Nutrition: Healthy Eating Tip 3 - 10

Healthy eating tip 3: It's not just what you eat, it's how you eat 

Healthy eating is about more than the food on your plate—it is also about how you think about food. Healthy eating habits can be learned and it is important to slow down and think about food as nourishment rather than just something to gulp down in between meetings or on the way to pick up the kids.

• Eat with others whenever possible. Eating with other people has numerous social and emotional benefits—particularly for children—and allows you to model healthy eating habits. Eating in front of the TV or computer often leads to mindless overeating.
• Take time to chew your food and enjoy mealtimes. Chew your food slowly, savoring every bite. We tend to rush though our meals, forgetting to actually taste the flavors and feel the textures of what is in our mouths. Reconnect with the joy of eating.
• Listen to your body. Ask yourself if you are really hungry, or have a glass of water to see if you are thirsty instead of hungry. During a meal, stop eating before you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly.
• Eat breakfast, and eat smaller meals throughout the day. A healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating small, healthy meals throughout the day (rather than the standard three large meals) keeps your energy up and your metabolism going.

Healthy eating tip 4: Fill up on colorful fruits and vegetables 

Fruits and vegetables are the foundation of a healthy diet—they are low in calories and nutrient dense, which means they are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. Fruits and vegetables should be part of every meal and your first choice for a snack—aim for a minimum of five portions each day. The antioxidants and other nutrients in fruits and vegetables help protect against certain types of cancer and other diseases.

Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day—the brighter the better. 

The brighter, deeper colored fruits and vegetables contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants—and different colors provide different benefits. Some great choices are:

• Greens: Greens are packed with calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, vitamins A, C, E and K, and they help strengthen the blood and respiratory systems. Be adventurous with your greens and branch out beyond bright and dark green lettuce—kale, mustard greens, broccoli, Chinese cabbage are just a few of the options.
• Sweet vegetables: Naturally sweet vegetables add healthy sweetness to your meals and reduce your cravings for other sweets. Some examples of sweet vegetables are corn, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes or yams, winter squash, and onions.
• Fruit: A wide variety of fruit is also vital to a healthy diet. Fruit provides fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. Berries are cancer-fighting, apples provide fiber, oranges and mangos offer vitamin C, and so on.

Avoid: Fruit juices, which can contain up to 10 teaspoons of sugar per cup; avoid or dilute with water. Canned fruit is often in sugary syrup, and dried fruit, while an excellent source of fiber, can be high in calories. Avoid fried veggies and those with dressings or sauces—too much unhealthy fat and calories.

Water—a vital part of a healthy diet

Water makes up about 75% of our bodies and helps flush our systems of waste products and toxins. Yet many people go through life dehydrated—causing tiredness, low energy and headaches.
Caffeinated beverages, in particular, actually cause the body to lose water. Fresh fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, contain plenty of water and can help with hydration, especially when you are looking for an alternative to your eighth glass of water for the day.

Healthy eating tip 5: Eat more healthy carbs and whole grains

Choose healthy carbohydrates and fiber sources, especially whole grains, for long lasting energy. In addition to being delicious and satisfying, whole grains are rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants, which help to protect against coronary heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes. Studies have shown people who eat more whole grains tend to have a healthier heart.

A quick definition of healthy carbs and unhealthy carbs

Healthy carbs (sometimes known as good carbs) include whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. Healthy carbs are digested slowly, helping you feel full longer and keeping blood sugar and insulin levels stable.

Unhealthy carbs (or bad carbs) are foods such as white flour, refined sugar and white rice that have been stripped of all bran, fiber and nutrients. Unhealthy carbs digest quickly and cause spikes in blood sugar levels and energy.

• Include a variety of whole grains in your healthy diet, including whole wheat, brown rice, millet, quinoa, and barley. Experiment with different grains to find your favorites.
• Make sure you're really getting whole grains. Be aware that the words stone-ground, multi-grain, 100% wheat, or bran, don’t necessarily mean that a product is whole grain. Look for the new Whole Grain Stamp. If there is no stamp look for the words “whole grain” or “100% whole wheat,” and check the ingredients.
• Try mixing grains as a first step to switching to whole grains. If whole grains, like brown rice and whole wheat pasta, don’t sound good at first, start by mixing what you normally use with the whole grains. You can gradually increase the whole grain to 100%.

Avoid: Refined grains such as breads, pastas, and breakfast cereals that are not whole grain.

Fiber: An essential component of a healthy diet

Dietary fiber, found in plant foods (fruit, vegetables and whole grains) is essential for maintaining a healthy digestive system. Fiber helps support a healthy diet by helping you feel full faster and for a longer amount of time, and keeping your blood sugar stable. A healthy diet contains approximately 20-30 grams of fiber a day, but most of us only get about half that amount.
The two types of fiber are soluble and insoluble.

• Soluble fiber can dissolve in water and can also help to lower blood fats and maintain blood sugar. Primary sources are beans, fruit and oat products.
• Insoluble fiber cannot dissolve in water, so it passes directly through the digestive system. It’s found in whole grain products and vegetables.

Healthy eating tip 6: Enjoy healthy fats & avoid unhealthy fats

Good sources of healthy fat are needed to nourish your brain, heart and cells, as well as your hair, skin, and nails.  Foods rich in certain omega-3 fats called EPA and DHA are particularly important and can reduce cardiovascular disease, improve your mood and help prevent dementia.

Add to your healthy diet:

• Monounsaturated fats, from plant oils like canola oil, peanut oil, and olive oil, as well as avocados, nuts (like almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans) and seeds (such as pumpkin, sesame).
• Polyunsaturated fats, including Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, found in fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and some cold water fish oil supplements. Other sources of polyunsaturated fats are unheated sunflower, corn, soybean, and flaxseed oils, and walnuts.

Reduce or eliminate from your diet:

• Saturated fats, found primarily in animal sources including red meat and whole milk dairy products.
• Trans fats, found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, and other processed foods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Healthy eating tip 7: Put protein in perspective

Protein gives us the energy to get up and go—and keep going. Protein in food is broken down into the 20 amino acids that are the body’s basic building blocks for growth and energy, and essential for maintaining cells, tissues and organs. A lack of protein in our diet can slow growth, reduce muscle mass, lower immunity, and weaken the heart and respiratory system. Protein is particularly important for children, whose bodies are growing and changing daily.

Here are some guidelines for including protein in your healthy diet:

Try different types of protein. Whether or not you are a vegetarian, trying different protein sources—such as beans, nuts, seeds, peas, tofu and soy products—will open up new options for healthy mealtimes.

• Beans:  Black beans, navy beans, garbanzos, and lentils are good options.
• Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, pistachios and pecans are great choices.
• Soy products: Try tofu, soy milk, tempeh and veggie burgers for a change.
• Avoid salted or sugary nuts and refried beans.

Downsize your portions of protein. Most people in the U.S. eat too much protein. Try to move away from protein being the center of your meal. Focus on equal servings of protein, whole grains, and vegetables.

Focus on quality sources of protein, like fresh fish, chicken or turkey, tofu, eggs, beans or nuts. When you are having meat, chicken, or turkey, buy meat that is free of hormones and antibiotics.

Complete, incomplete and complementary proteins

• A complete protein source—from animal proteins such as meat, poultry, fish, milk, cheese and eggs—provides all of the essential amino acids.
• An incomplete protein—from vegetable proteins like grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and beans—is low in one or more essential amino acids.
• Complementary proteins are two or more incomplete protein sources that together provide all of the essential amino acids your body needs. For example, rice and dry beans are each incomplete proteins, but together they provide all of the essential amino acids.
• Do complementary proteins need to be eaten in the same meal?  Research shows that your body can combine complementary proteins that are eaten within the same day.
• Why are complete and complementary proteins important? Complete and complementary proteins that provide all of the essential amino acids will fill you up longer than carbohydrates because they break down more slowly in the digestive process.

Healthy eating tip 8: Add calcium & vitamin D for strong bones

Calcium and vitamin D are essential for strong, healthy bones—vitamin D is essential for optimum calcium absorption in the small intestine. Recommended calcium levels are 1000 mg per day, 1200 mg if you are over 50 years old. Take a vitamin D and calcium supplement if you don’t get enough of these nutrients from your diet.

Great sources of calcium include:

• Dairy products, which come already fortified with vitamin D.
• Dark green, leafy vegetables, such as kale and collard greens
• Dried beans and legumes

Healthy eating tip 9: Limit sugar, salt, and refined grains

If you succeed in planning your diet around fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and good fats, you may find yourself naturally cutting back on foods that can get in the way of your healthy diet—sugar, salt and refined starches.

Sugar and refined starches

It is okay to enjoy sweets in moderation, but try to cut down on sugar. Sugar causes energy ups and downs and adds to health problems like arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, headaches, and depression.

• Give recipes a makeover. Often recipes taste just as good with less sugar.
• Avoid sugary drinks. One 12-oz soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar in it! Try sparkling water with lemon or a splash of fruit juice.
• Eliminate processed foods. Processed foods and foods made with white flour and white sugar cause your blood sugar to go up and down leaving you tired and sapped of energy.

Salt

Salt itself is not bad, but most of us consume too much salt in our diets.

• Limit sodium to 2,300 mg per day, the equivalent to one teaspoon of salt. Most of us consume far more than one teaspoon of salt per day.
• Avoid processed, packaged, restaurant and fast food. Processed foods like canned soups or frozen meals contain hidden sodium that quickly surpasses the recommended teaspoon a day.

Healthy eating tip 10:  Plan quick and easy meals ahead 

Healthy eating starts with great planning. You will have won half the healthy diet battle if you have a well-stocked kitchen, a stash of quick and easy recipes, and plenty of healthy snacks.

Plan your meals by the week or even the month 

One of the best ways to have a healthy diet is to prepare your own food and eat in regularly. Pick a few healthy recipes that you and your family like and build a meal schedule around them. If you have three or four meals planned per week and eat leftovers on the other nights, you will be much farther ahead than if you are eating out or having frozen dinners most nights.

Shop the perimeter of the grocery store

In general, healthy eating ingredients are found around the outer edges of most grocery stores—fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and poultry, whole grain breads and dairy products. The centers of many grocery stores are filled with overpriced, processed foods that aren’t good for you. Shop the perimeter of the store for most of your groceries (fresh items), add a few things from the freezer section (frozen fruits and vegetables), and the aisles with spices, oils, and whole grains (like rolled oats, brown rice, whole wheat pasta).

Cook when you can

Try to cook one or both weekend days or on a weekday evening and make extra to freeze or set aside for another night. Cooking ahead saves time and money, and it is gratifying to know that you have a home cooked meal waiting to be eaten.

Have an emergency dinner or two ready to go

Challenge yourself to come up with two or three dinners that can be put together without going to the store—utilizing things in your pantry, freezer and spice rack. A delicious dinner of whole grain pasta with a quick tomato sauce or a quick and easy black bean quesadilla on a whole wheat flour tortilla (among endless other recipes) could act as your go-to meal when you are just too busy to shop or cook.

Stock your kitchen to be meal ready

Try to keep your kitchen stocked with recipe basics:

• Fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables.
• Recipe and soup starters such as garlic, onions, carrots, and celery.
• Healthy staples like brown rice, white Basmati rice, whole-wheat pasta, quinoa, and wild rice.
• Whole wheat bread and tortillas for healthy sandwiches and wraps.
• Beans such as lentils, black beans, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, fava beans, and lima beans.
• Frozen corn, peas, and other vegetables to add to recipes or for a quick vegetable side dish.
• Frozen fruit and berries to make smoothies or frozen desserts.
• Dark greens for salads, plus salad add-ins like dried fruit, nuts, beans, and seeds.
• Fresh and dried herbs and spices.
• Healthy fats and oils for cooking, such as olive oil and canola oil. You can also try specialty oils like peanut, sesame, or truffle oil for adding flavor.
• Unsalted nuts for snacking, like almonds, walnuts, cashews, peanuts, and pistachios.
• Vinegars, such as balsamic, red wine, and rice vinegar for salads and veggies.
• Strong cheeses, like aged Parmesan or blue cheese for intense flavor in salads, pasta, and soups

PS: Article courtesy: Helpguide.org 

Nutrition: Healthy Eating Tip

Healthy eating tip 2: Moderation is key 

People often think of healthy eating as an all or nothing proposition, but a key foundation for any healthy diet is moderation.  Despite what certain fad diets would have you believe, we all need a balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals to sustain a healthy body. 

• Try not to think of certain foods as “off limits.” When you ban certain foods or food groups, it is natural to want those foods more, and then feel like a failure if you give in to temptation. If you are drawn towards sweet, salty or unhealthy foods, start by reducing portion sizes and not eating them as often. Later you may find yourself craving them less or thinking of them as only occasional indulgences.
• Think smaller portions. Serving sizes have ballooned recently, particularly in restaurants. When dining out, choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything. At home, use smaller plates, think about serving sizes in realistic terms and start small.  Visual cues can help with portion sizes—your serving of meat, fish or chicken should be the size of a deck of cards. A teaspoon of oil or salad dressing is about the size of a matchbook and your slice of bread should be the size of a CD case.

Nutrition: Healthy Eating Tips

Healthy Eating

EASY TIPS FOR PLANNING A HEALTHY DIET AND STICKING TO IT

Healthy eating is not about strict nutrition philosophies, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, and keeping yourself as healthy as possible– all of which can be achieved by learning some nutrition basics and using them in a way that works for you.

Healthy eating begins with learning how to “eat smart”—it’s not justwhat you eat, but how you eat. Your food choices can reduce your risk of illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, as well as defend against depression. Additionally, learning the habits of healthy eating can improve your health by boosting your energy, sharpening your memory and stabilizing your mood. Expand your range of healthy food choices and learn how to plan ahead to create and maintain a satisfying, healthy diet.

Healthy eating tip 1: Set yourself up for success  

To set yourself up for success, think about planning a healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps rather than one big drastic change. If you approach the changes gradually and with commitment, you will have a healthy diet sooner than you think.

• Simplify. Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think of your diet in terms of color, variety and freshness—then it should be easier to make healthy choices. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that incorporate a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your diet will become healthier and more delicious.
• Start slow and make changes to your eating habits over time. Trying to make your diet healthy overnight isn’t realistic or smart.  Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. Make small steps, like adding a salad (full of different color vegetables) to your diet once a day or switching from butter to olive oil when cooking.  As your small changes become habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices to your diet.
• Every change you make to improve your diet matters. You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to completely eliminate foods you enjoy to have a healthy diet.  The long term goal is to feel good, have more energy and reduce the risk of cancer and disease. Don’t let your missteps derail you—every healthy food choice you make counts.

Think of exercise as a food group in your diet.

Find something active that you like to do and add it to your day, just like you would add healthy greens, blueberries or salmon. The benefits of lifelong exercise are abundant and regular exercise may even motivate you to make healthy food choices a habit.

PS: Article Courtesy: Helpguide.org

Nutrition: Nutrition Chart & Daily requirements for energy

Check out the this Link to understand your daily requirements for energy

http://www.healthynutritionguide.info/nutritionchart.htm#zapotrzebowanie

Workout: Easy Exercises You Can Do At Home

Here are some simple exercises you can do to start with

Cardiovascular Exercises:

1.      Walking

• Walking is the simplest, cheapest and easiest form of cardiovascular exercise.
• It is the best starting point for anyone who is just starting to exercise.
• It is very low impact and is extremely convenient.
• Start slowly, then gradually work up to walking longer and faster.

2. Jogging/Running

• This is a step up from walking. It is harder and puts more impact and stress on the body.
• If you are just starting an exercise program, work through fast walking before moving up to jogging.

  

3. Cycling

• Riding a bike is an excellent, no-impact form of cardio.

  

4. Swimming

• Swimming involves all the major muscles of the body.
• It is no-impact and is very useful for injury recovery

Resistance Training Exercises:

1. Chest

Wall Push-Ups

• Stand facing a wall with your feet about 1 to 2 feet back from it.
• Place your hands on the wall just outside shoulder-width apart.
• Bending only at the elbows, lower yourself forward towards the wall then push yourself away from it.
• Keep your body stiff and straight during the movement.

2. Back

Standing Rows

• These are done from a standing position.
• Loop a towel around a vertical pole or column or another fixed object so that the ends of the towel are pointing towards you and the towel is wrapped around the far side of the pole.
• Have your feet close up to the pole and lean back gripping on the ends of the towel and keeping your body stiff and straight.
• Row yourself up with both arms.
• Keep your back arched and row with your back.

3. Shoulders

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Presses

• Use something around the house for weight, e.g. soup cans or milk jugs with water in them.
• From a seated or standing position, hold the weights just above your shoulders.
• Push them up overhead slowly.

4. Legs

Bodyweight Squats

• Place your feet about shoulder width apart.
• Keeping your torso vertical and a slight arch in your lower back, start the movement by bending the knees.
• Go only as far down as you feel comfortable when first starting out. If you can go down until your thighs are just below parallel, do so. This is the full range goal.
• Using leg power, push yourself back up to the start position. Use your grip on the bar only for balance unless you absolutely need to pull yourself up.
• As you get stronger with squats, don't use the bar anymore. When you can do good, full-range reps without the bar, you can start using weight.
• For weight, use two duffel bags (evenly loaded) or two milk jugs, etc. Hold them at your sides and squat.

5. Abdominals

Abdominal Crunches

• Lie down flat on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor.
• Hold your hands wherever you feel comfortable (on your chest or beside your head - just be sure you don't pull on your head).
• The typical crunch is taught by instructing you to simply roll your upper torso forward. This is fine to start with.
• To increase the effectiveness of the crunch movement, push your chest and head up towards the ceiling pushing your lower back flat onto the floor.
• Your anatomy will automatically cause you to follow a crunching pattern.
• Hold at the top of the movement for a second and squeeze hard.

6. Biceps

Dumbbell Curls

• Stand with your knees slightly bent, arms at your sides, holding your resistance bags or two dumbbells in your hands.
• The curl movement happens only at the elbow. With your upper arm pinned at your side and bending only at the elbow, lift the weight up to shoulder level.
• Your palm should be facing forward all the way up and all the way down.
• Squeeze hard at the top then lower slowly.
• Do the same with the other arm, alternating back and forth.

7. Triceps

Bench Dips

• These can be done on the edge of a chair or bench.
• Sit on the side edge of a flat bench or the front edge of a chair.
• Place your hands on the edge of the chair right beside your glutes and grip the edge.
• To start with, your feet should be flat on the floor about two feet in front of you with your knees bent.
• Move yourself off the chair so you are now supporting yourself on your hands.
• Bend your arms, dipping your body down. Go down only as far as you feel comfortable, being careful not to bounce out of the bottom.
• Push back up, squeezing the triceps.
• It is important to keep your back close to the edge of the bench as you do these to minimize shoulder stress.
• When you're done the set, push yourself back onto the chair.

8. Calves

Standing Calf Raises

• This exercise can be done on the edges of stairs, wood blocks, books, etc.
• Do both legs at the same time to start with then, as you get stronger, do them one leg at a time.
• Hold a bag in your hand for resistance as you get stronger
• Stand on the edge of the block with only the balls of your feet on the block.
• Keeping knees stiff and bending only at the ankles lower your heels down towards the floor.
• Go down until you feel a strong stretch in your calves.
• Reverse the direction without bouncing and push up as high as you can.
• Do this movement slowly to feel the contraction all the way up.

 PS : Article Courtesy Fitstep.com

BMI Calculator and Weight status chart

How to Calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index)
http://www.whathealth.com/bmi/formula.html

Please use the link to understand :-

• Formula for BMI calculation
• Weight status according to your BMI. 

Abs & Core Workout :-

This abs and core workout involves a variety of exercises designed to strengthen the rectus abdominis, oblique’s, the transverse abdominis and the erector spinae.  This is a great overall workout for intermediate exercisers who've been strength training for at least 4 to 8 weeks.  

    

Precautions
See your doctor before trying this workout if you have any injuries, illnesses or other conditions. 

Equipment needed
An exercise ball and a mat.

How To Do

• Begin with a 5- to- 10-minute warm-up of light cardio (walking in place, etc.).
• Perform 2 sets of 16 reps of each exercise with 20 to 30 seconds of rest between sets unless otherwise noted.
• Perform this workout 2 to 3 times a week with at least one day of rest between workouts
• For best weight loss results, combine this workout with regular cardio, strength training and a healthy, low-calorie diet.

Ball Crunches

Lie on the ball with hands behind the head.  Contract the abs and lift the shoulders off the ball, crunching them toward the hips without rolling on the ball.  Lower and repeat for 2 sets of 16 reps.

Reverse Crunches

   

Lie on your back with knees bent in to the chest.  Contract the abs to lift the hips off the floor.  Lower and repeat for two sets of 16 reps.  Try not to swing the legs or use momentum to lift the hips.

Long-Arm Crunch

Lie on a mat and extend the arms straight out behind the head.  Contract the abs and lift the shoulder blades off the floor.  For more neck support, place one hand behind the head while keeping the other arm extended.  Lower and repeat for two sets of 16 reps.

Bicycle

Lie on the floor with hands supporting the head and bring the knees to the chest.  Lift the shoulders off the floor and straighten the left leg while rotating the upper body to bring the left elbow toward the right knee. Switch sides, bringing the right elbow toward the left knee, and repeat for two sets of 16 reps.

Plank

Rest on your forearms and toes (put the knees down for an easier modification) and keep the hips down and back flat.  Hold for 20 to 60 seconds.

Knee Tucks

Position the ball under shins/ankles, with hands on the floor, and roll the ball in, bending the knees toward the chest as you squeeze the abs.  Try not to push back with your arms, but instead, keep all the movement in the knees.  Return to start and repeat for two sets of 16 reps.

 Back Extensions

Lie face down with hands either behind the back or lightly cradling the head. Lift upper body off the ground a few inches, keeping the head and neck in alignment. For a challenge, lift feet off the ground keeping legs straight (knees don't have to be together).  Lower and repeat for two sets of 16 reps.

P S : Article courtesy About.com