(Continued)

What Is Your Frame Size: S, M, L, XL…?
Your ideal weight is not as much a precise mark as it is a range that may vary with height, age, genetic make-up and metabolic rate (the rate at which you burn calories). Body frame size and composition (percentage of fat versus muscle) also play a significant role, indicating whether you are on the higher or the lower end of your weight range.
Go to Article »

Do You Know Your Healthy Weight Range?
The average weight of both men and women in America and many other countries around the world is generally higher today than it was two or three decades ago. Whether this is a natural trend or cause for concern may be debatable. However, in terms of the potential health risks in connection with weight gain, it is important to have some guidelines for what can be considered a desirable range.
Go to Article »

A Quick and Easy Way to Estimate Your Daily Calorie Needs
A quick and easy way to estimate your daily calorie needs is to multiply your weight (in pounds) times your activity level. This method works well if you are generally comfortable with your weight and want only a ballpark figure of your calorie needs.
Go to Article »

Change Your Lifestyle, Not Just Your Diet
When it comes to weight loss, quick fixes are naturally more attractive than long term strategies. Diets that promise immediate results and don’t require too much effort enjoy the highest popularity. The word “diet” itself suggests an only “temporary” break from one’s regular lifestyle. There is the implicit assumption that dieting will end as soon as the intended goals (i.e. weight loss, lower blood pressure, etc.) are accomplished. Dieting may be hard, but at least it’s not permanent. It is needless to say that this kind of attitude makes relapsing into old habits almost inevitable.
Go to Article »

USDA Guidelines to Healthy Eating
What is a healthy diet? According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), a healthy diet as one that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products. It also includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts. It is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium) and added sugars. The most recent government guidelines, MyPyramid®, try to help individuals to choose wisely from every food group, find balance between food consumption and physical activity, get the highest nutritional value and stay within daily calorie needs.
Go to Article »

Way Too Sweet
The Dietary Guidelines of the U.S. government list sugar and artificial sweeteners among foods and food components we are urged to reduce in our diets. While natural sugar sources, like fruits (fructose) and milk (lactose), are recommended for their nutritional benefits, the so-called “added sugars” are not. Adding sugar to processed foods increases their calorie content without providing any significant nutrients, which is the reason why they’re called “empty calories.” In fact, added sugars contribute an average of 16 percent of total calories to the typical American diet.
Go to Article »

Portion Sizes Anyone Can Understand
Determining portion sizes can be tricky. How big is a medium-size potato? What’s an average bagel? How much pasta fits in a cup? There are easier ways to get portion sizes right than trying to decipher the meaning of servings printed on nutrition labels.
Go to Article »

Supermarket Savvy
In some ways, today’s consumers are better informed than ever than ever. Foods from all over the world are widely available, constantly broadening our culinary horizons. Yet we are facing more nutrition-related problems than ever before. In the “communication age,” we find ourselves constantly bombarded with bad news. We feel increasingly uncertain about what is good for our bodies. Almost daily we receive warnings about food contamination, outbreaks of diseases, recalls, revised nutritional recommendations, and so on. As a result, many of us get so confused that they stop paying attention altogether. Here are some tips for making more informed choices when you are grocery shopping.
Go to Article »

Food Label Literacy
Food Manufacturers are required by law to disclose certain information about their products through standardized “Nutrition Facts” panels. They are usually printed on the backside of food containers. Although we see them every day, not everyone would agree that they are easy to understand. Here is some more user-friendly guidance.
Go to Article »

A Pantry Stocked for Healthy Eating
A well-stocked pantry is an important part of any functioning kitchen. Having the right staples available allows you to be more creative and more flexible with your meal plans. Learning what to stock up on and what to keep out of your pantry is a good start for healthy home cooking.
Go to Article »

Tips for Leaner Cooking Techniques
Applying leaner cooking styles by cutting back on unnecessary calories and fat is a skill worth learning. The nutritional value of the best ingredients can be offset by careless cooking habits. Knowing about alternative cooking methods and healthier ingredients can make a real difference. Here are some useful ideas for leaner cooking techniques that don’t take away from quality and taste.
Go to Article »

Recipes Modified
Some say that cooking has become a dying art. People are too pressed for time or don’t have the skills or the facilities to prepare meals at home. On the other hand, there are countless hobby chefs who have discovered the joy of creating tasty meals, sometimes even late in life. It is a fact that if you want to eat healthy, you must know a thing or two about cooking your meals from scratch. Shopping for fresh ingredients and inventing better ways to prepare them can be a lot of fun, and it certainly has its benefits.
Go to Article »

Connect with us on FacebookTwitterGoogle+PinterestLinked InYouTubeRSS