A Week without Meat: How to Lose Weight By Going Veggie

If you’ve been thinking Beyonce looks even more gorgeous than usual lately, it’s thanks to her new wellness place. As well as stepping up her cardio, the Single Ladies singer has started to take care of her wellbeing with a new meat-free diet. That’s right, B has gone veggie and she’s never looked better. However, the important thing to remember is that you can just give up meat while working out; this could be dangerous to your health. Rather, you need a vegetarian meal plan that still contains everything you need to fuel your exercise routine. Luckily, we’ve got just the thing:

 

Monday: For breakfast, have three Weetabix with 120ml skimmed milk and 1tbsp dried fruit. Snack on two plums and, for lunch, spread low-fat soft cheese on a toasted wholemeal bagel. You can also have a large salad with vinegar dressing, followed by 200ml low-fat rice pudding. Snack on two figs. For dinner, choose a 300g kidney bean casserole, served with 180g cooked brown rice. Finish with 100g quark cheese with 1tbsp honey and fresh blackberries.

 

Tuesday: Eat two slices of rye bread with low-fat spread and peanut butter for breakfast, and a banana for a snack. 300g vegetable moussaka is your lunch today, followed by a snack of 150g low-fat yoghurt with 150g seasonal berries and 1tbsp porridge oats. For dinner, cook 45g dry macaroni in 200ml skimmed milk, drain and mix with 1tsp rapeseed oil, 30g low-fat cheese and parmesan. Serve with steamed vegetables.

 

Wednesday: For breakfast, eat 6tbsp porridge oats in low-fat yoghurt with 1tbsp seeds and 1tbsp dried fruit. Grab a 150-calorie cereal bar for a snack. For lunch, mix the juice of a lemon, six chopped cherry tomatoes and 100g quark cheese. Spread this on 110g wholemeal baguette with herbs and black pepper. Snack on 50g nuts and raisins and, for dinner, cook 140g couscous in vegetable stock with 50g dried apricots. Serve with 80g feta cheese, chopped tomato, celery and grilled aubergine in 1tsp sesame seed oil.

 

Thursday: Have baked beans (reduced sugar and salt) on waffles for breakfast with 50g orange juice. For a snack, have 250ml fruit smoothie, followed by 300ml lentil soup and one wholemeal roll with low-fat spread and low-fat cream cheese for lunch. For your afternoon snack, have a cup of black tea with two fig rolls. For dinner, mash 160g new potatoes with melted low-fat spread and fried onion, and serve with steamed vegetables, vegetable gravy and two Quorn sausages.

 

Friday: Start your day with 37g oat bran flakes with 120ml skimmed milk, and snack on two rice cakes with peanut butter and 200ml skimmed milk. For lunch, have 180g bean salad, raw tomato and 200g vine leaves stuffed with rice, and snack on a large pear in the afternoon. For dinner, make vegetable tikka with 160g rice, 4tbsp chickpea dhal and raita.

 

Saturday: For breakfast, make a burrito with one egg, 50ml skimmed milk, cumin, ½ a chopped red pepper, ½ a can of black beans, 50g quark, chopped coriander and salsa. Serve with one slice of wheat germ bread. Have an apple for a snack and then a Greek salad in one wholemeal pitta with low-fat hummus for lunch. Snack on 35g plain popcorn in the afternoon and finish with 120g Quorn and 200g mixed veg stir-fried in 10g rapeseed oil, with sweet chilli sauce to taste. Serve with 120g boiled egg noodles.

 

Sunday: Spread almond butter on two slices of wholemeal toast for breakfast, and have a 200g fruit salad for a snack. For lunch, have 100g falafel in one wholemeal tortilla wrap with reduced-calorie mayonnaise and chopped tomato, and treat yourself to two chocolate-covered marshmallows in the afternoon. For dinner, mix 300g vegetable risotto with 100g cooked soya beans. Finish with 150g low-fat yoghurt and 200g fresh fruit salad.

Categories: 200ml skimmed, 300g vegetable, Celebrity Wellness, chopped tomato, dinner cook, peanut butter, porridge oats, rapeseed oil, skimmed milk, steamed vegetables, Vegetarian, Workouts

Stave off the Cravings: Healthy Food to Beat the Munchies

Having a good diet is something that’s easy to resolve and much, much harder to maintain. No matter how much you know, on a cerebral level, that good nutrition is vital for your wellness and wellbeing, addictions and food cravings can completely interfere with your ability to make sensible food choices.

 

If you’re struggling with food cravings, you are not alone. The problem is not so much with the craving itself but with the fact that one small amount of the food craved can lead to another bite and another bite, and eventually excess consumption. Some people also try hard to fight against their cravings, and will eat anything else apart from the food they are craving, leading to excess calorie consumption. You can avoid both of these situations if you simply find a food that satisfies your cravings but also provides health benefits at the same time.

 

If what you are really wanting is a plate of gooey brownies, look out for some healthy brownie alternatives. Making your own brownies is a great way to make them healthier. The reason brownies taste so nice is because they contain lots of sugar and fat, so try replacing the sugar with something equally sweet like bananas or apple sauce. Natural sweeteners can also be used. Instead of the fat, use chia seeds or avocado, which you can substitute instead of butter.

 

If it’s a savoury snack like Reese’s peanut butter cups that you are after, try simply grabbing a couple of squares of dark, antioxidant-packed chocolate with a small tablespoon of peanut butter on top.

 

Potato chips can be replaced by something like vegetable chips, which are far healthier and lower in fat. Chips made from beets or sweet potatoes are ideal. Alternatively, look out for chips that are made from the whole potato, such as Kettle Chips, as these give you a much better balance of sodium and potassium.

Categories: brownies, chips, cravings, Food, food cravings, Healthy, nbsp, peanut butter

The Jetsons Diet: Why Seeds Can Take Us into the Future

If you were ever into science fiction as a kid, you probably thought that, by the time you reached the age you are now, your diet would be comprised of nutrient-dense, wellness boosting pills (just like in The Jetsons). However, if you’re disappointed that food still looks very much the same as it did 30 years ago, there is still solace to be found: seeds. They may be a little less sci-fi and a little more natural, but seeds give you the opportunity to take care of your wellbeing in (sort of) pill-popping form, and that’s pretty cool.

 

According to says Sharon Palmer, RD, author of the new book The Plant-Powered Diet: The Lifelong Eating Plan for Achieving Optimal Health Beginning Today, edible seeds are packed with fibre, protein, vitamins, and minerals. She comments, ‘People don’t think about grabbing seeds as a snack or as a food source. People think of them as bird food more than anything else.’ However, you should ignore seeds at your peril, as these little beauties also contain high levels of phytosterols, which are plant compounds that have been proven to be just as effective as prescription statins for lowering your cholesterol. Palmer adds, ‘And they’re such easy snacks!’ So, which seeds should you be loading up on?

 

1. Pumpkin seeds: Being high in protein, iron and zinc isn’t all that pumpkin seeds have to boast about; they’re also one of the best dietary sources of magnesium. This miracle mineral helps to stabilise your blood pressure, build the strength of your bones, and even reduce your stress. In fact, French researchers have found that having high levels of magnesium in their blood means men are 40% less likely to die prematurely compared to men with the lowest levels. Moreover, the phytosterols found in pumpkin seeds help alleviate symptoms associated with having an enlarged prostate, such as urinary difficulties.

 

2. Sunflower seeds: In just half-a-cup of sunflower seeds you’ll find more than 100% of your daily requirement for alpha-tocopherol, which is the most active form of vitamin E. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that can help you ward of damage from the sun, as it protects your cells from the damage of free radicals and UV rays. On top of this, sunflower seeds are also an excellent source of the antidepressant phenylalanine. Your body turns this amino acid into the brain chemical norepinephrine, which keeps you alert and focused. You can eat these seeds raw, or use sunflower-seed butter on toast if you’re getting sick of peanut butter every morning.

 

3. Sesame seeds: You probably already love these seeds on burger buns or sesame chicken, but did you know that these seeds are also providing you with an incredibly high amount of calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc? As they’re so small, sesame seeds probably aren’t the best for snacking but hummus is, and this contains a paste made from ground sesame seeds known as tahini. You can also buy tahini on its own and spread it on flatbreads or pitas, again, just like peanut butter.

 

4. Chia seeds: Nearly half of the fibre you need every day (11 grams) can be found in a single ounce of chia seeds. These little beauts also contain 18% of your daily calcium requirement, which is more than three times the amount of calcium that milk provides. As well as giving you good digestion and strong bones, chia seeds have some of the highest levels of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids of any seed – so you can throw good heart health into the mix too. Not bad for a little seed, Jetsons here we come!

Categories: Chia Seeds, high levels, nbsp, peanut butter, pumpkin seeds, Seeds, sesame, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds

Fresh Start: 5 Smoothies for Weight Loss

If Dieting is one of your New Year’s resolutions for 2014, you aren’t alone. Each year in January, the word “diet” spikes in Google searches, and nearly 60% of Americans have tried to lose weight in the last five years. However, of the estimated 40% of Americans who set New Year’s goals, only 8% actually achieve them. If you are hoping to improve your odds of reaching your weight loss goal this year, here are 5 delicious recipes that might help you. Each of these smoothies for weight loss uses natural, healthy ingredients, and could be a great part of your diet plan to drop extra weight in 2014.

 

Strawberry Banana Orange Smoothie

A slight twist on an old time favorite, this smoothie recipe combines the classic taste of strawberries and bananas with the unexpected tang of orange. It is so simple to make that you will find yourself going back to it quite often.

 

You’ll need:

1 frozen banana chopped

1 cup strawberries

half and orange (peeled)

1/2 cup greek yogurt

6 ice cubes

 

Toss all of your ingredients into a blender in no particular order and blend until smooth. Told you it was easy!

 

 

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

The extra protein from the peanut butter will help with weight loss. Remember you do not have to sacrifice taste just to lose weight. This smoothie is the perfect example of that, especially if you are a peanut butter lover. Think about using this smoothie to replace a meal.

 

You’ll need:

1 small banana

1 half cup crunchy peanut butter

1 tablespoon chocolate whey protein powder

8 ice cubes

 

Toss all of your ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth.

 

 

Easy Peachy Smoothie

Sometimes you just need a smoothie that is refreshing. This liquid version of peaches and cream will satisfy your cravings as well as reduce your waistline.

 

You’ll need:

1 cup low fat milk

1 cup frozen peaches

2 teaspoons flaxseed oil

 

Blend the milk and peaches together until semi-smooth. Add flaxseed oil and blend until completely smooth.

 

 

Any Berry Smoothie

Berries are high in antioxidants, and can be a part of many smoothies for weight loss. The only requirement for this recipe is that you use a combination of berries. You can make this recipe year round because berries freeze very well. All berries are created equal when it comes to this recipe.

 

You’ll need:

1 cup fresh or frozen berries (a mixture of your favorites)

1/2 cup low fat milk

As much or as little ice as you need as it is optional

 

Blend everything until smooth.

 

 

Apple Smoothie

Crisp apple is a taste that you can enjoy anytime. Similar to apple pie without the calories, you may very well try to eat this smoothie with a fork!

 

You’ll need:

1/2 cup soy milk

8oz vanilla yogurt

1-1/2 teaspoon of apple pie spice

1 granny smith apple (chopped)

2 tablespoons almond butter

6 ice cubes

 

Blend until smooth in your blender.

 

Whether you are hoping to drop extra weight or just improve your health and your body image, these smoothies can help you reach your goals. They are even easier to make with kitchenaid. Kitchenaid blender parts are well made and will make quick work blending all of these recipes and more.

Categories: cubes nbsp, fruit smoothies, healthy smoothies, ice cubes, Lose weight, nbsp blend, nbsp nbsp, nbsp toss, new year's weight loss, new years resolutions, peanut butter, smooth nbsp

Is Your Health Food Bar More Bad for You than Chocolate?

Health food bars seem like the holy grail of diet snacking, but how good are they for you, really? Clever marketing and branding, with a few non-regulated buzzwords, means you rarely check the back of the packet before you buy. After all, it’s got fruit, fibre and protein in it, why wouldn’t it be good for you? In actual fact, your average health food bar often contains a hodgepodge of dodgy ingredients compressed into a product that winds up being much closer to a chocolate bar, or even worse in terms of nutritional value. We’ve rounded up six of the worst offenders, but this isn’t an extensive list by any standard, so remember to always read the label.

 

1. PowerBar Fruit Smoothie Energy Bar (Berry Blast): A blast of berries may seem ideal, but these are just empty superfood buzzwords, without a berry in sight on the ingredient list! What you are, in fact, eating is evaporated cane juice syrup, followed by sugar, fruit juice concentrate, dextrose, and fructose (read: sugar, sugar, sugar and sugar). Moreover, this bar is dripping in calories and has more than double the sugar of your average chocolate bar.

 

2. Quaker Oatmeal to Go Apples & Cinnamon: Breakfast in a square with oats as the first ingredient? What’s this doing on this list? Sure, the first ingredient is great but as the second one is high-fructose corn syrup, you can see how Quaker Oatmeal to Go might not be so great for your wellness after all. Even though it has an extra gram of protein than your average chocolate bar, this breakfast bar has almost twice as much sugar and more calories. Plus, it contains lost of nasty components, such as artificial colours, chemical preservatives, a number of sugars in their various guises, and two types of partially hydrogenated oils.

 

3. Genisoy Chunky Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Bar: As this list goes, this bar isn’t such a bad offender but it’s on here for three reasons; calories, sugar and low-fibre. There’s 220 calories in the Genisoy Chunky Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Bar (which is more than you would find in chocolate), 22g of sugar (which, again, is more than your average chocolate bar contains) and only 2g of fibre (which is half the amount you’d get in chocolate).

 

4. Met-Rx Big 100 Colossal Peanut Butter Pretzel: This isn’t a snack; it’s a full-blown 410-calorie and 28g-of-sugar meal! The Colossal Peanut Butter Pretzel’s second, third, and fourth ingredients are corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and sugar, so all it’s going to give you is a colossal case of diabetes and weight gain.

 

5. Muscle Milk Vanilla Toffee Crunch Bar: As a general rule, the phrase “vanilla toffee crunch” doesn’t go hand-in-hand with “diet and nutrition wellness,” but you’d think that a nutritional supplement company who makes such a bar would at least attempt to throw in a little goodness. The primary ingredient in this bar is evaporated cane juice (as in, sugar cane), but the bar also plays host to nine other forms of sugar and two types of hydrogenated oils. Sure, there’s more protein in the crunch bar than you would find in a bar of chocolate, but as the protein comes from hydrolyzed gelatine, it’s not really something to shout about.

 

6. Seitenbacher Banana Cranberry Bar: For a number of reasons, seitenbacher is generally a good choice for your wellbeing. Their products contain no gluten, GMO soy or anything a vegetarian would have a problem with, and they tend to use simple and natural ingredients. However, you need to steer clear of the banana cranberry option for one glaring reason: it contains 32g of sugar. This is the equivalent of eight teaspoons of the sweet stuff, but with only half the fibre and one-third the protein of a chocolate bar.

Categories: average chocolate, butter fudge, chocolate, chocolate bar, corn syrup, fructose corn, Health Food, Health Food Bars, Nutritional Value, peanut butter, protein bar, toffee crunch

How to Fix Your Sense of Taste when Cancer Ruins Food

From the large to the small, cancer affects many areas of your wellbeing, and even its treatments can have a nasty impact. One way cancer or cancer treatment can affect you is through your sense of taste, whether food starts to seems too sweet, salty metallic or altogether flavourless. The good thing about these changes is that they won’t affect your wellness forever. However, in the meantime you need to what you can to maintain your calorie intake and meet your body’s protein, vitamin and mineral needs through your diet.

 

If you’re on a specific diet for other health concerns – such as a low-sodium diet or an eating plan designed for diabetes sufferers – you might need to set aside those restrictions for the time being. In order to increase your chances of getting adequate nutrition, you need to allow for more variety, so ask your doctor if it might be advisable to relax the restraints temporarily. When it comes to selecting and preparing foods, different things work for different people. We’ve assembled a few ideas with which you can experiment until you find combinations that appeal to you.

 

Not enough flavour: If food is falling a little flat, try to perk things up with new sauces, marinades, seasonings and other ingredients. (Before you get going with the spices, be aware that these can irritate a sore mouth or throat. If your mouth or throat is sore, you should also avoid acidic foods and hot foods or beverages.) While cooking, try barbecue sauce, extracts or other flavourings, ketchup, meat marinades, mustards, soy sauce, spices and herbs, teriyaki sauce, vinegar and wine. You can also sprinkle on some bacon bits, chopped green or red bell peppers, chopped onion or garlic, ham strips, nuts and cheese. If your morning cereal lacks pizzazz, experiment with brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, cinnamon, dates or raisins.

 

Too sweet: Everyone has a bit of a sweet tooth, but no one has a whole mouthful. To tone down your overly sweet foods, try adding a little salt or lemon juice to foods, and plain yoghurt, buttermilk, instant coffee powder or extra milk to milkshakes, instant beverage mixes or commercially prepared nutritional drinks. On the beverage front, go for diluted fruit juice, milk, buttermilk, lemonade, ginger ale or sports drinks. There are also less sweet dessert options, like yoghurt, custard, fruit, baked fruit, fruit with cottage cheese, fruit crumble, plain doughnuts, or graham crackers. In addition, try replacing sweet snacks with cheese, crisps, pretzels, cottage cheese, crackers, nuts and peanut butter.

 

Too salty: Just like a little salt can help when foods are too sweet; a little sugar may tone down the saltiness of some foods. Don’t add salt when you’re cooking and check that the seasonings and sauces you’re cooking with aren’t too salty either. Processed foods contain a lot of sodium, so these are best avoided. Instead, read labels carefully to ensure the products you buy are either “reduced sodium” or “low sodium” or go for bland foods with mild flavours.

 

Meat doesn’t taste right: The first thing to ensure is that the meat is fresh and cooked properly. If it still doesn’t taste right, replace meat with other foods that contain protein, such as cheese, cottage cheese, beans, peas, custard, egg dishes, lentils, malts, milkshakes, nuts, peanut butter, poultry, quinoa, yoghurt, tofu, and fish. On this latter suggestion, make sure your fish is either fresh, frozen or packed in a vacuum-sealed pouch, as canned fish can have a metallic taste. You can also try meat in combination with other foods and sauces, as you’d find in chilli, lasagne, spaghetti, casseroles, stews or hearty soups.

Categories: cancer, cheese, cottage cheese, foods, fruit, meat, peanut butter, Salty, Sweet

Health Mistakes You"re Probably Making Every Day

Drinking Fruit Juice

The fruit you consume should be fresh. Reading the ingredient list on almost any fruit juice’s nutrition label will reveal that what is in the container bears little resemblance to what was originally picked off the tree or bush. What remains is mostly sugar, which wreaks havoc on your smile, your waistline and, when you find out you have cavities that need to be filled, your bank account. If you continue to consume such sugary liquids, you will have no choice but to enlist the aid of Indianapolis dentures and dental services that can provide you with dentures. You should drink water, green tea or black coffee instead.

 

Not Flossing

Your smile cannot survive on brushing alone. Flossing does about 40 percent of the work that is required to remove plaque—which, just as a reminder, is sticky bacteria—from your teeth. Setting aside a few minutes each day for flossing may seem like a waste. However, when the alternative is a root canal or some other painful, expensive dental procedure, the time investment seems like a great trade-off.

 

Eating Low-Fat or Fat-Free Foods

Contrary to popular belief, eating fat does not make you fat. In fact, unsaturated fats are an essential part of a well-balanced diet. Saturated fats, on the other hand, should be avoided. Most low-fat or fat-free foods (for example, fat-free peanut butter) are loaded with sugar to compensate for their lack of fat. If you are going to purchase such foods, read the label to make sure they are low in sugar, salt and other nutritionally worthless additives.

 

Not Getting Enough Sleep

Sleeping less may marginally improve your productivity in the short run. In the long run, though, skipping out on even a couple hours each night will weaken your immune system and reduce your mental acuity. You will also likely be quite grumpy, which will have a negative impact on your coworkers, family members and friends.

 

Skipping Breakfast

You should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a commoner, and dinner like a pauper. Being in a hurry is no excuse for skipping breakfast, which truly is the most important meal of the day. You should be eating generous servings of complex carbohydrates, protein and good fats to start your day off right. Foods such as unsweetened oatmeal, wheat toast, whole eggs or egg whites, natural peanut butter and Greek yogurt will provide you with a beginning-of-the-day boost and prevent mid-morning snack cravings.

Categories: breakfast, foods, free, free foods, Fruit Juice, health, Mistakes, nbsp, peanut butter, Skipping Breakfast, Sugar