The south beach diet is one of the most popular diets in the health industry right now; however there are many people that are looking for information about south beach diet snacks. A lot of people that have been trying this diet dont have the proper information. For those of you that are unaware of how this diet works, allow me to explain. The basic idea of the diet is to replace bad fats and carbohydrates with good ones. The foods that you will consume during the diet consist of chicken, beef, turkey, fish, shellfish, eggs, cheese, nuts, and vegetables.

The basic routine other that the south beach diet snacks includes three meals a day. These meals can be made out of a combination of the above mentioned foods and should be in portions that are recommended for your age, weight, and body type. The diet also says you can consume garden salad with the meals but the salad dressing must only be 100% olive oil. However, on top of the three meals a day the diet also says to consume a snack in between each of the meals. It also says to have dessert after dinner.

A lot of people that have got guides from the internet were ill-informed and didnt know that they should be having snacks on top of the three meals a day. This is really important to the success of the diet and should be followed strictly. This is why there was such a big demand for snack options, suggestions, and just general information about south beach diet snacks.

Due to the fact that there is such a demand for information on south beach diet snacks, we have decided to put together the following tips to help you better understand why these snacks are so important to the diet. We will also show you some options that you have for these snacks.

The reason that these snacks are so crucial to the diet is because, unlike other diets, the south beach diet works by training your body to crave healthy foods instead of unhealthy ones. In order to do this you need to consume a lot of food. This is why the snacks in between meals are so important.

A lot of people are unsure what types of foods they should be eating for their snacks as well as what size portion they should be eating. This is perhaps one of the biggest flaws that a lot of the online guides have; they fail to supply this type of information. South beach diets should be made up of any of the foods that are allowed during phase 1. The portion size of these snacks should roughly be a quarter of the size of your recommended lunch portion, if not less. Its important to remember that snacks shouldnt make you full. If you are finding that you are not able to finish your meals, you should reduce the portion of the snack accordingly.

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Studies have shown that people who wake up every morning and eat breakfast weigh less than those who consistently start their day without proper fuel for their bodies. If you want to lose weight quickly, then you must get into a proper routine. Wake up, start the day with a glass of water, and then eat a nutritious breakfast before heading out the door.

But how can you lose weight quickly if you start to eat breakfast? You have probably been told time and time again that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Your parents and your school teachers were all telling you the truth. It is!

The word breakfast means break the fast. When you sleep, you are fasting for a period of anywhere from seven to ten hours. Once you wake, you need to give your body the necessary fuel. Think of it in comparison to a car. It won’t run without gas, right?

Your body is the same way. You need to feed it and by so doing, you can lose weight quickly. Not only will this allow you to maintain a stable healthy weight, but eating breakfast also allows the body to feel full and it promotes proper metabolic function. All of this is crucial to starting the day off right as it lends itself to giving you the energy and brain power you need to accomplish what you need to do in the run of a busy day.

Another important point in relation to weight is that individuals who eat breakfast consistently are much less likely to overeat throughout the day, eat late at night or to snack on unhealthy foods unnecessarily.

What makes a nutritious breakfast is the next question. In order to remember what to eat, you need to think eat 1-2-3 energy. You require one serving of protein, two servings of fruit, and three servings of grain. Excellent choices of protein include eggs, low fat milk, peanut butter, yogurt and cheese.

Fruit ensures that you start the day with the vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates that you need. Fruit also helps to stave off dehydration and it prevents constipation from setting in. Oatmeal is an excellent breakfast food for those looking to lose weight. Oatmeal is a bulk dense food that slows down the digestive process, thereby making it possible for a person to feel fuller for a longer span of time. Oatmeal is also excellent for soaking up cholesterol in the blood stream.

Fiber is also important as a means of losing weight quickly. Fiber should be an important part of breakfast. Fiber keeps the digestive system running smoothly and helps the bowels to do their job. Choose high fiber cereal and whole grain breads. It is also best to choose fresh fruit over fruit juice. If fresh fruit is pricey, buy frozen fruit. Steer clear of canned fruit as these are loaded with sugar. Wheat germ and flax meal can be sprinkled over cereal, oatmeal or yogurt for an extra helping of fiber.

An excellent choice for breakfast would be to eat two slices of whole grain bread with a tablespoon of peanut butter and a glass of orange juice. On a day that you are in a rush, health can still be a priority. Choose a bowl of high fiber cereal or oatmeal, a banana and a glass of skim or one percent milk.

You need to look at your eating habits carefully. If breakfast is not important to you, then it is time to readjust your priorities, so you can lose weight quickly.

Tags: Brain Power, Breakfast Food, bulk dense food, Busy Day, Carbohydrates, Cheese, Choices, constipation;, dehydration;, Eggs, energy;, Glass Of Water, Important Point, Losing Weight, Low Fat Milk, Metabolic Function, Nutritious Breakfast, Peanut Butter, Proper Fuel, Protein, School Teachers, Snack, Unhealthy Foods, Vitamins Minerals, Yogurt —

Living a Healthy Life!
Nettie Mae

People are obsessed with dieting and weight loss! Don’t believe me? Just tune-in to any source of advertising…you’re instantly bombarded with the latest diet schemes and “Hollywood” food fads.

Here in America, we have built a thriving industry trying to control our weight and treat the consequences of over-indulgence. The cost of weight loss and obesity related health care treatments is staggering…Americans alone spend around $114 billion every year! And even with all this interest in losing weight, we continue to pack on the pounds like never before…

– A whopping 64 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese…up about eight percent from earlier estimates.

– Among children and teens ages 6-19, 15 percent or almost nine million are overweight…triple the rate in 1980!

– Nearly one-third of all adults are now classified as obese.

For Americans, modern life may be getting TOO easy. Our cushy lifestyle means we expend less energy and consequently need fewer calories to sustain our normal body weight.

Think about it for a moment…

Entertainment no longer requires energy expenditure. In fact, it’s usually quite the opposite. We now entertain ourselves in the comfort of our own home while watching TV and munching on our favorite snack. Whether it’s television, computers, remote controls, or automobiles, we are moving less and burning fewer calories. Common activities that were once a part of our normal routine have disappeared…activities like climbing stairs, pushing a lawn mower or walking to get somewhere.

And please do not misunderstand me…I appreciate comfortable living just as much as the next person. But, here is the problem…

With all of our modern day conveniences and “cushy” style of living we have not adjusted our caloric intake to compensate for our decreased caloric expenditure. We consume more calorie rich and nutrient deficient foods than ever before. Consider a few of the following examples comparing what we eat “today” vs the 1970’s (U.S. Department of Agriculture survey):

– We are currently eating more grain products, but almost all of them are refined grains (white bread, etc.). Grain consumption has jumped 45 percent since the 1970’s, from 138 pounds of grains per person per year to 200 pounds! Only 2 percent of the wheat flour is consumed as whole wheat.

– Our consumption of fruits and vegetables has increased, but only because French fries and potato chips are included as vegetables. Potato products account for almost a third of our “produce” choices.

– We’re drinking less milk, but we’ve more than doubled our cheese intake. Cheese now outranks meat as the number one source of saturated fat in our diets.

– We’ve cut back on red meat, but have more than made up for the loss by increasing our intake of chicken (battered and fried), so that overall, we’re eating 13 pounds more meat today than we did back in the 1970’s.

– We’re drinking three times more carbonated soft drinks than milk, compared to the 1970’s, when milk consumption was twice that of pop.

– We use 25 percent less butter, but pour twice as much vegetable oil on our food and salads, so our total added fat intake has increased 32 percent.

– Sugar consumption has been another cause of our expanding waistlines. Sugar intake is simply off the charts. People are consuming roughly twice the amount of sugar they need each day, about 20 teaspoons on a 2000 calorie/day diet. The added sugar is found mostly in junk foods, such as pop, cake, and cookies. In 1978, the government found that sugars constituted only 11 percent of the average person’s calories. Now, this number has ballooned to 16 percent for the average American adult and as much as 20 percent for American teenagers!

Unfortunately, it would seem that the days of wholesome and nutritious family dinners are being replaced by fast food and eating on-the-run. We have gradually come to accept that it’s “OK” to sacrifice healthy foods for the sake of convenience and that larger serving portions equate to better value.

It’s time recognize that we are consuming too many calories and time to start doing something about it! Each of us can decide TODAY that healthy eating and exercise habits WILL become a normal part of our life!

We can begin by exploring our values, thoughts and habits… slowly and deliberately weed-out the unhealthy habits and activities and start living a more productive and rewarding life. And remember, it has taken a long time to develop bad habits, so be patient as you work toward your goal!
About the Author

Sick and tired of being Sick and Tired, Nettie Mae quit her 3rd shift factory job. To see what keeps her going, visit http://www.frutavida4u.com/nettiemae/.

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Proven Solutions To Winter Weight Gain And How To Lose It

Did you know winter weight gain may be the biggest enemy you have in your battle to keep your weight down? You may be one of those that really pack the pounds on during the winter. Have you ever asked yourself why it happens to you? Well actually there are several things that can cause this unsightly weight gain. However, you can take steps to help lessen the chance of putting the extra pounds on.

One of the biggest contributing factors can be winter boredom. Chances are you decrease your activities during the winter months; especially the outdoor ones. This can be due to the shorter daylight hours.

Recent studies have shown that when physical activities are reduced you tend to get bored. The same studies indicate boredom causes many people to eat more than they normally would. And if you are like so many others you will tend to snack on comfort food.

Unfortunately much of todays comfort food is not good for our overall health much less our waist line. If you must snack out of boredom you should be extremely careful to make sure your snacks or healthy. It would be a good idea to keep veggies, fruits and nuts around. The lower the calorie counts the less chances you will have winter weight gain.

Some scientist place the blame of cold season weight gain on our ancestral blood lines. These same folks think some of your pre-historic relatives may have had to pack on the fat just to stay alive during the cold months. In turn this same need created a desire for food that would add the extra fat quickly and easily. Today we call that loading up on the calories.

Furthermore these scientists also believe your relatives also piled on the extra calories because of the fear of the food spoiling. And of course the food spoilage would cause shortages before the coldest part of the winter was over. The need for survival was to add the fat, just like some animals do for survival.

But you dont have to let this needling of Need Meat, Need Meat control you. A chain around the refrigerator will do just fine; thank you very much. Seriously you can over come this inherited need (if that is what it is) by remembering you live in a warm friendly environment and the grocery store is just around the corner. Thus you dont have to eat everything in sight just to stay warm and survive.

But lets face it; you know darn good and well you tend not to exercise as much during the winter. Its much easier to come home in the evening and throw yourself down in the recliner and catch some TV time. Well, friend you just compounded your winter weight gain by a factor of 2 or more.

No matter what else you do you have to get some exercise. If the weather is to bad to go outside and walk, use the stairs in your office building. Go to the gym for lunch instead of to the cafeteria. Do what ever you to do to keep your metabolism up to burn those extra calories.

As you can see there are many things that can cause you to jump up to 2 pants size larger during the winter months. However, if you take some of the steps mentioned above it will help control your winter weight gain and make it easier to lose when the warmer months roll around.

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