Keep Your Health Tips

Fat has had a lot of bad press and for many people, just a mention of the word can evoke misery. You can try to lose it, try to hide it, try to avoid it, but your body still needs it! Did you know that fat helps to insulate our nerve cells, keeps us warm, balances our hormones, keeps skin and arteries supple, lubricates joints and is a component in every cell?

The key issue here is recognizing which type of fat your body needs, how much your body requires and which type is your enemy. Armed with the right information, you can focus on getting more of the good fats and less of the bad fats into your daily diet.

There are two types of fat to be aware of. Saturated fats - let’s call them “the enemy” and unsaturated fats - “the good guys”! It is easy to tell the difference because saturated fats are hard at room temperature. Saturated fats are not essential to your health. They come from animals and are found in meat, eggs and cheese. They are harder to digest and full of cholesterol.

Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and have been divided into two groups. Monounsaturated fats such as olive oil, and polyunsaturated fats such as sunflower oil.
Polyunsaturated fats are split into Omega 3 fatty acids and Omega 6 fatty acids. Monounsaturated fat (Omega 9) although not essential, is not harmful in moderation - a good quality (extra virgin first cold pressed) olive oil is a healthier alternative to the usual vegetable oil.
Good sources of Omega 6: safflower oil, sunflower oil, evening primrose oil, walnut oil, pumpkin oil, sesame oil.
Good sources of Omega 3 are mackerel, herring, salmon, pilchards, sardines, tuna and flax seed oil.
Here are some important facts about fat in our diet.

1. Fat is the ‘energy reserve’ of animals, plants and humans.

2. The ideal body-fat ratio should be approximately 19-26% of a woman’s body weight, and 12-18% of a man’s body weight.

3. There are two different types of body fat - brown and yellow. Brown fat is situated inside the body and is ‘active’, containing mitochondria that produce heat (thermogenesis) and as a result burn energy. Yellow fat is found nearer the surface, is less active and more likely to accumulate. Women tend to have a higher ratio of yellow fat than men.

4. Women need higher levels of fat because it is essential for reproduction and so the body stores it ‘just in case’.

5. An average healthy intake of good fats in the diet should be approximately 30-40 grams a day. The fat content of diets in affluent populations can be nearly four times this amount!

6. Most foods containing fat combine saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat in varying quantities. For instance, butter’s fat content is almost 100%, of which 60% is saturated, 30% monounsaturated and 10% polyunsaturated, compared with sunflower seeds’ fat content of 73%, of which just 12% is saturated and 21% monounsaturated and 67% is polyunsaturated.

7. Heat, light and oxygen destroy essential fatty acids, which is why it is best to keep oils in dark containers.

8. Essential fats must come from the diet because your body cannot produce them. The essential healthy fats are Omega 3 and Omega 6 (known as essential fatty acids).

9. Weight for weight, fat provides more than twice the amount of usable energy than carbohydrates or protein (you’ll find 9 calories in every gram of fat).

10. Fat contributes to the palatability, texture and the smell of many foods, it also slows down the process of digestion providing an extended period of satiation after a meal.

When you know the good from the bad, fat is fabulous!

(c) Copyright Kim Beardsmore

Kim Beardsmore is a weight loss consultant whose business operates across 60 countries. Tons of recipes, articles, resources, free newsletter and more to help you lose weight and keep it off forever. Estimate your healthy body weight or receive a free weight loss consultation at http://www.weight-loss-health.com.au

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If you are a mom at home on a diet, you will probably related to a frequent situation I encounter as a weight loss consultant. Many of my clients with children are able to keep to a healthy eating plan through most circumstances except two. It all starts to go astray when the kids come home from school, or when they are preparing school lunches.

It’s no surprise really. Kids love snacks we buy from the supermarket, and parents love them because they are quick and easy to throw into the lunchbox or for kids to grab from the shelves in the pantry. Small bags of chips, tasty bite size crackers, sodas and the like. No problem. Except when it comes to mom’s weight loss program. Mom loves them too!

These products are high in fat, high in energy and high in refined sugars. And after one, two or three nibbles it is possible to wrack up an unwanted 500 calories. This single act will probably stall your weight loss or even worse!

To stop your kids from sabotaging your weight loss efforts, here are 20 snack ideas for kids that will do far less damage to your weight loss program if mom nibbles (just a little).

1. Chop up

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It’s 11:30 a.m. You’re in an important meeting. Your stomach
growls so loud that the speaker pauses to see just where that
noise came from.

You feel like crawling under the table.

You’re trying to concentrate, but you feel weak. Unable to keep
your mind on your work. You’re antsy. All you can think about
is lunch.

Everyone piles down to the restaurant. You are so starving, you
order the bacon cheeseburger with fries. And they have this
great white chocolate cheesecake. Gotta try that!

Back to the meetings. An hour later, you can barely hold your
eyes open.

Have you had too many days like that?

Here’s a great formula for getting through the marathon days in
top shape-

The night before a big day, eat -

* Spaghetti with tomato sauce

* Tossed salad

* Bread

* Lots of fluids (preferably water)

* And get enough sleep.

For breakfast, eat-

* Cereal with 2% milk

* Banana

* Low Fat Yogurt

* Juice

If possible, grab some fruit or a power bar to eat during the
morning break. Drink water throughout the day.

You’ll be fine until lunch, and beyond.

At lunch, top choice is turkey and cheese on wheat and some
fruit. If that’s not available, have a salad with chicken and
cheese, like a cobb salad, or a chicken ceasar salad, and a
piece of bread. Drink lots of water. At least one glass every
2 hours.

You’ll run circles around the rest of them!

Yes, I hear all you “no carb” people screaming. Carbs are energy.
If you have high energy requirements, you must have carbs.
We all need carbs. You just have to be smart about the carbs you
eat, and when you eat them. You can learn more about it when
you read “I’ve Got a Thin Attitude.”

Besides, Atkins died, allegedly from the side effects of his own diet.

Disclaimer- If you are already a diabetic, please follow your
doctors guidelines.

Carole is the author of Getting a Thin Attitude. If you want to learn more about eating to look and feel great, and
never be on a diet again - you’ll want this incredible
package. Click on the link to get your own copy - http://ThinAttitude.CommonSenseLiving.com

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