If you want to look good and feel good, you need to be sure that you are eating a healthy diet full of vitamins and minerals. Whatever eating plan you follow here are 10 foods that should be included in your diet on a regular basis:
Nuts - these include Almonds, Brazil, walnuts, pistachio, pine, Hazelnut are very high in vitamins and minerals which can help prevent against cancers and cardiovascular disease and helps to keep skin healthy. Nuts are a great way to keep hunger at bay so are a fantastic mid morning/afternoon snack, due to their high ‘good’ fat content it takes longer to digest them leaving you feeling fuller for longer, therefore must be eaten in moderation. Almonds are high in calcium and almond milk is a great alternative to those who don’t eat dairy products.
Beans (pulses) – includes Haricot, Kidney, Broad, garbanzo (chick pea), black beans, lentils – beans are a great source of vitamins and minerals and can help prevent diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular. They can also be a great source of protein for vegetarians.
Berries – these include strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, cranberries and blueberries. Berries are a rich source of vitamin C, which helps to fight infection and boost the immune system. Cranberries and Blueberries are great for fighting infection in the kidneys, bladder and urinary tract.
Asparagus – Asparagus is a great source of vitamin C, folic acid, magnesium, potassium and Iron which helps promote energy, healing and fights infection. It is also a great source of vitamins and minerals including vitamin E which is great for fighting disease.
Broccoli – Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable along with cauliflower, kale, spring greens, turnips, Brussels sprouts and is rich in nutrients that help to fight against types of cancer such as breast and colon. Broccoli acts as a detoxifier, helping lower ‘bad’ cholesterol and helps to protect against heart disease. Broccoli provides Iron and is a fantastic source of folate, vitamin C and potassium.
Beetroot (beet) – Beetroot is rich in potassium and provides plenty of folate and Iron, essential for the formation of red blood cells and helping to prevent anemia. Beetroot should be eaten raw or cooked, avoid the type packed in vinegar as this not only makes it acidic which can affect the gu, pickling reduces the level of nutrients. The leaves on Beetroot are also very nutritious and can be eaten in the same way as spinach.
Fennel – Fennel is a great source of fibre, folate and potassium and contains a range of other nutrients including vitamin C, selenium, vitamin B3 (niacin) and Iron. Fennel is a very low in calories so great for people watching their weight, it’s also a great digestive aid and antiflatulent. It is rich in antioxidants which help fight against disease.
Carrots - Carrots are high in Beta Carotene which helps to fight diseases such as heart disease and certain cancers. Not only are they great for the immune system but the skin and eyesight also. The Carotenes are better absorbed when the carrot is cooked rather than raw, choose steaming or stir frying as the cooking method.
Brown Rice – whilst white rice has very little vitamin and mineral content, brown rice is very different, brown rice and other whole grains have been shown to help prevent heart diseases, diabetes and some cancers due to its high selenium content. Brown rice is low glycaemic index which can help to control blood sugar levels and the B vitamin content helps converts the food to energy and keep the nervous system healthy.
Garlic - Garlic has been highly valued for years for its health benefits. It is rich in sulphur compounds which gives it its strong odor but are the main source of its health benefits, benefits include keeping the blood healthy which helps prevent diseases such as heart disease and certain cancers. It is a natural antibiotic, antifungal and anti viral and can also help prevent stomach ulcers.
It is worth noting that you can’t have a balanced nutritious diet by eating these foods alone, you need to keep the diet as varied as possible, a balanced diet should consist of fresh fruit, seasonal vegetables, whole grains such as brown rice and oats and lean protein such as organic free range chicken and lean meat (organic, grass fed only). You should also include in your diet regular amounts of oily fish, seeds, cold pressed oils, herbs and spices. Exercise regularly, stick to a healthy diet and cut out poor food options such as alcohol, processed foods, take away foods and wheat flour products.
Showing posts with label lose weight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lose weight. Show all posts
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Sunday, 17 January 2010
Why fad diets are bad for your health and you should NEVER follow them!
The truth some food manufacturers don't want you to know!
Ok so you’ve heard of them - try this diet and you’ll shift the weight faster than you know!! The Cambridge Diet, Kellogg’s drop a dress size, lighter life and dare I say it – weight watchers?!!
Don’t get me wrong the weightwatchers plan is probably the best one there if followed healthily and with exercise too then people might get lasting results but if you eat their crappy foods and choose the unhealthy processed foods they allow you to have in your ‘points’ system then you’re not going to lose body fat.
Ok so here’s the truth with these diets, they are calorie restricted diets, (Cambridge and lighter life the most EXTREME) and although calorie restriction is needed when you are trying to lose weight you do not need to go as severe as some of these diets make you do!
I remember on one of my first boot
camps one of the ladies who was going to a well known slimming club and hadn’t lost any weight, when she stated that she had been training and building muscle, (you could clearly see she had lost inches and toned up), the so called ‘health’ professional leader of the slimming club said she’d need to have been training for several months for that to make a difference on the scales and she HAD to lose weight to get results, BULL this person didn’t have a clue! Even after one session of weight training your muscles are starting to build and form, not a huge difference but after a few weeks there is a difference!
I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but weight loss is not the be all and end all, some people can lose weight yet put on inches around their stomach!
Anyway back to the point, the reason why severely low calorie restrictive diets are bad for you is because whilst you may lose weight on them a lot of that weight loss will come from muscle. Muscle is VITAL for fat loss, the more muscle you have the more calories you burn at rest (yes that means the faster metabolism you will have). When you do these low calorie diets and lose the valuable fat burning muscle guess what happens when you go back to eating normally again, you pile the pounds on – and even more this time, and worse to come this time it’s even HARDER to shift so you get into a pattern of yo yo dieting and teaching your body to be the most efficient fat store there is!!
On a scarier note advertising companies will have you believe that their processed product is healthy or their breakfast cereal is the healthiest. Ever wondered why these cereals are ‘fortified with vitamins and iron’? The process that these grains go through to bring you the perfectly shaped breakfast cereal actually leaves them
pretty nutritionless, so to counteract that they stick a load of manmade vitamins in there – pointless! Furthermore what kind of process must those perfectly shaped ‘potato’ crisps that fit into a tube, oh and that saying ‘once you pop you can’t stop!’ there is actually an ingredient called monosodium glutamate which can have addictive properties in this product, so when they made their advert they weren’t lying!
The best way to lose weight (body fat) is to eat nutritious foods such as lean protein, green leafy vegetables, dark fruits such as berries and cutting out high sugar snacks, processed foods and reducing ALCOHOL intake to a minimum, stick to the 90/10 rule and you can’t fail (90% of the time eating clean nutritious food allowing for 10% treat – i.e. the occasional cheat meal). Exercise regularly and include weight bearing exercises / lifting weight and make the exercise vigorous.
Don’t get sucked in by the advertising companies selling you their ‘healthy’ product, they’re not bothered about your health – they just want to make money off you!
Ok so you’ve heard of them - try this diet and you’ll shift the weight faster than you know!! The Cambridge Diet, Kellogg’s drop a dress size, lighter life and dare I say it – weight watchers?!!
Don’t get me wrong the weightwatchers plan is probably the best one there if followed healthily and with exercise too then people might get lasting results but if you eat their crappy foods and choose the unhealthy processed foods they allow you to have in your ‘points’ system then you’re not going to lose body fat.
Ok so here’s the truth with these diets, they are calorie restricted diets, (Cambridge and lighter life the most EXTREME) and although calorie restriction is needed when you are trying to lose weight you do not need to go as severe as some of these diets make you do!
I remember on one of my first boot
camps one of the ladies who was going to a well known slimming club and hadn’t lost any weight, when she stated that she had been training and building muscle, (you could clearly see she had lost inches and toned up), the so called ‘health’ professional leader of the slimming club said she’d need to have been training for several months for that to make a difference on the scales and she HAD to lose weight to get results, BULL this person didn’t have a clue! Even after one session of weight training your muscles are starting to build and form, not a huge difference but after a few weeks there is a difference!I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but weight loss is not the be all and end all, some people can lose weight yet put on inches around their stomach!
Anyway back to the point, the reason why severely low calorie restrictive diets are bad for you is because whilst you may lose weight on them a lot of that weight loss will come from muscle. Muscle is VITAL for fat loss, the more muscle you have the more calories you burn at rest (yes that means the faster metabolism you will have). When you do these low calorie diets and lose the valuable fat burning muscle guess what happens when you go back to eating normally again, you pile the pounds on – and even more this time, and worse to come this time it’s even HARDER to shift so you get into a pattern of yo yo dieting and teaching your body to be the most efficient fat store there is!!
On a scarier note advertising companies will have you believe that their processed product is healthy or their breakfast cereal is the healthiest. Ever wondered why these cereals are ‘fortified with vitamins and iron’? The process that these grains go through to bring you the perfectly shaped breakfast cereal actually leaves them
pretty nutritionless, so to counteract that they stick a load of manmade vitamins in there – pointless! Furthermore what kind of process must those perfectly shaped ‘potato’ crisps that fit into a tube, oh and that saying ‘once you pop you can’t stop!’ there is actually an ingredient called monosodium glutamate which can have addictive properties in this product, so when they made their advert they weren’t lying! The best way to lose weight (body fat) is to eat nutritious foods such as lean protein, green leafy vegetables, dark fruits such as berries and cutting out high sugar snacks, processed foods and reducing ALCOHOL intake to a minimum, stick to the 90/10 rule and you can’t fail (90% of the time eating clean nutritious food allowing for 10% treat – i.e. the occasional cheat meal). Exercise regularly and include weight bearing exercises / lifting weight and make the exercise vigorous.
Don’t get sucked in by the advertising companies selling you their ‘healthy’ product, they’re not bothered about your health – they just want to make money off you!
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Do you hate your big thighs?
Do you hate your big thighs?
I have a lot of people ask me how to lose the weight around their thighs and bum, most of the time these people are advised by the ‘fitness know it all’ to do lots of walking/slow jogging as its the best for fat burning.
Whilst studies do show that long cardio sessions are the best for fat burning its not necessarily the best for fat loss.
Carrying weight around the hips is over production of Estrogen, if you suffer from this then you want to avoid long cardio sessions, these will also increase your Cortisol levels making you put weight on around your belly too. Instead you must to be doing vigorous exercise (sprints) and weight training (resistance).
Choose organic produce where you can and be sure to wash all fruit and vegetables to stop any pesticide/toxin intake. Decrease alcohol, yes this is a must – everyone who is trying to lose weight wants to be cutting the alcohol out! For occasions red wine may be drunk but no more than two units per day.
Increase intake of cruciferous vegetables such as watercress, sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, kale – if digested properly they will help rectify the imbalance, plus the fibre, vitamins and minerals are great for your overall health and well being.
There are supplements that may also help – remember supplements should only be used to supplement what is already a good diet, these include:
A good quality fish oil – these have a multitude of benefits and should be included in everyone’s diet
A good quality multivitamin – everyone should be taking a good multivitamin
A diindolylmethane (DIM) supplement may be beneficial
Organic flax seed hulls may also help
An example of a daily diet for people with excess estrogen may include:
Breakfast: omelette made with spinach and mushrooms (garlic Snack: ½ an avocado with a handful of nuts
Lunch:chicken salad made with a chicken breast, watercress, cherry tomatoes, spinach leaves, radishes and flax seed hulls sprinkled over.
Snack: ½ an avocado with a handful of nuts
Dinner: roast turkey with sprouts, broccoli, parsnips, carrots
Its best to steam vegetables and be sure to chew your food thoroughly.
Switch over to green tea and water
If your reading this and you know a man that suffers from moobs (man boobs) then the info contained here may also be of benefit to them!
Remember, If you do suffer from big thighs, do yourself a favour and ditch the cross trainers and long slow jogs!
I have a lot of people ask me how to lose the weight around their thighs and bum, most of the time these people are advised by the ‘fitness know it all’ to do lots of walking/slow jogging as its the best for fat burning.
Whilst studies do show that long cardio sessions are the best for fat burning its not necessarily the best for fat loss.
Carrying weight around the hips is over production of Estrogen, if you suffer from this then you want to avoid long cardio sessions, these will also increase your Cortisol levels making you put weight on around your belly too. Instead you must to be doing vigorous exercise (sprints) and weight training (resistance).
Choose organic produce where you can and be sure to wash all fruit and vegetables to stop any pesticide/toxin intake. Decrease alcohol, yes this is a must – everyone who is trying to lose weight wants to be cutting the alcohol out! For occasions red wine may be drunk but no more than two units per day.
Increase intake of cruciferous vegetables such as watercress, sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, kale – if digested properly they will help rectify the imbalance, plus the fibre, vitamins and minerals are great for your overall health and well being.
There are supplements that may also help – remember supplements should only be used to supplement what is already a good diet, these include:
A good quality fish oil – these have a multitude of benefits and should be included in everyone’s diet
A good quality multivitamin – everyone should be taking a good multivitamin
A diindolylmethane (DIM) supplement may be beneficial
Organic flax seed hulls may also help
An example of a daily diet for people with excess estrogen may include:
Breakfast: omelette made with spinach and mushrooms (garlic Snack: ½ an avocado with a handful of nuts
Lunch:chicken salad made with a chicken breast, watercress, cherry tomatoes, spinach leaves, radishes and flax seed hulls sprinkled over.
Snack: ½ an avocado with a handful of nuts
Dinner: roast turkey with sprouts, broccoli, parsnips, carrots
Its best to steam vegetables and be sure to chew your food thoroughly.
Switch over to green tea and water
If your reading this and you know a man that suffers from moobs (man boobs) then the info contained here may also be of benefit to them!
Remember, If you do suffer from big thighs, do yourself a favour and ditch the cross trainers and long slow jogs!
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