nutrition facts

Are you constantly surrounded by temptation? Can’t say no to those fattening lunch dates
or those home-baked pies from your mother-in-law or to the huge box of chocolates from your partner? The diet is hard enough without high-calorie foods being pushed in your direction. How can you stick to your resolve?

WebMD experts offer five simple strategies to help you stick to a healthy eating plan (even when you're surrounded by non-dieting friends and loved ones).

1. Make a Statement. It’s up to the dieter to make his or her feelings known. Directly ask your loved ones not to give you food as gifts or eat in front of you. No matter how strong you are
you can't stare fattening foods in the face every day without your willpower breaking down.

2. Keep Temptation Out of Sight. Even if your loved ones agree to eat their fattening goodies when you're not around
ask them to keep it in a cabinet where you don't normally go for your diet foods - you'll be less tempted to eat it.

3. Learn the Art of Substitution. Give yourself a taste treat of your own by preparing a less-caloric dessert that captures some of the essence of what your family members are wolfing down. Be creative and you'll find that watching others eat the goodies won't be so hard.

4. Share the Health. Make the foods that everyone craves in a more healthful and calorie-conscious way. Use no-fat yogurt in place of mayonnaise
use skim milk instead of whole milk
make lasagna with low-fat cheese. Creating a low-calorie shopping list will also help. Choose baked chips instead of fried
popcorn instead of cheese doodles
diet soda instead of regular
you will be helping everyone.

5. Be Reassuring. Even when they say you look good the way you are
reassure your partner that your weight loss goals are driven by health
not vanity
and that losing those extra pounds will help ensure a better future for both of you. Explain the serious health risks involved in being overweight.

No- you’re not weak-willed. You’re human. Just don’t let those around you get the best of you. Follow these five easy steps and you won’t fall off the weight loss wagon.

My immediate answer is YES
you are eating yourself to death!

I can just hear you all shout "Hold on a second there Richelo! I eat very healthy foods
and I only drink healthy fruit juices. I don't eat sweets
I only buy low fat and low carb products. I eat healthy
and don't need to read the rest of this article!" HOLD ON there a moment! You are not eating as healthy as you think! Let me tell you why.

Never in the history of man have we seen more obesity
diseases
syndromes and what not
than we do right now. Is this all thanks to food? No
BUT
a HUGE part is
and if you will indulge me for a short while
I will try my best to explain to you in an easy to understand manner
why this is so.

We live in an instant gratification and microwave society. If it is not quick
easy and now
it is so yesterday. BUT
at what cost?

I can write a whole book about all the "stuff" they put in processed
or so called fast foods
but
I don't want to bore you to death with all the scientific names and what it does to your body. Let me rather simplify this for you
and say that if it is processed in any way
it is not good for you
and very possibly bad for you!

So
what exactly is processed foods
and why is it so bad for you?

Does it come in a can
sealed box
sealed bag
or is it ready made? If so
it is processed. This is the vast majority of the foods that you get at the grocery store! Have a look the next time you are at the store
and you will see this to be true.

Now on to why it is so bad for you. For this food to last long
have the right color
and not pick up all the bad bacteria associated with keeping food for long
a LONG list of chemicals are added to this food. A lot of these chemicals are known to have very serious negative effects of the human body. To name but a few of these "side" effects: Cancer
High blood pressure
high cholesterol
Numbness
Burning sensation
Tingling
Facial pressure or tightness
Chest pain
Headache
Nausea
Rapid heartbeat
Drowsiness
Weakness and Difficulty breathing for asthmatics .

Now
forget all the "stuff" being added. What about nutritional value? Because of all the processing
there is little
if any
real nutrients left in any any of these foods! Not only that
BUT
the salt levels are WAY above what a human being should be consuming!

What about all these healthy bran cereals? Are they processed? YES. They contain more sugar than anything else! You poor blood sugar levels does not know what to do with all the extra insulin that it gets with just about any fast or processed food!

So
what then is safe and healthy?

Anything that is fresh
not processed
and preferably organic. Plain and simple! YES
that means that nice cup of coffee you are enjoying while reading this is not very good for you!

Have a look at your grocery store. The vast majority of the fresh
non processed foods are around the perimeter of the store
and not in the isles! This makes shopping so much easier!

"BUT
it takes so long to prepare!" The most common complaint I hear! Well
if you plan it properly
you can make all your fresh food in less time than it takes to get all your fast food during the day! Read that again! My wife and I prepare all our meals
for the 2 of us
and our 2 children
in 30 minutes in the morning! All fresh
all healthy
and all ready to eat for the rest of the day!

How much
and how often should you eat? This is also very simple. You should be eating every 2.5 to 3 hours. Before you start screaming at me for telling you to eat so much
remember also that these meals should be much smaller portions of your regular 3 meals a day. This will equate to around 6 meals a day.

What will you be eating? Also quite simple. Protein
Carbohydrates and Fat. YES
fat! You need to eat lean meat
skinless chicken or fish for protein. If you are vegan
there are loads of alternatives. For carbohydrates
you will have fruit and vegetables. For fat
you will have fish
fish oil capsules or flaxseed oil.

That's IT! Sounds boring? Believe me when I tell you that it is not!

To read many more articles like this one
and to learn more about healthy eating and exercising
please visit my web site at http://www.allaboutfitnessonline.com/. While at the site
also take the time to subscribe to our newsletter
which is published bi-weekly
and includes many more articles just like this one.

It is a common misconception that coconut oil is bad for you. People all over the world are experiencing the healthy benefits of using coconut oil. It is actually one of the healthiest oils you can consume. Here are the top seven reasons why you should use coconut oil as an alternative to other common cooking oils.

1. Coconut oil doesn't turn to fat in your body.

Unlike many other common oils
like soy (vegetable) and corn
coconut oil won't make you fat. Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCT)
which are an easy fuel for the body to burn
without turning to fat. Most other cooking oils and fats contain long-chain triglycerides (LCT). LCT's are usually stored as fat. Since coconut oil is a MCT
it is more easily absorbed and converted to energy quicker.

People in the tropics have relied on coconuts as a traditional staple in their diet for centuries. They consume large amounts of coconut oil every day. Instead of getting fatter
it helps them stay healthy
lean and trim. When they switch from coconut oil to our modern oils
they develop obesity and the health problems that our modern society faces.

Some other people who have known this truth for a long time are people who are in the animal feed business. When livestock are fed vegetable oils
they put on weight and produce more fatty meat. When they are fed coconut oil
they become very lean.

2. Coconut oil increases your metabolism.

Not only does coconut oil convert to energy quicker in your body
it increases your metabolism
which promotes weight loss. Because it boosts your metabolism
it helps your body burn fat more effectively.

Coconut oil may triple your calorie burn. Since coconut oil is a MCT
it is converted to energy so quickly that it creates a lot of heat. In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
MCT's burn three times more calories for six hours after a meal than LCT's.

The February 15
2005
issue of Woman's World magazine stated that coconut oil is the "underground high-metabolism secret."

This is great news for people who have thyroid problems
since coconut oil improves sluggish thyroids by stimulating the production of extra thyroid hormones. Most other common oils
like vegetable (soy) and corn have been shown to inhibit thyroid function.

3. Coconut oil has omega 3 fatty acids.

Most cooking oils contain omega 6 fatty acids
something we get way too much of in the United States. Our omega 6 to omega 3 ratio should be 1:1 but it is more like 50:1. We need to drastically cut back our omega 6 oils and consume much more omega 3 oils to be healthy. And coconut oil is filled with these healthy omega 3 fatty acids.

4. Coconut oil gives you energy.

Because of the healthy omega 3 fatty acids and the fact that it increases the metabolism
most people that switch to coconut oil feel a burst of added energy in their daily life.

This is because coconut oil is nature’s richest source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT's)
which increase metabolic rates and lead to weight loss. MCT's promote thermogenesis
which increases the body's metabolism
producing energy.

This is because coconut oil is nature’s richest source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT's)
which increase metabolic rates and lead to weight loss. MCT's promote thermogenesis
which increases the body's metabolism
producing energy. Many people with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia have found that adding coconut and coconut oil to their diet was helpful to them.

5. One of the best things you can use on your skin and hair is coconut oil.

Coconut oil one of the best things you can apply directly on your skin and hair. It gives temporary relief to skin problems like rashes. It aids in healing and restoring skin to a younger appearance. It has also been known to help with people who suffer from yeast infections in the skin
as well as many other skin problems.

Not only does is soften and smooth your skin
coconut oil has antioxidant properties that protect the skin from free radical damage. Coconut oil makes excellent massage oil too.

6. Coconut oil has healthy benefits that most other oils do not.

Evidence is mounting that coconut oil has anti-fungal
anti-bacterial and anti-viral effects when both consumed and used topically on the skin.

Most oils oxidize and turn rancid very quickly causing free radical damage in our bodies. Coconut oil is not easily oxidized and does not cause harmful free radical damage like polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Free radical damage is thought to be responsible for many ailments in our body from arthritis to increased susceptibility to cancers.

Coconut oil also helps our bodies absorb other nutrients more effectively
such as Vitamin E.

7. Coconut oil is one of the best oils you can use for cooking.

It has a higher smoke point than olive oil
which means it can take higher temperatures better. There are several healthy omega 3 oils we can choose to consume
such as flax and olive oil
but they don't do well under the high heat we use for cooking. Coconut oil can be used in higher cooking temperatures.

It is harder for coconut oil to go rancid
unlike other cooking oils
which are usually rancid long before you even bring them home. Rancid oils cause free radical damage in the body
which is a leading cause of cancer. Coconut oil is stable for over a year at room temperature.

Because of the misinformation we have been given for years
we have lost out on the healthy benefits that coconut oil has given the people of the tropics for centuries. But now it has been rediscovered! Coconut oil is so effective
it won't be long before we see coconut oil supplements promoted
but you can get the jump on the popular crowd and start consuming and cooking with coconut oil today!

It's well accepted that reduced physical activity and fast food are linked to obesity. But the evidence that these are the main causes of obesity is largely circumstantial. To stimulate debate
experts suggest 10 other possible causes of obesity
outlined in the International Journal of Obesity.

1. Sleep debt. Getting too little sleep can increase body weight. Today
many get less shut-eye than ever.
2. Pollution. Hormones control body weight. And many of today's pollutants affect our hormones.
3. Air conditioning. You have to burn calories if your environment is too hot or too cold for comfort. But more people than ever live and work in temperature-controlled homes and offices.
4. Decreased smoking. Smoking reduces weight. People smoke much less than they used to.
5. Medicine. Many different drugs including contraceptives
steroid hormones
diabetes drugs
some antidepressants
and blood pressure drugs can cause weight gain. Use of these drugs is on the upswing.
6. Population age
ethnicity. Middle-aged people and Hispanic-Americans tend to be more obese than young European-Americans. Americans are getting older and more Hispanic.
7. Older moms. There's some evidence that the older a woman is when she gives birth
the higher her child's risk of obesity. Women are giving birth at older and older ages.
8. Ancestors' environment. Some influences may go back two generations. Environmental changes that made a grandparent obese may "through a fetally driven positive feedback loop" visit obesity on the grandchildren.
9. Obesity linked to fertility. There's some evidence obese people are more fertile than lean ones. If obesity has a genetic component
the percentage of obese people in the population should increase.
10. Unions of obese spouses. Obese women tend to marry obese men
and if obesity has a genetic component
there will be still more obese people in the next generation.

These other contributing factors deserve more attention and study. Even more explanations include: a fat-inducing virus; increases in childhood depression; less consumption of dairy products; and hormones used in agriculture. What do you think can be attributed to the epidemic?

There are actually diet rules out there that are meant to be broken? Yes
recently many dated diet guidelines and myths are up for speculation. You’ve probably heard all these silly rules before
but experts weigh-in on the worthiness of these supposed truisms - most of which won't help you lose weight or make dieting any easier.

10 Food Rules You Can Ignore:

1. Eating at night will pile on the pounds. The total calories you consume over a 24-hour period or over a week is what causes you to gain weight
and when you eat these calories doesn't matter.

2. It's best to eat at the same times every day. Eat when you're hungry
not when the clock says it's time to eat.

3. Dieting with a buddy always makes weight loss easier. Common goals may pay off but weight loss is a personal journey.

4. Dietary fat keeps you feeling full longer
so you'll eat less. Fat does take longer to digest
but it will not help you control your appetite. Foods likely to fight off hunger the longest are protein foods
followed by carbohydrates
then fats.

5. When you blow your diet
you might as well wait until the next day to get back on track. Nothing could be farther from the truth- always try to get right back on track with your next meal.

6. Refusing food at a party or when visiting is rude. Turning down food that you know will blow your diet is socially acceptable.

7. Skipping a meal every now and then will help you lose. Skipping a meal means you will be so hungry at the next meal that you are likely to overeat. This can also help lead to a slowdown of your metabolism.

8. Bread is fattening
nuts are fattening
pasta is fattening. Whole-wheat bread/pasta is a great source of nutrients
and it won't make you gain weight more than any other food with the same number of calories.

9. All calories are equal. This is somewhat true
however; you'll get more nutrients from a 100-calorie apple than from a 100-calorie portion of white bread. Choose healthier items if you are losing weight
or controlling your hunger.

10. If you don't clean your plate
you're wasting food. If you just don't feel right leaving the table until you've cleaned your plate
underestimate your hunger and put less food on your plate to begin with
or you may overeat.

Don’t believe everything you hear! Much of it is just superstition. Now you can tell your friends the real truth. In the end
nutrition experts say
many of the food and dieting rules we hold dear are meant to be broken - without guilt!