Best Diet Pill

Planning can be difficult but is probably the most important factor in eating healthy.  If you do not plan, then it is easy to get off track and make unhealthy choices.  The saying “He Who Fails To Plan, Plans to Fail” really sums it up.  You need to be thinking ahead and have a general idea of what you

Here are a few tips to help you plan your meals:

1. Cook more food – When you cook a meal, make sure you cook a little bit extra.   The leftovers can be eaten for 1 or 2 of your meals for the next couple of days.
2. Buy more food – A stocked fridge (with healthy foods) will guarantee that you make healthy selections.
3. Have a stock of healthy snacks – Keep some in your vehicle or at work just in case.  I will include examples of healthy snacks later.

We could get into counting calories and counting macronutrients, but that is difficult and time consuming.  There are easier ways to determine portion size and ensure that we eat balanced meals.

The 3-2-1 Rule:

Estimate your food portions by imagining your plate divided into six sections like slices of a pie.  Fill up three slices (3/6 or 50%) with natural carbohydrates like potatoes, yams, oatmeal, whole grains, fruits and vegetables.  Fill up two sections (2/6 or 33%) with lean proteins like egg whites, chicken, fish, or lean beef.  The last portion would be (1/6 or 17%) of your healthy fats.

Another ‘handy’ way to estimate food portions is to actually use the size of your hand to determine portion sizes.

-Your protein portion should be the size of your fist
-Your carbohydrate portion should be the size of both fists.
-Your fat portion should fit within your hand (think of a handful of nuts).

-Normal growth and development
-Energy
-Absorbing certain vitamins (A, D, E, K)
-Providing taste, consistency, and stability to foods

Fat is found in meat, poultry, nuts, milk products, butters and margarines, oils, lard, fish, etc. There are three main types of fat, saturated fat, unsaturated fat, and trans fat. Saturated fat (found in foods like meat, butter, lard, and cream) and trans fat (found in baked goods, snack foods, fried foods, and margarines) increase the risk of heart disease. Replacing saturated and trans fat with unsaturated fat (olive oil, avocados, nuts, and canola oil) can reduce the risk of heart disease.

As we can see, there are reasons that we need each macronutrient and this is the reason that eating a balanced meal becomes very important.  I say important, but not absolutely necessary – it’s just a good healthy practice.  If, for example, you have a deli sandwich for lunch (Carbs/Protein) and forget to eat some fat with your lunch, you should not be worried.  Next time just remember to have a handful of nuts or slices of avocado with your sandwich.

-Growth
-Tissue repair
-Immune function
-Preserving lean muscle mass

Protein is found in meats, poultry, fish, meat substitutes, cheese, milk, nuts, legumes, and in smaller quantities in starchy foods and vegetables.

There are quite a few myths about carbs.  Let’s set the record straight and find out exactly what carbs do.

-Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of fuel.
-Carbohydrates are needed for the central nervous system, the kidneys, the brain, the muscles (including the heart) to function properly.

Carbohydrates are mainly found in foods such as breads, gains, rice, vegetables, fruits, beans, milk, and yogurt.

I can honestly say that the most important advice that I can give someone is advice about nutrition. Weight Loss will prove to be a nearly impossible taks if the person is not following a nutritious eating plan. As a continuation to the 10 Steps to Healthy Eating, I would like to cover some Nutrition Basics.

An important part of eating healthy is to have some level of knowledge about nutrition and how different foods and nutrients affect the body. In this section, I would like to discuss the following topics:

1. Why Do We Need Carbohydrates?
2. Why Do We Need Protein?
3. Why Do We Need Fat?
4. What is a Balanced Meal – How Much Should We Eat?
5. Putting it all together – Meal Planning
6. Selecting Healthy Foods
7. Identifying Unhealthy Foods
8. Sample Menus

To have a better understanding, it helps to know basic information about the main macronutrients –

-Carbohydrates
-Proteins
-Fats

These macronutrients are important because they are the fuel in the food we eat – they make up your ‘calories’.

Some of you may be wondering why I chose “Best Diet Pill” as the title of my blog. Of all the emails I receive, the most questions that I receive (by far) are questions about which diet pill I would suggest. My answer, of course, is always that diet pills are not a good bet for losing weight.

Most people are looking for an easy solution - A magic pill or potion, or a weight loss secret that will help them lose 20 lbs in two weeks. Following a healthy diet and getting regular exercise will help you to lose weight faster than any pill.

One of my many projects is a website about diet pills. Diet Pill Review - Allows visitors to read and write reviews for diet pills. As you would expect, the reviews for diet pills are often mixed.

Just thought you should all know why I chose such a title for my blog.

10.    Consistency:

As with any plan or program, consistency is key.  If you were to follow these 10 rules for 3 days and then eat whatever / whenever you wanted for the other 4 days, then you would see little or no change in your health.  If you are consistent and eat smaller, more frequent meals – favoring healthy foods, then you will see results in your weight, health, and energy levels – I guarantee it.

9.    More Natural Fats / Less Saturated Fats:

Fat is another nutrient that gets a bad rap.  Bad fats should be avoided at all costs.  Anything that is submerged in oil and then cooked contains bad fats.  Healthy eating should not be restrictive, but eating something that is fried in oil is the worst thing that you can do for your body.

Bad fats:  Anything deep fried – french fries, onion rings, red meat, whole milk, butter, chips, etc.

Good fats:  Olive oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, flax, peanut butter (natural – not Skippy), walnuts, olmonds, olives, avocado, fish.

8. More Complex Carbs – Less Simple Carbs:

Complex carbs = rice, wheat bread, oats/oatmeal, potatoes, beans, anything WHOLE GRAIN.
Simple carbs = cake, candy, whole milk, chips, crackers, anything made by HOSTESS or FRITO LAY, etc.

Carbs receive a bad rap. The Atkins diet which preaches no carbs is a way to lose weight fast, but unfortunately robs your body of a primary source of energy – Carbs. Carbs give you the power to work a full day and still have energy when you get home to do the things you like to do. Carbs are the fuel your body needs to function throughout the day. It is important to understand the difference between Complex Carbohydrates and Simple Carbohydrates. Complex carbs are a better choice than Simple carbs because they digest slowly and give you body a slow/steady supply of ‘fuel’. Simple carbs are quickly digested and give you a surge of energy, but wear off quickly. If you eat a candy bar for lunch, you feel great – for about five minutes, then you probably become tired because your body has quickly used and digested the simple carbs. This is known as a ‘carb-crash’ or ‘sugar crash’. This is why eating that large piece of cake right after dinner makes you tired. You have just consumed a lot of sugar laden calories and now your body has no business working any of those calories off – it wants to sleep. Fruit and a handful of walnuts would have been a better choice for a late night snack.