Health Advice Info Article:
Adam Waxler's Top Five Diet Foods
As the owner of several weight loss ebooks and weight loss web sites I am often asked, "What are the best all around diet foods?"
My first response is to tell people that there are no magic diet foods that will help you lose weight fast, and it is important to understand that most people must make lifestyle changes that include a permanent change in their diet (not a fad diet, or temporary diet), and exercise must play a role in any weight loss program.
Once people understand these basic elements to any weight loss program I feel much better explaining to them what I believe are the best diets foods in existence because what you eat will have a big effect on how quickly you lose weight, and more importantly, how long you keep the weight off.
There are certain foods that you really should be eating on a regular basis. They come from all food categories, but every one of these diet foods has one thing in common: they pack a lot of nutritional punch into their calories. Here's a list of five diet foods that will help you stay healthy and lose weight.
1. Whole grain breads
If you've been paying attention to latest weight loss fads, you know that carbs are the current diet buster. Many weight loss programs claim that if you just stay away from all carbs you'll lose weight no matter what else you eat. That's not only wrong, it's downright dangerous for both your health and your diet.
Instead of cutting out carbs, you should be aiming to reduce carbs to a healthy portion of your diet - which most doctors agree is about 50-60% of your caloric intake. That means that if you're on a 1500 calorie a day diet, you should be striving to get about 900 calories a day from grains, fruits and vegetables. Whole grain breads pack a lot of nutritional value. Replace your two slices of white toast with 1/2 a cup of oatmeal or whole grain cereal, and for about the same number of calories, you'll be getting three times the vitamins, amino acids and roughage that your body needs to function. You'll feel full far longer, too - because you've given your body something to work on that will take a while to digest.
2. Fish
Eat at least three servings of fish per week. Fish is low in fat, is high in protein, and provides something that most other proteins don't - omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 is one of the main building blocks in your cells. If your body doesn't get enough Omega 3 fatty acids, it will try to build cells from other fatty acids. The problem is that those cells are not as flexible, and not quite the right shape. Among the cells that aren't quite right are the ones in your brain that help control impulses and tell your body what it needs. By providing enough Omega 3 fatty acids for your body to use, you'll be healing the damage done through years of poor diet. And since fish, as a general rule, has fewer calories than most meats, you'll be saving calories as well. Just remember that you're replacing portions of meat with fish, not adding them to what you already eat.
3. Spinach
Spinach is one of the lowest cost sources of nutrition you can give your body with 13 calories and 2 grams of carbohydrate in 2 cups of chopped raw spinach. Every serving gives you folic acid, manganese, beta-carotene, protein, lutein (a potent anti-oxidant), magnesium, vitamin C and vitamin K. You can eat it raw in salads, steamed as a side dish, or sautéed in a tiny bit of oil for a different taste, and still get all the nutritional benefits.
4. Olive Oil
Have you every heard of the Mediterranean diet? Well, as it turns out, olive oil is a mono-unsaturated fat that is the primary source of fat in the so-called Mediterranean diet. Your body does need a little fat to process vitamins and use them properly. It contains antioxidants, flavonoids, beta-carotene and vitamin E, among other things. One tablespoon has a whopping 125 calories, but drizzled on a 13 calorie spinach salad with a little lemon juice and some garlic, you still have a meal with less than 150 calories - and a whole lot of healthy fuel for your body.
5. Pink Grapefruit
With only 40 calories in half a grapefruit, you're getting 45 mg of vitamin C, lycopene, pectin, beta-carotene and potassium. It's versatile and tasty. Eat it as is for breakfast, or toss it into a salad with spinach for an extra punch to perk up the nutritional quality of your diet.
As stated earlier, the best weight loss plan combines a healthy lifelong diet with daily exercise. And, your diet should not be based around any single one ingredient. The best way to lose weight is to eat a healthy variety of foods to make sure that you get all the essential nutrients that you need each day. The diet foods mentioned above are five of the best diet foods that should be included as part of any weight loss program and diet plan.
Copyright 2006 Adam Waxler
Adam Waxler publishes a series of weight loss information products including his new weight loss resource filled with with FREE weight loss articles and tips @ http://www.1-800-Weight-Loss.com.
Related Health News and Articles From ezinearticles.com
Sometimes you are tempted with all the food and drink products, especially when thirst or hunger arises. Avoid from all these tempting products that are usually endorsed as having low calories.
As you want to achieve your weight loss goals faster, a personal trainer may be the answer for you. Working with a personal trainer will definitely have you burning more calories than working out by yourself. Such are burning more calories you will have to starve yourself to keep the weight off. A weight-loss program that is combined with a training program will produce excellent results for you in a shorter period of time than just doing a weight-loss program by itself. You will get in shape and love the way you look.
If you want to stay fit, you consider fitness training. It is not just for elite athletes, by can benefit anyone who wants to get in better shape. You can do this at home or you can join a health club. You could even join a group that does fitness training together. It may be a better idea to join a fitness club where you are with other people.
Did you know that Nature designed your body to always have naturally firm skin? Its true! The normal function of skin cells is to manufacture lots of structural proteins and fatty acids which keep your skin naturally moist, firm, smooth and even-toned.
Health is a state of wellness and being free from all forms of illness. It is important that we keep our health in check to prolong our lives. This involves avoiding lifestyles, and other habits that can be dangerous to your health.
Taking a sauna is renowned to be a very healthful thing to do, and many people make it a habit to use a sauna at least twice a week. The Finns have more saunas in their country than any other country, and much of what we know about the sauna comes from the Finns.
It is difficult to ascertain what health benefits can be achieved through the use of saunas, and what health benefits are more or less imagined by some users. Granted, everyone agrees that general blood flow is increased, and the pores to the skin benefit highly, but what are other claims that may not be substantiated?
If ever you've wanted a sauna in your home, your basement is probably the very best location for one. First you are going to have to figure out the dimensions of the sauna you desire. Just be sure to have a water source at the location, and then contact a manufacturer of precut saunas. In return they will send you a kit with all precut boards that are neatly labeled, and you will also receive a thermometer, a heater, benches and a pre-hung door.
In the old world, sauna use was common only in such areas as Finland and the other Baltic countries, however the modern world has embraced the use of saunas for their tremendous health benefits as well as the relief of pain and the overall analgesic properties of the steam. The modern world has spread the use of sauna cultures, and now they can be found all over the world.
The answer to the above question is actually no, as there are different kinds of heaters that will heat saunas. The four most common heaters are wood fired, electric, gas and infrared. Thus if you have natural gas already in your home, you may consider placing a gas heater in your home sauna. It pays to have a sauna heater commercially installed because of numerous factors, such as ventilation and thus it may also need clearance.
