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Is My Salad Making Me Fat? - The Truth about Salad

“Is My Salad Making Me Fat?”

It’s Sunday and like every week I am in the kitchen, rigorously planning meals in prep for the busy week to come.  As a working mom I have definitely learned that if we don’t have planned out meals and even some prepped ahead of time, Fast Food becomes our family’s best friend. Well for several months now I have been taking Sunday afternoons to make a weekly meal plan and it has been an amazing positive impact on our budget as well as our eating habits.

In support of my healthy eating habits my husband has committed to Eating Salad at least once a day.  OK Trend Tip moms this is where the funny part comes in- My husbands idea of Eating Salad is a head of lettuce topped with a lb of cheese, bacon bits , croutons and don’t let me forget the container of buttermilk ranch.   How can he always find a way to make any healthy menu items rich with fat and preservatives?  It got me thinking so of course I let my fingers do some research and came across a few great articles that I thought were Perfect in title and content and had to share with all the other Salad eating Trendy Mom’s out there: “Is My Salad Making Me Fat?”  Well whether you choose vinaigrette that’s loaded with oil or add an overly generous sprinkling of honey-toasted nuts, it’s easy to pile on extra fat and calories without even realizing it. One of the pieces I read mentions that several restaurant salad with dressing can even have as many as 1,000 calories.

The great article I read is by Carly Young – Special to Life Script – I hope you like the article as much as I did.  “Is My Salad Making Me Fat?”

Although salads are usually perceived as healthy diet food, piling extra goodies on top of your greens can wreck havoc on any healthy eating plan. Mounds of dressing, endless chunks of full-fat cheese and a slew of greasy bacon bits won’t help you shrink your waistline. If you want a salad that’s truly good for you, make sure you use the right combination of ingredients. First, start with your base – spinach, romaine lettuce, chicory, and arugula are all great choices. If you can’t decide on just one to choose, then don’t. Create a mixture of several leafy greens to surprise your taste buds with an unexpected combination of flavors and textures. Next, add some protein. Grilled chicken, egg whites, walnuts, lentils, and tofu are all delicious. A real protein superstar is salmon, which is packed with heart-protecting omega-3 fatty acids. To keep your salads interesting, try using different marinades on cooked meats or tofu (you can bake or grill the tofu beforehand or just use the raw cubes). One day, coat chicken in lemon juice before grilling and throw it onto your greens. The next day, try marinating tofu in a soy-ginger chili sauce to add some extra zing. While you should limit the serving of protein to 3 ounces, you have license to go wild with extra fruits and veggies. Throw on cherry tomatoes, apple slices, shredded carrots, mushrooms, beets, and grapes with abandon. Their high fiber content will keep you full, and their antioxidants will fight free radical damage. To ensure that you have the optimal amount of antioxidants, take a look at the color of your salad. If it’s a beautiful mixture of color, then you’re good to go. Next, it’s time to add dressing, the finishing touch. Since fats help keep your salad healthy, don’t think your only choices are tasteless, non-fat dressings. Olive oil, low-fat ranch, low-fat Italian, and balsamic vinaigrette are all good choices. Now the only thing left to do? Dig in and congratulate yourself for making a food choice that will benefit your body, mind and waist!

Other great support articles can be found on:

·         http://www.lifescript.com/Body/Diet/Diet-tips

·         http://eating.health.com

·      15 Best Diet Tips Ever  - How do successful losers do it? To find out, WebMD asked experts across the country for their best diet tips. … Best Diet Tip No. 1: Drink plenty of water or …

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The Facts on ACAI Berries - Weight Loss Tips that Work

The Facts on Acai Berries and Green Tea Helping with Weight Loss:

Harvested by Brazilians for hundreds of years as a food staple and for their rejuvenating and detoxifying properties, Acai berries (fruit of Amazonian Acai Palms) have been all over the media, from articles in fitness magazines to features on popular television programs like 0prah and the Today show, and thousands of people all over the world say that Acai berry products help them live a healthier life that is full of energy and vitality.

But we’ve taken these little purple powerhouses one step further. By combining Acai extract with a combination of nutrients including Chromium, Green Tea and L-Theanine, Acai Berry Select gives you a distinctive edge over simple Acai extract alone when trying to lose weight.

To see more great details on ACAI Berry Select - CLICK HERE.

Check out additional Feedback and Details Below:

No. 1: Açaí

Nature’s Energy Fruit

It may seem odd to start this list of superfoods with one you’ve likely never even heard of. But studies have shown that this little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world! Açaí (ah-sigh-ee) is the high-energy berry of a special Amazon palm tree. Harvested in the rainforests of Brazil, açaí tastes like a vibrant blend of berries and chocolate. Hidden within its royal purple pigment is the magic that makes it nature’s perfect energy fruit. Açaí is packed full of antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids. Although açaí may not be available in your local supermarket, you can find it in several health food and gourmet stores (often in juice form). A new product featuring the unsweetened pulp is now also available, and I highly recommend that you choose this form of açaí.

Açaí pulp contains:

• A remarkable concentration of antioxidants that help combat premature aging, with 10 times more antioxidants than red grapes and 10 to 30 times the anthocyanins of red wine.
• A synergy of monounsaturated (healthy) fats, dietary fiber and phytosterols to help promote cardiovascular and digestive health.
• An almost perfect essential amino acid complex in conjunction with valuable trace minerals, vital to proper muscle contraction and regeneration.

The fatty acid content in açaí resembles that of olive oil, and is rich in monounsaturated oleic acid. Oleic acid is important for a number of reasons. It helps omega-3 fish oils penetrate the cell membrane; together they help make cell membranes more supple. By keeping the cell membrane supple, all hormones, neurotransmitter and insulin receptors function more efficiently. This is particularly important because high insulin levels create an inflammatory state, and we know, inflammation causes aging.

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Biggest Looser Low Down

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Healthy and Cheep - Home Cooked Meals

Everyone is seeing a hit to the pockets and purses these days with the increase in prices for food and fuel.  Eating Healthy can still be economical and it eating out less and make more meals at home can be the key.

Eating out may be easier but it creates an opportunity for you to indulge in foods that aren’t exactly on the healthy list. Take advantage of the healthy benefits of Home-cooked meals, it will help to save money and create a healthier diet for you and your family.

It’s easy to get started on your Home Cooked Meal kick. Pick out some favorite recipes, face it these days there are so many ways to find healthy recipes online you have no excuses. Now use some of the tips here to start thinking of healthier alternatives to substitute for standard ingredients in the recipe.  Use some of the suggestions below, and your boring cooking will have an added but healthier kick. Before you know it the family won’t be begging to go out to eat but they’ll be begging you for another helping. 

1. Whole grains.It’s easy to replace white-flour pastas and white rice with wheat pastas, brown rice, wild rice, bulgur, barley, or quinoa and your family won’t even notice. You can also replace half or more of the white flour in a recipe with whole-wheat flour what a healthy difference it will make.
2. Portions - smaller amounts. Often you can reduce the amounts of oil, sugar, and salt that a recipe calls for — and no one will know the difference. Don’t forget you can use other, healthier seasonings and extracts to add more flavor.
3. Low-fat. Choose lean cuts of meat, or go vegetarian alternatives – Tofu.
4. Low Fat Dairy products - slim and skim. When it comes to dairy products, choose low-fat versions of milk, cheeses, or yogurts.
5. Vegetables and Fruits. When a recipe calls for veggies or fruits don’t skimp in fact, don’t be afraid to add more. Even if a recipe doesn’t call for veggies, add them any way. Veggies can add the added nutrition you need as well as additional color for pazaz.
6. Substitutions. Did you know that you can sometimes use apple sauce as a replacement for butter or oil in recipes for baked goods? Egg whites instead of full eggs or wine, vinegar, or broth in place of oil for cooking.
7. The most important thing is to be creative and add some of your favorite’s recipes to create healthier meals.

For more information on tips like this or others on how to save money when shopping visit Hip and Healthy or Hip Home Maker.

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How to Increase Your Metabolism - Are they Myth’s?

How to Increase Metabolism – The myth’s about how Weight Loss Products Affect Metabolism 

With weight loss and the importance of body image increasing, the number of new products supporting weight loss has spread like wild fire.  These products range in claims from improving metabolic rates to assisting with appetite suppression. These products make claim that their varied contents will help better metabolic rate there for burn more calories bringing about faster weight loss.  One major concern among consumer is that many of these products are not FDA Approved and/or haven’t been reviewed by certified professionals.  Since there is no formal or documented review, these products claims or results are under strong skepticism as there is no way to certify that they are fact. My recommendation is that the next time you go searching for weight loss support or a product to help you on your way to weight loss, you do your own research.  When I say do your own research I don’t mean read labels.  The labels of the product will likely not have the FDA approval and won’t warn of negative side effects that may occur. Remember not having FDA approvals doesn’t automatically mean that the product will not help.   Educate yourself! There are products prepared with herbal combinations that have received rave reviews on their results on weight loss as well as effect on energy levels.  One of the best methods to certify the reliability of product claims is to read public reviews on products. These public reviews are typically done by actual users, people just like you that want to share the pro’s and con’s that they experienced when using such products.  Their claims are personal and will give you a real life understanding of side effects and realistic results. In addition look for reviews from general forum on weight loss.  Negative reviews can sometimes be the best source of information – remember take the combination of information to make a good decision on which of these metabolism boosting products is for you.   

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The Perfect After School Snack

The PERFECT After School Snack

As the School Year kicks into gear lunch boxes are being packed, lunch money is being counted and thousands of parents and children are drawing battle lines over the important issue of after-school snacks.

Racing from School to after school activities doesn’t help the cause, as the simple solutions for after school snacks typically lead to a closet of unhealthy alternatives like chips, sugary juice boxes and the list goes on. 

Left to their own devices, the average grade-schooler can quickly come up with a list of items that they would dig into if not for the guidance of their parents. Now lets get realistic we aren’t gong to convince our children to head home and peel a fresh carrot or jump into a bag of granola, but it is possible to make an after snack healthy and easy.  The Perfect After School Snack.

Good News there is a middle ground when it comes to the Perfect After school snack. Yes that is right something that appeals to your child’s sweet tooth but still hits your list of a healthy menu.

Here are just a few quick ideas to fill the bellies of your school ager that will tide them over until dinner without turning them into the overweight kids we hear about every time we turn on a health-related show. Ask yourself; “Are you making your kids FAT?”  

Starting Simple

When I say “raisins,” – Don’t think boring.  There are several great ways you can convince your child to eat those little purplish dried grapes and love it.

·         How about a preparing a few stalks of celery and your favorite jar of peanut butter and add those great raisins to the top for a little sweet kick. These also travel well, provided you don’t overstuff, for school lunch packing.

·         A Healthy alternative to Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – Use Sugar alternatives and Apples Sauce as a substitute to Oil – This traditional cookie your kids love can be made healthy and they won’t even know the difference.

Who knew that Jerky could be a healthy snack – now you know.

·         Beef, chicken or turkey jerky is another great, simple snack. Watch the spice, though! Some of the big national brands specialize in “peppered” jerky that can be a bit too intense for young palates.

Meat and Cheese Roll Ups are a hit with my kids they could be with yours too.

·         Give your kid a piece of deli meat and a piece of string cheese, and they’ll  probably eat it, but roll the cheese up in the meat and slap one of those “party” toothpicks and this simple snack now becomes something special and they’ll sure to be asked for more.

·         Another great idea is tortilla rollups, with small (or halved) flour tortillas used to roll up anything from peanut butter to cheese spreads to tuna or ham salad.

Fresh Fruits

·         Weather it’s just having fresh fruits hanging around the house or creating a bit of variety by cutting the apple into French Fry slices instead of wedges. That little bit of variety can make all the difference.

Remember Get your Kids involved.  Teaching Healthy Eating Habits early can make all the difference and if you get them involved you may be surprised at the ideas they will come up with.

Another quick hint is to Hang a Food Pyramid on the fridge and remind your kids to

The updated Food Guide Pyramid offers specialized recommendations based on age, height, weight and activity levels. Go to MyPyramid.gov to get your recommendations.

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Hoodia is the Hot Weight Loss Tip - IT WORKS

Hoodia

Hoodia gordonii is awfully popular diet aid that is sweeping the nation in popularity. This plant grows in Kalahari Desert of South Africa and is customarily mistaken as cactus, but the reality is it is a tender plant. The plant matures after about four to seven years. They conducted few tests and they found out that it has active ingredient which they called p57. They called it that since it was their 57th project that time. Phytopharm was the first company that acquired the rights of Hoodia.
Yes, there are plenty of different diet tablets out there and each claim that they can make you shed the pounds but nothing beats Hoodia gordonii since this works by fooling you in to feeling that you are full without eating at all. It can even boost your metabolism; all these can make you shed pounds. You never know, those fake products can be damaging to your wellbeing. For you to get the genuine one, you should buy with a credible company. Take a look at the company if it’s been in the business for long time and has satisfied tons of clients. There are plenty of company that offer this diet tablet, you can do a little research and find the one that is credible enough to reassure you that you will get real ones. Yes, you have to spend small effort and time in finding the right company and real Hoodia, but it is worthwhile in time, since the genuine ones can effectively make you shed the pounds. It might not be that straightforward but you can do it slowly. You can change your habits few steps at a time. You have to eat healthy foods and drink tons of water. Just make efforts to select the one that may make you enjoy.

Learn How To Get 2 Free Bottles of Hoodia Gordonii Plus by Clicking Here Now!

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6 Quick Tips To Burn Fat while you eat!!

6 Quick Tips To BURN FAT while you eat!!

POWER of Protein - Immediately everyone thinks STEAK right?  Not so fast - protein is a KEY to your fat burning success but there are so many great ways to get your Protein and that don’t have to come from a cow. Eat FISH!! Chances are you aren’t eating enough of this great source of lean protein. Not only is it a great source of Protein it also has additional benefits like Omega-3 fatty acids.  That’s right these are the fatty acids you are constantly hearing about that have great health benefits.  Don’t forget about Beans and Nuts also a wonderful source of protein and these ingredients can act as a great complement to any salad or veggie blend. Let’s also not forget about all the great veggie patties and soy meats that have made getting protein for non meat eaters easy and tasty.

HEALTHY WHOLE GRAINS - Did you know that Whole Grains can do wonders for stubborn flabby areas around your midsection?  Bye Bye Belly - Hello Lean and Sexy adding Whole Grains can be easy if you follow some of the healthy instructions in The Hungry Girl Cook Book.   One of the easiest ways to get your Whole Grains is a quick and easy bowl of Oatmeal in the morning.  I favor the Kashi GoLean’s Hot Cereal packs in 7 whole grains and a big 5 - 7g fiber! Can you say Nummy.

GRAPEFRUIT - If you’re like me, come mid day the sweet tooth starts to lurk around every corner begging you for something sweet.  Don’t give into the sweet tooth monster, give it a kick with a healthy but tasty Grapefruit.  Full of Vitamin C and powerful antioxidants and it definitely helps to know that it has been shown in studies to help Burn Fat. The theory is that grapefruit helps to lower insulin levels, which keeps you from being hungry all the time! I’m not suggesting a Grapefruit diet but those Ruby Reds are MIGHTY delicious and Perfect for a Sweet tooth Snack Attack! If it’s too sour for you straight, sprinkle it with some no-calorie sweetener like Splenda

P.S. my Hungry Girl Secret is the easy Dannon Fruit Naturals - Red Grapefruit (you can find them in most grocery store refrigerated sections)

GO GO GREEN TEA - Poppy had Spinach - This Hungry Girl has Green tea.  That’s right you here about it EVERYWHERE as the “super food”. Weather its articles about how it has reduced rates of heart disease and cancer or helps with hair loss you can’t help but wonder what the rage is about.  Green tea has been shown to increase metabolism, which is key in our battle with weight loss. I have to admit it isn’t at the top of my must have list but the Hungry Girl secret is Green Tea Crème Swappuccino! Delicious and only 75 calories.

FOODS - With a KICK - I swear with the pregnancy of my second child I became a Spicy Food Fanatic and who knew it was good for me.  I don’t know why but once I had her I couldn’t get enough of the HOT stuff.  Tabasco Sauce, Jalapeno’s anything to add a KICK to my food and I was on board.  Well come to find out that little kick of spice in your food helps to increase your heart rate and a temporary increase in your metabolism, burning fat a little easier even if just for a moment.  A quick hit with cayenne, red pepper flakes, or whatever hot sauce you fancy should do the trick and get your blood pumping. And these spices are practically calorie-free. OH YEAH!!!  

WATER - Drinking your 8 glasses of water a day is key to your Hungry Girl success. Don’t like the taste of water?  With the variety of great flavored waters or sugar free additives on the market, finding a flavor to flatter your taste buds should be easy.  Still not convinced that drinking water is good for you? Keep reading and learn more about the benefits of drinking water:  Water  contains no calories (check Nutritional Info on the flavored bottled water or additives may contain low calorie counts)  Drinking water helps hydrate skin, water is important in maintaining the health of your skin it can assist in a more youthful appearance and improves your skins elasticity. Don’t forget the best benefit of all; drinking water can help boost your energy levels.

Hungry for More?

Check out Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World. The book’s a New York Times Best Seller, and it’s packed with 165 super-easy and delicious recipes, survival guides for eating out, and so much more!

For a daily dose of guilt-free tips, tricks, food finds, recipes and more, visit hungry-girl.com or subscribe to my trendy tips of the week and receive great hints like this and more.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-does-200-calories-look-like.htm

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Water and Weight Loss - Can water help you loose the extra weight?

So my simple story starts with a cup of coffee, well OK about 5 cups a day but it wasn’t killing me, right???? No, but it was.  It was making a big impact on the amount of water I was drinking in a day and that was killing my desire to drink the right amount of water in the day.  

If you thought that drinking water wasn’t an intrigue part of your weight loss, think again. I always knew how important diet and exercise were to my weight loss, but never thought about the importance of hydration? So when I started to do some research on the best ways to improve weight loss I was amazed at how much damage I was doing by drinking my daily fix of caffeine.   

In fact did you know that if you drink coffee or other heavily caffeinated drinks such as Coke or Pepsi you should add an extra glass of water for every glass you have. Needless to say I was doing the opposite of what I needed to do to improve my weight loss and something needed to change.  The average person needs to drink about 64oz of water a day to sustain healthy hydration levels.  Even more important you need to keep things like hotter times of year, exercise and other activities may also increase your need for additional water intake.  Additional perspiration produced from these activities helps keep your body temperature constant and you need to replace the water you have used 

When it comes to Hydration and weight loss you have to keep it basic the more you move the more water your body craves to keep hydrated. Beware, we’ve all heard the scary stories of death by an over intake of water. Water intoxications otherwise known as hyper hydration or water poisoning is a potentially fatal disturbance in brain functions that results when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body is pushed outside of safe limits by over-consumption of water.^[1] Normal, healthy (both physically and nutritionally) individuals have little to worry about accidentally consuming too much water. Nearly all deaths related to water intoxication in normal individuals have resulted either from water drinking contests, in which individuals attempt to consume more than 10 liters (3 gallons) of water over the course of just a few minutes, or long bouts of intensive exercise during which electrolytes are not properly replenished, yet massive amounts of fluid are still consumed.  Symptoms of too much water are: dizziness, nausea, apathy, vomiting, and confusion many of the same symptoms will occur as dehydration so you need to be aware of how much you are actually drinking. 

• Be creative, you don’t need to get your daily water intake from drinking actual water.  Your body water intake can come from other dietary intake like fruits and vegetables. I have found an easy way to keep an eye on my water consumption is to carry a water bottle.  I try to spread out my water intake throughout the day and always drink an 8 ounce serving about 30 minutes before any meal. Not only does it help to hit my daily water serving quota but it also helps me to reduce my hunger before sitting down.  Sounds weird but it has been the perfect answer for me to help with over eating at meal times.  Listening to your body is always the answer - it’ll let you know when you’ve had to much or haven’t had enough. 
• Don’t like the taste of water?  With the variety of great flavored waters or sugar free additives on the market, finding a flavor to flatter your taste buds should be easy. 

Still not convinced that drinking water is good for you? Keep reading and learn more about the benefits of drinking water: Water  contains no calories (check Nutritional Info on the flavored bottled water or additives may contain low calorie counts)  Drinking water helps hydrate skin, water is important in maintaining the health of your skin it can assist in a more youthful appearance and improves your skins elasticity. Don’t forget the best benefit of all; drinking water can help boost your energy levels.  

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