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Cultivating The Healthy Eating Habits Is The First Step To Living A Healthy Lifestyle

Part of a healthier new you is eating better.  We all like to enjoy our pizza, ice cream, and cake, but we need to enjoy it less if we want to lose weight, get in shape, and live longer.  Healthy eating habits are a matter of science.  Knowing what is in the foods you eat goes a long way to choosing the ones that will help you to eat better and stick with it.

The Science of Food

Foods contain three components: fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.  Each component plays a specific role in cellular function and metabolism.  Proteins help to build muscle tissue.  Carbohydrates provide energy to our bodies.  Fats, well, they provide cushion.  We all need a certain amount of fat in our bodies.

Eating these foods in moderation at each meal provide our bodies with everything they need for function.  The trouble comes in when we eat too much of any of these.  We all know what happens when we eat too much fat.  Our bodies use what we need for energy and stores the rest in fat cells called adipose tissue.  Instead of muscle definition, we begin to see a softer layer developing beneath the skin.

Eating too many carbohydrates can make us sluggish.  If the carbohydrates are in the form of sugar such as candy and donuts, our blood sugar spikes which gives us increased energy for about thirty minutes.  After that, our sugar levels in the blood plummet and we don’t feel like moving.  We often feel this way after a big holiday meal complete with desserts and sugary drinks.

Most foods contain protein in some form.  Extra protein such as hamburgers or huge T-bone steaks is not necessary to meet our daily protein levels.  Too much protein leaves the body in our urine or, if the meat is fatty, it gets stored as fat.

On top of all that, foods today are processed.  Unless you have a farm and garden, the food you eat has been processed in some way.  Preservatives are added to foods to increase shelf life.  Our bodies aren’t used to these man-made substances.  They wreak havoc with our digestive systems and metabolism.  For a healthier lifestyle, we should get back to consuming fresh products.

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Skip Breakfast, Pack on the Pounds
Teens who start the day with a healthful meal tend to stay trimmer, study suggests

By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter

For teens looking to keep weight off, it doesn’t have to be a breakfast of champions, but it should be some kind of breakfast — and preferably a healthy one.

Yet another study is confirming that adolescents who skip breakfast have a higher risk of being overweight.

“There’s a pretty significant inverse association between how frequently kids report eating breakfast and how much weight they gain over time, and we took into account other dietary factors and physical activity,” said Mark Pereira, co-author of the study, published in the March issue of Pediatrics.

“It’s interesting to note that the kids who eat breakfast on a daily basis overall have a much better diet and are more physically active,” Pereira said.

Added Dr. Peter Richel, chief of pediatrics at Northern Westchester Hospital Center in Mount Kisco, N.Y.: “Grandma and Mom are right. When we skip breakfast, especially in the teenage years, then kids tend to snack and graze.”

More than one-third of teens aged 12 to 19 are now overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. And over the past two decades, the proportion of children who are overweight has doubled; among teens, the proportion has tripled, according to background information with the study.

An estimated 12 percent to 34 percent of children and adolescents skip breakfast on a regular basis, a number that increases with age. Previous studies have linked breakfast skipping with a greater tendency to gain weight.

“There has been quite a lot of published scientific literature already on the relationship between breakfast habits in both children as well as adults and obesity risk,” said Pereira, an associate professor of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. “It’s pretty darn consistent in the literature that people who eat breakfast are at lower risk for obesity, but most of those studies have some methodological limitations.”

The new study was both cross-sectional and prospective — moving forward in time. More than 2,000 adolescents were followed for five years. Participants completed detailed surveys on their eating patterns and also provided information on their height, weight, body-mass index and physical activity.

The more often a person ate breakfast, the less likely he or she was to be overweight or obese.

“We can’t make definitive statements about cause and effect,” said Pereira. But the evidence seems to point that way, he added.

“What happens is that total fat and saturated fat as a percentage of total daily energy were lower in the breakfast eaters compared with breakfast skippers,” Richel explained. “This really shows that we have the potential to improve energy balance and weight control with healthy breakfast consumption. We’re not talking pop-tarts.”

In another Pediatrics article, researchers reported that an Internet-based program helped keep teens’ weight in check over the short term and also reduced binge eating. Those who participated in the program also had less concern about their weight and shape, compared with teens who did not participate, suggesting that the program may lower the risk for eating disorders.

The 16-week program included education, behavioral modification, journaling, discussion and motivational messages.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on childhood overweight and obesity.

SOURCES: Mark Pereira, Ph.D., associate professor, epidemiology and community health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Peter Richel, M.D., chief, pediatrics, Northern Westchester Hospital Center, Mount Kisco, N.Y.; March 2008 Pediatrics.

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We’ve all heard it before…

In order to be healthy, we must eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and exercise regularly. It’s become the mantra of fitness buffs everywhere, and is touted so often that many of us have become deaf to the words. No matter how much you might have heard about the fitness/nutrition preach, it would be wise to heed the words and act on them.

Fitness and nutrition always go hand in hand when it comes to having a healthier lifestyle as well as a better quality of life. When we’re still young, it may seem unnecessary to worry about poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyle, but by the time we hit middle age, we will begin to concern ourselves with things like cholesterol, high blood pressure and other health risk factors.

Get Moving…

The first part of the fitness/nutrition combination consists of daily physical movement. This can be in the form of walking, jogging, swimming or cycling. It can also mean using a piece of cardiovascular equipment at the local fitness center or indulging in a regular game of racquetball. Aerobic exercise like this should be done at least five times a week for 30 minutes at a time. This will ensure a healthy cardiovascular system and weight maintenance.

You can up the benefits of your cardio workout by adding strength training two or three times each week. This can be done with the use of a few free weights in your basement, or with the help of machines at the gym. It is best to begin with a personal trainer to ensure that your positioning is correct during your weight lifting exercises. This will help you avoid injury in the early phase of your program. Raise your weight amounts gradually, and never do strength training on back-to-back days.

Eat Healthy…

The second element of a fitness and nutrition program is eating smart. All the hard works in exercise won’t do you much good if you are still eating unhealthy. The United States Department of Agriculture has recently revised their food pyramid guide to help the general public make nutritious meal choices. The idea behind this updated food pyramid is so that you can make healthy food choices everyday from the major food groups. Combine your healthy food choices with regular exercise and you will be on your way to good health.

To find out more information about the USDA food pyramid, you can go to http://www.mypyramid.gov/. The most important factor to keep in mind when choosing a nutrition program is to allow the bulk of your diet to consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grain carbohydrates. Low-fat dairy, lean meats and poultry can round up much of your menu, with refined sugars and fats making up only a small portion of your daily food intake.

Fitness and nutrition are more than just a simple slogan – they are the best choices for a happy and healthy lifestyle.

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It’s easy to get caught up in the fervor of self-improvement and New Year’s resolutions.  Unfortunately, many people give up on their resolutions or completely forget about them, only days after they’ve been set.  Here are some tips to help you see your goals attained:

1.  Write down your goals.  You can’t forget a goal if it is written on a piece of paper in large bold print and taped to your bathroom mirror.

2.  Announce your goals.  Announcing your goals to your friends and family can be a great way to not only be held accountable for achieving them, but also to get offers of support.  For example, if you decide to cut processed sugars out of your diet, your family can help by not bringing candy, cookies and other sweets into your home.

3.  Plan it out.  Having a plan to achieve puts you in control of the steps.  Develop a plan and tape it to your bathroom mirror right under your goal.  Now you know each and every day what you need to do to be successful.

4.  Develop a positive outlook.  Smile.  You’re capable of achieving your goal.  If you’re having a bad day or you find a negative thought about your goal sneaking in, like Tinkerbell says, “Think happy thoughts.”  Find a happy trigger; maybe it is a memory, maybe it is a favorite song, maybe all you need to do is step outside and get some sunshine.

5.  Acknowledge your setbacks.  Setbacks happen.  Sometimes you just can’t help but eat that piece of chocolate cake or skip a workout.  Acknowledge the setback, don’t punish yourself for it, and look forward.  Determine why the setback happened, what you can do next time temptation arises to motivate yourself to stick to your resolution, and move on.  Learn from your setbacks, don’t judge yourself.  You’re making positive changes in your life and that is a great thing!

6.  Take small steps.  Which feels easier to attain, running 1 mile or running 26?  Running 2 miles or running 26?  Running 3 miles or running 26?  Of course the smaller goals are easier to attain.  It’s much easier to say, “I’m going to run 1 mile and I’m going to be able to do it in 2 weeks” than to say, “I’m going to run a marathon in July.”  Small steps make your goals feel much easier to  accomplish, and each small success will motivate you to continue succeeding.

7.  Visualize success.  Visualization is a powerful success tool.  Athletes use the tool to win races, speakers use the tool to practice giving speeches, and you can use it too.  When you know you’re going to succeed, when you can see it happen, it will actually happen.  Visualization is easy and you can practice it.  Close your eyes and visualize yourself achieving your goal.  If it helps, write down how you’re feeling, imagining that you’ve just attained success.  Describe how you’re feeling, what you look like, and how your friends are helping you celebrate.

8.  Bring along friends.  Friends motivate, they keep us laughing and they get us through the tough times.  Help your friend while they’re helping you.

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A healthy diet has many benefits. One that is often overlooked is the fact that it can boost your immune system. A diet rich in vitamins and minerals will give you more energy and help you ward off the cold, the flu and other infections.

What Foods Are Best for the Immune System?

One of the most important things in any diet is balance. You need to eat a variety of foods to keep your immune system in the best possible shape, not just a lot of one or two. Here are some foods that, when eaten as part of an overall healthy diet can improve immune function and help prevent colds and other health problems.

Fruits

Fruits contain a variety of substances that are good for your immune system. One of the most well known of these is vitamin C. Vitamin C increases production of white blood cells and interferon, an antibody that coats cell surfaces and prevents the entry of viruses. Citrus fruits have the most vitamin C but there are lots of other fruits that contain it.

Many fruits such as strawberries, cherries and blueberries are also rich in antioxidants. These nutrients help maintain healthy tissue and repair damage caused by a number of things, one of which is infection. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, as is vitamin E. Not all antioxidants are vitamins.

Vegetables

Most vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals. Spinach, parsley and carrots are good sources of vitamin A. Cauliflower and most green vegetables are rich in vitamin K. Turnip and mustard greens have lots of vitamins A and E. Collard greens and squash contain substantial amounts of zinc, which stimulates the immune system.

Carotenoids are also found in carrots and dark red, green and yellow vegetables. Beta carotene is the most recognizable of the carotenoids but there are many more. These work together to boost the creation of infection-fighting cells and are also antioxidants.

Whole Grains

Whole grains are an excellent source of fiber as well as vitamins and minerals. Fiber is important because it helps cleanse the body of toxins. This aids in immune function as well as overall health.

Protein

Protein is found in meats, beans and soy products. Protein boosts energy and optimizes the production of cells including those that fight off infection. Fish is a good choice because it is also rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are also great for the immune system.

A healthy diet is one of the best ways to prevent illness including the common cold. Building up your immune system and taking other precautions such as washing your hands regularly could keep you from getting a cold in the first place. If you do get a cold, a healthy diet will give your body the nutrients it needs to fight it off quickly.

Click here for more information on how you can easily incorporate Healthy Living Habits in your Life.

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If you’re looking for information on how you can live a more healthier life in the coming year, you’ve come to the right place. Here you will find 10 healthy living habits that you can adopt.

1. Manage Stress.  Stress affects our health in a very negative way. It lowers your immune system, deprives you of sleep and even increases your risk of heart attack. If you’re looking for a way to cultivate your healthy living habit, learning how to manage stress should be on top of your “to-do” list.

2. Drink plenty of Water.  Yes, perhaps you’ve heard about this millions of times now but it’s still worth mentioning. Because you will be amazed that most people don’t drink enough water everyday, they prefer to drink soda and beer. Water plays a very important role in helping to cleanse your body internally. So, drinking plenty of water is a healthy living habit you must cultivate.

3. Regular Exercise.  Adding exercise to your day adds years to your life. You don’t have to run a marathon or become iron man triathletes, just walk for 30 minutes a day is an excellent start. Believe me, if you exercise regularly, you will always have positive energy, feel better and healthier. Exercise helps you sleep better at night and have more energy in the morning.

4. Take multi vitamins.  A well balanced diet is excellent; however a multi vitamin is an excellent tool for a little extra insurance. Plus, it’s an easy thing to add to your daily routine.

5. Eat more fruits and veggies.  It goes without saying that eating your fruits and veggies is good for your health.  Add one extra serving of fruits and veggies to your day and begin living a healthier life.

6. Eat less saturated fat.  Instead of ordering a burger or a steak at dinner, consider chicken or fish.

7. Eat less sugar.  Sugar causes a rapid rise in blood sugar and a general feeling of well being. But the bad news is that it also causes a rapid drop in blood sugar and a feeling of no energy. Then you eat more sugar and the cycle repeats itself. The highs and lows of sugar level in your blood can wreak havoc your body. The solution, eat less sugar and if you do choose to have a sugary snack, eat it with a protein so your body’s metabolism remains more stable.

8. Take Fish Oil.  Fish oil and omega 3 fatty acids help reduce cholesterol and protect your brain against degenerative diseases, it also helps to reduce inflammation in our bodies.

9. Visit your doctor for a regular checkup.  If you’re over 30, having a regular checkup is a good healthy living habit. This is your preventive measures for early detection of any serious illness and taking swift actions for treatment.

10. Laugh more often.  Laughter and smiling are important healthy living habits to cultivate. Laughter reduces stress and puts you in a positive frame of mind. Our physiology can have a big impact on our physical and mental well being and also our emotion. If you approach your life with fun and laughter, you’re not only going to enjoy it but also stress less. You’ll be making your body and mind healthier each day.

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