Diet is a word that most women, and many men, are familiar with. A popular joke among my women friends is that “diet” is “die” with a “t”. People all over the world spend millions of dollars every year to have people tell them how to lose weight, how to be healthy, what foods to eat, but all they really need is to have access to accurate nutritional information. With the proper nutritional information, you’ll never have to fall victim to diet scams again.
Nutritional information can be found all over the internet, but choosing where you get your information is important. Whether you are getting information on the internet or from books and magazines, you should always take into consideration where the information is coming from. There are some very popular “doctors” in the media that have never obtained a medical degree. It is important to remember that anyone can publish on the internet, but it doesn’t mean that the information that they are publishing has any valid accreditation. Sites that have “.org”, “.gov”, or “.edu” in their address hold the highest probability of being accurate.
Once you’ve found a source that you consider trustworthy, you can begin to gather nutritional information that can help you lose weight, feel better in your day to day activities, and sleep better at night. Putting that nutritional information to use can improve your mood and general outlook.
Some of the nutritional information that you may want to look for includes Dietary Reference Intakes that can help you plan and assess your diet. The Food Pyramid, or in Canada, the Canadian Food Guide are other simple and easy to understand tools that can guide you to healthier eating. These guides have been in place for a long time and there are reasons that the American and Canadian governments promote their use. The research that has gone into developing them has been ongoing and the empirical results of these studies are valuable. Any information that contradicts these guides should be questioned.
As your knowledge of nutritional information builds, you’ll find that there is no longer a need for the word “diet” in your vocabulary. Applying the information to your life on a regular basis can become a habit and you’ll no longer need to think about how many calories this food item has or how many minutes (or hours!) you’ll need to spend walking on the treadmill to work off that burger with the kill-me-now-sized fries that you had for lunch. You’ll know that the piece of chocolate cake you ate at grandma’s house on the weekend is not the end of the world because you’ve been applying good nutritional information to your daily eating habits. Isn’t that alone worth spending a little time to find good information?
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Low Carb Cooking
Low carb cooking may seem like a real challenge but once you lay a foundation you are well on your way to a carbohydrate-controlled diet. There are a handful of things to consider and there are a few tips and tricks to take with you to the kitchen. After adopting some of the steps to low carb cooking it will become second nature.
The first thing that you want to do is consider your overall health. You really might be tempted to adopt low carb cooking approaches that use a lot of high-fat ingredients but this may work against your efforts. You also may be tempted to cut out carbohydrates entirely but this is not a good idea, either.
It is never good practice to completely cut out a food that is so prevalent on the food pyramid. Part of incorporating low carb cooking into your lifestyle on a long term basis is to remember that there are good carbohydrates that your body needs in order to get enough nutrition and fiber.
However, if you are on a mission to lose weight fast, then you can adopt low carb cooking that keeps carbohydrate intake at a minimum. This includes cutting out some vegetables like corn, peas and carrots. These vegetables are loaded with natural sugars as well as carbohydrates.
Great recipes include chicken parmesan. Just skip the breading and serve it without pasta. Stir fries that use a number of different vegetables, shrimp, beef and chicken are wonderful options and they can be really satisfying. Hankering for some lasagna? Low carb cooking can include a dish like this. Replace the pasta with thin layers of zucchini. You will be surprised by how good it is.
Once you have used low carb cooking that cuts out nearly all carbohydrates for two weeks, you really want to start adding some good carbohydrates into the mix. This may be a little difficult considering that you are used to preparing meals without using many of the ingredients that you will be adding.
You can start using some pasta in your lasagna and chicken parmesan. Choose whole grain pastas instead of the regular fair. Also, check your portions, too when working with low carb cooking recipes. It is easy to over indulge on good carbohydrates especially if you have been missing this type of food in your diet.
Low carb cooking at home can be a chore but you do have a lot of great options. Once you start adding some good carbohydrates into the mix, your options will seem endless.
The first thing that you want to do is consider your overall health. You really might be tempted to adopt low carb cooking approaches that use a lot of high-fat ingredients but this may work against your efforts. You also may be tempted to cut out carbohydrates entirely but this is not a good idea, either.
It is never good practice to completely cut out a food that is so prevalent on the food pyramid. Part of incorporating low carb cooking into your lifestyle on a long term basis is to remember that there are good carbohydrates that your body needs in order to get enough nutrition and fiber.
However, if you are on a mission to lose weight fast, then you can adopt low carb cooking that keeps carbohydrate intake at a minimum. This includes cutting out some vegetables like corn, peas and carrots. These vegetables are loaded with natural sugars as well as carbohydrates.
Great recipes include chicken parmesan. Just skip the breading and serve it without pasta. Stir fries that use a number of different vegetables, shrimp, beef and chicken are wonderful options and they can be really satisfying. Hankering for some lasagna? Low carb cooking can include a dish like this. Replace the pasta with thin layers of zucchini. You will be surprised by how good it is.
Once you have used low carb cooking that cuts out nearly all carbohydrates for two weeks, you really want to start adding some good carbohydrates into the mix. This may be a little difficult considering that you are used to preparing meals without using many of the ingredients that you will be adding.
You can start using some pasta in your lasagna and chicken parmesan. Choose whole grain pastas instead of the regular fair. Also, check your portions, too when working with low carb cooking recipes. It is easy to over indulge on good carbohydrates especially if you have been missing this type of food in your diet.
Low carb cooking at home can be a chore but you do have a lot of great options. Once you start adding some good carbohydrates into the mix, your options will seem endless.
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