Vegetarians and health enthusiasts have known for years that foods rich in soy protein offer a good alternative to meat, poultry, and other animal-based products. As consumers have pursued healthier lifestyles in recent years, consumption of soy foods has risen steadily, bolstered by scientific studies showing health benefits from these products. Last October, the Food and Drug Administration gave food manufacturers permission to put labels on products high in soy protein indicating that these foods may help lower heart disease risk.
Scientists agree that foods rich in soy protein can have considerable value to heart health, a fact backed by dozens of controlled clinical studies. A yearlong review of the available human studies in 1999 prompted FDA to allow a health claim on food labels stating that a daily diet containing 25 grams of soy protein, also low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.
While not every form of the following foods will qualify for the health claim, these are some of the most common sources of soy protein:
Tofu is made from cooked puréed soybeans processed into a custard-like cake. It has a neutral flavor and can be stir-fried, mixed into "smoothies," or blended into a cream cheese texture for use in dips or as a cheese substitute. It comes in firm, soft and silken textures.
"Soymilk," the name some marketers use for a soy beverage, is produced by grinding dehulled soybeans and mixing them with water to form a milk-like liquid. It can be consumed as a beverage or used in recipes as a substitute for cow's milk. Soymilk, sometimes fortified with calcium, comes plain or in flavors such as vanilla, chocolate and coffee. For lactose-intolerant individuals, it can be a good replacement for dairy products.
Soy flour is created by grinding roasted soybeans into a fine powder. The flour adds protein to baked goods, and, because it adds moisture, it can be used as an egg substitute in these products. It also can be found in cereals, pancake mixes, frozen desserts, and other common foods.
Textured soy protein is made from defatted soy flour, which is compressed and dehydrated. It can be used as a meat substitute or as filler in dishes such as meatloaf.
Tempeh is made from whole, cooked soybeans formed into a chewy cake and used as a meat substitute.
Miso is a fermented soybean paste used for seasoning and in soup stock.
Soy protein also is found in many "meat analog" products, such as soy sausages, burgers, franks, and cold cuts, as well as soy yogurts and cheese, all of which are intended as substitutes for their animal-based counterparts.
Soy protein is approved for those who are lactose intolerant, and can be used as a meat substitute. Much more than just an ingredient for a protein shake, Soy protein can be used for cooking instead of flour, producing high protein foods that are extremely low in fat, a bodybuilder's dream come true! Soy protein is derived exclusively from soy beans.
Soy protein provides a healthy way to get non-animal protein into your diet. It is great tasting, natural and can have a plethora of healthy effects on the body. It is ideal for high protein/low carb diets! It's valuable constituents include saponins, phytosterols, and isoflavones. This is one of the best things about soy protein! Saponins support healthy immune system function and combine with cholesterol to reduce it's absorption into the body through the small intestine. Phytosterols have also been shown to help maintain cholesterol levels already within normal range.
The anabolic isoflavones in soy (genistein and daidzein), not only have exhibited effects as powerful antioxidants, but have been shown to exhibit positive health benefits for both men and women.
Soy Protein
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Egg Protein
A large egg provides 6 grams of protein.Protein content of egg white=3.6g, protein content of egg yolk=2.7g.Because of their high protein content, eggs are included inthe meat, fish, poultry, nuts and beans group of the US Food Guidance Systems. Eggs have the highest quality protein in the food supply with the amino acid pattern almost matching the human requirement for essential amino acids (FAO protein value=100).Digestibility of egg protein is 97%. This means that 97% of the egg protein is absorbed as amino acids, which are availablefor new protein synthesis and replacement of lost protein.Cooked egg protein is more digestible than raw egg protein (cooked egg protein digestibility=90.9%+/-0.8, raw egg protein digestibility=51.3+/-9.8) The biological value of egg protein is 94%.
Biological value is a measure of the rate at which the protein in food supports growth. Eggs and milk have the highest biological value and provide more amino acids for growth and tissue maintenance than even meat, including beef, chicken, pork.
The protein in eggs has a biological quality greater than any other natural food. In fact many manufacturers of protein powders often base their products on egg protein such as albumin because of its protein quality. Egg protein contains all the essential amino acids in the exact proportions required by the body for optimum growth and maintenance of lean, metabolically active tissue.
Quality of proteins can be an important factor in weight loss because protein of poor quality forces the body to either use it as fuel or convert it to fat for storage. Many processed foods contain protein levels of poor quality plus they often contain high calories which increases the chance protein will be stored as fat!
Milk (casein) Protein
Casein is the predominant protein in milk. For example protein in cheese and cottage cheese is casein. Casein is the slow digestive protein in the family of proteins that keeps you full longer. Casein also has a naturally protein high glutamine content, higher than whey, egg or soy. It is one of the best protein in building muscles. Casein is also very low in lactose.
While whey protein may increase protein synthesis to a very high degree, higher than casein, scientists are now recognizing that micellar casein is much more important in preventing muscle breakdown. In fact, additional research is demonstrating that the slow and sustained release of amino acids from micellar casein can cause a 'timed release' trickle of amino acids into the bloodstream which can last for as many as 7 full hours after ingestion.
Micellar casein is the natural, undenatured form of casein found in milk. It is separated from milk by means of ultrafiltration, without the use of chemicals, which increases the amount of bioactive milk peptides that support immune function as well as enhance muscle growth. A property of micellar casein is that it may have the ability to form a "gel" in the gut. This provides a steady release of amino acids into the blood stream, which makes it an excellent choice for a long lasting anti-catabolic protein.
Benefits of Casein Protein:
* Casein is digested very slowly thus helping to regulate (slow down) transit time of other proteins through the intestinal tract. This slowing of transit time helps increase the absorption of amino acids, peptides, and whole proteins. This helps to prevent lean tissue breakdown during sleep or between meals.
* Casein is very high in the peptide form of the amino acid glutamine (20.5%) – higher than whey, soy, and eggs. High concentrations of this amino acid can help spare lean muscle tissue, something extremely important to us boomers.
* Casein contains high amounts of glucogenic aminos (threonine, glutamine, arginine). These aminos assist in glucose production for energy during exercise and other physical activities. Similar to glutamine, they also have been shown to slow down muscle breakdown.
Whey Protein
Whey protein has been described as “nature’s perfect protein”. One of the most heavily researched nutritional supplements, whey protein has been proven to provide numerous health and fitness benefits in dozens of scientific studies.
Whey Proteins are the rich source of protein. When fresh milk is changed into cheese, then whey protein is split out. Whey protein is useful in offering the human body with the essentials building blocks for producing amino acids that are utilized to build muscle tissue.
Why are whey proteins scoring more as compared to other sources? The answer is that it is contained the right combination of all amino acid to make the concentration. Whey proteins are very beneficial for the immune system of body by playing an important role like an antioxidant.
Why whey protein?
Whey protein is very beneficial for everyone, use of whey protein, makes the body healthy. Although, bodybuilders and athletes are in require of whey proteins. Because of they do workout for a long time period.
Whey proteins absorb with physical exercise and give result as muscle building. As well as, it is useful for muscles to grow and recover rapidly. If one wants to lose more fat, whey protein is useful as a good intake of whey proteins balance the level of blood sugar, however carbohydrates cause the levels of blood sugar for fluctuating.
In fact, it is useful to loss extra fat and prevents out of control intake. Basically whey proteins are useful for people to control the diet efficiently.
What are the Benefits of Whey Proteins ?
There are large numbers of benefits of whey protein
Physical Performance:
Whey protein is beneficial for athletes to maintain a muscular and distinct figure. Since numbers of athletes need double as much protein in the diets.
Cardiovascular Health:
There are specific bioactive elements in whey proteins. They can lead for reduction of cholesterol. It is beneficial to decrease the risk of getting heart problems.
Diabetes:
Whey protein is useful for those people who are suffered from diabetes to control the diet eating. It offers more value as compared to equal quantity of low quality proteins that are mainly high in cholesterol and fat.
Wound Healing:
During the healing procedure, increased whey proteins are needed to set up the expansion of the original skin. Whey protein is the highest qualitative protein. It is mainly used in high protein products, which are recommended, by surgeons or health care providers.
Weight Management:
Whey proteins are useful for stabilizing the levels of blood glucose by decreasing the digestion of glucose in the bloodstream. Due to this, the levels of insulin are decreased and the human body can easily burn fat.
Protein:
It is very easy to absorb whey protein. It is rich source of protein for those people who are suffered from cancer.
Healthy Ageing:
Whey proteins with the highest quality in proper amounts can maintain muscles in aging.
Muscle Builder
Protein is known to be a best muscle builder:
Protein is made of amino acids. Amino acids are the basic building blocks of muscle. Therefore, protein is an essential ingredient for muscle building. You can't build muscle without it! You will want to take in about 1-2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight throughout the day. So an average person who weighs 150 lbs would want to consume between 150 and 300 grams of protein in a day. Protein shakes and bars are convenient and provide high quality protein.
There are several forms of protein including: Whey, Soy, Egg, and Casein. So which kind is best? Well that depends on how and when you want to use them.
Whey - Basically, whey protein is awesome for post-workout supplementation because that's the time when your body needs protein the most, and whey is digested very quickly (about 30 minutes).
Casein - Casein, on the other hand, is digested very slowly (over 2 - 7 hours). This means it's great to use a protein supplement with casein before bed because the longest time your body goes without protein is during the night while you are sleeping.
Egg - Egg protein (albumen) digests at a medium pace (1.5-3 hours) so it's a good anytime protein to provide a good sustained release of aminos to the body.
Soy - Soy protein is the vegetarian's friend because it's one of the only complete protein sources derived from plants. Soy is a good overall protein, although it's not as effective in terms of absorbtion as whey or egg albumen. Additionally, soy has many recognized health benefits for women.
Blends - Either protein supplements are straight whey, soy, egg, or casein; or they are a combination of any or all of these kinds of proteins. What can a blend of proteins offer that a straight protein cannot? Basically, different rates of digestion. This means you can take a blended protein any time to get quick, medium, and prolonged absorption of protein.
Low Carb - Of the many protein supplements, the two other main categories are weight gainers and low carb protein shakes and bars. These two are on opposite spectrums of each other. Yep, you guessed it low carb protein shakes are good for those dieting or trying to lose or maintain weight.
Weight Gainer - Weight gainers are high calorie protein products that are great for people who are looking to bulk up. If you are having trouble gaining weight, taking in extra high quality calories will usually do the trick.
Essentials for Bodybuilding diet
=> Diet is the single most important part of muscle building. Yes, there are many other important factors to consider but none of them are as important at the correct diet and nutrition plan. Your training may be perfect, but without the correct fuel to feed your muscles to grow you will have little progress.
Most people that are new to weight training and bulking up get very confused when confronted with all the information that’s available in magazines, at the gym and online. In this article I am really going to simplify things for you. A good nutrition and diet plan for muscle building is not rocket science and it definitely does not have to be complicated.
3 main components that make up your diet:
Ok, so lets get started by showing you the 3 main components of a good muscle building diet and what role they play in helping you bulk up.
=> Protein
Ah protein, what would we do without it? We wouldn’t grow that’s for sure! Apart from water, protein is the most plentiful substance in the body. Protein is responsible for building, repairing and maintaining muscle tissue. Protein is also the body’s second resource for energy after carbohydrates. Put simply, without protein we would wither away to skin and bone. When it comes to muscle building, your body requires an increased about of protein to repair the muscle your break down at the gym.
=> Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are your body’s primary source of energy. There are two types of carbohydrates, simple and complex. Simple carbs are found in foods like sugar and fruit and will give you a quick burst of energy by raising blood sugar levels. Complex carbs are found in whole grains like brown bread, rice and potatoes. Complex carbs are important because they provide the long lasting fuel you need to train hard. If you don’t eat enough complex carbs in your muscle building diet your body will turn to its next source of energy, protein (which you don’t want!).
=> Fats
Fats are also a vital part of your diet, but must be consumed in the correct amounts. The most important fact you need to know about fats is there are two types. First, there are “good fats”. These fats are found in foods like olive oil, fish and nuts. Second, there are “bad fats”. These fats are saturated fats and trans fats. These fats are mainly from foods like meat, eggs and vegetable oil. You should aim to cut down bad fats in your diet and focus on eating the right amount of good fats.
So now you know the 3 main components that your muscle building diet will comprise of, now we need to look at how much you need to get on a daily basis for optimum muscle growth. A couple of points that need to be noted before we continue.
First, the best way to calculate the amount of protein, carbs and fat you need in your diet is to use your body weight. For the purpose of this article I am going to use a 200 pound man. Second, these figures are only a guide and intended to be used if muscle building is your goal. Like I say in all my articles, you will get the best results from experimenting with what works for you and your body type.
The basic amounts of protein, fat and carbs.
Like many aspects of training to build muscle, these figures are arguable. Some may agree, other may disagree, but these figures are good for a guide and have worked for me. So here is a basic guide on what you should be aiming for on a daily basis:
1. Protein: 1 – 1.6 grams per pound of bodyweight .
2. Carbs: 2.5 grams per pound of bodyweight .
3. Fats: 0.25 grams per pound of bodyweight .
So let’s take an example of a 200 pound man looking to build muscle. Using the figures above, he would have to eat 200-300 grams of protein, 500 grams of carbohydrates and 50 grams of fat per day.
So what does this mean in calories?
Here are the conversions of grams to calories for protein, carbs and fats.
* Protein – 4 calories per gram
* Carbohydrates – 4 calories per gram
* Fat – 9 calories per gram
So back to 200 pound man, he would have a daily intake of 3650 calories. This figure is just about spot on for a man of this size looking to bulk up.
When you should be eating.
=> When you eat is as important as what you eat. It’s important to get out of the “3 meals per day” mentality. Preferably you would eat 5-8 meals per day at 2 to 3 hour intervals. I know this is not possible for most people because of work, school etc but you should try to eat as many small meals as possible. If bodybuilding king Ronnie Coleman can work a full time job and eat a good muscle building diet then so can you!
Ideally, every one of your small meals should contain the right amount of protein, carbs and fat. It’s easy to work out how much you need from each meal. Just work out the totals and divide it by the number of meals you eat per day. So let’s say my 200 pound man has time in the day for 6 meals. Each meal would need to contain about 33-50 grams of protein, 80-85 grams of carbs and 8 grams of fat.
You should try to eat 1 meal about 1 hour prior to training (energy for your workout) and 1 meal after training (nutrients for muscle repair).
For guys with a thin build.
If you’ve got a naturally thin build and fast metabolism I would advise you to add more carbohydrates to your diet for extra calories. I am naturally a true ectomorph with a thin build and rocketing metabolism. While this has its good points (like burning fat), it means I have to eat more calories in build muscle. If you have this body type you should literally eat as much carbs as you can.
Easy, isn’t it!
So that’s basically it. That is how you plan your muscle building diet, the simple way.
Bodybuilding
Would you like to look like this one day?
Most definitely not you say, but that's okay because chances are you never will. It took years of workouts that would kill normal people, buckets of steroids and genetics that put mortal men to shame to get Ronnie Coleman where he is today. He is an icon and inspiration for any aspiring bodybuilder nowadays.
But bodybuilding isn't only for the very elite that win the Mr. Olympia every year. It's a sport that is easily accessible for anyone. It is for you, even if all you want is to grow your muscles a bit bigger and get a bit leaner.
What is Bodybuilding?
What Does it Take to Get into Bodybuilding?
Is Bodybuilding For Me?
Where do I start?
Before you even pick up your first weight, go and read up about weight-training. But don't pick up the GQ or Men's Health or even the Muscle and Fitness guide to weight training. Go read about on the net. PLaces like www.bodybuilding.com tell it like it is. GQ and Men's Health will tell you that you too can have a huge chest if you do push-ups (hint: you can't) and Flex will tell you that pros don't juice it but they are big because of NO and MuscleTech. Arnold's Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding is a pretty damn good book (Arnold was an incredible bodybuilder) and is cheap too. Don't buy anything that has Joe Weider's name on it. Once you are confident that you have enough info (after about a week of reading), go and give it all you have in the gym.
Beginner's Tips:
1. Never give up. No matter how bleak the situation looks, it will get better. You can experiment with your diet and training but never just throw your hands up in the air and give it all up.
2. Eat a lot of the right food. Seriously.
3. A few months into the program, you should be able to train so hard that you feel like shit after training. This is good. Keep it up.
4. A beginner's program always has the big compound movements in it. You might not believe this, but no-one starts out strong enough to base their workouts on isolation exercises.
5. You are not Ronnie Coleman or Jay Cutler and you are not a combination of both. You can't benchpress 200kg for reps and there's no use in trying to do so and lift with crappy form and injure yourself. Know your limits.
6. Lift with proper form. If you can't, the weight is too heavy and you should move down weight.
Ronnie's Body building Diet Plan
A Monotonous Diet:
Besides the weight-training, Mr. Coleman each day completes 45 minutes to an hour of treadmill walking, his cardiovascular exercise. Then, 12 weeks before a major competition, he adds the other key elements to his regimen: a second round of cardio exercise and a diet that is far more about fueling than it is about dining.
The purpose is to whittle the body down to the barest minimum of fat and water content. When he starts to diet, Mr. Coleman usually weighs about 320 pounds, with an estimated 8% of it body fat -- still less than half of what's normal for an adult male. If all goes as planned, he'll drop 60 pounds over the 12 weeks.
The basic daily menu plan -- consumed in six meals -- features a huge quantity of lean meats (up to 5 pounds) and liquids (around 2 gallons); a moderate amount of starchy carbohydrates, such as rice and potatoes; and vitamin and mineral supplements to fill in the nutritional gaps.
On;y the most disciplined athletes can endure the monotony of the diet, says Mr. Coleman's nutritionist, Chad Nicholls. "Halfway through this diet, I can guarantee you'll be sitting there watching television, and the only thing you'll notice are the food commercials," says Mr. Nicholls, who lives in Springfield, Mo., and specializes in sports nutrition.
Mr. Coleman admits to having cravings -- doughnuts and cheesecake are two favorites -- while he's on the diet, but he neither cheats nor complains.
Mr. Coleman began working out with Mr. Nicholls in anticipation of the 1998 Mr. Olympia competition. In his six years as a pro, the bodybuilder had finished no higher than sixth in the event, but he figured the '98 contest might offer him at least a shot at the elite top five. The reason: Dorian Yates, the man who had had a virtual lock on the title for six years, had decided to retire, a development that held the potential of a complete rescrambling of the pecking order.
But McGough confirms that Mr. Coleman wasn't on anyone's list to take the title. "Most Mr. Olympias are prodigies," he says. "If they're great, they come through very quickly. Ronnie came through slowly, bit by bit. It was a real study in perseverance."
Mr. Coleman's nemesis was no different than any other bodybuilder's -- water retention that tends to make muscles look soft. To counter the tendency, Mr. Nicholls recalibrated Mr. Coleman's diet, hoping his body would respond to various additions and subtractions of proteins, carbs, and fluids over time.
"It's really a matter of trial and error," the nutritionist says. "But we got lucky."
Over the years Ronnie have received numerous questions about how to add mass to one's frame. To put on mass can be a painstaking task for some. I have found that the following things can help a great deal with adding mass to the frame.
Eat, eat and eat some more
To add strength and mass, try to consume four to six meals a day. Choose from a variety of food groups at mealtime. Try to include lots of potatoes, rice, pasta, fruits and vegetables
Make sure you are eating enough. A low fat diet and avoiding refined foods are good, but it won't help you build mass. On the same note you don't want to eat a high fat diet all the time. Fat provides additional calories, the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and raw materials for important hormones that stimulate muscle growth.
Monitor the amount of mass you are gaining. Measure your body parts and weigh every week to see if you are going in the right direction.
Lastly, continue to train hard. And remember gaining mass won't happen overnight.
* My style of heavy training tears down my muscles and leave me very more, but vitamins and supplements helps a great deal in reducing recovery time and restoring my mucsles to peak condition. Multivitamins and minerals are my favourite supplements, especially vitamin C and vitamin E. Amino acids are very helpful and i'm a great fan of whey protien isolate. I also take creatine and ghitamine and i highly recommend creatine that has ghitamine in it.
Mr.Olympia Ronnie Coleman
History:Ronald Dean Coleman is an American bodybuilder and an eight-time Mr. Olympia title winner. He is known mainly as "Ronnie Coleman", and has won the Mr. Olympia contest every year from 1998 to 2005. Coleman is an affiliate of the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB) and is signed to an endorsement contract with BSN. Alongside his eight Olympia wins as a professional bodybuilder, Coleman holds the record for most wins as an IFBB professional with 25 wins. He broke the previous record (held by Vince Taylor at 22 wins) in Moscow on November 5th, 2004. Coleman graduated Cum Laude from Grambling State University (GSU) in 1989 with a degree in accounting. While attending Coleman also played football with the GSU Tigers under famous coach Eddie Robinson.
After graduation, Coleman became a police officer. Coleman, who has won more professional titles than any other bodybuilder, supports the Inner City Games, an organization that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger co-founded in 1991. He was the recipient of the 2001 Admiral in the Texas Navy Certificate Award from Texas Governor Rick Perry for outstanding achievements in bodybuilding and the promotion of physical fitness. Coleman's training consists of simple compound movements with mostly free weights and some powerlifting; he rarely uses machines. He typically trains 6 days a week in the on-season. Ronnie Coleman's First Training Video features Coleman training after the 1997 Mr. Olympia contest.
The Unbelievable features Coleman's day-to-day activities in preparation for the 2000 Mr. Olympia competition. Some of the feats in this video include: 2x800lb deadlift, 12x200lb dumbbell flat bench press, 5x585lb front squat (free). The Cost of Redemption features Coleman's 800 lb (363 kg) squats, 2250 lb (1021 kg) leg press, 495 lb (225 kg) bench press and 75 lb (34 kg) arm curls. Preparation for the 2003 Mr. Olympia. On The Road features 101 minutes of workout action and 14 minutes of special features - Total running time 115 minutes. Filmed in Australia less than a week after the 2005 Mr. Olympia.
About Ronnie:
Born: May 13, 1964
Birthplace: Monroe, Louisiana, USA
Residence: Texas, USA
Height: 5' 11"
Off Season Weight: 330 lbs
Competition Weight: 296 lbs
Arms: 24"
Thighs: 34"
Chest: 58"
Cut down on saturated fat and sugar
saturated fat - having too much can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which increases the chance of developing heart disease
unsaturated fat - having unsaturated fat instead of saturated fat lowers blood cholesterolTry to cut down on food that is high in saturated fat and have foods that are rich in unsaturated fat instead, such as vegetable oils (including sunflower, rapeseed and olive oil), oily fish, avocados, nuts and seeds.
The healthier type of fat to choose is unsaturated fat (monounsaturated or polyunsaturated), which can actually improve cholesterol levels. But don’t forget all fat is high in calories, so if you are watching your weight, you should limit your overall fat intake.
* Choose your meat wisely
Have chicken or turkey without skin, lean cuts of meats and trim off any visible fat. Cut back on fatty meat pies, sausages, sausage rolls and breaded meat or chicken etc. Did you know a grilled chicken breast without skin contains a third less saturated fat than with skin?
* Check the labels
Cut down on takeaways, ready meals and processed foods. Opt for lower fat versions; check and compare nutrition labels and pick foods with a lower amount of saturated fat.
* Look at your cooking methods
Grill, bake, steam, boil or poach foods instead of frying in lots of oil. Did you know a portion of cod fried in batter has 2.9g of saturated fat and 445 calories, but an average portion of baked cod has just 0.4g of saturated fat and only 115 calories! Rather than adding extra fat like cream or sour cream to recipes why not swap with low-fat yoghurt or fromage frais.
* Dressings and sauces
Make your own low fat salad dressing using ingredients such as low fat yoghurt, lemon juice, herbs, etc rather than shop brought ones. If you do buy dressing or sauces, pick lower fat varieties, e.g. low-fat salad dressing or lower fat mayonnaise.
* Milk it up…
Use semi-skimmed or skimmed milk rather than full fat or condensed milk. For example, swap a 200ml glass of full fat milk for semi-skimmed milk and cut your saturated fat intake by 2.9g and 40 calories.
* To measure or spray
Measure your oil out with a tablespoon rather than just pouring straight out of the bottle. Then you know how much you are using. Or why not use a spray oil to cook.
* Cheesy choice
Check out the nutrition label and opt for cheeses that are lower in fat and saturated fat such as cottage cheese, ricotta and half-fat cheddar. Did you know that a 30g portion of hard cheese is the size of a small matchbox?
* Eat more oily fish
Oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel, fresh tuna and sardines are rich in omega 3 polyunsaturated fat; which can help to protect against heart disease.
* Snack attack
For a tasty and nutritious snack, have a handful of unsalted nuts, seeds or dried fruit rather then reaching for fatty snacks such as crisps, pastries, or bombay mix. For those with a sweet tooth choose sugar free jelly or sorbets instead of cakes, biscuits or ice-cream.
* Bulk up
Add less meat to casseroles, stews and sauces and replace with fibre-rich vegetables, beans or pulses.
Starch Food is good for Health
Most of us should eat more starchy foods - try to include at least one starchy food with each of your main meals. So you could start the day with a wholegrain breakfast cereal, have a sandwich for lunch, and potatoes, pasta or rice with your evening meal.Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but gram for gram they contain less than half the calories of fat. You just need to watch the fats you add when cooking and serving these foods, because this is what increases the calorie content.
A Simple Plan for Weight Loss
The math is pretty simple. One pound of fat equals 3500 calories. Want to lose a pound a week? Then you need to consume 3500 calories less per week than you use. That's about 500 calories a day. By cutting out 500 calories a day from your normal daily diet, while keeping your activity level the same, you can lose approximately one pound a week. All right - that doesn't sound like much, especially if you're more than 25 pounds overweight. Study after study has shown, though, that those people who lose weight gradually - at a rate of 1-2 pounds per week -are far more likely to keep the weight off and maintain a normal weight for a lifetime.
So how much exactly IS 500 calories? If you're going to reduce your daily intake by 500 calories, it helps to know what you need to cut out, right? Here's how easy it is to lose 500 calories a day:
* Use milk instead of cream in your coffee. Savings? 50 calories per cup.
* Skip the butter on your baked potato. Savings? 100 calories
* Drink fruit-flavored water instead of a 16 ounce soda. Savings? 200 calories
* Skip the Big Mac and have a salad instead. A Big Mac weighs in at a whopping 460 calories. A fresh salad with a light dressing? Less than 100! Savings? 360 calories
* Pass by the bag of potato chips. An average snack size bag of chips has over 300 calories. Savings? 300 calories
* Eat your corn on the ear. A 1 cup serving of canned corn has 165 calories. An ear of corn has 85. Savings? 80 calories.* Switch to low-fat cream cheese on your bagel. Savings? 90 calories per ounce.
* Love those fries and can't give them up? Swap the skinny fries out for thick steak-cut ones. Thin French fries absorb more oil than the thicker, meatier ones. Savings? 50 calories per 4 ounce serving
If you'd rather look at losing weight from an exercise perspective, you can also lose one pound a week by upping your activity level by 500 calories a day. How easy is that to do? Take a look:
* Take a half-hour walk around the park. Aim for a pace that's a little faster than a stroll, but not fast enough to be breathless. Burn: 160 calories.
* Get out your bike and take a ride. Tackle a few moderate hills and aim for about five miles total. Burn: 250 calories* Go dancing - and really DANCE. The longer you're out on the floor instead of at the table drinking up high-calorie drinks, the more you'll get out of it. Dancing that makes you breathless and warms up your body will net you a nice calorie savings. Burn: 400 calories for one hour* Swimming is great for you, and a lot of fun, too. The water resistance means you burn more calories, and you avoid the stress impact on joints from aerobics, dancing or walking. Do a few laps at a slow crawl - if you can get up to an hour you'll be doing great! Burn: 510 calories* Get out into your garden. An hour of gardening tasks that includes bending and stretching can burn up to as many calories as a brisk walk. Burn: 250 calories.
* Play a game of tennis. Hook up with a friend for a weekly tennis game and you'll be amazed at the difference. One hour of vigorous tennis is one of the best calorie burners around. Burn: 800 calories
It’s important to keep in mind that all exercise/calorie numbers are based on a woman weighing 130 pounds. If you weigh more, you'll burn more. Want an added bonus to burning calories through exercise? When you exercise, you build muscle by converting it from fat. Three guesses which kind of body tissue burns more calories - even when you're not exercising. You got it - your body uses more energy to maintain and feed muscle than it does fat.
For best results, mix and match food savings with exercises that burn calories. Do keep in mind that eating less than 1000 calories a day for more than a few days will convince your body that it's starving and slow your metabolism. Keep calorie ranges reasonable, and consult a doctor if you want a quicker, more drastic weight loss.
Only 13 steps to maintain a healthy diet
The following basic guidelines are what you need to know to construct a healthy diet.
1 Eat plenty of high-fiber foods—that is, fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. These are the “good” carbohydrates—nutritious, filling, and relatively low in calories. They should supply the 20 to 30 grams of dietary fiber you need each day, which slows the absorption of carbohydrates, so there’s less effect on insulin and blood sugar, and provides other health benefits as well. Such foods also provide important vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals (plant chemicals essential to good health).
2 Make sure to include green, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables—such as broccoli, carrots, cantaloupe, and citrus fruits. The antioxidants and other nutrients in these foods may help protect against developing certain types of cancer and other diseases. Eat five or more servings a day.
3 Limit your intake of sugary foods, refined-grain products such as white bread, and salty snack foods. Sugar, our No.1 additive, is added to a vast array of foods. Just one daily 12-ounce can of soda (160 calories) can add up to 16 pounds over the course of a year. Many sugary foods are also high in fat, so they’re calorie-dense.
4 Cut down on animal fat. It’s rich in saturated fat, which boosts blood cholesterol levels and has other adverse health effects. Choose lean meats, skinless poultry, and nonfat or low-fat or nonfat dairy products.
5 Cut way down on trans fats, supplied by hydrogenated vegetable oils used in most processed foods in the supermarket and in many fast foods.
6 Eat more fish and nuts, which contain healthy unsaturated fats. Substitute olive or canola oil for butter or stick margarine.
7 Keep portions moderate, especially of high-calorie foods. In recent years serving sizes have ballooned, particularly in restaurants. Choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything.
8 Keep your cholesterol intake below 300 milligrams per day. Cholesterol is found only in animal products, such as meats, poultry, dairy products, and egg yolks.
9 Eat a variety of foods. Don't try to fill your nutrient requirements by eating the same foods day in, day out. It is possible that not every essential nutrient has been identified, and so eating a wide assortment of foods helps to ensure that you will get all the necessary nutrients. In addition, this will limit your exposure to any pesticides or toxic substances that may be present in one particular food.
10 Maintain an adequate calcium intake. Calcium is essential for strong bones and teeth. Get your calcium from low-fat sources, such as skim milk and low-fat yogurt. If you can't get the optimal amount from foods, take supplements.
11 Try to get your vitamins and minerals from foods, not from supplements. Supplements cannot substitute for a healthy diet, which supplies nutrients and other compounds besides vitamins and minerals. Foods also provide the "synergy" that many nutrients require to be efficiently used in the body.
12 Maintain a desirable weight. Balance energy (calorie) intake with energy output. Exercise and other physical activity are essential.
13 If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. That is one drink a day for women, two a day for men. A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits. Excess alcohol consumption leads to a variety of health problems. And alcoholic beverages can add many calories to your diet without supplying nutrients.
Healthy and Nutritious diet
