7 Smart Snacks for Diet Success

7 Smart Snacks for Diet Success

Think you can't snack when you're trying to lose weight? Think again. These healthy, low-calorie snacks will satisfy your diet cravings and help you reach your weight-loss goals.

For many women, dieting equals food restriction. Snacks? They usually get eliminated in the name of saving calories. But snacking when you're watching your weight is actually a good idea. "[When dieting,] people often wait too long in between meals, so by the time they
eat, they're so hungry, their portions or choices are out of control.Snacking helps keep you satisfied and wards off cravings. Here, seven low-calorie snacks to help you with your diet goals:

Homemade Trail Mix

Diet-friendly snacking doesn't necessarily have to be low-fat. What's more important: Portion size. A homemade trail mix of walnuts, mini chocolate chips, and raisins is a snack that's satisfying (thanks to the sweetness and fat) and healthy for a dieter if portion sizes are kept in check. "Mix a palm full of walnuts with a pinch of chocolate chips and a pinch of raisins -- it's not always realistic to measure.

Recommended serving size: about 1 ounce of walnuts and about a teaspoon each of raisins and chocolate chips
Calories: about 250

Apple Slices with Lowfat Cheese

Packed with fiber, water, and antioxidants, fruits and vegetables are great choices for diet-friendly snacking. But the standard banana or carrots and ranch dip can get old quick. Instead, try a sliced apple with a lowfat cheese wedge, like Laughing Cow Light. Having a little extra fat is good in a snack because it sustains you longer.

Recommended serving size: 1 medium apple with 1 Laughing Cow Light cheese wedge
Calories: about 105

Graham Crackers with Peanut Butter

Feeling in the mood for cookies? While one standard Oreo or Chips Ahoy won't likely derail your diet, it's tough to stop at one. That's where a good substitute comes in. Two graham cracker squares spread with light peanut butter is recommended. You'll get a mix of sweet and salty flavors, plus a protein and fat boost from the peanut butter, which will keep you full till your next meal.

Recommended serving size: 2 graham cracker squares with 1 tablespoon light peanut butter
Calories: 155

Tomato Soup with Baby Carrots

A mini-meal snack is a good idea when dinner is a long way off. The combo of tomato soup and baby carrots is not just filling; it also gives you lots of body-healthy nutrients, like potassium, cancer-fighting lycopene, and beta-carotene. Try a microwavable soup cup that you can stash in your car's cup holder. (Concerned about sodium? Pour about a quarter of the soup down the drain and dilute the rest with water.)

Recommended serving size: 1 Campbell's Soup at Hand Tomato Soup and 1 cup baby carrots
Calories: 190

Frozen Tamale Pie

Believe it or not, a calorie-controlled frozen meal can be a great afternoon snack! Amy's Mexican Tamale Pie, for example, is chock-full of great carbs (in the form of beans and polenta) to give you energy; protein, to keep you satisfied; and veggies, to contribute antioxidants and vitamins. What's more, it's low-fat and filling!

Recommended serving size: 1 Amy's Mexican Tamale Pie
Calories: 150

Egg Salad

If you need your snack to have real staying power, go for a combo of good protein and a little bit of fat. A homemade egg salad is a great choice. Chop up one whole egg and one egg white, then mix with a tablespoon of reduced fat mayonnaise. The high-quality protein in the eggs will fuel your body for hours, while the fat helps slow digestion, so you'll feel full and energized longer.

Recommended serving size: 1 whole egg and one white plus 1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise
Calories: 145

Canned Mandarin Oranges with Light Whipped Topping

For a sweet fix, try mixing mandarin oranges canned in their own juice with a couple tablespoons of light whipped topping. The oranges give a great hit of vitamin C and other antioxidants, and the light whipped topping gives the snack an indulgent feel (a feeling you often miss when you're watching what you eat). This is a good substitute for ice cream when you're dieting.

Recommended serving size: 1/2 cup canned mandarin oranges with 2 tablespoons light whipped topping
Calories: 50

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Aileen// try this healthy diet snacks.  You dont need to sacrifice a lot in your eating habit.
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/snacks/low-calorie/diet-snacks/

How Can I Tell if a Recipe is Healthy?

How Can I Tell if a Recipe is Healthy?

Here is what you should look for when evaluating a recipe.
Healthy Ingredients

The healthiest ingredients are whole fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, healthy oils like olive oil, walnut oil, grape seed oil, and rice bran oil. Nuts, legumes and soy are healthy ingredients, and so are whole grain breads, and pastas. Meats and poultry should be lean whenever possible, and low fat dairy products are good too. I really like recipes that include several healthy ingredients, rather than just one or two. For example, Wild Rice with Cranberries and Apples is a great healthy dish with a great balance of whole grains, nuts, and fruit. Serve this with a lean chicken breast for an incredibly tasty and healthy meal. Pork with Cabbage and Apples is another example of a great recipe with several healthy ingredients.

Leave Out Unhealthy Ingredients

Unhealthy ingredients include sugar, processed foods, saturated and trans fat, white refined flour, and products made with refined white flour. Evaluating a recipe can be easy. For example, a recipe that calls for processed foods like luncheon meats, processed cheese-products or high fat products like mayonnaise isn't healthy and should not become a recipe you use very often.

Sometimes evaluating a recipe is more difficult. Spaghetti and meatballs seems like a healthy meal, but a large portion of the meal is pasta made from refined white flour and the meatballs may have a lot of saturated fat in them. On the flip side, the spaghetti sauce itself is very healthy with lots of tomatoes that give us vitamins and lycopene. Garlic, peppers, herbs seasonings and mushrooms are healthy ingredients you might find in a spaghetti recipe.

When you find a recipe that confuses you, just alter the recipe a bit. Make your meatballs from ground turkey meat and use a whole grain pasta, or decrease the serving size and add a big salad on the side.

Cooking Methods

The cooking method used in a recipe is very important. Deep-frying is probably the least healthy of the cooking methods, especially if the oil is used more than once. Pan frying might be a little better, but still not so good if you use a lot of oil and batters on your foods that absorb a lot of oil. Sauteing in a bit of olive oil or canola oil is better, and roasting in an oven is better yet. Boiling vegetables will not add any extra calories, but you will loose some of the valuable nutrients when you drain off the cooking water. Microwaving is a great way to cook vegetables because it is quick so not many nutrients are lost.

Here are a couple examples of recipes prepared with different methods. Potatoes are a nice source of vitamin C and fiber if you leave on the skins. A medium sized baked potato only has about 100 calories and is a healthy food when cooked in this manner. A french-fried potato is not so healthy. The fat used to deep-fry the potato is not healthy, and the potato absorbs a lot of oil, so the same size potato that is french fried has many more calories and fat. If you like french fries, try slicing the potato into strips and lightly coat the strips with olive oil. Bake them on a baking sheet until they are tender.

Another example of good verses bad cooking methods would be this example with a chicken breast. Baking a chicken breast in the oven with some salsa or chicken broth is a healthy way to prepare the chicken. If you take that same chicken breast, coat it with a batter and deep fry it, that piece of chicken becomes an unhealthy, fattening food.

Always look for healthy ingredients. Avoid unhealthy ingredients or find healthier substitutes. Choose recipes that let you bake, roast, microwave or saute your foods.

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http://nutrition.about.com/od/recipesmenus/f/healthyrecipe.htm   

Double Broccoli Quinoa

Double Broccoli Quinoa

3 cups cooked quinoa*
5 cups raw broccoli, cut into small florets and stems

3 medium garlic cloves
2/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 big pinches salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup heavy cream

Optional toppings: slivered basil, fire oil (optional)**, sliced avocado
crumbled feta or goat cheese

Heat the quinoa and set aside.

Now barely cook the broccoli by pouring 3/4 cup water into a large pot and bringing it to a simmer. Add a big pinch of salt and stir in the broccoli. Cover and cook for a minute, just long enough to take the raw edge off. Transfer the broccoli to a strainer and run under cold water until it stops cooking. Set aside.

To make the broccoli pesto puree two cups of the cooked broccoli, the garlic, 1/2 cup of the almonds, Parmesan, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil and cream and pulse until smooth.

Just before serving, toss the quinoa and remaining broccoli florets with about 1/2 of the broccoli pesto. Taste and adjust if needed, you might want to add more of the pest a bit at a time, or you might want a bit more salt or an added squeeze of lemon juice. Turn out onto a serving platter and top with the remaining almonds, a drizzle of the chile oil, and some sliced avocado or any of the other optional toppings.

Serves 4 - 6.

*To cook quinoa: rinse one cup of quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium saucepan heat the quinoa, two cups of water (or broth if you like), and a few big pinches of salt until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa fluffs up, about 15 minutes. Quinoa is done when you can see the curlique in each grain, and it is tender with a bit of pop to each bite. Drain any extra water and set aside.

**To make the red chile oil: You'll need 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil and 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes. If you can, make the chile oil a day or so ahead of time by heating the olive oil in a small saucepan for a couple minutes - until it is about as hot as you would need it to saute some onions, but not so hot that it smokes or smells acrid or burned. Turn off the heat and stir in the crushed red pepper flakes. Set aside and let cool, then store in refrigerator. Bring to room temp again before using.
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Aileen//
- i love broccoli. i will try this healthy broccoli menu.

Right Diet for Men’s Health

Diet for men is no longer a laughable fad. Men around the globe are so serious about it. Not because they want to look better or sexy, more because the kind of work that is being done today. Be a nice guy for the girl, great father for your child and an excellent worker. Though the same is expected from a woman, the quality expected from man is far better, even by the women themselves. The energies required to be there all the time have made man realize that’s it just half an hour per day and just four days a week.

Men today are more prone to many ailments including heart attack. Therefore, it has become vital for men to hit the gym on a regular basis. Diet for men should be good enough to give him atleast 1800 calories per day.

The following men health suppliments guidelines should help you find a balanced diet for a man like you:

Men's Health - Vegetables and Fruits:

Vegetables and fruits are good for health for various reasons. But the best reason is - they are the best providers of dietary fiber that is so important in digestion. Apart from this, they are natural, easy to find and can be eaten after being cooked or boiled or fried or just like that.

Also remember that man as an animal first relied only on vegetables. Of course that doesn’t mean that one has to act like a primitive man to eat healthy food. Vegetables and fruits should be taken in atleast five to twelve servings per day.

Carrots, potatoes, leafy vegetables, broccoli, salads and all types of fruits can be taken. However the usage of pesticides and other artificial products in agriculture has turned them to create some toxins for health. As long as no one type of vegetable is repeated over different servings throughout the day, any vegetable is fine.

REMEMBER melon and grape fruits are different set of fruits. Each of it should be taken separately.

Men's Health - Grain Products

Grain products are excellent resources for complex carbohydrates and sometimes fats. The body requires these carbs and fats to provide requisite energy for the complex actions that a body performs. However the body utilizes the carbohydrates first for the energy and then uses the fat to give energy.

Hence it is advised that a proper balance of carbs and fats are taken. Also the calories provided by these grain products should be enough to satisfy the bodily actions. If they are in excess, the body starts becoming obese. Breads, cereals, pasta, rice, wheat are all great products for carbs that you need. Make sure you take them in over five servings per day.

Men's Health - Dairy Products

Dairy products provide excellent protein that the body needs. Protein supports the bodily activities like metabolism, respiration, digestion and thus excretion. Milk, cheese, yogurt are good examples and take them in over two-four servings per day. It should make you healthy, absolutely.

Mens Health - Meat

Meat is also a good provider of health and energy. Fish is the best, then the other forms. However, you can always use something vegetarian to get what you obtain from meat. Take 2 to 3 servings of fish, eggs or I suggest beans and peanut butter every day.

Hypothyroidism Diet - Top 7 Things You Should Never Miss Out

Hypothyroidism Diet - Top 7 Things You Should Never Miss Out

Hypothyroidism occurs if your thyroid gland is not producing enough thyroid hormone. Without enough of this hormone, your body metabolism slows down considerably. This leads to various symptoms, one of which is weight gain, arguably the most challenging symptom of hypothyroidism. To maintain a proper diet plan is one of the ways to deal with this weight gain.

Make sure that you include the following in your daily diet:

#1. Seafood and other iodine-rich foods

It's no secret that iodine is needed to produce thyroid hormone in your body. If you have hypothyroidism, diet should always include foods that are high in iodine content such as seafood like sushi, seaweed, and saltwater fish. Iodine can also be found in bananas and parsley. Also, you should make sure to use iodized salt instead of plain rock salt in cooking.

#2. Water

You need to drink lots of water, at least 64 ounces or 8 glasses a day. Remember when you are dehydrated, your body stores more fat and making you gain more weight.

#3. Fiber

Fiber is beneficial to you if you have hypothyroidism. Diets high in fiber will not only help you lose weight but also promote regularity in your bowel movement and can help lower your cholesterol. How does it make you lose weight? Fiber makes you feel full so it lessens your hunger levels, and will simply make you burn more calories. Most fruits and vegetables are high in fiber content.

#4. Coconut Oil

It has been identified that consumption of coconut oil stimulates the production of thyroid hormone. It increases your metabolism and is considered as an energy booster but this should be taken in moderation, appropriate to your age and body structure.

#5. Green Tea

Green tea helps you lose weight by raising your metabolism and also through fat oxidation. You can start drinking a cup of green tea everyday.

#6. Tyrosine-rich Foods

Tyrosine is needed for your thyroid hormone production. Increase your intake of lean meats, fish, lentils, and low-fat milk as these are rich in tyrosine.

#7. Selenium-rich Foods

Just like tyrosine, this is also important in helping to produce your thyroid hormone. Foods such as tuna, brown rice, Brazil nuts, and salmon can provide the selenium that your body needs.

You can expect to gain weight when you have this condition. If you have hypothyroidism, diet should be chosen carefully to be able to help your thyroid in producing the hormone. With this, you can control your symptoms as well as avoid the possible complications.

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Aileen/you dont need to be scare if you have hypothyroidism. Try following the above diet plan for you benefit.

If you want to read more. Just click Hypothyroidism Diet

Healthy Meal Plan

Healthy Meal Plan

Helping you create healthy meal plans you'll enjoy.

Looking for healthy meal ideas?

Let me help you create a healthy meal plan for you, and not just any meal plan - this meal plan you will be able to stick to until you reach your goal.

Whether you wish to lose 10 pounds or 50, it doesn't matter, because we will be creating a flexible and balanced meal plan that you can stay on for as long as you need.
Healthy Diet Plan

Here are the key points to a healthy diet plan. These tips are common sense but are often overlooked. I suggest you introduce the following changes gradually, instead of changing your diet all at once.
Healthy Meal Plan - Add Healthy Snacks to Your Diet

Divide your meals into 6 smaller meals a day. Include healthy delicious snacks in between meals. You shouldn't be hungry.

Read all about the benefits of eating more meals a day on the healthy eating habits page.

Plan your meals and snacks ahead of time when possible, so you know exactly what you plan to eat. Last minute choices tend to be less healthy and higher in calories.

Healthy nutritious snacks you can add to your meal plan include crackers, pretzels, baby carrots, popcorn, fresh and dried fruit, yogurt, low-fat cheese, peanut butter, air popped popcorn cereals and nuts and seeds. Try to avoid chips, sodas, cookies, and ice cream

Drink plenty of water during the day, it is healthy and helps you feel less hungry. Some times our brain confuses thirst with hunger. You will eat less if you drink a glass of water before a meal.

Lower your fat intake. Switch to skim milk, lean chicken, no fast food, eat less margarine butter and mayonnaise, use less oil when cooking meals.

No more soft drinks and juices. Soft drinks are empty calories and juices have less fiber and vitamins then the original fruit.

Try to add more whole grains to your meal plan. Brown rice instead of white rice and whole grain breads instead of white bread.

Avoid foods that are high in sugar, like candy and cakes. Eat vegetables with every meal.

Don't skip breakfast. Eating breakfast, as you wake up, boosts your metabolism and decreases binge eating later in the day.

Eat your meals slower and no more eating in front of the TV. Studies show that we automatically eat larger portions when we snack in front of the TV.
So are you ready to lose 10 pounds?

Use these tips to help you create a healthy and delicious meal plan. I wish you success with your fitness and weight loss goals.

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aileen/
Everybody wants to be healthy. If you care about yourself, you should try this one.

click here: for more information=partner/Aileen

Detox Diet Menu

Detox Diet Menu

Basics

People have asked us for a detox diet menu to help them with detox and weight loss. When you detox weight loss often comes naturally. That's because a detox diet menu is low in fat and calories. A detox menu also encourages loss of excess fluids.

People are becoming increasingly interested in detox diets these days. We hear more and more about the dangers of pollutants in our food and water and the health problems these can cause. People want to rid their bodies of toxins. A diet like this is the way to do it.


This type of diet is not meant to be followed long term but can "jump start" a healthy eating plan for long-term weight loss. Try following this detox diet for one week, then follow up with a more well-rounded, healthy diet plan.
Prevention

A detox weight loss diet can help to prevent a number of health problems, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, digestive problems, kidney problems, and liver problems. It may also protect against certain kinds of cancer.
Treatment

Before beginning a detox weight loss diet, you should check with your doctor, especially if you have any health problems or are on any medication. You may also want to consult with a licensed dietician for more detox diet menu options.

Here is a sample detox diet menu:

When you first wake up
One glass of water with half an organic lemon squeezed into it.

Breakfast
Fresh organic fruit salad topped with almond slivers, wheat germ, and pumpkin seeds; organic yogurt.

Midmorning snack
One to two cups vegetable broth (see recipe following menu).

Lunch
Mixed salad consisting of organic vegetables with oil and vinegar dressing; one piece of fresh organic fruit.

Afternoon snack
One to two cups vegetable broth.

Dinner
Up to four cups steamed vegetables. Choose at least four different vegetables of different colors, textures, and flavors. For instance, choose a starchy vegetable like a potato, a sweet vegetable like red peppers, a bitter green like kale, and a pungent vegetable like scallions. Steam until just tender.

Do not eat after dinner, but you can drink all the water you want. You should drink at least ten glasses of water each day. In addition to water, you can drink organic fruit and vegetable juices and herbal teas. Choose teas that will help you detox, such as dandelion, which helps flush toxins from your system and supports liver functioning, and peppermint, which aids digestion.

Vegetable Broth
Ingredients:
2 cups spinach
2 cups broccoli heads
3 cups celery
2 cups red-skinned potato peels, ½ inch thick
1 small zucchini
2 quarts distilled water

Directions:
Chop all vegetables into very fine pieces. Place in water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the broth. Makes about 8 servings.

The vegetable broth is important because its ingredients are specifically selected to help flush toxins from your system. Buying a vegetable broth in a can will not be a suitable substitute.

You can add vitamin supplements to your detox diet menu. Take at least 75 mg of vitamin C, which helps the body produce a liver compound called glutathione, which protects against toxins. Take 200 IU of vitamin E, which will protect against the free radicals your body will produce as it detoxes.

You can also add an herbal supplement to your detox weight loss diet if you like. Look for supplements that contain all-natural ingredients that have been proven to help with detoxification and weight loss, such as dandelion, fennel, and burdock.

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aileen/
long life? stay happy and be healthy...


for more article click this link: detox diet menu=partner/Aileen