Vegan Diets

Increasingly, people are concerned today about the health of the environment. Some are very concerned about the inappropriate treatment of farm animals. For many others, the concern is about their health and what changes they can make to promote a better quality of life. Because of these concerns, many are making the switch to a plant-based diet.

About two to three million adult Americans have chosen to go totally vegetarian and eliminate all animal products from their diet. If one eats only plant foods, are there really any additional health benefits? What about risks? The research studies point to a better quality of health for the total vegetarian, or vegan.

Although research studies on vegans are few in number, there are some things that have been clearly shown. It is observed that vegans are significantly thinner, their blood pressure levels are lower, and they have lower blood cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels than other vegetarians and much lower levels than those who eat meat (omnivores). These factors all translate into a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. The lower body weight would also be associated with a lower risk of cancer and diabetes.

These health advantages can be partly explained by the fact that vegan diets are richer in dietary fiber, higher in potassium and magnesium, folic acid, the antioxidant vitamins C and E, and the health-promoting phytochemicals. Fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts have all shown protective characteristics against the major chronic diseases.

Those who consume high levels of these plant foods show lower levels of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, and some cancers, compared with those who consume low levels of the plant foods. In addition, the use of spices such as turmeric, ginger, garlic, and onions to flavor food protects the consumer against cancer, stroke and heart disease.

Eliminating meat from the diet may not lower your saturated fat and cholesterol intake if a considerable use is made of milk, eggs and cheese. However, if one uses non-fat dairy products and egg whites (without the yolk), then the saturated fat and cholesterol intake will be considerably reduced. The dairy products can carry a slight risk of Listeriosis and Salmonella poisoning as well as allergies from milk protein and antibiotic residues in the milk. On the other hand, eggs carry a risk of salmonellosis and must be thoroughly cooked before consumption. The elderly, pregnant women and children are particularly vulnerable to improperly cooked eggs due to their partially compromised immune system.

Colon-Cleanse

There is a huge portion of the population that are trying to reach their weight-loss goals. Every weight-loss diet aims to reduce caloric intake and increase fat and calorie burn, but with that calorie reduction comes reduced vitamins and nutrients. The body must work optimally to digest food and absorb these nutrients in order to maintain a healthy and happy life. Colon-cleanse can be the perfect addition to any weight-loss diet.

Weight-loss requires the body to work in a perfect manner after the proper food choices are made from meal to meal. Once the food is digested, it is the intestines job to absorb the best parts of your new, healthy weight-loss diet. When food reaches the lower intestine, or colon, if old processed food is clogging up the colon, nutrients cannot be properly pulled from food. If the body is not getting what it needs from food, you will automatically feel hungry to meet the basic needs of the body.

Processed, fast and unhealthy foods are the worst choice for colon health. Man has created these foods within the last 100 years. While this seems like a long time, the human body takes far longer to adapt to new foods and consistent changes. The colon will continuously try to pull nutrients from these foods, but it can take much longer than absorption from natural, whole foods. The colon will store the foods until proper digestion can be completed and this can cause sludge on the walls of the intestine.

When weight-loss diet plans are started, the healthy foods should taste good and give the body all it needs to function. Instead, weight-loss attempts are halted because foods are pushed through the colon without proper digestion. The body notices a lack of healthy nutrients and feels hungry so more food will be consumed - so much for weight-loss.

Colon-cleanse works to remove the old sludge and stored foods on the walls of the colon. With a trusted colon-cleanse, five to seven days are all that is needed to remove the damage caused by those trips through the fast food window and increase the effectiveness of the colon. Many people, however, turn their nose up at colon-cleanse because they simply do not understand the exact process.

Colon-cleanse for weight-loss does not have to mean running to the bathroom every five minutes. Diarrhoea is not a side effect of healthy colon-cleanse products, so completing the colon-cleanse while starting a weight-loss diet cam improve weight-loss and happiness. Instead of pushing waste out of the body more quickly, colon-cleanse works to improve absorption and gently flush out the old food that is hindering the weight-loss diet goals.

Losing weight is all about having a healthy body and living life happily. Colon-cleanse is the proper complement to a healthy, weight-loss diet. Starting a new colon-cleanse regime today means giving you a leg up on weight-loss and dieting success.

Gourmet Chicken Dish (And It Is Great For Diabetics, Too)

If you are tired of serving chicken the same old ways, you need to try this easy Balsamic Chicken with Fruit and Nuts. The fruit is seedless grapes and the nuts are heart-healthy almonds. Turn yourself into a gourmet cook in a matter of minutes! If you have any diabetics in your family or among your group of friends, they can also enjoy this dish. See the diabetic instructions at the end of the recipe.

BALSAMIC CHICKEN BREASTS WITH FRUIT AND NUTS

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

2 tsp canola or extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup seedless grapes, halved

1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp brown sugar*

1/4 cup sliced plain almonds

Sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly over the chicken breasts. In a large nonstick skillet heat the canola or olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pan; stir in the grapes, chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, and Splenda brown sugar blend. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until reduced to about 1 cup (approximately 5 to 6 minutes). Return the chicken to the pan and cook another 3 to 5 minutes, turning to coat both sides, until chicken is cooked through. Serve by putting sauce over the chicken and sprinkling the almonds over the top.

Healthy Diet Plans

One of the most important things you have to understand about healthy eating is that it's more than the food on your plate. You have to start realizing how you think about food. You should begin thinking about food as nourishment as opposed to something you gobble up.

Another thing to consider is eating with others. Even though it doesn't sound like much, this habit constitutes several social and emotional benefits. This is especially true for kids, because you can model healthy eating habits. Eating at the dinner table as opposed to being in front of a television will keep them from mindless overeating.

It's also important to chew your food instead of swallowing it whole. Take your time because I promise you that the food isn't going anywhere. The slower you eat and savor each bit, the easier it will be for the body to digest it accordingly.

Make sure you listen to your body as well. Are you really hungry or are you bored and just feel the need to do something? When you feel this way just grab a glass of water and see if you're thirsty. You can also stop eating before you actually feel full. It's important to remember that your brain is a little delayed when it tells the body it's had enough, so eat slower.

We also recommend eating a healthy breakfast and smaller meals throughout the day. Those who have healthy breakfasts can enjoy a nice boost in their metabolism. Plus, when you mix this in with the smaller meals throughout the day it keeps your energy up and your metabolism burning.

Don't forget to grab some fruits and veggies throughout the day. The brighter they are the better off your nutrients will be. Then of course you have to consider that fruits and vegetables are really the foundation of your healthy diet. Why? Well, they are low in calories and have a plethora of nutrients. We recommend that you add these in to every meal and whenever a snack craving comes grab one or the other. They can help protect against various cancers and other diseases The fruits and vegetables that are darker in color have higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. What it comes down to is it's important to know what colors offer what benefits. Here is a little information to help you:

Greens: When you eat lettuce, spinach, asparagus, green beans, or any other greens, they're packed with all kinds of vitamins and minerals. Whether its calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, or vitamins A, C, E, and K, each one of them strengthen your blood and respiratory systems. The more adventurous you are with your greens, the more apt you are to eating them.

Sweet Vegetables: Don't be afraid to add corn, carrots, beets, yams, winter squash or even onions. Just by adding these to your meals can reduce your craving for sweets.

Fruit: When you eat plenty of fruit you get tons of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Take for instance various berries that help fight cancer, oranges and mangos are great for vitamin C, etc., etc.

You should also eat healthier carbs and whole grains. This gives you much more energy throughout the day. They also have phytochemicals and antioxidants that help to protect you against coronary heart disease, various cancers, and even diabetes. Over the years studies have shown that having a good amount of whole grains provide for a healthier heart.

WATER

With today's diet you will notice every diet recommends that you drink water. Almost two quarts to be exact and usually this is not enough. Because if you are obese you need to drink about eight ounces of water for every twenty five pounds that you are over your ideal weight. This amount of water does not matter whether you pop diet pills, supplements, shakes go on a low cal or low fat diet. No matter what the diet or supplement water should be a major part of the diet.

Most people no matter what there weight usually do not drink enough water. Most people feel that any liquid qualifies and this is not true. Diet pops have no sugar but they contain chemical sweeteners that contain fewer calories but start teaching the body to start to become addictive to the empty calories that it can provide. The chemicals will also start the body craving sugar until it becomes an automatic response when you have a diet pop.

There have been a couple of different studies that have suggested that by consuming diet soda, sport drinks,alcoholic beverages, juices, teas and coffee you set your body up for a food binge. When drinking these different but like drinks, the body waits for more calories to follow and be consumed. This is the sweet response that happens when you consume the different drinks. The body will react when it does not receive more calories after consuming these drinks by encouraging it to eat more to compensate for the calories it did not receive. Water changes all of this.

Water is something the body needs and responds to. Most people are dehydrated and do not know or understand this. Many headaches are a result from not enough water in the body. There are many indicators from headaches to a very dark color in your urine. The water provides many useful and necessary chores within the body. Water will help the body and especially the kidneys flush toxins that are a result from exercising and your diet. The more water you drink in a day the easier and more efficient your kidneys. Your metabolism will slow down without enough water and you want this working at peak efficiency.

The brain does not differentiate between hunger and thirst and many times those hunger pangs are in actuality a cry for more clear liquid, water. You will rarely drink to much water but most of us do not drink enough. Water in any diet is a natural appetite suppressant and why most supplements require you to drink a glass a water shortly before eating your meal. Most people that do this may attribute the lack of hunger or the loss of some weight to the supplement but in reality it comes from the water. Yes the people that market the supplement and write the information that is on the side of the boxes do know this. If you took a dietary supplement, these people understand that the success of their product depends on you drinking a full glass of water before taking their product.

Save the money and drink more water. Water will allow your body to cleanse itself from the burning of calories and help keep the toxins from doing damage to your body. Water will help your metabolism work efficiently and to its full capacity. By the drinking of the proper amounts of water your kidneys will work more efficiently and allow your liver to be free to increase it's fat burning abilities. When in doubt drink water as it has nothing harmful to your body in it. By drinking cold water you will increase the burning of calories as your body needs to warm the water so it can be used. This heating of the water needs to use energy to warm the water. So drink plenty of water and even when you think you have drank enough drink one more as water will do more to help you to lose weight than any other food you can eat or drink. So sit down and kick back and enjoy some cold and clear water.

Best Way To Lose Weight

Tip 1: The first thing that can help you to lose weight is your eating habits. Right now you probably eat a couple of large meals every day, and this is bad. When trying to lose weight you want to keep your meals smaller in size and more frequent, such as five to six small meals a day.

Also, it is important to look at what you are eating. Fatty, greasy food is not going to help you lose weight anytime soon. You need to make sure you are eating a good balance of healthy food. Curb the fast food and begin making dinner at home or going to a healthy restaurant. You will begin losing weight if you start eating correctly.

Tip 2: Exercise, exercise, exercise. It cannot be said enough. Changing your eating habits will only get you so far. In order to lose weight you need to be exercising daily. Exercising may sound hard, but you do not even need to put that much into it.

A jog through the park, swimming in a pool, or bicycling around the block are all great ways to get the exercise you need and you do not even need to spend that much time doing them, just 15 minutes a day!ip 3: Change your daily habits. Instead of driving up and down the parking lot looking for the closest spot possible, park a little bit from the door and walk in. Avoid taking the elevator when you are only going up a couple of floors. There are many things in our daily live that we can change that will positively affect losing weight.

Tip 4: Vitamins are important when dieting. Depending on what foods you are giving up and what foods you are beginning to eat, you may be losing out on nutrients. Taking vitamins regularly gives your body the nutrients it needs to function properly.

Tip 5: One thing that is important to losing weight is getting sleep. A function at its best your body needs eight hours of sleep. You cannot expect to lose any weight when your body is slacking because of lack of sleep.

Weight loss is tough, and it is something that you must be fully committed towards. Follow the tips in this article for the best way to lose weight.

weight reduce

You know that you have to eat less in order to lose weight. But it is difficult to change your old habits, isn't it? Not anymore .... Here are tips which show you how to eat less and still enjoy your meals.



Slow, Mindful Eating:

We have become accustomed to do things mindlessly. We don't pay attention while doing thing. The same is true for eating. We are absorbed in our thoughts and mindlessly put food down our throats. This results in eating more while at the same time we don't derive much pleasure from it.



In order to eat less, you have to become mindful while eating. Concentrate on eating and don't think of other things. Don't discuss important business matters over meals. Set aside separate time just for meals. It should not be difficult to find 15-20 minutes for lunch or dinner, is it?



While eating, focus on the food in the plate. Notice the smells and the look of it. Chew the food slowly and keep it in your mouth for sometime before swallowing it. All this will make you enjoy the food more and you will eat less than you normally do. Try it out for a few days - however let me tell you that it is not so easy at first.



Eat Less, More Frequently:

Cut down on your meal size. Big meals will put a lot of burden on the stomach and digestive system. You will feel sleepy after having a big meal. It will make you feel lazy. It is not good for weight loss.



Try having smaller meals. Instead of 3 big meals, why not try 4-6 smaller meals per day. This can be good for your metabolism rate and digestion. Smaller meals can be digested easily and quickly. You will not feel lazy or sleepy after a small sized meal. Having frequent, small meals will prevent you from feeling hungry. Thus you can avoid eating junk food or unhealthy snacks. Very soon, you may develop more control over your eating habits.



Eat Less Sugar:

Reduce sugar intake if you want to be healthy and lose weight. Sugar cravings might lead to overeating or binging on junk food.



To reduce sugar intake, keep a sugar diary for a few days. Note down anything sweet that you eat during the day in your diary. Do this for a few days and you can immediately realize how much sugar you have been eating and how you can cut down on it.



Another good tip is to replace the sugared soft drinks with plain water. This will also make a big difference. The soft drinks contain a lot of sugar which we are taking in without even realizing it.



Eat Salad Before Meals:

This is a great trick to eat less. Eating vegetables before the main meal will help in filling up your stomach fast. So you will not eat much. Vegetables are low in calories but high in nutrition.



The fiber contained in the vegetables will help in keeping the digestive tract working properly. Eating lots of fresh vegetables is very good for health and fitness.