Make your diet a journey through healthy foods

Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.

Sign up now

Last time, we discussed the importance of attitude when beginning weight loss and mentioned a journey around the world of healthy ethnic foods. My wife and I have been on a similar journey over the years ... a salad journey.

Yes, I know that sounds funny, but we have periodically tried different types of salads. Years ago, it was mixed greens with toasted sliced almonds, a small amount of smoked Gouda cheese, and raspberry vinaigrette. For a while, we enjoyed a spinach salad with sunflower seeds, whole wheat croutons, and a small amount of hot olive oil. Then an eggless Caesar salad (she makes a great one), followed by mixed baby greens with a small amount of sunflower seeds, parmesan cheese, and balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Our staple has always been a Greek salad — with a whole grain baguette and smoked salmon it's often our dinner (and I can eat large amounts of the veggies based on the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid!).

Why is this relevant?

It shows how our taste preferences change over time and we can learn to like new foods. Thank goodness for that. I've often felt sorry for our cat; it generally eats the same food day in and day out (but surprisingly seems to look forward to meal time). It shows just a few of the many variations that are possible in just one type of food. Most of us develop a core group of recipes and meals that we eat every week or two. We get used to making these foods and it becomes quick and easy. This can turn into a 'recipe rut'. To break out of this rut, it's necessary to either try new recipes or modify old ones. The work and effort in this is in the planning and preparation. Once you make a new dish a couple of times, it becomes part of your new routine. It shows how healthy food can also taste good (you may have to trust me a little here). All of these salads have used either vegetables or generous amounts of greens — such as spinach, red leaf lettuce, romaine, mixed baby greens and my favorite, arugula. Higher calorie foods aren't avoided, but used in smaller amounts to provide a lot of flavor. A little bit of toasted nuts and different types of flavorful cheese can go a long way.

We all may have slightly different taste preferences, and you may not like all the salads above, but you get the picture. I hope you have similar enjoyable journeys, salad or otherwise. Please share your experiences.

blog index

View the original article here

Fewer calories, healthy food best weight-loss plan

Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.

Sign up now

Everyone knows decreasing calorie intake is the key to effective weight loss. However, there are many ways to lower calorie intake, some healthier than others. The total number of calories will determine how much weight you lose. The type of calories you eat will determine how healthy the dietary program is.

Let's use an extreme example. If you eat 1,200 calories per day, you should lose weight. If those calories come only from jelly beans (that's a lot of jelly beans!), it won't be a very healthy way to lose weight. Jelly beans contain calories but very few vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients the body needs.

The Mayo Clinic Diet also recommends 1,200 calories for women under 250 pounds who want to lose weight. In contrast to jelly beans, however, when people follow the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid, they will eat generous amounts of vegetables and fruits, whole grain carbohydrates, lean sources of protein, heart healthy fats, and just a small amount of a sweet, such as jelly beans.

These types of foods contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, and many other nutrients and phytonutrients (different types of nutrients found in plants). These types of foods have a tremendous amount of evidence supporting their beneficial effects on health.

There are many different types of diets in existence. To promote effective weight loss, they should lower calorie intake. To promote good health, they should include a variety of healthy food choices.

blog index

View the original article here

Supplement use increases, but a healthy diet is the key

Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.

Sign up now

A recent study reported that dietary supplement use has increased in the United States, with more than half of all adults taking dietary supplements.

The most common dietary supplement you might take is a multivitamin. Many believe it may be an "insurance policy" to make sure you're getting all necessary nutrients. But there isn't much evidence a multivitamin will improve your health, and it won't make up for a bad diet.

A few dietary supplements have beneficial effects. Particularly for women, calcium and vitamin D can help prevent osteoporosis and folic acid will decrease the risk of birth defects in babies. The recent study reported that calcium and vitamin D use has increased among women over age 60. Unfortunately, use of supplements containing folic acid has not increased among young women, and use among minorities remains the lowest.

Some dietary supplements have negative effects. Smokers and former smokers who take beta carotene supplements have an increased risk of lung cancer. Even vitamin E, which we thought was good for the heart, has not only showed little benefit, but it may even increase the risk of heart disease such as congestive heart failure (the amount of these nutrients in a multivitamin is OK).

If you have a vitamin or mineral deficiency, such as iron deficiency, then supplementation is certainly indicated. In that case, your health care provider should be involved.

Regarding weight loss, there is little evidence that any over-the-counter supplement can help, except for orlistat. It's also available by prescription. Yet, people spend billions on dietary supplements for health and for weight loss.

Most dietary supplements have little impact on health. But a healthy diet can decrease the risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, many types of cancers, diabetes, obesity, and the list goes on. It may seem easier to take a pill, but the right dietary pattern can not only help you lose weight, but also improve your health in so many different ways. And it tastes a whole lot better than a pill!

Do you take supplements? Please share your story.

blog index

View the original article here

Tips to save time, eat healthy and exercise regularly

Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.

Sign up now

We live in a busy world and few people have too much time on their hands. This makes living a healthy lifestyle and managing weight challenging, because it takes time and effort. So, how can we more effectively manage weight in this busy world we live in?

It helps to have the right perspective. For almost all of us, I'd suggest it isn't time that prevents us from making efforts, it's priorities. Achieving a healthy weight can help improve health in many ways, improve quality of life, and help us live longer. What could be more important than that?

Although it takes time to implement healthy lifestyle habits, the return on investment is tremendous — which makes the time investment worth it.

Another helpful item is to look at managing weight not as something "extra" to do, but rather a part of our everyday lifestyle. Just as we eat and sleep every day, we should get some type of physical activity every day, whether it's exercise, activities throughout the day or both.

Taking time to seek out and prepare or purchase healthy, low-calorie food should also be part of our lifestyle, just like brushing our teeth. This doesn't mean you need to spend hours in the kitchen or gym. And some days are certainly tighter than others.

But there are strategies you can employ to make healthy weight management part of your life. At first, it will take a little longer, just like it takes longer to make a recipe you've never made before.

But as time goes on, it becomes more second nature to eat well and be active. For example, many people say they don't feel right if they don't get regular physical activity.

Here are some ways to save time but still eat healthy and get regular physical activity:

Keep staples on hand for quick, healthy meals. At our house, we can quickly make Greek salads, bean burritos, and whole wheat pasta with red sauce and vegetables because we try and keep the ingredients in the house.Look for excuses to walk during the day. Walk while talking on the phone, walk after lunch or better yet — to and from lunch. Walk to talk to a colleague instead of emailing, park a little farther away — you've heard that one before, but have you tried it? Calories burned can add up quickly.Buy prepackaged salads, frozen vegetables, canned no-fat beans, canned tuna and other healthy convenience foods for a pinch.Set a time to get exercise or other physical activity and stick to it. Put it in pen on your regular schedule — it's more important than almost anything else you do.

"The Mayo Clinic Diet" book has other suggestions for effective and time-efficient weight management strategies.  What are some of the ways you incorporate time-saving weight management strategies in diet and physical activity in your lifestyle? Please share.

blog index

View the original article here