Variety Is The Key To A Healthy Diet
Dave Saunders

When examining the diets of my clients, I commonly find that even of those who tell me they eat from a healthy diet actually eat from a very narrow selection of foods. Most of their food choices are also processed or heavily prepared before eating. These people also frequently complain of failed diets and of their desire to maintain a more healthy weight and to feel the benefits they expect from a healthy diet. One of the most frequently cited reasons that diets and attempts at healthy eating fail is boredom. Many people simply do not know how to meet the challenge of keeping a healthy diet interesting day after day.

With just a little bit of planning and the huge variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meats and other healthy foods at the local grocery store, it is possible to create exciting, nutritious meals that will keep boredom at bay.

The key to the success of any plan for healthy eating is to eat what you like, but to exercise moderation when it comes to the less healthy foods. Improving your level of health and fitness does not mean saying no that piece of chocolate cake, but it does mean limiting yourself to one piece, and possibly a smaller piece than you normally eat. A key contributing factor in unwanted weight gain is lack of portion control. Restaurants provide portions which often provide the entire daily recommendation for calorie intake, but in a single meal!

A healthy diet contains all types of foods, including carbohydrates, proteins, and even fats. However, there is a significant difference in the quality of the fats in fried foods compared to the fats in a lightly cooked fish, an avocado or flax seed. Seek out quality sources of nutrition and limit your intake of processed foods. Look through some simple cookbooks with pictures. Look for a small collection of appealing dishes that use similar ingredients. This way you can economize at the grocery store by shopping for ingredients you can use for an entire week. Do not buy too far in advance and avoid buying ingredients in bulk because you will likely get tired of them before you finish using them up.

The revised USDA food pyramid contains five major food groups – grains, vegetables, fruits, milk and dairy, and meat and beans. When choosing foods from these groups, it is important to eat an appropriate amount of a wide variety of foods from every food group. Doing so will not only give you a great deal of variety and keep boredom from setting in, but it will provide the best nutritional balance as well. Seek out new food items and try them out. Perhaps you can choose a new type of bean or a fruit that is new to you. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to buy it again, but try new foods and think about how the flavors might work in simple dishes or as replacement ingredients in your favorite recipes.

When choosing foods from within the various food groups, some choices are naturally better and healthier than others. For instance, choosing skim or 2% milk instead of full fat whole milk is a good way to cut down on both extra fat and calories. Choosing poultry or lean meat is a great way to get the protein you need every day without extra fat, cholesterol and calories. You don’t even need to eat animal protein for healthy protein intake. Even champion bodybuilder, and vegetarian, Bill Pearl, manages to get all the protein he needs from vegetable sources only. You don’t have to “go vegetarian,” but you don’t have to eat an animal every day either.

Not all low fat foods are created equally. Check the label! Many low fat foods add starches and sugars which will raise insulin levels and may lead to unwanted weight gain. Remember, your body is designed to store extra sugar in the fat cells around your middle, so low fat eating isn’t necessarily going to help you loose weight if that is your goal.

Cereals and breads that carry the whole grain label are healthier than those that do not. Not all breads labeled whole wheat are entirely whole wheat. Don’t forget to check the label. Even in the world of fruits and vegetables some choices are better than others. For instance, peaches packed in heavy syrup add unnecessary sugar to the diet, while those packed in water or juice provide better nutrition. The best sources are always the unprocessed variety.

Eat seasonal foods when they are available. Berries are excellent sources of essential nutrients, and antioxidants. Eat them raw, in homemade smoothies, and as toppings for a desert. Berries can also be an excellent ingredient in entries as well. Search your cookbooks, or the Internet, for great recipes that are quick and simple. In the fall, the many varieties of gourds provide a surprisingly wide range of flavors and nutrition. They are also an excellent source of dietary fiber, which is a critical factor in the support of optimal health.

Eating well does take a bit more effort than popping a prepared meal in the microwave, but with a little bit of planning it should not require a significant time investment. You also don’t need to be a gourmet cook. Preparing your own meals is easier than you may think so give it a try and don’t be afraid to mess up a dish from time to time. The learning experience will lead to you being an even more skilled cook. The benefits include better nutrient intake, and lower intake of sodium, transfats, and preservatives. Invest a little time for a healthier you and enjoy the wide variety of tastes that real, unprocessed foods have to offer.
About the Author

Dave Saunders is a professional lecturer, and certified nutritional educator. He enjoys creating interconnections through his writings and lectures to help others create context and see new discoveries and technologies in more a practical light. You can find out more about how to maintain a healthy diet at www.glycoboy.com.

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Balanced Diet: Know More on Healthy and Nutritional Balanced Diet!
Jasdeep Singh

In this fast paced world, good nutrition may sound very simple but it is indeed really difficult to practice it. We eat too many processed foods or we tend to miss some meals. Some of us even smoke or drink alcohol. We also choose food on the basis of the taste. This not only make us overeat but also we ignore rich nutrient food items which we feel have bad taste. Foods lose substantial nutritional value during storage. There are many such factors which rob us of the nutrients we need for the maintenance of general well being.

We all talk of balanced diet, but how many of us really know the actual meaning of the balanced diet? Balanced Diet is a diet which has adequate amount of all nutrients required for healthy growth and activity. Sounds simple!

We have divided food into five groups on the basis of their nutrient content which are the most integral part of balanced diet.

Group One :

Wheat, Rice and Cereals. They are major sources of starch, carbohydrates, B-Vitamins and fibre.

Recommended Servings : 6-8 servings daily.

Group Two :

Dairy products. They are major sources of calcium , protein and vitamins (A,B2, B6, B12 and D).

Recommended Servings : 2-4 daily.

Group Three :

Fruits and Vegetables. They are major sources of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and fibre.

Recommended Servings : 4-6 daily.

Group Four :

Meat, Fish, Poultry and Pulses. They are major sources od protein, Vitamin B12 , zinc and iron.

Recommended Servings : 2-3 daily

Group Five :

Fats, Oils and Sugar. They are major source of energy in our body.

Recommended Servings: Should be barely adequate.

Recommended servings of each group daily comprises a balanced. Now does it still look simple? To make it worse, our hectic life schedules make it more difficult for us to achieve this goal. Hence it has become a challenge now. We cant ignore this vital part of our life too. So we should better gear up for it!

Random Tip: Eating fruits increases your immunity against the development of age-related maculopathy and eye diseases.

About the Author

About the Author: Jasdeep Singh

For http://weightloss-health.com/ your complete and most comprehensive family guide on Health.

Also get free sample low carb recipes at http://weightloss-health.com/low_carb_recipes.htm

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If you are trying to lose weight then you might benefit from using a good weight loss calorie counter. It is best to use a dual featured weight loss calorie counter as these will list both the calorie content of foods and ways you burn the fat off.

If you are overweight then there is a good chance that you aren’t all that good at knowing how much impact food and exercise has on your body’s shape. Whether this is the first time you have tried dieting or whether you have been a yo-yo dieter for years, you need to learn to have some idea of how many calories are in foods and also how many calories you are burning off.

Guessing what foods have more or less calories will often give you the wrong answer and it isn’t always a matter of common sense. If I asked you which had the fewest calories out of a fast food meal or a meal at a restaurant you would probably say the meal at the restaurant would be lower in calories. The fact is though that quite often fast foods contain fewer calories than a meal at a sit down restaurant. It all depends on the type of meal you order and this is why a weight loss calorie counter can help.

To lose weight it is vital that you burn more calories than you consume. Most people however don’t realize just how many calories they actually eat and usually think they eat less than they actually do. Many people have no idea how many calories they burn off either so a weight loss calorie counter is very important in your weight loss journey.

Let’s take a look at some of the features of a good weight loss calorie counter:

A good weight loss calorie counter should include a wide range of foods including apples, potatoes and lean beef. It should also include some combinations of foods and some common recipes. Processed foods such as cookies and chips should also be included. And lastly it should include some of the common restaurant and fast food items too.

The exercise software on a calorie counter should also include a wide range of exercise activities. The counter should include exercises such as cardio exercises, strength training such as lifting weights and swimming. It should also include leisure activities that are physically active such as table tennis, volleyball, cycling and walking.

It isn’t as simple as saying ‘I’ve run a mile so I’ve burned 98 calories’ because there are different factors that determine how many calories you burn off. For example a 120 pound woman will burn around 78 calories by running a mile while a 180 pound man will burn around 117 calories. The body mass will have an impact on how many calories are burned. So a good weight loss calorie counter will take your weight into consideration.

When you are looking for a good weight loss calorie counter just keep these points in mind. You want one that includes a wide range of foods, a wide range of physical exercises and one that will consider your current weight.

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