Good Fat, Bad Fat....

The body needs certain healthy fats to construct cell membranes, insulate nerves, and ensure that many vitamins, like D and K, work like they’re supposed to.

But not all fats are good for you; some, in the wrong amounts, can seriously damage your health.

Types of Healthy Fats
 
Dietary fats fall into three categories:

Saturated fats. Animals are the primary source of saturated fats, with high levels found in beef and full-fat dairy products and medium levels in poultry and eggs. Some vegetable oils, such as palm oil, also contain a lot of saturated fat....

Unsaturated fats. These good fats are what you should eat the most of as part of a heart-healthy diet. There are two types of unsaturated fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Pecans, hazelnuts, almonds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, peanut oil, and canola oil have high concentrations of monounsaturated fats. Fish, flax seeds, flaxseed oils, corn oil, soybean oil, and sunflower oil contain polyunsaturated fats....

Trans fats. These are the fats you may want most but shouldn’t have. Most unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. To make them solid, food manufacturers add extra hydrogen, making it a “hydrogenated,” or trans, fat. The highest levels of trans fats are found in baked goods, animal products, and margarine...


To learn more... click here.

Rules for Faster Weight Loss

Fiber - Eat at least 20 grams of fiber per day from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Fiber helps keep you feeling full longer. Each gram of fiber eaten correlated to 1/2 pound less body weight. The researchers suspect that the higher fiber intake led to a reduction in total calories over time.

Calcium & Vitamin D - Strive for three servings of calcium- and vitamin D-rich foods a day. These nutrients often occur together in foods, especially dairy. Calcium and vitamin D work together in your body, primarily to strengthen your bones. But if the latest research is any indication, both of these nutrients may flex some muscle in your weight loss success.

Good Fats - These include monounsaturated fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids, found in oils, nuts, avocados, certain fish—and yes, even chocolate! Eat three to four servings daily.

Protein - Aim for three servings of lean protein (such as fish, white meat chicken and turkey, pork loin chops, and lean beef sirloin) per day. In addition to being an essential nutrient, protein helps to keep you feeling full longer.

Green Tea- Sip at least 3 cups of green tea every day. Catechins, the weight loss antioxidants found in high amounts in green tea, have been shown to be helpful in promoting, specifically belly fat. If caffeine is a concern, decaf tea is an option. Some decaffeination processes, however, can lower the antioxidant content so you might want to have an extra cup or two.

The rest of the 6 rules of Nutrition...

Continuing from yesterday...

4. Drink responsibly - Too many of us keep in mind the adage “watch what you eat,” and we forget another serious threat to our health: We don’t watch what we drink! In fact, according to research from the Univ. of NC, Americans now slurp up nearly 25% of their calories in liquid form—nearly double the rate we used to drink just 20 years ago. One study found that sweetened beverages constituted more than half (51%) of all beverages consumed by fourth- through sixth-grade students. The students who consumed the most sweetened beverages took in approximately 330 extra calories per day, and on average they ate less than half the amount of real fruit than did their peers who drank unsweetened or lightly sweetened beverages. One important strategy is to keep cold, filtered water in a pitcher in the fridge. You might even want to keep some cut-up limes, oranges, or lemons nearby for kids to flavor their own water with. Also be careful of the "fruit juices" you buy - the calories and sugar can be more than a soft drink.

5. Eat more fruits and veggies, less science experiments! - Here’s a rule of healthy eating that will serve you well when picking out foods for your family: The shorter the ingredients list, the healthier the food. (One of the worst foods we’ve ever found, the Baskin-Robbins Heath Shake, has 73 ingredients—and, by the way, a whopping 2,310 calories and more than 3 days’ worth of saturated fat! The FDA maintains a list of more than 3,000 ingredients that are considered safe to eat, but we’ve found reasons for concern for a number of the additives on that long list, and any one of them could wind up in your next box of mac ’n’ cheese.

6. Set the Table - Children in families with more structured mealtimes exhibit healthier eating habits. Among middle- and high-school girls, those whose families ate together only once or twice per week were more than twice as likely to exhibit weight control issues, compared with those who ate together three or four times per week. While we can’t always bring the family together like the Cleavers, we can make some positive steps in that direction. One busy family I know keeps Sunday night dinner sacred—no social plans, no school projects, no extra work brought home from the office. Even keeping the family ritual just once a week gives parents the opportunity to point out what is and isn’t healthy at the dinner table.

6 rules of nutrition

These rules aren't just for those of us trying to lose weight. These are rules to encourage HEALTHY HABITS for the whole family. Here's the first 3...

1. Never skip breakfast - it would seem to make sense that skipping breakfast means eating fewer calories, which means weighing less. But it doesn't work that way. People who eat breakfast tend to have higher total calorie intakes throughout the day, but they also get significantly more fiber, calcium, and other micronutrients than skippers do. Breakfast eaters also tended to consume less soda and French fries and more fruits, vegetables, and milk. Breakfast eaters were approximately 30 percent less likely to be overweight or obese. (Think about that—people who eat breakfast eat more food, but weigh less!)
   
   
2. Snack with Purpose - There’s a big difference between mindless munching and strategic snacking. Snacking with purpose means reinforcing good habits, keeping your metabolic rate high, and filling the gaps between meals with the nutrients your child’s body craves.
   
   
3. Beware of Portion Distortion - Snack portions aren’t the only things that have increased wildly in size. Since 1977, hamburgers have increased by 97 calories, French fries by 68 calories, and Mexican foods by 133 calories, according to analysis of the Nationwide Food Consumption Survey. One easy way to short-circuit this growing trend? Buy smaller bowls and cups. A recent study at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center in Houston, Texas, shows that 5- and 6-year-old children will consume a third more calories when presented with a larger portion. The findings are based on a sample of 53 children who were served either 1- or 2-cup portions of macaroni and cheese.
   
   Google portion control and you will find great information and even tools you can use! This plate gives you a better idea of what your plate should look like. Here's the website where you can buy this plate: www.stepscount.com/Merchant2
   

Stay tuned tomorrow the remaining 3 rules....

All About Berries

All About Berries

All whole fruits are excellent sources of nutrients, but berries stand out from the pack. Fresh berries can give your memory a boost as well as protect your body against cancer and heart disease.

Berries contain antioxidants such as anthocyanin, which has triple the power of vitamin C and is known to block cancer-causing damage and the effects of many age-related diseases.

Fresh berries are better than dried if you're watching your weight, because the fresh berries' water content makes them more filling, and the vitamins are at their peak when the berries are freshly picked.

Strawberries rank with oranges in terms of vitamin C content and are a real immunity booster. Other great choices are raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries.

Why Small Meals Work
Over time, conventional wisdom changed from "eat three square meals a day" to "graze on small frequent meals." Some nutritionists say meal frequency doesn't matter and others even believe a single daily meal is okay as long as your total daily calorie intake isn't too high. But that's just not how the human body works.

Let's say you eat the right number of calories, but you cram them all into one sitting late at night. That's like trying to drive your car on empty all day then filling the gas tank after it's parked in the garage. The difference is your car will stall without fuel, whereas your body must keep going. To compensate for not being fed, your body can conserve energy (i.e. burn fewer calories) and dip into its back-up reserves, namely muscle, which can be converted into blood sugar to keep your brain and working cells fueled.

This "survival mode" is how humans have adapted throughout time, but it's not ideal. Going all day without eating means the "jobs" nutrients do don't get done, because the "workers" (namely carbs, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants) don't show up. Ideally, your body prefers a steady stream of these precious nutrients through your waking hours, in the right balance (not too much, not too little). That balance feels best physically and mentally, and intuitively it just makes sense.

Don't drink your caloies...

There's a reason why water should be your beverage of choice. If you're a soda drinker, the number of extra calories you collect every day can be staggering. One contestant on the Biggest Loser Ranch sat down with the nutritionist and calculated a typical day of drinking soda and sweet tea:

• 4.5 sweet teas: 653 calories, 441 mg caffeine
• 7.5 regular 20-ounce soft drinks: 1999 calories, 578 mg caffeine

Total per Day
Calories: 2,652
Caffeine: 1018.5 mg (equal to 7.5 cups of coffee)
Sugar: 3.5 cups

He had consumed 1.4 times his daily calorie budget at the ranch from beverages alone!

Revamp Veggies

* One secret is blanching, a technique common among Asian cooks. Steam vegetables for 30 to 60 seconds, then remove them from the heat and drop them in cold water. "That stops the strong flavors from developing". Stir-frying also preserves flavor by cooking quickly.

* If you don't like the taste of many vegetables, soup may be your best solution: Most soups cook for so long that the vegetable flavors mellow and weaken, while the seasonings become more pronounced.

* You can also sneak grated carrots or zucchini into muffins and breads—and even meat loaf. Next time you make a meat loaf, after you add your usual 1 cup of bread crumbs and an egg, throw in 1 cup of grated vegetables: Onions, zucchini, mushrooms, or even green beans will be virtually undetectable, even to you. While the longer baking time breaks down some nutritive value, minerals and vitamins stay in the casserole, and veggies make for a moister meat loaf.

* Heart-healthy oils like olive oilcan go far in helping you love your veggies. When fat binds with seasonings and spices, it can transform vegetables from a duty-diet item to something downright yummy. Try drizzling olive oil, salt, and pepper on a baking sheet of broccoli and bake in the oven at around 375 F about 40 minutes—it's delicious!

More Healthy Foods...

Oatmeal – Fiber rich oats are even healthier than the FDA thought when it first stamped them with a heart disease–reducing seal 10 years ago. According to new research, they can also cut your risk of type 2 diabetes. When Finnish researchers tracked 4,316 men and women over the course of 10 years, they found that people who ate the highest percentage of cereal fiber were 61% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

To reap the benefits, eat 1/2 cup daily—preferably unsweetened. For a versatile breakfast, top with different combinations of fruit, yogurt, and nuts. You can also use oats to coat fish or chicken or add texture to meatballs.

Flaxseed - Flaxseed is the most potent plant source of omega-3 fats. Studies indicate that adding flaxseed to your diet can reduce the development of heart disease by 46%—it helps keep red blood cells from clumping together and forming clots that can block arteries. It may also reduce breast cancer odds. In one study, women who ate 10 g of flaxseed (about 1 rounded tablespoon) every day for 2 months had a 25% improvement in the ratio of breast cancer–protective to breast cancer–promoting chemicals in their blood.

Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of flaxseed a day on your cereal, salad, or yogurt. Buy it preground, and keep it refrigerated.

Olive oil - Olive oil is full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats (MUFAs), which lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and raise “good” HDL cholesterol. It’s rich in antioxidants, which may help reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases, like Alzheimer’s.

Look for extra virgin oils for the most antioxidants and flavor. Drizzle small amounts on veggies before roasting; use it to sauté or stir-fry, in dressings and marinades, and to flavor bread at dinner in lieu of a layer of butter or margarine.

Ridiculously Healthy Foods....

Eggs - Egg yolks are home to tons of essential but hard-to-get nutrients, including choline, which is linked to lower rates of breast cancer (one yolk supplies 25% of your daily need) and antioxidants that may help prevent macular degeneration and cataracts. Though many of us have shunned whole eggs because of their link to heart disease risk, there’s actually substantial evidence that for most of us, eggs are not harmful but healthy.

People with heart disease should limit egg yolks to two a week, but the rest of us can have one whole egg daily; research shows it won’t raise your risk of heart attack or stroke. Make omelets with one whole egg and two whites, and watch cholesterol at other meals.

Yogurt - Yogurt is a great way to get calcium, and it’s also rich in immune-boosting bacteria. But next time you hit the yogurt aisle, pick up the Greek kind—compared with regular yogurt, it has twice the protein (and 25% of women over 40 don’t get enough). Look for fat-free varieties like Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt (90 calories and 15 g of protein per 5.3-ounce serving).

Beans - It’s hard to imagine a more perfect food than beans. One cooked cupful can provide as much as 17 g fiber. They're also loaded with protein and dozens of key nutrients, including a few most women fall short on—calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Studies tie beans to a reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and breast and colon cancers.

The latest dietary guidelines recommend consuming at least 3 cups of beans a week—3 times the measly 1 cup we usually get. Keep your cupboards stocked with all kinds: black, white, kidney, fat-free refried, etc. Use them in salads, stuffed baked potatoes, and veggie chili or pureed for sandwich spreads.

More to come tomorrow....