Food Portion Sizes Critical To Successful Diet

Dec | Leave a Comment

Dieting And Food Portion Sizes

if you have been trying to lose weight lately, you are probably familiar with some of the obstacles that we all face. Sometimes, it can be difficult or impossible to figure out why a weight-loss program isn’t working. Are you eating too much fatty food? Are you not eating enough grains or vegetables? What about protein – how much of that should you eat, and what should it come from? Is it all right to eat animal products, or should you switch to tofu? All of these are questions that most dieters have to struggle with on a daily basis.

One of the most important questions, however, is one that many dieters neglect to think about enough – food portion sizes. No matter how healthy you eat, research shows that if you eat too much you simply won’t lose weight. The old myth that you can eat as much vegetables and grains as you want is rapidly losing credibility, and many weight-loss experts and gurus put food portion size as the most important factor in how much weight you can manage to take off.

The problem is that there is no one guide to portion sizes of food. There is the USDA food portion sizes guideline to look at, but this isn’t universally accepted. The government is often bureaucratic, and it can take years to update food guidelines to the latest thinking. As a matter of fact, each diet plan seems to have its own guidelines for food portion sizes.

The important thing is to find a standard and stick with it. Too many people make the mistake of trying to eyeballs food portion sizes, but this neglect some of the problems that we face in our culture. Most of us are raised in an atmosphere where more is better. Restaurants, cafeterias, and even households tend to serve up huge portions of food, so what looks normal to us might actually be except excessive.

One of my friends – a dieting expert himself – recommends this rule thumb for determining food portion sizes. If you are just starting to diet, try out a basic type of food – a plain vegetable dish, a breast of chicken, or whatever – and see how much you need to feel like you have had your fill. Roughly two thirds of that is the appropriate food portion size. When you are first starting dieting, you want to be hungry all the time. If you aren’t, you are probably eating a little too much.

How Well Do Detox Diets Work?

Nov | Leave a Comment

It seems that there’s always some new alternative therapy that’s all the rage, and right now its detoxification diets. These diets are intended to help the body to eliminate toxins in many ways, and while detox diets are effective by themselves, they may be reinforced by eating certain foods and drinking prescribed liquids. Just like anything else, how well these diets work for you will depend on how well you follow them, and of course, it’s not right for everyone. As before starting any type of diet or exercise program, it’s recommended that you speak with a health care professional first, regarding your physical health, and how the process may affect any current health conditions. A detox diet may be contraindicated in people with certain chronic illness, and who are on certain prescribed medications.

The removal of potentially toxic substances from the body is a common treatment for alcohol and drug dependence, but the term is also used to refer to diets, herbs, and other methods of removing environmental and dietary toxins from the body for general health. The benefits of detoxification diets and how to properly detoxify your body can be found on a number of sites online. Just remember that not all of these cleansing therapies are safe, and some can really cause harm to your body, which is why it’s so important to consult your physician first before proceeding with any type of detoxification program. The liver is the primary organ involved in detoxification, which is why it’s important to support and protect the liver during the detoxification process, especially if there are any health concerns involved. Elimination in the form of stool and urine is also increased to cleanse the colon, and to enhance circulation to clear toxic substances and allergens from the body.

For general information about detoxification diets, visit www.altmedicine.about.com, for instructions and common questions about how to detox your body using colon cleanses and prescribed food lists. Start with the detox screening quiz, learn the detoxification diet basics, find out what foods to eat and ones to avoid, and how the diet can be customized for individual needs. Many people believe that various health conditions are caused by toxins and pollutants in the body, which can cause everything from indigestion, food sensitivities, and bacterial overgrowths to weak hair, skin, and nails. Detoxification diets are intended to rejuvenate both the mind and body, the premise being that as toxins are eliminated from the body, our outlook changes toward a more healthier vision, once that will enhance and sustain life, and create more positive energy around us, something we all need!

Low Carb Oatmeal — Is It Any Different?

Aug | Leave a Comment

I love low carbohydrate diets but I do admit that I miss my morning hot cereal. When I friend of mine introduced me to low carb oatmeal, I was thrilled. However, I have to admit that this version is not the traditional fair that I am accustomed to. This is a good thing, though.

The low carb oatmeal that I tested is a brand that I had never heard of before, McCann’s Irish Oats. I did experience a little sticker shock when I purchased the product. Low carb oatmeal is quite a bit more expensive than the rolled oats that so many of us are used to having on a regular basis.

The difference in price is due to the quality of the product. The low carb oatmeal offers a lot more nutrition than the regular brands. This is because the regular brands over process the cereal. First, the oats are steamed and rolled. The product is steamed again then toasted. All this processing depletes the grains of their natural nutritional value.

Get ready when you try a product like McCann’s Irish Oatmeal. This breakfast cereal is quite different in texture and flavor than the products that we commonly use. The low carb oatmeal is “steel-cut” which means that the oats are cut into a few pieces rather than flaked, steamed and pulverized.

Since the oats are closer to their natural state they are lower in carbohydrates. This is because the oats are larger and more complex. The texture and complexity of the low carb oatmeal is the primary difference from the processed brands. There are a few other differences as well.

The price, as I mentioned before is higher for the low carb oatmeal. The product also takes longer to cook. This can be a major drawback for those of us who are on the run in the mornings. I usually save the low carb oatmeal breakfast for the weekends because of the extra time it takes to prepare.

Some would ague that thirty minutes is a pretty quick fix for breakfast but most of us are used to “instant” everything. I can make a regular bowl of oats in a couple of minutes. A half hour spent on making low carb oatmeal seems like and eternity. Some like to prepare the ingredients in a slow cooker but this wasn’t convenient for me either.

To be honest, I consider the low carb oatmeal to be a completely different type of breakfast than the rolled oats that we commonly use. I do consider this new-to-me version to be a real weekend treat that offers better nutrition and a completely different taste.

Are You Fat Because You Live In One Of These 10 States?

Jul | Leave a Comment

For the third year, CalorieLab has tabulated the top 10 states with the fatest people. Most are from the deep south. They include Mississippi, West Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Michigan. I wonder if this is due to their diet of fried foods or the lack of exercise. I suspect that both are contributing factors. The number of diabetes is also high.

All diets should use fat in moderation as it can lead to an unhealthy body weight and heart disease. For a diabetic, controlling fat intake is important for the previous reason in addition to the negative affect it can have on blood sugars. Fats can be put into many different categories – healthy, non-healthy, saturated, non-saturated, trans-fat, and more. But the bottom line with any of kind of fat is to enjoy in moderation.

When you eat food that is high in fat (for instance a cheeseburger), your short-term blood glucose reading may come back as fine. But since fat acts much like protein and it slows down the digestion of carbohydrates you may notice a higher than normal blood sugar many hours later. It is hard to plan for such a spike because it is quite delayed compared to other foods that are eaten that raise blood sugar.

The best advice is to choose natural, healthy, unsaturated fats and oils whenever possible. You can do this by reading your food labels carefully as the different kinds of fats are listed on most food labels. Excessive fat intake will also cause you to gain weight and that is another way blood sugars can spiral out of control. Extra body weight that you carry around is taxing on your systems and will affect how your body uses and needs insulin.

Healthy fat choices include:

* Avocado – oil or the fruit itself
* Sesame, olive, or canola oil
* Black or green olives
* Peanuts and peanut butter (this doubles as a protein choice)
* Sesame seeds

Additional fat choices that should be used in moderation:

* Butter or margarine
* Walnuts
* Salad dressings
* Mayonnaise
* Pumpkin and sunflower seeds

If there are any questions about a type of fat and what a serving size should be, contact your doctor or dietician for more information.

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