Bananas are one of the most popular fruits around, and it is easy to see why. They are available all year round and have a very distinctive sweet taste and flavour. Unlike other fruits, bananas come from big plants (that are giant herbs) and not trees.
If you have ever watched a high profile tennis match on television, you may have noticed players (during long matches) eating bananas in between games. This is because bananas are packed with complex carbohydrates and are an excellent source of instant energy, as well as being very easy to digest.
In recent years the popularity of the banana has been put under threat by the popularity of low carbohydrate diets, such as the Atkins diet. Even when you are on a weight loss program, your body needs a regular supply of complex carbohydrates as they provide the fuel that helps your body perform its daily activities. Despite bananas awesome sweet taste, they do not contain any fat. This makes them a great alternative to chocolate and other unhealthy snacks.
As well as being a great natural source of energy, bananas provide many more health benefits. As well as containing no fat, there is also no sodium or cholesterol in bananas. As well as being a good source of potassium, magnesium, fibre and vitamin C, bananas are rich in vitamin B6. This means that bananas can help keep your blood pressure normal and can help prevent strokes and high blood pressure. Bananas are a great snack to eat before and after exercise sessions because they help your muscles contract and stop them cramping, as well as providing your body with much needed vitamins, nutrients and energy following a strenuous workout.
Bananas are delicious when enjoyed on their own as a healthy snack, but they are also ideal for adding to other food and meals. Eating bananas represents one of the easiest ways to get more fruit into your diet. Here are a few suggestions for great ways to enjoy bananas:
Slice up some banana and add it to your favourite breakfast cereal.
Sliced banana topped with a low fat yoghurt for a tasty snack.
Add banana to a regular fruit salad
Use bananas to make a healthy smoothie.
Banana sandwiches using whole grain bread.
With fat free frozen yoghurt.
Bake banana bread
On there own of course
Put a little sweetness into your diet and enjoy the benefits of bananas.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Top 10 Habits That Can Help You Lose Weight
Making little changes can make a big difference
Weight control is all about making small changes that you can live with forever. As you incorporate these minor adjustments into your lifestyle, you'll begin to see how they can add up to big calorie savings and weight loss. Here are my top 10 habits to help you turn your dream of weight loss into a reality:
1. Evaluate your eating habits. Are you eating late at night, nibbling while cooking, finishing the kids' meals? Take a look around, and it will be easy to identify a few behaviors you can change that will add up to big calorie savings.
2. If you fail to plan, plan to fail. You need a strategy for your meals and snacks. Pack healthful snacks for the times of day that you know you are typically hungry and can easily stray from your eating plan.
3. Always shop with a full belly. It's a recipe for disaster to go into the grocery store when you are hungry. Shop from a prepared list so impulse buying is kept to a minimum. Eating right starts with stocking healthy food in your pantry and refrigerator.
4. Eat regular meals. Figure out the frequency of your meals that works best in your life and stick to it. Regular meals help prevent bingeing.
5. Eat your food sitting down at a table, and from a plate. Food eaten out of packages and while standing is forgettable. You can wind up eating lots more than if you sit down and consciously enjoy your meals.
6. Serve food onto individual plates, and leave the extras back at the stove. Bowls of food on the table beg to be eaten, and it takes incredible will power not to dig in for seconds. Remember, it takes about 20 minutes for your mind to get the signal from your belly that you are full.
7. Eat slowly, chew every bite, and savor the taste of the food. Try resting your fork between bites and drinking plenty of water with your meals.
8. Don't eat after dinner. This is where lots of folks pack on the extra pounds. If you are hungry, try satisfying your urge with a non-caloric beverage or a piece of hard candy. Brushing your teeth after dinner helps reduce the temptation to eat again.
9. If you snack during the day, treat the snack like a mini-meal. The most nutritious snacks contain complex carbohydrates and a small amount of protein and fat.
10. Start your day with breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day. After a long night's rest, your body needs the fuel to get your metabolism going and give you energy for the rest of the day.
Weight control is all about making small changes that you can live with forever. As you incorporate these minor adjustments into your lifestyle, you'll begin to see how they can add up to big calorie savings and weight loss. Here are my top 10 habits to help you turn your dream of weight loss into a reality:
1. Evaluate your eating habits. Are you eating late at night, nibbling while cooking, finishing the kids' meals? Take a look around, and it will be easy to identify a few behaviors you can change that will add up to big calorie savings.
2. If you fail to plan, plan to fail. You need a strategy for your meals and snacks. Pack healthful snacks for the times of day that you know you are typically hungry and can easily stray from your eating plan.
3. Always shop with a full belly. It's a recipe for disaster to go into the grocery store when you are hungry. Shop from a prepared list so impulse buying is kept to a minimum. Eating right starts with stocking healthy food in your pantry and refrigerator.
4. Eat regular meals. Figure out the frequency of your meals that works best in your life and stick to it. Regular meals help prevent bingeing.
5. Eat your food sitting down at a table, and from a plate. Food eaten out of packages and while standing is forgettable. You can wind up eating lots more than if you sit down and consciously enjoy your meals.
6. Serve food onto individual plates, and leave the extras back at the stove. Bowls of food on the table beg to be eaten, and it takes incredible will power not to dig in for seconds. Remember, it takes about 20 minutes for your mind to get the signal from your belly that you are full.
7. Eat slowly, chew every bite, and savor the taste of the food. Try resting your fork between bites and drinking plenty of water with your meals.
8. Don't eat after dinner. This is where lots of folks pack on the extra pounds. If you are hungry, try satisfying your urge with a non-caloric beverage or a piece of hard candy. Brushing your teeth after dinner helps reduce the temptation to eat again.
9. If you snack during the day, treat the snack like a mini-meal. The most nutritious snacks contain complex carbohydrates and a small amount of protein and fat.
10. Start your day with breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day. After a long night's rest, your body needs the fuel to get your metabolism going and give you energy for the rest of the day.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
I used to believe in Slim Fast!
The Slim Fast Diet Reviewed: Does SlimFast Work?
The Slim Fast diet... hmmm. As I started this review, I spent some time searching for something -- anything -- positive to say about this diet. The only thing I could come up with is that the Slim Fast diet plan is mind-numbingly easy to follow. A healthy shake for breakfast, one for lunch, and a healthy dinner, and a couple of small snacks in between - doesn't get much easier than that, does it?
Nonetheless, the Slim Fast diet pretty much encapsulates what's wrong with the state of mainstream dieting and weight loss today. OK, OK... I hear you asking, "What's wrong with a healthy shake for breakfast and lunch, and a sensible dinner in the evening?"
Got a minute? Good! Let me begin with the "healthy" shakes...
Since the time of my original review, SlimFast has expanded its product line. It now offers Optima, High Protein and Low Carb variations of the shake, plus the original discussed here, of course. These have somewhat reduced sugar and a little more fiber (4 - 5 grams).
Ironically, the "low carb" shakes have more protein (20 g) than the "high protein" ones (15 g).
Healthy, in this case, is relative. If your idea of good nutrition is combining a bag of pork rinds with a couple of burgers from the local fast food joint, well then yes, these are nutritious shakes.
In reality... the Slim Fast shakes aren't particularly nutritious, and they certainly aren't worth the money you pay for them.
So what's in a Slim Fast diet shake?
The 4 main ingredients are skim milk, sugar, fructose, and cocoa. In other words, milk, sugar, and sugar. Other ingredients include various vegetable oils, emulsifiers, and a dubious vitamin blend.
A 375ml (1.5 cups) shake contains 12 grams of protein -- slightly less than what you'd obtain drinking the same amount of 1% low-fat milk.
This same shake contains 38 grams of carbohydrates -- 20 grams more than if you drank the equivalent amount of 1% low-fat milk (with those additional carbs coming from the added sugar).
Considering that milk contains significant amounts of vitamins A and D, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B12, Calcium, Phosphorous, Magnesium and Zinc, I'd suggest that you chuck the Slim Fast shakes (vitamin blend and all), and simply drink milk instead.
OK... that's problem number 1 -- the shakes are little more than an expensive, sugar-laden milk supplement.
What's wrong with the Slim Fast diet?
The daily caloric limit is set so low as to be detrimental to any long term weight loss success (each shake contains 240 calories (at least the one I'm holding in my hand does).
Combine two with a normal dinner consisting of a chicken breast, baked potato and vegetable, add a snack or two a day and you're looking at anywhere between 1000 - 1200 calories per day).
At first, it may seem logical that drastically reducing calories would be the key to successful weight loss -- and it's true, you must reduce your calories to lose weight. However when you reduce calories too much, you've got a problem. And it's this problem that is the Slim Fast diet plan's biggest drawback...
The Slim Fast diet... hmmm. As I started this review, I spent some time searching for something -- anything -- positive to say about this diet. The only thing I could come up with is that the Slim Fast diet plan is mind-numbingly easy to follow. A healthy shake for breakfast, one for lunch, and a healthy dinner, and a couple of small snacks in between - doesn't get much easier than that, does it?
Nonetheless, the Slim Fast diet pretty much encapsulates what's wrong with the state of mainstream dieting and weight loss today. OK, OK... I hear you asking, "What's wrong with a healthy shake for breakfast and lunch, and a sensible dinner in the evening?"
Got a minute? Good! Let me begin with the "healthy" shakes...
Since the time of my original review, SlimFast has expanded its product line. It now offers Optima, High Protein and Low Carb variations of the shake, plus the original discussed here, of course. These have somewhat reduced sugar and a little more fiber (4 - 5 grams).
Ironically, the "low carb" shakes have more protein (20 g) than the "high protein" ones (15 g).
Healthy, in this case, is relative. If your idea of good nutrition is combining a bag of pork rinds with a couple of burgers from the local fast food joint, well then yes, these are nutritious shakes.
In reality... the Slim Fast shakes aren't particularly nutritious, and they certainly aren't worth the money you pay for them.
So what's in a Slim Fast diet shake?
The 4 main ingredients are skim milk, sugar, fructose, and cocoa. In other words, milk, sugar, and sugar. Other ingredients include various vegetable oils, emulsifiers, and a dubious vitamin blend.
A 375ml (1.5 cups) shake contains 12 grams of protein -- slightly less than what you'd obtain drinking the same amount of 1% low-fat milk.
This same shake contains 38 grams of carbohydrates -- 20 grams more than if you drank the equivalent amount of 1% low-fat milk (with those additional carbs coming from the added sugar).
Considering that milk contains significant amounts of vitamins A and D, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B12, Calcium, Phosphorous, Magnesium and Zinc, I'd suggest that you chuck the Slim Fast shakes (vitamin blend and all), and simply drink milk instead.
OK... that's problem number 1 -- the shakes are little more than an expensive, sugar-laden milk supplement.
What's wrong with the Slim Fast diet?
The daily caloric limit is set so low as to be detrimental to any long term weight loss success (each shake contains 240 calories (at least the one I'm holding in my hand does).
Combine two with a normal dinner consisting of a chicken breast, baked potato and vegetable, add a snack or two a day and you're looking at anywhere between 1000 - 1200 calories per day).
At first, it may seem logical that drastically reducing calories would be the key to successful weight loss -- and it's true, you must reduce your calories to lose weight. However when you reduce calories too much, you've got a problem. And it's this problem that is the Slim Fast diet plan's biggest drawback...
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
11 Great Weight Loss Motivators
Before getting started lets talk motivation because it's a very important part of any diet or exercise program. So you need to dig deep and find what motivates you. Ask yourself the question "What motivates me to want to lose weight?" Here are some prime examples for wanting to lose weight and get motivated:
- You're tired of being overweight.
- Have a special event or occasion coming up in the near future
- To be a role model for your children and family
- For health purposes Because you want to date again
- You want to feel good about yourself and how you look
- You no longer want to shop in the plus size department
- You want to travel
- A new career or advancement
- To be able to visit amusement parks and enjoy all the rides
- Have a happy, healthy and prolonged life
- Make a bet with someone. Bet someone $100 that you can lose 20 lbs
You can even set a deadline if you want. Money motivates people to want to lose weight. Look at "The Biggest Loser" for example, this may work well for you if you're a person who like to make bets and hates to lose. Great motivator don't you think. Whatever motivates you keep bringing yourself back to it when you start to feel discouraged. If you ask me the best reason to lose weight or to do anything else is because you want to do it for yourself first and foremost.
Note: To keep motivated try taking before and after photos of yourself along your journey to help you see your progress.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
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