Healthy Food

By Steve C Cowley

For years we have been told that chocolate is bad for our children! It rots their teeth, disrupts the levels of sugar in their bodies and makes them hyper, and generally does them no good at all! In fact many schools ban it from lunch boxes and dinning halls!

And yet, chocolate was once considered to be the "Food of the Gods"! In its healthy form it can be one of the best natural foods that you can give your child. This article explores why chocolate has received such a bad press and what we, as parents, can do about it.

When I am talking "Chocolate" I am not talking about 99% of the chocolate sweets, candy bars, desserts, and other junk that our children are encouraged to eat. Not all chocolate is created equal and part of the purpose of this article is to educate on the difference between healthy chocolate and bad chocolate!

To understand a little of this we need briefly to look at the history of chocolate.

Chocolate was used as a wonder food in South America for centuries. It was highly regarded by both the Mayan and Aztec cultures for its medical and restorative properties. Cocoa beans were even used as a form of currency - in a similar way that we used precious metals such as gold and silver in the west.

It was often consumed as a drink. The Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortes, wrote this about it in 1519:

"The divine drink builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food"

It was only when it arrived in Europe that the taste was changed to make it more "palatable" to the taste buds of the "civilized world". Unfortunately, this processing was the beginning of the end for the natural goodness of chocolate. The chocolate that we have come to know in our confectionery products is definitely NOT the same as the original healthy dark chocolate of the Aztecs.

So, why is chocolate so good for children?

We all know that children need their fresh fruit and vegetables. The science behind this is very strong and most parents are aware that fruit and vegetables contain a whole range of nutrients that are vital to children's health.

If your children are anything like mine you might have at least occasional issue getting them to eat their five helpings every day! We know their importance, but facing the daily battle to get them into our children can be a real struggle!

If it is a choice is between a plateful of fruit or vegetables and a small square of healthy chocolate, which one do you think might win? Opting for these squares certainly saves the battles at meal time, and ensures that the children are getting top quality nourishment in an easily digestible and enjoyable way!

It may seem remarkable, or surprising, or even unlikely, but three squares of healthy chocolate a day is all it takes to ensure that your children are getting all the natural goodness of their fruit and vegetables! Like any other caring parent, I want the very best nourishment for my children to ensure they grow as healthily as they can. If it comes from eating a special chocolate, which they thoroughly enjoy, then that is fine by me.

You don't have to take my word for it either. There is plenty of independent research available on the Internet that supports these claims. Just Google "Healthy Chocolate Science" and see what comes up.

If you are worried that eating chocolate may contribute to a rise in child obesity then don't be. Healthy chocolate actually acts to cut down on cravings for sweets and snacks and balances sugar levels within the body for several hours. Our own children have cut out their snacking almost completely since being on healthy chocolate.

It seems very strange to think that simple chocolate should be considered a "Superfood" for our children - but both the hearsay and scientific evidence is increasingly strong. If you are struggling to get high quality nutrition into your children then it is certainly worth considering!

Chocolate is a natural food and one that kids thoroughly enjoy eating. It has made a massive difference to our own children's health in a very short period of time, and I would definitely recommend it to all parents.

By Mary Anne Durkee

With the country coming to its senses about increasing health problems in children, it is no wonder that most mothers have started to pay more attention to their kids health. With the reduction of the starting age for the onset of health problems like obesity and eating disorders, it is doubly essential that your child develops healthy eating habit. Here are some eating habits that you can work on for your kids:-

Healthy Eating Habits 1 - Eat healthy yourself

Most often children take after you about a lot of things. This is the reason why you should develop healthy eating habits for yourself. This in turn will also influence what you feed your family.

Healthy Eating Habits 2 - Cook more - Eat out less

1. Cooking has become a luxury to most especially because of the lack of time in today's fast moving world. But cooking is one way you can guarantee a diet that involves healthy food!

2. Assess your families eating habits and see if you eat out or order in more often. Resort to some quick and healthy recipes if you are short of time. Try to reduce eating out to once in a week or less or fix a day in the week for such a treat. This way you can control your families junk food intake and at the same time appease their food cravings!

Healthy Eating Habits 3 - Develop a Balanced Diet for your family

1. Chart out a diet that includes fruits, vegetables. Make sure that you add protein rich food like Fish, eggs, beans and nuts.

2. Involve the children in the meal planning and preparation process and use this oppurtunity to explain to them the importance of eating healthy!

3, There are a number of healthy snack recipes online, access them or use your own creativity to cook up healthy snacks for your children.

4. Remember that children, especially younger ones often raid the kitchen for food. So, stock up lots of healthy snacks and food like fruits.

5. With obesity on the rise in children it is also important to limit their consumption of fat rich food. Reduce your child's fast food and sweetened drinks intake. Don't cut it out completely as doing so will only increase their craving for it. You will have to learn to control their intake either by fixing a day when they can eat out or buy ordering in a surprise treat once in a while. Check this link for some tasty low fat recipes.

6. Avoid deep-frying food and stick to healthy cooking methods like broiling, grilling, roasting, and steaming.

Healthy Eating Habits 4 - Family Meals

1. Family meals are great as it guarantees quality time spend amongst family members and also ensures that the kids get one completer meal in the day.

2. At the meal you can encourage your kid to eat the veggies and fruits that you have added to the spread on the table.

3. Family meals are also a great opportunity for your child to witness your healthy eating habits.

4. Once the Family meals become a habit, provided they are served at a fixed time, the children can reduce unnecessary snacking practices

Healthy Eating Habits 5 - Other practices

1. Don't bribe or reward your children with promises for food.

2. At the dining table don't follow the clean plate rule. When the child says they have had enough remove the plate. Remember it is no about eating more or less. It is about eating right!

3. If you think that the child has been taking lesser food, query them about it, they could be on a self imposed unhealthy diet!

Healthy Eating Habits 5 - Track their food intake

Though tracking your child's food intake may be difficult, you can try. Strike up a conversation with your child about his week and figure out how many times he has eaten junk food. If you think it is too much, explain to him or her, the dangers of an unhealthy diet and its consequence like obesity or eating disorders

About the Author

Mary-Anne is a featured member and regular contributor at ifood.tv, a global food network, featuring recipes from all over the world. Other popular recipes videos on ifood.tv include Desserts Recipes, Jam recipes and Pie recipes

Article Source : http://www.artipot.com

By Suzie Banks

We all know that eating nutritious food is fundamental for a healthy life, yet more often than not we don't perceive healthy food as being the most tempting option. We seem to have the belief that rich foods are somehow more pleasurable than the healthy alternatives.

For many people, a 'going on a diet' or a 'healthy lifestyle' mindset means focusing on restriction. The emphasis is on the things that they can't eat or drink which means that they quickly start to feel deprived. They feel that they are missing out on the things that they enjoy and the whole process becomes disheartening and set up for failure. Most popular weight loss methods are based on a principle of restriction: counting calories, weight watcher's points system, detoxing and the Atkins diet to name only a few. Whilst making often radical changes is a necessity in the quest for a healthier lifestyle, why focus on the negatives? Why spend all that effort bemoaning the fact that you have to cut back on wine or cheese when you could use the time and energy to concentrate on creating exceptional meals from the foods that you are going to eat? Food and eating should be a source of pleasure and enjoyment. But, to really enjoy a healthy diet we need to change our perception that healthy food isn't as pleasurable as that which is rich and calorie laden.

Although today's levels of obesity are on an unprecedented scale, the desire to indulge in rich food isn't a modern phenomenon. For centuries food has been used:

* to provide emotional comfort
* to show love to others
* to celebrate special events
* as a blatant display of social standing and wealth
* to relieve boredom

The food of choice for the above has been, and still is, inevitably calorie laden and high in fat and or sugar. There is no wonder that we associate these foods with pleasure and enjoyment. But, whilst they are fine to eat now and again, to maintain a healthy lifestyle nutritious foods need to be the mainstay of our diets.

Cultivating the belief that healthy food can be as much of a treat as any other type of food, is one way to make sticking to a healthy lifestyle more enjoyable. Whilst the quality of ingredients and the flavour of the food are undoubtedly crucial factors, they are only part of the equation and pleasure can also be derived through the:

* anticipation of the expected enjoyment of the food
* visual appearance
* feelings of contentment when sufficient food has been consumed

So, the way that food is prepared and presented can influence all of the other pleasure inducing factors and consequently can contribute enormously to changing the perception of healthy foods.

The phrase 'you eat with your eyes' really is true as the visual appearance of food is one of the first mental stimuli received before the flavour of the food is even tasted. This triggers numerous subconscious responses within your brain and these are a powerful influence on the extent to which you believe that you will enjoy the food.

Any past experiences or beliefs that you have about a particular type of food will consciously, or subconsciously, dictate your expected enjoyment whilst you are merely looking at it. Obviously, the more positive associations you have with the food, the greater the anticipated enjoyment. If you can keep creating beautiful and delicious healthy meals, it will continue to reinforce the belief that healthy food is enjoyable and the perception that it is somehow inferior and less appetising than other foods will begin to gradually diminish over time.

Most of us are attracted to aesthetically beautiful things and food is no exception. The pleasure factor of eating is considerably heightened by the aesthetic appeal of the food. Quite why the brain triggers feelings of pleasure when looking at an innate object of beauty is uncertain, the only certainty is that it does happen!

The experience of beauty in food can be attributed to many factors including:

* Harmonious composition
* Colour
* Freshness
* Culinary perfection
* Simplicity
* Naturalness
* Extravagance and luxury
* Complexity
* Creativity
* Ingenuity
* Drama

Obviously all the above factors are subjective and the extent to which a particular food or meal is considered to be an object of beauty is entirely dependent on the individual looking at it, but knowing these contributory factors means that creating food with universal aesthetic appeal is slightly easier to achieve.

Eating smaller quantities of certain foods is unavoidable if you want to eat healthily, but if the portions look meagre you're unlikely to feel satisfied. Fortunately, there are preparation and presentation techniques that can be used to give the illusion of increased volume. For example, if you want to reduce the amount of red meat that you are eating and decide to cook smaller sized steaks than usual, you can slice the cooked steak and fan it out on the plate. This will give the illusion of a larger portion. Grating cheese has the same effect.

Creative food presentation isn't just for chefs and food stylists. There are numerous quick and simple ideas and techniques that can be used by anybody who wants to add some pizzazz to their food, not just for special occasions when you're out to impress, but for everyday dishes that can so easily become dull and repetitive. It's these everyday dishes that are the backbone of a healthy lifestyle, so it's essential to find a way of make eating healthily a pleasurable experience. Feeling restricted and deprived will only have you succumbing to the lure of the biscuit tin on a regular basis! The goal for a healthy lifestyle is balance and moderation which is far easier to achieve when you are eating food that leaves your senses and taste buds fulfilled and satisfied.

About the Author

Suzie Banks is a food writer specialising in healthy eating and food styling. Visit http://www.essentiallyhealthyfood.com for inspiration and guidance in the 'Art of Healthy Eating' and discover food preparation and preparation techniques that can help to increase the enjoyment of healthy food.

Article Source : http://www.artipot.com

By Dee Power

Short on time but want to make healthy food recipes for your family? Here are three yummy examples.

Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce
Chop 1 medium fully ripe tomato for each serving of pasta. For example if you're feeding four for dinner, chop four tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and set aside. Cook your choice of pasta until it's nearly done. Add 1/2 cup frozen peas for each serving of pasta and add to the pasta just a minute or two before you remove from the heat. Strain the pasta and the peas. Chop a handful of basil leaves. Add the chopped tomatoes with their juice and basil leaves to the pasta and peas and toss well. Sprinkle each serving with one tablespoon of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Add a tossed green salad with low cal or no cal dressing and dinner is done.

Tequila Chicken Breasts.
Use boneless, skinless, chicken breasts. For four servings: make a marinade of the juice of three limes, you can add a bit of lime peel to the juice if you wish. Add 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon of crushed chili peppers or more if you like spicy food, a clove of chopped garlic, and 4 chopped scallions. Combine with 1/2 cup of tequila. That sounds like a lot, but remember all the alcohol will evaporate during cooking, you just want the flavor.

If you don't want to use tequila use white wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar instead. Place the marinade and the chicken breasts in a plastic bag and marinate for at least an hour, up to over night. When ready to cook remove the chicken from the marinade and bake. Throw the marinade away. You can also grill the chicken breasts. Serve with a black bean, corn and tomato salad and a couple of toasted tortillas.

Oven Roasted Veggies
You'll need 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of veggies for each person. Select from carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips, winter squash, green beans, zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, sweet potatoes, and small new potatoes. Clean and scrub veggies. Cut into similar size pieces, two inch cubes work well. Dry veggies off. Spray a baking pan with nonstick spray such as Pam. Place veggies in pan drizzle with one tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. You can also add a variety of herbs: oregano, parsley, sage, tarragon, and basil are just a few. Bake at 350 for about an hour until veggies are soft but not mushy. You can also grill the veggies. Just leave them whole or sliced in two. Serve with crusty bread.

And there you have 3 healthy food recipes for dinner.

About the Author

More healthy food recipes at Dee's Delicious Dinners Dee loves to eat and cook. Her hobbies include gardening and grilling.com

Article Source : http://www.artipot.com

By Silvia Goodman

Often, developing healthy food habit is not as restrictive or as confusing as several individuals imagine. The first and foremost principle of healthy nutrition is simply eating a wide range of foodstuff. This is more important, since varied foodstuff make varied dietary contributions.

Secondly, vegetables, fruits, legumes and grains are necessary, since these foods are high in carbohydrates, fiber, minerals, vitamins, and low in fatty substances and are cholesterol free.

It is also better to balance between calorie expenditure and calorie intake. That is, avoid eating more foodstuff than what the body can consume. Otherwise, there is a possibility of gaining additional weight. Therefore, the more the active an individual is, the more he can eat and uphold this balance.

It does not mean that aforementioned three fundamental steps suggest an individual to sacrifice the favorite food. As long as, an individual's diet is rich in fiber and nutrients and well balanced, there is nothing improper.

Individuals also can view healthy foodstuff as a chance to expand range of alternatives by trying some healthy food such as vegetables, fruits or whole grains. A healthy nutrition does not have to imply eating foodstuffs, which are unappealing or bland.

Benefits of Healthy Food:

Nutritious and healthy diet is very much significant for maintaining a healthy body. Healthy diet involves timely and regular food, snacks, nuts and juices. A balanced meal and appropriate food habits are essential for leading a healthy life. In due course of life, everyone forgets to take essential nutrition for proper body function, hence fall under several life-style diseases. Hence, it is necessary for an individual to understand and know about the benefits of healthy food such as vegetables, fruits and nuts.

Below discussed are some of the benefits of healthy food:

* Beetroot: It has good amount of potassium, manganese and foliate. It also contains fewer calories and helps to cure skin problems.
* Cauliflower: It is extremely nutritious and is much effective in curing several ailments. It is rich in folate and apt for pregnant women.
* Mangoes: They are very popular and largely available fruit. They are rich in potassium and good for healing wounds.
* Nutritional Values of Banana: It aids in the healing of anemia, depression, brainpower, blood pressure and constipation.
* Egg: It is nutritious and healthy food. Eggs lecithin prevents the absorption of egg's cholesterol and other sources as well.

Overview:

Research has witnessed that, those who eat less processed food and saturated fatty items live longer and healthy life, and are very less prone to disease and illness. Good health food along with proper exercise gives tons of energy and makes feel stronger and healthier.

Good health food can assist individuals in maintaining a healthy weight. The phrase Healthy Weight is not only important for those individuals who are overweight, but also for individuals who are underweight as well. With eating healthy food, individuals can control their body weight without being underweight or overweight.

Healthy livelihood is all about understanding the body requirements and rendering it with good supplies for proper body function. Unhealthy eating habit can affect the individuals' body severely, hence intake healthy foodstuff to avoid such consequences.

About the Author

Silvia Goodman is a successful writer. She has decided to pen down her researches and thoughts and share them for the common benefit. Check out her new report where she Reveals How to Bring Healthy Food in to Your Life Before It's Too Late!
http://www.eat-4-your-life.com

By Vanessa Cyrus

Wondering how to shop for truly healthy eating food at a grocery store? You should be extremely cautious as there are many "rotten" products out there which claimed to be healthier than the natural version! We have highlighted some of the most common ones found in the market.

Case 1: Low Fat Peanut Butter Claiming to be Better Than Original!

Most healthy peanut butter is nothing more than a combination of peanuts and little bit of salt. Unlike the fake peanut butter which contains a ton of junk that will ruin your health. They also remove the healthy fat which is needed by the human body to satisfy its appetite, control cravings and stabilize its blood sugar levels.

Case 2: Fortified Egg Whites Claiming to be Better The Real Eggs!

Basically, they remove the yolks which are the healthiest part and replace it with chemical colorings, flavorings and other artificial vitamins! The truth is most vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and trace nutrients are found in the yolks, unfortunately most people did not know the fact.

In addition, the bioavailabilities of the protein found in the yolks are much higher than in the whites. Also, the cholesterol naturally found in eggs actually helps you to raise your good cholesterol thus improving your overall profile.

Case 3: Margarine claiming to be better than butter!

You will be surprised to know that margarine is filled with highly processed and toxic Trans fats which can easily clogged your artilleries and turn your health upside down! Also do not go for low quality butter which may contains pesticides and hormones from improperly raised cows!

You should go for organic or grass-fed butter which can be very healthy for you. In fact, grass fed butter contains higher beneficial conjugated linoleic acid in its natural form which is essential for the human body.

Finally, when you are ready to shop for healthy eating food, always remember to keep a lookout for this crappy stuff on the grocery store. Buy only natural unprocessed food closest to its original state as possible!

Faustin Michaels

Most people have heard about "The Food Pyramid". It's a government created guideline for "healthy eating". It's sort of a general nutrition guide for the country.

In fact, the government (US Department of Agriculture) has recently upgraded it's food pyramid -- but the truth is that it's still an unsatisfactory guideline for people who want to lose weight.

The new pyramid is actually a number of different pyramids that can be tailored to an individual's unique circumstances. This would seem to be a move in the direction of "honest brokering" of action alternatives. But not all observers see this as a good thing.

It's positive that what they released can be more personalized. And I like the way physical activity is included graphically. But from a big point of view they missed the opportunity to make a stronger message. It's designed to not call any attention to any negative food group. I hate to say it, but what else would we expect from the USDA.

My last comment relates to how I see the pyramid. "A reflection of industry influence". "There's nothing about soda or snacks or about how many times you should eat".

It seems like the USDA dodged the difficult political advice once again and didn't clearly communicate what to eat less of. Given that obesity is the biggest health problem facing the country today. Clearly, there is no "honest brokering of science" on these issues.

I am no expert on food policy, but I would hypothesize that the differences in view on the efficacy of the food pyramid lie in differences in opinion about the role of the expert in a democracy. In other words, some will see the role of the scientist/expert to empower decision makers to take responsibility for their own choices by providing them with a set of options. Others will see the role to be something more along the lines of telling people what action they should take (i.e., narrowing the scope of choice). And of course such perspectives also reflect equity considerations, such as who wins and who loses among the users of the new pyramid (e.g., this is reflected in various comments on whether the expert target the informed and motivated public or the uniformed or otherwise disadvantaged public?). I'd pose the hypothesis that one's views on the pyramid's flexible structure will be closely correlated with one's views on the role of the scientist/expert as an honest broker or issue advocate.

Clearly the pyramid reflects a compromise of perspectives, and there is no such thing as a pure "honest broker". But it does seem that the present incarnation of the food pyramid reflects a move more in the direction of honest brokering than the previous version. The most important yet unanswered question from my standpoint is: Is there any evidence that the new incarnation better supports decision making than the past version or possible alternatives? The ultimate test of honest brokering and issue advocacy is the pragmatic test.

It's important to remember that the Food Pyramid was not created for "weight loss", it was created as a "general nutrition guide" to maintain average health.

It's supposed to be a general nutrition guide for healthy eating, so you must remember that it's not a tool meant to help you with fat loss and dieting.

In other words, it's not the best choice to help overweight people who want to get slim in a hurry.

Secondly, the new Food Pyramid is based on vague nutritional guidelines which are nearly as bureaucratic and vague as possible. It advocates that people should eat specific "ounces" of food based on a person's age, weight, gender, and other factors.

...But trying to calculate your daily food intake by using such vague guidelines is just not very fun or practical -- not to mention it's not very easy to do either.

In other words, it's not a solution for weight loss -- nor is it a practical solution for healthy eating each day. In fact, the Food Pyramid is just like most other government created "guidelines" --- which means it's the result of a bureaucratic effort which aims to give vague and general advice.

If you're looking to lose weight then you certainly don't want to use the new Food Pyramid as a tool to help you, since you likely won't see fast dieting results by doing that, since you must actually learn to spread out your daily food across more than 3 meals per day in order to lose weight fast.

To speed up your metabolism you must eat more often, not less often. You must eat more than 3 meals per day, and you must not follow some arbitrary guideline each day. Also, it's quite easy to figure out how big your food portions need to be when trying to lose weight and it has nothing to do with any pyramids.

About the Author:

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Do you love fast food but hate the calories that come with it? Then why not cook your favorite fast food items at home and reduce the salt and fat content yourself! It's true, you can cook all your favorite fast food recipes at home and cut out the fat without cutting out the flavor. Here are a few tips for reducing the fat in your favorite fast food recipes.

First, fry with a low fast oil instead of a deep fryer. Just pour a half inch of low fast oil into a skillet and fry your food. You'll drastically cut the fat content without cutting the flavor.

Second, use low fat condiments. Instead of mayo, sour cream, and ranch, use low fat or fat free mayo, sour cream, and ranch. They taste the same but with half the calories!

Here are some easy fast food recipes you can cook at home:

AppleBees Mudslide Recipe
2 cups vanilla ice cream
2 ounces kahlua coffee liqueur
1 dash chocolate syrup
canned whipped cream

1. Measure 2 cups of ice cream into your blender. Add the Kahlua and blend until smooth.
2. Prepare a 16-ounce wine glass by swirling chocolate syrup around the inside of the glass. Hold the wine glass by the stem with one hand and twirl the wine glass as you squeeze the chocolate. Slowly move the chocolate up toward the rim of the glass so that the chocolate makes a continuous spiral around the inside of the glass.
3. Pour the drink from the blender into the glass. Add a pile of whipped cream to the top of the drink and drizzle additional chocolate syrup over the whipped cream. Add a straw and serve.

KFC Coleslaw Recipe
8 cups finely diced cabbage (about 1 head)
1/4 cup diced carrots
2 tablespoons minced onions
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Cabbage and carrots must be finely diced.
2. Pour cabbage and carrot mixture into large bowl and stir in minced onions.
3. Using regular blade on food processor process remaining ingredients until smooth.
4. Pour over vegetable mixture and mix thoroughly.
5. Cover bowl and refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.



There are hundreds more delicious restaurant recipes and fast food recipes available to you in The CopyCat Cookbooks. Check them out today to start cooking all your favorite dishes at home!

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It important to really get this profoundly. The aim of good food is to give people the opportunity to profoundly realise the great health potential and healing power of nutrition. Through this, they can educate themselves and make informed choices on matters regarding health. In effect, good food provides vital life saving information. It shows how the major life-threatening diseases such as, heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and many other illnesses can be prevented or reversed using nutrition. Yes, as incredible as this may seem to some, whether it is through a strict dietary regimen called 'metabolic nutritional therapy', or just by simply eating the appropriate food, the results have been amazing. Good food shows how you can use these nutrition secrets for vitality and invariably slowing down the ageing process.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

To get more information visit http://www.blood-pressure-updates.com/bp/magazine/edition/Blood-Pressure-Diet.htm, http://www.blood-pressure-updates.com/bp/magazine/edition/High-Blood-Pressure.htm and http://www.blood-pressure-updates.com/bp/magazine/edition/Low-Blood-Pressure.htm

By: farra

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About the Author:
http://www.2tastyfood.com

Eating right or eating healthy is sometimes easier said than done. With so many processed foods, fast foods, canned goods, junk foods, and meat products around, what can you expect but to see more people gaining weight excessively, much more know a few who eventually suffer from health conditions due to excessive weight gain. So, whether you are among these people or not, it's high time you consider eating healthy as early as now. But eating healthy may mean different things to different people. For one, it may mean going on vegan diets, eating raw foods, and choosing healthy superfoods than processed ones.

What is a vegan diet?

Vegan diet is another term for vegetarianism. This is a natural way of losing weight and staying healthy. However, when one says that he is on a vegan diet, it does not necessarily mean that he no longer eats animal foods. Although some people do, in some cases, doctors still recommend some modifications on this diet. That is why before you go on this kind of diet, you have to note its subtypes to know which one is suited for you.

What are the four subtypes of vegan diets?

Vegan diets are subdivided into four subtypes known as semi-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian, and lacto-ovo vegetarian. Although all of these focus on vegetables as the main part of your diet, in some subtypes you may be allowed to eat animal products and by-products. In semi-vegetarian, for example, you can still eat poultry and fish, however you are restricted from eating all kinds of red meat such as lamb, beef, and pork. Meanwhile, in pesco-vegetarian, you are allowed to eat fish and other seafood, but restricted from all animal products. This is almost the same with lacto-vegetarian, except that in this, you may be allowed to enjoy milk and dairy, but not eggs, poultry, and meath. Lastly, in lacto-ovo vegetarian, you cannot eat animal meat but can still enjoy its by-products like dairy, eggs, animal oils, and milk.

What are the benefits of vegan diets?

Just like in health food raw diet, the two main benefits of vegan diets are also weight loss and good health. Try to eat more vegetables and no or very little meat every meal and you will notice a change in your weight after a certain period. Why is this possible? Because vegetables are rich in nutrients, but less in fat and cholesterol unlike meat products. So, the more you consume veggies, the less you are likely to become obese. And with a vegan diet, of course you'll feel healthier. Why? Because having normal weight means you are also not prone to diseases related to excessive weight gain like high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. With the antioxidants present in vegetables, your body is able to eliminate free radicals that are the leading causes of cell death and diseases.

Indeed, it's true that eating healthy and eating right is easier said than done. But if you keep this important information in mind about health food and vegan diets, you will come to realize that it is not as difficult as you think. Now, why don't you try to learn more about eating right and staying healthy? David Wolfe, a known nutrition expert, has a lot to share to you about raw foods, vegan diets, and sunfood nutrition.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
Marilyn has been fascinated with the work of the Healthy Lifestyle Nutritionist and Guru, David Wolfe and has a blog which keeps up with the latest in the world of Healthy Lifestyles and Raw Food Diets. See more about Healthy Foods.

By: Mary Anne Durkee

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
Mary-Anne is a featured member and regular contributor at ifood.tv, a global food network, featuring recipes from all over the world. Other popular recipes videos on ifood.tv include Desserts Recipes, Jam recipes and Pie recipes

Not surprised. you have to remember , one of the key ways to maintain a healthy weight is to control your portion sizes. Research has shown that Americans often underestimate how many calories they are consuming each day by as much as 25%.

Serving Size Mean:
Use the list below to gain a perspective on how much food a recommended serving size really is; it may be much smaller than you realize.

According the USDA, 1 serving equals:

* 1 slice of whole-grain bread
* 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta
* 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes
* 3-4 small crackers
* 1 small pancake or waffle
* 2 medium-sized cookies
* 1/2 cup cooked or raw vegetables
* 1 cup (4 leaves) lettuce
* 1 small baked potato
* 3/4 cup vegetable juice
* 1 medium apple
* 1/2 grapefruit or mango
* 1/2 cup berries
* 1 cup yogurt or milk
* 1 1/2 ounces of cheddar cheese
* 1 chicken breast
* 1 medium pork chop
* 1/4 pound hamburger patty

A good guideline to help you understand portion sizes is to translate the abstract information represented by the serving size into something visual that is easily remembered. So instead of trying to memorize lists of ounces, cups and tablespoons, simply compare the serving sizes of particular foods to familiar physical objects. For example, a single serving of:

* Vegetables or fruit is about the size of your fist
* Pasta is about the size of one scoop of ice cream
* Meat, fish or poultry is the size of a deck of cards or the size of your palm (minus the fingers).
* Snacks such as pretzels and chips is about the size of a cupped handful
* Apple is the size of a baseball
* Potato is the size of a computer mouse
* Bagel is the size of a hockey puck
* Pancake is the size of a compact disc
* Steamed rice is the size of a cupcake wrapper
* Cheese is the size of a pair of dice or the size of your whole thumb (from the tip to the base)

The best way to determine the amount of food in a given serving is to look at the Nutrition Facts label and measure it out. Although this may not be practical or that much fun, if you are able to take the time, you will soon be able to "eyeball" the amount of food and know whether there is too much or too little.

For example, filling a measuring cup with the proper sized portion of vegetables, rice, etc. and then emptying it onto a plate will help you learn what these serving sizes look like. Take note of how much of the plate is covered; this will help you in the future, even if you only do it once. Simply by having and implementing this knowledge, you will have taken an important step in managing your weight.

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