Opinion is divided as to whether Chinese food is good for you. Some say that there is a lower incidence of heart disease and some cancers among the Chinese but others consider that a normal Chinese meal is incredibly unhealthy. This latter opinion is based on the levels of salt, fat and calories in such a meal. Needless to say, reality isn't quite that cut and dried and some valid information has been overlooked. As with any other cuisine the exact content of the meal is what counts. When considering the nutritional value of Chinese food, it's not just the actual food which is eaten but how much of it that needs to be taken into account too.
Chinese food calories are mainly due to the saturated fat content of certain dishes. For example, if you have a passion for fried dumplings, just one contains around 120 calories, thirty percent of which are contributed by saturated fat. It is unlikely that you'll just be eating fried dumplings so if you add another fried dish such as sweet and sour pork, this meal will probably contain more than 1,250 calories.
That's all very well if you don't need to lose weight, you take plenty of exercise and your normal daily intake is around 3,000 calories but if you're trying to reduce those calories in order to shed some fat, then this meal will take up between fifty and seventy five percent of your daily allowance.
Having said that, you don't have to give up Chinese food just because you're on a diet as there is lots of healthy Chinese food which contains fresh vegetables and low fat protein such as chicken or fish. Even stir frying doesn't use an enormous amount of fat but in any event many Chinese dishes are steamed and that really is a healthy option.
Chinese soups such as hot and sour or wonton are not too full of calories and needn't be oversalted, while steamed chicken breast (no skin) or fish with steamed rice is a very low calore meal. Soy sauce is a common Chinese ingredient and provides natural salt as well as Vitamin B6 and isoflavones which are thought to be responsible for lowering cholesterol and thus a healthy heart, hence the low incidences of heart disease. So, enjoy your healthy Chinese food but keep an eye on those calories and you'll have as nutritious a diet as with any other cuisine.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Healthy Food Contains Healthy Energy
Fat nutrients contain the amount of energy more than twice than the carbohydrates and protein, so naturally fats generates more calories. And taking food that has less or negative amount of fat certainly helps to reduce weight. Fiber is also helpful to control weight and diet specially when it comes to over eating, because fiber fill your stomach quicker than the other foods and result in eating less than the normal routine. Foods that have high ratio of water often low in calories and help to reduce weight. To sum up we can say that, foods that are fresh, low in calories, low in fats, high in fiber and with the high ratio of water are very helpful to reduce weight. Simply vegetables, fresh fruits, boiled rice and fresh fish are some of the foods for weight loss.Foods that make you more desirable to get exercise are also good for weight loss program foods that are dense and bulk with the B vitamins give you energy to exercise for burning the fat. But before making your diet or food program for weight loss purposes you should have a clear knowledge of the things. Like first of all on what stage of over weight of fleshiness you are? Is it controllable through diet program? How much time is needed for desirable weight loss and also a good knowledge of the food, nutrients, and their role? Only then one can make a proper food plan, better able to fallow the plan and also use it in a way to get the desirable result. Over weight, fleshiness or obesity leads you towards many diseases and in itself obesity or over weight can prove a harmful disease and at some stages needs surgery. Proper and healthy food helps you get rid of extra weight and also prevent you from complex surgical procedures like liposuctions. With the advancement of web it is easier now to make a proper weight control diet plan; materials about the research and development work are available on web along with proper guidance of food and nutrients. Doing regular exercise and fallowing a proper and healthy food plan are the most secure and long term weight loss solutions.
Healthy, Low Calorie Recipes - They Can Be Really Delicious and Not a Punishment!
Each day, we tend to are presented with advice from specialists, news bytes, friends and magazines on what we tend to ought to be eating. What we have a tendency to eat should be healthy and low in calories. This constant advice tends to kill the appetite. When all, eating is meant to be fun. We wish to relish what we eat. Healthy, low calorie recipes simply do not sound like a heap of fun. In fact, if you are making an attempt to lose weight, this proscription can appear a lot of sort of a punishment! Let's examine if we tend to can't put some enjoyment back to your menus, with healthy low calorie recipes that keep you slim and nevertheless please your palate.
Salads are sensible! When a healthy, low calorie recipe is forced upon you, you are not likely to want or get enjoyment from it. Take management of your own tastes. Greens are what none of us - or terribly few people - get enough of in our diets. If you visit a restaurant for lunch, you will well select a chef's salad simply as a result of that is what appeals to you. You are not thinking, "Oh, here's a healthy low calorie recipe I'm allowed to enjoy." You are thinking, "Ooh, that sounds good!"
The meat portion of your meal doesn't need to be a huge, fatty steak to be pleasing. It's virtually a case of the 'forbidden fruit'. You want what you can't have. Stop to think a moment. Is it as a result of that individual food is on your 'forbidden' list, that makes you need it so abundant? When you take a flash to research your own motives, you'll clearly see that a fillet of trout will be additional pleasant and satisfying than the pot roast and gravy you've been looking at. Once you consume that trout, over some good conversation and a bit of time, it's every bit as satisfying because the pot roast.
The purpose is that healthy, low calorie recipes very are higher for you and should not be viewed as some tortuous punishment that deprives you of the happiness of eating.
Begin thinking outside the box. Is your idea of a nice meal a plate of fries, laden with melted cheese and a facet of deep-fried chicken? Attempt substituting some grilled chicken breasts, some wedges of roasted potatoes dressed with garlic and rosemary and a side of salad or steamed veggies. Simply as satisfying, but, still fulfilling, this is the healthy low calorie recipe your doc presses you to embrace. Not thus bad, eh?
The focus of healthy low calorie recipes is 2-fold: protein and fiber. You can't do any higher than that. The protein from fish and soy products suffice to keep you healthy, work and thin. An abundance of fruits and veggies give fiber and antioxidants to guard you from a variety of diseases.
Each one people, thin or not, will profit from focusing on healthy, low calorie foods as mainstays of our diets.
Salads are sensible! When a healthy, low calorie recipe is forced upon you, you are not likely to want or get enjoyment from it. Take management of your own tastes. Greens are what none of us - or terribly few people - get enough of in our diets. If you visit a restaurant for lunch, you will well select a chef's salad simply as a result of that is what appeals to you. You are not thinking, "Oh, here's a healthy low calorie recipe I'm allowed to enjoy." You are thinking, "Ooh, that sounds good!"
The meat portion of your meal doesn't need to be a huge, fatty steak to be pleasing. It's virtually a case of the 'forbidden fruit'. You want what you can't have. Stop to think a moment. Is it as a result of that individual food is on your 'forbidden' list, that makes you need it so abundant? When you take a flash to research your own motives, you'll clearly see that a fillet of trout will be additional pleasant and satisfying than the pot roast and gravy you've been looking at. Once you consume that trout, over some good conversation and a bit of time, it's every bit as satisfying because the pot roast.
The purpose is that healthy, low calorie recipes very are higher for you and should not be viewed as some tortuous punishment that deprives you of the happiness of eating.
Begin thinking outside the box. Is your idea of a nice meal a plate of fries, laden with melted cheese and a facet of deep-fried chicken? Attempt substituting some grilled chicken breasts, some wedges of roasted potatoes dressed with garlic and rosemary and a side of salad or steamed veggies. Simply as satisfying, but, still fulfilling, this is the healthy low calorie recipe your doc presses you to embrace. Not thus bad, eh?
The focus of healthy low calorie recipes is 2-fold: protein and fiber. You can't do any higher than that. The protein from fish and soy products suffice to keep you healthy, work and thin. An abundance of fruits and veggies give fiber and antioxidants to guard you from a variety of diseases.
Each one people, thin or not, will profit from focusing on healthy, low calorie foods as mainstays of our diets.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Healthy Dessert Recipes - Raved About Pecan Pie!
Healthy desserts definitely do not need to be boring. Take this one. An amazingly delicious pecan pie recipe that has been in our family for decades. And super easy. Besides the Yum Factor, it happens to be a really healthy dessert too! (You may know that pecans are very high in all kinds of nutrition food values, so when included, they create very nutritious recipes. Plus - take a look at the flavorful sweetener we use).
You just can't go wrong with this pecan pie recipe, which is continually raved about whenever we make it. I can't even begin to tell you how many people over the years have said it's the best pecan pie they've had. So I just had to share this specialty which has been passed down from my grandma, so this recipe is definitely tried and true. And it's not just for the holidays (for some reason people associate pecan pie with Thanksgiving and Winter holidays, in the U.S. But make it any time! It's also perfect for the Fourth of July! Or parties and receptions. You can use either a regular pie crust, or the mini party-style pie shells.
It only takes about 15 minutes to put together.
You will need
1 to 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
1 deep pie shell, unbaked (or mini pie shells)
3 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 melted butter
2 teaspoons molasses
Beat the above ingredients thoroughly, until mixed well.
Then add in the pecan halves and stir well.
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Put the pie shell (in its pie pan) onto a cookie sheet as a protection, so the pie mixture will not dribble onto your oven rack and burn while baking. Then pour the above mixture into the pie shell. The mixture will be soupy and can spill. Carefully put into oven. Bake about 50 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
You just can't go wrong with this pecan pie recipe, which is continually raved about whenever we make it. I can't even begin to tell you how many people over the years have said it's the best pecan pie they've had. So I just had to share this specialty which has been passed down from my grandma, so this recipe is definitely tried and true. And it's not just for the holidays (for some reason people associate pecan pie with Thanksgiving and Winter holidays, in the U.S. But make it any time! It's also perfect for the Fourth of July! Or parties and receptions. You can use either a regular pie crust, or the mini party-style pie shells.
It only takes about 15 minutes to put together.
You will need
1 to 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
1 deep pie shell, unbaked (or mini pie shells)
3 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 melted butter
2 teaspoons molasses
Beat the above ingredients thoroughly, until mixed well.
Then add in the pecan halves and stir well.
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Put the pie shell (in its pie pan) onto a cookie sheet as a protection, so the pie mixture will not dribble onto your oven rack and burn while baking. Then pour the above mixture into the pie shell. The mixture will be soupy and can spill. Carefully put into oven. Bake about 50 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
The 10 Sure Ways to Keeping Trim
In this fast-paced society, most of us do not have the luxury to spend time on preparing nutritious meals for ourselves. Worst still, some often eat fast food which contain a high level of fats and calories, without exercising them away. They end up as fats in the body, which is why you see many obese people around these days. With some effort and knowledge, you can actually prepare food that help you stay slim, or lose weight.
Here are 10 ways that are guaranteed to keep you trim:
1. Use cooked fruit or a thin smear of jam rather than syrup to sweeten pancakes and french toast.
2. Sauteed diced vegetables make a delicious low-calorie topping for pasta, baked potatoes, or rice.
3. Pureed vegetables make excellent low-fat sauces for fish, poultry, pasta, or vegetables.
4. Mix powdered salad dressings into plain yogurt instead of oil or sour cream. Or add buttermilk, cottage cheese, or tomato juice to the dressings. Use yogurt instead of sour cream for dips.
5. If you like your yogurt sweet, buy plain yogurt and add a teaspoon or two of preserves (those without artificial sweeteners or sugar). You will get lower calories than in the sweetened commercial yogurts.
6. Pie lovers can save approximately 150 calories per serving by eating single-crust fruit cobblers instead of two-crust pies.
7. Eat slowly and taste your food. Put down your knife and fort after every two or three bites. Make each meal last at least 20 to 30 minutes.
8. Postpone that second helping for about 20 minutes. You will realize you don't need it, and you will feel less hungry too.
9. Serve yourself on a small plate so that smaller portions will not look so skimpy.
10. Snack between meals on fresh fruit, raw vegetables, or juice. They are non-fattening and give you your daily required nutrients.
Here are 10 ways that are guaranteed to keep you trim:
1. Use cooked fruit or a thin smear of jam rather than syrup to sweeten pancakes and french toast.
2. Sauteed diced vegetables make a delicious low-calorie topping for pasta, baked potatoes, or rice.
3. Pureed vegetables make excellent low-fat sauces for fish, poultry, pasta, or vegetables.
4. Mix powdered salad dressings into plain yogurt instead of oil or sour cream. Or add buttermilk, cottage cheese, or tomato juice to the dressings. Use yogurt instead of sour cream for dips.
5. If you like your yogurt sweet, buy plain yogurt and add a teaspoon or two of preserves (those without artificial sweeteners or sugar). You will get lower calories than in the sweetened commercial yogurts.
6. Pie lovers can save approximately 150 calories per serving by eating single-crust fruit cobblers instead of two-crust pies.
7. Eat slowly and taste your food. Put down your knife and fort after every two or three bites. Make each meal last at least 20 to 30 minutes.
8. Postpone that second helping for about 20 minutes. You will realize you don't need it, and you will feel less hungry too.
9. Serve yourself on a small plate so that smaller portions will not look so skimpy.
10. Snack between meals on fresh fruit, raw vegetables, or juice. They are non-fattening and give you your daily required nutrients.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Banana Mango Smoothie With Flax Seeds
One of the great things I like to have in the morning is a cold, healthy smoothie. This is a quick and simple recipe for anyone on the go or just a healthy alternative to a fast-food snack in the morning if you do not have time for breakfast. Below is the recipe for my banana-mango smoothie with a dash of flax seeds. This is not only delicious but healthy for you too because you will be getting fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, calcium, protein and put a stop to your sugar cravings! It's a great snack or a healthy breakfast and it will also save you money and calories, since you do not have to buy breakfast on the go or cave in to an unhealthy, "fill my empty-morning-belly" food item.
Recipe:
1 banana (medium-sized)
1 cup of diced mango
1/2 cup of orange-mango juice
6 oz plain, non-fat organic yogurt
1 tsp of organic, cold-milled, ground flax seeds
Directions:
* Pour the juice in the blender
* Add the banana, diced mango and yogurt in the blender
* Blend until you get a smooth texture
* Pour into a tall glass and stir in your flax seed
**You can use a medium-sized, ripe mango or buy already diced, frozen mango chunks from your grocery store.
**Do not use flavored or low calorie yogurts as they contain too much sugar or artificial sweeteners, neither of which, in my opinion, are good for your health!
**To change up the taste, you can swap the orange-mango juice with plain orange juice or even pineapple juice
Recipe:
1 banana (medium-sized)
1 cup of diced mango
1/2 cup of orange-mango juice
6 oz plain, non-fat organic yogurt
1 tsp of organic, cold-milled, ground flax seeds
Directions:
* Pour the juice in the blender
* Add the banana, diced mango and yogurt in the blender
* Blend until you get a smooth texture
* Pour into a tall glass and stir in your flax seed
**You can use a medium-sized, ripe mango or buy already diced, frozen mango chunks from your grocery store.
**Do not use flavored or low calorie yogurts as they contain too much sugar or artificial sweeteners, neither of which, in my opinion, are good for your health!
**To change up the taste, you can swap the orange-mango juice with plain orange juice or even pineapple juice
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Tips on How to Choose a Low-Fat, Low-Calorie Pizza
Pizza is a main staple in the United States. People eat pizza for lunch, dinner, and sometimes, for breakfast too. It is a common sight in households across the nation. But how do you still eat your favorite dish while watching your waistline? What about all the diets myths forcing consumers to cross out pizza from their new meal plan list? Well, there is a way to eat pizza while on a diet and the answer is in the choices and topping options.
Pizza has a bad reputation of being high in fat and calories. However, if you make smarter decisions when ordering pizza, then you will be able to have your cake pizza and eat it too. One place to start is with the crust.
There is a universal theory regarding eating pizza while remaining on the right track to losing weight. The theory states the thinner the crust, the healthier the pizza. Well, this is not always true. A better choice would be to order a pizza crust made from whole-wheat flour instead of white. Furthermore, find out if butter or olive oil was used in the dough. For olive oil would be the smarter option. These may seem like insignificant modifications, but the dough is the foundation of a pizza. And if you don't change the dough choices, your waistline may increase rather than decrease.
The most prominent part of the pizza, after the dough, is the cheese. The quality of cheese makes a drastic difference when it comes to calorie and nutrients count. There are many different cheese options when it comes to selecting a pizza. And if you are not able to choose from a home-made mozzarella on a pizza versus store bought processed cheese, then the nutrients may be lacking. This is something you have to research. Ask the restaurant. Inquire if goat cheese is available instead of the norm. Moreover, the amount of cheese will make a significant difference too.
Another option to be aware of are the toppings. Choosing vegetables instead of meat will contribute to it being a healthier pizza option. Vegetable options range from roasted fennel, tomatoes, mushrooms, roasted pepper and more. You may be as generous as you like with vegetable toppings. Pile it on and you will maintain the right track with your weight loss plan. In addition, the flavors fresh vegetables add to a pizza enhance the taste. Consequently, the richer the taste the more satisfying the meal is allowing you to feel fuller longer. If you must do meat, then opt for grilled chicken as a topping. For the seafood lovers, why not try grilled shrimp? These decisions will help you in the end.
Pizza is a great, tasty, satisfying meal to have anytime of the day. And even if you are no longer a teenager, you are still able to eat it at anytime. Just make better choices and smarter decisions and you will not have to sacrifice pizza in exchange for your diet. Instead, pizza and diet will exist cohesively in your new healthier lifestyle.
Pizza has a bad reputation of being high in fat and calories. However, if you make smarter decisions when ordering pizza, then you will be able to have your cake pizza and eat it too. One place to start is with the crust.
There is a universal theory regarding eating pizza while remaining on the right track to losing weight. The theory states the thinner the crust, the healthier the pizza. Well, this is not always true. A better choice would be to order a pizza crust made from whole-wheat flour instead of white. Furthermore, find out if butter or olive oil was used in the dough. For olive oil would be the smarter option. These may seem like insignificant modifications, but the dough is the foundation of a pizza. And if you don't change the dough choices, your waistline may increase rather than decrease.
The most prominent part of the pizza, after the dough, is the cheese. The quality of cheese makes a drastic difference when it comes to calorie and nutrients count. There are many different cheese options when it comes to selecting a pizza. And if you are not able to choose from a home-made mozzarella on a pizza versus store bought processed cheese, then the nutrients may be lacking. This is something you have to research. Ask the restaurant. Inquire if goat cheese is available instead of the norm. Moreover, the amount of cheese will make a significant difference too.
Another option to be aware of are the toppings. Choosing vegetables instead of meat will contribute to it being a healthier pizza option. Vegetable options range from roasted fennel, tomatoes, mushrooms, roasted pepper and more. You may be as generous as you like with vegetable toppings. Pile it on and you will maintain the right track with your weight loss plan. In addition, the flavors fresh vegetables add to a pizza enhance the taste. Consequently, the richer the taste the more satisfying the meal is allowing you to feel fuller longer. If you must do meat, then opt for grilled chicken as a topping. For the seafood lovers, why not try grilled shrimp? These decisions will help you in the end.
Pizza is a great, tasty, satisfying meal to have anytime of the day. And even if you are no longer a teenager, you are still able to eat it at anytime. Just make better choices and smarter decisions and you will not have to sacrifice pizza in exchange for your diet. Instead, pizza and diet will exist cohesively in your new healthier lifestyle.
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