Archive for February, 2011

8 Cancer Fighting Superfoods You Must Eat Now!

Cancer research is constantly discovering good news in the fight to eradicate the deadly effects of the disease. Eating right, always good, can be effective in the cancer fight as well.

When it comes to doing what is best for our bodies and health, we sometimes forget that eating a well balanced diet and getting plenty of rest and exercise goes a long way. But when diagnosed with cancer, we suddenly understand just how important it is to do more than just take care of ourselves.

Though a single, simple cure-all for the cancers which afflict us has yet to be produced in pill format, there are some leading researchers who insist we can combat the disease and do everything possible to prevent contracting it to begin with.

How? One of the most interesting ways to date is the concept of consuming what scientists and believers have begun to refer to as “superfoods“. No, not what’s served up to Clark Kent or Batman, but phytonutrient rich natural food stuffs that combine a number of chemical nutrients which help the body fight off the ill effects of cancer.

The best part of this prescription is you probably already have many of the following 8 foods in your kitchen. If you don’t, your favorite local grocer or farmers market will have them.

  1. Tomatoes are stock full of lycopene, an antioxidant. Plus they are overflowing with vitamins A, C, and E all of which have been shown to have positive effects on the fight against cancer.
  2. Watermelon will also provide you with lycopene as well as a large chunk of your daily vitamin C requirements. Plus, it just tastes really good on a warm, humid day.
  3. Cabbage, one of the cruciferous vegetables has plenty of fiber and vitamin C, plus studies suggest it reduces the risk of colon and rectal cancer.
  4. Carrots will add more fiber and beta carotene to your diet. While they may or may improve your eyesight, they are definitely going to help you ward off the cancers waiting to attack you.
  5. Various natural beans are both high in fiber and are an excellent source of protein. Combine beans with a whole wheat pasta and this super dish is going to not only fight for your health, but taste good doing it.
  6. Sunflower seeds are more than a treat while playing baseball. They contain naturally occurring selenium which just doesn’t like sharing your body with cancer causing cells.
  7. Red bell peppers, about a cup, will only add a whopping 25 calories to your diet. But this superfood is teaming with lycopene, vitamin C, and a bunch of beta carotene as well.
  8. Berries should not be left off your shopping list. Low in calories, strawberries and blueberries are both high in vitamin C, fiber, oh, and taste. Who doesn’t like fresh berries on top of their whole grain cereal in the morning?

Cancer is a serious illness that while not cured and eradicated from our lives at present, can be dealt with. Besides consuming these and many other superfoods for their cancer fighting properties, they are just plain good for the human body. If you feel better in life because of the foods you are eating, you’re more likely to have a better outlook.

Eating healthy will lead to making other healthy choices like sustained exercise, spending time with other happy people you care about, etc. Studies also show that happier people tend to get sick at far reduced rates from those less so.

Why not take the time to stock up on superfoods in your house, get happy, keep cancer away from you, and live a long, long life?

Author Bio: Vern Marker is a freelance writer who is passionate about health, nutrition and fitness. Interestingly enough, he works for a dentist, and in his free time likes to research natural health topics.

What Forms Does The Acai Berry Come In and Which Is The Best?

The Acai Berry has taken the world by storm in recent years. Believed to increase energy, assist in weight loss and even help prevent cancer, it is undeniable that the berry is deserving of its ‘Superfood’ status. But in places so far from its native home of the Amazon jungle, the Acai berry in its natural form is largely unavailable. So what forms can we buy the Acai Berry in, and which is the best option?

The most common, and popular way in which the Acai Berry can be found on our shores is in powdered form. Good quality Acai Berry powder should be made entirely from freeze-dried Acai Berries, ensuring that the powder retains most of the berries nutrients.

The powder is usually consumed by mixing it into a drink, but is also suitable for mixing in food or as an ingredient in cooking.

On the downside however, it is very difficult to know what you are getting when you buy the berry in powdered form, and there are many dodgy retailers willing to sell you products that may have never even come into contact with an Acai Berry, and could actually be dangerous to your health. To avoid this, ensure that you do your research and buy from a trusted retailer. Also make sure to only buy products that state they are ‘100% free-dried Acai Berries’.

Another popular way to consume the Acai Berry is in a juice. Unlike other forms, Acai Berry juice is less commonly found for sale online and is ideally bought in specialist health food shops or even health clubs. The juice is a very tasty way to get your quota of Acai Berries, but due to the cost of the berries, pure juice is difficult to come by. Nearly all Acai Berry juices will be a mix of the berry with a number of other fruit juices. While this isn’t a problem, and may actually make for a far tastier juice, you should check the packet carefully for the actual Acai Berry content, to ensure you are not being ripped off.

Acai Berries are also available in tablet form. While there are many reputable companies selling the berry in tablet form, as with the powder, this is a very easy way to pass off other substances as the real thing. You may need to be even more careful if purchasing the berry in this form because unlike the powder, where taste can be a giveaway to the actual content, swallowing a pill offers no answers to what you are putting in your body.

The pills are however, very easy and convenient way to enjoy the Acai Berry benefits. If you want to take a daily dose of Acai Berry but find it difficult to find the time or inclination to mix a drink or cook a powder into food, then Acai Berry tablets might be the perfect solution.

The final and ideal way in which to consume Acai Berries is in their pure form. Of course, as has been mentioned, this is nearly impossible in colder climates so far from the places where the berry thrives. So if you should ever find yourself in or around the Amazon, make sure to try the berry in its purest form, as this is surely the best way to reap the Acai Berry benefits.

How to Burn Calories Fast

The key to losing weight is enhancing the process of burning calories. Most people realize this but they are not 100% about how to maximize their calorie burning potential. It is difficult to burn up a lot of calories in an expedited amount of time? Do you need to spend hours on your Needak Rebounder to burn off all those unwanted pounds? It would not hurt! In all seriousness, there is a multi-pronged approach to getting into great shape.

Here are a few helpful and reliable ways to burn off calories and burn them off fast…

Performing cardio work is important to burn calories. Most people are already well aware of this fact. However, standard low intensity workouts generally will not deliver in terms of expediting calorie burning. Interval training or even high intensity interval training would be better plan. This type of workout will burn far more calories in a shorter amount of time. There is also no limit to the type of cardio work you can employ for interval training. You could even use the aforementioned Needak Rebounder; and simply up the intensity level. Interval training burns a lot of calories. This includes the actual performance of the exercise and after it.

Yes, you read that correctly. You will burn off a lot of calories long after you cease the interval training session. Interval training will keep your heart and metabolism revved tremendously. This means calories will continue to burn at an elevated rate and the potential to lose excess weight is expanded tremendously.

Another area that needs to be worked on would be progressive resistance weight training. In other words, you need to pump a little iron in order to see your muscle mass increase. Some may be a little confused here. Is not the goal to burn calories fast as opposed to packing on muscles? Actually, muscle mass will boost metabolism a great deal. This is because muscle needs to burn calories in order to maintain size and shape. So, if you add regular sessions of weight training with your Needak Rebounder you will then see expanded overall calorie burning results.

Diet plays a role in losing weight and burning calories. But, the process is not just about cutting calories. There are other steps you can employ. For example, you should eat five to six smaller meals per day instead of the usual six meals per day. This may seem like an odd way to expedite calorie burning but it makes perfect sense. When you go too long in between meals, your metabolism slows down. When you ingest a reliable amount of food during the day, the metabolism stays revved and more calories are burned with more efficiency…even when you are at rest.

These are just a few ways you can speed up the process of burning calories. There are other methods that can be employed but the ones listed herein could prove to be a great starting point.

Do Liquid Diets Work?

To paraphrase a line from citizen Kane, there’s no secret to losing a lot of weight if all you want to do is lose a lot of weight. Liquid diets, provided you stick to them, come as close to a fool-proof guarantee as someone is likely to receive. If it matters little what kind of weight, for how long, or what else you lose along with it, knock yourself out.

In recent decades, this sloshy alternative to eating has become inexplicably popular. Perhaps the appeal is in the quick action. Or can it be the wide variety of berries you get to toss into the blender to mask the taste of the powder?

Fitness expert Stefan Pinto theorizes on his website, “… the convenience of consuming only liquids four to six times a day is undeniably alluring.” Say what? Yes, Stefan, drinking your meals is probably a big time-saver, but so is opening a can of cat food, and only a tad more digestible.

This extreme but “alluring” method of weight loss has practical short-term applications for pre- or post-op scenarios or for detoxification, but is woefully deficient in nourishing the body to the same degree as a diet that includes solids. Calorie ingestion is cut significantly, as are essential nutrients, and with them, energy levels. Drinking for sustenance also increases one’s susceptibility to infection (fewer pounds = more colds).

Homeopathic specialist Dr. Brian Kaplan predicts intestinal problems for some fluid enthusiasts and suggests an irrigation of the colon after completion of the regimen to restore the body’s natural process of peristalsis. (This idea just sounds better and better.) Oh, yes, and when the whole thing is over, the weight usually returns.

Liquid Diet: A Fad Diet

 

Despite the longevity of the overall phenomenon, the liquid diet comes in fads. Among the trendiest examples is the master cleanse, embraced by many celebs (who, of course, know so much more than the rest of us). The 14-day plan mixes water, lemon juice, maple syrup, and something called cayenne pepper, with daily calorie ranges between 600 and 1,300.

Beyonce Knowles took it up to play a dreamgirl, but later observed no difference in her appearance. What more proof, however, does a sane person need than Ashton Kucher’s ringing endorsement?

Grapefruit juice and its slice-able source contain much more fiber than other recommended fluids, as well as vitamin C and—in the pink variety—beta-carotene. The ongoing trust placed in Cagney’s weapon of choice is based on the decades-long mythology, still unproven, that the citrus absorbs fat molecules.

Evidence is stronger that exclusive consumption of grapefruit can lead to chemical disruption in the bloodstream, as well as everybody’s favorite Scourge, diarrhea.

The most dramatic results, needless to say, have been recorded with the water-only diet. Advocates have noticed as many as 15 pounds shed in one week, and not just from urination. But with no calories, vitamins, or minerals to its credit, serious consequences can arise from the sustained habit of water as an entrée.

The take-out … excuse me … take-home message is that the joy is gone. Pardon me, but God gave us teeth and taste buds for a reason. As an unabashed foodie, I recognize the dangers of overeating, but boring meals can be even deadlier.

With the exception of Gandhi-like intentions, there is no earthly reason to abandon one of life’s greatest pleasures—and necessities—for raw beet juice, not even for a little while.

All right, all right. If you absolutely insist on going the liquid route, seek advice from your doctor first. If he okays it, get a second opinion.

This article was contributed by http://www.weightlosstriumph.com, a source of meal replacement diet coupons such as Nutrisystem discount code for 28 day order.

What The Weight Loss Industry Is Afraid You’ll Hear: Is Fast Weight Loss Healthy, Safe and Possible?

These are great questions, and ones that seem to get lost when you’re in a rush to lose 10-20 pounds real fast before the wedding in three weeks or the high school reunion or some other big personal or professional event you have coming up.

Most people want to lose weight fast, so they look for quick weight loss solutions, preferably the kind that take place while you sleep or go about your daily routine. They look for solutions that do not involve changing their eating habits or exercise level. They look to diet pills, special teas and even powders that are supposed to curb their eating!

There are people who believe in “fantasy diets,” and there are certainly plenty of quick fixes on the market found in magazines, on the Internet, watching TV, in flyers, and even on the sides of busses. Weight loss industry advertising is about putting ideas in people’s heads that there’s a quick, easy solution; by taking this diet pill or supplement or using this machine or whatever they’re trying to get you to buy, you’ll look like the picture of a thin person or lose 20 pounds in 20 days!

In reality, there isn’t any one thing that will make you lose weight fast, permanently or safely. Quick weight loss is a fantasy, an illusion that may cause your body harm, and mentally leave you feeling hopeless and defeated when you don’t lose the weight quickly.

The Truth About Permanent Weight Loss…

Achieving your ideal weight requires change and commitment. You must look deep inside at what’s been blocking you from losing the weight in the past. It requires changing your habits around eating and exercise. It requires you to love yourself. It requires you to believe that you deserve to live a healthy, happy, prosperous life. It requires you to expand your consciousness and your awareness and to be mindful of what you’re doing everyday while moving toward your ideal weight.

You need to remember that weight loss is a process. You’re retraining yourself, deleting old habits and behaviors that got you where you are in the first place and creating new beliefs about who you are and the life you choose to live now. One more component that also comes into play is persistence. Even when you feel challenged, keep on going!

Developing Mental Resilience Begins with Some Basic Strategies That Can Help You Grow Stronger:

  • You don’t get an award for bravery for going it alone, so join a support group or create your own.
  • You don’t have to be perfect. Be excited about your small successes.
  • Be kind to yourself.
  • Stay away for an “all-or-nothing” attitude when you want to reduce a significant amount of weight. It’s okay that you ate junk food; it doesn’t mean you’ve totally blown it.
  • Shake the idea that you must follow an extremely restrictive diet to reduce your weight; lighten up. You’re changing your lifestyle, not simply trying to reduce your weight.

True Fact: Most People Who Successfully Manage Their Weight Don’t Diet At All.

They make healthy, permanent lifestyle changes such as cutting back on overall calories, practicing portion control, making better food choices, finding a hobby that gets them outdoors, and reigning in emotional eating. Successful weight loss focuses on weight management, not just shedding pounds.

Research concludes that 1 to 2 pounds is a healthy, safe, smart, effective amount of weight to lose in one week. Approaching weight loss slower inevitably develops long-term healthy habits that you’ll use throughout your life, habits that will keep you healthy and keep the weight off permanently.

Slow and steady is what’s required to reach your goal and maintain your weight; you needn’t waste your time or money and risk your health on quick fixes only to find out that they don’t really work.

For even more information on how you can achieve permanent weight loss and live a healthier lifestyle, I invite you to grab my Free Consumer Awareness Guide and free preview of my best-selling book: The MindBody FX Lifestyle: Mastering the Mind-Body Connection for Permanent Weight Loss at: http://www.WeightLossConsumersGuide.com

About the Author

Melonie Dodaro, coach, speaker and the author of The MindBody FX Lifestyle specializes in changing the way people think so they can achieve permanent weight loss. With a family history of obesity and her own struggles with her weight, Melonie’s passion for helping others began over 10 years ago when she opened up a number of weight loss centers. Since then she has studied with the world’s leading mind potential and human behavior experts. Now, you can learn how to master the mind-body connection for permanent weight loss with her free book sneak preview at: http://www.WeightLossConsumersGuide.com

Your Essential Minerals for Health

The human body is a marvel of natural technology. Vastly interrelated and interwoven, biological systems may function independently, but none can exist independently and remain healthy. 96 percent of the body comprises of only four elements: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. The other 4 percent encompasses minerals that are essential for health and for life. A deficit in any of the seven primary and 12 trace elements can degrade strong and effective functioning of this biological machine called a body.

Primary or Macro-Minerals

While all 19 essential minerals the body needs are important, the primary seven are needed in much larger quantities than others. Each has a specific impact on system functions, body parts, and overall health:

  1. Calcium: Enables muscle contraction; builds and strengthens bones and teeth.
  2. Sodium: Extends and improves cell life and assists removal of waste.
  3. Potassium: Crucial in effective nerve transmission; extends cell life, enhances normal blood pressure, aids in muscle contraction.
  4. Phosphorus: Aids bone formation and provides energy to cells.
  5. Magnesium: Aids muscle contraction, nerve transmission and calcium metabolism, and is an enzyme co-factor.
  6. Chlorine: Aids in digestion and in maintaining normal blood pressure.
  7. Sulfur: Enables protein synthesis, collagen cross-linking and strengthens and solidifies bone and ligament structure.

Trace or Micro-Minerals

Trace minerals are those that are still essential to good health but are not required in larger amounts. The 12 trace elements and effected functions or body parts are:

  1. Copper: Strengthens immune system and arteries and forms hemoglobin from iron.
  2. Chromium: Helps regulate insulin activity, immune function and regulates glucose tolerance.
  3. Vanadium: Aids and stabilizes circulation and sugar metabolism.
  4. Iron: Blood formation and immune system.
  5. Fluorine: Strengthens and protects teeth enamel.
  6. Iodine: Controls thyroid function.
  7. Manganese: Regulates enzymes.
  8. Nickel: Immune system regulation, brain development, and DNA synthesis.
  9. Tin: Regulates enzymes.
  10. Molybdenum: Regulates enzymes.
  11. Selenium: Stimulates the immune system, fights free radicals, and activates vitamin E.
  12. Silicon: Regulates enzyme activity as well as strengthening connective tissue.

Sources of Dietary Minerals

Many of these dietary elements essential to good health can be found in foods, although they might be present in quantities below the daily recommended amounts. Depending on where the foods are grown, the actual natural content values can differ.

Reliable mineral supplements purchased over the counter can fill minimum requirements. If choosing that option, take care to take only as directed. Over-saturation of some elements can cause harm.

As always, consult a medical professional with questions and concerns.

About the Author

JC Ryan is a freelance writer for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers helps people determine if an online education is right for them and helps them understand which online courses and online schools they can choose from to reach their goals.

How to Teach Kids About Portion Control

You can teach kids what portion control is and make it fun including math and visual aids showing the different portions of food that are equal in caloric intake but different in quantity. Portion control is the key to healthy living and weight management. Appropriate portions will vary based on the food of choice. Children that learn portion control at an early age are likely to make good choices when adults.

If your children are over the target weight for their age group portioning should be about eating balanced meals while being free to eat a couple cookies. Portioning is often stressed in adult diets but should be stressed in children too. Parents who teach kids about portion control should start early. The eating habits of younger children are easier to moderate than adolescents.

Encourage easy serving with snack sized portions distributed in zip lock bags. Show children the different effects of various foods. Teach them that some foods will keep them satisfied much longer than other foods. Teach children about mini meals and that eating smaller portions is often a better option.

A serving is a specified amount set by the government. Portion is the amount that we choose to eat; you are largely responsible for your child’s portion control. For children this can start with what parents place on their child’s plates. When children feel pressured to clean their plate they often eat more than they want. Package leftovers in a single serving size and keep seconds away from the dinner table.

Some other tips that can help you teach kids about portion control include using a food diary. However you approach it should be fun and examples are best made using visual aids if possible. The way you approach portion control will depend largely on your child’s activity and current weight. It is recommended that you not allow your child to eat from an open bag or container. Doing so usually results in overeating.

Children often eat anything on a whim when hungry. While it isn’t necessary to chain the refrigerator or lock the cabinets, you can make some simple changes that will help your child and others in your home as well. Feel good about taking the time to teach kids about portion control know that you have made a difference in the way your child eats and thinks about food.

C. Jones writes for the nutrition certification blog to help people gather free information to become a nutritionist.

The Cons of High Fructose Corn Syrup

If you take a few minutes to analyze the list of ingredients on food in your home, you’ll surely notice one thing: many of your food products contain high fructose corn syrup. There has been a lot of controversy regarding this widely-used ingredient, and it’s important that you fully understand the cons of high fructose corn syrup, particularly since it is so common.

High fructose corn syrup is used as a sweetener in many different products. However, it’s important to note that the chemical make-up of high fructose corn syrup is different than that of table sugar. While these two substances are similar, they are not identical. The major difference is that in corn syrup, glucose and fructose are not chemically linked, while they are in table sugar. Because of this, corn syrup has a different effect on the human body than table sugar.

A study conducted at Princeton University in 2010 showed that the long-term consumption of high fructose corn syrup can lead to a rise in cholesterol as well as an increase in body fat, especially in the abdomen area. During one of the studies, one set of rats was given water sweetened with high fructose corn syrup while another set was given water sweetened with common table sugar. The results were staggering. The corn syrup group gained much more weight than the sugar rats. In another study, one group of rats was given a diet high in high fructose corn syrup while another group was given typical rat food. The corn syrup group gained 48% more weight over six months than their counterparts. Those rats that consumed a corn syrup diet also developed increased levels of triglycerides, which can lead to heart disease and increased cholesterol.

A study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2004 echoed the above claims, proving that high fructose corn syrup increased the chance of obesity. However, an increased likelihood of obesity isn’t the only dangerous thing about high fructose corn syrup. A study published in Environmental Health in 2009 showed that there was mercury contamination in a wide range of samples of high fructose corn syrup. Mercury is a toxic element that can lead to nerve and brain damage.

Therefore, think twice before you write off high fructose corn syrup as a harmless ingredient. It has a negative effect on the human body, and—even scarier—the probability is high that it contains a toxic heavy metal, mercury.

Katrina Robinson is a freelance writer that commonly focuses on lifestyle, fitness, and natural healing methods such as colon cleansing. (Picture Credit: TLC Cooking, FitSugar)

Herbs and Foods to Boost Fertility

Couples who are trying to conceive a baby can do many things to increase their fertility, and their odds of getting pregnant soon. Being aware of your menstrual cycle (with the help of free ovulation calendars, for instance), and quitting bad habits like smoking, go a long way. But did you know that eating the right foods, and even using herbs to boost your vitamin intake, can have a large positive impact on your fertility? Let’s have a look at the best foods and herbs to maximize your chances of conceiving!

Fresh fruit and vegetables are essentials, and not just when you are hoping for a baby. Antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, including folate – the natural folic acid – all boost fertility for men and women.

Nettle leaves strengthen the kidneys and the uterus. Drinking nettle leaf tea is a great idea if you want to increase your levels of vitamins A and D, as well as calcium and potassium.

Foods that contain Omega 3 fatty acids are very important for fertility. They include fish like salmon and sardines, nuts, and avocados. High amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids can even prevent endometriosis, according to recent studies.

Red raspberry leaf tea, full of vitamins A, B, C and E and containing high levels of calcium, is a popular drink among pregnant women. That is no surprise, since it tones the uterus and even offers relief from morning sickness and other early pregnancy signs. Red raspberry leaf tea also increases fertility for both men and women.

Wheat germ oil is a powerful natural source of vitamin E, appropriate levels of which raise the chances of conceiving a baby for both sexes.

Women who consume plenty of full-fat dairy products including milk (obviously!), cheese, butter, and even ice cream are less likely to have problems ovulating than those who do not. The calcium you will get from full-fat dairy products promotes fertility.

Eight Common Myths About Fats, Cholesterol Levels and Plant Sterols in Foods

Have you ever thought about how you are taking care of your own heart? In case you are attempting to maintain a healthy cholesterol level, or your doctor has told you it needs to be reduced, then you want to keep an eye on what you eat. Taking measures today could prevent coronary problems of tomorrow.

I am not saying you need to avoid all your favorite foods. But learning the main difference in the forms of fat, where these fats come from in your food and plant sterols affects are all important factors for reducing cholesterol levels in your blood.

Here are 8 common myths and corresponding facts you should know about lowering cholesterol levels, which in turn takes care your heart.

Myth #1: The healthiest weight loss program is the one which limits all fats. Truth is you need 25-35% of your total calories from fats because your body can’t produce some fatty acids it requires for adequate functioning.

Myth #2: All fat molecules are fundamentally the same. Not accurate. In fact, mono unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats could actually reduce your LDL (bad) cholesterol while saturated and trans fat tend to be closely connected with high LDL. Types of foods that contain each variety include:

  • mono saturated ~ extra virgin olive oil, peanut butter, avocados
  • trans fat ~ chips, many processed foods including donuts, crackers & cookie
  • saturated ~ red meat, bacon, butter & tropical oils including palm oil, coconut oil
  • polyunsaturated~ salmon, seeds, nuts & vegetable oils including corn, soybean, safflower

Myth #3: Products which are labeled “low fat” are often also low-calorie options. Don’t be fooled because some food manufacturers replace fat with things that could have equally as many calories.

Myth #4: Foods labeled “trans fat free” usually are healthy choices. Read those food labels carefully because sometimes trans fat is replaced with saturated fat, which also could raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.

Myth #5: I eat a sufficient amount of plant sterols from the foods I consume. Not likely. While plant sterols are found in many fruits, vegetables and whole grains, you’d probably need to eat about 100 pounds of them each day just to meet the daily intake of 0.8 grams that’s required for plant sterols to have a substantial impact on lowering cholesterol.

Myth #6: Plant sterols help reduce bad cholesterol within the blood by dissolving it within the intestinal tract. Slightly off. Plant sterols work by lowering the absorption of cholesterol from your digestive system, which cuts down the amount of LDL (bad) cholesterol that actually makes into your bloodstream. The cholesterol that’s not absorbed is then eliminated.

Myth #7: People who have normal cholesterol levels won’t reap any benefit from consuming foods containing plant sterols. Plant sterols lower the uptake of trans fat irrespective of your blood cholesterol levels. This is a good thing regardless of your starting point.

Myth #8: Shellfish, including shrimp, have a fairly large quantity of cholesterol and should be avoided on the cholesterol-lowering diet plan. While shrimp is higher in cholesterol than some animal products, it’s still very lean and low in fats.

So get out and lower that bad cholesterol!

About the writer: Lisa J. Wilson contributes articles for the cholesterol lowering diet foods web site, her personal hobby blog that shares tricks to help website visitors to lower high cholesterol and help spread the knowledge on healthy eating.

Calorie Science and Counting Calories: Understanding Weight Loss Programs

Any weight loss program that you follow must follow certain calorie reduction facts. One of the most important fact that generally governs all weight loss programs is the calorie balance in your body. Any successful diet or exercise regime meant to reduce body fat must take into account the calories lost if it is going to be a success.

One of the prime fat loss fallacies is the traditional low carbohydrate diet that eschews the scientific notion of calorie balance in the body and insists that a low carb diet can facilitate weight loss through a high metabolic process. However, we know now that whether it is high or low carbs, all carbs sources will translate into calories for use in the body. Calorie science tells us that it is the amount of calorie that is important, not the source of the calories. So if you decide to eat a specific amount of low carbs, whether it is the optimal weight of low carb or even less based on the traditional low carb diet, calorie science tells us that what you would gain is fat not otherwise.

To illustrate this point, if you used up about 2000 calories during your exercise regime but consume 3000 calories of low carbohydrates, then you would still get so fat that you would eventually give up your exercise routine. However if you do just the opposite, eating 2000 calories of high carbs items and expensing 3000 calories during exercise, you will see continuous weight loss. All calories are taken into consideration in your daily diet whether it comes from protein, fats or low carbs. Even if you abstain from carbs, you will still get the calorie count from protein and fats.

Basically it is more difficult for a person to get calories from proteins than it would from sugar, fats or carbs. In particular, fats contain three times as much calorie than proteins and can easily explode your daily calorie count if you are not careful. The most effective strategy to lose fat is watch the intake of calories daily and tries to expense more calories than what you have ingested on a daily basis. Calories can be burnt out of the body most effectively by physical exercise. The minimal fat intake and proteins should be combined with an acceptable level of carbs in your daily diet. Just watch your daily calorie count from all these sources and make sure that your exercise regime can burnt calories high than what you have eaten for the day.

Many women nowadays choose to starve themselves as the way to lose weight. This is never effective because the calories from the existing fats will still be there. The only way to lose it is to burn it out of the body by exercising. It is better to retain a suitable diet with the guidance of calorie science and continue with a healthy exercise regime. Doing this will guarantee that the extra calories are burnt and you would see weight loss immediately.

Author Bio:

Sirangi Kalpana is a personalized coffee cups expert and writes a lot about cheap coffee mugs, promotional flashlights, custom flash drives and other promotional products as well as low interest credit cards.

Making the Most of Your Weight Loss Goals

The secret to a successful weight loss plan does not rely on your diet and exercise alone. The targets you set prior to working on your plan also play a big role. Here are four tips to make the most of your weight loss goals and your losing weight a success:

1. Evaluate how much weight you should lose. I recommend you to consult a dietitian first to assess if you really need to lose weight. You should be able to establish up to how much you could lose in a few weeks. The professionals use the Basal Metabolic Index or BMI to determine your ideal weight. It should be noted beforehand that you have to follow this guideline because it will show you a reasonable weight target that you can safely and realistically achieve. Through this, you will not delude yourself that you can lose more weight than your body could handle.

2. As what the expert says, any goal you set should be time bounded. Determine a specific time frame showing the expected progress as each week pass by. This will become your guide in knowing if your weight loss plan is effective and if you are anywhere near your target weight or there may be a need to exert more efforts. Your time frame is also a good reminder for you to work hard so you will not be delayed towards achieving your goals.

3. Be realistic on your plans by setting them in a way that is most convenient to you. The mistake of many is that they tend to make plans that do not fit in their lifestyle. For example, making a daily workout schedule that conflicts with the time they go to work or school. A constant breaking of schedule could make you suffer in the end because you will notice that any of your plans are not being applied. It is a given fact that you should fit your exercise plans to your activities of daily living and not the other way around. It does not matter if you have to schedule your exercise too early in the morning or too late in the afternoon as long as it does not disrupt your living pattern which has been established way before you decided to lose some weight.

4. Take the time to evaluate your progress for each week. You have determined your target weight loss for every week so this should not be a problem to you. All you have to do is to check whether you are still in line with your schedule. It is also important to commend yourself for every pound you lose no matter how small to serve as a motivation for you to continue.

Is Your Diet Really Healthy?

A healthy diet is important, but the word “dieting” has come to be synonymous with losing weight. Unfortunately, it’s also become known as being pretty ineffective, as dieters’ most frequent complaint is of not being able to lose weight, or of it coming right back afterward.

The solution is to take the word “diet” back to what it really means — what you eat — and then to pair it with the word “healthy.” Dieting shouldn’t be about losing weight quickly and then going back to your previous unhealthy habits. It also shouldn’t be about doing horribly unhealthy things to your body in the name of losing weight.

Here are a few dos and don’ts to follow for a truly healthy diet.

DON’T crash diet. Crash dieting is like cramming for a test: In the short run it might get the job done, but you won’t have anything to show for it in the long term… and you very well might not have anything to show for it in the short run, either. Crash dieters are unlikely to lose weight and even less likely to keep it off if they do, as they typically return to their poor eating habits before long. Plus, the repeated yo-yo pattern of losing weight, then gaining it back isn’t good for you. It’s much healthier to slowly adapt to a more healthy diet, and make it something you can stick with over the long run.

DON’T get sucked into diet fads. The Atkins, the South Beach — these are examples of fad diets that suck people in… and spit them back out at essentially the same weight they started at. Avoid any diet that promises to hold the key to successful dieting, or the amazing secret you never knew, or that makes some “groundbreaking” claim such as that the human digestive system isn’t made to process grains (no matter that we have been doing so for 10,000 years). These diets are depending on gimmicks to make their creators lots of money, whether or not they really work (and they usually don’t).

DON’T cleanse. No, you really can’t make up for all the cumulative unhealthy diet decisions you’ve made by eating nothing but carrots for a week. In fact, you can make yourself really sick with “cleansing” types of diets, and could even land yourself in the hospital. There is no magic eraser or delete key to get rid of the entire cheesecake you ate last night, or the super-sized hamburger and fries you devoured for lunch. You are much better off sticking to a healthy, but reasonable, diet on a daily basis.

DO eat a high-carb diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Research shows that people from cultures that eat diets high in fruits and vegetables tend to be healthier and have fewer cases of heart attack, stroke, and other diseases that plague American society. High carb diets don’t mean lots of sugary, processed foods, though. We’re talking about lots of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, all of which have the nutrients our bodies need.

DO avoid highly processed foods. Highly processed foods generally offer empty calories. Not only are they full of artificial and highly processed ingredients, such as corn sweeteners and food coloring, processing also tends to leech out whatever nutrients the food had in the first place. Canned vegetables don’t have the same vitamin and mineral content as raw or steamed veggies, for instance. Many food companies add vitamins (usually vitamin C) to foods to make them more appealing, but don’t let yourself be tempted. You are much better off eating an orange than drinking orange juice that has been fortified with 100 percent vitamin C. (Who needs that much in each glass, anyway?) This includes foods billed as low fat or sugar free — it takes a lot of processing to remove these things, not to mention it means you are most likely getting artificial ingredients such as calorie-free sweeteners and trans fats.

DO exercise regularly as part of your healthy diet. You can’t expect simply restricting calories to give you a beautiful toned body or make you healthier. Exercise is an important part of a healthy diet. If you are trying to lose weight, cut your calories somewhat (such as by about one-fifth), and add exercise to burn off fat stores. The only way your body will burn fat stores via dieting alone is if it thinks it’s starving, and it’s uncomfortable (not to mention demoralizing and stressful) to cut enough calories to convince your body of that.

The key to a successful diet is to make small changes over time, so that you are less likely to succumb to cravings or binge on your favorite foods. Above all, don’t think of it as dieting, i.e., trying to lose weight. Instead, make it your goal to live a healthier lifestyle in all respects, with exercise and activity as well as healthy foods.

This guest post is by Kitty Vogen who works for a web company that will assist you in finding an internist, who can assist you in medical issues related to diet.

Glyconutrients: Very Powerful for Health Benefits

Glyconutrients are very powerful when they are consumed into the human body. It needs to be known that although these products are very effective and healthy, they do not actually cure disease. Most people love glyconutrients because they are healthy much in the same way whole food supplements are, and they have no amount of side effects to them except making people feel healthy. This kind of medicine is considered an alternative, and it is becoming extremely popular all throughout the world. That is the main reason most people actually consume it at least one time per day. Most will say the health benefits provided by these supplements are almost unbelievable.

Much like whole food supplements they help to reduce a person’s allergy symptoms, speed up the human body’s ability to heal injury, help to stop reoccurring disease from reoccurring, and even help a person to reduce their amount of total body fat. Glyconutrients are just like whole food supplements in many ways, and many tests and studies have been done on both. People who actively work out will love the fact that these supplements can help people increase their total level of lean muscle. The majority of people especially in the United States only receive about two out of eight much needed sugars that the human body uses to operate.

There is extensive research to suggest that there are a total of eight vital sugars the body needs to function effectively. It is unfortunate that most people hear anything that sound like glycol, and they assume that it is bad. This is mainly because of the fact most previous generations of people have been brought up thinking that all sugars are bad for the body. This is not the case with these glyconutrients supplements, and they actually play a role in helping to fight against various health conditions like high cholesterol, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis.

Many Benefits of Whole Food Supplements

Many of us consume processed foods and visit fast food restaurants on a regular basis. We no longer have enough time for a healthy and balanced diet. We are a nation of overfed people but our bodies are starving for nourishment as we suffer from obesity, diabetes, heart attacks and preventable diseases. Healthy diets provide a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals as well as protein, fat, and carbohydrates, however, supplements are necessary to fill in the gaps.

The human body experiences different rhythms or cycles of balance and imbalance caused by stress, toxins from the environment, or regular seasonal changes. During those times, even excellent diets may not be sufficient. High quality whole food supplements provide the ammunition to fortify the body and heal itself as nature intended.

Not all supplements are the same. Most vitamin supplements purchased today are produced from synthetic ingredients that are a blend of chemical substances produced in labs. Those products are not a substitute for supplements derived from the plant’s natural components in whole food form. Whole foods are “real foods” that are organically grown, minimally processed at low temperatures, and ready for quick absorption based on the body’s individual needs.

Some say that natural supplements are less potent than synthetic supplements because they need less to get more results. Truthfully, a small amount of a vitamin in whole food form is more powerful and effective than any chemically produced vitamin. Natural food supplements contain organic micronutrients needed in tiny quantities to manage large biochemical processes. In addition, the body treats synthetic supplements as toxins and rushes them through the system to be excreted.

The benefits of whole food supplements are:

  • The supplements are alive while synthetic ones are dead.
  • The vitamins are much easier to absorb and assimilate by the body.
  • They contain a mineral-rich food source with homeopathic ingredients for balance.
  • No harmful additives or fillers like starch, sweeteners, lactose, and hydrogenated fats.

Consider not all whole food supplements are the same and do range in quality. Carefully select a supplement with a multi-vitamin and nutrient formula that is free of additives like sodium and sugar. Some Super Earth formulas contain plant source enzymes, antioxidant extracts, and phytonutrient blends. You may notice pomegranate extract, broccoli sprouts, or flax seed powder listed on the supplemental facts label. Remember: only whole food based supplements offer the best nutrition for good health and your body will always know for sure.

How Probiotics Can Benefit Your Digestion

Probiotics are naturally occurring bacteria that aid tremendously in many of the body’s functions, especially in the process of digestion. Often known as friendly flora, these microscopic organisms are present in our stomachs and intestine; in fact there are more bacterial organisms in a person’s stomach than there are people alive on the planet.

What These Bacterial Organisms Do

Our friendly bacteria”, also known as gut flora, find a home in our stomachs after being ingested through eating. They are numerous in variety, and act as agents that help with:

Although the stomach is full of hydrochloric acid, probiotics actually serve as a mechanism to regulate the PH of the foods they are in contact with, which helps prevent nutrients from being destroyed altogether. Some research has also indicated
that these microbes assist in the absorption of nutrients by the intestinal villi. Finally, many types of gut flora, especially lactic acid bacteria, are thought to help detoxify waste material in the intestinal tract, which may lead to a reduced possibility of diseases such as colon cancer.

Adverse Effects Of Antibiotics

Antibiotics are often prescribed by a physician to rid our bodies of unwanted infectious microbes. This is of vital importance when there is a severe injury or accidental ingestion of hostile bacteria. However, antibiotics tend to deplete the gut flora in our digestive system, and the body’s ability to repopulate these “good” microbes is limited. It can take weeks or even months for the stomach and intestine to once again have a healthy number of probiotic organisms.

Other Causes Of Depleted Probiotics

Stress, certain diseases, and daily exposure to toxic chemicals can also reduce the amount of natural probiotic organisms that operate in our digestive system. Even the use of antibacterial soap may cause a decrease in these microbes. Often a person may have a wide imbalance of probiotic organisms due to an unhealthy diet.

The Use Of Probiotics As A Nutritional Supplement

The scientific community is currently undertaking studies to determine the degree to which using probiotics as part of a healthy diet regimen may improve overall health. Of particular interest is the possible prevention of such conditions as:

Some studies have reported that probiotics may repel the effects of certain carcinogens. Also, lactose intolerant individuals may find that the addition of lactic acid bacteria helps with the digestion and absorption of milk and milk products. And probiotics may assist in the breaking down of bile in the intestinal tract, preventing its reabsorption into the bloodstream in the form of cholesterol.

As research into these areas continues, there is no evidence that links the intake of supplements containing probiotics to adverse health conditions. Instead it is thought that most people engaging in the addition of probiotics to their diet are
doing so because of recent imbalances in their body’s defense system, and some of those imbalances continue to show symptoms for a while longer. Many companies today are marketing probiotic products specifically designed to build a population of “friendly” microbes that may be beneficial in the fight against one or more of the health issues discussed above.

High Fructose Corn Syrup Health Cons

High fructose corn syrup has become the bad-boy ingredient in American society, blamed for the increase in diabetes, obesity, and other food-related illnesses in children and adults. But is high fructose corn syrup really that bad? What are the high fructose corn syrup health cons?

Sugar is a Health Concern

Read the nutrition label of almost any processed food, and you’ll find high fructose corn syrup.

Cane sugar – what we refer to as “table sugar” – is made of 50% sucrose and 50% fructose that is bound together and comes from sugar cane. High fructose corn syrup is about the same ratio of fructose and sucrose, but it can be manipulated to be sweeter than sugar because the sucrose and fructose are mixed instead of bound together.

What does this chemistry have to do with our health?

Basically, if it looks like sugar and tastes like sugar, then – well, it’s sugar. And daily consumption of sugar in any form is known to cause obesity and health problems like diabetes. If you eat too much sugar, chances are that you’re taking in too many calories and this can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, a variety of dental problems, and heart disease as well as other food-related health issues.

It’s Cheap to Process in the United States

High fructose corn syrup became a regular part of the American foodscape in the 1970s, when the federal government began subsidizing corn, making it really cheap to produce. Around the same time, the government imposed tariffs on imports of conventional sugar, which made it more expensive to buy and use in processed products. Manufacturers quickly adapted, using the more stable high fructose corn syrup in processed food products while developing generous profit margins.

Since high fructose corn syrup remains so inexpensive to produce, serving sizes of processed foods have grown considerably while prices have remained low. For example, a king-sized candy bar is considered a “great value” because it’s less expensive than the regular-size candy bar, but it increases the amount of calories consumed. These situations condition us to eat more, increasing our chances of food-related illness.

Knowing When To Say When

Unfortunately, high fructose corn syrup is everywhere, and not just in foods that are considered “sweets.” You can find high fructose corn syrup in breads, crackers, chips, condiments, yogurts, soups, a variety of beverages, and more.

According to several popular studies, our brains and bodies metabolize high fructose corn syrup differently than traditional sugar. High fructose corn syrup doesn’t trigger the release of a chemical in our brains called leptin, which signals to our bodies that we’re full. In addition, many foods that contain high fructose corn syrup lack fiber and other elements that occur in non-processed food that help our bodies metabolize the sugar slowly, guarding against insulin resistance. High fructose corn syrup makes it difficult for us to know when to stop eating because we don’t know that we’re full.

The Research is Cloudy

Because corn is so cheap, it’s safe to assume that companies that produce high fructose corn syrup are doing well financially. But does this mean that the research regarding high fructose corn syrup is misleading or even false?

There’s definitely wisdom in keeping your eyes open when reading the research behind studies involving high fructose corn syrup. Make sure that the studies are reputable, and stick with research studies found in well-respected medical journals. Follow up any questionable facts, arguments, and opinions found on the internet using reputable sources as well.

Since high fructose corn syrup is everywhere, there’s little chance of escaping it if you eat processed foods as part of your diet. There is no substitute for eating well, exercising regularly, and paying attention to the signals your body sends in order to remain healthy.

Kelly Wilson is a busy mom and freelance writer. For more information about guarding your teeth against high fructose corn syrup, contact a dentist in Vancouver, WA at We Love Smiles.

The Bad Effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup to Children

The issue of the bad effects of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has been going on for some years now. Many health professionals and ordinary citizens have voiced out their concern about the cons of using HFCS as replacement for natural sugar as sweetener. A more pressing issue is the bad effects of HFCS to children.

One of the effects of HFCS that many claim to affect Americans, especially the children, is obesity. Yes, body fat is caused by ingesting more calories than one can burn. The problem is many manufacturers put more fructose than glucose into a lot of food products from sodas to supposedly healthy snack bars. While it surely is not the lone culprit in the obesity crisis, it contributes greatly to the situation because of its ever increasing amount found in foods.

Fructose is not processed by the body the same as glucose, where it is used up in every cell. Fructose is metabolized by the liver; therefore it does not stimulate the release of more insulin. Since the body cannot use this excess calories for energy, it is stored as fat. This difference in metabolism also affects the signal to the brain about being full; therefore a child tends to eat more compounding the effects of fructose on body weight.

The increased amount of sugar such as fructose in a lot of foods can also cause hyperactivity in children. A study in the University of South Carolina concluded that children become more restless and even destructive with more sugar. Another study conducted in Yale University suggests that a high amount of sugar in children’s diets may cause inattention.

There are many more research studies that show the cons of using corn syrup as substitute sweetener. The reason why manufacturers love it is that is cheaper than cane or beet sugar, which is imported from other countries. In the end, it is all up to parents to take charge of what their children are eating. Start by removing foods with high fructose corn syrup from their diet. However, prepare to see them in many food labels.

G.S. Lacdao is a freelancer who writes for Special Education Parents Action Community where you can find information about special education and share your stories with other members via the online forum.

Negatives of Consuming Processed Food Regularly

Processed food is food that, in order to increase its market value, has been seriously manipulated during manufacturing in order to give it a longer shelf life. Chips, cereals, and soda are some examples of snacks that fit this category. Bologna, granola bars, prepared meals and juice concentrates are more foods that fit this description.

The problem is that these foods are usually loaded with sugar, salt and saturated fats. With a processed food laden diet, you get too much of these wrong things: sugar, fat, salt, saturated fats, and too little of the things required for optimum health: vitamins, minerals and fiber. If you eat a lot of processed foods, sadly, you are trading what you most need for additives you do not need.

You will be best served by your food choices if they are natural. The closer your wheat is to how it looked on the stalk, for example, complete with its fiber-rich bran and vitamin-loaded wheat germ, the better it will be for your health, wellbeing and longevity. This is the same for any food product: keep it close to nature and it will be just what your body needs.

Processed foods may seem cheap and tasty, but in fact they have a hefty price tag. Diseases associated with being overweight are, of course, exacerbated by weighing too much but also boosted by having too much of certain types of unhealthy foods. Highly processed foods lead to obesity, cavities, constipation, bad breath, headaches, , heart disease, digestive problems, to name just a few of the health risks.

Diabetes is on the rise in America, and, besides contributors from your heredity, overconsumption of highly processed foods is a major reason for this rise. In case you don’t know, some of the side-effects of having this all-too-common disease are: various eye problems like cataracts and glaucoma, amputation of limbs – particularly feet, damage to heart and blood vessels, nerve damage, impotence, kidney disease and being prone to infection.

The more closely your food resembles what it looked, smelled, and tasted like straight out of the ground, the healthier it is. Keep your foods as natural as you can and you will reap the rewards of improved health. The more natural a food product is, the more good stuff you will be giving yourself and the more bad stuff you will be avoiding. It’s a win-win!

About the Author

Margo Smith graduated with a B.S. degree from BYU. She lives along the Wasatch Front and loves the beauty and magnificence of the Rocky Mountains she calls home. She looks at the world around her when writing articles about an assortment of topics from organic food to online colleges to homelessness in America.

Health Benefits of Consuming Aloe Vera

The plant people know and love for healing burns, abrasions and rashes can be ingested, but they might not know that. Aloe vera can be used by infants, adults and even animals. It is natural and not chemical so its benefits will vary because natural remedies tend to do many things and do them very well indeed. What heals on the outside will heal on the inside when it’s ingested. It is an excellent colon cleanser, for instance, and there is some evidence that many health problems may benefit from its use.

A highly respected clinic whose treatments are sought after gives aloe vera a cautious thumbs up regarding treatment of ulcerative colitis, diabetes, psoriasis, seborrhea, cancer prevention, herpes and many more health concerns. Indeed, a medical journal of note reports the success of aloe vera treatments in the case of severe dermatitis. Respected medical authorities note that aloe vera is useful in many divergent health concerns and may help with many more. Over 200 scholarly papers have been published concerning aloe’s benefits as an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral agent.

So what is it about this little leaf that can benefit cancer patients? People can’t read the ingredients on the leaf like they can on a label but research is still ongoing concerning aloe’s components and their possible health benefits. Some of aloe’s components are protein, calcium, magnesium, zinc, vitamins A, B12 and E, but aloe vera is also rich with:

  • vitamin C – helps with circulation
  • amino acids – form the links in the chain of proteins
  • enzymes – the particle contained in anything that lives
  • germanium – a mineral that could have benefits for the immune system, cardiac problems and pain

When taken as a juice internally this plant tastes awful but can be mixed with other juices without detriment to its healing properties. As a healing tonic it is naturally going to benefit stomach upsets from ulcers to ulcerative colitis. Following the body’s systems, aloe can heal intestinal problems as well as constipation. It is said to be a good vaginal douche. These conform to aloe’s properties as an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral agent. Indeed, claims of healing arthritis, bladder infections, kidney problems, hemorrhoids and insomnia have been made.

Some cancers such as skin or mouth cancers, prevalent among that portion of the population who dip snuff, benefit from the use of aloe, notes the medical journal mentioned above. Some cancer patients have reported less nausea, more energy; it could lessen blood count following radiation therapy. As aloe is not a chemical, it could be combined with anti-cancer treatments to complement their healing properties. Since this little plant strengthens the immune system it could very well be the building block upon which eradication of cancer begins.

Aloe juice can be bought in its bare essence in health food stores, grocery stores and pharmacies. It comes in quart bottles and half-gallon bottles. It is available mixed with juices such as cranberry and orange juices. It can be taken as a capsule or tablet as well as liquid. However it’s taken, whether it tastes bad or not, this little plant is going to fight for the health and well being of the user, even in addition to medical treatments. An inexpensive natural remedy, aloe vera has many healing benefits.

Nicole Rodgers has been blogging for 3 years. She blogs about a variety of topics such as how to prep for the DMV test and where to find insurance quotes.

5 Healthy Snacks to Keep at your Desk

When I started a job that required me to be at my desk for the majority of my day I was concerned that I might lose some of the healthy habits I had worked so hard to learn. I knew that many of my friends who got jobs had completely abandoned their workout routine and began to live off take-out, and I definitely did not want that to be me! I had worked so hard to attain a certain level of fitness that I dreaded the thought of becoming a sedentary.

So, what’s a girl to do but call her trusted confidant who happens to just have completed her dietitian certification? After voicing my concerns to her she put my mind at ease with a few tips to keep me healthy at work. She suggested that I pack all of my own meals and snacks to avoid thefat and calorie trap of eating out and raiding the vending machine. My first question was, “What is a healthy snack?!”

Here is a list of the top 5 healthy snacks to stash in your desk at work:

  1. Raw, unsalted nuts. P-R-O-T-E-I-N! Nuts are excellent sources of protein and monounsaturated fat which is good for your heart. However, nuts are calorie-dense so be sure to pre-portion them into snack size baggies with about ¼ cup of nuts in each bag. This top pick is great because it fills you up and contributes to a healthy heart!
  2. Fruit with a peel. Think apples, tangerines, oranges, grapefruit, bananas, pears, etc. Not only will this give you a dose of necessary vitamins and minerals, but it will also satisfy any sweet tooth craving that may strike. If your company has a fridge you can use, feel free to bring other fruits, but fruits with a natural casing work great for being stashed in a desk!
  3. Multigrain crackers. Look for all-natural, multigrain crackers to keep at your desk for when a hankering for something salty and crunchy hits! There are many different varieties to choose from, but look for ones with 4 grams of fiber or more and low sodium. Eat plain or dip into some healthy hummus.
  4. Low-fat popcorn. Salty, crunchy with the timeless hand-to-mouth appeal? Sign this girl up! Reach for the healthy variety with lower fat and sodium to make it an even better choice. The snack size bags are usually around 100 calories and provide more than enough popcorn. Just be careful not to burn the bag…the smell of burnt popcorn lingers.
  5. Turkey or Beef Jerky. Turkey and beef jerky are both low in carbohydrates, low in fat and high in protein, making them a delicious, nutritious snack. They tend to be high in sodium so be sure to buy the lower sodium version if you can find it. My friend said that her health fitness specialist that trains and works out at her gym recommended beef jerky as one of the best snacks to keep at your desk because it stays good for a long time and has impressive nutritional stats.

Keep your desk stocked with all these snacks and avoid going hungry or eating unhealthy while at your desk at work.

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