The following healthy eating tips will help you feel great, look great, carry out every-day activities better and empower you to keep it up for many years to come. Poor health for most women is the build up of poor life-long nutrition choices and the lack of exercise, both cardiovascular and weight exercise. If you make good choices now and exercise on a regular basis, you're less likely to become a strain on the health system years later.
And it's been proven over and over for many years that women who do make these good choices tend to be healthier and live longer.
You've probably heard most nutritionists say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And it is because if you eat breakfast you'll not only gain fuel for a high-energy and productive day, but you'll also have a tendency to make better food choices during the remainder of the day.
The mistake most women make when making a choice for breakfast is to just eat cereal. And it doesn't help with all of the commercials out their telling us that cereal is all you need.
Yes, cereals rich in fiber like bran flakes, oat bran, all-bran, and raisin bran are very healthy for you. And most types of cereal with a banana, strawberries, low-fat milk etc are very good for you.
But it's important to know that while they may contain ample carbohydrates, calcium, fiber, other nutrients, are low in fat and easy and quick to make, they don't contain nearly enough protein.
And it's the protein that's more than likely the missing ingredient in your diet.
Your muscles need protein, and cannot function properly without it. Women who attempt to lose fat and/or tone up their muscles, will get the best results when they consume an ample amount of protein with breakfast. But it difficult to get good quality protein during breakfast, unless you were to eat a bunch of eggs and bacon, which of course would lead to a whole other problem So how do you get enough protein without eating fat? Well the only way you can is to include Whey protein. Whey protein is a powdered supplement that you can buy in any health food store and most super-markets. All you have to do is either mix one scoop in with your cereal (it dissolves very easily) or just stir a scoop in a glass of water. Either way it's the best way to get the protein you need at breakfast. Don't focus on any one meal. All of your meals should be nutritionally well-balanced. Meaning they should contain protein, carbohydrates and some fat. Fat will help dramatically to keep your energy levels high. If you're dieting you need continually fuel your body throughout the entire day. This means a minimum of 4, but preferably 6 meals each and every day. This way you'll have the energy to exercise properly and won't crave any large unhealthy meals.
Don't get caught up in the Fat-free food frenzy. Fat-free foods are very high in simple carbohydrates and will increase your insulin, which will *Feed* your fat cells making you fatter very quickly.
A good nutrition plan starts when you're making your grocery list. Then of course you have to stick to the list! Another good idea is to shop for your groceries just after you've eaten. This way you won't be tempted to fill up the cart with junk food.
Nutritionally poor food is fine in moderation. But don't over-do it. Take one day each week to satisfy your cravings. You won't eliminate all the good things you've done over the rest of the week. There's little wrong with it and in fact it'll help you stay on track.
If you try to eliminate your favorite *junk food* completely it'll lead to binge eating in only a couple of weeks. Then you'll have a lot of trouble getting back on track.
When it comes to meats chicken, tuna (and most other fish) and turkey are your best choices. They're lower in fat, which means they're lower in calories as well and have less cholesterol.
But don't eliminate red meats. They're not only an excellent source of protein but also of iron, zinc and creatine (which helps tremendously with fitness). So try to include a couple of meals each week that contain red meats.
Banana's, oranges, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits are the best fruits. They're rich in vitamin C and potassium. Eat fruit and drink juices daily. But be aware fruits and fruit juices contain a lot of calories, so if you're trying to lose weight once a day is good enough.
Supplements are meant to supplement healthy eating, not compensate for poor eating habits. But if you aren't getting the nutrients you need, for example you'd need to drink a ton of milk plus take other calcium rich foods each day to get the calcium you need, then a calcium pill a day may be a good idea.
Exercise is not an option. Cardiovascular exercise and more importantly resistance exercise (weight lifting) is essential for good long-term health. Muscles will increase your metabolism making it possible to lose fat, and resistance exercise has amazing benefits for your heart and other organs.
A daily vitamin E may help protect against heart disease and cancer. Because people cannot easily get enough vitamin E in common foods, a supplement of 200 to 400 international units (IUs) per day is a wise health investment. -Phil Beckett
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