How to Use Healthy Foods to Lose Weight - Will a Plant Based Diet Work?

My experience chasing weight loss is probably not much different than most people. I have worked at weight loss and weight manageMent for most of my adult life. I'm now sixty years old. There was a time when I tried all kinds of the newest and latest methods to loss weight quickly, I have used pre-scripted diets, diet products, even eating habits therapy. I could usually make some progress and lose some weight, but I have always found that unless I stayed with the program permanently I would just go back to where I was. I found that most of these diets and diet products, were not a good recipe for my health. I also love good Food, I like to cook and as I have gotten older, above all, I want to be as healthy as possible.

I am a firm believer that good health and long term health manageMent is rooted in nutrition and a balanced well chosen Food group as well as a consistent exercise regiment. Weight loss, weight management and great health all go together. Once I got this clearly embedded in my brain, I realized that the basis of this thinking was really pretty simple.

Eat real fresh food, mostly plants. I am not advocating a vegetarian diet here, I personally am not a practicing vegetarian. I do think a well thought out and practiced vegetarian diet can be great for weight loss and excellent health.

When I say eat real fresh food, it's that simple. Stay away from manufactured, highly processed foods. If you have put any thought into why there is an out of control obesity epidemic in the U.S. and you put two and two together, you realize it is rooted in two factors. A lack of real fresh food and sedentary lifestyles. Little to no exercise.

The plant based diet is not about only eating plants, like fruits and vegetables. Include Fish, chicken and other meats if you want to eat them, the key is moderation.
Eat at least an 80 % plant based diet. Most foods like nuts, grains, beans, sweet potatoes etc., are all plant based foods.

Eat only fresh fruits and lightly cook your vegetables.

You need all the nutrition and enzymes you can get from the plant based foods you eat. When you over cook your vegetables you lose a lot of the nutrition and eliminate the beneficial enzymes. Along with the lightly cooked vegetables also eat some fruits and vegetables raw each day. Salads are great but also consider making a green drink. Here's is a simple recipe I make almost everyday. Take a blender or better if you have it or can buy one, a Vita Mix or other high speed blender. Put in a hand full of fresh kale, a small bunch of fresh Italian parsley, a sprig of celery, maybe a small chunk of cabbage, one or two cored apples, one or two cored pears and a wedge of lemon with the peel on.. Put in more than one apple and pear for how sweet you want it, you can also play around with different fruits, sometimes I also put in berries, like blue berries. This green drink does not taste like it may look, the fruit mixed with the vegetables gives it a slightly sweet pleasant taste. The idea here is you get a big shot of fresh, raw vegetables and fruit, with very low caloric content and tons of nutritional and antioxidant content and fiber. This is a super healthy all fresh plant based weight loss drink.

Losing weight and getting really healthy is really all about changing your food consciousness, eating an unadulterated diet. I mean that the food you are eating has not gone through any manufacturing or heavy processing. The grains you eat are not refined, choose brown rice rather than white rice, whole grain Pasta (only very occasionally) chose sweet potatoes over regular white russet type potatoes. The idea here is two avoid foods that immediately turn into sugar in your system.

When you eat meats or Fish, eat small portions and avoid rich sauces, tons of butter or other dAiry based condiments. For adding taste to any cooked food you eat, use herbs, garlic, coconut oil or virgin olive oil also possibly grape seed oil is OK. Stay away from most other oils. Don't over eat any dAiry products, go for almond milk rather than cows milk, limit cheeses and butter. Consider yogurt rather than creme when Cooking and stay clear of all refined sugars..

Beware of the food like substances, like high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, hydrogenated oils, too much sugar, too much salt, lots of preservatives and other chemicals. These are the culprits that are in most of the processed, refined and packaged foods in the average mainstream market.
Look for and join a co-op natural foods market, or any kind of natural foods market. Go to a local outdoor Sat. market to shop.

Try changing when you eat. Eat small meals more often and don't eat a meal after say 4 or 5 PM, if you want a snack later eat a piece of fruit. Take a walk after your last meal. Sitting on the couch after a large meal and then going off to bed will put on the weight and keep it.

This concept for being a nutrition and fresh food conscious eater is at the heart of losing weight and being in excellent health. It may be a big change for many people and habits are the hardest parts of our daily lives to change. Take it a step at a time and stay focused, put time into it, educate yourself, it is well worth it.

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Eat Raw Foods and Save Money

When many people first hear about the concept of the raw Foods moveMent they may initially think it sounds rather strange. Chances are you grew up with Food favorites that were baked, fried, broiled, or cooked in some way. Hearing that more and more people are switching to a diet of completely raw, uncooked Foods and raving about the health benefits just sounds to unfamiliar to you. Perhaps though it might be easier to digest if you also knew that adding more raw Foods to your diet will not only be better for your health but it is also better for your pocketbook.

Most raw food aficionados suggest eating organic produce, more expensive raw nuts, and even those hard to find superfoods but despite all of this eating raw is usually better for your budget. Here are a few of the ways that going raw might help you save some money.

Medical Bills - Eating raw foods rich in living enzymes with all of their nutrients still intact is healthier for your body than eating the processed, nutrient deficient foods that you may be used to. Raw food enthusiasts often claim that medical ailMents they had for years disappear when they start eating a mostly raw diet. Things like depression, diabetes, obesity, and allergies just seem to go away. Think of all the money that you could save on doctor bills and pharmacy prescriptions if you let food be your medicine.

Grocery Bills - In general fruits and veggies will be cheaper than prepackaged, processed junk foods. They are also quite a bit cheaper than meat and dAiry. Going raw does not have to eliminate meat or dAiry but many find that access to high quality meats and raw dAiry is limited. A raw diet often does reduce consumption of expensive meat and dAiry products. Raw foodies also claim that the amount of food they eat in general is far less than what they used to eat before going raw and less food means less money spent.

Toiletries and Skin Care Products - A big perk of eating raw is that your skin and hair become more hydrated and vibrant. Expensive moisturizers, skin creams, and even shampoo become relatively obsolete. When you do feel your skin or hair need some extra care you can easily turn to the raw foods in your pantry and refrigerator such as coconut oil or avocados to make a home spa treatMent. Also, as your skin begins to look and feel better you will also find that you no longer need to wear makeup or use as much of it.

Water - Eating raw saves on your water bill as you no longer have pots, pans, and casserole dishes to clean and scrub anymore. Many times a simple raw food meal will only require a cutting board and a plate or a Vita-Mix which can be cleaned in seconds with minimal water usage. The need for daily showers and hair washes is also something that is reduced, saving even more water.

When you add up all the health benefits and the monetary benefits of eating raw, you might decide that adopting a raw foods diet is something you need to look at more closely.

vita coconut water

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A coconut water Review

A coconut water Review

ONE Coconut Water brings nutrients and flavor of fresh young green coconut in our homes. I stayed in Malaysia for 3 years and coconut juice is one thing that has always been a part of my daily health regiMen. There was a time when I had a urinary tract infection and a local elder told me to go Fast on a coconut juice for a day.

It 'was really effective. When I woke up the next day my dayThe Fast, I felt better. Coconut water is different from coconut milk, which is obtained from Piña Colada. Milk is the flesh of the coconut, while the water is what you get when you open a green coconut. You can drink water directly from coconut shells. The taste is a bit of water 'with a touch of sweet and sour, but always refreshing.

One thing I like is that ONEno artificial sweeteners and flavors. And 'the real thing. They took water from the coconut and put it in a sterile package. And 'best if refrigerated. It has a lot of electrolytes, potassium, vitamin C and medicinal properties. In addition to the treatMent of urinary tract infections, but also helps digestion and over-all welfare of a person.

There are other brands of water from the tropical fruit, but if you look at theirPackaging, contain artificial flavors and no added sugar, which are not really healthy. For the taste and natural sweetness, I prefer the ONE coconut water.

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