While it is a general practice to nourish the skin with oils, creams and moisturizers, it helps a lot to safeguard the health of your skin with healthy eating. Healthy, radiant skin starts from within. Scientific evidence shows that what you eat significantly affects the health and ageing of your skin.

Let’s consider the following six best foods for beautiful skin.

1. Vegetables

Vegetables are rich sources of minerals and vitamins which are beneficial for health. Certain vegetables are of immense benefit to the health of the skin. They include dark green vegetables such as spinach, kale, broccoli, string beans and other coloured vegetables such as carrot, bell peppers are rich sources of vitamin A. Vitamin A is an antioxidant that promotes skin cell rejuvenation. It contributes to reducing the scars from bruises, stretch marks, and pimples. Yellow and green peppers are rich in antioxidants called carotenoids that help to decrease your skin’s sensitivity to the sun and reduce the appearance of fine lines around the eyes. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, which is also a powerful antioxidant that protects the skin from ultraviolet damage.

How many portions of vegetables do you need: Nutrition experts recommend including 2 to 3 servings of vegetables every day. An example of a serving of vegetables is 1 cup of chopped carrot, 1 cup of cooked spinach, ½ cup of cooked string beans. As much as possible, have plenty of vegetables every day. Also, you can replace unhealthy snacks with vegetables. See how.

2. Fruits

Fruits such as oranges, kiwi, tangerines, pineapples, grapefruit, lime, lemon, etc. are rich sources of vitamin C. People who eat foods rich in vitamin C have less dry skin than those who don’t. Many fruits including red grapes, strawberries, cherries, pears, guava, oranges, mango, watermelon, pawpaw are rich in antioxidants which help to shield your skin from free radicals which cause damage to cells.

How much of fruits do you need: One or 2 medium-size oranges, or one and a half cup of diced watermelon, mango or pineapple is considered adequate.

3. Fatty fish

Fatty fish, such as sardines, mackerel, salmon and herring, are superb foods for healthy skin. They’re rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are vital for maintaining skin health. Omega-3 fatty acids help to keep skin thick, supple, and moisturized. It helps to reduce inflammation and makes your skin less sensitive to the harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. When the skin is deficient in this essential fatty acid, the skin becomes dry and flaky. Fatty fish also provides vitamin E; important antioxidants that help to protect your skin against damage from free radicals and inflammation. The high-quality protein provided by fatty fish helps in maintaining the strength and integrity of your skin. Additionally, fatty fish provides zinc; a mineral of importance for reducing inflammation, production of new skin cells and maintenance of the skin health. If you are deficient in zinc, you could experience skin inflammation and delay in wound healing.

4. Beans as one of the best foods for beautiful skin

Beans provide a rich amount of fibre, proteins, magnesium, iron, and vitamins that offer many health benefits. The nutrients in beans help to neutralise the damaging effect of free radicals and compounds thereby protecting your skin and damaging signs. Amino acids from the proteins are used in maintaining and producing new tissues, such as bone, muscle, hair and the skin. Soybeans contain isoflavones, which have been shown to improve collagen, skin elasticity, and reduce skin dryness, as well as protect the skin from UV damage.

Varieties of beans include lima beans, red beans, kidney beans, black-eyed beans, sugar beans, soybeans, white beans, brown beans, black beans etc.

How much of beans should you eat?

Nutrition experts recommend that beans should be eaten regularly. This means including beans dish in your menu about 2 to 3 times a week.

5. Nuts

Nuts are rich in vitamins and minerals such as copper, zinc, vitamin A, C and E. Your skin will benefit a lot from the anti-oxidant properties of vitamins A, C and E. Therefore nuts help to contribute to a glowing, smoother looking skin. Examples of healthy nuts are peanuts, almonds, walnuts, and cashew nuts. Walnuts are an exceptionally good source of essential fats, zinc, vitamin E, selenium and protein; all of which help your skin to stay healthy.

How much of nuts should you eat?

Because nuts contain a high amount of fats and therefore high calorie, it is advisable to eat them in moderation. About 10 grams of nuts per day is adequate; these correspond to 15 halves of walnuts, 12 almonds, 10 cashew nuts, 3 tablespoons of peanuts and 9 pecans. The calories provided by these portions are less than 200.

6. Dark chocolate

Dark chocolate is a product of cocoa and it is rich in minerals, such as iron, magnesium, and zinc. The cocoa in dark chocolate contains antioxidants called flavonoids, which provide loads of health benefits. The antioxidant works on your skin to make it thicker, more hydrated and well-nourished. It helps the skin to be less rough and scaly and less sensitive to UV. It enables your skin to have a better blood flow thereby enhancing a problem-free complexion.

Additionally, dark chocolate is an excellent skin-detoxifier. It clears off dead skin cells while allowing the new, soft, fresh skin to shine through.

Although dark chocolate contains beneficial antioxidants and minerals, it is usually high in sugar and fat. The fat in chocolate of cocoa is in the form of cocoa butter; a saturated and unhealthy fat.

Therefore, you should limit the consumption of dark chocolate to a modest amount to avoid unwanted calories through fats, and sugars. You don’t want to undermine your efforts in accessing the best foods for beautiful skin.

What amount of dark chocolate should you eat?

While there is no specific expert recommendation for dark chocolate that a person should eat, approximately 20-30g is suggested. Amounts higher than this suggested quantity may result in you consuming too many calories than you need. Dark chocolate with higher percentages of cocoa solids usually has less sugar but more fat. More cocoa also means more flavanols, therefore choose dark chocolate that includes at least 70 per cent of cocoa solids. Alternatively, you can use cocoa powder in beverages. You will derive the same benefits for cocoa powder as you will from dark chocolate. However, ensure that your choice of cocoa powder is from a credible source.

In addition to the food tips discussed above, drink plenty of water every day. Drinking enough water will:

• Improve your skin tone as your body will have enough water to flush out toxins thereby giving you a healthy skin
• Prevent your skin from aging prematurely
• Help your skin to heal faster and easily from wounds
• Help to prevent acne by providing a good balance between the oil and water content on your skin and especially preventing excess oil secretion on your face
• Help your skin to be firm
• Maintain the pH Balance of your skin.

Follow experts’ recommendation for the amount of water you need to drink everyday as well as the strategy to effectively achieve this.

Summary

What you eat can significantly affect your skin health. Make sure you’re getting enough essential nutrients to protect your skin. Choosing some of the best foods for beautiful skin discussed here are great ways to keep your skin healthy, strong, and attractive.

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Why losing weight

A slim figure is often associated with beauty. As a result, many of the beauty pageants give slim figures a high rating. While it is not a bad idea to desire a slim figure, losing unwanted weight means much than that. Health reasons are of prime importance in weight loss. I would like to emphasize here that the fact that a person has a slim figure does not indicate a state of good nutritional health or reduced risk for non-communicable diseases. While a person who is overweight or obese is obviously at risk for communicable diseases as a result of excess body fat, a person with a slim body may as well be carrying a high body fat percentage. This situation is called hidden obesity and equally increases a person’s risk for non-communicable diseases. This condition has been described in “What is in my body”.

Losing unwanted weight could be as easy as the way you accumulated them over the years. However, it will require your determination and consistency. Since you didn’t arrive at the weight overnight or instantly, it is logical that you will not be losing them as instantly as you may desire. My candid advice is to follow a healthy way to lose weight so you don’t end up losing your health in the process. Following these tips will help you in gradual weight loss while maintaining good health.

Check your portion size

If you are desirous of losing weight, the first practical thing is to minimize your food intake. Your intake of foods should match your physical activities. The foods you eat are used to produce energy which you need to support both the voluntary and involuntary activities that your body undergoes. If your body does not use up the energy produced from your food, the excess energy is converted into fat and stored in the body for use where there is a shortage of energy supply. If you reduce your food intake to match your physical activities, then you will achieve an energy balance and you will not have any storage of excess energy in the form of fat. Furthermore, if you reduce your intake to achieve a negative energy balance, i.e. your body needs more energy than what your food is supplying to support your activities. Then, your body will convert the deposit of fat into energy to support your activities. As this continues over time, slowly and surely you will begin to experience a weight loss. You may want to help yourself with a 7-day meal plan to help you achieve this, CLICK HERE.

Minimize the intake of foods high in fats and sugar

Foods and drinks high in fats and sugar quickly provide you with high calories you don’t need. While it may not be sustainable that you go off such foods some of which are your favourites, it is possible to minimize your intake. These foods include French fries, cakes, pastries, confectioneries, sweet dessert etc. Also, drinks such as fizzy drinks, carbonated drinks and even fruit juices contain a high amount of calories. You should reduce the intake by reducing the amount you take at a time and the number of times you take them in a week. Instead of fruit juice, take real fruit.

Eat foods rich in proteins

When you are trying to lose weight, it is important to ensure you prevent muscle loss while shedding the unwanted weight i.e. the fat mass. You will achieve this by ensuring adequate intake of foods rich in proteins. The body needs protein to build and repair tissues and muscles. Evidence shows that protein prevents loss of muscle mass while the body loses fat. If your body experience calorie restriction coupled inadequate amounts of protein, this will lead to undesirable loss of muscle mass and fat mass at the same time. Therefore, I counsel that you have an adequate supply of proteins in your diet as you embark on a weight loss program. How much protein is adequate is discussed in “My Optimal Body”.

Keep unhealthy foods out of reach

This is a very logical thing to do to avoid the unnecessary temptation to eating unhealthy choices of foods in excessive amount. You don’t have to keep foods like cookies, chocolate bars, candies, and cakes in your fridge or pantry. Instead, stock your fridge with wholesome fruits and vegetables and snack on these whenever you crave food or need snacks or refreshment. Remember, that when trying to achieve weight loss, you may not need more than a serving of fruit per day. Examples include 1 medium-size apple, ¾ cup grapes, 1 medium-size pear etc. Vegetables such as 6 spears of asparagus, ½ cup of cauliflower, broccoli, sweet corn, butternut, carrot etc. are healthy choices to eat as between meals or as snacks.

Eating fibre-rich foods is one of the easy ways to weight loss

Foods rich in fibre help you to feel full for a long time. Besides, you will benefit from the other health benefits of fibre which includes helping you to achieve easy stool as well as cholesterol-lowering benefit. Foods rich in fibre include beans, oats, green peas, sweetcorn, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, barley and rye.

Easy ways to weight loss include drinking enough water

The recommendations for healthy eating include drinking adequate clean water (about 6 to 8 cups) daily. When your body is adequately hydrated, your basal metabolic rate (BMR) will improve. The BMR is the rate at which your body utilizes energy at rest. The better your body can utilize energy at rest in performing basal metabolic functions, the better your body will burn calories. As a result, you will easily lose unwanted weight. Conversely, if you are inadequately hydrated, your BMR will decrease and your ability to lose unwanted weight will reduce. Furthermore, your body will benefit from the numerous health benefits of water in the body. Drinking adequate water daily will allow you to have easy digestion. Your bowel needs water to work properly. Adequate intake of water will prevent dehydration and will contribute to reducing many digestive problems.

Practice mindful eating

As you work at shedding unwanted weight, enjoy your meals but be mindful of your intake. It helps to look forward to the next meal by desisting from unnecessary munching which you may regret. Also, endeavour to count calories of what you eat by estimating every meal. This will ensure you keep within the limit of your calories intake per day.

Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly

Leptin is the hormone responsible for reducing the appetite thereby making you feel full. The hormone is produced by the fat cells. As a signalling hormone, leptin communicates with the hypothalamus in your brain and regulates your appetite and food intake. Your brain needs enough time to signal that you have already eaten enough. Therefore, by taking the time to eat and chew your food, you are more likely to be satisfied with your reduced portion size even before you finish the meal.

Conclusion

By following these easy ways to weight loss, you are on the path to consistent and healthy weight management. Remember, it is an unhealthy weight that you aim to get rid, be sure to maintain the healthy weight; the muscle mass. Also, following these tips will help you not only to shed unwanted weight but to sustain it and continue with healthy eating as a lifestyle.

For further assistance, please feel free to ask your questions in the comments section. You may want to check the eBook “My Optimal Body” a practical guide for sustainable weight loss with a 7-day meal plan.

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My Optimal Body – Preview

This resource is an evidence-based hybrid weight-loss plan that is built on the principle of continuous calorie restriction, intermittent fasting and exercise. These principles have been shown to contribute to effective body fat loss, improved body composition and better health outcomes. It is designed to help you achieve the following:

• Develop a lifelong healthy eating,
• Develop and enjoy a healthy lifestyle,
• Drop unwanted weight permanently,
• Maintain a healthy weight afterwards,
• Improve body composition and overall health

What you need to know 

Excess body weight puts you at increased risk for a range of chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, and psychosocial syndromes which could considerably reduce your quality of life.

Seven days meal plan towards my optimal body

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Firstly, I need to let you know that you are not alone in this situation whereby children refuse to eat vegetables. It is very common; children generally don’t like vegetables. There are several reasons for this. The foods that babies are fed with could be one reason. Many babies are fed with formula milk. The World Health Organization (WHO)  and UNICEF recommend that infants be fed breast milk exclusively for the first six months and thereafter complementary foods in addition to breastfeeding for two years and beyond. Despite this recommendation and promotion, not up to half of the world infants are exclusively breastfed. For the babies that are appropriately breastfed, the diet of the moms reflects in the breast milk. As a result, the baby easily identifies with the foods commonly eaten by the mom. Therefore, it follows that if the mom habitually eats vegetables, the baby will eat the vegetables when they are introduced to him/her at the right time. Unfortunately, many moms are guilty of healthy eating, they seldom eat enough vegetables.

Also, I would like to you know that it takes some extra work to get through this; i.e. getting vegetables attractive to the children and making the food acceptable to them all the time. However, it is worth all the effort considering the health benefit the children stand to gain both in the present and the future.

I have had to share these six ways to get children to eat vegetables several times with groups, families, and mommies and there has been a good report afterwards. I have also practised them and realized fantastic results.

1. Eating vegetables as a mom is one of the ways to get children to eat vegetables

Get it right from the onset, make sure that you eat vegetables and let them be a part of the family meals often. As previously discussed, your child will get accustomed to eating vegetables when you invariably introduce vegetables to him/her if vegetables form part of your meal during conception and breastfeeding. The right time to introduce vegetables to your baby is after six months. Start by giving your baby pureed vegetables with no added sugars. Vegetables such as butternut, carrot, broccoli, spinach, cucumber, and beetroot make a delicious and colourful puree that your baby will enjoy. Your child will get used to the natural and delicious taste and grow with it. Afterwards, he/she will readily accept the eating of vegetables in meals. I have seen this happen so many times.

2. Avoid storing unhealthy foods

As much as possible avoid stocking your pantry and fridge with unhealthy stuff such as biscuits, candies, cookies, and other confectioneries. Storing these foods at home sends the wrong messages to your children. 1. Your children see them as the best things to eat and as a matter of fact, they prefer to eat the confectioneries. 2. As long as they have those things around and can always have them whenever they want, they have a good reason not to eat real food including vegetables. Of course, when the stomach is filled with unhealthy stuff, there is no room for healthy ones. This does not mean your children cannot have confectioneries at all; you can give them as occasional treats.

3. Incorporate vegetables into favourite foods

There are foods children always love to eat. Identify such foods that your children like to eat. I know most children like to eat sweet things like sweet pastry, savoury pies, sweet dessert, and sweet pudding. Replace the sugar in the preparation of such foods with vegetables that are naturally sweet such as carrot, beetroot, and butternut. For those vegetables that are not naturally sweet, prepare them into savoury style. For example, if your children like meat pie, chicken pie, or meatballs, add a good amount of vegetables into the mix. Also, you may grind blanched vegetables into a paste using a food processor and add into your child’s favourite foods.

You may sometime add a little sugar to improve the taste. Improving the taste and acceptability of some vegetables by adding a small amount of sugar in their preparation is surely better than their outright rejection. Aside from improving the taste, the attractive colours of vegetables add to their acceptability.

4. Give fresh vegetables as snacks

Giving fresh vegetables as snacks is one of the ways to get children to eat vegetables. Children love eating lots of snacks between meals. Cultivate the habit of giving vegetables as part of the snacks. Cut two or three different vegetables into pieces and give as a snack for school or to be eaten at home. Example, cherry tomatoes, cut carrots and cucumber make a delicious and colourful snack that children would like to eat.

5. Educate your children on the benefits of eating vegetables

Vegetables provide lots of vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for health and the maintenance of body systems. Some of the nutrients vegetables provide are potassium, fibre, folic acid and vitamins A, E and C. Notable is vitamin A that helps children to grow well, helps with good eyesight and skin health, protects against infection, aids in wound healing.

Also, it helps to link the eating of healthy foods including vegetables with the dream that your children would like to become. It is unfortunate how successful sportsmen and women/celebrities are for example linked with unhealthy choices of foods through advertisement in the media. These can be misleading for children. However, the education that your children get from you helps them to be better informed.

6. Involve your children in preparing vegetable meals

Children readily accept what they participate in doing. The same goes with involving them in preparing vegetable meals or dishes or snacks. At the appropriate age, begin to engage your child in the preparation of vegetables. If you have a home garden, let them be involved in harvesting. You will see the sparks in their eyes as they enjoy the activities. In the process discuss the benefits that are derived from eating vegetables. Your child will appreciate the efforts and will more likely desire to eat them.

Conclusion

Remember, that you as a parent you need to set the example. Children learn by what they see than what they are told to do. Help your child to get familiar with these vegetables right from conception and breastfeeding. If you practise the ways to get children to eat vegetables discussed, your children will grow up eating vegetables and enjoying them. Their health will be better for it in the now and the future. I would like to have your contribution to this discussion in the comment section.

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There are several schools of thoughts regarding the intake of snack. These include but not limited to the following:

• Don’t eat a snack between meals
• Eat snacks between meals
• Don’t eat snacks after dinner if you are trying to lose weight
• You can eat a little snack at bedtime to prevent hunger pang in the night.

While none of these is absolutely right or wrong, it is advisable that you do what works for you in terms of your dietary options such as the sugar levels, gluten-free, strictly vegan, milk-free etc. The golden rule is that your snack intake should be a healthy one. Whole-food-based snacks are best and that is what I like to recommend. They should be unprocessed and unrefined or minimally processed. Whole-food-based snacks are often rich in fibre which keeps you full, contain unrefined carbohydrate to supply you with energy and contain loads of vitamins and nutrients. Also, there are processed snack options that are available on the go and helpful for the convenience. They can be used to supplement the whole-food-based snacks.

The timing for snacks also depends on you; however, I personally like to give my system a good amount of time to rest from digestion activities. I enjoy feeling light. The frequent intake of water helps to keep me feeling full and refreshed. I have come to realize that this strategy helps a lot. The strategy is consistent with the principle of intermittent fasting which has been shown to provide the body with lots of health benefits. Lest I digress from the object of the discussion here, see the benefits of drinking water and intermittent fasting in my eBook on a practical guide for a sustainable weight loss. You can snack anytime, snacking at night can be good for you as long as you keep your snack light and not too close to bedtime

If you want to avoid hunger between meals, I will recommend that you snack on food selections that provide you with a healthy amount of protein and nutrients. Make your portion moderate; therefore, snacks with 200 calories or less are considered suitable options. Snacks that are high in fibre will help you to feel full, helping you to control your appetite for your next meal. If sugar intake is not an absolute no for you, a snack with not more than 10 grams of sugar will provide you with the needed satisfaction without leaving you with any guilt feeling.

The five ideas for a healthy snack discussed here are suitable for all, including school children, young people, adult men and women.

1. Seasonal fruits make great Ideas for a Healthy Snack

I like to go the natural way, and this will be my first suggestion for a healthy snack. You don’t have to go looking for fruits that are out of your reach. Go with the fruits in season. Examples are one medium-sized apple, pear, mango, banana, artichoke, peach, orange, ¾ cup grapes, cubed pawpaw, cubed pineapple, 3 small-sized apricots, plums, prunes, nectarine, tangerine, 1 cup cubed watermelon and more. Note that your snack intake should be moderate, hence the suggested amount indicated here. The fact that fruits are natural doesn’t mean they should be eaten without limit. They contain sugar and if taken in excessive amount can result in taking more calories than needed thereby placing you at risk for overweight.

2. Vegetables as good ideas for a healthy snack

Just like fruits, vegetables can be eaten in their natural fresh form or lightly heat processed. They are great and healthy options for healthy snacks. Unlike fruits, vegetables have the added benefits of not high in simple sugars, but with a good amount of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients all of which are of great benefit to human health. Good examples are 2 cups cubed cucumber, 1 cup sliced carrot, 6 spears asparagus, ½ cup sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, green peas, butternut and many more.

3. A variety of nuts makes a good snack

Nuts are delicious and healthy and they are great ways to snack options. They are relatively economical, easy to store and easy to pack when you’re on the go. They may be taken raw or lightly toasted. Nuts contain unsaturated fatty acids, proteins, vitamins and minerals with many great health benefits. For example, walnut has a neuroprotective compound that supports brain health. However, one shortcoming to eating nuts is that they are high in calories due to the high-fat content. Therefore, it is vital to limit the portions. Options for nuts include 15 halves of walnuts, 12 almonds, 10 cashew nuts, 3 tablespoons of peanuts and 9 pecans. The calories provided by these portions are less than 200.

4. Seeds are super good too

Like nuts, seeds are very beneficial to health. They are rich in unsaturated fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Also, because seeds are high in fat they should be eaten in moderation. 3 tablespoons of seed mix provide 145 calories. Examples are flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seed and more. Seeds are usually available as a mixture of seeds or sometimes in combination with dried fruits and nuts. It is advisable that you purchase a mixture of seeds only or better still, purchase separate seeds that you desire and combine as you like. You can always create your snack from a variety of this natural goodness and benefit from the loads of health benefits they provide.

5. Combination of foods

Be creative; skilfully combine foods to produce a variety of snacks. For example, a combination of fruits with milk and a few nuts blended into a delicious and healthy smoothie. Note that the golden rule here is still moderation. A 250 ml cup of smoothie serves as a good snack. How about baked squash stuffed sweet pepper? What about oven-toasted homemade tortilla? The list is endless. By combining foods, you explore the possibilities there are and increase your chances for a variety of healthy snacks. I like to experiment with foods and I do that a lot. Each time I come up with new snack ideas.

Conclusion

I hope you will find the ideas for a healthy snack shared in this post helpful to improve your snack intake and that of your family. There is a lot that you can do to create varieties from whole foods. The bottom line is that your snack should be healthy, and moderate in portion size. Perhaps you would like to share your ideas creating some healthy snacks, I will be glad to read from you in the comment section.

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Fast food is generally seen as unhealthy. While the perception may not be wrong, it is possible to work smart and come up with a healthy fast food choice every time. I will be sharing in this article, five ways in which you can make healthy choices each time you visit your favourite eatery.

You can make a healthy fast food choice even when you only have a short time to prepare meals. The healthy choice does not always have to be prepared for hours. You can choose healthy foods that are easily prepared at home or could be picked up at a takeaway outlet. It is now common to see food vendors include healthy alternatives to their usual fast food menu. For example, many restaurants now provide salad choices as a side menu or even as a complete meal.

The following are useful tips to guide you in choosing healthy fast food choice when eating out.

1. Choose your beverage wisely

I will suggest you choose water above all beverages. By choosing to take drinking water you have drastically reduced the number of calories you will be taking in. Moreover, you are going to reap the numerous health benefits that water provides to the body. Also, you will less likely suffer from bloating feeling that is often experienced when you take frizzy beverages with foods. Moreover, water will make you feel full without adding calories.

However, if you desire to take a drink, I will suggest you go for a low-calorie beverage such as the non-nutritive sweetened drinks, flavoured water or 100% fruit juice. If you are going for 100% fruit juice, ensure you limit your intake to no more than 250 ml because they are high in sugar and it could increase your calories intake unnecessarily.

2. Vegetables and fruits option make a Healthy Fast Food Choice

Choose a side salad with low-fat dressing or a baked potato. You may consider a fruit bowl or a fruit and yoghurt option when eating breakfast out. Also, a bowl of fresh vegetable salad with chopped ham, roast beef or chicken is a healthy fast food choice. Other healthy choices include apple, pear or orange slices, corn on the cob, slices of carrot or cucumber. Salads are appealing with attractive colours and they are lighter on the digestive system.

3. Choose grilled items instead of deep-fried items

Grilled food is a potential healthy fast food choice. Deep-fried, pan-fried and breaded foods including crispy chicken sandwiches and fish fillets are high in fat. This will make you take in more calories than you need. Instead, choose grilled or roasted lean meats such as turkey, chicken breast, lean ham, lean roast beef etc.

4. Watch your portion size

Most fast food restaurants and outlets offer a range of sizes. They range from mini size to medium size to standard size to large size and jumbo size. To achieve more sales, restaurants often make the bigger portions cheaper which makes them attractive for customers. It could be tempting to go for the bigger portion to get more value from your purchase. However, it is not advisable from a health standpoint. Rather, choose the smaller option and be satisfied with that. For example, it will be better for you to bypass hamburgers with two or three patties which can give you up to 800 calories. Instead, choose a regular or small-sized hamburger, with about 250 calories.

5. Healthy Fast Food Choice in deli-style and wholegrain menus

Some restaurants and fast food outlets now offer deli-style fast food with many options that are lower in fat and calories. If the whole grain option is available, please go for those. With whole grain options, you will have the benefit of increasing your fibre intake. For example, whole wheat bread or a wrap, with a lot of vegetables makes a delicious, flavourful and filling sandwich. Also, where there are dishes or menu with legumes such as green peas, beans, lentils etc., go or those. Legumes are rich in fibre, proteins and essential minerals that your body need.

It is very impressive to see restaurants offering seasonal foods often supplied through local farmers. These offer a great opportunity for healthy fast food choice. Sometimes restaurants create their unique recipe from the fresh produce thereby providing the consumers with new choices and encouraging them to visit the restaurant again.

You can do it yourself

Do you know you can make your fast food at home whereby you can influence what you have in the recipe? There are quite a several ways in which you can achieve this without spending precious hours preparing your favourite fast foods. The added advantage is that you can make it as healthy as you want. This you can do by purchasing your semi-prepared fresh foods and ingredients from a local grocery store or supermarket. I suggest you use the semi-prepared fresh foods such as already sliced, diced or chopped vegetables, potatoes, patties meats etc. You can also skilfully combine canned foods with fresh foods. By doing this you will save a lot of time and be able to prepare your favourite cuisine as quickly as possible. Also, there are several choices among frozen foods.

The demand for healthy frozen foods and meals has increased lately and as a result, there abound loads of different types of foods in this category in the grocery shops. This has increased the opportunity for you to make a healthy fast food choice. Time and accessibility of healthy food choice are no longer tenable.

I have engaged the DIY method with my family and great satisfaction has been the outcome every time. Any time we crave our fast food favourite; we simply get to the nearby grocery and buy the semi-prepared fresh produce. Get back into the kitchen and quickly put them together with the way we want it. In a very short time, we are ready with our meal.

Conclusion

Whichever way you want it, you can see that healthy fast food choice is achievable. If you choose to eat out, make use of the suggested tips here. Otherwise, if you choose the DIY route, you are equally good to go. Besides, you will enjoy the reduced cost advantage. What has been your experience or your views regarding the ideas shared here? Feel free to share in the comment section.

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People often want to know if it is good for them to take nutritional or dietary supplements. They ask what supplement they should use to prevent a certain situation. People often want to know if a particular supplement they have been taking will help them or not. These and many more questions I have had to deal with as I engage with people. With this situation, it dawned on me that I need to direct the people appropriately.

Researching credible nutritional supplements

To help people access credible sources of nutritional supplements, I decided to do some research and I found out Forever Living Products. I will be substantiating my recommendation of the use of Forever Living Products based on my personal experience and the credibility of the product. I will not want to bother you with the history of the company in this article; please read it up here.

My experience using Forever Living Products

I have shared a comprehensive account of how I used “Forever Lite Ultra”; one of the Forever Living Products to improve my skeletal muscle mass in my weight gain endeavour. When you are seeking to gain weight, a good amount of quality protein intake is very important to ensure the effective development of skeletal muscle mass instead of fat mass. Likewise, when you are working at losing weight, quality protein intake is also necessary to ensure you retain the good weight (skeletal muscle mass) while shedding the bad weight (the fat mass). The use of “Forever Lite Ultra” was very helpful in my case, as it helped me to gain the desired weight. Forever Lite Ultra comprises 17 grams of vegetarian-sourced protein without sugar, fat or carbs and the patented Aminotein that helps in ensuring proper digestion and optimal absorption of amino acids. Aminotein helps in the effective development of skeletal muscle mass.

“Forever vision” is another Forever Living Product that I used and the difference is so much. I normally use reading glasses and I spend a great deal of time working with the computer. Afterwards, away from the screen with my usual eyesight, my vision will become blurred for up to 2 hours before my normal vision is restored. With the use of Forever vision supplement, my vision improved greatly. After working on the computer or doing paperwork for long hours, when I return to my usual eyesight, I no more experience blurred vision.

Forever Living Products features amazing nutritional supplements ranging from daily vitamins to natural energy boosters and digestive aids. Forever Living Products’ range of supplements includes:

1. Forever move; that enriches the joint, support healthy tendon, decreases stiffness in joints and helps fast recovery from exercise.
2. Forever Supergreens; a blend of aloe and over 20 fruits and vegetables that deliver key nutrients and antioxidants power to maintain the body’s natural defences and keep the body at peak performance. It is vegan and vegetarian friendly and helps to support a healthy pH balance which is important for many functions in the body.
3. Forever Therm; which helps to naturally power your metabolism. It supports thermogenesis, promotes energy levels, it is vegan-friendly, vegetarian friendly, and gluten-free. It also includes raspberry ketones, which is effective in the metabolism of fat.
4. Forever ImmuBlend; an immune maintenance supplement with

   

   the combination of natural and tested ingredients. It helps to improve the digestive tract and build a strong immune system.

5. Forever Nature Min; which is formulated to provide essential and trace minerals including calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, manganese and zinc. The minerals are sourced from the bottom of sea beds and marine plants. Forever Nature Min promotes proper muscle function and hydration. The zinc component makes it useful in the maintenance of normal hair, bones, nails and skin.
6. Forever Active Pro-B; a probiotic which stimulates healthy digestion, improves nutrient absorption and maintains immune function. It furnishes active and beneficial bacteria, like Lactobacillus Rhamnosus which helps to improve the digestive, immune and overall health.
7. Forever B12 Plus; which has a combination of vitamin B12 and folic acid that helps to produce red blood cells, and improves the way iron is used in the body.
8. Forever Calcium; which delivers calcium and vitamin D for the maintenance of bone health. It contains the patented di-calcium malate which allows for effective absorption of the mineral in the body.
9. Forever Arctic Sea; which is a blend of oils that provides the body with a balanced omega-3 supplement. It comprises oils from fish, calamari and high oleic olive oil all of which are essential for cardiovascular, digestive, immune, brain and eye health.
10. Forever Focus; which helps to maintain focus. It is a blend of natural and clinically tested ingredients which helps to promote mental clarity, attentiveness and ordered thought.
11. Forever Lean; which delivers two powerful ingredients that help in reducing the body’s absorption of calories.
12. Forever Fiber; an easy dissolving prebiotic which comprises 5 grams of fibre in one serving.
13. Forever Cardio Health with CoQ 10; which is packed with heart health-promoting ingredients. CoQ10 is a powerful co-enzyme which in combination with vitamin B helps in the functioning of cells of the cardiovascular system.

The credibility of Forever Living Products

Forever Living Products have been around for over 40 years and many people have testified to the benefits they derived from using the nutritional supplements. According to a statement from the company; quality tests are conducted at every stage of the development and production to ensure quality and effectiveness.

Call to Action

Should you want to consider any of the Forever Living Products, please visit the following links and input  270003474912 if prompted for a Distributor ID at the checkout.

• South Africa: https://bit.ly/2YGi0E0
• USA: https://bit.ly/3hz4ryV
• United Kingdom: https://bit.ly/30SItAU
• Nigeria: https://bit.ly/2CjYMMY
• Canada: https://bit.ly/2UXauU9
• Australia: https://bit.ly/3egzr4s
• Italy: https://bit.ly/3hEoAn0
• Other countries: Enter FLP site from any of the above links and select your region and country from the dropdown to the left

From the nutritionist point of view, obtaining your nutrients from the intake of a variety of food is advisable and best. However, a situation may arise when it becomes necessary to use nutritional/dietary supplements. If your food intake is inadequate to supply all the essential nutrients that your body needs, it may be necessary for you to augment with nutritional supplements. In older adults and during illness when food intake has reduced to the extent that food intake is insufficient to provide the necessary nutrient in the body.

Strategies to address nutrient inadequacy

There are many approaches to addressing nutrient inadequacy in dietary intakes. Some ways are through nutrition education on healthy food choices, food fortification and enrichment whereby nutrients are added to staple foods. Also, genetic engineering that increases the nutrient content of a commodity, bio-fortification including conventional breeding, and the use of dietary supplements. Dietary supplements provide concentrated sources of nutrients that are low or lacking in individuals’ usual dietary intakes. As indicated previously, nutritional supplements can be used by people whose diets are inadequate in the essential nutrients. However, supplements have disadvantages.

Advantages of using nutritional supplements

A study assessed the benefits of the use of the oral nutritional supplement in a community and found that it produces an overall net cost saving. These benefits include

• Improved quality of life
• Reduced infections
• Reduced minor post-operative complications
• Reduced falls and functional limitations.

Disadvantages of using nutritional supplements

• Since they provide concentrated sources of nutrients at relatively high levels, there is the possibility of ingesting excessive quantities leading to health risk
• Nutritional supplements may contain ingredients with unknown safe level for its use; meaning that their long-term health effects may be unknown.

Quality concerns of nutritional supplements

There are increasing concerns about the quality of supplements that continues to flood the market daily. The need for improving the quality continues. There are hundreds of thousands of various kinds and brands of supplements in the marketplace, however, the concerns about safety issues and quality assurance continue to be of importance for the industry and the public. Though manufacturers are not allowed by law to market nutritional supplements that are unsafe or contain harmful ingredients, however, ensuring that the specifications are adhered to is a problem. This quality control includes assuring that safe upper levels of intake for nutrients are not exceeded as well as ensuring that toxic contaminants are absent.

Conclusion

If you are considering the use of any nutritional supplement for yourself or family as a strategy to improve dietary intakes, ensure, they are from credible sources. If you have any question concerning the use of Forever Living nutritional supplements, please leave it at the comment section, and I will be glad to answer your question. Perhaps, you have used any of the Forever Living Products, you may want your share your experience to contribute to this discussion.

The post Forever Living Products – the nutritional supplements appeared first on Beulah Wide Family Nutrition.

Good nutrition and activity are the key strategies for healthy weight loss. This is not referring to crash diets or simply starving yourself or working out at the gym. The strategies have to do with eating healthy and making sure your portions match the number of calories you need daily. It is believed that if you can create a 500-calorie deficiency every day between exercise and nutrition, you can lose up to a pound (0.45kg) a week.
Dr Debbie addresses nutrition issues for daily living and well-being “7 simplest ways to healthy eating”

Your calorie intake

Those calories should not be subtracted off of your recommended daily amount. It should be taken from the number of calories you eat daily right now. For example: If you were an adult male eating 3,500 calories per day you can drop 250 calories from your diet and increase your energy consumption from exercise by 250 calories. If you can do this every day, you will create a 3,500-calorie deficiency over the entire week – and that is the equivalent of one fat pound (0.45kg).

To lose weight you need to find a 500-calorie deficiency every day. Do it through exercise and reducing what you eat.
Minimum calorie intakes as one of the strategies for healthy weight loss

Women should not consume less than 1,200 calories per day or 1,000 less than your maintenance value (how many calories you need to keep your weight steady). A dietitian or nutrition expert can help you to calculate your maintenance value. Men should not consume less than 1,800 calories per day or 1,000 less than your maintenance value.

If you try a crash diet, where you are only consuming 1,000 calories per day and working out, or getting exercise, sure, you will lose weight. But, it isn’t going to stay off for long. When you don’t give your body enough fuel, it starts to consume the muscles in your body, whereas the muscles are an important part of being able to metabolize your foods.

Eating too little is not consistent with the strategies for healthy weight loss. You will lose weight but it may not be sustainable in the long run. You risk burning muscle of your crash diet by not eating anything. Your body will consume your muscle tissue, actually making it more difficult to keep the weight off down the road. Eating much less slows your metabolism. You aren’t eating enough food to keep your metabolism running on sufficient energy.

Tracking your calories

It might take a bit of effort, but each food has a written caloric value on the packaging. If you take the time to notice what is on the package you will be able to monitor what your calorie intake is. Then you will see that you actually take in far more than the calorie you need per day. When you can do this, you will be able to keep track of what you are eating and whether you are meeting your target intake levels or overshooting it.

If you want to be serious about losing weight, then you need to take the matter into your own hands. Don’t just grab a portion of lasagna, burger or a bowl of rice with steak and start chowing down. Calculate how many calories are in a reasonable serving and go from there. Remember there are probably high-fat salad, dinner rolls, and probably another vegetable on your menu list. You are going to have to monitor each of those to come up with a good caloric value from your meal. You wonder if this is not a task on its own. The step by step practical guide to weight loss by Dr Debbie is now out.
Most meals will have you in between 300 and 800 calories. This is a good target area. If you can calculate where you fit in there with each particular meal, you will be able to get a better idea of your plan for losing weight.

The types of food we eat

Aside from the actual caloric intake of a person, the type of food we are eating plays a large role in how we can lose weight. First of all, 100 grams of broccoli has far less fat and calories than 100 grams of doughnuts.

Some foods are high in fat, high in calories, processed, natural and more. Each one of these is going to affect your ability to lose weight. It doesn’t mean that you can’t eat a lot of these things, and you have to give up your favourite foods, you just need to be aware of how much of it you are eating. Details are described in the book “Natural weight loss revealed” which is offered you free. GET IT HERE

Why shed unwanted weight – Health concerns

You have no doubt heard the numerous health-related problems that come from being overweight. Even being 20 lbs (9kg) overweight can start to cause hidden health problems. Instead of that lower back pain being from yesterday’s squash game, it’s because your body isn’t used to carrying an extra 20 lbs (9kg) on the front end. Imagine right now if you were to strap a 20-pound (9kg) weight to your belly and walk around with it all day long.

Extremely high weight can put considerable stress on your joints, especially if you do not have the height advantage to handle that sort of weight. The biggest part is the high risk for non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure etc. These are pretty serious players in the health world. They are among the largest killers of human beings.

Why shed unwanted weight – Physical appearance

For many people, physical appearance is linked directly to their self-esteem. If they believe their body is undesirable to others, they can become depressed or stressed and it causes serious emotional problems. Worse yet, in some, it can trigger the impulse to eat, even more, making the problem worse. The emotional side of being obese is only just being charted in the medical world. It is already understood that a person’s self-worth and self-confidence can be shattered if they gain excess weight. But the emotional toll it can take over an extended period might be considerably more damaging.

Conclusion

Effective strategies for healthy weight loss are not far-fetched; however, they are entrenched in discipline and determination. The value you place on the outcomes of excessive weight will determine your motivation level. Consistently practising good nutrition matched with an appropriate activity level will get you there. Dr Debbie has developed a step by step weight loss plan to practically guide you through. Access the E-book here.

The post Strategies for healthy weight loss appeared first on Beulah Wide Family Nutrition.

How about vitamin D

Vitamin D is fat-soluble and exists naturally in some foods, added in fortified foods, and is available as a food supplement. Also, it is synthesized endogenously through ultraviolet rays from sunlight on the skin. The form of vitamin D obtained from food sources, supplements and sun exposure is biologically inactive. Therefore, vitamin D must be transformed into the body for it to be active. The first transformation takes place in the liver and converts vitamin D to 25-hydroxyvitamin D also called calcidiol. The second transformation takes place in the kidney and converts vitamin D to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D also called calcitriol or vitamin D3.

Research highlights on Vitamin D in colon cancer (3,4,5)

• Colon cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells that are most often linked to vitamin D deficiency.
• Vitamin D3 (Calcitriol) inhibits the spread, movement, intrusiveness and the growth of new blood vessels of colon carcinoma cells.
• Vitamin D3 promotes the separation of colon cancer cells and prepares them for destruction.
• Vitamin D3 reduces the pro-tumour effects of colon cancer.
• Vitamin D3 regulates the biology of intestinal immune cells and thereby enhancing the array of microbes in the gut.
• Vitamin D ensures the correct level of antimicrobial peptides in the secretion and maintains epithelial integrity.

Other beneficial roles of Vitamin D in colon cancer

Vitamin D3 has a wide immune regulating effect by acting on a range of immune cells. It acts as an anti-inflammatory agent by maintaining regulatory homeostatic role of the immune system against adverse situations. It acts as a repressor thereby preventing over-activation which could lead to undesirable consequences in the colon.

Vitamin D3 plays a vital role in the detoxification process in the intestine by controlling the expression of antioxidant, the enzymes involved in the catabolism of compounds including bile acids and other compounds that promote the development of colon cancer.

Dietary Vitamin D and recommended levels

The human body obtained Vitamin D through sun exposure and also from natural and fortified foods, and dietary supplements. Sun exposure, dietary vitamin D with calcium intake, and serum vitamin D concentration reduce the risk of colon cancer (4). A recent study suggests that optimal circulation of vitamin D of between 75 and 100 nmol/L concentrations is necessary for colon cancer risk reduction (5).

Sadly, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is on the increase worldwide with about half of the world’s population having a low level of vitamin D (levels below 75 nmol/L). Fortunately, 80% of the vitamin D needed by the human body can be synthesized in the presence of ultraviolet rays from sunlight. The remaining 20% can be obtained from the diet and food supplements. Foods rich in vitamin D include fatty fish such as tuna, mackerel, and salmon, beef liver and cheese. People who have inadequate exposure to sunlight such as house bound elderly and the sick need to have an adequate supply of vitamin D from the diet or food supplements.

The requirements for vitamin D are higher for adolescents, pregnant and lactating women. A recommended serum level of 75 nmol/L is the minimum vitamin D necessary to maintain good health. A supplementation of 2000IU to 5000IU/day is considered adequate to achieve and maintain the recommended serum vitamin D levels (6). A low vitamin D diet and vitamin D receptor deficiency has been shown to cause an imbalance between the types of the organism in the gut of experimental mice. This kind of imbalance in human’s natural microflora can lead to a range of ill conditions (5).

Conclusion

Evidence of the beneficial effect of vitamin D in colon cancer prevention is strong. Also, epidemiological data associate vitamin D deficiency with a higher risk of colon cancer. The indirect antitumor effect of vitamin D is credible and needs to be utilized in practice. The mechanism of vitamin D3’s protective effects against colon cancer is by acting on carcinoma cells,  immune cells and also the gut microbiota.

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Several unfounded stories surround food intake and practices. These stories could be referred to as myths. A myth is a commonly held but false belief. When these beliefs get repeated well enough people who know the truth invariably accept the view as a norm. However, the important question is which do we take with a pinch of salt and which do we take as fact?

Listed below are some myths about healthy eating.

1. Food myth: Eat many mini-meals instead of three regular meals for weight loss

Healthy eating fact: Some dieters have the belief that eating frequent, smaller meals all through the day will speed up metabolism and burn more calories. However, research evidence has shown no significant metabolic difference between participants who had six mini-meals with those who ate three regular meals. When you eat smaller but more frequent meals, you are more likely to be hungrier and take in more calories than you need.

2. Food myth: Nuts are as bad as junk foods

Healthy eating fact: While it is true that nuts contain a relatively high number of calories per unit weight, it doesn’t mean nuts should be restricted from your diet. They are high in protein and monounsaturated fats which are good for the heart. For example, almonds contain 6 grams of protein and 14 grams of healthy fat per serving (about 28 grams). Additionally, nuts offer many health benefits and have been associated with the reduction of risk factors for chronic diseases. It is demonstrated that nuts consumption has beneficial effects on heart health, decreased risk for diseases such as arterial disease, inflammation, and type 2 diabetes 1, 2, 3, 4.

3. Food myth: Frozen fruits and vegetables are less nutritious than fresh ones

Healthy eating fact: This is not true if you grow and harvest fruits and vegetables on your own, and freeze them for later use. However, foods found in the produce section may have spent days, weeks probably, in shipping and storage and as such, it is natural for them to lose nutrients. When fruits and vegetables are frozen immediately after harvesting at peak freshness, the loss of vitamin and mineral content is reduced to minimal.

4. Food myth: Drinking milk when you have cold increases mucus

Healthy eating fact: Your body needs calcium and vitamin D to build strong bones, and milk is rich in both. There is no evidence to prove that milk increases mucus production when you have a cold or suffer from flu 5. In this study, almost half of the participants believed dairy products were bad for colds and the majority held the view that milk produced more mucus. However, no correlation was found for the production of more mucus with milk intake. Also, no study has linked the intake of milk with the congestion often experienced during a cold or flu ailment. Milk is an important source of calcium and vitamins. The myth that milk intake increases mucus production needs to be disproved by healthcare workers

5. Food myth: Thoroughly wash raw meat before cooking to eliminate bacteria

Healthy eating fact: Food regulatory bodies of countries recommend not washing raw meat before you cook them. The reason for this recommendation is to prevent cross-contamination during handling and preparation into meals. While some bacteria can’t be simply washed off no matter how hard you try, some might end up getting into your sink, onto other foods and accidentally ingested. When pathogenic bacteria are eaten with food it could result in food infection or food poisoning and cause health problems. If you cook the meat at the right temperature, all the bacteria will die, so there’s no risk of contamination by washing it. However, this recommendation may not be relevant for situations where strict hygiene procedure from the abattoir to the point of sale is absent. Therefore, it is advisable to wash such meats to reduce the dirt load. Washing should be done in an isolated place to prevent the spread of the food borne pathogens that are on your meat all over the rest of your kitchen.

6. Food myth: Eating late at night makes you gain weight

Healthy eating fact: The idea of not eating after a certain time has been around for a while. However, there is no basis for this as our body burns calories 24/7, even when you’re asleep; so though it is advisable to eat dinner several hours before bedtime to allow the body to digest the food, and to also make it the smallest meal of the day. It remains that the total amount of calories consumed matters more than the time of eating. Any extra calories above your need will end up as stored up fat whether it is a morning treat or a midnight snack.

Conclusion

Sometimes unfounded stories do have some element of fact but with considerable distortion. While I have respect for your sentiments regarding your food practices, it is important to help you understand the facts and the myths about healthy eating.

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