5 Healthy Food Combinations

When you think of what to eat with peanut butter, a PB&J sandwich probably comes to mind. What about tortilla chips? Chances are that you think of salsa or cheese dip to pair with them. These foods are meant to go together simply because they taste good. However, some foods pair well as being not just tasty but healthy food combinations. Certain foods have one nutrient but not another and combining those with foods that contain nutrients they lack will produce health-promoting benefits. Each food has specific components that help your body more than eating either food alone.

1. Spinach and oranges 
If you're concerned about your iron intake, this is the perfect healthy food combination for you. Vitamin C aids your body with absorbing iron more efficiently. Combining vitamin C rich foods (like oranges) with iron-containing foods (like spinach) may improve the iron levels in your blood. An easy way to combine fruits and vegetables is by making salads-they're simple to prepare and nutritious!

2. Yogurt and oatmeal
Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day so do your body a favor and jump start your digestive system in the morning by combining these powerful foods. Eating the two together will provide your body with prebiotics and probiotics-prebiotics are fuel for the healthy bacteria in your gut whereas probiotics are the actual bacteria. Prebiotics are found in high-fiber foods like oatmeal, and probiotics are found in fermented foods like yogurt.

3. Brown rice and beans
This is a very healthy food combination especially if you're a vegetarian. Both foods are incomplete sources of protein. When eaten alone, they don't contain all of the essential amino acids that your body needs. But when you combine beans with any source of whole grain, you will receive optimal protein.

4. Olive oil and vegetables
Both of these foods contain high levels of antioxidants, so combine them together to get even more! They are also very nutrient dense and will provide you with plenty of nutrients in a relatively small portion.

5. Lean meats and whole grains
If you're an avid athlete or just like working out a lot, this food combination is perfect for you. Eating lean meats and whole grains together will help repair your muscles and cells, regulate your blood sugar and give your body fuel to recover. They are simple to eat together-all you have to do is make a sandwich or wrap!

Of course all of these foods are healthy when eaten alone; they just offer a few extra benefits when combined with other healthy items. Try them all to see what you like the best!

PSCLife.com wants to help you live life to the fullest! Stop by our health blog for tips, stories and information on all things YOUR health. Shop our site for low cost, innovative health supplements that will enhance your mind and body.

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Healthy Recipe for Chicken Cacciatore

Here's my first recipe . I love this recipe because it's easy and it's packed with vitamins and minerals. Be sure to check out the notes at the bottom of the page for information on nutrition, cost, and versatility of this dish.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

(chicken was fed all vegetarian diet, no hormones or steroids added, cage free - see cost note below)

½ medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 small organic green pepper, chopped (see cost note below)

1 T canola oil

15 oz tomato sauce

14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes

2 tsp minced garlic

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp pepper

6 cups cooked brown rice

In a skillet, cook the chicken, onion, garlic, and green pepper in oil until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve over rice.

NUTRITION

calories = 333

fat = 4.9 grams

saturated fat =.5 grams

sodium = 427 mg

fiber = 4.5 grams

protein = 21 grams

COST

6 servings - $1.90 per serving (Midwest prices)

Bell peppers are on the dirty dozen list. Buying an organic pepper and vegetarian fed, cage free chicken cost only an additional.64 cents per serving

VERSATILITY

Add any vegetables and spices you enjoy. If peppers are not your thing, swap them out for zucchini, broccoli, or any other vegetable.

TIME SAVINGS

Slow cooking rice takes up to 45 minutes to cook. It can be made ahead of time (like the weekend) and stored in the refrigerator or freezer - ready to be heated and used.

Betsy McGuire invites you to visit http://www.chickpeawellness.com/ and sign up to receive her mind, body, and spirit blog the day entries are made. You can also "like" Chickpea Wellness on Facebook and receive new articles on your wall.

Copyright 2012 Chickpea Wellness, LLC

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Healthy Recipe for Stuffed Potatoes

It all started when my local grocery store put a whole sack of potatoes on sale for $1.50. I couldn't pass that up. I also wasn't sure what I was going to do with all those tubers. Now, white potatoes have certainly gotten a bum rap in the last few years. Why? Essentially for two reasons. 

One, white potatoes hit fairly high on the glycemic index. Simply put - they have a strong impact on blood sugar which can be a concern for diabetics or for those who eat tons of white potatoes. Secondly, potatoes are most often prepared in unhealthy ways: deep fried or gobbed with sour cream, butter, and cheese. Consider this, despite the bad reputation, potatoes are a low-calorie source of fiber, potassium, protein, vitamin C and iron. Couple that with some vegetables and lean protein in my stuffed potato recipe and you've got an inexpensive, healthy and hearty dinner for the winter.

STUFFED POTATOES
4 medium baking potatoes
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts; cooked and chopped
1 bag mixed vegetables (steam in the bag)
1 can low-sodium cream of chicken soup
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder

Scrub potatoes and pierce each several times with a fork. Cook in the microwave until tender - about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool for ½ hour. In the meantime, steam the vegetables in the microwave according to package directions and preheat the oven to 350º F. Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the insides into a large bowl. Add the soup, chicken, cooked vegetables, and seasonings. Stir until combined. Place the potato halves on a cookie sheet. Scoop the mixture evenly into the 8 halves. Bake 15 minutes until heated through.

Nutritional information for each ½ potato
calories: 200
saturated fat: 1 g
fiber: 3.5 g
protein: 17 g

Betsy McGuire invites you to visit http://www.chickpeawellness.com/ and sign up to receive her mind, body, and spirit blog the day entries are made. You can also "like" Chickpea Wellness on Facebook and receive new articles on your wall.

Copyright 2012 Chickpea Wellness, LLC

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Extra Shake Weight Exercises

Fitness IQ, LLC, the makers of the Shake Weight® dumbbell, released a 6-minute workout DVD to accompany their product. However, for extreme fitness enthusiasts and individuals already in good physical condition, the 6-minute workout may not be enough. In this article, you will find a simple description of the original exercises, modifications to add to their intensity, as well as six extra exercises to maximize the use of the dynamic inertia dumbell.

The Original Exercise, Intensified

First, let's begin by adding intensity to the original manufacturer-suggested exercise. The original exercises devised as part of the 6-minute workout are still valuable, and make up a crucial part of an overall extreme workout. The three exercises are:

1. Standing Chest Exercise
2. Standing Bicep Exercise
3. Standing Tricep Exercise

If these 3 basic exercises become too easy, try this modification. For the first 30-second set on each exercise, stand on the balls of your feet with your calves flexed (i.e. on your "tippy toes") and focus on stabilizing your balance while shaking the weight. For the second 30-second set, perform the motion while in a squat position. By changing your stance during the exercise you force your leg muscles to join in the benefit of the dumbbell's dynamic inertia.

The Extreme Exercise

In addition to the original exercises, we recommend extending the 6-minute workout with six new exercises that are far more intense and target a wider range of muscle groups-including legs and core. Here are six different exercises you can do with your Shake Weight:

1. Lunge Exercise
   
   While in a lunge position, hold the shake weight between your legs and shake side-to-side (parallel to the floor) while stabilizing your body with core muscles.


2. Standing Shoulder & Back Exercise
   
   Standing upright, hold the Shake Weight in an extended arm out to one's side and shake up-and-down (perpendicular to the floor).


3. Standing Isolated Bicep Exercise
   
   Standing upright, hold the Shake Weight in your bent arm. Holding your elbow fixed at your rib cage, shake the weight up-and-down.


4. Ab & Chest Exercise
   
   Lying on your back, raise your legs and shoulder blades off the floor in a static "crunch" position. Then, hold the Shake Weight in front of your chest and move in an oscillating motion (similar to the standard chest exercise).


5. Ab & Oblique Exercise
   
   In the same static crunch position, hold the Shake Weight with an overhand grip just above your waist line and shake side-to-side, stabilizing your body with core muscles.


6. Plank Bicep Core Exercise
   
   In a plank (push-up) position, hold the shake weight in one bent arm while supporting your body weight with the other extended arm. Shake the weight in similar style to a bicep exercise.

Randall Cook
Fitness Fanatic
Shake Weight Extreme
http://www.shakeweightextreme.com/shake-weight-exercises/ "Shake Weight" is a registered trademark of Fitness IQ, LLC

 Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6363302

Hula Hoop Exercises For Weight Loss? Yes, If You Don't Make This 1 Mistake

Listen, you may not know this, but the hula hoop may be 1 of the best and cheapest weight loss pieces of equipment you can ever buy. But beware... if you make this 1 mistake, you are probably not getting the most out of your hula hoop.

You don't need many hula hoop exercises to lose weight, but you do need to do this for maximum weight loss...

For maximum weight loss using hula hoop exercises, you must use the hula hoop in short bursts... 2 minutes at a time. Using a hula hoop in just 1 session is a mistake. Your metabolism gets much more of a boost doing short mini-workouts throughout the day.

Now, to begin with, 2 minutes or less is probably all you'll be able to do before you get tired. That's fine.

But once you get good, be sure to stop after 2 minutes. Rest a bit, then do another 2 minutes as fast as you can go.

What I like to do is this... I use 2 minute tv commercials to exercise. I've found this to be best for results... as well as best for my busy schedule. This allows me to watch tv and relax, but still workout for about 22 minutes over 1 hour. (Note: There are about 22 minutes of commercials and dead time during a 1 hour tv show.)

Hula Hoop Exercises

There is only 1 hula hoop exercise that you need to do. Simply twirl it around your waist. You don't need to get fancy or anything. That's it.

I think hula hoops are awesome and under-appreciated. Besides mini-trampolines, they are fast becoming my favorite exercise equipment to use. I already have a toned body, but I've notice some nice little improvements in my waist and hips since adding the hula hoop to my 2 minute tv commercial exercise program.

So you don't need to get complicated and use many hula hoop exercises... you only need 1. Just do this 1 exercise during tv commercials everyday for about 20 minutes. Do that and I dare you to email me saying it didn't help improve your body in less than 3 weeks.

Jennifer Jolan is a popular weight loss consultant and author of the best selling "Ultimate Diet Guide" ebook. She has helped over 3,700 women with her intensive 1 on 1 email coaching.

If you're sick and tired of getting the same old boring and tired weight loss advice... you know, like "Eat more fruits and vegetables, drink 8 glasses of water, exercise more, and blah blah blah"... then you found the right person. I'll make weight loss easy and enjoyable for you... AND NOT BORING!

First, click http://www.weightlossguide4women.com to get your free 19-page report "How Spinning Around in a Circle Like a 4-year old Child will Skyrocket your Weight Loss Success".

Second... after you get the free report, you'll be sent inside my website for even more unique and little known weight loss tips, tricks, techniques, and tactics.

Third, with my advice, you won't starve, have to go to the gym ever, or basically do anything that is a hassle for your busy life.

Fourth... there is no fourth. Just enjoy the free report and my website. http://www.weightlossguide4women.com

If you need some personal weight loss advice, you can contact me at my website email.

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Home Exercises to Lose Weight Quickly - 5 Tips

Exercise is an important part of any weight loss regimen. But with busy schedules, we all want to know which exercises will help us lose the most weight quickly.

Broadly, there are two types of exercises: aerobic and strength training (or anaerobic), and each one contributes differently to weight loss. Aerobic exercise burns fat calories while you are engaged in the exercise itself. On the other hand, strength training primarily contributes to weight loss by helping to increase the speed of your resting metabolic rate (RMR), which is the number of calories your body burns while you are at rest. Your RMR actually increases (i.e., burns more calories) the more muscular your body is because it takes much more energy to maintain muscles than it does to maintain fat.

Important note: remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so some strength training exercises will make you healthier and more attractive while not necessarily contributing to weight loss. But, muscles are a "good" kind of weight and you should aim to build more muscle in order to help keep body fat at bay.

Here are 5 tips for exercises - both aerobic and strength training - you can do at home to lose weight quickly.

Tip #1: Squats: Your buttocks and leg muscles are the largest muscles in your body. Every day in front of the mirror, put your feet at shoulder width while facing forward and squat down-and-up 10-20 times for 2 or 3 sets. This will build your leg and buttock muscles. As you build up strength, try holding 2 or 5 pound dumbbells in your hands while you work out. Be sure to warm up first, and stop if you notice any sharp pain in your knees.

Tip #2: Pushups: Pushups are a form of strength training: during a pushup your arms have to support up to 70% of your body weight. Do 2 or 3 sets of 20 pushups to build arm strength and increase your RMR.

Tip #3: Jumping jacks: Jumping jacks are an excellent whole-body aerobic workout you can do right at home. Do 4 or 5 sets of 20 jumping jacks, or as needed. Hint: if you live in an apartment or stay in a second-story bedroom, be considerate of your neighbors by going outside or doing these in a first story room.

Tip #4: Fast walking: While walking is in itself a great aerobic exercise, fast walking is even better for burning fat. Make sure you really stretch first and warm up with regular walking. Once you start your faster walking pace, try to maintain as much speed as possible for as long as you can. If you get tired, try doing intervals of fast walking followed by short periods of slower walking.

Tip #5: Stepping: Stepping is a great way to get your heart beating and to burn calories. You can use your stairs at home, but for best results I suggest buying specialized stackable step mats and stack them up to at least 15 inches (38 cm). Do 2 to 3 sets of 20 steps each to begin. Even though you may not feel like the stepping is helping, it is! This exercise will not only help you lose weight but will also help shape up your buttocks and legs.

An important element in a strategy to lose weight quickly at home is to do a combination of exercises that build muscles (strength training) while burning fat (aerobic exercises). Start a regimen of most or all of these exercises 2-3 days/week and watch the unhealthy fat melt away.

Looking to burn more fat, faster? Try a proven new formula for success: The Diet Solution Program.

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Fast Exercises to Lose Weight Within 2-5 Days!

Here are 2 really fast weight loss exercises to lose weight in just a few days. You can forget about jogging and all that other typical cardio nonsense, these exercise are WAY BETTER.

Fast Weight Loss Exercises to Lose Weight

1. Quickest way to lose weight with exercise is to do hindu squats

Sounds like something hard? Nope, it's not hard at all. It's really simple. Do you know how to squat? If yeah, then all you do is squat... but do it as fast as you can and do it over a period of 5 minutes. No weights are needed. Just you and your body.

To get the most out of this exercise, try to do it non-stop. People who average 20+ squats a minute and over 100 squats in 5 minutes are the ones who get unbelievably fast fat loss results.

One tip... if you can't quite do 100 squats in 5 minutes, then build up to doing the whole 5 minutes by starting with doing fewer minutes but averaging at least 20 squats per minute. Slowly build up from there.

2. Jumping on a mini-trampoline 2 minutes at a time

This is a quick way to lose weight without even sweating. And the best part is you can do these during tv commercials since they last about 2 minutes. In fact, if you have a favorite 1 hour tv show, just watch that show and do this during all the commercials. You'll get in an easy 20 minutes of exercise that way.

These are 2 fast weight loss exercises to lose weight at a rate that is beyond anything you can do at a gym even though you never have to leave your home to do them.

If you're SICK and TIRED of getting the same old boring weight loss advice... you know, like "Eat more fruits and vegetables, drink 8 glasses of water, jog, and blah blah blah",...

Click http://www.weightlossguide4women.com to get your FREE EBOOK "How SPINNING Around Like a Child TRIPLES your Weight Loss". A strange, but true, way to LOSE 10 pounds in 2 weeks. I'm giving away this report today and tomorrow ONLY to anyone who visits my website! So get it before tomorrow night.

If you're truly serious about losing weight, then go to the link below to get your free report now. If you don't lose 10 pounds... I'd be QUITE surprised! http://www.weightlossguide4women.com

Jennifer Jolan

 Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1415420

Want To Lose Weight Without Stress? Try These Effective Weight Loss Tips

There is a lot of information out there on the best ways to slim down. As a result, many people are confused about what they should do. The article below shares practical advice for losing weight and keeping it off. While these are of course only a few suggestions, they should prove a good starting point.

Once you've eaten your breakfast, try only drinking water throughout the day. It's very healthy to drink water since it contains no sugar, fat, calories or artificial additives. It helps purify your body of unwanted chemicals and elements. Once breakfast is over, sticking to water only until your next meal will go a long way in helping you to lose weight.

Do not skip your meals. Make sure to consume three regular sized meals or five small meals each day. You can work in a snack here and there, but keep it small so that you still have room for your regular meals. This helps produce harmony to your body for top functionality.

A good way to stay motivated is to find a friend to pair up with during your weight loss journey. You can provide each other with encouragement and motivation when one of you gets lazy, and contact each other for support when tempted by the lure of unhealthy foods. Another person can also evaluate what went wrong if you fail, and possibly suggest an alternative strategy. You and your partners should also celebrate your progress.

Try using a pedometer to calculate how many steps you are taking each day when trying to shed some pounds. You should be taking at least 10,000 steps each day. If you are aware of how many steps you are taking you will be able to try to do more. Depending on your weight, walking 10,000 steps can burn anywhere from 250 to 600 calories, so every step you take gets you closer to reaching your target weight.

Keep a good variety throughout your dieting. This is an excellent way to help lose weight. Eating the same meals on a continual basis becomes monotonous and may cause you to lose your taste for them, thereby making it more difficult to maintain your weight loss regimen. Eat foods from all the food groups. Don't deprive yourself; just eat your favorite foods in moderation.

Maintain an exercise routine. Go out and join the neighborhood gym if you can afford to. There are lots of alternatives like jogging, Tai Chi or walking. If you have health issues, make sure that you consult a doctor before beginning a workout regimen. You can perform many different exercises at home during the day to stay healthy.

Make substitutions to change what you are eating. Examine your favorite high-calorie recipes and see what you can do so that they are healthier. Substitute the butter you use with vegetable oil spread. Rather than sour cream, use fat-free yogurt. Altering your foods can provide a fresh alternative and new addition to your meals.

Avoid food before going to bed. Stop eating at least 2 hours before your regular bedtime. If you must eat something, choose vegetables and water. There will be moments when you are unable to live by the 2 hour rule, however, do everything you can to keep those to a minimum. You are more likely to store fat when your body is not active.

Try using your leftovers from dinner to pack yourself a nice lunch. When you're making dinner, cook extra for the following day's lunch. You can create many different meals by making sandwiches with your leftovers. Leftovers are an easy solution to a healthy lunch.

Have a concrete plan in place to manage your stress. Stress is a major cause of obesity, as stress leads directly to emotional eating. Learn to cope with stress in healthy ways. Emotional eating is only a temporary coping mechanism, and it's important to replace it with activities that don't affect your health.

Thanks to the multitude of weight loss related tips that exist, weight loss can be confusing. Do not pick a complicated weight loss program, at first. Start with simple, healthy changes to your diet.

For more information on how you can shed those pounds without stress, visit http://rapidfatlossproduct.com

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Tips To Help You Lose Weight And Feel Terrific

Losing weight isn't about going on a short-term "diet" and then forgetting everything you've learned during the process. In order to lose those extra pounds and then keep them off, you need to make some permanent lifestyle changes. This article contains some advice on what changes you should make to help you lose that weight.

Avoid Tran's fats and high fructose corn syrup; they're not good for you anyway doing away with these foods will eliminate a lot of the "bad foods" you eat outright. You will have to become more selective in what you eat by avoiding these two nasty ingredients you will be closer to your weight-loss goals

If you have tried losing weight before and always get discouraged, it is important not to give up. Start with a very small change, such as purchasing walking shoes or starting a journal. Do something that is easy and will not be hard for you to stick with. Studies show that you are three times more likely to follow through if you start with a small gesture.

It is important to start small when you want to lose a lot of weight. You need to take steps towards your ultimate weight loss goal, but you need to make sure that you are able to actually reach these steps. As you reach each step, you will feel more and more confident in your weight loss journey.

Continue to eat the foods that you love, but reduce the potion sizes. Weight loss is achieved by consuming less calories per day than what your body needs in order to survive and perform, therefore, there is no reason why you can't continue to eat your favorite dishes as long as you reduce the quantity that you eat.

Consider making weight loss into a fun adventure instead! Break up your workout routine by going out dancing instead. If you stay away from sugar-laden drinks and calorie-ridden chasers, you'll be burning calories all night. Who knows? You might even catch somebody's eye. Either way, you'll have fun with friends and sweat it out at the same time!

When losing weight you may want to try to switch to green tea in lieu of sodas or sugary drinks. Green tea does contain caffeine so if concurrently you are cutting your intake of caffeine opt for decaffeinated green tea. Green tea can help raise your metabolism and has many useful antioxidants that help your immune system.

You can incorporate more vitamins and nutrients into your diet, by juicing at home. Purchase a home juicer (it doesn't have to be expensive) and try making yourself a fresh glass of juice every morning. Experiment with different combinations that you like and you will have more energy and have a stronger immune system to boot.

To assist you with losing weight you should join an online weight loss community. Here, you will gain the support of a number of people with different backgrounds. You may come across methods of weight loss that you have never discovered previously that work for you. This is especially helpful if you do not have anyone local to support you.

To make sure your snacks are healthy, keep fresh produce in sight. Get a big bowl of in-season fruit and set it on your counter. Stock the drawers in your fridge with celery and carrots. When a healthy snack is the first thing, you see, it's more likely to be the snack that you choose.

As was stated above, weight loss is a matter of making lifestyle changes, not short-term ones. Knowing what changes to make is half the battle; the rest is up to you. Apply some of the tips from this article and you will be on track to a healthier, happier you.

The author writes content in the self help category he currently enjoys reading inspirational quotes from the bible, go to his site at http://www.themessiahspurpose.com/blog-2/.

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Best Tips on Weight Loss

Obesity is one of the biggest problems among a large number of people. The people who are overweight usually suffer from different types of diseases that are caused by the accumulation of unhealthy fat in the body, especially in the tummy.

So, in order to free yourself from these diseases, you need to lose weight immediately. You can find a number of weight loss tips but the important thing is that you have to follow the tips seriously in order to get quick result.

The beginning of any weight loss journey is to know what the best ways to lose weight are. You need to know exactly what all you will have to do to get rid of unwanted body fat.

It is also important for you to stay motivated if you want to lose your body fat quickly. The best way to lose weight quickly is to burn more calories each day than what you consume. These are few of the best and effective ways to lose weight:

Change your eating habits- The best and the most effective tip for weight loss is to change your eating habits. You need to get rid of all your bad habits. You will have to stop eating all types of fattening foods like fast foods and junk foods.

Eat 5-6 times a day- It is true that a healthy eating habit is one of the effective ways to lose weight. However, we should keep in mind that a healthy food can pile up calories much faster.

So it is advisable that instead of taking regular three meals a day, you take your food in five or six small portions.

Exercise- Exercising is the best way to lose weight quickly while building lean muscle and improving your vitality. The best method to lose weight quickly is combining a healthy eating habit with regular exercises.

Drink lots of water- Drink lots of water because water acts as a fuel to your body and it can burn your body fat much faster.

Drink eight or more than eight glasses of water daily so that your body can flush out toxins thereby strengthening your muscles. It is also preferable to drink a glass of water 30-40 minutes before having your meals.

These are the simple and effective tips for weight loss. You should keep in mind that you don't get discouraged if your tummy fat doesn't burn off initially. If you follow these tips with determination then you will definitely lose your weight in a short span of time.

With the best, for more information http://www.reducetummyfatfast.com

 Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7476020

One Easy Holiday Trick To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Holiday weight gain does not have to be a given. You can avoid holiday weight gain by actually eating more food when you grasp the easy trick of eating more fiber.

High fiber foods do not digest fully in your system and because of this they bind to fats and other foods to help keep blood sugar and cholesterol under control.

High fiber foods also act as a scrub brush for your digestive tract getting rid of excess food and waste that would otherwise sit in your digestive tract. Also, because many high fiber foods are very low in calories you can actually burn more calories to eat them (negative calorie foods).

Yep, for avoiding the normal holiday weight gain, you want to fully appreciate the wonders of fiber.

There are two basic types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. You do not have to worry too much about the different types but they do have different responsibilities in your body ranging from helping food pass out of your system to helping regulate your blood sugar.

Let's take a closer look at fiber in general. Here is how it help you avoid weight gain.

Fiber is only found in plant foods. Animal products such as meat, milk, and cheese have zero grams of fiber. So you will want to think plant-based foods for fiber. Namely, you are looking at vegetables and fruits (go for fresh or frozen, not canned), beans, nuts, and many whole grains.

Of these foods, if you are trying to lose weight, you should concentrate on veggies, fruits, and beans. These foods are low calorie and nutrient packed, great for losing weight and staying satisfied.

I mentioned fiber comes from plants and I want you to think about the "fibers" you see in a vegetable like the stalk of broccoli. This is a good visual way to think about fiber.

Now think about that passing through your digestive system. The fiber does not get digested like other foods and passes through your digestive tract virtual unchanged. This is like sending a gentle scrub brush through your system and on its way through it picks up wastes and pushes them along and gets them out of your system.

People who eat low fiber diets suffer with constipation and have foods and wastes sitting in their colons for days or longer, this adds weight to your body.

Fiber also binds to things such as sugars and fats (i.e. cholesterol) in your diet. By binding to these elements they cannot affect your blood.

Therefore a high fiber diet controls blood sugar levels and helps you avoid spikes.

Why is this important for avoiding holiday weight gain?

Because blood sugar spikes trigger an influx of insulin and insulin's job is to push sugar into fat storage. Think about that, eat more by eating more high fiber foods and you get less fat storage.

As for fats such as cholesterol, there is a somewhat more complex mechanism related to bile salts that helps keep your cholesterol levels low.

To make it short and sweet, bile is produced by your body and consists of mostly cholesterol. When you eat fats bile is secreted to helps break down the fats. Fiber grabs hold of the bile and removes it from your body with your waste. Because this bile leaves your body, it cannot go back to your liver where it is recycled, so your body needs to take cholesterol from your body to make new bile leaving less cholesterol to flow through your blood and create plaque.

So here is the bottom line:

When you go through the holiday season eat foods high in fiber, especially if you will be indulging in sweet treats such as cookies, pies, and chocolates. The fiber will help your body manage the excess sugars and fats and you will have a much easier time avoiding holiday weight gain.

This is just one of the tricks you can use to make weight loss quick and easy. Do you want to learn more healthy tips and tricks including the healthy techniques one guy used to lose 43 pounds in just 8 weeks? I have just completed a brand new free guide. Download it free here: Quick and Easy Weight Loss

It is time to get back to good old fashion nutrition for weight loss that you can depend on. It is the quickest way to burn the fat! Tips for Faster Weight Loss

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How To Get Rid Of Cellulite Beyond Diet And Exercise

If it wasn't for this darn cellulite! Do you look down at your legs and see bumps and lumps? Women have some unique issues when it comes to getting smooth and shapely legs.

For one thing we are up against Mother Nature. A woman's body is built for child-bearing and along with the privilege of bringing life into this world comes a backup supply of fat.

This extra fat often appears as lumps, bumps and dimples on the legs, thighs, backside, and even on the arms.

All this unattractive bumpiness leaves us covering up and hiding behind long clothes even in the warmest months.

Cellulite is simply fat, but there is something unique about it.

Cellulite consists of bulging fat cells and trapped liquids that lie just below the skin. These fat cells grow in pockets surrounded by connective tissue. When all is working well the result is smooth body lines. Sometimes these fat cells put pressure on the surrounding connective tissue and cause the build-up of fluids, fat, and toxins. This build-up hardens and forms the "cottage cheese" appearance.

The surprising thing is that you don't even have to be overweight to have cellulite...

So getting rid of cellulite is not simply a matter of diet and exercise alone. In fact, it has something to do with our modern foods. The foods today are filled with chemicals that are toxic. These toxins cause a surge of the female hormone estrogen, which increase the likelihood of fat storage in the lower body.

So you might be thinking that cellulite is something you have to live with for the rest of your life. I mean, even if you get the weight off, the lumps could remain. But what you don't understand is that cellulite can be tackled.

The stubborn pockets of cellulite have a lot to do with the chemistry of your body and by learning how to gain control over those biochemical pathways you can soften and smooth the pockets of fat.

Here are some things to understand about getting rid of cellulite:

• Your body has two opposing receptors that regulate how much fat is stored in cellulite pockets and how much is released.
• Long slow exercise is good for your heart, but will never smooth cellulite
• Your fat distribution is directed by hormones in your body. Many of the packaged foods sold today, even packaged diet foods, contain preservatives, colors, additives and other chemicals that trigger fat storing hormones.

It is hard to come to the realization that many of the things you do that you thought were the right choices are actually feeding your cellulite.

There are three things that need to work together to cure cellulite:

1. You have to cleanse, detoxify and balance your body through proper diet to speed fat metabolism.

2. You need to maximize nutrition on workout days to move fat out of the cellulite pockets.

3. You need to stimulate your slow metabolism through nutritional timing to ensure ongoing fat loss.

What you don't need is hour long workouts, starvation dieting, worthless diet supplements, or "wonder" creams. There is a science to promote smooth skin and a tone body.

Do you want to learn how to pick the right foods from your grocery store shelf to combat these toxins and get rid of your cellulite. My Quick and Easy Weight Loss Plan shows you how you can lose 5 pounds this week and smooth out bumpy skin by eating the right foods.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6963844

5 Fast Tips To Lose Weight Before Summer

Summer is right around the corner and that means we will all be breaking out the shorts, t-shirts, and bathing suits in a couple of short months. That also means that many people are looking to lose those last 10 to 20 pounds before summer breaks into full swing.

There isn't much time but the good thing is that the warm weather is very motivating and naturally leads to better eating and more exercise.

Here are 5 fast tips you can follow to shed pounds before summer time hits:

1. Eat a salad every day. Let's keep it simple and sane. The best way for you to lose weight and the easiest way is to fill your body up with vegetables. Having a salad as one main meal a day or two side salads a day is a quick and convenient way to fill your stomach with volume. The pounds come off without a thought.

2. Don't count calories, Count Fiber. Calories can be deceiving if you are only counting calories, but eating calorie-dense junk foods then you will be starving your body of nutrients and leaving yourself feeling exhausted and ready to quit. Instead of counting calories, count fiber grams. Aim for at least 35 grams a day and you will never feel hungry or get too many calories. Fiber-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, and flax seeds are naturally low in calories.

3. Cut the empty calories. Empty calories from processed foods such as pastries, candy bars, and chips pack on the pounds without effort. These foods contain the terrible combination of fats, sugars and salt. This combination has been found to be highly addictive. There is truth to the saying "you can't eat just one potato chip."

4. Move more. You cannot out exercise a poor diet. However, exercise is a great way to accelerate your healthy weight loss. Aim to increase either your intensity (how hard you exercise) or duration (how long you exercise). Even an extra 10 minutes a day will get you to your goal faster.

5. See the prize at the end. Changing your diet and exercise habits comes with some effort and if you do not have a clear goal in mind you will likely lose interest and decide that you are fine where you are at. A goal must be something that truly inspires you and it helps to be specific. Do you have someone you vacation with every year that you want to look good for? Do you have a favorite pair of shorts that you want to fit into? You will know your goal is right when you feel inspired each time you think about it.

There you have 5 quick tips for losing weight before the heat of summer hits. One thing for sure you and I are not getting any younger and summer only comes around once a year. Make this the year you look great and feel even better.

By eating a salad every day, counting fiber grams, cutting out the empty calories, moving more and setting your eyes on the prize you can lose 10 to 20 pounds before summer, drop a bathing suit size and increase your energy. 

ve someone you vacation with every year that you want to look good for? Do you have a favorite pair of shorts that you want to fit into? You will know your goal is right when you feel inspired each time you think about it.

There you have 5 quick tips for losing weight before the heat of summer hits. One thing for sure you and I are not getting any younger and summer only comes around once a year. Make this the year you look great and feel even better.

By eating a salad every day, counting fiber grams, cutting out the empty calories, moving more and setting your eyes on the prize you can lose 10 to 20 pounds before summer, drop a bathing suit size and increase your energy. Want more easy to follow tips? Check out my free tricks that you can follow to lose 5 pounds this week.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7009935