles in your favorite broth-based soup. The vegetables will help fill you up, so you won't miss those extra calories.
Dinner
Add in 1 cup of chopped vegetables such as broccoli, tomatoes, squash, onions, or peppers, while removing 1 cup of the rice or pasta in your favorite dish. The dish with the vegetables will be just as satisfying but have fewer calories than the same amount of the original version.
Take a good look at your dinner plate. Vegetables, fruit, and whole grains should take up the largest portion of your plate. If they do not, replace some of the meat, cheese, white pasta, or rice with legumes, steamed broccoli, asparagus, greens, or another favorite vegetable. This will reduce the total calories in your meal without reducing the amount of food you eat. BUT remember to use a normal- or small-size plate — not a platter. The total number of calories that you eat counts, even if a good proportion of them come from fruits and vegetables.
Smart Snacks
Most healthy eating plans allow for one or two small snacks a day. Choosing most fruits and vegetables will allow you to eat a snack with only 100 calories.
More Tips for Making Fruits and Vegetables Part of Your Weight Management Plan
Eat fruits and vegetables the way nature provided—or with fat-free or low-fat cooking techniques.
Try steaming your vegetables, using low-calorie or low-fat dressings, and using herbs and spices to add flavor. Some cooking techniques, such as breading and frying, or using high-fat dressings or sauces will greatly increase the calories and fat in the dish. And eat your fruit raw to enjoy its natural sweetness.
Canned or frozen fruits and vegetables are good options when fresh produce is not available.
However, be careful to choose those without added sugar, syrup, cream sauces, or other ingredients that will add calories.
Choose whole fruit over fruit drinks and juices. Fruit juices have lost fiber from the fruit.
It is better to eat the whole fruit because it contains the added fiber that helps you feel full. One 6-ounce serving of orange juice has 85 calories, compared to just 65 calories in a medium orange.
Whole fruit gives you a bigger size snack than the same fruit dried—for the same number of calories.
A small box of raisins (1/4 cup) is about 100 calories. For the same number of calories, you can eat 1 cup of grapes.
For those that need medical assistance in losing weight, the use of safe weight loss pills may also be considered. One of the most popular weight loss pills today is Orlistat.
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Healthy Eating
How to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fatty substance (also called a lipid) that found in your blood and your body needs to work properly. But too much bad cholesterol can increase your chance of getting heart disease, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and other problems.
When cholesterol and proteins are combined, they are called lipoproteins. There are two main types of lipoproteins:
Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) is known as the bad type of cholesterol. LDL carry cholesterol from your liver to the cells that need it.
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is known as the good type of cholesterol. HDL carry cholesterol away from the cells and back to the liver to be broken down.
For many people, abnormal cholesterol levels are partly due to an unhealthy lifestyle -- most commonly, eating a diet that is high in fat. Other lifestyle factors are:
Being overweightToo much bad cholesterol (LDL) in your blood can cause fatty material to build up in your artery walls. The risk is particularly high if you have a high level of bad cholesterol and a low level of good cholesterol.
Heavy alcohol use
Lack of exercise and leading an inactive lifestyle
If you need to have your cholesterol measured, it will be in units called millimols per litre of blood (mmol/l). You should aim to have a total cholesterol level under 4mmol/l especially if you are at risk of, or already have, heart and circulatory disease. You should also aim to have your LDL under 2 mmol/l and your HDL above 1 mmol/l.
What are triglycerides?
Triglycerides are another type of fatty substance in the blood. Like LDL cholesterol (the bad type), triglycerides are also bad. They're found in foods such as dairy products, meat and cooking oils. They can also be produced in the body, either by the body’s fat stores or in the liver. Ideally, your triglyceride level should be less than 1.7 mmol/l.
If you have high triglyceride levels, you may have a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease than people with lower levels. If you are very overweight, eat a lot of fatty and sugary foods, or drink too much alcohol, you are more likely to have a high triglyceride level.
What causes high cholesterol?
There is no one single cause for high cholesterol. Many different factors can contribute to high cholesterol such as:
Eating a diet that is high in saturated fatsmokinglack of physical exercisehigh alcohol intake, orkidney or liver disease.Having an inherited condition known as familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) can also cause exceptionally high cholesterol even if you have a healthy lifestyle.
How you can I reduce my cholesterol level? Eat a healthy balanced diet.
Eating lots of fruit, vegetables, and wholegrain is better than eating foods high in saturated or trans fats. You can replace saturated fats with the healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as olive, rapeseed or sunflower oils and spreads.
You should also try to eat oily fish regularly. Oily fish provides omega-3 fats – the richest source of a particular type of polyunsaturated fat. Omega-3 from oily fish can help to lower blood triglyceride levels and help prevent the blood from clotting. It can also help keep your heart rhythm regular. Aim to have 2 portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily.
Choose foods that are high in soluble fibre such as oats, beans, pulses, lentils, nuts, fruits and vegetables. Soluble fibre can help lower cholesterol.
Do regular exercise
Regular physical activity can help increase your HDL cholesterol (the good type of cholesterol). Staying active is great way to keep your heart healthy.
Quit smoking
Quitting smoking can help to lower your cholesterol and improve your heart health.
Will eating sterol-enriched foods help reduce my cholesterol level?
Although the effect varies between individuals, there is evidence to show that plant sterols and stanols can help to reduce LDL cholesterol by levels up to 10-15% when 2 g per day is regularly consumed as part of a healthy balanced diet. But whilst there is an expectation that this would lead to fewer heart attacks, no clinical trials have been undertaken to show this. Sterols and stanols have been added to certain foods, including margarines, spreads, soft cheeses and yoghurts.
Will eating too many eggs raise my cholesterol?
For most people, the amount of saturated fat they eat has much more of an impact on their cholesterol than eating foods that contain cholesterol, like eggs, liver, kidneys, shellfish. Unless you have been advised otherwise by your doctor or dietician, if you like eggs, they can be included as part of a balanced and varied diet.
Will I need to take medication?
Whether or not you need to take cholesterol-lowering medicine depends on your overall risk of cardiovascular disease.
There are many types of drugs to help lower blood cholesterol-lowering medicines, and they work in different ways. Statins are one kind of drug that lower cholesterol.
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Healthy Eating
Eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables
Health Benefits from eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits
- reduce risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke.
- may protect against certain types of cancers.
- Diets rich in foods containing fiber, such as some vegetables and fruits, may reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.
- may lower blood pressure, and may also reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and help to decrease bone loss.
Nutrients
- Most vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories. None have cholesterol. (Sauces or seasonings may add fat, calories, or cholesterol.)
- Vegetables are important sources of many nutrients, including potassium, dietary fiber, folate (folic acid), vitamin A, and vitamin C.
- Diets rich in potassium may help to maintain healthy blood pressure. Vegetable sources of potassium include sweet potatoes, white potatoes, white beans, tomato products (paste, sauce, and juice), beet greens, soybeans, lima beans, spinach, lentils, and kidney beans.
- Dietary fiber from vegetables, as part of an overall healthy diet, helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease. Fiber is important for proper bowel function. It helps reduce constipation and diverticulosis. Fiber-containing foods such as vegetables help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories.
- Folate (folic acid) helps the body form red blood cells. Women of childbearing age who may become pregnant should consume adequate folate from foods, and in addition 400 mcg of synthetic folic acid from fortified foods or supplements. This reduces the risk of neural tube defects, spina bifida, and anencephaly during fetal development. Vitamin A keeps eyes and skin healthy and helps to protect against infections.
- Vitamin C helps heal cuts and wounds and keeps teeth and gums healthy. The following are some of the fruits and vegetables are recommended Squash and Cruciferous Vegetables
The following are some of the fruits and vegetables are recommended
Squash and Cruciferous Vegetables
Adding pureed squash to soups, sauces and casseroles is a tasty and simple way to increase your fiber intake. One cup of acorn squash has 6 grams of fiber, and the same amount of winter squash contains 7 grams. Cruciferous vegetables are high in fiber and have sulfurous compounds that give them a spicy or bitter flavor. A cup of broccoli, cabbage or Brussels sprouts offers 4 grams of fiber each. Roast them or add them to soups.
Other Vegetables
One cup of cooked spinach or kale contains 3 to 4 grams of fiber. Add either one to egg dishes, lasagna or soups for extra color and fiber. A cup of cooked carrots has 5 grams of fiber. Cut up a large bell pepper for a snack and an added 3 grams of fiber. A cup of corn with dinner offers 4 grams of fiber.
Their tiny seeds make berries an excellent source of fiber. One cup of blackberries has 8 grams of fiber, or about one-third of a woman's daily needs. A cup of blueberries or cranberries will provide 5 grams of fiber. A 1-cup serving of strawberries contains 4 grams of fiber. Choose berries as a snack, add them to salads or have them for dessert with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of chopped nuts.
Other Fruits
A medium apple each have 4 grams of fiber and make a convenient snack. A large of mango or kiwi each offer 3 grams of fiber. Eat three small plums or five prunes for an extra 3 grams of fiber. One-half of a medium avocado has 4 grams of fiber and can be used as a sandwich spread or mixed with salsa for a simple dip.
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Healthy Eating,
Weight Loss
