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For a quick energy boosting snack, make some delicious homemade protein bars made with all natural ingredients.

Ingredients:

5 TBs natural peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
1 cup dry oatmeal or whole grain hot cereal (uncooked)
6 scoops chocolate whey protein (approximately 132 grams worth of low‑carb protein powder)
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBs flax seeds (optional)
1 cup non‑fat dry milk
1/2 cup water (add a little more if you need to)

Modifications: Use vanilla protein and replace ~1/4 cup of the oat flour with a variety of nuts, seeds, or dried berries.

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author: Lanny Schaffer, Ph.D

Everybody needs a little helpful advice on the road to weight loss success. Following are eight basic but effective fat loss tips that will make adhering to your nutrition and exercise plan much easier. They will gear your body and your mind for extreme fat burning mode:

1) HOW OFTEN DID YOU EAT TODAY?

To stabilize blood sugar levels, decrease insulin and increase fullness it is recommended you eat 5-6 smaller meals 2-3 hours apart. Fat is less likely to accumulate under these conditions.

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author: Daniel Patterson

With so many different products and magic weight loss pills on the market, many people seem to be turning away from the standard, tried and proven methods of losing weight. And the enticement is very real! While many of the diet and weight loss supplements on the market can be very effective aids in losing weight, they should not be the focus of a weight loss mentality or program. So let’s get back to the basics.

With so many different products and magic weight loss pills on the market, many people seem to be turning away from the standard, tried and proven methods of losing weight. And the enticement is very real! Who wouldn’t love to just pop a pill, not change anything in their lifestyle, and lose 10 pounds a week? While many of the diet and weight loss supplements on the market can be very effective aids in losing weight, they should not be the focus of a weight loss mentality or program. So let’s get back to the basics.

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author: Caley Walsh

When you are trying to eat healthier, many clever tricks in the kitchen can help, and you can still enjoy your favorite dishes. With simple modifications, even cheesecake can be part of a healthy diet. These easy substitutions and techniques lower the fat and cholesterol in your recipes, without sacrificing great flavor.

For easy reference in cooking healthy, print out the healthy equivalents chart and mount it to the inside of a cabinet door. (more…)

author: Ng Peng Hock

Diet, as part of a healthy lifestyle, plays an important role in maintaining one’s healthy body. It will help reduce chances of getting many health issues, including diabetes, hypertension, obesity, high cholesterol, etc that may ultimately lead to the risk of heart disease.

Problems to overcome

Saying is easier than done! For working adults, maintaining a balanced and healthy is even more difficult because most of the time they eat out. Limited time available for meal and tight work schedule frequently cause workers to pick fast food or other convenient foods, usually not very healthy. Or, they simply skip the meal.

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author:  Noraini Maskuri

Why do so many of us fail or give up our efforts to lose weight? The reason is that we pay too little attention to our emotions and what drive us to eat unnecessarily. If you are able to get a grip on these emotions, you have a better chance of success and losing weight and keeping it off.

Here’s a motivation checklist:

1. Make a commitment

As with every goal in life, make a commitment to lose weight that no matter what happens, rain or shine, you are committed to make that trip to the gym. Adopt that “I can do it” attitude and remember to draw on these successes when the next time you are faced with yet another challenge.

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Glycemic Indices (International Tables)

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Eat Whole Grain Cereals For Breakfast

Dieters tend to avoid bacon and eggs for breakfast and more often are turning to hot and cold cereals for breakfast, along with fresh fruit and yogurt. But not all cereals are the same. The ideal breakfast cereal for a healthy GI diet plan will be made of unrefined whole grains, such as oatmeal, or any 100 percent bran cereal.

You should try to avoid breakfast cereals that contain added sugar, or those which are low in fiber. Also, avoid highly refined cereals even those containing added vitamins, as the typical glycemic response to them is high.

Ideally, choose breakfast foods with roughly 7-10 grams of fiber per serving, because dietary fiber helps protect food inside the stomach and intestine from the actions of digestive enzymes intent on converting food to glucose. High fiber meals always have a lower GI value.

These tips have been repeated endlessly, but it always help to go over them again. Here are 5 quick tips to help you lose weight:

1) Eat Breakfast

Eating a healthy breakfast is important for jumpstarting your metabolism. Studies show that people who eat a healthy breakfast are energized throughout the day, burn more calories, and controls late night eating binges. In fact, they believe people that don’t eat breakfast only burn 2/3 the calories they would normally burn if they ate breakfast.

2)Strength Training

Muscles burn more calories than flab, so the leaner muscle you have the more calories you burn in a day. By taxing your body to a certain point your resting metabolic rate (RMR) will increase while you are sitting or even sleeping. That is around 18,250 calories a year, and almost 5 1/2 pounds of fat for doing nothing. And, that’s only one pound! Increasing lean body mass is important as people in their mid 20’s lose 1/2 to 3/4 pounds of lean body mass a year.

3) A Good Night’s Sleep

Sleep loss is shown to affect the secretion of cortisol, a hormone that regulates appetite leading you to feeling hungry and storing fat around your abdomen area. Not only that, but loss of sleep enables your body to metabolize carbohydrates resulting in excess sugar that develops insulin resistance and long story short; your carbohydrates turn into fat. To avoid these side affects it is recommended that you get at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night.

4) Drink Water

Our bodies consist of 80% water. Drinking 8 glasses or more of water every day helps flush out your system of toxins and helps lubricates your joints. When you drink enough water your body is able to do all its function and aids in burning that unwanted fat.

It’s a good idea to get to know and understand the Glycemic Index, because choosing foods with a low GI rating more often than choosing those with a high GI may help you to:

•  Control your blood glucose levels

•  Control your cholesterol levels

•  Control your appetite

•  Lower your risk of getting heart disease

•  Lower your risk of getting type 2 diabetes

Proponents say eating foods with low glycemic index numbers, such as yogurt and peanuts, help keep glucose and insulin levels in check, reducing disease risk later in life, in addition to helping some people lose weight.

The basics

The Glycemic Index is a scale that ranks carbohydrate-rich foods by how much they raise blood glucose levels compared to glucose or white bread.

When you eat food that contains carbohydrates, the sugar (glucose) from the food breaks down during digestion and gives you energy. After you eat, your blood glucose level rises; the speed at which the food is able to increase your blood glucose level is called the “glycemic response.” This glycemic response is influenced by many factors, including how much food you eat, how much the food is processed or even how the food is prepared (for example, pasta that is cooked al dente – or firm – has a lower glycemic response than pasta that is overcooked).

Good carbs, better carbs

Not all carbohydrates are the same. Highly processed carbohydrates — sugar and white bread, for example — are considered the benchmark against which other foods are measured. Foods that raise blood sugar higher than either of these foods are considered high-glycemic index foods. Those that raise blood sugar less than these two foods are ranked as lower glycemic index foods.

Not only do low GI foods raise your blood glucose more slowly and to a less dramatic peak than higher GI foods, but most low GI foods are all-around healthier choices. Low GI foods are usually lower in calories and fat, while also being high in fiber, nutrients and antioxidants. Choosing low GI foods more often may help you increase levels of HDL (healthy) cholesterol in your blood and might help you control your appetite, as they tend to keep you feeling fuller, longer.

Remember that the Glycemic Index is just one part healthy eating. Don’t forget to:

•  Eat at regular times

•  Choose a variety of foods from all food groups

•  Limit sugar and sweets

•  Reduce the amount of fat you eat

•  Include foods high in fiber

•  Limit salt, alcohol and caffeine

•  Choose heart healthy fats such as canola and olive oil.

LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX FOODS

Choose these most often-

Skim milk
Plain Yogurt
Soy beverage
Apple/plum/orange
Sweet potato
Oat bran bread
All-Bran™
Converted or Parboiled rice
Pumpernickel bread
Al dente (firm) pasta
Lentils/kidney/baked beans
Chick peas

MEDIUM GLYCEMIC INDEX FOODS

(choose more often)

Banana
Pineapple
Raisins
New potatoes
Oatmeal
Popcorn
Split pea or green pea soup
Brown rice
Couscous
Basmati rice
Shredded wheat cereal
Whole wheat bread
Rye bread

HIGH GLYCEMIC INDEX FOODS

(choose less often)

Watermelon
Dried dates
Instant mashed potatoes
Baked white potato
Parsnips
Rutabaga
Instant rice
Corn Flakes
Rice Krispies
Cheerios
Bagel, white
Soda crackers
Jellybeans
French fries