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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The Foods That Speed Up Metabolism – Lose Weight Naturally

The diet industry is a multi-million dollar industry and of course those companies that profit from this industry would like to continue making those profits. So if there was a list of foods that could actually speed up your metabolism and as a result help you to lose weight easily, the diet industry will not want you to find out about it. What if that list of foods contained the sort of foods that you love to eat – not possible, that would be going against diet rules wouldn’t it? After all, don’t all diets tell you to avoid those foods that you love the most? You should only eat low fat foods and avoid things like nuts and grains. You should stay away from healthy fruits and vegetables because they contain too much natural sugar – right?

Wrong!

If all these super fad diets were right – eat low-fat foods, eat low-carb foods, eat protein only, eat cabbage until it comes out your ears – if they were all right, then why are obesity numbers rising?

The diet experts out there don’t know all the answers or if they do know, they certainly aren’t telling you or if they do they will make you pay a hefty price for the information. People pay hundreds of dollars to find the right way to lose weight and will still usually fail, so instead of spending anymore money on the latest weight loss fad, use common sense. No matter what type of diet you are on, the bottom line is that you need to burn more calories than you eat. So common sense will tell you that if you keep your calorie intake within a healthy range and do some exercise you should lose weight. There are some other things that you can do though to make losing weight easier and maintain a healthy and nutritious diet and this includes eating foods that give your metabolism a boost which helps you burn calories faster.

Some foods high on the list of foods that speed up metabolism are tuna, salmon and sardines. These foods are great sources of Omega-3 fatty acids and heart healthy fat and they also help to lower your levels of leptin. When your leptin hormones stay in a low range it is much easier to lose weight. So eating more fish will help to lose weight faster. If you don’t like fish then you can always take some fish oil supplements instead. Olive oil is also another good source of Omega-3 and monounsaturated fats to boost metabolism.

Some other fat burning foods are the hot and spicy types, like cayenne, habanero and jalapeno peppers. These peppers contain capsaicin which is the substance that makes them hot, it is also the substance that gives your metabolism a big boost for up to three hours after you eat. To get the most benefit from these fat burning foods you can choose lower-fat, good carb spicy dishes.

Whole grains are also great for speeding up the metabolism because they have a slow digestion rate and they keep your blood sugar levels even. Cinnamon is another food that has blood sugar regulating properties and can keep your metabolism running at a high speed. Then there are the protein rich foods like eggs, nuts, lean meats and beans that give your body the much needed protein that it needs to keep it running smoothly.

Water, although a beverage and not a food, will also assist on keeping your metabolism on high speed. When you are trying to lose weight it is important to keep up the recommended daily intake of water to keep your body operating at peek performance.

Forget about all the new fad diets around, just change your diet slightly to include some of these super metabolism foods, add some exercise to your routine and drink lots of water and I bet you will start to notice a difference in your weight very quickly.

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