Entries Tagged 'food' ↓
November 19th, 2008 — drink, food, recipe
I may have accidentally stumbled onto the perfect sugar substitute: Agave Nectar.
Agave Nectar (or Agave Syrup) is made from the heart of several agave species... It is made from the same starting point as tequila, the heart of the plant known as the piña. It is 3 times sweeter than sugar, but what really makes this a special food is the fact that it has a glycemic index of 32 (very low) and does not affect blood sugar levels.
The main carbohydrate is a complex carbohydrate called inulin or fructosan. It is this carbohydrate that gives both the intense sweetness and the very low glycemic index.
I personally experienced the sweetness and great taste of this product on vacation... The restaurant was offering a marg-o-jito... Mint and a lime muddled with one tablespoon of agave nectar (The recipe then called for mixing muddled mixture 2 to 1 fresh squeezed lime juice with blanco tequila.) I had them mix it 2 to 1 blanco tequila to fresh squeezed lime juice... The result was one of the best tasting tequila drinks I have ever had... But it was a little too sweet for me so I ended up mixing the second half of my drink with a glass of water. Perfection in a refreshing form... My recommendation for this drink...
Ingredients
- 1/4 lime
- 1 Mint leaf
- 1 Tablespoon raw agave nectar
- 2 oz premium blanco tequila
- 1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice (substitute Odwalla Summer Time Lime)
- 3oz filtered water
- ice
Recipe
- Muddle 1/4 lime wedge, 1 mint leaf, 1 tablespoon raw agave nectar, with some ice. How to Muddle
- Mix muddled mixture with tequila, lime juice, and water.
- Pour over ice in a tall glass.
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November 17th, 2008 — Weight Loss Journal, diet, exercise, food, goals, gym, motivation, review
Most of look at dieting as a drudgery, as something that should be dreaded, and as such, many of us either fail at getting started, or can’t stick to it. What if you could change that mindset and look at dieting as being fun? How would that impact how you feel about losing weight? Chances are, it would make it a lot easier and you’d be surprised at how simple it can be to change your mindset and get some great results. Let’s look at just a few ways that you can make dieting fun.
1. Set up some great rewards.
When you’re working towards something that is really exciting, it’s just a whole lot easier to get there. Try setting up fun rewards for yourself for reaching specific milestones. Whether it’s losing ten pounds, or getting healthier, you need to find a way to reward yourself in a fun way. Just remember that this fun should not include food rewards, or you’ll be sabotaging all of your efforts. Try to stick with fun rewards that involve some sort of activity, or even relaxation. You’ll be much more likely to want to stick to your goals if you set yourself up for success.
2. Make it an adventure in learning new ways to prepare food.
This is a great way to make dieting a lot more fun and you’ll be bolstering your cooking skills while you’re at it. Get some new cook books and try out brand new recipes that you normally wouldn’t even touch. Make it an adventure to try out new food from different countries, and challenge yourself to find healthy ways to start preparing your regular food. Once again, by putting an element of fun into your daily food regime, you can easily start looking forward to eating healthier and that right there can mean big success.
3. Join a fun exercise class.
Exercise is hard for many people due to repletion, as well as the physical effort that goes into it. However, if you can find an exercise class that is also fun, you may find that you end up looking forward to going. Sweating to the Oldies is successful for a reason – the participants have fun, even though they are working out. Look into belly dancing classes, hoop dancing or other fun ways to get active and burn calories. You’ll undoubtedly find that getting to the gym is a whole lot easier when you do.
4. Have a friend join you for some competitive fun.
When you’re held to accountability by a challenge it’s a lot easier to have fun with what you’re doing and to stick to your goals. Try racing a friend to see who can lose weight faster, or reach certain fitness goals. You’ll be having fun while you stay competitive and for many, this is just the right motivation to help them lose weight and get healthier.
These are just a few ways that you can introduce an element of fun to losing weight. Get creative and see how many you can come up with!
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November 13th, 2008 — Weight Loss Journal, drink, food, healthy eating
Sometimes it is too easy to make excuses about eating the right foods. Whether it’s simply inconvenient, we feel that eating healthy deprives us, or the lure of unhealthy food is too strong, we end up putting off eating right until it may be too late. Here are five easy ways that you can start eating better, right now – today even, before you get into more unhealthy territory.
1. Start with dessert.
Sometimes, there is nothing quite like a dessert, especially after a good dinner. However, that simple little piece of cake may pack more than half of your day’s calorie allotment. This is the perfect opportunity to start sneaking some healthy food choices into your diet, and chances are, you’ll end up liking them just as much. Instead of having that piece of cake, try a piece of fruit. If that is too much, consider adding frozen yogurt instead. Making small changes like this during one meal will help you make bigger changes all day long.
2. Replace your snacks with something better.
Afternoon snacks are sometimes necessary to get us through a long day, but that doesn’t mean that you have to automatically reach for a candy bar. In fact, what your body really needs is a quick dose of protein. It will hold you longer and give you more energy than simple carbs. Instead of something sweet, go with a small serving of low fat cottage cheese, or a stick of low fat string cheese. Other great snacks include a small handful of peanuts, or almonds that contain healthy fats.
3. Throw out that soda.
Many of us have a nasty soda habit that can be hard to break. Start by replacing one soda a day with some sparkling flavored water. You’ll still get that carbonation, and the flavor will make the water a little more palatable. Once you’ve cut back on one soda, gradually increase your replacements until you’re no longer drinking any. It will be easier on your body to gradually wean yourself off of the caffeine. Soda is full of empty calories, and you should notice a big difference, even by cutting only one out of your daily diet.
4. Switch up your carbs.
Instead of reaching for a loaf of white bread in the store, go for a whole grain loaf. These carbs are a little better for you and will help you feel more satisfied. It can take a little getting used to, but after a week or two you may find that you actually prefer whole grain bread to white bread.
5. Skip the dressing.
If you eat a lot of salads, but can’t seem to lose any weight, the culprit may be your dressing. Replace any high fat dressings with either low fat vinaigrettes or switch to a lower fat version of your current dressing. Instead of putting it on your salad, place it on the side and dip your lettuce in. You’ll be surprised at how much you have left over.
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November 11th, 2008 — Meals, calories, diet, exercise, food, goals, healthy eating
There has been a lot of buzz lately about calorie cycling and whether or not it is an effective means of losing weight. For some, it has enabled them to lose massive amounts of weight. For others, it may just not work. Let’s take a look at the theories behind calorie cycling and go further into depth on how this particular diet plan works.
First, the main theory behind calorie cycling is that dieting trains our bodies to need less calories. That means that as soon as you eat a little more, you may gain weight. Calorie cycling promotes changing up the amount of calories you eat every single day so that your body never really knows what is going on. For example, on a Monday you may eat 1500 calories, on Tuesday 2000 calories and on Wednesday 2500 calories, before dropping back down to 1500 on Thursday.
This diet is very popular due to the fact that you’re able to eat more and you don’t necessarily have to give up the food that you like. Exercise is also an important component of calorie cycling, but it will depend on the plan that you are following as to how much you’ll need to do. This is one of the more interesting diets out there and since some of the results are so dramatic, it has certainly become very popular.
The main concern over calorie cycling is the focus on being able to eat whatever you want, just as long as you are within your set calories for the day. While that sounds great in theory, over time it may lead to problems. Yes, it’s fine to stick within calorie guidelines, but some may be tempted to take that advice a little too far. It’s one thing to eat your set amount of calories, it’s another to get them from fried chicken.
Calorie cycling can be an effective means of losing weight, but it should not be viewed as your ticket to eat whatever you want. Smart food choices are essential, no matter what kind of diet you are on and food that is unhealthy is simply that – unhealthy. Eat a little fried chicken now and then, but only occasionally and in moderation. Otherwise, you won’t be doing your arteries any favors.
Unlike many fad diets, calorie cycling does appear to work well, at least over the short term. However, unless you introduce lifestyle changes and a healthy exercise plan into the mix, those results may be short lived. If you do decide to follow one of these diet plans, don’t lose sight of your goals beyond weight loss, such as better health and a greater level of fitness.
By keeping your eyes on these goals, as well as the numbers on the scale, you’ll be well on your way to permanent weight loss, and you’ll feel better too. Give calorie cycling a try, but don’t use it as a license to remain unhealthy.
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November 10th, 2008 — Weight Loss Journal, diet, food, goals, motivation
The diet industry is a multi-billion dollar machine that keeps churning out new diets, new hope and new hype every single year. If diets were so effective, there would be no need to keep coming up with new methods and new diet plans, but the sad truth is, the vast majority of diets fail. Why is this and what can you do to change this truth? Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why diets fail.
Lifestyle changes are not addressed. This is possibly the biggest issue for dieters. If you are not eating the right foods all the time, and making that commitment to change, chances are, as soon as you do see results from your diet, you’re going to fall back on old habits. It is not easy to completely overhaul your life, but in many cases, if you want to lose weight, and keep it off, that is exactly what you’re going to have to do.
The diet does not offer enough variety. Whether it’s the soup diet, the juice diet, or even some of the more popular diet plans, a lack of variety can be a major reason for failure. It’s simply too difficult for many people to eat the same things, day in and day out. Even if you go into a diet plan like this enjoying a certain kind of food, after two weeks of eating nothing but, chances are you won’t feel the same way. Variety is the spice of life, and that is very true with food.
The diet plan does not include any exercise. Plain and simple, if you want to burn fat more efficiently, you’re going to have to get up and move around. Thousands of books come out every year promoting new ways of eating, but many of them fail to add the important component of exercise.
The diet plan focuses solely on water weight. This is a very common issue that affects dieters. When you first start on these plans it seems like weight just magically falls off of you. Then, you go back to eating normally and whoosh – it comes right back. These diets are disheartening at best, and dangerous at worst.
The diet is unsafe. There are many fad diets out there that are simply too extreme to stick to. Whether you’re fasting, or drastically cutting back calories, this results in a lack of energy, and you may simply just feel awful. We all need a certain amount of calories every day for our bodies to function properly. If you’re not getting enough, you will end up feeling lousy and you may even throw off your metabolism.
If you don’t want your diet to fail, remember that lifestyle changes are necessary and exercise should not be avoided. Simply eating better food and moving around more will help you lose weight – and keep it off – and you’ll find that it is much easier to keep going, even though the results may be a little slower.
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November 5th, 2008 — Meals, Weight Loss Journal, alternative ideas, food, goals, healthy eating, wellness
For many dieters, the biggest problem they face isn’t necessarily their own lifestyle change, but rather the fact that the people around them refuse to go along with the idea. It can be nearly impossible to focus on eating the right way when you eat out or are sitting across from other people that are relishing the food you can’t have. This is a frustrating issue that kills many diets, but it doesn’t have to. Here are some great tips to stay the course even when your own family won’t help you.
First, you may want to consider eating in another room.
It sounds horribly anti social, but if sitting in the living room will keep you from going off your diet, it is worth it. This works in two ways. First, you are giving yourself the help you need to keep eating the food you need to be eating. Second, by depriving your family of your companionship at meals, they’ll start to question their decision to eat the foods you can’t.
This kind of psychological ploy can actually work quite well, but it may take a week or two to have the full effect. When your family sees that you are committed enough to your diet to avoid them, they may start to question their own food choices. As a result, they may even decide to join you in the diet.
Next, you can try running through a list of the nasty diseases and problems that can occur by eating that food and keeping them at the forefront of your mind.
It’s a lot harder to drool over a cheeseburger when you’re thinking about what that cheese can do to your arteries. This technique will be most effective if you are truly committed to losing weight for the sake of your health, not just your appearance.
It may be impossible to get your family to switch their eating habits at first, but with time, if you can stick with it, you’ll be benefiting everyone. They’ll notice your increased energy and how good you look, and they may start to think twice about what they are putting into their own bodies. Again, it takes time, but you should start to see them get a little more interested in healthy food, a little bit at a time.
One word of caution. No one likes a food nazi!
If you are eating right, and your family isn’t there is no need to lord it over them. Simply state your case, stick to your diet and let your actions, your state of mind and your improved health do the talking. Everyone needs to find their own lifestyle changes on their own, and beating them up for food choices may backfire.
It’s not easy when you are trying to go it alone, but there are steps you can take to make sure that you do stick to your diet. Try to find at least one friend that supports you to make your journey easier.
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November 4th, 2008 — Weight Loss Journal, body mass index, food, goals, medicine, motivation, review, trigger food, weight loss
I highly recommend Jumpstart. In fact, I have a special offer for anyone in wanting to try Jumpstart in Redwood City or Mountain View: $25 off your first visit (just print it and bring it to your appointment).
With four locations in California, Jump Start Medicine provides its patients with a weight loss program that, on average, will take two to five pounds off a week. Most of their patients leave satisfied, with more energy and are highly motivate to keep the weight off, ensuring that their customers rarely need to return. The program that they provide is medically sound and safe for all of their patients. Designed for men and women, the supervised program achieves weight loss through a number of ways, ensuring the maximal, safe benefit to patients. The program follows a plan of reduced consumption along with exercise. The food is carefully chosen to provide the most energy with minimal calories and keep the appetite at a minimum.
To ensure that the patient does not suffer from cravings ruining their efforts, the center provides medications to take the edge off of the patient's appetite, ensuring maximum benefit. The medications are completely voluntary, and many patients have achieved excellent results with diet and exercise alone. Those patients that wish to hedge their bets will find that the medication is safe, and will boost their weight loss efforts.
A typical appointment will consist of an initial consultation. This will provide the doctors with a clear picture of where the greatest need is and target it with a tailored weight loss program. During this consultation, the patient's body mass index (BMI), weight, waist, and body fat are measured. Every patient is different, and their goals are to lose anywhere from 10 to 100 pounds and be able to keep it off. These goals are best approached under the supervision of trained medical professionals. The professionals here will make sure that your efforts will be safe and with the most effect.
Dr. Sooji Rugh M.D. & Dr. Sean Bourke M.D.
Both received their undergraduate and medical degrees from prestigious universities across the country. Thusly they bring to Jumpstart Medicine a variety of experience to best achieve your goal for ideal weight. The program they employ will not only provide weight loss, but also will yield many other health benefits. These include a lower risk for diabetes, lower blood pressure, lower levels of bad cholesterol, reduced risk of heart disease and cancer, and many more health benefits.
Many patients attempt their goals on their own, and find themselves failing due to increased hunger, swinging metabolism, and no real support system. Cravings, low levels of energy, even low levels of depression can conspire against patients in their goals of a healthier lifestyle. That is where the program at Jump Start Medicine really shines. Their multi-angled attack against excess weight and caring and supportive environment will help patients lose weight in a safe and healthy manner. There are no meals or shakes to buy, or any gimmicks and books that provide a hidden cost. This center will provide a medically proven program to take the weight off and keep it off.
I highly recommend them.. In fact, I have a special offer for anyone in wanting to try Jumpstart in Redwood City or Mountain View: $25 off your first visit (just print it and bring it to your appointment).
$25 Off Jump Start Medicine Weight Loss Discount
October 27th, 2008 — Meals, Weight Loss Journal, diet, food, healthy eating
It is a common practice, and many of us are guilty of it. We forgo eating all day long, because we know we’ll be eating out that night, or that there is a special event coming later in the day and we want to be able to eat whatever we want. However, is this type of planning actually derailing your diet? Let’s take a look at just a few reasons why this mindset is not healthy, and may actually be counterproductive.
1. You’ll end up eating more.
If you don’t eat all day, and are suddenly faced with plenty of food, it is all too easy to eat way more than your recommended amount of calories, and worse, you may never even realize how many calories you’ve had. Remember, 3500 extra calories equals one pound of fat. At some special events or dinners, it is all too easy to get more than 3500 calories on a single night.
Because you went hungry all day, your body’s blood sugar levels are off. This can also cause you to eat more, simply to get regulated. There is no point in starving yourself for a day, and then try to make up for it at night, it’s just too rough on your body.
2. It puts you in the wrong mindset.
Right off the bat, you’re preparing to cheat, and in a big way. Many people feel that it is all right to have that big dinner, especially if they didn’t have any calories all day. But once again, we go back to the point that you do end up eating more, usually much more than you intended.
By sticking with that “it’s ok to cheat” mindset, you may be hampering your future progress on your diet. If you’re not making those lifestyle changes that will stick with you, the chances of future success and being able to keep your weight off do decline dramatically.
3. You can end up in a bad cycle.
Once your body gets used to fasting during the day, and eating whatever you want at night, it’s all too easy to get into a bad cycle. You may find that you’re tempted to do this more than once, and before you know it, you’re back to making excuses and falling into the wrong mindset. A diet is much more than food control, it’s also about being able to control your mind, and your food cravings.
By allowing yourself this much wiggle room, and setting yourself up for behaviors that are hard to change, you’re making your diet needlessly complicated, and chances are, over time, you’ll be disappointed with your results.
Instead of fasting all day, even when you have a special event coming up, eat as you normally would. You may even want to have a healthy snack before you go. Your blood sugar won’t be sending off signals that will make you want to eat everything in sight and you’ll end up being able to successfully avoid even the dessert tray. A way to fight eating too little during the day is eating many small meals during the day.
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October 23rd, 2008 — Weight Loss Journal, food, food labels, goals, healthy eating
If you are focusing on losing weight and making lifestyle changes, the first two weeks are undoubtedly the hardest. Your body and your mind need time to adjust to your diet, and this initial period requires a lot of motivation and a desire to stick to your new plan. Anytime you make lifestyle changes, it is difficult to know which foods you should be eating, and what foods you may never be able to eat again. Here are some tips to get you started.
1. Remove all the food you can’t eat from your house.
This is the first step in picking the right foods. When you don’t have the temptation sitting within easy grasp, it is a lot easier to keep on the right track. If your family eats those foods, they will need to learn to adjust, at least for a few weeks, until you are safely on the road to your changes. It is so much easier to make that healthy choice when you don’t have the chocolate cake in the fridge whispering at you.
2. Learn about the harmful effects of the chemicals in processed foods.
This is one easy way to guarantee that those tasty processed foods will never appeal to you again. Start learning about the chemicals and additives in your food and chances are, you will want to avoid them at all costs. Thanks to the Internet, anyone can learn more about the food we eat, and the additives that are included.
3. Find ways to make good foods taste better.
It’s a sad fact that until your palate gets adjusted, healthy food can actually nasty pretty nasty. However, by learning more about how to prepare that food you can make it taste better. Avoid adding dressings and sauces, but learn about different seasonings and different preparation techniques that can make any food taste better.
4. Reward yourself for the good choices.
Since it can take a week or two to start seeing real results on the scale, it is important to set up small rewards that will keep you going until you do reach that point. Avoid food rewards, but set up a system where you either do something you enjoy, or indulge in a little pampering, as a way of telling yourself “good job.” It is a lot easier to keep motivated when you make it an enjoyable experience to pick the right foods.
5. Take every day at a time.
Looking at a week’s worth of healthy food choices can be intimidating for everyone. Focus on the food choices you are going to make today, not tomorrow and not next week. Break it down so that you are only focusing on the choices that have to be made right now, and let everything else fall into place.
It will get easier to make the right food choices, and you can look at this initial phase as a training period that will make everything that is to come easier to accomplish.
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October 10th, 2008 — Book Review, Weight Loss Journal, fad diets, fats, food, proteins, sodium
This is one of the oldest diets that is still followed today, and thousands of people swear by it. There is a clinic in North Carolina for those that really want to take this diet to the next level, but the rest of it can get almost the same benefit from reading the book at home. To preface this review, it is important to note that although this diet can be very effective, it is certainly not for everyone. If you are thinking of trying the Rice Diet Solution, it is vital to discuss this with your doctor first.
Essentially, this book calls for eating a lot of rice, as the title would suggest, and not a whole lot of anything else. Our main concerns are the lack of protein and fats which are essential, at least in moderation. The first phase of this diet is very strict and calls for fruit only once a week, little to no protein and you guessed it, lots and lots of rice. Most people may be able to follow it for a few days, but after that point, you may never want to eat rice again.
That said, there are a few good principles in the book, such as reducing your intake of sodium. Since this is such a big problem with processed foods, we could all do with a little less sodium in our life, but once again, this book goes to the extreme on cutting it out of your life. Not enough salt can also be a big problem, especially for those with certain diseases that do require more salt in their diets.
The lifestyle changes that are recommended, as well as the focus on healthy exercise and meditation are very sound and this is probably the one area where the book does not go overboard. Basics like Tai Chi and swimming are encouraged, which are both ideal for those seeking a low to no impact workout. We found the exercise advice to be very sound, and wished they had carried a little more of that into the other areas of the book.
One of the biggest flaws with the diet is that it requires eating right around 1000 calories a day, or a little last. For most of us, that puts us into starvation mode. While you will see results pretty quickly, over time, that little amount of calories is going to slow your metabolism way down. We didn’t see any mention of Basal metabolism, which is the minimum amount of calories your body needs to function. Your heart needs calories to pump, your brain needs calories to think. Eating this amount of calories could be harmful over time, and is the biggest reason that we can’t give this book a recommendation.
For those that have tried everything under the sun and been unable to lose weight, some of the advice in this book would be helpful, but certainly not all. It offers an interesting viewpoint, but at the end of the day, it’s hard to get past its flaws.
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