Dieting and Nutrition

When you’re trying to cut back on sugar, the discomfort that ensues can be incredibly difficult to withstand. One of the more frustrating aspects of sugar withdrawal is the constant, persistent cravings that keep nagging at you. Is there anything you can do to minimize these cravings, or do you just have to deal with them until they go away?

Unfortunately there aren’t any “magic pills” that will make sugar cravings vanish instantly, but there ARE things you can do to help make them easier to bear. Below you’ll find three ways to  reduce sugar … read more

You hear people talking about “sugar addiction” frequently, but is it really possible to be addicted to sugar in the same way that you can become addicted to drugs or alcohol? There is still some debate about whether sugar fits neatly into the category of addictive substance, but if you look closely at the definition of “addiction”, the issue becomes a little clearer:

One definition of addiction is: a compulsive need for and dependence upon a habit-forming substance, accompanied by clearly defined symptoms upon withdrawal.

Anyone who has ever tried to reduce their sugar intake can attest … read more

Whether or not you can really be “addicted” to sugar like you can to drugs and alcohol is still being debated among experts. However, a secondary definition of addiction describes “the persistent, compulsive use of a substance that is known to be harmful”. That would certainly describe the relationship that many people have with refined cane sugar. They know that ingesting large amounts of sugar isn’t good for them, but they can’t seem to stop themselves from eating it anyway.

If you have done this too and you worry that you might have a sugar … read more

Healthy snacking is a crucial part of any weight loss and fitness program, simply because regular snacks help you avoid feeling deprived – not to mention that snacking on healthy foods helps keep your metabolism running strong, burning more fat and calories.

The trick is to snack in smart ways so you don’t blow your diet and sabotage your goals. Below are 7 smart tips for healthy snacking that can help you stay on track and slip into those skinny jeans in no time!

1 – Plan Ahead

Healthy snacking requires advance planning! If your cupboards are filled with fattening, … read more

So, you’re on a diet (or just trying to eat healthier) and you want some good stuff to eat – but you can’t think of anything beyond the obvious boring vegetables, lean chicken breast, and fruit. Today we’ve got a few great ideas for diet friendly foods that will tantalize your taste buds without breaking the caloric bank.

Diet Friendly Foods Idea #1 – Tasty Wrap

One whole wheat tortilla (100 calories)
1/4 of an avacado, mashed (70 cal)
2 tbsp salsa (mild, medium or hot, 20 cal)

Mash the avacado and spread in the center of the tortilla. … read more

Protein is a necessary part of a balanced diet, for good reason: protein is the key “building block” in virtually every part of your body, from skin, hair and nails, to bones, muscles, teeth, and beyond. It’s important to eat adequate amounts of protein each day because your body does not store it anywhere, so has no reserves if the supply runs out.

Exactly how much protein you need daily depends on your age and body weight. The U.S. RDA (recommended daily allowance) for protein is 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight … read more

Part of the reason why diets are so ineffective is because they focus on short-term gains rather than long-term gains. We’ve gotten the idea that it’s okay to starve, punish and harm our bodies for a little while, as long as we can fit into our sexy new swimsuit by summer. Not surprisingly, not many of us end up sticking to a strict diet like that; it’s just too hard and definitely too unpleasant.

Instead of embarking on another “diet” perhaps it’s time to change our thinking and focus on creating a healthy lifestyle that will … read more

Is it really possible to lose weight without dieting? For centuries people have followed one diet after another, and more often than not they do lose weight. But is that the only way to lose weight?

Believe it or not, it’s very possible to lose weight without dieting – or what most of us think of as dieting anyway.

“Dieting” to most of us, means counting calories, fat grams, carbohydrate grams, or reducing our consumption of specific foods (or eliminating them altogether).

The actual definition of diet is “food and drink regularly consumed”. We all … read more

What is  negative calorie food, anyway? Is it just another diet gimmick, or can they really help you lose weight and keep it off? First of all, there is no such thing as a “negative calorie” – all foods have calories.

When people talk about “negative calorie foods” they are referring to foods that require more energy expended to digest them than you ingest when eating them. Example: water. Water isn’t technically a food, but it has zero calories. When you drink water, your body has to expend energy to absorb and … read more

One of the most challenging aspects of weight loss is hunger. Since most diets require reducing your caloric intake, you may end up feeling hungry and dissatisfied for at least part of the day. What’s the solution?

Low calorie snack foods that taste great but won’t hold back your weight loss.

Here are some great choices:

- Fruit

Fruit is a great snack option because it can help satisfy a sweet tooth, but also contains fiber and antioxidants. Some of the lowest calorie fruits are: grapefruit, watermelon, peaches, berries like strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, apples, honeydew melon, and … read more

When it comes to weight loss, not all calories are equal. You can eat 1200 calories of pure sugar and fat, or 1200 calories of nutritionally dense, quality foods and get very different results. Both for weight loss and general health, your goal is to eat higher-quality foods that fuel your body and activate your natural fat burning process – and there are many foods that can help you do that better than others.

Below are a few foods that make you feel full:

1) Avacado

This unassuming green fruit packs a great nutritional wallop with healthy monounsaturated … read more

Most of us don’t think about it much, but food portion sizes have grown way out of control. When you eat out at a restaurant, have you noticed the heaping plateful of food they deliver to your table? It’s enough to feed three or four people, not just one.

This may not sound like a bad thing to you, because most of us love to eat. Give us lots and lots of food and we feel secure and comforted. It’s an emotional thing.

The problem is that our bodies are NOT comforted by all this food – they … read more

McDonald’s is a great example of a successful company. They have outlets all over the world, and more and more outlets are opening every single day. The quality of their food is consistent, wherever you are, and it is an extremely quick way to order a meal.

Unfortunately, whilst McDonald’s may be extremely convenient, some of their food is not particularly healthy. Much of their food is high in fat and high in sugar. Many of their burgers are high in calories and this can mean that you could put on weight if you eat McDonald’s too often.

If you like eating … read more

The Wendy’s fast food chain is 40 years old and there are over 6000 stores across the country. It is obviously a popular chain and people eat there regularly because they know what sort of food they are getting and they know that they can get the food quickly.

However, we are living in a society where people are becoming more and more health conscious. People want to know more nutritional information about what they are eating. With Wendy’s, there are three places that you can go to get more information about Wendy’s products and their nutritional value.

Their Website- On the … read more

There is a lot of debate about nutrition supplements, vitamins and minerals. The debate centers around whether they are necessary for a healthy diet. This is a complex answer. The answer is yes, and no. If you have the time to fully check your diet and spend a lot of time cooking and preparing meals, then you will probably not need nutrition supplements. However, if you are like the rest of us, busy in our hectic society, then you will benefit from taking nutritional supplements.

In this article, I have outlined three supplements you could consider taking to improve your health … read more

You have probably heard it a million times before – in order to lose weight, you need to combine a healthy diet with exercise. If you did a search on the Internet, you would find many people that are saying this but many of them do not explain very well why this is so.

Let’s review why nutrition is the fundamental to physical performance. Below I will outline to you how a healthy and nutritious diet is related to exercise and how combining both means that you will be able to more effectively lose weight.

Protein helps with muscle building and regeneration- … read more

The website dictionary.com defines nutrition as “the process of nourishing or being nourished, especially the process by which a living organism assimilates food and uses it for growth and for replacement of tissues.” If you want to live a happy and healthy life, then nutrition is important.

Nutrition happens when various foods are consumed to provide nourishment. The purpose of this article is to share with you nutritional information. I have outlined four benefits below from taking note of your nutrition and making sure that you eat a healthy diet.

A healthy diet can make you fitter- If you want to … read more

We live in a society where more and more people are overweight. We live hectic lives and many people do not have the time to exercise and they do not make the time to eat healthy diets. Even if you are not committed to looking after yourself, it is important that you look after your children. They do not have the education to make the right choices, so they will be relying on you to help them.

Nutrition is vital to good health, disease prevention, and essential for healthy growth and development of children and adolescents. Three reasons why nutrition … read more

This article is written for those of you who may have heard it said thousands of times before that a healthy diet and nutrition is important but may not truly understand why. In this article I want to explain to you the importance of good nutrition. I want to explain to you why good nutrition is great for your health. There are three great reasons that I have outlined below:

Good Nutrition Provides Energy- People who do not eat a healthy diet generally find it hard to get out of bed in the morning. They have no energy. This lack of … read more

Many people consider bananas a wonder food. There are good reasons for this that I will outline below. The purpose of this article is to share with you some of these benefits. I’ll outline 4 banana nutrition facts below that will astound you. Hopefully, these facts will also convince you to eat more bananas. You won’t regret it. Bananas are:

High in fiber- Bananas are a great source of natural fiber. Fiber helps with healthy bowel movements, helps with your cardiovascular health, improves your blood pressure and may boost your mood and energy. If you have trouble going to the toilet … read more

Someone who understands good nutrition is easy to spot. Someone eating a healthy diet knows that they are healthy. If you are feeling a little under the weather, chances are that some diet changes could help you out. This article will give you 10 signs of good nutrition. If you are not feeling all of these, you may need a change of diet. Good nutrition means that:

1.You have a healthy heart and blood pressure- If you have your nutrition balance right, then you will have a healthy heart and healthy blood pressure. You should go to your doctor to test … read more

We are becoming a society of fat people. This is rather depressing. Many studies have shown that around 2/3 of adults in Western societies are overweight or obese. This can lead to many medical issues.

Instead of letting yourself go and having to worry about fixing your health later, it is time to do something about your weight and to improve your nutrition. Below you will find 10 important reasons why nutrition is important and why you need to ensure that you are eating healthily.

1.Reduce risk of heart disease- A healthy diet reduces your risk of heart disease and other complications … read more

Talk to most people about dieting, and they mention words like “sacrifice”, “pain”, “self-control”, “strict”, and other words that are synonymous with deprivation.

But dieting should not be all doom and gloom. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up for failure.

Some dieters think that they need to be strict 24/7, that they can never eat cheat foods, or that they can never miss a workout. Dieting is already stressful on its own, so if you add perfectionism to the mix, you will end up going back to the habits that got you fat in the first place.

As a result, we should carefully … read more

Spring time is a popular time of the year for people to decide that it’s time for them to start a diet. Many people think that they can jump on board the diet wagon and they can just give up snacking all together. The people that plan on completely cutting out all snacks when they begin their weight loss diets soon find out that this is not as easy as they had thought. This is why instead of cutting out snacks all together, you should instead find healthy snacks to replace your higher calorie snacks. Here are some healthy snacks … read more

When you start out on a weight loss journey you will want to make sure that you don’t make the same mistakes that so many out there do. Many people decide that it is time for them to get in shape and they turn to diet pills and weight loss supplements. They disregard the fact that the best way to lose weight and get in shape has always been, and will always be to eat healthy foods and exercise. While it may be possible to speed up your weight loss with the help of supplements, there is no replacement for … read more