The 10 Commandments of Weight Loss

Archive for June, 2011

Don’t you just hate it when you ask for a sugar free drink in a pub or restaurant and all they’ve got to offer is diet cola or water?

Or you’re offered a pure fruit juice – “Well, that’s sugar free – isn’t it?”  No it isn’t – the sugar that occurs naturally in fruit juice is very high and that will play havoc with your blood sugar levels.  But here are a few drinks you might like to try…

I got so fed up of the standard cola offer, I decided to experiment with mixing the different sugar free drinks that are available and you might like to try these alternatives to ‘just cola’.

1) The first experiment I tried was to mix a diet cola and diet tonic water in the same glass.  Then I added ice and lemon.  The mixture gives a slightly sharper taste and it makes a very long and refreshing drink on a hot summer’s day.

2) Then I tried splitting a pure orange fruit juice (you could also try pineapple or tomato juice) with a friend and added sparkling water to my half of the juice.  You could also try mixing your juice with diet tonic water.

3) If you want to make a refreshing drink at home, this pineapple slushy will hit your dry spot:

Take 1 can sugar-free ginger ale, add 1/4 cup of unsweetened pineapple juice and ice cubes.

Place in a blender and blend until the ice-cubes are crushed and you get a slushy mixture.

Why not experiment with other unsweetened fruit juices?  And, if you want a little bit more of a kick, you could add rum extract to give it more flavor.

If you have any more ideas or recipes for sugar-free drink I would really love to hear about them.

Are you looking to improve your health?  If you are, you may want to start with organic foods.  Organic foods are known for being all natural.  Organic foods are not like many of the other foods available for sale in grocery stores, as there are no artificial additives added to natural, organic foods.  That is why many believe that eating organic foods can help to improve their health.

If this is your first time looking to eat organic foods or if you are looking to make a full switch to eating organically, you may be unsure as to where you can purchase your foods from.  After a close examination, you will see that you have a number of different options.  In fact, many individuals are surprised when they see just how easy it is to find and buy all natural organic foods.

Before covering a few of the many places where organic foods can be found available for sale, it is first important that you know what to look for.  For one hundred percent natural, organic foods, it is important to search for the certified organic label or sticker.  These labels and stickers are often prominently displayed on organic foods.  When you see these certified organic stickers or labels, you know that what are buying is “truly,” organic.  In fact, manufacturers cannot claim that their foods are organic unless they meet specific standards.

As for where you can find organic foods for sale, one of the most common places that organic foods are purchased from is locally.  When looking to shop locally for organic foods, you should have a number of different options.  One of those options is supermarkets or grocery stores.  Most have an organic food section.  Depending on the supermarket in question, this organic food section can be quite small, but a large number of products are often featured.  You just may not have as many organic food product brands to choose from.

Another way that you can go about finding organic foods for sale locally is by visiting an organic food store, also commonly referred to as a natural food store.  These are stores that specialize solely in the selling of all natural, organic foods.  Although many individuals find it easier to shop for organic foods at a grocery store or supermarket, as it can sometimes be more convenient to do so, specialty food stores are increasing popularity.  Now, many large cities and towns have them.  If you do have access to a specialty organic food store, consider shopping there, as you are likely to find the largest selection of products with reasonable prices.

As nice as it is to shop locally, you may not have a specialty organic food store to shop at or you may be unimpressed with the selection of organic foods at your local grocery stores.  If that is the case, you can also shop online.  There are a number of organic food stores that can be found online, with a standard internet search.  These food stores often sell organic foods from a number of different companies or brands.  There are also a number of organic food manufacturers that sell their own brands online.

In keeping with shopping online for organic foods, you may be surprised with what you can find available for sale.  In fact, many individuals mistakenly believe that shopping online for organic foods limits their selection of products, but it doesn’t have to.  For example, Earth’s Best Organic specials in selling food designed for babies and small children.  They sell organic baby formula, organic first foods, and organic meals and snacks for toddlers and preschoolers.  Diamond Organic, which is based out of California, sells a wide range of organic foods, including fresh vegetables.  It is also possible to find and buy frozen organic dinners online as well.

As highlighted above, there are a number of different ways that you can go about buying organic foods, both on and offline.  To help provide you with the best product selection, as well as the best prices, consider giving each method of shopping a try.

When people undergo a blood test, there are four things that the doctor will review carefully before revealing the results to the patient. These are namely the LDL, HDL, triglyceride level and total cholesterol.

If any of these are way above the normal range, the doctor will make some recommendations before it is too late. The most common advice given is to make changes in the diet. This is because the numbers that come out can improve dramatically by changing the food being eaten.

People are well aware of what LDL and HDL is which is basically the good and bad cholesterol in the bloodstream. There isn’t that much said about a triglyceride and is often referred to just as a type of fat.

So what happens when there is too much triglyceride in the body? When a patient has too much of this in the blood, this puts the person at a greater risk of succumbing to heart disease.

The food being eaten can make this go up or down even if the individual is not allowed to eat for at least 14 hours before the checkup. The normal range should fall between 10 and 250 mgs./dl, which unfortunately a lot of people exceed.

Studies show that many patients who have high triglyceride levels also have high total cholesterol levels. It is a good thing that it is possible to kill two birds with one stone by having a dietitian prepare a simple diet plan.

The basic plan involves eating foods that are low in fat. Breakfast for example can be whole grain breads with a little touch of egg whites. The person should stop drinking coffee and replace this with unsweetened tea.  Those who prefer milk should use non-fat or try some fresh juice instead.

Breakfast may have been light so the individual can have chicken without skin or the choice of lean cut meats such as flank, round, rump or sirloin served with some vegetables on the side.

Drinking bottled water is much healthier than ordering a can of diet soda because this still has certain properties that are not good for someone who is trying to cut down on cholesterol intake.

Those who want to get a quick bite as a snack can have  fruit or vegetables strips. The person won’t find this in the store so getting up a little earlier in the morning or preparing this the night before is a good idea so the plastic container can be put into the bag before going to work.

Dinner must also be light because the body will soon rest and will not burn that much calories when one is sleeping. Steamed fish will do well or a little pasta. The individual can have a glass of red wine with the meal to help it go down into the belly.

The practice of this healthy habit must not only be done when eating home cooked meals. This should also be done when dining out with friends because a slight disruption in the plan can have certain consequences to someone who is trying to make some lifestyle changes.

Living a healthy life free from high levels of triglyceride and cholesterol can be achieved. It just takes a little determination and discipline to make this happen.