Why A Journal Can Help You Reach Your Fitness Goals
Nutrition was not always a topic of so much interest as it is nowadays. Before the food industry began to manipulate the foods we eat, people ate whole foods from the ground or animals slaughtered freshly. Today, we find ourselves deficient in basic vitamins and minerals. So the new focus on nutrition is, in part, to understand why.
Go grocery shopping shortly after eating a meal. If that isn’t possible, then eat a healthy snack and drink some water before shopping. If you feel satisfied you will be much less likely to impulse shop and buy whatever looks good at the moment. Impulsive food choices are often high in calories and fat.
To get your kids to eat healthier, use fruits as an alternative to sweet, sugary snacks. Make fruit smoothies with yogurt, or offer fruit with dip. You can also add them to foods your kids already enjoy. Try topping pancakes with strawberries and blueberries instead of syrup. If you make small changes your kids will be more willing to accept them.
Hot and spicy foods are a great addition to your diet. Foods that contain chilies, curry, cayenne or other hot peppers trigger endorphins. Endorphins are hormones that help people feel well balanced and good. These hormones act like natural morphine and helps to ease pain. Next time you are in pain, or just feeling down, eat something spicy.
Have a muffin or scone with your morning coffee instead of adding cream and sugar. The balance of the bitter coffee with a sweet pastry can be delicious and a real calorie reducer. Remember to try different roasts, light, dark or espresso to find the one that is right for you.
If you are eating breakfast out it is really easy to wolf down calories considering a lot of the breakfast foods available are full of carbs and sugar. The best solution to this is to have one item on your plate that is high in carbs and sugar and make sure everything else is very nutritious.
Soy has been known to be a great addition to any healthy diet. It has been shown to help prevent diseases like heart disease and cancer because of its essential fatty acids, iron, phosphorus, and other nutrients. It is great for eliminating blockages in arteries too. Soy also helps reduce cholesterol levels.
Drink one cup of green tea everyday as part of your daily fluid intake. The caffeine found in tea stimulates alertness and can improve your mood. Green tea is also a rich source of catechins, an antioxidant which scientists believe could protect against heart disease and prevent the formation of blood clots.
Initially, the food industry was praised for using science to find a way to create inexpensive food and feed many more people than was possible before the innovations. But with the rise of deficiencies and disease, a new focus on nutrition has arisen, and people have begun to question how the science has undermined basic rules of nutrition.