Eating Healthy On A Budget

Think eating healthy on a budget is impossible? Many people believe that cutting back on food costs means that you can't buy healthy food anymore.

Some people even convince themselves that healthy weight loss is not possible unless they spend a lot of money.

But eating healthy on a budget as well as healthy weight loss is not only possible, with a little planning you can cut food costs and still eat healthy food.

Here are a few tips to make it easier for eating healthy on a budget.

Plan your weekly food menus with healthy eating recipes and make a grocery list with those items before you shop. This saves you time in the store and can save you a lot of money because you are less likely to buy on an impulse.

Stock your fridge and cupboards with healthy foods, and to keep costs down, stay away from extras like soft drinks, chips, baked goods, and other high-calorie items.

Children and sometimes even spouses are usually the ones asking for junk food. Remember, food choices are a big factor in what determines the health of you and your family.

Buy more water or milk instead of soft drinks when shopping and you'll save money. You can still enjoy your favorite soft drinks at a sporting event or night out. For healthy weight loss just make it a diet soda.

Buy fruits in quantity when they are in season and freeze any extras. Just wash the fruit well, dry thoroughly, then freeze in plastic zipper bags.

While lean meat and seafood are a great source of protein, they can get expensive. To cut your costs, use beans a substitute for meat on a few occasions.

Beans are very economical and makes eating healthy on a budget really simple. There are several varieties of beans and preparing them in a crock pot and making a salad turns into an easy meal.

Another great way for eating healthy on a budget is brown-bagging your lunch. It takes a little more time, but with the right food choices, it is both healthier and less expensive.

Peanut butter is also great for those on a budget and almost everyone likes it. Use it for sandwiches along with jam instead of expensive lunch meat.

For healthy weight loss try adding sugar free jam because it has a lot fewer calories and fat than regular jam but still tastes great.

If you eat foods that have a high content of water like watermelon, salads and even sugar free gelatin, they are inexpensive, ideal for healthy weight loss and work perfect for eating healthy on a budget.

It easy to fall into a rut of eating the same unhealthy and expensive foods. But once you take back control by planning your weekly food menus with healthy eating recipes, you can enjoy a nice variety of meals again.

Eating healthy on a budget can be as simple as just making different choices.

About The Author
Gary Gresham is the author of "Fat Burning Secrets" at: http://www.fat-burning-secret.com where you can discover simple yet powerful changes that can have a major effect on your weight loss results. Get a free report at: http://www.fat-burning-secret.com/fat-burning-report.html.

You Are What You Eat, Do You Dig Your Grave With Your Tongue? Boost Your Immune System

I know that the headline is a oldie, but it really is a goodie and is so very true of most of us, in this age of fast takeaway foods giving us all the foods that we should not be eating if we wish to maintain good health. What you must do is have natural nutrition that will boost your immune system.

Do we eat enough foods that contain antioxidants? or do we really know what antioxidants do for our health?

Antioxidants help to protect our systems against the terrible effects that free radical molecules have on our bodies healthy cells, They have been associated with premature aging and a whole spectrum of diseases such as eye problems, cancer and cardiovascular disease, they could also be the cause of a number of auto immune disorders.

You will see that antioxidants are important to our health and lifestyle. The body actually produces antioxidants as a normal part of energy production from the nutrition that we consume daily, however, we are also exposed to the effects of smoking, pollution and chemicals in what we eat and drink, unfortunately these sort of things increase the production of free radicals. What can we do to overcome these effects? the answer is simple, that is to somehow or other increase the level of antioxidants produced in the body, to overcome the extra free radicals being produced. In other words, we have to boost your immune system.

Without getting technical, the best way to do this is by eating lots of plant foods and making sure that your diet is full of these health giving foods.

There are many antioxidants available in different fruits, nuts, vegetables, legumes, grains and seeds.

You should also look for color in you plant food intake, red, yellow, orange, green, this will ensure that you have a wide balance of the antioxidants needed by your body.

Some of the antioxidants that are easy to obtain in their natural form are:

Vitamin E, this can be found in avocado, nuts, seeds, wholegrain and wheat germ, this can help with cardiovascular problems.

Lycopene, is found in red or pink fruits or vegetables like tomatoes, this helps in preventing cold sores, prostate cancer, and it might even help to prevent skin cancer.

Lutein, is found in green leafy vegetables, broccoli, cabbage lettuce, they help to prvent cararacts, macular degeneration and other eye diseases.

Sulphur Compounds, are found in garlic and onions, broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts.

I have mentioned before the huge antioxidant benefits that can be obtained from broccoli if eaten the correct way. Broccoli itself is an abundant source of antioxidants, but if you grow salad sprouts from broccoli seeds and eat them in your salad they contain about thirty times more antioxidants that broccoli eaten in the normal way. That will help your body to receive a Boost to your immune system.

This is by no means the complete list of foods that will help you produce the antioxidants, there are thousands more, but this will give you a good idea of where to start if you wish to improve your health.

About The Author
Article by Alfred Jones
http://www.SugarsR4U.com A Vitamin for Boosting your Immune System - Goji Juice.
http://www.RUSweetEnuf.com The Eight Essential Sugars for Health - Glyconutritionals.

What's Wrong With Dr. Phil's Food Plan?

I really like Dr. Phil, so I wanted to like his new book on weight loss. And I do like some of it, however, there's a big problem with the chapter on what to eat. Dr. Phil proposes exactly the same eating plan for everyone. This will NOT work!

His plan may include too many calories for some people, mostly small-framed people. I was actually eating a very similar amount of food at one time, watching my fat intake carefully, eating plenty of fiber, and my weight wouldn't budge. When I joined Weight Watchers, I learned that I was eating too much (for someone my size) to lose weight. After following their suggestions, I eventually lost 40 pounds and have maintained a healthy weight for almost 5 years.

Dr. Phil's plan also actually provides too few calories for many people to be successful. Sound impossible? Let me explain.

Your body needs a certain number of calories to sustain normal functions like pumping blood, breathing, and digesting food (called your basal metabolic rate, or BMR.) This need actually depends on your current weight. The heavier you are, the more calories your body needs just to function, even at rest. There are several websites to visit for a BMR calculator and more information on this subject. You also burn calories during exercise; your adjusted caloric needs including your activity level is called the AMR (active metabolic rate). Some of the sites you'll find will calculate both your BMR and AMR, so keep looking if you don't see AMR on the first one you hit. As you lose weight, your BMR and AMR will drop.

We all know that if we eat too much, we gain weight. We also all know that if we eat way too little, we can starve to death. But somewhere in between, we can lose weight healthfully. Our bodies are smart enough to know where that range is and to protect us if we eat too little. (It also tries to protect us from eating too much. That's what feeling uncomfortably stuffed is all about!) If you eat a little below your AMR, you can lose weight healthfully. If you eat farther below, your body will protect you by reducing your BMR (and AMR) to conserve energy, and you'll stop losing weight. Eat too far below, and you'll start losing again-but you're starving yourself.

What does this mean? You must eat enough to lose weight healthfully! If you eat too few calories, you'll likely either get stuck on a plateau, or you'll lose weight too fast with potential health consequences. A healthy rate of weight loss is no more than 2 pounds per week average, after the first 2-3 weeks on a plan. A good recommendation for healthy weight loss is to eat 500 calories under your AMR (not below your BMR!) and to remember to recalculate your needs as you lose weight (recalculate after every 25 pounds lost, if you get stuck and are not losing, or if you increase your activity significantly).

Dr. Phil doesn't provide different plans based on your starting weight and activity level, and he is against counting calories (or exchanges or Points.) But without knowing your approximate AMR and calculating the calories (or exchanges or Points) in a food plan, it's impossible to know how much food to eat to start out. And without recalculating your AMR as you lose and adjusting your food plan accordingly, it's difficult to keep losing weight at the proper rate. He makes no mention of changing your food plan until you reach your final goal. But people who have a significant amount to lose will need to adjust their calorie intake several times before reaching goal.

One size does NOT fit all! Frankly I am quite surprised nobody told him this before he published! If you are serious about losing weight healthfully, either calculate this for yourself or join a program (like Weight Watchers) where they teach you how much to eat without restricting your food choices. With just a little information about yourself and your body, you can do this RIGHT.

About The Author
Dale Reynolds is a weight loss counselor from update New York. She has written a book, "A Slim Book On Weighty Matters", about weight management and has a website with great tips and a free newsletter, www.slimdale.com
dale@slimdale.com

How To Stay Slim During The Holiday Season

The majority of people find themselves carrying additional fat once the holidays are over. Worst of all, most of them never lose this extra weight. Over the years, few pounds gained over the holidays here and there add up to 10, 20, 30 pounds of excess fat!

To avoid falling into the holiday fat trap, follow these simple tips:

1. Don't deprive yourself. Munching on a green salad while everyone is feasting on turkey and stuffing is just not worth it. You will end up miserable, and chances are you'll binge at home or on the next party. Depriving yourself once is likely to cause you to eat everything in sight the next day to "compensate" for your suffering.

2. Don't stuff yourself. You are not a turkey, after all! :-) Remember, this is not the last time in your life that you can eat.

3. Eat a small meal several hours before the party. This will prevent you from being too hungry when faced with abundant menu. When you are not starving, you can think with your brain, and not with your stomach.

4. Eat slowly. It takes our body about 20 minutes to realize that we are full. Also, the slower you eat, the less food you'll eat as opposed to eating fast in the same amount of time.

5. Be aware of what you are eating. It's easy to get carried away in conversation, and eat way too much before you know it. Don't automatically go for more helpings while you are talking to someone.

6. If you are cooking the food, prepare healthier versions of traditional dishes. Don't go too far by trying to completely cut out the fat. Just make some slight changes such as mashing potatoes with low-fat milk, adding less butter to the food, and serving more salads and veggies. Or make the stuffing in a casserole dish outside of turkey, so it does not soak up the extra fat.

7. Deal with the food-pushing hosts by complimenting them. When they try to force more food on you, smile. Say how much you love their food, but unfortunately you are so full, you can't get in another bite. And that you'll be delighted if they gave you some of this food to take home, if there is anything left after the party!

8. Choose the turkey breast meat, since it has fewer calories then dark meat. Also, most of the fat in a turkey is contained in the skin. So, if you can, don't eat the skin. Skinless turkey breast is actually a healthy choice. But go easy on a fat-laden gravy!

9. Eat small amounts of various foods, as opposed to large portions of few foods. Sampling everything on the menu will leave you more satisfied since you've tried everything there is. But remember, moderation is key.

10. Eat that dessert. The trick here is to eat a small piece of it. This way you can have your cake and eat it too!

About The Author
Melanie Mendelson is the author of Practical Weight Loss - the healthy way to lose weight and keep it off. Visit Melanie's site at http://www.practical-weight-loss.com

Eat Right For A Healthy Life

Our diet is an essential factor for the formation of our body. It is clearly mentioned in an Ayurvedic classic 'Charak Samhita' that consuming improper diet in improper way is the main cause of 'Disease'.

According to 'Charak Samhita -"An appropriate and suitable diet in a disease is equivalent to hundred drugs and any quantity of drug hardly compares to good results in disease without following proper dietetic regimen"

Ayurvedic has mentioned following principles for living full span of life with perfect health.

Diet should be regulated taking into account the 'Desha'(territory), 'Kala' (Season as well as time of the day) etc. On should be in a habit of taking all six 'Rasa' (tastes) in order to prevent nutritional deficiency disorders.

Time of consuming food : A person should take meal only when he feels hungry. Lunch should be taken early between 12 and 1P.M. this coincides with the peak Pitta period, Pitta is responsible for the digestion. Ayurveda recommends that the lunch should be the largest meal of the day. The supper should be lesser and lighter than lunch

Quantity of food : Generally half of the capacity of stomach should be filled with solids, ¼ th with liquids and rest kept empty for the free movements of body humors.

Sequence of consuming food :Madhur (sweet) rasa food like fruits are advisable to take in the bigining of meal, food with Amla and Lavana (sour and salty) rasa in the middle and Katu,Tikta,Kashay (bitter ,astringent and pungent) foods should be taken at the end of meal

Method of consuming food :

* Wash the face hands and feet before meal. Dine in an isolated neat and clean place in pleasant environment with the affectionate persons in sitting position.

* Food should be taken after complete digestion of previous one.

* Hard items should be consumed in the beginning followed by soft and liquids subsequently.

* Few sips of water is advised now and then while taking meal.

* Heavy substances are contraindicated after meals and should be avoided

* Consumption of excessive hot food leads to weakness. Cold and dry food leads to delayed digestion. Intake of food prepared by giving extra heat leads to 'Glani'. Hence consumption of such food should be avoided

Incompatible Food (Viruddha ahara):

Milk followed by fruits and vice versa.

Soar substance along with milk.

Milk with salt, horse gram, green gram & cow gram

Wheat preparations in gingelly oil(Tila taila)

Hot drinks after alcohol, curd or honey.

Cold and hot substances together

Banana with curd and butter milk

Chicken with curd

Ghee kept in bronze vessel

Radish with jaggery

Fish with jaggery or sugar

Jingelly seeds with kanjika.

Use of incompatible food leads to skin disorders, Gastro intestinal .Disorders , anaemia, leucoderma hyperacidity impotence etc. hence should be avoided.

General Rules about food consumption :

Walk a while after meal to help digestion

No travelling, exercise or sexual intercourse within one hour after meal.

Avoid meals when thirsty and water while hungry.

Avoid meals after exertion

Avoid meals when you are having no appetite.

Don't suppress the appetite as it leads to body pain, anorexia, lassitude, vertigo and general debility

Don't suppress the thirst as it leads to general debility, giddiness and heart diseases.

Consumption of the fresh, acceptable, easily available and compatible food with various nutrients is a key to lead a healthy life.

About The Author
Dr. Shashikant Patwardhan is practicing as 'Ayurvedic Consultant' for last 25 years at the city -Sangli , Maharashtra -India.
He has done his graduation in Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery [B.A.M&S] and post graduate Fellowship of Faculty of Ayurvedic Medicine [F.F.A.M.] From Tilak Ayurved Mahavidyalaya, Pune University , India, during the years 1970-1976.
He is a chief editor and Ayurvedic Consultant of a 'Comprehensive website on Ayurveda - http://www.ayurveda-foryou.com
He is an author of many books on Ayurveda and is first to publish them in ebook format. He has written ebooks like - Ayurvedic Cure of Diabetes , Home Remedies in Ayurveda , Treat Common Diseases with Ayurveda & Yoga , Ayurvedic Principles Revealed.
He regularly writes articles on various topics in Ayurveda in Ayurvedic health magazines and alternative medicine sites.
editor@ayurveda-foryou.com

How to Manage Your Mood with Food

Here's a meal-by-meal guide to eating for energy and managing your mood with food.
Breakfast

Eating a good breakfast boosts your concentration and revs your energy, particularly in the morning when you may need it most. Without breakfast, you're more likely to make that second pot of coffee by mid-morning.

Instead, keep your blood sugar on an even keel with complex carbohydrates. Avoid refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and white sugar. These have a high glycemic index, which can cause spikes and dips in your blood sugar levels.

The right complex carbohydrates provide your brain and muscles with the steady flow of the energy they need. Grains are great sources of B vitamins, which aid in the metabolic production of energy. The best carb choices for breakfast are natural whole-grain breads and cereals.

For the best breakfast, add a low-fat protein, such as yogurt, cottage cheese, or skim milk, and watch your fat intake as well as your meat consumption (meat takes more energy to digest).

Mid-morning snack

Turns out, snacking may not be such a bad idea. Eating every few hours helps your body use nutrients more efficiently. It stimulates your metabolism, keeps your blood sugar levels steady, reduces stress on your digestive system, and decreases hunger, which means you'll be less likely to overeat when mealtime finally rolls around.

If you're craving carbs, which many of us do at this time of day, choose whole-grain bread, cereal, or fruit.

Fruits and vegetables deliver a low-fat, high-fiber alternative to the vending machine choices. Raw carrots and sugar snap peas, for example, provide a crisp, satisfying crunch and won't zap your energy. Challenge yourself to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

For maximum energy throughout the day, avoid foods that are laden with simple sugars, such as cookies, pastries, candy bars, and sodas, which can bring on erratic blood sugar levels.

Instead, try some lean protein (low-fat yogurt, cottage cheese or lean meat) to help tide you over until lunch.

Lunch

At midday, go light. Because a hefty helping of carbohydrates can increase the amount of seratonin in the brain and cause that sleepy feeling, focus on low-fat protein.

Protein can actually raise energy levels by increasing brain chemicals called catecholamines. Eat a lunch of low-fat cheese, fish, lean meat, poultry, or tofu.

Mid-afternoon snack

Choose something that will keep you satisfied until dinner. A little bit of fat is fine. It gives those carbohydrates and proteins some staying power. My favorite? All-natural peanut butter and a few crackers.

Before your work-out

Carbohydrates are fastest to digest and pack quick energy. Add protein for staying power, but stay away from fats. They can make you cramp.

Dinner

The agenda for the evening can dictate what you'll eat for dinner. Need to stay on overdrive for back-to-school night? Choose low-fat proteins. If you're in relax mode, indulge a little.

Whatever's on the menu, remember the Pie Test. Envision your plate as a pie. Seventy-five percent of the pie should be filled with fruits, vegetables, and grains and 25 percent with other foods, such as diary products and meat.

Before bed

Before turning in, a carbohydrate-rich snack can supply seratonin to help you fall asleep. But go easy. Too much food can reduce the quality of your sleep.

Eating for energy is one of the most effective, powerful, and fast-acting mood-boosters. Try it today and see!

About The Author
This article is excerpted from More Energy for Moms, an interactive mind-body-spirit fitness program, designed exclusively for moms. Its creator, Susie Michelle Cortright, is the author of several books for moms and founder of the award-winning website Momscape.com Visit today to get her free course-by-email, "6 Days to Less Stress": http://www.momscape.com

Healthy Dining Out

With our busy lives these days we are more apt to dine out, pick up take out food, or have food delivered to us. The problem is we are not aware of the calories and fat we are consuming when we continually eat food other than what we, ourselves have prepared.

The average dinner meal at a restaurant is 1200 calories, and 60 grams of fat. Men should not have more than 70 grams of fat a day, and women 40 grams of fat a day. One meal alone can make up one whole days worth of fat, or two, in the case of women's diets. If you do find a meal that is low in fat, make sure you do not consume such a large serving that you eat more calories than you should.

There are restaurants out there that do have meals considered lower in fat and calories. If you do not see it on the menu ask your server for the information. Remember low carb is not low-fat. When you are eating a low –carb meal out at a restaurant you are usually eating high-fat. Make sure you do not take in more than 20 grams of fat in a meal. Below is a list of restaurants that offer low-fat meals.

RESTAURANTS

APPLEBEE'S
CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN
CLAIM JUMPER
CHILI'S
MACARONI GRILL
TGIF FRIDAY'S
MIMI'S CAFÉ
OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE
TONY ROMA'S

FAST FOOD

ARBY'S
BURGER KING
CARLS JR.
CHICK-FIL-A
JACK IN THE BOX
MC DONALDS
SUBWAY
WENDY'S
KFC

We use food as an important part of our cultural and social lives to connect with one another. We also use it as a comfort when we have had a bad day, a bad week, a bad month, or a bad year. Reducing the foods we do not need helps us stay healthy in mind and body.

Remember, even though we are overwhelmed, stressed out and tired, we must make healthy decisions when it comes to what we eat. Trans fat, found in most cooking oils in restaurants- is the worst kind of fat you can put in your body. It increases the level of blood fat called triglycerides, and has even been found to contribute to insulin resistance, which raises the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Children as young as 10 years old are developing heart disease and diabetes. Set an example for your children and ensure you both will live long, healthy lives.

About The Author
Libby Sustacheck has over twenty years of experience in the healthcare field working with such industry giants as Kaiser Permanente and Aetna. She has assisted many organizations with their wellness programs You can read more from Libby at http://www.healthsolutionsandyou.com. Or contact her at info@healthsolutionsandyou.com.