Getting some exercise in can be quite a challenge considering the fact that many of us have an extremely busy schedule.  Not only that, most of us don’t really like exercise in the first place which can make it difficult to stay motivated at the gym.  We all realize that getting some exercise is one of the best ways for us to stay trim and healthy.  That doesn’t mean, however, that it is the only way for us to do so.  If you get a moderate amount of exercise throughout the week naturally, you may be able to get fit simply by eating in the proper way.

One problem that many people run into when it comes to eating properly is that they follow to many different programs.  Although it is a good idea to have a program in mind whenever you start eating for health, being too drastic or jumping from program to program is not going to help you at all.  Another thing that many people tend to do whenever they diet is to cut something out of their diet which the body needs.  It is difficult to estimate how many people have damaged their metabolisms as a result of yo-yo dieting through low carbohydrate or low-fat eating.

If you really want to stay fit, it is difficult to beat the benefits that you receive from eating a low glycemic diet.  The way that you would do this is actually fairly simple to understand.  The glycemic index is a list of foods that are arranged according to how quickly the sugar that is in them is released into our system.  The higher on the list the food resides, the faster the sugar is going to be dumped.  This can cause our pancreas to overload us with insulin, something that is going to end up storing fat on your body.

By eating a healthy diet that includes five to six small meals on a daily basis, you can really get your metabolism running at top speed.  Make sure that you include a protein, legume and plenty of low glycemic vegetables at every meal, preferably raw.  If you eat like this for two weeks you will be able to see the difference in your clothing and whenever you stand on the scale.  It is an easy way to get fit without doing exercise.

A holiday meal like Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner can easily top 2500 calories - that’s probably more than you need in a whole day. You might be able to get away with eating one meal like that over the holidays, but once you add more dinners and holiday parties, your diet can get out of control pretty quickly. It is no wonder many people start to gain weight this time of year.

Why not be proactive this year? Rather than falling into the same old holiday diet traps, take some control. Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD, the author of The F-Factor Diet has some tips to keep your Thanksgiving and any holiday meal under control.
Holiday meals don’t have to pack such a high calorie punch. Simple makeover tips can lighten a meal and keep the taste just as good. Holiday Meal Makeover with Tanya’s

Tips…

Baked Turkey

• Choose a plain bird over a self-basting bird to lower the sodium content
• To ensure a moist bird, bake un-stuffed, leave the skin on while roasting and remove from the oven when internal temperature reaches 170 degrees in the breast

Gravy

• Use a gravy cup or refrigerate the pan juices (to harden the fat) and skim the fat off before making gravy
• Save around 656 grams of fat per cup!
Candied Yams
• Leave out the margarine and marshmallows
• Sweeten with fruit juice, such as apple and flavor with cinnamon
Green Bean Casserole
• Cook fresh green beans with chunks of potatoes instead of cream soup
• Top with almonds instead of fried onion rings
Mashed Potatoes
• Use skim milk, roasted garlic, and a little parmesan cheese instead of whole milk and butter
Bread
• Serve smaller pieces or omit it altogether

Pay Attention to Your Plate

• Imagine your plate divided into thirds
• Use the 1st third to fan out white meat turkey, no skin
• Use the 2nd third for salad and low-fat vegetables.
• Finally, the last third is for all the starches (sweet potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce)

The most common cause of all the health problems is our negligence towards our diet. An improper diet triggers the health problems. A diet plan plays an important role in keeping you healthy. When it comes to blood pressure, an appropriate diet plan can surely help you bring it to a normal level. Here is a blood pressure diet plan charted out for you, so that you can benefit from it.

Nutrients that help in Reducing High Blood Pressure

Omega-3 Fats

· The alpha-linolenic acid present in Omega-3 fats helps in promoting a healthy blood circulation. Omega-3 fatty acids do not allow the blood platelets to form any sort of clumps in the blood that causes heart attack. Foods rich in Omega-3 fats:-

· Salmon

· Trout

· Tuna fish and Salmon

Garlic

Garlic is an amazing medicine for those suffering from hypertension as it significantly reduces the blood pressure. It has blood purifying and blood thinning properties that make garlic on of the most important diet for everyone who wants to reduce their blood pressure.

Soluble Fiber

One of the key ingredients of a blood pressure diet plan is soluble fibers. This should be included in your diet if you are planning to reduce your blood pressure. Soluble fiber has the ability to lower the blood cholesterol and blood pressure. Foods containing soluble fiber are:

● Oats

● Barley and Rice bran

● Beans and peas

● Citrus fruits

Potassium

Potassium is one of the most important ingredients for your blood pressure diet plan. Consumption of potassium significantly reduces the level of blood pressure. If you really wish to lower your blood pressure increase the consumption of potassium rich foods that includes.

● Avocados

● Pomegranates

● Beets

● Potatoes and Tomatoes

● Quinoa

Magnesium

Magnesium helps in lowering and controlling the blood pressure by broadening the blood vessels, that allows the blood to run faster and freely. The best sources of magnesium are:

● Spinach

● Chocolate

● Avocados

● Pumpkin seeds

● Seeds of sunflowers

● Oysters

● Brazil nuts

● Amaranth

● Barley

● Almonds

● Quinoa

Vitamin C

Vitamin C also helps in widening the blood vessels thereby making it more flexible. Vitamin C also boosts the immune system and nurtures the skin too. Therefore it needs to be included in your diet plan. Rich sources of Vitamin C are as follows:-

● Cabbage

● Tangerines

● Red peppers

● Oranges

● Strawberries

● Kiwi fruits

● Potatoes

Your diet and problem of hypertension will greatly benefit, if you include all the above mentioned nutrients in your daily intake of foods.

There are many people who just love cheese and I am one of them, but did you know it’s probably one of the foods that do more harm than good.

Cheese is made from milk that’s high in saturated fat. So if you’re a cheese lover what could you do to avoid this high intake of saturated fats? The good news is not all cheeses are bad. Here’s how to decide to choose the right cheese by the density and hardness. You can still have your cheese and eat it to.

The harder the cheese, the less in saturated fat. Grated cheese used for sauce for pasta dishes is low in saturated fats.

The fat content of cheeses varies widely, mainly because of the type of milk (e.g., whole, reduced fat, nonfat) and milk product (e.g., cream) used to make cheese. Nonfat cottage cheese contains less than 0.5 g per 4-ounce serving, whereas a serving of Cheddar cheese (1.5 oz.) contains 14 g of fat. A high-fat cheese, such as cream cheese, is always enriched with cream and as such contains a greater proportion of fat than protein. Cheeses such as Cheddar, Brie, Blue, Limburger, Muenster, Gouda, and Swiss are generally made from whole milk and have about the same amount of fat and protein. A low fat cheese has a higher protein-to-fat ratio.

Here’s a list of medium to hard cheeses that are 50% or less in fat naturally

Cheshire
Edam
Pecorino Romano
Munster
Muenster
Gouda

Not many here to list. I would skip buying low fat cheese as they tend to have less taste and a softer texture.

Eating healthy is a change I’m trying to make to my life, not to this season. With that comes a great challenge in what to eat, especially when going out. I cook about 90% of our meals from scratch, no boxed anything. I know what is in our food, I even bake our bread, but there comes a time when I am sick of cooking and I need to go out to eat. There’s something to be said for someone else cooking food for me and serving me! That being said, what do you order and where do you go?

There’s a book out there called “Eat This, Not That”. My mom gave me her copy to look at when I told her that I couldn’t meet her for lunch because I was trying to eat healthier. This book goes over tons of restaurants, giving recommendations on what not to eat and what to eat. An example would be what was touted the “Worst Food in America”. It’s the Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing. This tasty morsel has – hold onto your seats - 2,900 calories, 182 g fat and 240 g carbs. OMG, that’s just an appetizer, what is that all about!

The point is that this book also had some good ratings on other restaurants. I chose to go to Chick-fil-a, as they were one of the few restaurants rated an A+. Not one of their sandwiches was over 500 calories. Their best, and what I got, was the Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich. It has 270 calories, 3.5 fat grams, 28 grams of protein, and 33 carbs. Fairly good for a fast food joint. Paired with their substitutable fruit side and a diet coke, it was quite a happy day for all.

Most restaurants have nutritional facts on their websites, so you can do some detective work before you go out. While I don’t go out too often and definitely don’t recommend doing so, it’s good to know that there are choices out there and you can make healthier decisions when out and about!