Photography by Alexander Nieves
Photography by Alexander Nieves
Photography by Alexander Nieves
Photography by Alexander Nieves
Photography by Alexander Nieves
Photography by Alexander Nieves
Photography by Alexander Nieves

Eating In Restaurants – Tips To Consider

Posted on: May 10, 2018

restaurantDuring these stressful, fast-paced times, more and more people are turning to fast foods and restaurants for convenient and pleasurable dining. However, dining out can be a pain on your wallet, and your waistline. While eating out need not be too costly or fattening, you certainly need to be aware of what you’re putting in your mouth. Here are a few tips for healthy eating in a restaurant.

Restaurants Often Serve Sodium and Preservative-Laden Foods

We all agree that the typical restaurant food far tastes better than the food we cook at home. Why? Because restaurants and fast food outlets often use a lot of flavor enhancers, preservatives and sodium-filled sauces, to make their food taste great. The sad thing is that these preservatives and sodium-laden sauces bloat our body, and add more bad cholesterol to our system.

How To Have A Healthy Restaurant Eating Experience

According to some nutrition experts, the biggest mistake in restaurant dining usually happens during the first and last 10 minutes of the meal, where you usually get served with calorie-rich dressings, cream-based soups and sugar-coated desserts. Here are other healthy eating restaurant ideas.

• All-you-can-eat restaurants are truly tempting places, but family-run restaurants are much healthier. Since most buffet establishments don’t allow you to bring home any leftovers, the temptation to overeat here is definitely very high.

• Typical restaurant servings are definitely larger than home-made meals. Before you clean-up your plate, and plan to take at least half the meal home. Eating half the meal later will benefit your waist. And save you money as well.

• If you plan to order soups, choose broth-based soups instead of cream-based ones. Vegetables soups are healthy choices. However, most restaurant soups are quite salty, because, generally, they’re sprinkled with MSG, a preservative that enhances flavor.

• Green salads make for healthier restaurant food choices. However, ask for oil and vinegar to be served on the side, instead of fatty dressings. Instead of using oil, squeeze lemon juice over your veggies, and sprinkle pepper to add more spice. If you were offered a choice between soup and salad, go for fresh green salads instead.

• Order plain food, instead of fried food items. A plain broiled or baked chicken, steak or fish provide better sources of protein, to help build muscles and generate energy. – To add extra flavor to your meals, used tomato-based marinara sauces and salsas instead. For side dishes, go for steamed vegetables or plain potato and rice. Vegetable side dishes offer a lot of healthy nutrients and low calories. Always remember to choose the meals that offer the freshest and high-quality ingredients. Choose plain steaks or chicken breasts instead of entrees filled with lots of creamy or oily sauces, or ask for potato or plain rice instead of hash browns or French Fries.


Myths That You Should Break

Posted on: May 3, 2018

Regular exercise, checking your serving portions and eating right. Healthy eating requires diet-disha lot of will power and commitment. However, there are a number of myths that continue to deceive dieters and healthy eating advocates. The key to eating healthy lies in how you check out the food items you buy, as well as on how dedicated are you in making sure that you watch what you eat every day. Here are some food myths that you need to watch out for.

All Low-Fat Foods Are Healthy

When you go to the grocery store, and you see food items labeled as “low fat” or fat-free”, beware of them. Just because they have the “fat-free” sign posted on them doesn’t mean that they’re truly healthy. The truth is that some of these food items actually have the same number of calories as the regular versions, and sometimes sugar is added to replace the flavor lost when fat is removed. By having more sugar, these food items will have empty calories, which may lead to you gaining weight instead. Fats come in different forms, and some of them actually are good for you. The fats that you need to steer clear from are trans fats and saturated fats. Monounsaturated fats and the fat found in olive oil or nuts are good for the heart.

All Fruits Are Created Equal

Not all fruits are created equal. Some of them actually contain lots of calories, which may help to add more weight to you. The healthiest fruits are those that have low sugar and high fiber content. Apples, bananas and grape fruit are one of the nice fruits, because they contain high fiber and are low in fat and calories.

Chocolate Is Bad For Your Health

While some so-called fitness advocates frown on eating chocolate, because they think these make you fat, the truth is that chocolates are good for you. However, you must also know that not all chocolates are created equal. High-quality dark chocolate is one of healthy variants, because it contains high levels of flavonols and antioxidants. Commercial chocolate bars however, such as milk chocolate and white chocolate contain high amounts of fat, sugar, wax and artificial chemicals. To eat healthy chocolates, try making your own unsweetened cocoa with sugar and skim milk instead.

Salads Help You Lose Weight

A large bowl of leafy greens is actually very good for your health. However, the problem starts once you pour in the dressings and other toppings. Some salad offerings include stuff like fried chicken, bacon bits, and thick creamy dressings, which are jam-packed with calories and fats. But if you fill up on the leafy greens alone, the salad mix can be very healthy. A truly healthy salad mix includes a variety of vegetables, mixed greens, beans, almonds, and a light vinegar dressing.

To ensure that you’re eating healthy, and losing or maintaining weight at the same time, eat high-fiber veggies, fruits and grains, but never skip breakfast. Instead, you need to stop drinking energy bars and drinks, sodas and alcohol, as well as lessen your intake of fatty junk foods and snacks.


Eating Plan For The Elderly

Posted on: April 27, 2018

Couple_on_the_beachAs we grow old. Our body goes through a series of physiological, cellular and psychological changes. When we grow old too, our body exhibits a decline in organ function and metabolic activities. Many factors lead to the decline in bodily functions, and this may be brought by poor lifestyle habits and other environmental factors. Once we age, our diet patterns must also change, to accommodate the body’s requirements. Here’s a viable healthy eating plan for elderly people.

Low-Fat Diets Are Good For elderly People

In elderly people, it’s a must that fat intake should be limited. An elderly individual’s diet should consist of lean meats, low-fat dairy products, and less fried food. Why should fat be eliminated, or reduced?, because at this age, our body starts to lose proteins and muscles, and our cardiovascular functions begin to falter, less fat will keep us away from debilitating conditions like stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, rheumatism, and more.

Healthy Eating Suggestions For The Elderly

The key elements to living a healthy life as a senior citizen lies in eating a well-balanced diet, and staying fit and active regularly. With adequate nutrition, exercise and adequate care, your retirement years should be a productive and active one. Here are some healthy eating tips for the elderly.

• Eat generous amounts of whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Dried fruits like prunes or figs, and prune juice are suggested.

• As we grow old. The body starts to lose water, and dehydration starts to become a problem. It’s highly recommended that you consume at least 8 glasses of water daily. Limit consumption of fatty and greasy foods like oils and margarine, fried food, high-fat sweets, meats, salty foods and alcohol.

• Get enough vitamin D, to help aid in the absorption of calcium. Vitamin D can be sourced from sun exposure, egg yolks, fortified milk and fatty fish. Zinc intake must also be increased. To get as much required zinc, incorporate a few lean meats, fish and poultry into your diet.

• Foods that are rich in calcium are also highly-recommended. Foods such a slow-fat cheese, yogurt, broccoli and others are okay for the elderly. Also increase your consumption of “good fats”. These include foods like avocado, salmon, olive oil, walnuts, flax seed, monounsaturated fats and others.

• Whole grains are good for the heart and the whole body as well. Choose whole grains over processed flour, because it has a higher fiber count, and is also packed with more nutrients. Look for whole grain breads, pasta and cereals.

• Increase calcium intake. Aging bones need adequate amounts of calcium to prevent osteoporosis and bone fractures, senior citizens need to have as much as 1,200 mg of calcium each day, which they can get from sources like yogurt, milk and cheese, almonds, kale, tofu and broccoli.

For senior citizens, the benefits of healthy eating are aplenty. These include increased resistance to illnesses, higher energy levels, enhanced immune systems, better management of chronic health problems, and faster recuperation from illnesses.


Plan For Vegetarians

Posted on: April 20, 2018

vegeterian_decorationWith cardiovascular diseases and obesity rates soaring in the US and the industrialized world, man teenagers and adults are slowly turning to vegetarian diets as a major step towards achieving a healthy lifestyle. Unlike most of us who regularly munch on meat and dairy products, vegetarians don’t have to worry about high cholesterol levels or tans-fat filled food items. Vegetarians however, need to ensure that they get the right amount of nutrition from their vegan diets, to maintain good health. With careful planning and consideration, a vegetarian diet can certainly be tasty and satisfying.

With No Established Vegetarian Diets, The Choice Is All Up To You

Most nutrition experts agree that with so many vegetarian diets, there is actually no established vegan diet, and so the choice will be all up to you. The problem with some vegetarians is that the more restricting their veggie diet becomes, the harder it will be for them to meet their body’s daily nutritional requirements. According to nutrition experts, the most commonly deficient nutrients among vegetarians include protein, iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium and zinc.

Soy protein can be a great protein source for vegetarians. To add more soy to your daily diet, you may prepare soy chicken patties, soy hamburgers or soy cold cuts. The richest sources of iron are animal product like eggs, liver and red meat. Vegetarians can actually get iron from dried beans, dark green vegetables like spinach, kale and dried fruit.

Three Major Vegetarian Diet Types

Vegetarian diets are generally divided into three major categories, and these are:

• Vegan Diets: This diet does not include fish, eggs, meat, poultry and dairy products.

• Lacto-Vegetarian Diets: A lacto-vegetarian diet does not include meat, fish, poultry and eggs. However, it includes dairy products like cheese, yogurt, butter and milk.

• Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian Diet: This vegetarian diet does not include fish, poultry and meat, but includes eggs and dairy products like milk, cheese, butter and others.

• While a vegetarian diet may not have any negative attributes, a vegetarian advocate should ensure that he or she is able to cover all nutritional requirements. It is therefore crucial for vegetarians to take vitamin and mineral supplements, which contain 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance, to complement the vegetarian meal plan. True-blooded vegetarians should focus their sights on getting adequate proteins and essential minerals like vitamin B12, calcium and iron.

Regardless of whether you follow a vegetarian diet for ethical, cultural or religious reasons, or you simply want to live a healthy and well-rounded life, the key to having a successful vegetarian diet lies in how aware are you of your nutritional needs. Therefore, you need to plan a diet that meets them. For creating the appropriate vegetarian diet, talk to your registered dietitian or doctor.


Best Way To Fire Up Your Metabolism, Burn Fat Fast and Develop Lasting Health

Posted on: March 17, 2018

Couple_on_the_beachAsk ten people what type of exercise they should be doing to burn fat and fire up their metabolism and they’ll all probably tell you the same thing.  They’ll tell you that you need to do 30-40 minutes of moderately-paced aerobic exercise on a treadmill, elliptical machine, stair climber, etc. for 3-5 times per week.

They’ll probably also tell you that more is better…4 times per week would be better than 3, and 5 times per week would be even better.

People will tell you this because that’s been and continues to be the mainstream recommendation — Read More –>


Eating Tips To Keep In Mind

Posted on: October 6, 2017

As the old adage goes, “you are what you eat”. If your regular diet consists of fat andEating Teenager cholesterol-rich foods, you may run the risk of developing dreadful diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and more. According to nutrition experts, healthy eating starts with learning the ability to “eat smart”. It’s not just what you eat, but how you eat. The food you choose to eat can help decrease your chances of developing illnesses like cancer, diabetes, heart disease and others. Learn how to plan your diet, and expand your range of healthy food choices too. Here are some helpful tips for planning a healthy diet.

Start Slow, And Gradually Change Your Eating Habits — Read More –>


Why Healthy Eating Trends Are Hitting The Mainstream

Posted on: September 27, 2017

In an environment bombarded with ads about cholesterol-rich fast foods  and cheap Saladjunk foods, the good thing is that healthy eating trends are slowly holding their own, and are even changing the minds of more people. As more and more people are becoming knowledgeable about nutrition and healthy eating, they’re slowly pushing alternative healthy eating ideas into the mainstream of society. A recent European study has indicated that more consumers are beginning to notice that their food choices are making a big difference not only to their health, but to their environment and the countryside as well. Here are some of the popular healthy eating lifestyles a\that are quickly gaining more adherents.

Organic Food

The organic food market is fast growing today, and more organic food items are widely available, as compared to what it was ten or fifteen years ago. The range of organic food choices are also increasing, because now it’s easy to find items like organic ketchup, organically grown wheat and rice, and fertilizer or pesticide-free fruits and other food items. The organic food market is expected to grow tenfold in the coming years, and is definitely here to stay. — Read More –>