Benefits of Gluten Free Foods for Your Body

Gluten and Celiac
People with celiac disease are advised to stay away from food products with gluten. This is the reason why many health food stores and groceries offer gluten free foods. Gluten is a type of protein that is found in wheat, cereals and some grains. Its purpose is to maintain elasticity during fermentation, which prevents foods from having a sticky texture.


GLUTEN FREE FOOD

Individuals who suffer from celiac disease can't process gluten. The illness can lead to complications such as infertility and gastrointestinal troubles because gluten is a harmful invader to their body. Their bodies' immune system creates a response that damages the small intestines and results in several nutritional deficiencies and gastrointestinal issues.

Foods for People without Celiac Disease
Gluten is found in most processed foods. Going on a diet means avoiding eating processed foods, which often contain a lot of empty calories anyway. Avoiding processed foods becomes a natural way to lose weight.
There are people who are sensitive to gluten but don't suffer from celiac disease. They would feel better with a diet consisting of gluten free foods. Gluten sensitivity is a common condition where people have adverse reactions to gluten. Some of its symptoms include stomach pain, bloating, fatigue, and pain in joints and bones.
When going on a diet, you eat more vegetables and fruits. They are healthy food sources without starch. A gluten free diet eliminates unhealthy oils and unhealthy carbohydrates from your system. It also reduces the risk of some cancers, diabetes, and even heart disease. The diet can also help protect from germs and viruses.
A gluten free diet can help you lose weight. It is composed of gluten free foods that have essential carbohydrates, proteins and fat. You just have to keep the right portion size and choose starches without gluten such as sweet potatoes and brown rice.
Choosing the Right Foods
It is easier to find foods without gluten today compared to the past. But not all of them are healthy as some contain high amounts of cholesterol and saturated fats. Since people with celiac disease can safely eat lean meat, fish, vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy products, a gluten free diet will be made up of natural foods.

If you have symptoms of celiac disease, or other symptoms of gluten sensitivity, then it will be beneficial to start eating gluten free foods. Though it is a great natural weight loss method, food choices will be limited because gluten is found in so many foods. You have to give up on breakfast cereals, breads, crackers, pastas, and most processed foods with gluten. You can also decrease your nutrient intake without a properly balanced diet when choosing gluten free. Therefore, it is ideal to consult with a dietician before going on a gluten free diet.

Get rid of gluten from your diet now!




by R. Swierkowski

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How fat loss works in your body - the suprising truth

Nutrition Pyramid Clarified

The nutrition pyramid is now called USDA's My Plate. It's a huge improvement over the confusing and hard to understand pyramid from before.

My Plate
My Plate looks just how it sounds, like a plate. The plate is split in half down the middle. The left hand side is half vegetables and fruit, and the right hand side is half grains and protein. There is a small cup of dairy to the top right corner of the plate.
It's a simple update to its predecessor, My Pyramid. And, it utilizes something that we use on a daily basis, the plate, to show exactly how it needs to look.
The Advantages
The one great advantage of My Plate is that it clearly defines how you need to select your food groups. One half is vegetables and fruit. The other half is grains and proteins.

There aren't any measurements to take, or needing to weigh any portions. You see the relationship of the different food groups, and know what to put on your plate.
Also, it's easy to remember. With My Pyramid, I couldn't recall how many servings of each food group to incorporate into my meals. There was just too much information to remember.
The Disadvantages
The picture may be a little too simple. Let's say I was presented with the My Plate visual.
Okay, I can see how my plate needs to look like. But what kind of fruits and vegetables? Do fried pickles and caramel apples count? (Of course not.)
What about white rice and a fatty porterhouse steak? I can make my plate look like the picture, but with what kinds of foods?
When you go to USDA's website, they give more information as to what kind of foods to eat for each category, but that information is not found in the picture. As with any food nutrition guide, it's very useful to use common sense.
Foods that are fried or soaked in butter are not the healthiest for you, even if there is some glimmer of a vegetable hidden behind the breading. Sticking with foods that are lean, fresh, and wholesome are your best bets.
Another disadvantage I find with the My Plate visual is that there is no account for exercise and activity. Maybe the USDA could add a stick figure walking after the meal? Or, running towards the plate?

Nutrition is 75% of the equation to lose weight, but exercise plays a role too. When you include exercise into your daily routine, you'll find it easy to lose pregnancy weight and keep it off too.
All in all the My Plate is a huge improvement over the My Pyramid. The nutrition pyramid had too much information to process.
Use the My Plate picture to build your meals, and remember to stick with the fundamentals of sound nutrition. Lean protein, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and low fat dairy are the building blocks to any meal.

 Source: by Kristine Kay

How to Lose Weight in 1 Month

Do You Need to Be Taking Vitamins?

When it comes to staying healthy, Americans, and people all around the world, try extreme measures. From starving themselves to damaging their bodies with hours each day of exercise. However, there are some healthier ways to stay healthy and to maintain the balance of your system and that is by taking vitamins. Vitamins allow you to keep your insides healthy and they are a safe and effective way of giving your body what it needs.

Everyone needs to have specific levels of nutrients in their bodies. However, not every body naturally produces the nutrients that a body needs. This can happen to people of any age; however, as you get older your body produces less nutrients on its own. That is when you can turn to vitamins to get the nutrients that your body needs. You can find any type of vitamin that you are looking for at your local discount store, health store or online. If you are having trouble finding a specific type of vitamin, then the Internet is going to be a good choice for you.

If you are wondering what nutrients that you are deficient in, then a trip to your doctor will be in order. Your doctor can run blood tests to determine what Vitamins that you might need in order to be healthy. In some cases a urine analysis will be all he or she needs to find what you should be taking, but for a thorough workup, a blood test will be needed.
Your own body might also be telling you that you need to take some Vitamins. For example if you need more iron, you may be feeling tired all of the time. If you need more calcium, then you may find that you get a lot of muscle cramps. If you need more Vitamin A, you may find that your skin gets so dry that it cracks and bleeds and that when you get a wound it takes longer to clot and heal. Because these can also be signs of diabetes, if you experience these symptoms you should visit your doctor.

Choosing the right Vitamins is not rocket science. A simple one a day vitamin might be the answer to your vitamin needs. However, if you are younger and you experience symptoms that you believe are caused by a vitamin deficiency, then take a quick trip to your doctor for confirmation and start taking the vitamins that you need.

by John Black
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The Best Protein Sources

Every single diet which is considered healthy and balanced has to contain proteins. Normally, we get all the necessary proteins from food, and we need them for the health and development of our muscles. We also need them for weight loss. In this article, we are going to discuss more about the best protein sources.

We have two different types of proteins: complete and incomplete. The first type, complete proteins, includes the essential amino acids. Complete proteins are usually found in foods like eggs, meat, poultry, fish, milk and dairy products. Of these all, eggs contain the largest amount of proteins. Besides the proteins of animal origin, complete proteins can be found in plans like, soybeans. The other type, incomplete proteins, includes a small selection of some essential amino acids. These proteins are generally found in plant foods, vegetables, seeds and nuts, grains, etc.

Below we will describe some of the best protein sources today.
One of the best protein sources is seafood. It doesn't contain too much fat. Also, fish like salmon, is in the group of fatty fish because of the high amount of fat it contains. However, it is known for its concentration of essential omega-3 fatty acids. As you may already know these acids are extremely beneficial for our heart.
Another great source of proteins is dairy products. Milk, cheese, yoghurt, cream are loaded with proteins and some important vitamins and minerals. Their function in the prevention of bone-related diseases, like osteoporosis, and the health of our teeth is undeniable. If you are planning to lose some weight, you can always choose low-fat or skim milk.
We have already mentioned that eggs are a great source of proteins, especially complete proteins. One egg a day is usually recommended for adults.
Meat is also full of proteins. We especially recommend consuming white poultry meat because of the lean proteins it contains.

If you are a vegetarian, you can easily obtain the necessary proteins from beans. At the same time, they are full of fibers. We would like to highlight the value of soybeans. They contain complete proteins and more than six essential amino acids. In this group, we would like to include legumes and nuts since they are very rich in proteins.
If you include all these foods into your diet, you have all the chances to enjoy a healthy and balanced diet. This is very important for proper growth and development and proper functioning of our body.

Source:  by John M Dotox

How You Really Lose Weight

Why You Should Choose A Vegetarian Diet

There are many benefits that people can derive if they resort to a vegetarian diet. Meat-based meals are very tasty, but these are not for everyone.


The reason is that many people get sick in the long run if they eat meat excessively and this will manifest in the form of elevated cholesterol levels, growth of certain cancers, and high blood pressure. Those who prefer a vegetarian diet do not have such problems and scientists have also discovered that vegetarians are less prone to cancer. Furthermore, vegetarians are not overweight or do not need to be on "a diet" to lose excess poundage.
Many people are now turning to a vegetarian diet because they want to live longer. Incidentally, there are a number of ethical reasons that have spurred people into becoming vegetable lovers. First, food wastage is a problem in many countries and there is an excess supply of grains and soybeans. These are used to feed livestock and one can imagine if people learn how to eat these things. Moreover, starvation can be eradicated in many countries if vegetables are used more often in their diets. Sadly, this is not the case and plenty of food are not used properly or ended up being thrown away as waste.

Another fact that many people overlook is that livestock excrement is produced thirty times more than humans can produce. Since there is a need for meat products, the overproduction of these animals that feed the population can have a possible disastrous effect to the environment. To illustrate this point, cows emit a huge amount of methane gas towards the atmosphere and this contributes to global warming. Also, feed animals are not treated humanely especially when they are being killed in slaughterhouses. For these reasons, it is not surprising that a vegetarian diet is something that many people now prefer because it contributes very much to their well-being.

A great majority of vegetarians do not eat meat, poultry or even products from the sea. Some people do eat fish or chicken sometimes, but they stick to their vegetarian diet. People may wonder what vegetarians eat and they will find that majority of them will consume fruits, dried beans, nuts, seeds, peas and grains to name a few. These vegetarians get all the nutrients they need under a vegetarian diet, but they have to eat various foods in order to get the much-needed nutrients for their bodies.

Incidentally, people who want to try the so-called vegan diet can eat anything except eggs, dairy products, fish, poultry and meat. Another kind of this diet is the Lacto- vegetarian wherein people can eat dairy products such as cheese, butter, yogurt and milk. Lastly, people can go for the Lacto-ovo vegetarian diet that will allow them to eat dairy products and eggs. Planning a vegetarian diet is necessary so that people are able to prepare themselves very well. The secret to this diet is eating the right quantities of food and dividing them into food groups.

Ralph Wilhelm-dude17111 is an online researcher and marketer.

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3 Easy Healthy Salads | Clean & Delicious

Whats your favourite salad? Share with us.

Eating Organic Food to Lose Weight

                 

With more and more people getting diagnosed of certain diseases mostly caused by weight problems, a lot of people are now in search for the best way to lose weight. Searching for a diet or a weight loss program is a daunting task these days, since a person can find hundreds of such programs when he does his search online.

This basically means that there is a big possibility that more than half of the programs he can find, may not be able to help him in achieving his goals in losing his excess baggage. Thus, it is better to start it off by following a healthy diet, which he can do in eating organic food.
Many people are now making use of organic food, because it will not risk their health, being free from harmful toxins and other dangerous materials, which come from pesticides and other synthetic substances.

If you want to lose weight the healthy way, then it is best that you start eating food that are grown organically, since they will not just help you in your dreams of losing weight, but they would also help you in attaining a better general well being.
You must be wondering why eating such kind of food would help you loose weight, when the main difference is just they are free from harmful chemicals and toxins. Actually, there are a lot more differences between organic and non-organic food, and one of which is the fact that organic food are proven to have higher concentrations of vitamins and minerals than synthetically produced food. These higher amounts of vitamins and minerals will help your body in various processes, which basically means that it would be able to function normally and easier. Aside from that, since vitamins such as ascorbic acid help your body in fighting off diseases, then you will become healthier, and more energetic, which means that you would be able to perform your daily exercise routines with ease.

Aside from higher vitamins and minerals content, organic food are also known to contain more antioxidants, which will help your body in getting rid of toxins, which you have accumulated in eating and using certain things that were produced by synthetic substances. In getting rid of these toxins, your body's rate of metabolism would actually increase, which would mean that you will start to burn more fats than usual.
Many people are wondering why they are not able to get rid of stubborn fats even when they perform various exercise routines daily, and following certain types of weight loss programs. A possible reason behind it is that, the stubborn fats are hiding behind the toxins, and while they are staying inside the body of the person, they continue to bring down the person's rate of metabolism, which can result to a person continuously gaining weight.

With higher levels of antioxidants, a person's body would be able to get rid of these toxins, and in flushing them out of your system, the stubborn fats would also be flushed out with them, which basically promotes weight loss and increase in metabolic rate.
By eating organic food, you will simply feel better, and be energetic each and every day of your life. You would be able to do everything that you plan to do, which would also mean that you will be able to achieve more than just losing weight.

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By Kenneth T K Tan

Nutrition at Work Guide

Nutrition at work
Okay...we all know that this is a tough one. Everyone likes to eat, it is just old-fashioned human nature. The problem is that we have access to some delicious and not so healthy foods in the workplace (and everywhere else for that matter) and it is so easy to make a bad call.
If we understand, however, that some foods have a very bad effect on us, we can find it easier to avoid them. In this section, we'll look at the way our food choices affect our outlook or mood, how they regulate our level of energy, and how they impact our body weight.
We will then look at the modern "food pyramid," which the USDA recently renamed the "food plate" and changed into a plate segmented into the different food groups.
Your diet and your mood
Now, you may say "I hate dieting..." and that is a reflection of your ATTITUDE towards dieting, but this is not the same as eating and your mood. The diet that you consume is not the restrictive "diet" that you follow to lose weight, but is the different foods that you eat throughout each day in order to stay alive.
So, you can forget about hating dieting because that is not the mood we mean. What we mean is the way that your food choices directly impact how you feel at the moment, and you may be surprised to learn that what you put in your mouth has a lot to do about the way you may feel about the world an hour later.
For example, let's say you are pooped out at 3 PM and go to the candy machine for your favorite sweet. You enjoy that little pick me up (even though you feel very guilty about the calories and fat you just consumed, and this plays a part in your mood in a little while) but you notice that the energy you received from the candy is quickly burned up and before 5 PM you are "dragging" again. You are also feeling a bit cranky and moody too, and annoyed at yourself for making such a fattening choice.

What just happened? You ate what are known as "empty calories". These are a form of energy that hits the blood stream right away. This causes the bodily organ known as the pancreas to secrete insulin (which is used to digest sugar properly) in order to prevent the blood glucose from going too high at once. Sadly, this fails and creates what we call a "backlash" that lets the glucose level plummet again, and always within two to five hours afterward. It doesn't end here though because each time blood glucose levels "crash" they force the body to generate too much adrenaline, which causes nervousness and irritability.
You can avoid all of this by feeding the body a steady supply of good foods that are of the "long slow burn" type. This means the good old complex carbs like bananas or potatoes.
Diet and Energy
Did you just have an "aha!" moment or do you know all of this already? Most people are well aware of the need to avoid those empty calories, but are not always sure how to get an adequate supply of calories either.
The answer is very simple - you eat all of the time! Well, you eat at least five times per day. When you sit at a desk, you are not burning many calories, so it means you have to choose wisely. It also means that you need to choose the things that give you a good amount of energy without also slowing you down. So, if you are what many diet experts call a "grazer" who eats fruits and vegetables, grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy foods throughout the day...well, you aren't likely to ever reach for the candy bars and coffee again!
It really requires you to start at the very beginning and understand how diet and weight work...
Your diet and your weight
If you need to know how to maintain a healthy weight, meaning you are hoping to learn how many calories you should eat each day, you start with the "BMR".
This is the basal metabolic rate, which is the amount of energy needed for your body to function in an "at rest" or "seated at desk all day" state. You will be happy to hear that around 60 to 70 percent of your daily calories are burned up by this activity.
Use the famous Harris Benedict formulas below to figure out your BMR:

• Adult male: 66 + (6.3 x body weight in lbs.) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years); or
• Adult female: 65 + (4.3 x weight in lbs.) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years).

So, you can eat that much and not gain weight? Not yet! You also have to know the "thermic effects of food" which are really the calories used by the body to digest food that it has eaten! The easiest way to determine YOUR thermic caloric burn is to multiply the total number of calories consumed by ten percent.
So you take the BMR and the thermic effect and use those to understand if you have eaten enough that day? Not yet, because you have to remember that you DO move around, especially if you do all of the recommended exercising at work!
You will want to go online and get a table of figures that shows you how many calories you are burning each day. If you eat fewer than burned, you lose weight. If you keep things on an "even keel" you maintain the body weight, and if you eat more than you burn...well, you gain weight.

So, what is the optimal way to eat? Let's turn the USDAs recommendations for a good set of guidelines.
Food Plates
Whether you use the American Food Plate or the British Eatwell Plate or any other food guidelines, you are going to find that most use "food groups".
Food Groups
These tend to consist of five standard categories that include:

• Protein - This will always include: Beef; poultry; fish; eggs; nuts and seeds; and beans and peas, split peas, lentils, and tofu.
• Vegetables and Fruits
• Dairy - Milk, yogurt, cheese, and soy milk
• Grain - Bread, cereal, rice, and pasta. Whole -wheat bread, oatmeal, and brown rice as well as any other "whole grain" foods.
• Fat - both polyunsaturated or monounsaturated are the preferred options

The food pyramid system tended to break things up, and the food plates emulate this model.
Note that grains are the dominant food and that fruits and vegetables are "tied" for second. Next in line is protein, followed by dairy and then fats and sweets are given a tiny place in the configuration. Today, the food plate doesn't leave any space for fats or empty calories, but you have to be realistic and accept that you use sugar in your coffee or enjoy the occasional goodie. It is simply a good illustration of the basic motto: "all things in moderation".
That's all well and fine you say, but how and when do I eat these things? Step One is to make an eating schedule that prevents you from ingesting foods around two hours before bed. This is because it disrupts sleep and prevents absorption.

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by Luke Norman