Balanced Diet Awareness

Obesity has turned out to be the biggest epidemic in America.

Other Countries believe, that today America is a country of fat and extremely lazy people.

This alarming growth of weight affects people of all age groups.

A recent study shows that Americans showed significantly higher rates of diseases that are related to obesity compared to Britons.

This is  a guest blog from my colleague Isabel De Los Rios.

The Best Diet Plan is NO Diet at all as a nutritionist, the most common question I get daily is “What is the Best Diet to follow?” My answer is always the same and one that shocks many people.

“The best diet to follow is to follow NO diet at all.”

How could any nutritionist wanting to promote health tell you not to follow a diet?”

Easy. I’m here to tell you that diets do not work.

They are one of the most common reasons people have such a hard time losing weight.

People are making the mistake of following a diet instead of following a delicious way of eating that will satisfy their hunger, their taste buds and help them reach and maintain an optimum weight and optimum health.

With all of the junk food, false advertising, and false information out in the world today, how is this even possible?

A delicious way of eating healthy that will help me lose weight at the same time?

Yes, this is possible for you once you are armed with the correct information.

The best diet is going to be one that you can stick to (for more than just a week), one that includes delicious food and one you are happy with, not to mention one that you can maintain for a lifetime.

Here are a few tips that will help you develop the Best Diet for you:

1. Only eat food you enjoy. Well Isabel, that would be just great, but I enjoy pizza and donuts and that sure doesn’t seem to be helping me lose weight. Yes, I agree. What I mean here is don’t establish a crash diet of cottage cheese and grapefruit if you absolutely hate those 2 foods. Healthy food does not have to be akin to bird seed. How about scrambled whole eggs in butter with your favorite vegetables and 2 slices of sprouted grain toast? French toast made from healthy bread, and eggs? A juicy hamburger or steak for lunch or dinner? How about making your own pizza from healthy ingredients? I could go on and on with a long list of delicious foods. The point is you do not have to eat like a bird or eat tasteless food to be healthy and lose weight. Find the healthy foods you enjoy and get creative with those. You will find you will have an incredible amount of delicious food options.

2. Do not go cold turkey. Rome wasn’t built in a day right? You do not have to change every single one of your habits overnight. Establishing one healthy eating habit each week or eliminate one “not so good” food every week. This will prove to be life changing in just 1-2 months. Not to mention it will eliminate any stress or anxiety you may have over changing all of your habits overnight. Start with the easiest one for you. How about drinking water? Can you replace your sugar drinks with water and just do that for one week? How about just cutting down on a few sodas and replacing them with water? One small step each week will make your transition simple and easy.

3. Do not go hungry. Another very common mistake I see is people starving themselves in an effort to lose weight quickly. The truth is you do not need to feel hunger in order to effectively lose weight. Actually, the contrary is true. You must give your body enough nourishment (good nourishment, that is) in order to see weight loss results. Make sure to feed your body consistently throughout the day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all important but so are snacks in between. Munching on things like raw nuts, fresh fruits and healthy trail mixes can really keep you from experiencing any hunger throughout the day and help control any cravings that may come up. Remember that the Best Diet you can begin today is an eating plan that does NOT resemble a diet at all. Tell people you had French toast for breakfast, chicken stir fry for lunch and a juicy steak with potatoes for dinner and they will wonder how in the world you are losing weight and looking great. Easy, I stopped dieting and found the Best Diet for me!

Why Your Environment is Making Fat Loss Tough The first step in “spring cleaning” your house is identifying the negative triggers slowing fat loss.
Step 2 is doing something about it…
That step is to “Clean up” and replace negative cues with more positive ones throughout the house:

The Kitchen

The kitchen is the by far the worst location for negative eating cues. When “spring cleaning” the kitchen, remember the cliché “Out of sight, out of mind.”
If tempting, high fat, high calorie foods in the house are a must have, they should not be visible. But before you automatically put them away in the ‘junk food cabinet’, consider this cabinet’s affect on your behavior as well.

Most houses have them.
It’s the place you turn to when you’re looking for a snack, the first place the kids open when they come home from school hungry, etc.
“The cabinet” contains all foods easy to reach, easy to snack on, and more likely than not, most likely to sabotage your diet.
If eliminating “the cabinet” and its high calorie items is not possible, consider moving it. Pick an out of reach, less accessible cabinet or drawer in the kitchen and switch the items in each location.
The next time you unconsciously open “the cabinet” just because, instead of finding a pantry full of high calorie foods, you’ll be faced with something different such as storage containers or spices.
This alone will provide a mental cue that you intentionally wanted to break this habit, and may lead you to choose a healthier snack, or forget the snack altogether.
Next, check the countertops.
Do you see tempting foods out in the open?

Make the switch from clear storage containers to opaque ones so food is not visible.

Anytime you walk past food that is visible, you receive a cue for food and eating. This does not mean you will act on that cue every time, but the more frequently you are cued, the more likely you are to act The Living Room/Family Room Take a walk through the rest of your house. Think about your typical habits. Does walking into the living room entice you to sit in “your” favorite seat on the sofa or chair and turn on the TV? If so, make some changes.
Rearrange the furniture or make a conscious effort to sit someplace else when you watch TV to break this learned pattern of behavior.
If you own exercise equipment such as a treadmill or bike, don’t keep it hidden in the corners of your house as a clothes hanger or storage unit, move it to a key location such as the living or family room. By having exercise equipment in an enjoyable location, you are more likely to use it regularly.

The Bedroom

Think about your normal morning and evening routine.
Eliminate the things that stall your commitment to exercise. If you typically hit the snooze button on the alarm clock instead of getting out of bed to exercise, move the clock. Place it in a location in the bedroom where you have to get out of bed to turn it off.
Do you find it difficult to keep track of your exercise clothes and shoes? Organize your exercise clothes in a drawer or section of the closet so they are easily accessible.
Create a place to keep your exercise shoes so you can always find them.
There you have it – simple tips and strategies to helping you take control of you and “spring cleaning” your house.

Top Ways to Stop Hunger on Your Weight Loss Diet

As you progress through your weight loss diet, there’s no doubt that hunger is going to be an issue at some point.

For most people, hunger is actually what will cause them to end the diet prematurely as it’s something that they just don’t deal with well.

In order to stick with your fat loss diet then, one of the top things you can do is figure out some quick tricks to help you deal with hunger so it does not become a problem.

Here are a few to get you started.

Drink A Warm Cup Of Tea

Warm beverages will not only help to keep you well hydrated, but they tend to also stop hunger as well.

They’ll fill your stomach up, keeping it from feeling ravenous for food.

As an added benefit, if you’re choosing green or black tea, the caffeine can also help to keep hunger levels down, providing yet another nice benefit for you.

Eat More Protein

Out of all three types of nutrients – protein, carbs and fats, protein is the one that’s going to kill hunger the most.

Choosing higher protein foods more often is one of the best ways to stop hunger while on a weight loss diet.

Make sure each and every one of your meals and snacks contains at least some protein.

Get Out For A Walk

The next way to kill hunger is going out for some exercise.

Even if it’s just a walk around the block, this can take your mind off the hunger and you’ll also burn some calories at the same time.

Don’t think exercise has to be intense to ‘count’.

Any exercise is better than no exercise so just get out and do it.

Chew Some Peppermint Gum

Finally, the last thing you can do to help stop hunger is chew some peppermint gum.

Many studies have demonstrated that there’s something about peppermint that tends to soothe the appetite, so really consider this one.

If you find chewing gum makes you hungry, consider peppermints instead.

So, be sure you’re keeping these tips in mind next time your stomach’s rumbling and your next meal is at least an hour away yet.

When you take care of hunger, weight loss becomes much easier.
Eat small meals more often:

The best way to boost your metabolism is to eat a larger number of meals, with smaller portions.

Instead of eating large breakfasts, lunches and dinners, eat something every few hours.

Eat just to satiate your hunger and not to fill your stomach.

This way, you avoid putting on weight.

Drink lots of water:

Water has no calories, so you can drink any amount and still stay slim.

Besides this, water helps in replenishing the fluids that your body has lost as sweat when you work out.

It keeps you healthy and hydrated and flushes out all the toxins from your body.

Water also gives you a feeling of fullness and you can stave off hunger till it’s time for your next meal.

Go to bed early:

A decent amount of sleep is necessary for good health.

If you deprive your body of sleep, you tend to put on weight.

Besides, when you stay up late, you tend to get hungry and snack on food that is not good for you.

Sleep rejuvenates you and gives you enough energy to face the next day.

And when you sleep early, you don’t find it hard to wake up early for your work out the following day.
Stock up on fruits, vegetables and low-cal snacks:

You are going to get hungry from time to time, so make sure you have enough healthy food options on hand to tide you over on such occasions.

Eat fruits, vegetables and other low calorie snacks that fill your stomach without making you fat.

Stay busy:

When you have something to occupy your mind, you don’t tend to forage around for something to eat.

It’s only when you are at loose ends with nothing to do that you feel like snacking in order to pass the time.

So keep yourself busy and you tend to forget that you’re hungry.

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