Healthy Foods For Healthy Children

Posted on 08 December 2009 by Summer


Sometimes in our busy workaday life it’s hard to make sure we are keeping our family and children healthy and supplying them with all the nutrition they need to grow into healthy, well balanced adults. With so much going on in our day to day lives, the temptation to rely on prepackaged quick meals, lunch cafeteria choices, and other less wholesome lunches is hard to resist. However, there are so many good reasons to make sure kids eat fresh, all natural foods as often as possible.

These days it seems like there are new health risks facing our children every day. More and more young people are being prescribed medications for all sorts of illnesses from physical to mental to emotional. These powerful medications are not always 100% successful, and often come with a hefty price tag of dangerous side effects. Yet we neglect the basic building blocks of life…the foods we eat.

It is well known that healthy foods such as whole grains, fresh organic vegetables, all natural foods and unprocessed ingredients are much better in every way. They keep the body clean and in proper working order, prevent illness and disease, extend life expectancy and combat the symptoms of old age, promote healing and recovery faster and more thoroughly and a whole range of other benefits.

Maintaining a healthy diet and good nutrition is especially important for children. Kids are still growing and developing, and the body uses a lot of fuel during these stages. Young people tend to be more active as well, and require the proper kind of fuel to maintain the constant on-the-go lifestyle of many youngsters. A lot of energy is burned by a child out playing in the woods, running in the yard, riding a bicycle and playing all the sports and activities that kids do

Children are also students, and in this span of years they do a lot of learning and emulating and also at this time habits are formed that may stay with them for the rest of their lives. All natural menus and organic recipes are one way to help your kids maintain the energy and attention span needed to achieve the most they can in academics. It seems that many children today live on diets that are full of things such as artificial ingredients, highly processed refined sugars and ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup. Then we wonder why they can’t sit still and concentrate in class.

Middle schools and high schools around the country have also taken to the strange practice of allowing fast food chains that serve meals devoid of nutritious value to our young people to occupy space on campuses or in the schools themselves. Fast food chains such as these offer breakfast, lunch and dinner foods, and many young people are relying on these places for two and sometimes three of their meals a day. Ice cream, candy, soda and other types of snacks and junk food are often made available to students in the stores of the school itself. How can we expect to make the right choice when it comes to nutrition with such temptations available to them?

Teaching children to respect good nutrition from the start is one way to ensure that your children will appreciate the benefits of a healthy diet and natural lifestyle. When a young person learns about the value of organic foods, all natural recipes and healthy diets, they have a chance to get excited about it and carry on the habits into adulthood
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Healthy Organic Food Vs Unhealthy Processed Food

Posted on 08 December 2009 by Summer


Think about your present food habits. Are you 100% sure the food you send to your belly is actually beneficial for your body? The food you eat is healthy if you can say for sure that the food supplies all the necessary nutrients to your body and doesn’t leave wastes in your body and making your body vulnerable to the attack of diseases of various kinds.

People in the western world think organic farming is something unnatural and comes from outside the world. Applying farming techniques like sprays tons of pesticides, dumping chemical fertilizers, and applying chemicals for quick and uniform ripening of apples as normal natural methods of farming. Not to blame them, because they have been conditioned and accustomed to such farming techniques since more than 150 years ago.

Now we need to have a critical thinking about which techniques are natural farming techniques and which are not. Well, have a look at how plants grow in forests. There is no one to protect any single flowering or fruiting plant or to remove some plants that we label pests. How? It is the law of nature to let the most survivable or healthy plants and animals in tact. The leaves, flowers, fruits and roots of such plants form the food of several animals. The basic unit of food chain is healthy growing plants.

Now, can you say the plants we grow in farms by applying tons of chemicals healthy? Take two fruits – say apples. One plucked freshly from the forest and one from the farm. Leave them open in a place for a few days. Observe the fruits closely. You will find the apple that you plucked from the wilderness stays as such for at least a week more than the apple that is chemically conditioned.

Take another example. You may have taken seedless watermelon, seedless grape fruits, etc in the past. Does seedless variety of fruits occur naturally? No. They are results of genetic recombination or at least unnatural methods of pollination. Such artificial fruits lack reproductive capacity at the first place. A major disadvantage you can see by yourself.

Now have a look at organic food. Organic food need not be produced in your backyard, but can come from any farm where no chemicals are applied and the plants chosen for cultivation are free from genetic recombination, mutation or otherwise artificial methods to induce character changes in plants
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Healthy Foods to Lose Body Fat and Belly Flab

Posted on 08 December 2009 by Summer


If you want to lose body fat in general or belly flab in particular, the most important thing is to watch what you eat. Your nutrition is the no. 1 fact or which determines how much fat your body will retain and how much energy you have in which to work it off or function as best you can during your day.

So, what are the healthy foods you need to eat to lose body fat and burn belly flab?

1. Fruits and vegetables – Beside being rich in vitamins which are super-healthy and antioxidants which delay the aging process, fruits and vegetables are good for your digestive system and also serve as the perfect snack. In fact, by becoming accustomed to eating fruit and vegetables you’ll be better able to cut off unhealthy and fattening candy and snack bars.

2. Complex carbs – Carbs aren’t the enemy when it comes to losing fat. In fact, carbs are an essential part of any diet, but if you want to burn off body fat and lose belly flab, you need to eat the right ones. The best carbs are complex ones like whole grains, wild rice, flax seeds, whole flour bread and pastas, and yams. Eating the right carbs will help you to avoid feeling bloated, heavy, or tired, and will provide you with a sustained and high level of energy.

3. Among the healthy foods you need to eat to lose weight are good fats. And indeed, fats are an essential part of your diet. Good fats can be found in almonds, flax seeds, coconut oil, and virgin olive oil.

4. Lean protein - Protein is necessary for muscle development and is crucial for your health. However, there are lean sources of protein like turkey, chicken breast, tuna fish, and egg whites, which are much better than other, fatter, sources of protein like beef.

Eat these foods and you’ll have an easier time to burn body and belly fat
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Some Great Healthy Food Choices at Fast Food Restaurants

Posted on 07 December 2009 by Summer


Because there are not too many fast food restaurants that offer that many healthy choices on their menus, it seems like we are always stuck eating somewhere fast and unhealthy because we have not planned well enough and ran out of time. So since it is almost inevitable, how do we make the most out of a fast food meal without putting on the pounds?

The great thing is that many fast food restaurant chains are now required to post calorie information on their menu boards. This now makes it much easier for you to make a better decision of what you can and should order when on the run. Something to think about when ordering food is to be aware of the number of calories that are in salad dressings, cheese and sour cream.

Although you may be thinking you are eating healthy while ordering a salad, you actually may not be because of the calories from those small additions. When you order a grilled chicken sandwich, order it without the mayonnaise. Restaurants have become much more conscious of menu alternatives like salads with low calorie or fat free dressings.

If you do not see these items, ask. They are often times available, just not displayed with the unhealthier choices.

A few general guidelines that may be helpful when eating on the go are:

1. Stick to the lighter menu options. Restaurants are offering more healthy choices on their menus. You must find the ones that you should be ordering to maintain a nutritional lifestyle. Healthy fast food eating is dependent on you understanding what is in the fast food items and making the right choice.

2. Understand the portion sizes. Most value sized combo meals are well over 1,000 calories. This is way too many calories for your body to burn through without leaving some to be absorbed as FAT. If they do not offer smaller portion sizes, ask for a takeout bag and eat it another day for another meal. I do this most every time that I eat out, even at the healthier restaurants. It is very important to control how much goes into your body every meal. Just because food may be healthy does not mean you can still eat twice as much as your body needs, you will not be able to absorb it all or burn through it, and that means it has to go somewhere, your fat cells.

3. Order Food To Go. Research has shown that humans are more likely to eat more when they are eating out. So what does that mean? Avoid the situation to where you are likely to overindulge.

Even though it seems impossible, eating fast food in a healthy way is possible. You just need to pay more attention to the healthier options that these restaurants now provide you on their menus. This may be extremely difficult in the beginning because of the habits you have formed, but the payoff to your health is worth it.

Healthy Food On A Tight Budget

Posted on 07 December 2009 by Summer

One of the easiest traps to fall into when money is tight is to eat unhealthy foods. Healthy foods seem to be so expensive, after all. However, there are ways to save money while eating healthier foods. Yes, you can skip the ramen noodle section of your grocery store and still feed your family well.

What’s the trick? Planning!

Whether you work at home or outside the home, your life can often be so hectic that it just seems simpler to order pizza or cook prepackaged convenience foods. However, these are typically much less healthy for you than foods you cook yourself.

Start by picking out the recipes you would like to make. Deciding on what you are serving ahead of time can keep you from deciding on something less healthy but easier to make just because you don’t feel like taking the time to cook the healthier food.

If time is a major issue, consider recipes where you can prepare it partially or fully in advance. There are people who do an entire week’s cooking in one day, storing the meals in the refrigerator or freezer. Even if you can’t entirely prepare the meal in advance, consider chopping the vegetables in advance.

Planning your meals in advance also helps with your grocery shopping. Use your plans to create your shopping list. You may even want to plan your meals at the same time as you plan your shopping list by taking a look at what is on special at whichever grocery stores you plan to shop at. Buying items that are on special can save you quite a bit of money. You may even want to stock up.

To save as much as possible, limit yourself to what is on that list. No impulse purchases! It takes self discipline, but cutting back on impulse items can be a huge help.

They may seem expensive, but fruits and vegetables that are in season are actually quite affordable, and can be an excellent alternative to sugary or salty snacks. Their frozen counterparts are also quite good for you and may be quite affordable.

If you have space in the freezer, buy meats when they are at their best discount. You will want to keep track of what a good price is for each kind of meat. You will also want to be aware of when products get marked down. I know that my local Albertson’s, for example, generally marks their ground beef from the butcher department to $1/pound somewhere around 9 o’clock every evening. Guess what time I shop there when I need ground beef?

Make the most of your leftovers. It’s all to easy to forget them and have to clean out the fridge several days later. Wasted food is money you’re throwing out. Pull those leftovers out for lunch!

Finally, pay attention to how you’re cooking your food. You may not need as much oil as you’ve been using, for example. Stir frying can be a great way to mix your meat and vegetables up with a delicious sauce. Drain the grease when you cook ground beef to make it a little healthier. Trim excess fat from other meats to make them just a little better for you. And don’t forget to eat your vegetables! Try mixing them up with some spices rather than butter… there are wonderful ways to bring out the flavors of vegetables.

Healthy Breakfast Foods

Posted on 07 December 2009 by Summer


It is always surrounded by silly excuse of lack of time. And still no one denies that fact that “breakfast” is the most important meal of the day.

Why such a hullabaloo about this early morning meal? Well, for starters, this meal comes after a break of 8 – 10 hours; hence your blood sugar level will be low. Since your body has gone with out food for such a long time, it needs nourishment to kick-start its day. Therefore “breakfast” is considered to be an important and essential meal of the day.

Breakfast benefits both, young and old. It is the key to jump start your muscles and your day. People who eat breakfast (healthy) daily are more likely to
- Consume more vitamins, minerals and less of fat and cholesterol.
- Increased strength and endurance.
- Better concentration and productivity all day long.
- Control over weight
- Low cholesterol = no risk or little risk of heart disease

Children who eat breakfast are likely to have better concentration, problem-solving skills and eye-hand coordination. They will be alert, creative, and less likely to miss days of school.

If you think skipping this meal, will help you lose weight, think again. By passing over this meal, your body will go in the starvation mode and make you crave for snacks especially sweets. Impulsive snacking on unhealthy foods can lead to weight gain. So you motive of losing weight by skipping breakfast stays unachieved.

Try to choose healthy foods from at least two food groups each morning
- Fruits & Vegetables
- Grains
- Dairy
- Proteins

A glass of pure fruit juice, bananas, yoghurt, low-calorie muesli with semi skimmed or skimmed milk, fresh fruit salad with few spoonfuls of low fat yoghurt, fresh and raw veggies mixed with flavoured yoghurt, a slice of toast or plain bread with eggs, boiled or poached are some of the options for breakfast. Kids can enjoy a Smoothie with their favourite fruits; add dash of yoghurt or honey to make it more delicious.

If you look forward to eating different kinds of healthy foods for breakfast, you are less like to skip this meal. If time is your hurdle, think about packing your breakfast or eating on the ‘run’, its better than skipping it altogether.

Healthy Foods – To Keep Your Body and Mind Staying Fit & Healthy

Posted on 06 December 2009 by Summer


The first thing that you should be aware of is how healthy food really affects you. For instance, something as simple as a single sweet potato can change your diet for the better. This filling tuber is low in sodium, saturated fats and cholesterol, while still being a great source of potassium, fiber, and vitamins A and C.

Similarly, you’ll find that things like unadulterated orange juice can give you a good dose of healthy sugars and the extra amount of vitamin C that you need to get through an illness. Take a look at the foods that you can eat in order to stay healthy, and you’ll find that they are a great deal more tasty than you might have believed.

When you think about bad foods, you need to make sure that you understand that there is really no such thing as a “bad” food, only a food that is bad for you to have an excessive amount of. For instance, there is nothing wrong with getting the right amount of sodium in your diet, but you’ll find that things like processed meat and many different kinds of cheese where your daily recommended dose of sodium in a very small serving. Make sure that you understand what a healthy amount of sodium, carbohydrates and protein is, and you’ll be able to regulate your diet much better.

When you eat healthy foods, you’ll find that your health will take a turn for the better. There are plenty of reasons to take a look around and really make sure that you have a great deal of investment in your health and the food you eat. For instance, many people find that the addition of the healthy omega-3 fatty acid, found in fish oil, can go a long way towards making sure that your dietary and respiratory healthy stays good.

Take some time to make sure that you think about healthy eating and how you want to go about it.

Healthy Foods For Type 2 Diabetics – Tips For Diabetics Diet

Posted on 06 December 2009 by Summer


If you have type 2 diabetes, no doubt you know it is a serious disease that needs treatment. In addition to medications your doctor may want you to take, one of the most important things you can do as a type 2 diabetic is to follow a proper diet.

For most people, type 2 diabetes occurs because of a combination of lack of exercise and the wrong diet. The wrong diet can include too much food in general and too many calories consumed, but in particular, foods consumed that are high on the glycemic scale are of great concern. With type 2 diabetes, the body becomes unresponsive to its own insulin, which means the insulin does not work as efficiently as it once did and large amounts are needed to keep blood sugar levels down.

In addition to exercise and medications, diet must be adjusted to help keep blood sugar levels even. The most important foods to consider with type 2 diabetes are carbohydrates. Carbohydrates come in two basic forms. The first, refined carbohydrates, is a type of carbohydrate that causes blood sugar levels to rise rapidly. The second, complex carbohydrates burn much more slowly and keep blood sugar levels much more even.

One way to determine what types of foods should go into your diet if you’re a type 2 diabetic is to choose foods that are low on the glycemic index. This means that these foods will cause less of a spike in blood sugar after a meal than those that have a high glycemic index. Among foods low on the glycemic index are most vegetables, beans and legumes. These are a healthy part of the diet not only because they digest slowly and keep blood sugar levels even, but they are very nutritious and also contain significant amounts of fiber, which can also help keep blood sugar levels even. These foods can also reduce certain types of cancer and other diseases.

If you’re a type 2 diabetic, it’s also likely that you have an unhealthy lipid profile. This means that the wrong types of fats are too high in your system, while the right types of fats are too low in your system. If you have too much of the wrong types of fats, you can have an increased risk of heart disease and circulation difficulties. By choosing healthy fats in moderation, such as the monounsaturated fats found in olive oil and certain kinds of nuts, you will help improve your lipid profile and therefore help decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke, among other diseases.

In addition, avoid drinking alcohol; if you must, do so only very occasionally. Alcohol is a two-pronged evil when it comes to type 2 diabetes. First, it can affect your blood lipid profile negatively. Second, alcohol is a refined carbohydrate and can raise blood sugar levels significantly. If you must drink alcohol, do so very occasionally and eat healthy foods along with it when you do so, to slow down absorption rate.

Finally, minimize or eliminate refined sugars in your diet. There are many healthy sweeteners out there that can provide the sweetness you need without raising blood sugar levels at all. Again, if you must eat sweets, do so very occasionally and only with the express permission of your doctor.

Follow your doctor’s orders, eat right and exercise, and it may be that you can bring your type 2 diabetes under control completely, so that you no longer have this problem.

Healthy Kids – Ten Easy Ways to Help Your Children Make Healthy Food Choices

Posted on 05 December 2009 by Summer


Today’s families are busy, with lots of demands on both our money and our time. And that makes fast food as well as processed, packaged food more appealing. But the foods that are the easiest and cheapest to prepare are often not the healthiest.

Each day, you help your children to form eating habits that are likely to stick with them for years to come. Help them to understand the importance – and the power – of healthy choices. Here are ten tips you can start using today:

1. Sneak in healthy foods. Use a food processor to puree carrots, for example, and sneak them into your spaghetti sauce. Grind nuts and use them in your breading for baked chicken.

2. Use silly names for fruits and vegetables. My son started eating broccoli florets only after we started calling them “dinosaur trees.” Make dinnertime fun.

3. Make the healthy items on the plate look silly. Create funny faces or designs on the plate. Family Fun magazine routinely features creative ways to dress up vegetables, both online and in their print magazine.

4. Let your kids experiment with healthy dipping sauces for their veggies. Cream based dressings, such as Ranch and Bleu Cheese, are not the healthiest choices. See if your kids enjoy dipping their celery sticks in a bit of natural peanut butter. You may also enjoy experimenting with the variety of mustards that can lend a unique and delicious flavor to raw vegetables and fruits. Another healthy thing to try: squirt some fresh lemon or lime juice on veggies or salad greens.

5. Every month, try a new fruit or vegetable. See what your kids think of pomegranates, tangerines, kumquats, and so on. It’s fun to explore the wide world of healthful foods as a family.

6. Make sure you have lots of fresh fruits and vegetables available. Put out a plate of vegetables for the kids, if they need a snack before dinner. Make sure you have at least two bowls of fresh, raw fruits or vegetables that are readily available at all times.

7. Reward children for their healthy choices. Keep a chart with tally marks and keep track of the spontaneous times that each child chose to fuel his or her body in a healthy way.

8. Fore go the spreads or syrups unless your children specifically ask for them. Your kids may prefer toast and waffles, straight out of the toaster, without butter or syrup. They may even enjoy salad with no dressing. Try it and see.

9. Make sure your kids see you making healthy choices. A good example to follow can go a long way in ensuring a child’s healthy relationship with food.

10. Talk about the effect that various foods have on your body. Let a child know which vitamins a particular healthy food has, as well as what effect those vitamins have on their body and in their day to day life.

When children begin to understand that the food choices they make have a very real effect on the way their body works as well as they way it feels, they begin building their own healthy relationship with food.

How to Acquire Healthy Eating Habits & Actions to Become Lean

Posted on 27 November 2009 by Summer

Matt Taylor asked:




I like to people watch. How about you? There are many reason why someone would be people watching. But the reason I do it is to learn the habits and actions of folks that are in great shape and the folks that could do much better…

In short… it is way easier to copy the designs for a wheel than reinvent the wheel… isn’t that right?

Sure! So if you want to get good at something… you should find a mentor or observe someone that you admire and figure out how they do it. Like a business skill. Like a wealthy person. Like a popular person. I think you get my drift here.

And many times, when somebody finds out that I’m a fitness expert… they start peppering me with questions. And I don’t mind because it gives me an opportunity to reinforce my beliefs and a chance to learn what other people do that is counterproductive to getting a fit and lean body.

And most people, believe it or not is either obese or overweight. It is sad and it can be overcome.

Also, I’m not one of those guys who think I know it all and must tell everyone what they are doing wrong. It is sort of like someone telling ME something what I’m doing wrong and I didn’t even ask for their opinion.

So I won’t offer any advice unless someone ASKED me for it. This is the right way to do it without being an a-hole.

The last time I went on vacation at the Caribbean… I noticed that out of every 1000 folks from every walk of life, I saw only four or five guys or women that actually had what I would call a six pack abs.

This is incredible… we all want great looking, flat stomach! How come most of us has a belly that we are unsatisfied with?

One way is to observe if these folks have healthy eating habits by seeing what they get and eat at the grocery stores, gym, restaurants, at the office or even at a friend’s house.

And if you pay attention to what their body shape is like and whether or not they make healthy lifestyle choices…

You may notice that your office mate who complains that she cannot lose weight is the one most likely to eat free donuts and stuff that co-workers bring in and other bad food choices.

In fact, I remember once a long time ago, my girlfriend made a cheesecake that I brought in to share with my co-workers. It was a big cheesecake and was absolutely delicious! And throughout the day, I noticed the same guy kept coming back for another slice. And he was overweight.

My point is not to point out things that will make you feel bad, but to point out that the actions and choices you make (many times you may not be aware of it until someone points it out) DOES have an effect on your health and fitness.

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