Obesity

Medication, exercise, healthy diet, none of these things will effectively cause

permanent weight loss until a person is ready to be happy with their body and their overall self.

You cannot successfully lose weight if you think your life is suddenly going to get better after the

weight is gone. You have to want to do it because you love yourself and you want a healthier

body. I think this is the most important thing I have finally learned about life and about myself. I hope

that in the future there will be a time when people are not judged by their appearance, therefore

those that think a different body will make them happy, will finally be able to be believe their

worth is based on who they are and not what they look like.

Weight Loss for Women

Carrying around extra pounds influences your health and wellness in many more ways than you might imagine. Extra weight increases risk for everything from heart disease to gallstones and may have a negative impact on your sex life! I suffered with gallstones and gall bladder disease for years, until my gall bladder had turned to leather (according to the surgeon) and was removed during emergency surgery.

Do you need to lose 10, 15, 25 pounds or more? If carrying even the smaller amounts of 10 or 15 extra pounds may not seem like much, think again. Try lugging around with you an equivalent weight all day. How about a 10-pound sack of potatoes? See how you feel at the end of the day and imagine the impact this extra weight has on your body day after day.

Click Here for a Better Body!

Some helpful hints to finding the best pets for kids

You probably remember some of your very first pets. Maybe it was a goldfish, like me, or possibly, it was a dog or cat. For others a gerbil was their first memory of a pet. In most cases, there are difficulties to picking out the best pets for kids. This article should help make the decision a little easier.

Think about your child first-What type of children do you have? Are they more active? Do they have a tendency to lose interest in things quickly?

These are just a few thoughts to get you thinking about children and what the best pets for kids are. In most cases, it is a great way to start laying the groundwork for showing your kids how to be responsible. In addition, you can have the kids save their allowance for part of the costs to feed and house their pets.

So what are some of the best pets for kids? A lot of times it all boils down to practical things such as how much room you have and if the kids will lose interest or not in the pet.

For example, some people may actually have the room for horses, while other it may be a goldfish or cat. If it is a goldfish or gerbil, the kids might lose interest in the animal after awhile, once the novelty of having a pet has worn off.

Think carefully about what the best pet is for kids in your house before going out and bringing one home. It is an unfortunate reality that often, pets are brought into a home without much thought in regards to the commitment of having the animal. Then after a few short months of living in bliss, the human forces this animal out to a shelter due to the lack of forethought.

By figuring out the best pet for kids, and knowing which animal suits your children the most, you will ensure a happy home for the new addition to the family.

Healthy alternatives with Echinacea

You have probably heard of the herbal supplement called Echinacea, but do you know what it really can do for you? Echiacea was once an herbal supplement that one could only find in the most obscure of healthy foods stores. These days it is quite common to find in most supermarkets.

Echinacea is most often taken to ward off the cold and flu symptoms that arise in the spring and fall. While not FDA approved it has been on the market for several years as a great way to help boost the immune system and make one less vulnerable to the germs that are floating around.

Most people consider taking Echinacea during the worst of the cold and flu season or whenever they are starting to feel a bit of a cold coming on.

Here are a few things you should know about taking Echinacea.

Only take it for a few weeks at a time. Studies have shown that taking Echinacea year round seems to stagnate the effects of this herbal supplement in the body. Echinacea can lose its potency over time; therefore, you should not buy it in large quantities.

Taking Echinacea after already having the cold or flu will not usually help alleviate any symptoms. The primary time to use Echinacea is before the onset of any symptoms, as the primary use of this herbal supplement is to prevent germs from taking hold in the body.

Keep these things in mind while shopping for and taking Echinacea and hopefully it will help you get through the cold and flu season without a hitch.

The fiber rich diet

Many people know that they should have more fiber in their diet. Usually the thinking behind this is not focused on dieting, but more of a bathroom issue. However, new research has shown that diets that are high in fiber are also beneficial to losing weight and keeping the weight off. This article will explain, simply, how this works.

Most diets people try are fads. These diets want you to restrict your intake of certain food group and varying ingredients. Often it is a restrictive diet, such as a no carb diet, that works in the short term. The problem with these sorts of diets is that it requires the person to forego some basic nutritional needs that the body yearns for.

So how does a fiber rich diet play into all of this? Let me explain. First, a diet rich in fiber is going to help you stay regular. In addition, the fiber that aide in this function will also help clean out the intestines and colon.

Second, a fiber rich bread is more filling than a white bread sandwich and therefore will keep you feeling full, longer. This is the major key to a fiber rich diet. What you need to eat is the foods that are nutritious and that will fill you up longer. By eating fiber rich foods, you are eating some of the most beneficial foods that your body needs and will keep you feeling full longer.

Try adding more fiber to your diet, see how it helps you feel more alive, and has you munching less during the day.

Do you know how to conduct a weight management program?

Many people want to lose weight. They think about it all the time, especially after a large, calorie dense meal. This is the most common time individuals will swear off the sweets and proclaim themselves on a diet-at least until the munchies come around later that night. So what can you do to help yourself? Create a weight management program.

A weight management program is a way to track all of the foods that you eat during the course of a week. Often physicians and physical trainings will start off with a person doing this sort of self evaluation in order to determine eating habits. This is a great way to figure out what sort of foods you are eating, and where you can make some changes.

It’s not hard to create a weight management program. In fact, all you really need is a piece of paper and something to write with. Keep your weight management chart with you at all times. You never know when you might be hungry and looking for something to eat. If you have the weight management chart with you, it makes it easier to keep track of the foods that you are eating. If you leave the chart at home, it becomes more of an obstacle and is more likely not to be done.

Once you have written everything down for the week in your weight management chart look to see what foods you are eating. Do you notice a trend in the types of food? Are you eating mainly calorie dense, fatty foods? If you are, you now know exactly what you are eating and can start making some adjustments.

Another helpful hint with the weight management chart is to track the time when you eat. This is another helpful weight management trick that will show you when you are eating through the week and when you shouldn’t be eating.

Keeping a weight management chart is an essential part of the beginning of a diet. Consider it the data that you will lean on for the rest of your dieting process.

What most people don’t know about weight loss

You probably already know that a great many Americans are obese or are at least somewhat overweight. With the lifestyle of Americans geared to being as productive as possible and doing whatever needs to be done to get the job done-it’s no wonder that healthy eating is one of the areas that is neglected.

Did you know that weight loss could be a relatively easy thing to do?

What do you think of when you think about weight loss? You probably envision time taken away from work and family to go sweat for an hour a night at the gym. For some this is the perfect avenue to weight loss and a great stress reliever. Maybe working out on the Stairmaster fills you with dread because you hate to work out. Don’t sweat it. Here are a few tips to help your weight loss program, which are especially helpful during the holiday season.

First, don’t eat several large meals in one day. This will pack in the calories and may make it hard to burn throughout the day unless you are very active.

Second, try to eat about six smaller meals through the day. Space them out about two to three hours away from each other. By doing this you will have more fuel through the day constantly feeding your tank, and you will not feel sluggish after eating three large meals.

Third, try working out with weights three to four times a week. You need about twenty minutes at each session to make a huge difference in your weight loss program. The thinking behind this is that weight lifting continues to burn more calories after you have worked out than doing something like walking, where you stop burning calories the minute you stop walking.

Try these few tips for your weight loss program and you will see the inches starting to melt off faster than most diets you have tried.

Tips for a Great Low Fat Thanksgiving Feast

With the holidays right around the corner many of us start thinking about our waistlines. For some of us just the thought of that Thanksgiving feast leaves you worried about eating too much fatty foods or overeating. Not to mention what all that fat can do to your heart and arteries. So here are some tips to help you enjoy Thanksgiving without the worry of expanding your waistline, while maintaining your health.

Most of the traditional foods served during the holidays are actually very healthy. But what we do to them is another story. We tend to add in a lot of extra fat sugars and calories ourselves.

When you look at the basic foods we eat during the holidays you will find that turkey has very little fat and is full of protein and is a great source of B vitamins. Turkey breast has the least amount of fat, but be sure to remove the skin first. A three-ounce serving of skinless turkey breast has about 120 calories and 1 gram of fat. But the dark meat has about 160 calories and six grams of fat – two of the grams of fat are saturated fats.

Sweet potatoes are a rich source of beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium and fiber. But many of us tend to add butter and excess sugar or marshmallows. This changes a healthy food into something very fattening and bad for our hearts and circulation. Try using orange juice and a sprinkling of brown sugar for flavor instead and limit your portion size to no more than half a cup.

Regular potatoes are also an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. When making mashed potatoes try using low sodium, fat free chicken broth or fat free milk and sour cream instead. Many of us use butter and heavy cream in our mashed potatoes and of course they are loaded with fat. Try flavoring with garlic, fresh herbs and ground black pepper, once again keep your portion size small.

Vegetables should be steamed or roasted for the best nutritional value. Don’t load them up with cheesy sauces or butter that just makes them more fattening.

Gravy and stuffing can be sources of fat and calories. You can make a lower fat gravy by straining the fat from the drippings using a fat separator. Also use cornstarch or a sprinkling of flour to thicken rather than a butter and flour. You can also add extra flavor to your gravy by using fresh herbs and wine.

You can make a low fat stuffing by leaving the butter out and using fat-free broth and lean turkey or chicken sausage instead of pork sausage. Or better yet, leave the sausage out if you like, and use meaty mushrooms and extra vegetables instead.

As for appetizers, have plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables on hand. Use low-fat or fat-free sour cream and yogurt for dips. Delicious low-fat dips can include Spinach Dip or some salsas, including Mango Black Bean Salsa. Have homemade baked pita chips or tortilla chips to go with them. Nuts and dried fruits make great snacks, too.

Most importantly, don’t starve yourself beforehand. You will most likely eat more if you’re very hungry. Many times we tend to skip breakfast on the holidays because we are too busy and know there will be a big feast later. Don’t make the mistake of “saving yourself for the feast” This just causes us to eat way more then we should. Try some whole-grain crackers, fruit and raw vegetables while waiting for the big feast, and as always drink plenty of water. When the time comes to sit down to your Thanksgiving meal, you will be ready to enjoy it without overdoing it.

Welcome to Healthy Diets, Healthy Living!

Welcome friends,

Healthy Diets, Healthy Living is being created to collect information on living a longer, healthier life. As I collect information on diets and health I will add them to this site for further study. I am not a doctor or a nutritionist. If you feel you might need advice on health or diets please seek a qualified doctor in your area.

Of course there are many areas of health to discuss, but this site is dedicated to healthy living through proper diet and nutrition.