You and I both know that with a little self-control, exercise and eating healthy we can experience a fifteen pound weight loss fairly quickly. The real challenge comes from keeping it off permanently and staying healthy in the process. We also know it’s easier to say it than it is to do it.

What you may not know is you may have some preconceived ideas about how to do it and the fact is those ideas are false. It’s not your fault you believe them, because they have been preached for so many years, by so many people. These legends have taken on a life of their own, when in fact they need to die and be buried forever. This article will give you the true way to shed the extra fat and keep it off.

1. Legend–Skip Breakfast to lose weight: Not a good idea!
In order for you to lose weight quickly and safely you must eat breakfast. This is what will kick your metabolism into high gear for the day after resting all night. Skipping it also means your body will draw the energy from lean muscle not the excess fat.

2. Legend: Low carbohydrate diets will make it easy to keep off the weight: Partly true, but because your body needs carbohydrates for your energy and the building of muscles you may cause more damage to your overall health. In other words you could negate the good you have done with the weight loss.

3. Legend: Eating what you want when you want it as long as you exercise: Not True! Just because youre exercising to burn the calories does not mean you can go carte blanch when you eat. It’s important for you to eat the right foods such as veggies, fruits and lean meats. When you practice the right diet you will keep the weight off naturally and safely.

4. Legend: Restrict your calories to keep weight loss down: Partly true again. You and I both know that true weight loss comes when we reduce the amount of calories we eat. Calories we won’t burn! But if you reduce your calorie intake way under what you need, for your body to function properly, you are asking for trouble. It’s important for you to know how many calories your body needs to stay healthy.

There are many more legends or myths that need to be buried, but its beyond the scope of this article. Losing weight the right and healthy way doesnt take an IQ of 160 to figure it out. Nor is it difficult once you set your mind to it.

Look, let’s face it! There is only one way to lose 15 pounds and keep it off permanently. You and I both know what it is. It is a combination of self-control, eating healthy and exercise. Weight loss is not a game, for some of us; it’s a matter of life and death. Which one is it going to be for you?

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Using fish as part of a healthy eating plan
Tony Robinson

It is hard to beat fish and seafood for high protein and low
fat. Fish has been shown in study after study to have a positive
impact on health, and to lower the risk of heart disease and
other diseases. In addition, fish is delicious and easy to
prepare.

Many nutrition experts recommend eating fish at least once or
twice every week. The most nutritious varieties of fish, and
those that contain the greatest amounts of heart protecting
omega-3 fatty acids, tend to be those that live in cold ocean
waters. These varieties of fish include salmon and sardines.

The benefits of a fishy diet Fish has long been thought to have
a positive benefit on the heart. So far the results of clinical
studies have been inconclusive, but research into the heart
healthy effects of fish continues. No matter what the benefits,
there is little doubt that fish is a healthy food, containing
significant levels of protein and smaller amounts of fat and
calories than other types of meat.

As a matter of fact, fish is one of the best sources of protein
there is. Everyone needs protein for building muscles and
repairing damaged body tissues. In addition, protein plays a
vital role in the growth of nails and hair, in hormone
production and in many other vital bodily processes.

In addition to fish, many other animal based products, such as
meat, eggs, poultry and dairy products, contain significant
amounts of protein. Plant based sources of protein exist as
well, in nuts, beans and lentils, among others.

The key to getting sufficient protein in the diet is to balance
the healthy effects of protein on the diet against the large
amounts of fat and cholesterol that protein rich foods often
contain. The combination of high protein and low fat is one of
the things that makes a diet rich in fish so appealing.

With the exception of salmon, almost all commonly eaten
varieties of fish are very low in fat, and even salmon contains
lower levels of fat than many varieties of meats. In addition,
fish is low in saturated fat, the type of fat that is most
associated with heart disease and clogged arteries.

Fish is low in unsaturated fat because of the nature of where
and how they live. Instead of storing energy in the form of
saturated fat as land animals do, fish store their fat in the
form of polyunsaturated oils. That adaptation allows their
bodies to function normally in the cool oceans and streams where
they swim. It also makes them a great choice for anyone seeking
to cut levels of saturated fat in the diet.

For all these reasons, fish remains an important part of any low
fat, heart healthy lifestyle. Substituting high fat, greasy
foods like hamburgers and ribs is a great way to make a change
for healthy living.

One note about fish and pollution, however. It is true that many
fish caught in polluted waters contain high levels of mercury.
While most commercially caught and grown fish is low in mercury,
it is important for fisherman to limit their consumption of
locally caught fish. Pregnant women are also advised to limit
their intake of fish, due to the potential harm to the baby.

Fitting fish into your busy lifestyle Many people avoid fish
because they do not know how to prepare and cook it. While it is
true that fish can present more of a challenge for the
inexperienced, there are many recipes and cookbooks that make
preparation easier. In addition, many packaged seafood products
contain cooking tips and serving suggestions that take some of
the mystery out of preparing a nutritious and delicious meal of
fresh fish.

Even those who do not cook, however, can enjoy the many benefits
of fish in the diet. There are a number of canned seafood
products on the market, including canned salmon, sardines and
the ever popular tuna. So there is no reason fish cannot fit
into your healthy eating plan.

About the author:

Tony Robinson is a Company CEO, webmaster husband and dad. In
his busy lifestyle he has placed importance on health and
fitness. Visit http://www.eat-healthily.com for good eating tips
and techniques to assist you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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Understanding Carbs to Stay Healthy
Barbara Morris

Low carb diets are popular. How good are they? How healthy are they? It all depends on what you know about the difference between different types of carbohydrates.

Common table sugar represents 20 to 25 percent of the daily caloric intake of Americans who live on the typical All American processed food diet. In the early 1800s average sugar consumption was about 12 pounds per person a year. In 1997, it was 152 pounds per person. Is that too much? You bet it is. Its making us old before we need to be.

Do we need carbohydrates? No, we dont. They are non-essential to the human diet. We do need water, fat, and protein. It is possible to survive for long periods without carbohydrates providing fat and protein needs are met. Fat and protein are broken down to make building blocks of carbohydrates as food and energy. This is something the carb-rich processed foods industry doesnt tell us.

Regardless of what is known about carbohydrate needs, we continue to consume massive quantities of carbohydrates. Therefore, its important to know which carbs are better than others. Its simple: All carbs are broken down into sugar in the body. The key is the rate and the amount that determines the level of sugar in the blood.

Complex carbs such as green leafy veggies, brown rice, potato, whole grain products, and fruits break down slowly. The result is a gradual rise and fall in blood sugar. It is generally understood that most complex carbs are good for you.

Refined, simple carbs such as cake, ice cream, cookies, breakfast bars, so-called cereals, and refined grains break down quickly in the body. This causes rapid elevation of blood sugar levels. These are not good for your health.

It should be understood that while refined carbs should be avoided because they are harmful, some complex carbs such as potatoes are not good because of their relatively fast breakdown.

How do you determine which carbs are really good, and what to avoid? Simple. Become familiar with something called the Glycemic Index of foods. When you look at a glycemic index for foods, bear in mind that the lower the rating, or number, the slower the digestion and absorption process and the better it is for your health.

As useful as the glycemic index is, you will need to learn which foods are good for you.. For example, a cup of low fat ice cream has a glycemic index of 50, which is lower than the glycemic index of a baked potato. Thats because the glycemic index rating of a refined sugar product is lower than that of a starchy food! So, learn to discern the difference between refined sugars and everything else. Just assume that if its made in a factory, its suspect!

Here are some glycemic index numbers for some popular food choices:
Baked Potato: 85; Cheerios: 74; Fanta soft drink: 68; Cheese pizza: 60; Banana: 54; Sweet potato: 54, Low fat ice cream: 50; Carrots: 49; Grapefruit juice: 48; All-bran: 42; Spaghetti: 41; Apple: 38; M&Ms (peanut): 32; Peanuts: 15; Yogurt, lot fat, artificially sweetened:14.

You can see from the above how misleading, yet useful the glycemic index can be.

The bottom is this: Do your homework. Dont rely on advertising or uninformed advice of well meaning friends to give you guidance about healthy eating. Making educated choices about what you put into your body puts you in the drivers seat and allows you to be in charge of how healthy you are, and how quickly or slowly you age.

About the Author

Barbara Morris, R.Ph., is a 76-year-old working pharmacist and recognized expert on unique anti-aging strategies. Author of Put Old on Hold, her message is for Boomers who want to feel and function as a healthy 40 or 50 year old for 25 or more years. She calls it Liberation Living a process she has discovered that bypasses infirmities and indignities of traditional old age. http://www.PutOldonHold.com

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Top Nutritional Tips To Support Healthy Hair Growth
Richard Mitchell

1. Eat adequate amounts of protein.

Protein is composed of the amino acids essential for the building of new cells, including hair. Five amino acids are of particular relevance to hair growth – cystine, cysteine, methionine, arginine and lysine.

Inadequate protein intake over a lengthy period can force hair into the resting phase with shedding a few months later. It is obvious then that sufficient portions of protein rich foods should form part of your daily diet. The best sources of dietary protein are lean meats, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, soy, nuts, grains and seeds. At least 15% of your daily calories should come from protein-rich foods.

2. Eat adequate amounts of useful carbohydrates.

Carbs are an essential source of energy and help in the growth of body tissues, including hair. They are an important source of the B vitamins that are vital to healthy hair.

It is important that you concentrate on consuming non-refined carbs rather than the sugars and white flour that are so prevalent in many over-refined carb products. You should place an emphasis on consuming vegetables, fruits, whole grains, brown rice and potatoes. It is recommended that you obtain 55-60% of your daily calories from the carbohydrates found in these foods.

3. Achieve a healthy balance of dietary fats.

Fat is used in energy production and can be found in both animal and plant foods. Your body needs sufficient levels of fat to maintain good health. That fat should be obtained from a mixture of lean animal and plant sources. Roughly 25-30% of your daily calories should come from these sources.

4. The right nutritional balance is one that suits your personal circumstances.

How much of each food group you eat depends on a host of factors including age, sex, health and level of physical activity. When choosing meals and snacks, take account of the following key principles of sound nutrition:

• Eat a variety of foods.
• Apply moderation to your consumption of junk foods.
• Choose natural and lightly processed foods as often as possible.
• Do not over cook.

5. Support a nutritious diet with a few carefully chosen supplements.

Following a nutritious diet is essential for good hair health, but on its own this may not be sufficient for a number of reasons:

• Modern farming methods may deplete the nutrient quality of food.
• High stress levels may diminish nutrients in your body.
• Dieting may affect nutrient levels.
• Aging reduces the ability of our bodies to utilize certain nutrients.
• Exercise can deplete some nutrients.

It may be sufficient to supplement with a well-balanced multi-vitamin / mineral product but a number of products are available that specifically cater for the requirements of healthy hair.

You can learn more about these products by visiting the site listed below.

Richard Mitchell is the creator of the www.myhairlossadvisor.com website that provides information and guidance to those suffering from premature hair loss.

richard@myhairlossadvisor.com

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