There are a lot of things people can do to improve their general state of wellness. Perhaps the most important of these is healthy eating. If you have ever paid attention to experts when they talk about getting healthy, you will notice that there are two things that always seem to come up: diet and exercise. There is no question that what you choose to eat plays a major role in healthy you are.

All kinds of analogies are used when talking about the human body, but one of the most fitting for our purposes has to be comparing the body to cars. There are cars that are fairly new, but their owners don’t take care of them, so they start running poorly long before they should. Then there are the cars that are decades old and still run like new. This is rarely due to luck. Instead it’s all about how the owner takes care of their car.

We can continue this analogy a bit further. The kind of fuel you put into your car makes all the difference. Sure, an economy model may be able to run on any brand of gasoline, but a fine-tuned sports car requires premium. All cars require regular maintenance as well. However, this analogy can only go so far, and there is one huge difference between the two. You can always trade in a car for a newer model, but you only get one body. Yet, too many people take much better care of their cars than themselves. Healthy eating is like putting the right kind of fuel in a car, but a car that you can never trade in.

Now, there are a lot of diets out there that promise to do this or that. Some claim that they can get you to lose weight the easy way, others are meant to prevent cancer, lower your cholesterol, or reduce the risk of various ailments. The truth is that some of them really do work for some people. But there are so many bad diets out there that it can be hard to figure out which ones are worth trying. You can actually try most diets, but there’s a catch. You need to know what counts as healthy eating first, then only use those parts of the diet that will be good for you.

Choices are what it’s all about. Let’s face it, most of us already have a pretty good idea about which foods we should eat and which ones we should avoid. For example, if you have a choice between eating a large chocolate doughnut and a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast; you would most likely agree that the oatmeal was healthier. That doesn’t mean you can’t ever eat a doughnut, not at all. But if you do, you should think of it as an occasional snack, and not a nutritious breakfast. And that’s only one example. Just being aware of the choices you make is an excellent start to eating right.

Tags: Ailments, Analogies, Analogy, cancer;, Cars, Cholesterol, Decades, Diet, Diets, Eating Habits, Economy Model, Exercise, Gasoline, Healthy Diet, Healthy Eating, Human Body, Ideal Weight, Losing Weight, Many People, Risk, Sports Car, Weight Loss, Wellness —

Healthy Eating Facts – Trans Fat And Soda Wake Up Tips

Regardless of the type of diet you may be on, or what your current lifestyle is, there are definitely some healthy eating facts that always stay the same. Saturated fat, for example, is not healthy for you, and it doesn’t matter how active or sedentary you are, nor does it matter how much you weight or how many calories you eat per day. Facts are facts. Man-made trans fats are always unhealthy. Another fact is that restricting your calories too severely can take its toll on your body.

One thing that people didn’t need to concern themselves with several years ago was trans fats; to be more specific, man-made trans fats, as there are some naturally occurring trans fats which aren’t a major health issue. The good news is that trans fats are easy to spot on food labels, but only when you know how. The most recent labeling guidelines say that food manufacturers have to show how much trans fats are in each serving of their food. However, if it’s under a certain amount, thy are allowed to show it as 0 grams of trans fat, even if there is some of it in the food. While this is playing dirty with your health, there is a way you can know for sure. Simply read the full list of ingredients. If you see the word ‘hydrogenated’, then it contains man-made trans fats and you should leave it on the shelf.

Researchers first brought hydrogenated fats and oils to the market in 1911. At the time they solved a big problem: spoilage. Refrigeration was still fairly new, and a lot of homes had no way of keeping their food cool. This meant that most foods that contained fats would turn rancid on the shelf. Trans fats changed that. All of a sudden, people could have margarine, shortening, instant cocoa and various mixes at home.

Refrigeration is no longer a problem, but trans fats are. That’s because researchers have found a link between hydrogenated fats and various diseases. This is most likely due to the fact that hydrogenation changes the molecular properties of otherwise natural fats. Even the government is starting to change the way it looks at trans fats.

Healthy eating facts don’t end with trans fats, though. Another thing to avoid is carbonated soft drinks. If they are sweetened with sugar, then they can have up to 3 tablespoons of sugar in a 12 ounce can! And it’s all empty calories. Even those soft drinks that have added nutrients aren’t that great for you, because you are still getting way too many simple carbohydrates.

Most such beverages also contain artificial flavors, caffeine, artificial colors and other things that aren’t any good for you. But what about sodas that use artificial sweeteners? They aren’t good for you either. The jury is still out on various sweeteners, but so far it looks they are not worth the risk. Even if they aren’t that bad for you, there are enough other bad things in carbonated beverages to make steering clear of them another one of the healthy eating facts you can rely on.

Tags: Calories, Cocoa, Diet, Diseases, Eating Habits, Fats And Oils, Fats Oils, Food Labels, Food Manufacturers, Health Issue, Healthy Diet, Healthy Eating, How Many Calories, Hydrogenated Fats, Lifestyle, Losing Weight, Lot, Major Health, Margarine, Refrigeration, Saturated Fat, Soda, Spoilage, Trans Fats —

As you may know, not fueling up with the right nutrients can affect how well your body performs and your overall fitness benefits. Even though healthy eating is important, there are myths that hinder your performance if you listen to them.

Below, you’ll find some myth busters on healthy eating.

1. Working out on an empty stomach.

If you hear a rumbling noise in your stomach, the rumbling is trying to tell you something. Without listening to them, you are forcing your body to run without any fuel. Before you exercise or do any physical activity, always eat a light snack
such as an apple.

2. Relying on energy bars and drinks.

Although they are fine every once in a while, they don’t deliver the antioxidants you need to prevent cancer. Fruits and vegetables are your best bets, as they are loaded in vitamins, minerals, fluid, and fiber.

3. Skipping breakfast.

Skipping breakfast is never a good idea, as breakfast starts the day. Your body needs fuel as soon as possible, and without it, you’ll be hungry throughout the day.

4. Low carb diets.

Your body needs carbohydrates for your muscles and the storing of energy.

5. Eating what you want.

Eating healthy and exercising doesn’t give you an all access pass to eat anything you want. Everyone needs the same nutrients whether they exercise or not, as well as fruits and vegetables.

6. Not enough calories

Although losing weight involves calories, losing it too quickly is never safe. What you should do, is aim for 1 – 2 pounds a week. Always make sure that you are getting enough calories to keep your body operating smoothly. If you start dropping weight too fast, eat a bit more food.

7. Skip soda and alcohol.

Water, milk, and juice is the best to drink for active people. You should drink often, and not require on thirst to be an indicator. By the time you get thirsty, your body is already running a bit too low.

Changing how you eat is always a great step towards healthy eating and it will affect how your body performs. The healthier you eat, you better you’ll feel. No matter how old you may be, healthy eating is something you should strive for. Once you give it a chance, you’ll see in no time at all just how much it can change your life – for the
better.

Tags: Antioxidants, Apple 2, Atkins, Best Bets, Calories, Eating Habits, Empty Stomach, Energy 5, Energy Bars, Fitness Benefits, Fruits And Vegetables, Healthy Eating, Light Snack, Losing Weight, Low Carb Diets, Muscles, Myth Busters, Myths, Nutrients, Physical Activity, Thirst, Vitamins And Minerals, Vitamins Minerals —

If you live in a part of the world where the winters are cold, then chances are good that you look forward to summer every year. The warm weather, being outside, picnics…and going swimming. Wait! That all sounds good except for the swimming. Sure, you enjoy summer, but let’s just say you’re not quite ready to reveal to much at the beach. To put it another way, you are concerned about summer weight loss. If so, you should know that you are not alone. Perhaps millions of people go through this exact same struggle, year after year.

Of course winter has its strong points, too. You can stay indoors all you like and nobody questions it, you can sit by the fireplace and read good books, or just watch television. Throw in a few big holidays…and big eating, and it’s easy to see how your waistline could increase during the colder months. But no matter, summer is coming sooner than you would like and now you have to lose some weight.

If you have found yourself facing this dilemma in years past, then you know how difficult it can be to lose enough weight in time for summer. Perhaps you have tried DVDs, gym memberships, fad diets, diet pills or starving yourself to get rid of a few pounds. But summer weight loss doesn’t mean you have to do drastic things to look good in swimwear. The real secret is to make better food choices and to get yourself moving.

One of the great things about spring and summer is that the grocery stores start getting in fresher produce. That means you can stock up on some of the tastiest foods from nature. And eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the keys to losing weight without taking too much effort. These foods are low in calories and packed with essential vitamins and nutrients that help you to stay healthy.

Another benefit of fruits and vegetables is that they tend to be high in fiber. Fiber helps keep things moving along in your digestive system, but it also makes you feel more full. Speaking of which, most people will heavier, more rich foods when it’s colder outside. So, the foods you eat in summer may already be lighter to begin with. There are exceptions, of course, such as thick burgers made on the grill. But you don’t have to give those up. Just aim for a smaller portion and load up on the foods that are lower in calories.

Summer weight loss may seem like an impossible task, but there are a lot of advantages working in your favor. You have more access to fresher, healthier foods. You will most likely eat foods that are lighter. Plus, because it’s summer you will probably be a lot more active than you were during the winter. Either way, the choice is yours. You can either keep doing what you’re doing now and be embarrassed all summer long, or you can take action and actually do something about it.

Tags: Calories, Course Winter, Diet Pills, Digestive System, Dilemma, Eating Habits, Fad Diets, food choices;, Fresh Fruits And Vegetables, Fruits And Vegetables, Going Swimming, Good Books, Grocery Stores, Gym Memberships, Healthy Diet, Healthy Eating, Losing Weight, Nutrients, Picnics, Spring And Summer, Strong Points, Vitamins And Minerals, Waistline, Warm Weather —