Dairy Products are a Necessity

Dairy in your diet is necessary part of a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle. Diets rich in milk, cheese and other forms of good bacteria have been known to provide minerals and vitamins that are essential to proper growth and development. While these are standard knowledge about dairy products, there are some things that are not so well known, but still beneficial to a well-balanced lifestyle.

Nutrients

Dairy products are known to provide the highest levels of calcium, protein, vitamins A and D, as well as potassium. These vitamin and mineral-rich hosts help to keep the body in balance and reduce the risk of hypertension, retaining water, as well as help maintain a weight management program. Studies have also show that high-quality dairy products may also reduce the risk of certain types of cancers.

Osteoporosis

A few years ago, there was a big push from the science-food industry to alert consumers to the fact that having dairy in your diet will help to prevent osteoporosis. Osteoporosis occurs when the body starts to reabsorb calcium and the bones become weakened. Bones need calcium in order to stay healthy and dairy, as already mentioned, provides one of the best sources of calcium other than dark leafy greens and some legumes.

Probiotics

If you have ever been sick, chances are you have received antibiotics. These medicines attack bacteria and destroy possible infections that might occur. Our bodies need bacteria to survive and dairy products help to provide that. Acidophilus is an example of good bacteria, also called probiotics, and can be found in large quantities in all yogurts or cultured dairy products. These bacteria also attack infection, but do so by “cleaning” rather than a full frontal assault.

Daily Requirements

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, each person should have between two and three cups of dairy each day. A cup of dairy equates to one 8oz glass of milk, two slices of hard cheese, and everyone’s favorite, three full scoops of ice cream. These requirements, as set by the USDA, help to ensure that each person is getting the proper amount of calcium and other vitamins to accommodate a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle.

Good Decisions

Not all dairy is created equal. Protein found in dairy is roughly equivalent, no matter what form you choose, but in order to maintain a healthy weight, it is recommended to stay away from high fat content. That being said, choose dairy that is low in fat content to get the benefits of the vitamins and minerals while still watching your waist line. Make deserts, such as pudding and smoothies using dairy products that are low in fat, as well as casseroles and baked goods using low fat milk.

As always, consult with your physician before making any large changes to your diet and always follow their recommended guidelines. Having dairy in your life is a necessity to maintaining a healthy and well-balanced nutritional regiment, no matter how you slice it, or pour it, or scoop it for that matter.

Get Your Swimsuit Figure By Eating Healthy

Getting ready to hit the beach? You want a good swimsuit figure but you don’t get a swimsuit body overnight. It takes time. The good news is, if you start now, you will be well on your way to a great body by the time you hit the beach.

Start by keeping a picture of your dream swimsuit nearby to help keep you motivated to eat healthier. Don’t be hasty and go out and purchase your swimsuit before you get into shape. Wait until you feel good about yourself and the work you've done to tone up. Then shop to your heart’s content. The bonus is the closer you get to summer the more sales you'll find!

Eating for your summer body is not about starvation. For someone to stick to a new way of eating, it has to become a lifestyle change. This means that your diet has to provide both healthy foods and a few pleasures to keep you interested.

Increase your whole grains. Grains contain a lot of fiber. Fiber keeps the digestive system working properly. No one wants to be bloated in their new swimsuit! Fiber grabs onto fat while it gets digested. Fiber also keeps you feeling fuller longer so you don’t overeat.

Drink your water. Water is crucial in everyone's diet. It keeps the human machine in proper working order. Water cleanses the inside of toxins that can harm the body and make it harder to lose weight.

Eat more often. To get the best your body has to offer, you need to feed it the good stuff a little at a time, all day long. Consider more fruits, vegetables, lean meat, fish and dairy. Eat whole fresh foods to get the best nutritional value and fiber. Avoid highly processed foods which miss many of the nutrients your body needs. More frequent lighter meals also increases your metabolism.

Limit the sweets. Empty calories add fat and will sabotage your efforts to lose weight and look great. If you must have something sweet, try having one small piece of dark chocolate or a bowl of frozen yogurt. Even a fruit parfait or a smoothie will tame that sweet tooth without any damage to all your healthy eating.

Get sleep. Without proper rest, the body can’t repair itself and get you ready for the next day. Stress is also more of an issue and that can lead to increased levels of cortisol in your system. This hormone is your enemy if you want to lose belly fat.

Remember, there are no quick fixes to weight loss. Choose a healthy lifestyle that includes good food, exercise, and plenty of rest and your fitness will last far beyond one swimsuit season – your good health will last a lifetime.

Nutrition Label Lies & Loopholes: Serving Size Sleight of Hand

By Tom Venuto
http://burnthefat.rxsportz.com

For years, concerned consumers and watchdog organizations have been screaming that the U.S. labeling laws are full of loopholes and in need of serious revision. After years of talk, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says they’re planning to so something about it. But will it be enough?

There are many food labeling issues we could complain about, but one of the biggest problems (due to its direct relationship to the obesity crisis) is serving sizes.

I’m not just talking about supersizing. What’s worse is that the actual calories are being disguised with serving size sleight of hand.

Let me show you some examples:

Tostitos touch of lime. Calories per serving: 150. Not too bad for tortilla chips, eh? Not so fast. Check that serving size: 1 ounce. That’s a whopping 6 chips. There are 10 servings per container. That’s 1500 calories in the bag.

Most guys could knock off half that bag for a cool 750 calories. Ok, suppose you have some restraint and you only eat a third of the bag (20 chips). You still get 500 calories. But who stops at 6 chips?

Vitamin Water. While I could rant about how sugar water is being marketed as health food, I’ll stick with the serving size sleight for now.

The label says there are 50 calories per serving. Wow, only 50 calories! Plus they add all those vitamins. Must be good for you and perfect for dieters, right? Think again. Look at the serving size and servings per container: 8 oz per serving and 2.5 servings per container.

Excuse me, but is there ANY reason for making it 2.5 servings other than to disguise the actual calorie content?

When you see that the entire bottle is 20 ounces, you realize that it contains 125 calories, not 50. Although 20 ounces is a large bottle, I don’t know many guys who wouldn’t chug that whole thing.

Sobe Lifewater? Same trick in their 20 oz bottles.

Healthy Choice soup, country vegetable. They make these in convenient little microwavable containers with a plastic lid. Just heat and eat.

It says 90 calories and 480 mg of sodium per serving. Wow, less than a hundred calories. Wait a minute though. Turn the container around and you see the serving size is 1 cup and the servings per container says “about 2.”

Huh? It looks pretty obvious to me that this microwave-ready container was designed for one person to eat in one sitting, so why not just put 180 calories per container on the label (and 960 mg of sodium). I guess 90 calories and 480 mg sodium sounds… well… like a healthier choice!

Ben and Jerrys chocolate fudge brownie ice cream.

This infamously delicious ice cream with its own facebook fan page has 270 calories per serving.

We all know ice cream is loaded with calories and should only be an occasional treat, but 270 calories per serving, that’s not too terrible is it?

Look a little closer at the label. The serving size is ½ a cup. Who eats a half a cup of ice cream? In fact, who hasn’t polished off a whole pint by themselves? (the “comment confessional” is below if you’d like to answer that)

According to Ben and Jerry, there are 4 servings in that one pint container. 270 calories times 4 servings = 1080 calories! That’s about half a days worth of calories for an average female.

I could go on and on - crackers, chocolate chip cookies, muffins, pasta, boxed cereals (who eats ¾ cup of cereal), etc. But I think you get the point.

What’s the solution to this mess? News reports in the last week say that the FDA may be cracking down. Count me among those who are pleased to hear this news. One of their ideas is to post nutritional information, including the calories, on the FRONT of the food labels.

The problem is, this move by itself could actually make matters worse. Suppose Tostitos started posting “150 calories per serving” right on the front of the bag. Most people would assume the chips were low in calories. Putting calorie info on the front of the label would help only if it clearly stated the amount of calories in the entire package or in a normal human-sized serving!

Ah, but the FDA says they’re on top of that too. They also want to standardize or re-define serving sizes. Sounds great, but there are critics who say that consumers would take it as approval to eat larger servings so the strategy would backfire.

Suppose for example, the government decides that no one eats ½ a cup of Ben and Jerry’s so they make the new serving size 1 cup, or half the pint-sized container. Now by law the label says 540 calories per serving instead of 270. Is that like getting official permission to eat twice as much?

I’m not against the FDA’s latest initiative, but what we really need is some honesty in labeling.

Food manufacturers should not be allowed to manipulate serving sizes in a way that would trick you into thinking there are fewer calories than there really are in a quantity that you’re likely to eat.

It would be nice to have calories for the entire package listed on the label at a glance. A new rating scale for caloric density would be cool too, if it could be easily interpreted. It would also be nice to have serving sizes chosen for quantities that are most likely to be commonly eaten. But standardization of serving sizes for all types of foods is difficult.

My friends from Europe tell me that food labels over there are listed in 100g portions, making comparisons easy. But when you consider how much each individual’s daily calorie needs can vary (easily 3-fold or more when you run the gamut from totally sedentary to elite athlete, not to mention male and female differences), standardization that applies to everyone may not be possible.

I think the recent laws such as requiring calories on restaurant menus are a positive move that will influence some people’s behavior. But no label changes by themselves will solve the obesity crisis. A real solution is going to have to include personal responsibility, nutrition education, self-discipline, hard work and lifestyle change.

Changes in the labeling laws won’t influence everybody because the people most likely to care about what labels say are those who have already made a commitment to change their lifestyles (and they’re least likely to eat processed and packaged foods - that have labels - in the first place). Actually, for those who care, all the info you need is already on the labels, you just have to do a little math and watch out for sneaky label tricks.

There’s one true solution to this portion distortion and label lies problem: Become CALORIE AWARE. Of course that includes educated label reading, but it goes much further. In my Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle system, here is how I define "calorie counting:"

1. Get a good calorie counter book, chart or electronic device/software and get to know the calorie counts of all the staple foods you eat on a daily basis. Look up the calorie values for foods you eat occasionally.

2. Always have a daily meal plan – on paper – with calories printed for each food, each meal and the day. Use that menu as a daily goal and target.

3. Educate yourself about average caloric needs for men and women and learn how to estimate your own calorie needs as closely as you can based on your activity, weight, body composition, height, gender and age.

4. Get a good kitchen food scale and use it.

Keep counting calories and doing nutrition by the numbers until you are unconsciously competent and eating the right quantities to easily maintain your ideal weight becomes second nature.

Obviously, saying that calories are all there is to nutrition is like saying that putting is all there is to golf. Calorie quality and quantity are both important. However, it’s a mistake to ignore the calorie quantity side of the game. Serving sizes matter and even healthy foods get stored as fat if you eat too much..

You can play “blindfolded archery” by guessing your calories and food portions if you want to. Hey, you might get lucky and guess right. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend depending on luck - or the government - for something as important as your body and your health. I would recommend the personal responsibility, nutrition education, self-discipline, hard work and lifestyle change…

Tom Venuto, author of
Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle
http://burnthefat.rxsportz.com

Founder & CEO of
Burn The Fat Inner Circle
http://bit.ly/bHKSN3

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a fat loss expert, lifetime natural (steroid-free) bodybuilder, freelance writer, and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat-Burning Secrets of The World’s Best Bodybuilders & Fitness Models (e-book) which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: http://burnthefat.rxsportz.com or http://bit.ly/bHKSN3

Healthy Easter Treats

One of the most common things associated with Easter treats is chocolate. Every year, children receive baskets full of chocolate treats that are hard on their teeth and bad for their health. This Easter, consider taking a healthier approach with this healthy but fun selection of Easter treats.

Healthy Edibles

You can create an Easter basket that includes some yummy edibles without going overboard with sugar filled processed chocolates. Instead, look for healthy snack foods that have less sugar and more nutrients but are still fun for your child.

Some popular choices may include chocolate covered raisins or peanuts, small boxes of raisins, dried fruit, Trail Mix, granola bars, juice boxes, fresh fruit, string cheese, homemade cookies, or sugar-free gum. You may also want to check out your local health food store where you will find tasty, healthy candies and bars your kids will love!

Active Treats – Small toys and items that promote activity are a great addition to any Easter basket. These treats help encourage children to get out and have fun while getting exercise at the same time. Here are a few active treat ideas may include ring toss games, skipping ropes, basketballs, soccer balls, or hula hoops.

Educational Treats – Toys that are both educational and fun are another wonderful option for a healthier Easter basket. Make sure you choose items appropriate for the age and ability of your child. Some ideas include hand held games (choose thinking games like Sudoku!), activity books, story books or novels, alphabet & number magnets, flashcards, or children’s card games (go fish, match, etc).

Creative Treats – If you have a creative or crafty child, items that can use to express their creativity will be a welcome addition to their baskets. Choose items that fit best with your child’s current age and interests. Some items to consider include scrapbooking supplies, beading kits, crayons or markers, coloring books, water paints, stickers & sticker books, play dough or modeling clay or gel pens.

Seasonal Treats – Easter falls right at the beginning of spring and there are many wonderful items you can included in your Easter baskets that also celebrate spring. This will encourage your child to get out and enjoy the season. Spring treats might include sidewalk chalk, bubbles, children’s gardening kits or kites.

Toiletries & Accessories – Toiletries and accessories make great Easter basket fillers especially for young girls. Depending on the age of your child, they may enjoy bubble bath, lip gloss, bath crayons, or novelty tooth brushes. Older girls will enjoy earrings, necklaces, watches, fancy shoelaces, tattoos and other accessories.

Treats for Babies – Babies are at such a wonderful age and including them in your family traditions is so precious, but of course a healthy basket is even more important then ever with a baby. A healthy alternative for a baby’s Easter basket may include stuffed animals, a rattle, baby cookies, a special bib or a teething ring.

A Healthy Approach to Chocolate – Of course, Easter is a celebration so you may not want to cut out chocolate all together. Instead of one large chocolate Easter bunny, choose mini chocolate eggs and hide them around the house or yard. Children will get exercise while searching for the eggs without realizing it, and they won’t realize that they end up with less chocolate then they would have with a whole bunny.

Don’t forgo chocolate and candy altogether – add them in moderation to your baskets - but do make an effort to include healthy Easter treats for your loved ones this season as well.

Keeping Meats Safe During Storing and Thawing

Did you know that thawing meat the wrong way could cause harmful bacterial growth? We all know the rules about cooking meat to the correct temperature, but few understand the importance of thawing. Storing meat is another area of concern and the way meat is stored, can actually aid in the thawing process. Following some simple storing and thawing rules will make your meat last longer and taste better when it is time to cook.

Meat

Meat has different rules than poultry and fish, but the basic principles are the same. Depending on when you plan to use the meat, your storage techniques should vary and the storage time makes a difference in the best ways to thaw. Here are some storage and thawing rules to follow for safe meat handling.

1. Storage – It is important to keep meat chilled to at least 40 degrees. This will help maintain the safe temperature of the meat so no bacteria can grow. Once you get home from the store, immediately put the meat away. Double check the temperature in your refrigerator to ensure it is between 35 and 40 degrees and that your freezer is at zero degrees or a little below.

If you plan on storing large amounts of meat, break them down into smaller portion sizes before freezing because this will make thawing easier for individual servings. Keep the meat in the original packaging, if possible, and make sure there are no holes or perforations in the packaging.

Most typical meats can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days at the proper temperature. If you are not planning to use the meat before this time, consider freezing and then thawing. If you do not plan on using the meat within two months, over-wrap the meat with a heavy-duty plastic wrap or put it into an acceptable freezer bag.

1. Thawing – The best way for meat to thaw is in the refrigerator. This does mean there is some prior planning on your part before cooking, but meat defrosted in the refrigerator can be refrozen before cooking; thawing any other way, make sure you cook the meat before freezing.

Meat can also be defrosted faster by putting it in a leak-proof plastic bag and submerging it in cold tap water. Do not use warm or hot water because this will cause the meat to start the bacterial growth before the cooking process begins. Thawing in the microwave is another acceptable way because, unlike soaking in warm water, the microwave thawing process happens quickly enough that no bacterial growth will occur.

Poultry

Poultry follows the same basic guidelines as meat, except for the maximum storage time. Uncooked chicken, turkey or fowl can be stored in the freezer for up to nine months if broken down, and to a year if intact. For thawing, the best way to thaw is in the refrigerator or under cold tap water. It is not recommended to thaw poultry in the microwave due to salmonella growth.

Fish

Fish is a difficult item to store and still retain the freshness. If not stored properly, fish will develop that “fishy” smell which will overpower the other foods and seasonings when cooking. To properly store fish, keep it in the original wrapper and give it plenty of room in the refrigerator to allow the air to circulate freely around it. This will allow the fish to age properly without getting smelly. If you are not planning on cooking the fish within two days, wrap it tightly in moisture-proof freezer paper before storing in the freezer.

Live shellfish should be refrigerated in lightly covered containers – not airtight. Inspect all live shellfish before cooking to make sure they are not damaged or dead. Here is a little hint, if the shell is tapped with your finger, a live shellfish should close up. Discard any shellfish if they die during the storage process or if their shells crack or break.

Meat stored and thawed properly will ultimately yield the best tasting results and you will avoid the dreaded food poisoning. If you have any questions about the safety of meat after storage, discard the meat and get something fresh. Be sure to check the guidelines for other storage and thawing techniques listed on the USDA website and enjoy the best meat you have ever tasted.

Healthful Cooking Tips for Busy Moms

Quite often, women feel they must be superwoman or supermom, regardless how difficult that may be to pull off.  One area where women struggle trying to do everything is cooking healthy meals.  Try these cooking tips for busy moms and give yourself a break!

Truth be told, everyone prefers to eat a good, home cooked meal.  But you may not have the energy to cook from scratch.  You can create great meals that don’t take a long time; here’s how:

  • Make a plan before going grocery shopping.  Creating a meal plan for at least a week at a time will solve two problems. Firstly, you’ll know what you’re going to eat for dinner all week so you won’t be racking your brain at 5 p.m. trying to figure out what to cook.  Secondly, you’ll be able to better control how much you spend because you’ll only buy ingredients you need.

  • After you’ve done your shopping, wash all the vegetables and cut them up into the sizes you’ll need for each meal.  This may take a bit of time on the front end, but will save you a lot of time when you’re preparing each meal later.  Plus you'll be more likely to reach for a healthy snack of fresh fruit or veggies instead of the cookie jar. Don’t forget to ask for help from your kids that are old enough to use a sharp knife. 

  • Make your crock pot your best friend.  This one cooking tool can make your life so much easier, and your family much more satisfied with the meal.  Put your ingredients into the crock pot, turn it on, and leave it alone.  By the time you return home, you’ll have the makings for a great home-cooked meal!

  • When you plan a family favorite, prepare more than one meal’s worth.  You can double, triple, or quadruple the amount that you make.  Freeze the separate meals for later use.  Then all you have to do is add a fresh salad to complete the meal.

  • If you don’t want to spend an entire day cooking extra meals, plan on cooking enough for one extra meal that you can use as a planned leftover one night.  If you’re using making chili one night, make a little extra that you can add to baked potatoes on another night.

  • Stretch your home-made meal with a tossed or pasta salad.  Salads are quick, easy, and nutritious.  They’re also good to add when you’re having leftovers.  They’ll stretch the meal quite nicely.

Speaking of salad, this cool cookbook has only salad recipes. Make healthy eating a little easier with 365 salad recipes  - one for each day of the year!

 

[Note: I’m an affiliate for the provider of goods and services mentioned in this post and as such may be compensated if you make a purchase. As always please note the Compensated Affiliate Disclosure at the sidebar!]