Healthy Eating Redefined
Alan H. Wayler, PhD

New Year’s resolutions aside, most of us find making and
sticking to the resolve to eat healthier a bit of a challenge,
to say the least. And that’s even though study after study shows
that people who eat healthier have a greater chance of living
longer, better lives. For example, a study published last year
of over 42,000 women suggested that women who ate closest to the
recommended number of servings of fruits, vegetables, whole
grains, low-fat dairy and lean meats and poultry definitely
lived longer.

So what’s the problem with eating healthier? Many times, it’s
all in how we define it.

Positive or Negative?

When we say the words ‘healthy
eating,’ what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Is
it a positive thought, such as “I feel better” or “It energizes
me”? Or is it something negative, such as “boring,”
“inconvenient” or “small portions”?

If you’re like the majority of women who come to Green Mountain,
the list of negative reactions is much longer than the list of
positive reactions. While we all recognize the positive benefits
of healthy eating, it’s our negative feelings about it that end
up creating obstacles to our doing it on a regular basis. We
often feel that healthy eating
recipes don’t taste good, and we have pictures of ourselves
spending hours in the kitchen chopping vegetables.

Certainly, if that’s your vision, it’s easy to see why healthy
eating doesn’t particularly appeal. But take a moment to think
about why you choose the foods you do when you make an attempt
to eat healthy. We frequently choose foods that are lowest in
fat, sugar, salt, calories…and therefore, taste and
convenience. Why? Because we’re not seeking to eat healthy as
much as we are trying to lose weight.

Changing the Definition

The trouble is, many of us have perceptions of healthy eating
that are defined by diets. The diets that have “educated” us
about healthy eating, or our own desire to take weight off fast,
have led us to equate healthy eating with consuming the minimum
number of calories we can get by with. And that often leaves us
unsatisfied, or facing a great deal of difficulty in feeding
ourselves when we’re not in our kitchens preparing our own
meals.

The solution? Embrace the notion that he
althy eating does include higher-fat, higher-sugar,
higher-calorie foods if you like them. Within the context of an
overall eating plan that features lower-fat, lower-sugar,
lower-calorie foods the majority of the time, a few chocolate
chip cookies or small bag of potato chips can be just the thing
you need to make healthy eating work for you, for both weight
loss and good health.

So start today. Resolve to eat healthy. But remember, it doesn’t
matter how healthy a food is — if it doesn’t taste good, you’re
not likely to continue eating it. Eat balanced meals and snacks
that include your favorite foods. And think broadly about what
your favorite foods are. Many of us love carrot sticks and
chocolate chip cookies. Maybe not at the same time, but over the
course of a day, it’s easy to fit both in.

Here’s to a long, healthy life…enjoying eating in a way that
truly feels great!

For 35 years, Green Mountain at Fox Run has developed and
refined a life-changing program exclusively for women seeking
permanent strategies for healthy weight
loss and health. Based on a combination of proven science
and what works in the real world, our innovative non-diet
lifestyle program offers an integrated curriculum of practical,
liveable techniques that helps women take charge of their
eating, their bodies and their health. Our approach is not
focused on just losing weight but on how to keep it off for a
lifetime. Our participants’ long-term weight loss results are
among the highest of any program, as documented in peer-reviewed
scientific literature. Learn more about our Healthy Weight Loss
Spa – Fitness and Weight Loss Retreat.

About the author:

Alan H. Wayler, PhD is executive director of Green Mountain at
Fox Run, a women’s weight loss
program and healthy eating program since 1973. The program
provides an integrative health lifestyle approach for achieving
long-term weight and health management for women. He is also
co-author of a healthy
weight loss blog.

Tags: Alan H. Wayler, Author, Calories, Chopping Vegetables, co-author, Convenience, Desire, Diets, director of Green Mountain, executive director, food;, Fruits Vegetables, Green Mountain, Healthy Diet, Healthy Eating Recipes, Healthy Recipes, Healthy Weight Loss Spa, Lean Meats, Negative Feelings, New Year, New Year's Day, Obstacles, Perceptions, Phd, Positive Thought, Potato Chips, Poultry, Resolutions, Resolve, Sugar Salt, Weight Loss Retreat, Whole Grains —

Healthy Eating Made Simple
Dr. Jamie Fettig

The confusion about eating healthy and dieting will now be cleared up, all in one easy sentence. Are you ready? Everyone is different.

What is healthy for one person is not going to be the best diet for everyone else. You are different than everyone else. What food is best for you is not necessarily going to be what is right for everyone else. Some people do well on meat, others dont. Some people are fine with lots of carbs, others not. What food is best for you is really dependent on you and your lifestyle.

I will make it really simple to help you figure out what is good. There are a couple of general rules of thumb that apply to everyone. They are really simple. Are you ready?

1.Fresh
2.Pure

It is that simple. All the food you eat, no matter what kind you eat, should be fresh and pure. It is that simple. Then, just listen to your inner knowing, and it will tell you what to eat that is fresh and pure.

If you are craving steak, eat steak. If you want veggies, eat veggies. If you want some fruit, eat fruit. If you want some nuts or seeds, eat nuts and seeds. When your choices of food are always from the fresh and pure categories, you will eat exactly what you need to eat without having to worry about your carbs, calories, fat, cholesterol, or anything. Its so simple.

So what does fresh mean? Fresh generally means not in a can or box. Most things that are put into cans and boxes are old and dead. The life force has been long gone from the food. It is no longer fresh. Now, stuff in a box or can may be fresh, but it usually isnt. Frozen stuff can go either way. Frozen stuff is usually fresher than boxed or canned stuff. It has to be, because it cannot last as long frozen as it can in a box or can.

What does Pure mean? This means nothing artificial and nothing added, including poisons, pesticides or, one of the biggest culprits, refined carbohydrates, commonly called sugar. Sugar is added to almost everything in a regular grocery store. Even many things in a supposed health food store have sugar added. Pure usually includes the food being organic.

It is my position that if a food product meets the categories of both fresh and pure, it is not inherently bad, ever. There is no one food that is right for everyone and there is no food that if fresh and pure, is wrong for everyone either.

Some people are better off not eating late at night, others are. Some people do well skipping breakfast, others dont. Some people do well with three big meals, others do better snacking all day long. Some do better with variety, some do better with the same thing over and over again. It is really different for everyone.

Choose foods that you want to eat, that sound good to you that are fresh and pure. Listen to your inner wisdom and what it is telling you to eat, and you will be just fine. And Coincidentally, eating healthy and resetting your weight-o-stat is the only permanent “weight loss” solution.

About the Author

You have to pay a price to eat junk food. I share this with you in my free e-course. Go to http://www.HealthyEatingDiet.com for the full e-course. Dr. Jamie wants to give you Permanent Results with his “non-diet.” He is giving you valuable free gifts to “ethically bribe” you to help him make his new book, “The Ultimate Non-Diet” a #1 best seller. For details on the book go to: http://www.TheUltimateNonDiet.com/free

Tags: Author, Boxes, Calories, Cans, Choices, Cholesterol, Confusion, Culprits, Diet, Dr Jamie, e-course, Food Product, food;, Gr, Healthy Dieting, Healthy Eating, Jamie, Junk food;, Lifestyle, Matter What Kind, Nothing Artificial, Nuts And Seeds, Pesticides, Poisons, Ready 1, Rules Of Thumb, Sugar Sugar, supposed health food store —

Healthy eating at fast food places – are you kidding me?
Mike Singh

Is it possible to eat healthfully at a fast food restaurant? The
big name chains, such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, and
Taco Bell want you to think so. All of these restaurants offer
some type of “healthy” alternative on the menu to entice those
who are watching their weight or simply wanting better options.
But how healthy are these options? It depends on what you order,
of course.

Aside from some options that can be quite healthy, such as
salads, other options that may seem like wise choices may not be
as great as they seem. Also avoid ordering anything in a large
size, as this quickly adds extra calories and fat. Many foods
also include extra sugars that quickly add calories.

McDonalds

Salads and salad dressings at McDonalds are quite low in
calories and fat. A salad with dressing can go as high as 500 or
more calories, but this is much lower than other choices. Salads
do not necessarily mean that the nutritional value is high,
however. Many salads are made with iceberg lettuce, which is
primarily water. However, if you’re trying to watch your weight,
and find yourself with no other options, a salad can be a good
choice. It won’t likely make you feel full, so snacking ahead of
time may be a good option to avoid other temptations while
there.

Other options that seem like healthy alternatives can be
deceiving. Whether a food is fried or grilled will also have a
huge effect. But simply choosing between beef and chicken, for
example, may not be enough. The Premium Crispy Chicken Club
Sandwich has 680 calories compared to the Big Mac’s 560. The key
is to look for grilled alternatives and avoid the tempting
sides, such as fries or desserts.

Wendy’s

If you’re opting for a salad, choose wisely. Just because a menu
item includes the word “salad” does not mean it’s healthy.
Wendy’s Taco Salad, for example, comes with almost 400 calories
if you only look at the basic salad ingredients; add in the
extras that come with it, and the total is nearly 700 calories.
This is about a third of a day’s totals on a 2,000 calorie per
day diet. Even a seemingly healthy broccoli and cheese baked
potato comes with 340 calories.

If you’re hungry, it can be very difficult to avoid the
temptations of the fast food restaurant. This can be dangerous
from the sense of added fat and calories. Should you give into
temptation at Wendy’s and order a “biggie” fries, you’ll be
taking in an extra 590 calories and 28 grams of fat.

What about alternatives such as the low fat strawberry flavored
yogurt? The yogurt itself is 200 calories, and the granola
topping that comes with it is an extra 110 calories. In
comparison, an average cup of low fat yogurt from the grocery
store will have around 100 calories.

Burger King

Burger King provides an array of eating options through its
website for those who are watching carbs, fats, or calories.
Many salads listed have from between 10 and 13 grams of fat, or
90 to 117 calories from fat. Salads fall in the 400 total
calorie range. The dressings will add another 70 to 270
calories, for a total of up to almost 700 calories. Again, this
is almost a third of a day’s total caloric intake. The original
Whopper sandwich with everything on it has about the same amount
of calories. Depending on the salad and dressing chosen, the
salad option can actually have more total fat than the Whopper.
In other words, eating a “healthy” salad instead of a sandwich
may not provide you with the benefits you’re looking for.

Taco Bell

Taco Bell offers “Fresco Style” options that have fewer than ten
grams of fat per serving. This translates into the cheeses and
sauces being removed from the item. This style can reduce total
fat and caloric intake. Many items on the Fresco Style menu are
under 400 calories. The key to ordering through this method is
to know which items are available Fresco Style and which are
not. Most items offer this option, but many do not. Ask prior to
ordering.

One final word of caution when it comes to fast food: even when
the options are low fat and low calorie, many are still very
high in sodium content and low in fiber content. The total
nutritional value is an issue. Cooking methods, such as
deep-frying or leaving foods under hot lamps for extended
periods can dramatically reduce a food’s nutritional value. So
what’s the bottom line? While the occasional visit to a fast
food restaurant can be enjoyable and will not create too many
negative side affects, the idea that ‘healthy’ alternatives at
fast food chains are in fact ‘healthy’ is questionable.

About the author:

Mike Singh is a fitness instructor, who writes about health & fitness products
reviews,elliptical
trainers reviews,low carb diet
recipes online!

Tags: Author, Burger King, Calories, Chicken Club, Club Sandwich, Fast Food Restaurant, Food Chains, Food Places, food restaurant, food;, Healthy Alternatives, Healthy Eating, Iceberg Lettuce, Low Carb Diet, Mcdonalds, Mike Singh, Nutritional Value, Salad Dressings, Salads, Sugars, Taco Bell, Taco Salad, Temptations, Wendy, Wendy's, Wise Choices, Word Salad —

Eat Out and Lose Weight — 25 Easy & Healthy Tips for Dining Out
Nicky Pilkington

Diners have become more health-conscious the last few years, and
now want healthy choices whether eating at home or at their
favorite restaurants. Luckily, the restaurant industry has been
quick to accommodate the demand, so you’ll find you have many
options to “eat healthy” these days.

Whether you’re eating at home or dining out, the same rules for
watching your weight apply. You need to eat more vegetables,
fruit and whole grains. Choose smaller portions of lean meats,
fish and poultry. Eat a variety of foods, and fresh, raw foods
are better. Cut back on salt, sugar, saturated fats and alcohol.
Drink plenty of water, and include exercise every day as part of
your daily lifestyle choice.

So whether you’re having lunch with the gang, or enjoying a
romantic dinner for two, you can enjoy delicious-tasting foods
that are low-in calories and good for you, with just a little
forethought and planning.

Here are some easy tips to remember when ordering out that will
help you to lose weight even when eating at your favorite
restaurants:

1. If you know the menu from the restaurant you’re going to,
plan what you’re going to have ahead of time. This will help
save you from making a last minute decision that could result in
high-calorie choices.

2. Drink at least one full-glass of water or iced tea before
eating your meal. This helps your digestive process, and,
because you’ll feel full sooner, you will eat less.

3. Don’t be afraid to ask for the “senior citizen” special or
kid’s-sized portions. Most restaurants will accommodate you —
and often you’ll pay less as well!

4. Order first. That way you’re much less likely to be
influenced by the choices of your companions.

5. If you’re not sure how something is prepared, don’t be afraid
to ask. And if the dish is cooked in oil or butter, you can
always ask if they have a “fat free” option.

6. If everything on the menu is high in fat or calories, ask if
the chef could prepare a plate of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Many restaurants offer a vegetarian selection, so if you don’t
see it on the menu, ask.

7. When ordering meat or fish, ask that it be grilled or
broiled, and prepared without oil or butter. (When you eat it,
use lemon or herbs and spices to give it flavor rather than
heavy sauces).

8. Order an appetizer and a salad as your meal. Or a soup and
salad. For dessert, choose fresh fruit.

9. When choosing soup, remember that cream-based soups have many
more calories than broth-based ones.

10. If you’re having a full meal, split the appetizer and desert
with your companion.

11. If you decide to order pasta, tomato sauce has fewer
calories than cream-based sauces, just like soup.

12. Choose breadsticks over bread, or if you eat bread, don’t
add butter. Stay away from muffins and croissants, and choose
whole grain over white.

13. Choose steamed vegetables instead of baked potatoes or other
starches. Again, use lemon and herbs and spices rather than
butter to flavor them with.

14. Whenever possible, eat like the Europeans do, and have your
biggest meal at lunchtime. Not only will you save money, but
you’ll cut down on calories at the same time!

15. Take the time to enjoy your meal. Savor the flavors and
textures of your food, and enjoy the company you’re with. When
you eat slowly, you give your body’s internal clock the time it
needs to know when you’ve had enough. When you’re full, stop
eating. Ask your server to remove your plate so you’re not
tempted to keep eating while you wait for your companion to
finish.

16. Ask for salsa on your baked potatoes, rather than sour cream
and butter. Not only is salsa much lower in calories, but it
adds a “spicy” flavor to potatoes.

17. Order salad dressings and sauces “on the side.” This gives
you more control of how much to use. Another tip for salad
dressing — rather than pouring the salad dressing on your
salad, dip your fork into the dressing first, and then into the
salad. You’ll get the same amount of flavor, without all the
added calories!

18. Choose brown rice over white rice (or french fries), whole
grain breads and rolls over white. Not only are they lower in
calories, but they are better for you.

19. Stay away from “all you can eat” buffets and salad bars.
It’s too easy to lose track of the amount of food you’re eating,
even when it’s salads. If that’s your only choice, then stay
away from the pasta, marinated salads, cheeses and fruit salads
with whipped cream. Stick to soups, raw vegetables and fresh
fruits.

20. Have your soup first. It will help to fill you up, and most
soups have fewer calories.

21. If you’re craving something sweet, and don’t want fresh
fruit, choose sorbet. If you absolutely HAVE to have the
chocolate sauce, use the same trick as you did with the salad
dressing — dip your fork into it first, then your dessert.

22. Split your dessert with your companion. You’ll still feel
like you got to be indulgent, and you’ll only have to exercise
half as long to burn off the extra calories!

23. When ordering sandwiches, order them with mustard only,
rather than mayonnaise. Not only does mustard have almost no
calories, but you won’t miss the mayo!

24. If the portion you were served is large, only eat half of
it. Take the other half home. Not only will you get two meals
for the price of one, but you’ll cut the calories in half as
well!

25. Go for a walk after eating. Stroll along the beach, walk
through a park, visit a zoo. You’ll burn calories and get your
exercise at the same time!

About the author:

Find out more about Diet
and Nutrition at healthandfinesse.com

Tags: Alcohol Drink, Author, Calories, chef, Companions, Digestive Process, Diners, food;, Forethought, Free Option, Glass Of Water, Healthy Choices, Lean Meats, Lifestyle Choice, Losing Weight, Minute Decision, oil;, Poultry, Raw Foods, Romantic Dinner, Saturated Fats, Senior Citizen, Sized Portions, Vegetables, Whole Grains —