Shopping for the vegan diet – Part 2

Shopping for the Vegan Diet

The vegan diet is rather difficult to shop for considering the diet goes against the grain of the usual American diet. Vegans completely avoid animal products in everything from the food they consume to beauty items to clothing. Most manufacturers or food and most other product seem to find a way to stick some animal product in just about everything they make.

When shopping for food, you will be spending most of your time in the produce section. It’s important to fill up on as many fresh fruit and vegetables as possible. A good variety of produce will give you a good variety of vitamins and minerals. The rest of the shopping trip should consist of finding some beans, nuts, and seeds. These items will give you the protein and other nutrients fresh produce won’t give you.

If you shop for packaged foods, you will become a pro at identifying animal products in the ingredient list. Of course the prepackaged vegetarian/vegan items are easy to prepare, but you must be skeptical of all ingredients. These items are also much more expensive then the average packaged item to buy.

The best thing to do is buy as many whole natural foods as possible and keep all packaged and processed foods to a minimum. When buying any packaged foods, buy from a reputable natural company. Research these companies on the Internet and find one that best suits your needs. Many of these companies will have a mission statement on their front page stating where and how they use their ingredients. Any company that isn’t forthcoming with that information may be a company to avoid.

Here are some common ingredients found in food, health and beauty aids that are normally made from animals:

Albumen, allantoin, amino acids, benzoic acid, biotin, carmine, casein, castor, cetyl alcohol, collagen A, cortisone, cystine, elastin, gelatin, glycerin, guanine, keratin, lactic acid, lanolin, lecithin, linoleic acid, lipids, pathenol, polysorbate, rennin, royal jelly, stearic acid, sterols, uric acid, and whey. Note: some of these ingredients can be made with plant products and will normally be noted as so on the ingredient list.

Then of course there’s clothing. It’s easy to find good clothing made out of plant materials, but shoes can be much more difficult. So many of our shoes are made from leather. You have to look for rubber soles and synthetic leathers. This can be a daunting task if you are shopping at the average shoe store, but can be much easier online.

One great online store to get all your vegan materials is www.veganessentials.com.

Calorie Counter: How to Count your Daily Calorie

In recent times diabetes has become a common problem for people of all ages. Busy with your day to day work and not able to spare time for your health. If you are suffering from diabetes spending few minutes for your body can control and cure diabetes, before it becomes an acute problem.

The best way to control diabetes is to keep a check on your daily calorie intake. Including high caloric food in your daily diet is really harmful for diabetic patient. So how to count your daily calorie intake. The answer is “Calorie counter”.

Calorie counter is easy to operate and electronic calorie counter that can be easily carried in your pocket or in purse. Some of the advantages of using a calorie counter:-

Calorie and other information for large variety of food items.

You can store yours blood glucose reading, medication, insulin, exercise, and meal information in no time. On average information up to 12 months can be stored.

You can easily keep track of your life style goals. Store your average blood sugar, glucose level in blood, insulin report, and other medical reports. By doing so you can keep track of the whether your diabetes control program is meeting your goals.

In no time you can calculate the nutrition content of a recipe.

Using a calorie counter or portable calorie counter is not the only solution to control diabetes. A lot more attention needed on your diet. You have to plan your everyday food intake. Few measures that you can follow:-

Consume fruits and vegetables: – Make sure your diet contains vegetable, fruits, and whole grains. This diet is also a healthier diet. Include fruits in your snacks.

Artificial sweeteners: – Consuming artificial sweeteners in place of sugar is the right way to substitute sugar. Artificial sweeteners are many times sweeter than sugar. So intake of artificial sugar in food reduces the calorie.

Eat more starch: – Studies suggest food rich in fiber and starch is most suitable for diabetes patient. Bread, brown rice, and bran are rich source of fiber. Some of the sources of insoluble fiber are whole grains, wheat bran, whole grains, seeds, nuts, fruits and vegetables.

Eat for healthy heart:- Eat low fat and low sodium cheese. Use skim milk as it has low fat content.

Loss weight and daily exercise: – Every day exercise is a must for diabetes patient. As everyone knows exercise is also good for people not suffering from any diseases.

Avoid:- Avoid rich carbohydrates food like sugar, sweets, honey, jaggery which will increase your blood glucose level.

Protein intake:- Intake less cereals, milk and cheese in your daily diet. Emphasize more on vegetable.

Fats Intake:- Fats should be restricted to around 20-25% of your total calorie intake. If you are consuming meat, cut the fat portion of the meat.

Carbohydrates Intake:- It should constitute around 60-70% of total calorie intake. Carbohydrates food source are barley, wheat and bran.

Calorie Counters Keep You on Track

When getting started with a calorie counting plan because of a weight loss program, you first need to find out what you are currently eating. Successful weight management programs often start by asking you to keep records of everything you consume, even if you plan a vegetarian diet. This can be particularly helpful in finding areas where your eating habits need to be improved. These plans challenge you to find out where you can make easy changes you can sustain, and point out where you may encounter difficulties.

A few weeks with a diet journal can be a valuable experience in understanding how many calories you consume each day. Keeping track of your food intake, and watching the calorie counter is not going to make you lose weight. It only informs you about your eating habits, which will have to be modified, if you want to book results.

Fitness and health experts will tell you that active women will use about 2500 calories, while men require 3000 calories a day. These numbers will fluctuate depending on age, activity level, or if a person is exercising, and how much. A person’s body type and muscle density has to be taken into account as well.

There are several tools you can use to keep track of your consumed calories, nutritional values, and other bodily changes, such as body mass. A calorie counter and calorie calculator can be bought in stores or online. Some websites, such as Australian Lifestyle Fitness will even offer a virtual calorie calculator, which are easy to use.

Kilojoules are units in which scientists measure energy, in the same way as kilometers and miles measure distance. Food energy can also be measured in terms of the nutritional value, or calories. One Calorie (Cal) has the same energy value as 4.186 kilojoules (kJ). If you want to learn how much energy will be produced by the amount of calories you absorbed, and do not want to waste time calculating it on paper, you can buy a calorie converter. A calorie to kilojoules converter can also be quite useful for those times when a food label displays only one value and not the other.
<a href=”http://www.alfitness.com.au/BMICalculator.asp” title=”BMI”>BMI</a>or ‘Body Mass Index’ is an approximation of body fat percentage (adipose tissue). A BMI calculator relies on average body compositions to make its calculation. Most of the time, these devices will be accurate, but occasionally, with extremely muscular bodies, the values can be misleading. This happens because muscles are much heavier than fat, and therefore can throw the calculation off. This can be valuable knowledge for body builders or people on a high protein diet.

Calorie bargain hunting pays off for any diet, even when following a low GI diet. All you have to do is count the calories you take in. At pharmacies, doctor’s offices and online, you can find many detailed lists that will show you exactly which items are diet foods and which should be avoided at all cost. Some of these foods can be quite filling, yet will not tip over your calorie counter.

A great way to lose weight quickly, and more importantly keep it off, is to calorie count. Add a daily exercise routine and you will be in tip-top shape in no time. Attitudes can make or break your chances for a successful food management plan. Focus on what you can eat, not on what you have to give up. You will see… in no time extra weight will be gone and you will feel more vibrant and energetic than ever before.

Calorie Counting is a Waste of Time

Despite what most people say, when you think about it, how annoying is calorie counting?? I mean really! Who wants to sit there all day and subtract calorie after calorie from a daily tally each time they eat something? Not only that, but who wants to have to stop themselves from eating something that is good for them just because they ran out of calories for the day?? When you think about it, who does that??

Now, to some people calorie counting might make sense…in some weird way. And it might be easy and fun for them…or something like that. But the rest of us don’t care to be bothered by even more constant numbers in our lives. Not only that but have you considered how annoying it must be to have to calorie count in social events? If you go out to eat, I can pretty much guarantee that there are very few, if any, restaurants that actually provide the calorie count of the menu items. Oh and if you are attending a family function or a friend’s dinner party, how rude is it to ask about the calorie count of each food served??

If those reasons don’t make you want to run, think about the fact that counting calories is so boring! In fact, it’s so boring that you will end up estimating all day long; the calorie count of each food is based on the weight so if you’re estimating the weight and possibly estimating with a lower number, then your calorie count is already off. Then you realize you’re eating less…but somehow you’re not losing weight! And then you start to panic and all of a sudden, eating becomes this horribly stressful task to make sure you’re eating enough calories and are still losing weight.

Doesn’t sound fun, right? Well, don’t worry because there is definitely an easier way to lose weight without having to swim in numbers all day! It’s not about having to count calories but, keep in mind, it’s still important to know what calories are and which foods contain empty calories. And to answer your question, calories are a source of energy for your body so eating calories is important for everyone, especially for physically active individuals. Here are some great guidelines to think about so you don’t have to follow strict, demanding rules:

1. Make wise food choices:
The key here is to learn what the best foods to eat actually are. We all know that fried chicken is bad for you, but did you also know that even breaded food, including fish, is also not good for you? The basic foods you should always be eating are meats (think chicken, beef, and fish), vegetables, fruits and multi-grain products (think multi-grain breads and pastas). These are foods you should always eat, regardless of the calorie count. Other foods, such as pastries and other sweets, should always be eaten in moderation. But, some foods, like fried foods, fast foods and other junk, should just be avoided all together! You body is a finely tuned engine, so treat it to the best fuel possible!!

2. Drink carefully:
The best thing to drink, hands down, is water, period. The second best is herbal tea. The worst? Alcohol, sodas, sports drinks, fruit juice, milky stuff, such as smoothies. So here’s what you do, don’t drink those worst things! Instead, make sure to drink plenty of water and plenty of herbal tea! Green tea is caffeinated and actually has more caffeine than coffee so choose that instead in the morning. Make sure to always keep yourself well hydrated, whether you do or don’t exercise.

3. Small but more:
What that means is basically – smaller portions more often. Instead of 3 large meals a day, choose 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day. This will keep your metabolism up, which is good for those who are not exercising and for those who do exercise, it’s even better! Not only that but eating more in smaller portions will keep you away from those horrible vending machines full of junk!

So you can now throw that whole calorie counting idea out the window when it comes to successful ways to lose weight because that is clearly not an effective one or even fun for that matter! Make wise health decisions and you won’t have to work so hard to lose weight!

Which diets work

At one point or another, I’ve been on just about every diet on the books. I’ve done low fat, low calorie, and low carb. I’ve eaten nothing but cabbage soup for a week. I’ve had gym memberships, invested in popular aerobics programs, and tried training for a marathon. The scale became a friend and an enemy – it had the power to make or break my day. I’ve been over 200 lbs and under 100 lbs.

All this has taught me one thing – diets don’t work. We’re a culture that lives by extremes – super skinny super models and an obesity epidemic. We don’t understand the concept of moderation. And moderation is the only thing that will end the weight loss struggle.

It took me a long time to figure this out. It was hard to convince myself that if I just ate a healthy diet, and let my body do it’s own thing, it would settle at a normal weight. In the past, if I wasn’t on a diet, the scale went up – if I was, it was down. How could I trust myself or my body to eat a normal healthy diet?

I developed a process. It was slow going – it’s been two years since I gave up on dieting, and I’m still not perfect. My process involves eating consciously. It’s about eating what you like to eat and not eating what you don’t like to eat. I’ve developed lists of foods that aren’t worth wasting calories on. I also have foods that are, and I make sure that I eat those!

For example, I hate carrots. I always saw carrots as “diet food” – so when I was on a diet, I’d eat them. If I wasn’t, I avoided them like the plague. So now I don’t eat them. I’m also not a big fan of eggs. Or waffles. I just don’t care for them. I used to eat them – I’d go out with people, and everyone else would order eggs, so I would too. Now, when we go out to breakfast, I order the things I really like – hash browns and bacon.

The calories in an omelet are not worth it to me. But the calories in bacon and potatoes are. There are other high calorie foods I’ve stopped eating because I find they’re not as good as their lower calorie counterparts, or that I can’t really taste a difference. I don’t like mayonnaise, so I don’t eat it. I prefer wheat bread to white bread. I prefer pesto sauces to alfredo.

I’ve also learned to eat when I want. There’s not much point in sitting and stuffing my face in front of the TV, something I used to do all the time before. I’ve started to ask myself whether or not I really want to eat something before I eat it, and a lot of times I find that I’m really after something else. A big thing for me is relaxation (which I can get calorie free sitting on the porch with my dog). If I really do want to eat, I will.

In doing this, I’ve managed to lose 30 lbs so far, although the going has been slow – 30 lbs over two years isn’t much! But slow weight loss is the best, and the number is always going down, almost never up! I may never be at the low end of the appropriate weight for my height, but I’ve learned to be OK with that. I’ve got a large bone structure and I’m curvy.

So by giving up on dieting all together, I’ve become a lot more sure of myself, a lot happier, I never feel deprived, and I’m able to eat whatever I want. Isn’t that worth slow progress and learning a little more about yourself?

Personal diet secrets – Part 2

want to know how to lose 10 pounds in 3 days? it’s easy,it’s called the three day diet plan.

you can switch the diet food around any way you wish to or replace the food you see with another that has the same calorie value, this is a calorie diet, so as long as you eat the same amount of calories you will lose weight.

Day 1

Breakfast:

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

1/2 grapefruit or juice

1 piece toast with 1 tablespoon peanut butter

Lunch:

1/2 cup tuna

1 piece toast

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

Dinner :

3 ounces any lean meat or chicken

1 cup green beans,1 cup carrots,1 apple, 1 cup regular vanilla ice cream

Day 2

Breakfast :

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

1 egg

1/2 banana

1 piece toast

Lunch:

1 cup cottage cheese or tuna

8 regular saltine crackers

Dinner:

2 beef franks

1 cup broccoli or cabbage

1/2 cup carrots, 1/2 banana ,1/2 cup regular ice cream

Day 3 :

Breakfast

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

5 regular saltine crackers

1 ounce cheddar cheese

1 apple

Lunch :

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

1 boiled egg

1 piece toast

Dinner

1 cup tuna,1 cup carrots,1 cup cauliflower,1 cup melon, 1/2 cup regular vanilla ice cream

In addition to its strict daily food prescription, you need to drink 4 cups of water or noncaloric drinks daily.

but after this 3 day diet, eat normal foods for a few days then go back and do it over again….good luck in your weight loss!

How to follow the cabbage soup diet – Part 1

Venturing down the road to being healthy is a bumpy one. Along that road, you’ll come up to many different turns. You may decided on the standard diet and exercise routine, or perhaps that new weight loss pill that just hit the market. For most however, it is the popular diet of the year that they turn to. For some time now, many dieters seeking quick weight loss have been drawn to the Cabbage Soup Diet.

The Cabbage Soup Diet, like many other fad diets, makes the same old promises – “…lose 10lbs in one week!”. Who wouldn’t be drawn to that? As someone who has been on this diet, among many others, I can safely say it is one of the worst. Though it may work for some people looking to just drop a few pounds quickly, I would never recommend this diet to someone looking for long term weight loss.

The basis to this diet is fairly simple: eat cabbage soup. Run out to your grocery store and buy as many vegetables as you can get; like onions, carrots, mushrooms, celery, and, of course, cabbage. Stew these all with some soup mix and bouillon cubes and you got yourself some healthy cabbage soup. Though a little bland and not filling, it is diet food, so whose to complain? Well, many people, actually. Complaining about dizzy spells, feeling weak, and overall lack of concentration. But on the plus side, you’ll drop those holiday pounds in no time! Now, I may have exaggerated a little bit. You are, in fact, allowed a few other foods on this diet too. On day one, you can have as many fruits as you want (except bananas) and then on day two, stop eating those fruits and bulk up on your veggies. Your reward for being so good for two days? A baked potato with butter (go easy, though). On your third day you can have as many fruit and veggies as you want! But no baked potato, today. Day four, you get to curb that sweet tooth with up to eight bananas and all the skim milk you can drink. Day five and six are a bit alike, you basically get beef and vegetables any way you like them. And on your last day, stuff yourself full with brown rice and more veggies. By the next day, you should be able to step on that scale and be rid of 10 pounds of excess flab. For me, and my whole family, that was not the case. Most of us either gained weight or stayed the exact same. This is simply due to the strange intake of food you’re giving your body. You are basically confusing your metabolism, starving your body one day and stuffing it with fatty beef the next. For some this diet may work, for many others, though, it probably won’t. You may want to look into this diet only if you need to lose a few pounds or if you want a good “jump start” for a more healthy diet. All I can say after being on Cabbage Soup Diet is that I will never be able to eat cabbage again.

What foods should you buy organic?

The foods that we should buy in organic form are the ones that we need to substitute because they are, in normal growth conditions, found to be the most pesticide-laden. Our diet is one area where we are able to take full control regarding the amount of pesticides we ingest or assimilate.

Given that fruits and vegetables contain so many vitamins and antioxidants, it makes sense to buy them in their purest form, especially when they are such nutritional powerhouses. When we can eliminate anything that interferes with their medicinal abilities, it behooves us to do so in order to be able to absorb their nutrients in the purest form.

Some foods found to contain higher levels of pesticides than others (in no particular order) are: Peppers, cherries, spinach, celery, strawberries, apples, green beans, grapes, nectarines, pears, carrots and cucumber. While citrus foods typically escape the list, you will undoubtedly find that when you eat organic citrus fruits (as opposed to nonorganic) there is an immense difference in the quality of fruit. The organic oranges and grapefruit are often sweeter, larger, juicier, and richer in flavour; all of these combine to make the experience more palatable while still reducing your consumption of toxins.

While some people feel the purchasing of organic produce is not be necessary (because we can remove the residues by peeling apples, for example), more and more people are discovering the taste benefits, as well as the nutritional benefits, of organic produce. Rather than peel fruits and vegetables to remove unhealthy residue, it is far more efficacious to acquire all their health benefits by consuming the entire fruit or vegetable, particularly when so many of the benefits are found in the peels, or directly under the peels.

While we hear more about fruits and vegetables that make the list of less healthful foods, we do not always hear about the importance of consuming organic dairy products. It is also important to purchase organic milk, butter, and dairy whenever possible, particularly as more people seem to be having trouble with milk and dairy sensitivities. While organic milk and dairy are not always seen in the marketplace to the extent that organic fruits and vegetables are, one reason it is imperative to try and purchase these products is that the animals have been raised in health promoting conditions. Also, the animals are grain fed and they are normally free from hormones and antibiotics. If animals are given antibiotics and hormones, they will be collected and concentrated in their fat tissues. As consumers, we will be eating these when we purchase the nonorganic byproducts.

To strategize economically when purchasing fruits and vegetables, here is the list of the fruits and vegetables “likely to have the fewest pesticide residues” (according to the Environmental Working Group): Papaya, broccoli, cabbage, bananas, kiwi, frozen peas, asparagus, mango, pineapple, frozen corn, avocado, and onions.

SOURCES:

http://www.diet-blog.com/arch ives/2007/01/26/pesticides_the _12_most_tainted_foods.phpp

http://www.grinningplanet.com /2006/update-2005-05-24/pestic ides-in-food.htm

http://www.theorganicreport.c om/pages/636_why_buy_organic_d airy_products_.cfm

http://www.webmd.com/food-rec ipes/features/how-to-eat-organ ic-foods-on-a-budget?page=2

How to make good choices with fast food – Part 2

Making the best food choices at fast food restaurants depends on a lot more than taste! You should take into consideration health conditions and dietary restrictions also. Your doctor should be your first source of information about the best foods for you to eat. They will know what you should definitely avoid, what you can eat in moderation, and what you can partake of freely. Listening to your body is also helpful. If you pay attention you can tell what foods are better for you by the way it reacts. Use all the resources available to you to help make the most sensible choices when eating fast food. Of course, most doctors will tell you to avoid fast food altogether if possible. On the occasions when you do go out for fast food, the following should help.

1. People with cholesterol problems would want to avoid higher fat meats, cheeses, and desserts. Salads are a good choice, except most are pre-made with cheese. Check the nutrition facts and pick the best option!

2. Diabetics want to avoid high carbohydrate choices. You can get sandwiches without the bun at almost any fast food restaurant these days. The overall best bet for diabetics is salads. Be sure to check the nutrition facts though, because some places put starchy substances in salads that will make your blood sugar spike!

3. If you are following a low fat diet, and you have no other health problems, you may have more choices. A lot of fast food chains have numerous low fat items on the menu, even desserts.

4. No one should drink regular soda! It is just empty calories and sugar. If you want a soft drink, choose a diet variety. A lot of fast food restaurants have low fat milk which will work for many. Just remember if you have cholesterol problems or diabetes, milk might not be the best option. You might want to opt for water instead.

As you can see there are a few things that are standard across the board. Salads are a good choice for almost anyone, and you should always check the nutrition facts. If you watch just these few things you can eat at fast food restaurants and not blow your diet or damage your health!

Metabolism boosting foods – Part 1

There are a lot of techniques you should merge to lose weight in a healthy way.

One of these methods is obviously to eat less than the usual. You can also plan your diet which should include eating the right kinds of foods and drinking healthy drinks on a controlled amount.

Other health specialists’ recommends avoiding skipping meals. Eating more than three to four times daily with a controlled amount of food is much healthier rather than eating three times daily on a “eat all you can” style of eating. This way, boosting metabolism may become more faster with a minimal amount of food intake.

Another way to boosting metabolism is through exercise which a lot of people also consider.

Metabolism is the rate at which your body uses the energy in food. Metabolism may differ in each and every individual.

Exercise may contribute in boosting metabolism as the cells in your body use more in order to keep themselves going. Exercise should come in variety of combinations muscle building will help by increasing metabolism as well as consuming more calories in the long term, and aerobic exercise, which can even be just going for a short walk, will slowly increase a higher metabolism, as well as boosting all around health.

Another method which at first seems counter productive is to eat more. As in, eat more often.

If you happen to eat below a certain amount of calories in a day, rather than increasing your metabolism, you are lessening it cells begin discovering how to stay alive on fewer calories, and no longer need as many calories.

This is sometimes called starvation mode. This mode is how your body would survive if there was a famine. Remember that your cells don’t work as well in starvation mode. This is why it is very much important to eat breakfast each day.

There are also certain foods which can help with your mission. Sugary foods do not help (these actually slow metabolism rather than speed it up), but spicy foods have been seen to help in weight loss by increasing metabolism.

Sleep and stress may affect your efforts at increasing metabolism. Stress slows down your metabolism and discharges steroids called cortisol into your body that cause your metabolism to slow.

Sleep is can also help in boosting metabolism. Sleeping for about eight or nine hours a night is best says most of the health experts.

Remember that as you get older your metabolism begins to slow down.

You may also try drinking green tea to accompany your weight loss. Green tea aids in your digestion, prevents many types of diseases, and lowers your cholesterol level.

The right amount of caffeine is the secret to the diet success. Caffeine in green tea increases the body’s basal metabolic rate. This increase is referred to as a thermogenic effect; it assists with a diet program by helping the body burn more calories during day-to-day life.

This kind of diet using green tea could be the weight loss program you have been looking for that’s good for your health! People keep their body fit and at its best energy level by boosting their metabolism.

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