Category Archives: Diet

Foods that Burn Body Fat

Posted on by
59

Well, before we get into it and I want to say that the list of foods below are there to help you make smarter decisions when ordering or cooking foods and will help you when working out and tying to eliminate the layer of fat that is covering your muscles.

So how do you pick the best foods that burn body fat? Easy. Look for foods that are considered thermogenic. Calorie for calorie, certain foods are considered to increase your metabolic rate – that is, they naturally increase energy expenditure – helping you burn body fat rather than storing it.  In reality, ALL foods are “thermogenic” because the body must use energy to digest them. This is known as the “thermic effect of food” (TEF) or “specific dynamic action of food.”

And when that occurs, your body taps into existing fat stores to meet energy demands, melting off the layer of fat covering up your six pack that you’ve been dying to show off. Even better, some foods have abilities to surpass their fat-burning effect. Certain choices result in fullness; some require energy to be broken down; and some can even release body fat elevating your metabolism.

A lot of people try to starve their nutrition in a bid to reduce fat. This approach can have spurious effects on the harmony of the body and is not a wise or healthy way to reduce fat. The right way to reduce fats would be to eat foods that reduce the possibility of further fat deposition, or foods that assist in burning fats, while also taking up calorie-burning exercises (like aerobics, yoga and resistance/weight training) to use up the past-stored fat in your body. The science is complicated and not necessary to grasp.  You need to understand which foods work to promote fat burning so you can capitalize on the best options and get rid of your unwanted fat. However, not all foods have the same thermic effect. Dietary fat has the lowest thermic effect. The most thermogenic food is lean protein from solid foods.

Question: What are the best fat burning foods, that help eliminate body fat?

Oats:   Oatmeal will help you reduce fat levels by providing sustainable energy and keeping you full so you don’t over eat mid morning. It’s full of plenty of fiber to maintain your insulin levels throughout the day.

A key to losing fat is to keep insulin levels lowered because insulin moves fat into storage more easily, especially if you’re not weight training regularly. Raisin and Barn cereal is another good example of breakfast food that’s rich in insoluble fiber, so is cooked barley.

Eggs:   A study showed that those who ate eggs for breakfast instead of bagels lost considerably more fat.  Not to mention the muscle-building power of the protein found in eggs because of it’s superior amino acid profile.  The fat in the yolk of the egg is the healthiest part and helps with slower digestion and reduces hunger therefore one of the best foods that burn body fat when eaten in moderation.

Poultry:   Poultry like chicken are low on fats and carbohydrates while have a good protein profile. Research has proven that the thermic effect of protein is the highest of all the macronutrients, requiring about 30% of the calories it contains, just for digestion and processing. An added bonus is that lean protein foods suppress your appetite! Try to incorporate the following lean proteins as well: Turkey breasts, Bison, Venison, Buffalo, very lean Red Meats like (top round and lean sirloin, as well as lean veal), just about any type of Fish, Shellfish and other Seafood.

Almonds and Walnuts:   These nuts are a great source of healthy fats. It has been seen that people who don’t consume healthy fats are more likely to gain weight than people who do. This is the reason why it’s very imprudent to eliminate healthy fats from your diet in a bid to reduce weight. Remember that healthy fats are needed for a harmonious functioning of the body because most of the body’s cell structure is made from these fats.

Olive Oil:   Your body cannot live without certain foods and “good fat” is one of them. That’s because approximately 70% of it Olive oil is one of those “good fat.” Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat, a type of fat that has many healthy benefits like preventing heart disease, colon cancer and controlling LDL (bad cholesterol). It’s also loaded with vitamin E and antioxidants.  Olive oil can increase the activity of certain chemicals called “uncoupling proteins.” These chemicals effectively “tell” the body to burn excess calories, rather than store it. Oil is one of the forgotten foods that burn body fat.

Water:   Though water would not count as a food, because it has no calories, it would need to mentioned that water helps improve the over-all metabolism of the body and thus helps burn fat. And of course, water helps flush out toxins and thus improves the capacity of the body to stay healthy. Certain foods are rich in their water content and thus help in the process of fat reduction. Regardless, keep cold water in your thermogenic food plan and rely on water’s other advantages: It keeps you hydrated, which assists with energy, absorption, being anabolic and is required to burn fat.  Staying hydrated can also help you keep your overall calories lower.

A Simple 3-Step Formula To Put Together A Fat-Burning Meal:

STEP 1: Select a green vegetable or fibrous vegetable such as asparagus, green beans, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, salad vegetables, etc., and then

STEP 2: Combine that with one of the lean proteins (previously mentioned above).

STEP 3: The lean protein and fibrous carb forms the foundation of your fat burning meal. From there, add natural starchy carbs or grains such as brown rice, oats, or sweet potatoes – in the amount your calorie needs dictate and to the degree your body can tolerate them (some people have a carb-intolerant body type). Fruit is also ok, but focus even more on the green and fibrous vegetables.

I hope that you enjoyed this research I did. It’s a great and healthy way to eat everyday regardless! Remember I’m not a doctor or dietician, just a girl that is interested in how to get the Maximum benefits out of food and have a healthy physique.

 

Here are some of the websites I pulled this information off of:

http://www.burnthefat.com/fat_burning_foods.html

http://www.home-workout-success.com/foods-that-burn-body-fat.html

http://www.iamnotobese.com/fat-burning-food-list.php

 

Get your Omega-3 with this amazing Pasta dish

Posted on by
20

Here in Italy it’s very common to use canned Tuna, it usually is in Olive Oil it renders the tuna more tasty and tender. You can always find either a salad or pasta dish with tuna. It’s quite delicious and healthy. This is a recipe that I developed a while back, I think I was about 18 I lived alone and I used to make it especially in the summer because it was light and easy to make. My friends would come over and we used to sit around and eat this and then get on with our day. They used to say that they loved this dish just as much as I did.

Everyone here in Italy has a version of this dish and they make it however they like, some add tomato sauce, some forfeit the olives, some add capers, and some just get the can and throw it on top of the cooked pasta without anything else; so as you can see it’s really optional and you can do however you like. I like it this version but in general I think that this dish is a fantastic way to eat something nutritional and light. Omega-3’s are very important in our diet and this is a simple way of getting them. I hope that you enjoy this dish and remember let’s be creative. I love spicy foods, so as you’ve probably noticed just about now there is always something spicy in my dishes, feel free to leave that out, it will taste just as good…that is one thing that I can’t seem to give up: my capsaicin. I love it!

Enjoy

 

Serves 2 – 3

Ingredients:

250 gr. Mezzemaniche*

2 cans Light Tuna (in Olive oil if possible), drained

6 Cherry tomatoes

5-6 Black olives (sliced)

½ Garlic clove

Chilies (optional)

Handful Parsley (chopped)

Olive oil

Salt to taste

 

Place a medium-sized pot of salted water to boil.

In a separate small pot put some water to boil, toss in your cherry tomatoes and allow to boil for about 2-3 minutes, just enough to get the sherry tomato skin off, drain and start to peel. Place on a cutting board and slice in half, over your kitchen sink squirt out the seeds and place the tomatoes aside.

In a pan over medium heat pour in some olive oil, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan, put your garlic (do not slice, you just want the aroma); allow 2 minutes to go by and join the tomatoes, allow to simmer for about 5 minutes and then add the rest of your ingredients, tuna, olives, chilies, parsley and salt; allow to cook at low heat for about another 5 minutes and then turn off heat and allow to rest.

In the meantime your pot of water should be boiling, throw in your pasta and cook for the time mentioned on the box generally 9 -11 minutes, drain and join with your tuna sauce, mix well and serve.

* I like Mezzemaniche, they are larger than Ditalini but you can use any pasta you like.

 

10 ways to speed up your Metabolism

Posted on by
21

I think that boosting your metabolism aids to weight loss and energy. Here is a list of how you can boost your metabolism naturally, without doing anything crazy.

1.     Never Skip Meals:  you want to make sure that your blood sugar stays leveled and if you skip meals you risk lowering it, when your sugar levels drop you get immediately hungry, which can cause you to binge or make wrong food choices. Eat smaller and healthier meals more frequently.

2.     Drink Water:  cold water is the best option, research shows that when you drink cold water your body expends extra calories warming it up to your body temperature. Subjects who drank 16 ounces of water at a time experienced a 30 percent increase in metabolic rate during the following hour.

3.     Spice it up: Hot food and spices like paprika, red pepper flakes, cayenne give your metabolism a real kick. A fiery meal can make your heart beat faster and even bring you out in a sweat – both signs your body is working harder and therefore burning more energy.

4.     Muscle Building: Building up muscle increases your resting metabolic rate and reduces your body fat levels. People who are really toned will have a slightly higher metabolism all the time, as women I suggest doing exercises that tone the body, like Pilates, Resistance training, Power Yoga (ashtanga, vinyasa, bikram).

5.     Exercise:  Cardio, Aerobics, even fast walking all improve definition and burn the fat that covers your muscles, especially belly fat. It even stays at this higher rate for three to four hours after you’ve finished your workout. I especially love Tracy Anderson, she does a combination of both Cardio and resistance.

6.     Caffeine: Research shoes that drinking Green Tea and Coffee can significantly increase your metabolic rate for a period of 3 hours. Caffeine is a stimulant that affects metabolism your central nervous system. Avoid putting sugar in your coffee or green tea, sugar turns into fat. And please; stay away from sodas.

7.     Get Real: Eat healthy, To maximize the calories burned through digestion and stave off hunger, get plenty of complex carbs (fruits, vegetables and beans) and eat a little protein with every meal. It doesn’t need to be meat; nuts, lowfat dairy, tofu, and beans are all good vegetarian protein sources.

8.     Manage your fat intake: Unsaturated fats – consumed in moderation can boost the metabolism. This includes omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, omega-6 fatty acids found in cereal grains.

9.     Sleep: If you’re tired because you haven’t slept your metabolism won’t have had the chance to recharge so it will be slower than normal. Plus your body will crave sweet foods to give it constant bursts of energy. So get a good eight-hour kip so you’re ready to start fighting the fat

10.    Avoid crash dieting: Crash diets — those involving eating fewer than 1,000 calories a day — are disastrous for anyone hoping to quicken their metabolism. Although these diets may help you drop pounds (at the expense of good nutrition), a high percentage of the loss comes from muscle. The lower your muscle mass, the slower your metabolism. The final result is a body that burns far fewer calories (and gains weight faster) than the one you had before the diet.

* This is research I did, I am not a physician or a dietician. I love figuring out the ways to make a women’s body healthier and sexier.

Benefits of Vinegar

Posted on by
Reply

Vinegar is a highly acidic substance that arises naturally from the fermentation of alcohol. Aside from its flavorful versatility, recent medical studies have made at least a few indications that vinegar has some impressive health benefits. Why they might exist isn’t yet very clear – some suspect that certain phytochemicals, or molecules that are found in certain plants, are the root cause. You might be surprised to learn that there are dozens of types of vinegar. The most common vinegars found in American kitchens are white distilled and apple cider, but the more adventurous may also use red wine vinegar; white wine vinegar; rice vinegar; or gourmet varieties, such as 25-year-old balsamic vinegar or rich black fig vinegar.

Vinegar can be made from just about any food that contains natural sugars. Yeast ferments these sugars into alcohol, and certain types of bacteria convert that alcohol a second time into vinegar. A weak acetic acid remains after this second fermentation; the acid has flavors reminiscent of the original fermented food, such as apples or grapes. Acetic acid is what gives vinegar its distinct tart taste.

Health Benefits:

The claims are many and some of the most impressive are listed below:

1.) Vinegar helps the body absorb calcium: Vinegar’s calcium absorption assistance is especially useful for people who are lactose intolerant. Their aversion to dairy limits the number of calcium containing foods available to them. But by eating calcium dense leafy greens with a little vinegar, one can work towards offsetting that deficiency. Those at risk for bone loss and Osteoporosis, especially middle-aged and older women, may stand to gain some very real health effects from vinegar consumption. As mentioned in the article’s introduction, vinegar is highly acidic. Its primary component is a substance called acetic acid, which has a very low pH – much like the body’s own naturally occurring digestive juices. According to some in the medical community, vinegar can thus assist the digestive system in breaking down certain other substances by incorporating a little more acidity into the digestive mix. Listed among these substances is calcium. While calcium supplements are widely available to those at risk of Osteoporosis, it’s the amount of the mineral absorbed that makes the difference between a healthy and unhealthy bone structure. By consuming vinegar before calcium, one may be able to increase the ratio of absorbed and used calcium to calcium taken in.

2.) Vinegar helps people with type 2 diabetes: It appears to increase insulin sensitivity in those who are insulin resistant. In a 2007 medical study 11 patients were directed to consume two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar diluted with water right before bed. When they woke up, their blood sugar levels were, on average, between four and six percent lower than control subjects who did not consume the vinegar. Though the study was small enough to be considered only preliminary, it did seem to show that vinegar may be an effective tool in managing blood sugar levels for Diabetes patients. Other earlier studies also support this hypothesis. In a 2004 medical study conducted by the American Diabetes Association, it was found that those who consumed apple cider vinegar before a meal heavy in carbohydrates had lower blood sugar levels than those who didn’t.

3.) Vinegar helps with weight control: Many cultures have used vinegar as a weight loss aid. Many observational studies as well have linked vinegar with healthier overall weight. White vinegar (and perhaps other types) might help people feel full faster than those who don’t consume it. So; in turn you eat fewer calories and smaller meals. 1/2 a cup of vinegar has only 25 calories. Vinegar can be used to replace high-fat foods like mayonnaise and tartar sauce. And help you control what you eat. Remember to consume in moderation too much of anything is not good for you.

4.) Vinegar helps with pesticides: Some people are concerned that eating large amounts of fruits and vegetables may lead to an unhealthy consumption of pesticide and other farm-chemical residues. Vinegar can lend a hand here, too. Washing produce in a mixture of water and vinegar appears to help remove certain pesticides, according to the small amount of research that has been published. Vinegar also appears to be helpful in getting rid of harmful bacteria on fruits and vegetables. To help remove potentially harmful residues, mix a solution of 10 percent vinegar to 90 percent water (for example, mix one cup of white vinegar in nine cups of water). Then, place produce in the vinegar solution, let it soak briefly, and then swish it around in the solution. Finally, rinse the produce thoroughly.

Do not use this process on tender, fragile fruits, such as berries, that might be damaged in the process or soak up too much vinegar through their porous skins. Some pesticide residues are trapped beneath the waxy coatings that are applied to certain vegetables to help them retain moisture. The vinegar solution probably won’t wash those pesticides away, so peeling lightly may be the next best option.

So here it is. You can use vinegar in many ways. I like to dress my salads with it at times, other times you can was your windows, vegetables and fruits and some have even used it to remove dandruff. Use your discretion and always do some research or discuss with your health provider before using it in a medical manner.

About Cayenne Pepper

Posted on by
3

What is Cayenne:

Cayenne pepper is one of the most popular spices used throughout the globe. The scientific name: Capsicum annuum var annuum. It comes from the Capsicum family of chiles and is native to Central America. If you were to calculate the “Scoville heat units” of cayenne it would be around 30,000 to 50,000. The hotness produced by cayenne is caused by its high concentration in a substance called capsaicin. Technically referred to as 8-methyul-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide. It’s hot even used in small amounts but provides an array of benefits to the human body.

Health Benefits:

Over 80 units can be found in the health benefit chart for this chili pepper. The reported health benefits of cayenne are almost too unbelieveable, but its reputation keeps growing among medical researchers as well as alternative health afficionados. Let’s get into some of the specifics of cayenne pepper benefits: It has been known to increase metabolism, fight inflammation, clear congestion, natural pain reliever, cardiovascular benefits, boost immunity, prevent stomach ulcers, lose weight, relieves muscle pains, it can kill cancer cells in the prostate, lungs, and pancreas to immediately stop a heart attack within 30 seconds, etc…

It is rich in vitamins and minerals. From Vitamin A, B1, B6, C, D, E, K, Beta Carotene, Beta Cryptoxanthin, Leutin+Xeaxanthin, Beta Tocopherol, Gamma Tocopherol,Delta Tocopherol, Folate, Niacin, Choline, Betaine.

To the Minerals; Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Zinc, Selenium, Fluoride.

How to Use:

Cayenne, chopped and grounded, used as condiment in the preparation of pepper sauce, soups, curries and to marinate meat, fish and poultry.

I love spice so I put it in any dish I eat. I would suggest you try it before you add it to any food. I love the whole foods brand 365 because it is spicy, but any brand should be fine. My husband likes it a little milder so he generally buys Crystal hot sauce as it is made with Cayenne.

Cayenne chilies either fresh or powdered form, can cause severe burning sensation to hands and may cause severe irritation to mouth/nasal passages, eyes and throat. Therefore, it may be advised in some sensitive individuals to use thin hand gloves and face masks while handling.

Again I am not a doctor or nutritionist, so please do your own research or consult a professional before using Cayenne in any medical manner. I hope that you enjoyed this and happy Spicy cooking.

Below I included some helpful websites that talk about Cayenne.

http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/nutritional-value-of-cayenne-pepper-6028.html

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrientprofile&dbid=71

http://www.cayennepepper.info/health-benefits-of-cayenne-pepper.html

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/cayenne-pepper.html

Quinoa Nutrition facts

Posted on by
11

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa is known as a superfood, some people relate it to grain but it is actually a seed that comes from a plant most closely related to spinach. It is grown in the Andes mountains of South America.  The ancient Incas considered this plant sacred and called it “chisaya mama” which means ‘Mother of All Grains’. Quinoa grains are about the same size as millet, but flattened, with a pointed, oval shape. The color ranges from pale yellow through red and brown to black.

 

These are the Nutrition facts and why it’s so good for you:

Quinoa is a great source of iron, manganese, potassium, riboflavin, copper, phosphorous, tryptophan, B6, niacin and thiamine.  One cup of cooked quinoa has only 220 calories.  It also has 5 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein.

Quinoa is stocked with life-sustaining nutrients all across the board, including all eight essential amino acids. There are other highly beneficial compounds, vitamins and minerals.

It is not surprising that it is being recommended for people who want to lose weight, for people who suffer from migraine, heart disease and atherosclerosis, for people with gluten sensitivity, for vegans, and basically for everyone who wants to eat healthy.

 

How to Prepare:

Quinoa cooks very easily, in about 15 minutes. Like cooking rice in a stove top pot, you’ll want almost 2 cups of water per one part quinoa but be careful not to pour too much water in the pot, otherwise it will take even longer.

Cook quinoa at a high setting until it starts boiling and then cover and simmer for about 12-15 minutes. When you see the ring-shaped sprouts popping out, you’ll know the quinoa is almost ready. Stir the quinoa so all the water gets absorbed.

Quinoa by itself is rather bland, I like to add olive oil, bullion, and if you like spicy food as I do some chili pepper as it boils. Quinoa is fun to cook with and you can add anything you like to it, from veggies to poultry, or you could make it as a cereal with milk and cinnamon, you can incorporate it into dessert, it’s a chameleon.

I hope that this was helpful for more information I added below some of the sites I pulled this off of. Enjoy!

http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/quinoa–nutrition–facts

www.quinoa–nutritionfacts.com/

nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10352/2