How breakfast helps you lose weight!

It has been a while since this Blog has made mention to diet, eating and nutritional habits as part of your weight loss and fitness programme, so I thought it time to resurrect this subject given the importance it plays to your end goal. Kicking off with the most important meal of the day, here is an article sourced from 'ezinearticles' (http://EzineArticles.com/8864006) and written by Christina Major (http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christina_Major) - a Naturopathic Doctor and Holistic Nutritionist of Crystal Holistic Health Consulting.



We've heard for a long time that to lose weight, eat breakfast. It's very true: if you want to lose weight, eat breakfast.

The best way to eat is high protein and fat - low carb.

But most people choose high carb, low fat, low protein. That's one of the reasons why people gain weight, feel tired, can't get up the energy to go exercise, and just plain eat too much.

Why?

It's all in how breakfast makes you lose weight:

When you body obtains protein and fat, your metabolism recognises the high likelihood you just obtained lots of nutrients. It then works fast and efficiently to rebuild tissues, heal damage, and provide you with lots of energy and mental clarity.

A great breakfast for this would be egg in a pepper:

In a hollowed out pepper, add sauteed potatoes, onion, mushroom, and tomato. Mix with a little cheese as you pack the pepper. Top with 1 scrambled egg. Bake until egg is firm (about 20-30 minutes). This breakfast packs everything: high quality protein and fat, lots of nutrients, some healthy carbs and fibre, and flavor. Weight change over 1 year: -15lbs (6.8kgs)

Compare this to the commercialised breakfast: a bowl of cereal. Lots of processed carbs, low nutrient, poor nutrient replacement , high dairy and allergens. Weight change over 1 year: +23lbs (10.5kgs)

Yes, a real breakfast does take a little more work and time. But the results are worth it. Other side effects are readily apparent:

• More morning energy
• More afternoon energy
• Lower hunger at lunch
• Less cramping
• Less bloating

It may have a health impact as well. Without all those added sugars in the morning, your blood glucose and insulin levels stay in a normal range. Now, if you have diabetes, this is very important.

Big changes in your blood sugar and insulin levels, such as from a bowl of cereal, cause problems:

• Poor concentration
• Sudden spikes in energy (think ADD kids)
• Your pancreas works too hard
• Your fat cells expand to take in the extra sugars
• Your heart works overtime to move the hormones and sugars around
• You get the sugar crash mid-morning
• You are hungrier during the day, even at dinner

Pancakes, French toast, bagels, and all those other pastries are just begging to get you to eat more and more. Think about it. Are you full all morning after what you eat? Or do you crave more and more food after breakfast? Do you feel tired?

Choose breakfast, and choose a breakfast loaded with vegetables, quality protein, and low in processed foods (especially cereal). Your body will thank you.

WhyWeight - don't hesitate, participate, before it's too late

-Steve, at WhyWeight-

Healthy fruit drinks for you!

As the recent healthy eating & drinking Blog Posts garnered much interest, I thought I would continue with this theme and adda few more today. Here's one on healthy fruit drink alternatives that I sourced from my friends at 'ezinearticles' (http://EzineArticles.com/7979095) and written by Robert N. Perry (http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_N._Perry)


Fruit makes up a very critical component of a human beings diet. This is because it is jam-packed with nutrients and minerals that are essential for health and vitality. Fruits contain antioxidants that are essential in fighting free radicals that damage cells, cause premature aging and diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.

Fruits also contain essential vitamins and minerals that may not be found in other food groups or from other sources. For instance, fruits contain Vitamin C (that prevents scurvy), Vitamin A (that is good for eyesight and prevents macular degeneration), potassium, folate and other minerals.

So, a healthy fruit drink is an excellent way of ensuring that you get the daily recommended amount of nutrients and minerals. This is particularly so for children who may not take time for eating the fruit itself. Having them drink a fruit drink is an easy way of getting them the nutrition that they need for their bodies to grow strong.

A major advantage of a healthy fruit drink is that they do not contain near as many calories as fruit drinks typically contain. They also will have no fat, though they have a little sugar that provides energy. Fruit also contain enzymes that aid in digestion so that the pancreas is not overworked.

There are numerous healthy fruit drinks that are easy to make and very delicious. The best fruit drinks can be categorized into fruit smoothies and fruit juices. Fruit smoothies are made of blended fruit that may be fresh or frozen (or both), yoghurt, milk or water, ice cubes and sometimes ice cream. Juice on the other hand is made by extracting the liquid from a fruit. Therefore, a fruit smoothie and a fruit juice are different because a smoothie is made using the whole fruit (even the skin if it is edible), but when juice is made, the fruit pulp is usually gotten rid off.

Between the two kinds of healthy fruit drinks, the general consensus is that the fruit smoothie is more nutritious than the fruit juice. By using the whole fruit, the smoothie contains the fiber and pulp that are necessary for healthy digestion. The fiber also ensures that the sugar found in the fruit is slowly released so that there are no sudden spikes in blood sugar levels which can cause diabetes.

Smoothies are also more versatile than fruit juices when it comes to the number of ingredients that can be added to them. You can add yogurt, spinach, protein powder and any other ingredient you choose. This is because the ingredients of your healthy fruit drink are blended together so that even the solid ingredients are well integrated into the mixture.

It is best to make your healthy fruit drink at home as you can control the ingredients. However, you can purchase them from health food stores and supermarkets. If you do buy them instead of making them yourself be sure and always pay attention to the label of the fruit drinks to know all the ingredients. You should choose a drink that has no additives and is not made from concentrate.

The best thing of course about a healthy fruit drink is that it taste so great. How many foods do you find in life that have a delicious taste but are still good for you?

WhyWeight - don't hesitate, participate, before it's too late!

-Steve, at WhyWeight-