Dieting - Share Your Experience

Joey Atlas asked:


A frequently asked fat loss related question asked of a lot of Professional Personal Trainers is, “So, what foods did you eat yesterday?” or some variation of that common question. It’s a great question because it gives people some insight as to what diet habits one should follow to feel and look their best in their quest for optimal weight and health.

Well, my answer for one of my favorite all around fat burning lunches is:

- 1/2 can chick peas (garbanzos) [Eden brand in non-BPA lined]

- 3/4 cup fresh chopped baby carrots

- 1 tablespoon of raisins - red or green

- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or red-wine vinegar

- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

- sea salt & crushed black pepper to taste

I always prefer to choose fresh organic foods when possible and convenient…

How does this easy fat reduction/weight loss recipe burn fat?

- it is under 400 calories (a big difference compared to a lot of other unhealthy foods people choose for breakfast, lunch or dinner)

- it has well-balanced amounts of protein, fiber and healthy high nutrient value carbohydrates (the good ones)

- since this fitness meal is highly unprocessed, the body has to work at breaking down the foods, a great thing for boosting metabolism.

You can even add some garlic powder and/or onion powder to give this simple diet recipe a nice spicy kick. You can actually add almost any spice or herb without adding calories - which only helps to enhance the fat loss value of the recipe. This happens by making you feel satisfied since you ate something quite flavorful and appetizing - unlike many other bland or sodium loaded, packaged diet foods.

Feel free to create your own healthy variation of this tasty fat loss combo - buy using a different type of bean, a different vegetable, different spices or condiments - or a different type of dried fruit.

You really can’t mess this fat loss recipe up. It’s fast, easy and in a healthy way - somewhat addicting. It’s also a great model for creating other simple and appetizing weight loss recipes.

What most people like about this type of recipe is that it only takes about 7 minutes to prepare and you can make extra to refrigerate for the next day.

Another untold benefit of this type of recipe is that your family will even like it - making your life that much easier.

So you really have nothing to lose. The only thing you have to lose is unwanted body fat.



Marie

Roger Wakefield asked:


The Mediterranean Diet is based on the diet of people living in Greece, Italy, Southern France and Spain. Mediterraneans consume about the same amount of fat as Northern Europeans and Americans yet live longer, have a lower incidence of heart disease and cancer, and lower cholesterol levels.

An American doctor called Ancel Keys was the first person to comments favourably on the Mediterranean diet, way back in 1945, but its current popularity is based on research and observations from the last twenty years. The surprising thing is that people living in the Mediterranean typically consume more fat than North European countries and the USA, but have much reduced incidence of heart disease - the exact reasons are unknown, but it is likely that the main reason is that most of the fat in the Mediterranean Diet comes from olive oil and that there is more physical labour involved in their lives.

Nevertheless, we can all use Mediterranean diet recipes in our daily lives to be more healthy.

The Mediterranean Diet is rich in olive oil, fresh fruit and vegetables, legumes, fish and unrefined cereals. Mediterranean people have a moderate consumption of dairy products and wine, and a low consumption of meat, meat products and saturated fat. The typical constituents of a Mediterranean diet are:-

Olive Oil

People living in the Mediterranean use olive oil, a monounsaturated oil, instead of saturated fats. They drizzle olive oil on their bread instead of butter, they use it as a salad dressing and cook with it.

Olive oil is rich in vitamins and antioxidants which help to prevent cancer, clogging of the arteries and heart disease. Olive oil lowers bad cholesterol and increases the amount of good cholesterol, keeping our arteries healthy. It helps to keep our digestive systems healthy, is good for brain development and is thought to help dissolve blood clots.

Look in your recipe collection for diet recipes using olive oil and substitute olive oil for saturated fats.

Fish

Northern Europeans and Americans eat a diet high in red meat, Mediterraneans eat a diet high in fish and shellfish. Red meat is a source of saturated fat which can cause heart disease whereas fish and shellfish are high in minerals and proteins, and low in fat. Oily fish such as salmon, fresh tuna, anchovies and swordfish are a good source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids which help to prevent heart disease.

Browse online for free recipes and Mediterranean diet recipes to incorporate more oily fish into your diet.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

The Mediterranean Diet is high in fresh fruit and vegetables. Mediterranean people shop at markets and buy fresh, seasonal produce. Fruit and vegetables are high in fibre, vitamins and minerals including antioxidants and do not contain cholesterol. A diet high in fruit and vegetables helps to protect us against cancer and heart disease, and also keeps our digestive systems healthy.

Wholegrains

Wholegrains are rich in essential vitamins and fibre. The fibre helps to keep our digestive systems in good working order. Wholegrains help to reduce cholesterol, reduce our risk of heart disease, some types of cancer and diabetes.

Legumes

Legumes are a good source of vitamins, minerals and soluble fibre. They help to reduce cholesterol, keep our digestive systems healthy and help to balance blood sugar levels. Look for diet recipes which use dried beans and pulses and add beans to stews and casseroles.

Red Wine

Mediterraneans enjoy drinking red wine in moderate amounts. Red wine is rich in flavanoids which contain antioxidants.

It is fairly easy to find Mediterranean diet recipes to add to our recipe collection, and even easier to modify our normal recipes to include more of the above foods, so why not give it a try.



Aubrey

Oliver Turner asked:


Dr.Arthur Agatston, a cardiologist and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Miami Medical School, created South Beach Diet. It was charted mainly to work with your body safely and efficiently. This system helps you to rely on right carbohydrates and fats. Thus the consumption of bad carbohydrates and fats are completely avoided. Following this diet, one could reduce his/her weight up to 8 to 13 pounds in mere 2 weeks.

The South Beach Diet consists of 3 phases:

Phase 1

The duration of first phase lasts for fourteen days. In this phase, the south beach diet recipes include normal meals consisting of chicken, fish, beef, shellfish, turkey, eggs, lots of vegetables, nuts, cheese, and garden salads using original olive oil for salad dressing. That is, every day for two weeks the dieter consumes 3 well-balanced meals. Besides this, the dieter can also have snacks between his/her breakfast and lunch. During this phase the dieter is recommended to take lots of drinking water.

However, there are several things the dieter has to avoid during the first phase of the South Beach Diet. The south beach diet recipes which are avoided in phase 1 include rice, bread, baked foods, pasta, fruits, ice cream, cookies, sugar, and cake. There is nothing to worry about eliminating all these foods as all these foods will be included into your diet in the second phase. Even though you will find it difficult to adjust o the diet, on seeing the results, you will be extremely happy that you won’t give up.

Phase 2

Phase 2 is quite different from that of Phase 1. The dieter needs to continue with the second phase until he/she has lost the desired weight. Hence, the duration of this phase will vary from one individual to the other. The length of this phase purely depends upon the individual, how he/she follow the diet program, and how his/her body reacts to the program.

It is to be noted that, by the time you start the second phase, you would have already reduced the weight by 8 to 13 pounds, provided you have strictly followed the South Beach Diet program.

One of the main advantages of South Beach Diet program is that, by following this diet program, you are not limiting your daily food; instead you are consuming foods that deposits less fat in your body. In Phase 2 some of foods you have avoided during Phase 1 will be added back. Though the weight loss during Phase 2 will not be dramatic, it will be constant. Generally, the weight loss in this phase will be around 1 to 2 pounds.

Phase 3

Phase 3 starts when you have reduced your weight to the desired level. By the time you have reached Phase 3, the diet will be similar like your normal eating habit and you can follow that for the rest of your life. In between, if you feel your weight is increasing, you only need to modify the food and the amounts slightly.

Besides reducing the body weight and reducing fats, the South Beach Diet helps to improve one’s cardiovascular system. This helps one to reduce the risk of heart attack to a great extend.

Keep in mind that the end result of South Beach Diet program purely depends on how well an individual follows the diet recommendations. Hence make sure that you follow it correctly.



Christian

Tracie Johanson asked:


Considering that about 65% of our population is either overweight or obese, it should come as no surprise that most Americans are actively seeking sound advice on how to choose a diet plan that’s right for them. Unfortunately, the sheer number of weight loss tips and diet tips available have made finding the right weight loss program confusing at best.

The Problem Is Too Many Choices:

There is a staggering number of diet products on the market today, from the Atkins Diet to the Zone Diet. Compounding the confusion is the vast array of weight loss pills, patches and creams available.

With so many diet and nutrition weight loss products on the market, consumers looking for health advice find themselves overwhelmed by too much information.

Sometimes, Expert Advice Poses An Even Bigger Problem:

In February 2006 a news story muddied the waters even more. The Women’s Health Initiative reported that low fat diets may not offer the health benefits we had previously thought. They researched the connection between a low-fat diet and a woman’s risk of heart disease and cancer.

Limited in the space and time they have to report on health tips and news, the media failed to report the full story. Unfortunately, the result was that most major media outlets reported the ‘Death Of The Low Fat Diet’. The average person, perhaps thinking they were getting a tip on losing weight or maintaining a healthy diet, was misled.

Reading the full study, however, revealed that the researchers did not intend to steer the public away from low fat foods or low fat recipes. Indeed, entire volumes have been written about the benefits of a low fat diet, and one narrowly focused study will not change that fact. “Despite the virtues of this study — particularly its size and its design — it is a single study, and leaves some unanswered questions. Therefore, it does not constitute the final word on the subject of nutrition in older women” (Source: Harvard Health Publications; Harvard Medical School).

Sometimes even the free medical advice from our government only serves to confuse the public. For example, consider the recent news about trans fat and saturated fat regarding food labeling requirements. For the first time in our nation’s history, food labels will now have to disclose how much trans fat is contained in the product. Added to the aforementioned research on low fat diets, these two facts bewilder and baffle the average consumer who may not understand the different types of fat in foods.

Another fine example of expert advice perplexing the public can be seen by the fact that our government has periodically changed the ideal weight chart and the recommended body fat percentage for both men and women.

So How Do Choose The Best Diet Product For You?

The first step in selecting the best diet plan for you is to find free diet information and free advice about weight control. Many reputable and reliable resources are available, one of the best being health clubs. Gyms that are focused on truly helping people achieve weight loss success will feature informative and free articles on their website. The federal government also sponsors and hosts some excellent sites that are packed with free diet information.

When seeking the best diet product for you, keep in mind that every person is unique, with separate and distinct tastes and preferences. In other words, the weight loss plan that works for you may not work for me. Some people claim that the Maker’s Diet is the best weight loss diet on the market today. Others favor the diet foods offered by the South Beach Diet. Even the best weight loss program in the world is worthless if it’s not a good match for you personally. For easy weight loss to be realized, then, it’s critical to examine many different diet products to find one that fits your individual personality.

Personalize Your Diet Plan For Optimum Results:

If you absolutely love bread, then the Atkins diet recipes will not work for you. In the same way, Weight Watcher recipes won’t help you much if you’re not an active participant in the Weight Watcher Point program. Attempting to force yourself into diet program that doesn’t fit your personality or tastes will inevitably lead to failure.

A much better approach is to find a diet system that parallels your individual preferences. Whichever diet program you select, it is important that it be a diet you can stick with for life. Forcing yourself into a diet plan that’s not right for you will only make you disappointed and discouraged.

To Lose Weight Fast, Don’t Forget Weight Loss Exercise!

As we’ve seen, the experts argue about which diet is best. It seems that every weight control system has doctors and research to back up their claims. However, it cannot be disputed that the path to healthy weight loss will always include a combination of diet and exercise. It is only when you exercise to lose weight, combined with a healthy diet and sound nutritional practices, that you can achieve true fat loss and solve your weight issue once and for all. It’s not an exaggeration to say that attempting weight management without exercise is like trying to build a house without a hammer - when you’re trying to lose fat, why leave out the most effective tool?

That being said, our sound advice on how to choose a quick weight loss diet is to remember these diet tips from Pick Up The Pace: 1) If a diet has gained national exposure, it has probably worked for someone. 2) Just because a diet has worked for someone else doesn’t mean it will work for you. 3) Any given diet program can probably help somebody, but no diet program will help everybody. 4) Any fast weight loss diet must include regular exercise to be effective.



Heidi

Dr. Ken Woods asked:


It is a good idea to carry out detoxification of our bodies often. This necessarily may not mean swearing off hamburgers, French fries and beer for a couple of days. Our bodies accumulate waste and toxins that in due course of time will attack our immune system and other areas of our body hampering our normal healthy body functions. Most important is the fact that when burden of these toxins increases, they begin to rampage as free radicals, attacking the immune system and leaving our bodies susceptible to a host of opportunistic diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, gastrointestinal tract problems, MS and others.

Many of us assume that a few mega-vitamins and supplements will certainly take care of us and there is some truth to this assumption but, that is not all. Our bodies do need a tune-up occasionally. A detoxification cleansing is that tune-up that our bodies require at regular interval of time to allow our system to function optimally and keep it pure.

The foods to stay away from are processed foods, foods with artificial sweetener added to it, foods fried in oil, red meat, pork, chicken, and any other critters except fish. Also avoid the diet drinks, beers, whole milk, the cereal aisle at the market and stay away from munchies, for that period.

There are many detox diet recipes available. Recipe books and recipes on internet are readily available. In fact, given the right formulas, you too can use your creativity and master the art of preparing your own detox recipes and writing your own book too.

The basic dietary pool to choose from are unprocessed foods which are rich in fiber. This should definitely include fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, brown rice, oats, raw nuts, fresh fish, fresh fruit juices and plenty of water.

Out of all these foods that you are allowed to eat while consuming detox diet, make a list of your favorite foods, then start writing out your own recipes for each meal, so you ensure yourself delicious meals well in advance. This will help you continue with your detox diet plan more effectively and also help you to develop your taste for fiber rich nutritious food.

The Mediterraneans were always aware of healthy eating habits. Mediterranean diets are very popular because most of their meals are low in fat, low in carbohydrates. There are many Greek and Turkish recipes available online that will qualify as detox diets. Different recipes for preparation of several varieties of vegetable soup using combinations of fiber and nutrient rich ingredients can be accessed from wide choice of diet sites.

Cabbage soup is a very popular and included in detox diet . It is very satisfying and gives you a feeling of fullness. This is the best part of the fiber rich food. It is very satiating and always prevents you from over eating. So is Gazpacho. A Spanish soup prepared from tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber and fresh garlic clove.

This soup is served cold. Another great detox diet recipe is called “Dave’s Detox Surprise”. This detox soup is prepared from following ingredients. Firstly 2 quarts of water is brought to a simmer. Later add to it 2 finely chopped onions, one half of a garlic clove, finely minced, four stewed tomatoes (after removing the skin) and then diced. To this add two chopped carrots, 7 ounces of sliced mushrooms, 3/4 of a cup of brown rice and two beef bullion cubes. Let this soup simmer for about one hour on a low heat, then is best, served hot.

To add to the taste serve “Dave’s Detox Surprise” along with a boiled en tree of Red pepper, sprinkled with lemon juice and a side dish of fresh green beans with mushrooms and crushed almonds. This combination would certainly be a delicious mouth watering meal!

Your food selection for preparation of any detox diet recipes that you like will certainly test your creativity. Idea of being able to eat the food you can enjoy will motivate you to stay on track and not give up the challenge. The more variety of recipes that you can come up with, the easier your detoxification process will be. It is rightly said variety is the spices of life. There is a saying in Asian culture , “A cup of brown rice is worth a thousand recipes”. More on Detoxification Diets at http://www.mastercleanse-review.com



Lorena

Linda Miller asked:


If you have struggled with a weight problem for the most part of your life or are in the thick of one right now, then you would surely be looking for diets that can cut your weight cut down to the right size. You most probably would have heard about the famous South Beach diet - and you would most probably be questioning its effectiveness.

Tired of the harsh food restrictions that come with typical diets? The South Beach Diet lets you eat these delicious foods - yes, we’re talking about carbs. And The South Beach Diet has been proven to work brilliantly.

While majority of the diet programs contain recipes that involve very little or no fats and carbohydrates, the South Beach Diet emphasizes on knowing the difference between good carbs and bad carbs, and between good fats and bad fats. What is recommended to avoid are foods with a high glycemic index, because they increase your blood sugar levels too rapidly and weaken the body’s capacity to process fats and sugars.

Among the fats, what is forbidden are the saturated fats because they contribute to heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases. Thus, to make the South Beach Diet work, all a weight watcher has to do is cut off bad carbohydrates and saturated fats from his plate, while enjoying foods based on good carbs and good fats.

Successful South Beach Dieters will attest to the benefits they derived from the South Beach Diet. One of the most popular aspects of the South Beach Diet is its phase structure. The 3 phases of the South Beach Diet are flexible and not difficult to follow, and this makes the South Beach Diet much easier to stick to than other, more restrictive diets.

Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet is probably the most difficult, because this is when you have to stay away from many of the things you enjoy eating. Luckily, though, this is the shortest phase - just 2 weeks. In Phase 1, you eat healthy food and drink loads of water causing your body to let go of unhealthy cravings and providing an overall cleansing of yoru body.

Once you make it through Phase 1, the second phase will be a breeze. Phase 2 of the South Beach Diet gives you more freedom to eat what you want. You will also start to see some of the weight loss you set in motion during Phase 1. The second phase of the South Beach Diet continues until you reach your desired weight. Once you enter Phase 2, you will notice 2 amazing things: (1) you are losing weight, and (2) you have tons of energy.

The third phase of the South Beach Diet is the part you carry with you for the rest of your life. Phase 3 is known as the maintenance phase because now it is up to you to maintain the weight you worked so hard to take off in Phases 1 and 2. One of the most important things you will learn from the South Beach Diet is the importance of choosing to eat healthy foods as a lifestyle, not just a temporary diet plan. During Phase 3, you are given much more latitude in your diet choices, but it is very important that you don’t go back to the eating style that caused you to gain weight in the first place.

Now you know the 3 phases of the South Beach Diet and how effectively the South Beach Diet works. With this information in hand, now is the time to search for South Beach Diet recipes and begin to see how great they work to quench your appetite while trimming your waistline!



Hayley

Seattle asked:


A diabetic diet is a specially designed eating plan that is high in carbohydrates and low in fat. People with diabetes don’t need to go out and purchase special foods to maintain a diabetic diet, they can eat the same foods as the whole family. A healthy diet based on the diabetes food pyramid is beneficial to diabetics and non-diabetics alike.

Making healthy food choices is not so hard. All it takes is a little bit of planning to include all your favorite foods. But first, you need to understand the basics of a diabetic diet.

A diabetes diet or meal plan should be based on the specially designed diabetic food pyramid. The diabetes food pyramid groups foods based on their carbohydrate and protein content and not on how they classify as a food. Foods are divided into six groups, with fats, oils and sweets on the very top (so eat less of these) and bread, cereals, pasta and rice on the bottom (so eat more of these).

Breads, cereals and the like are foods that are high in carbohydrates. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) suggests 6-11 servings per day. Sample servings are: 1 slice of bread; ¾ cup dry cereal or 1/3 cup of rice or pasta.

Vegetables should also be eaten in plenty as they are naturally low in fat and a high in fibre, not to mention vitamins and minerals. The ADA suggests eating 3-5 servings per day. A sample serving is 1 cup of vegetables (raw) or ½ cup (cooked). Fruits are also recommended, so add about 2-4 servings, which translates to about 1 small fresh fruit or ½ cup canned fruit. Eat a little less of meat and beware of foods like potato chips, candy, cookies, which have high levels of sugar and fat.

Your fat and sugar intake should be limited. The ADA suggests keeping servings very small (sample serving size is ½ cup of ice cream or 2 small cookies) and to keep them for a special treat.

A quick Internet search for “Diabetes diet” or “Cooking for people with diabetes” brings up numerous dietary suggestions in the form of recipe books to buy and have at home or online diet recipes which you can print out and use. The ADA has a “Recipe of the Day” section with lots of great ideas targeted at those living with diabetes or friends of diabetics. As for books, the ADA recommends “Mr. Food’s Quick and Easy Diabetic Cooking” and Nancy S. Hughes’s ” Quick & Easy Low-Carb Cooking for People with Diabetes”.

The right plan will help diabetics improve blood glucose levels, blood pressure, cholesterol and keep weight balanced. To complement your diet, add regular exercise to your lifestyle to help your body use glucose.



Tiara

Jon Caldwell asked:


Eating unhealthy foods has resulted in unwanted weight gain. However there are a lot of diets that have originated in answer to this unhealthy condition. One unique diet is the negative calorie diet recipe. It is specifically designed to cause fat loss.

The premise behind the negative calorie diet recipe is the belief that there are negative calorie foods that take more calories to digest than the actual calorie content of these foods and so creating a negative caloric effect. The added energy to break down these foods is taken from the stored fat in the body causing weight loss through the negative calorie diet. For example an apple containing 50 calories may require 100 calories to digest via the negative calorie diet recipe. So an additional 50 calories have been burnt simply by eating that particular food via the negative calorie diet. These calories are taken from the bodys fat reserves in the negative calorie diet recipe.

A negative calorie diet recipe includes particular fruits and vegetables. These are apples, asparagus, beets, blueberries, broccoli, cantaloupes, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cranberries, cucumber, garlic, grapefruit, green cabbage, oranges, papaya, pineapple, spinach, strawberries, turnip, watermelon, zucchini, and several more found in the negative calorie diet recipe. Allthese types of foods are very healthy and nutritious at the same time complementing the negative calorie diet recipe. So this negative calorie diet recipe is particularly beneficial for our body.

There is no point in wasting time with diets that you know you are never going to follow. Eating tasteless food, diet pills, zero calories diet and neither is starving yourselves or your food cravings going to help.

You can indeed achieve the slim and trim look you want without going into hunger pangs. Simply choose a diet that you would love to follow and you will see amazing results there are many different types of diets that you can choose from.

In some of these diets, you can actually continue eating your normal food portions while working towards the body type that you desire.

The brain doesn’t function as well. The thyroid is suppressed. Blood sugar can become imbalanced. We might lose bone density or experience decreased muscle tissue. There is a risk of higher blood pressure, lowered immune capacity and inflammatory responses. Additionally, too much cortisol actually contributes to abdominal fat; the very condition we are trying to avoid.

By supplying a constant level of whole foods, our bodies can more competently respond. The full regimen of B-vitamins (most readily available from whole grains), not only provide stress-calming chemicals for our brain, but lubricates our joints, aids in digestion, and affords us a slow-and-steady release of nutrients, so that sugar levels do not rise or fall suddenly.

The vitamins and minerals from fresh fruits and vegetables nourish internal organs, provide energy and promote calmness. (We are, by now, familiar with the benefits of calcium, magnesium, vitamin c, and zinc for countering stress and protecting our immune system).

Not only does the action of releasing cortisol send messages to other hormone-producing organs to shut down growth, reproduction and immune systems; but the adverse side-effects of long-term cortisol production are well-documented.



Esther

Wade Robins asked:


People think that fibrous foods taste bad and are boring. But this is simply wrong because many natural foods contain fiber and most of them are good flavored with lot and lots of nutrients. Therefore different recipes can be used which can make high fiber foods taste good. Daily eating same kinds of recipes make people fed up from these types of foods and so it is a good practice trying new recipes everyday. Especially in the case of high fiber foods as these types of foods are almost perfect for inventing new recipes and we can make our own favorites from these lists. Foods high in fiber really taste good but it is a general opinion of the people that food containing fiber is not very delicious.

High Fibers Recipes: Food

The best source of fibers is in the form of fruits and vegetables and if we combine these with other elements of our diet, we can make tremendous recipes which are also high in fiber. It doesn’t mean that we can’t use fruits and vegetables separately as using fruits and vegetables raw is more beneficial. We can also make good recipes using whole grains. It is also good that we use fresh ingredients and it is also advisable to check for nutritious value of ingredients.

It is a good practice of trying out new recipes. Adding high fibers to our diet is not a difficult task as we can add them to our diet by simply changing and mixing different recipes. For instance if we use whole grain bread for sandwiches we can gain additional fibers similarly addition of different vegetables to one of our favorite soup can also provide us with more fibers. It’s all about planning. It is actually a lot fun with mixing and testing different recipes while getting the desired fiber diet. Recipes contain high fiber are in fact delicious as well as easy to cook. And so they should be added to our daily meals. And it will not only be good for you but will be beneficial for other people who you serve with your cooking.

Importance of High Fiber Recipes:

The digestive system works a lot better when fibrous food is used. It keeps the working of the body perfect and also helps in problem like indigestion and constipation. Fiber is also responsible for the elimination of waste through the colon and intestines.

Fruits also provide some of the highest fiber foods without the same risk, as do cereals and nuts. By consuming your five portions a day of fruit and whole grain breads and cereals, you can really benefit in the right way from the nutritional value of fiber. If you want to see just how much fiber every item of food has in it, you can check out the nutritional labels on all foods for information. The dose is usually measured in grams but modern labeling will also tell you how much of your recommended daily dose is in every service of the product.



Terry

Patricia Church asked:


What sounds more cozy and satisfying on a chilly day, or when the sun fades and it finally cools down in the evening, than a comforting bowl of flavorful soup? In addition to the warmth and comfort soup can offer, it’s also a “secret weapon” for both improved health AND weight loss!

A study was performed in a laboratory in which twenty-four lean women ate breakfast, lunch and dinner under supervision in the lab on one day a week for a total of four weeks. On three of the four days, these women ate one of three different types of “snacks” seventeen minutes before sitting down to the lunch meal. One type of pre-lunch “snack” was a measured portion of chicken and rice casserole. The second type was the same amount of chicken and rice casserole served with a glass of water. The third type was a bowl of chicken and rice soup, which contained the exact same measured amounts of both the casserole and the water that had previously been served separately.

The average amount of calories these women ate at lunch following the pre-lunch snack of soup was significantly lower than on the other days when either just the casserole or the casserole plus a glass of water was ingested prior to the meal. Also, these women did not compensate for the smaller calorie intake at lunch by eating a larger dinner later in the day.

The result of this study suggests that eating soup can help a person to feel full and satisfied while taking in fewer calories. This is just one reason soup is considered to be an essential component of the Tortoise Diet’s “Daily Seven for Success.” Regularly enjoying broth-based soups filled with colorful vegetables and heart-healthy legumes is an easy way to increase the intake of fiber, phytonutrients, vitamins and low-fat protein- all in one satisfying bowl. In addition, eating a hot liquidy concoction, one spoonful at a time, forces a person to slow down the act of eating. This allows the stomach to get the “I’m full” message sooner, so over-eating is less likely.

You’ll find several excellent recipes for delicious, nutrient-dense soups in my book, The Tortoise Diet. The following is just one of the many “How Low Can You Go?” recipes you’ll find located in Appendix C. All of these recipes are intended not only to be nutritious, but to be quick and easy enough for anyone to be able to regularly whip up in their own kitchen. Making this recipe for Minestrone Soup, for example, requires just a few minutes to gather the ingredients, clean and chop the vegetables, open a few cans, and toss everything into a pot.

Once the soup has simmered for an hour or so, you’ll have a week’s worth of individual servings to place into serving-sized containers and pop into the refrigerator or freezer. Throughout the week, it will be a snap to toss one of these containers into a lunch bag, to take with you when you leave the house. The frozen container will help to keep the contents of your lunch bag chilled until you are ready to pop it into the microwave to heat and eat.

So, for your health and for your weight loss … EAT LOTS OF SOUP!

THE TORTOISE DIET RECIPE FOR MINESTRONE SOUP

Place all of the following ingredients into a large stockpot:

1 can fat-free chicken broth plus 32 ounces of water ( may delete the broth and instead use three chicken, vegetable or beef bullion cubes, if desired) 2 cans stewed tomatoes, including liquid 1 can great northern beans, garbanzo beans, or cannellini beans, including liquid 1 can kidney beans, including liquid 2 cans cut green beans, including liquid 1 can (12 ounces) vegetable juice (like V-8) 2 stalks celery, diced 3 carrots, cut into bite sized pieces 1 small onion, diced 1 whole bay leaf 2 cloves garlic, cut into fourths and placed into the broth 1 teaspoon oregano 1½ teaspoons dried thyme 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes Salt and pepper, to taste

Add salt only after the soup has been simmering for 30 minutes or so, after you’ve tasted it, as the liquids already added contain salt.

Simmer for 1 to 2 hours until vegetables are tender.

During the last ½ hour or so of simmering, add 1/4 cup (dry) tiny elbow pasta. During the last 5 minutes of simmering, add 2/3 cup green peas.

Entire recipe = approximately 1,500 calories.

Sprinkle each serving with 2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese, if desired (adds 50 calories).



Owen