Keep Your Health Tips

FACT: Obesity accounts for 300,000 deaths a year in the U.S. alone.

Research into how junk food and fast food restaurants affect obesity, have found that there may be a relationship between the number of people per fast food restaurant and how many square miles there are between fast food restaurants located within your local area and obesity rates.

The way in which we eat, and what we eat, is of vital importance to our state of health. The convenience and habitual nature of the problem mean that fast food consumption is so in-grained, that healthy eating is near impossible.

There are no easy ways to fix junk food habits and make them into healthy habits, but I do have 7 quick strategies that you can easily put into place to start into motion your new lifestyle without junk food. I recommend implementing these one at a time, to ensure that you don’t overload and burn yourself out.

1. Do your shopping every week. Make it a regular habit to do your groceries every single week on the same day.

2. Make a shopping list on the computer with all the regular foods that you buy, to ensure that you aren’t going to run out of food at the end of the week, tempting you to reach for the fast food pamphlet, running out for take-away or buying unnecessary food items.

3. Don’t starve yourself !!!!!!! Eat 6 small meals instead of 3 large ones, snacking on healthy foods such as a fat burning apple, protein packed, metabolism raising light salad with boiled eggs and flaxseed oil dressing.

4. Make food your hobby. Join a cookery class. There are often many community classes that you can enrol in inexpensively to learn how to prepare interesting food.

5. Unplug the TV at the point. You will be less likely to sit there and watch it aimlessly if you have to make a conscious effort to turn it on. Particularly around 6-8 pm, the junk food restaurants will advertise, watch a DVD during these times. A recent review of childhood obesity research, has, not surprisingly found that the amount of time you spend watching TV has a direct affect on being overweight.

6. Try this recipe when you are feeling peckish to curb your need to buy junk food, or feeling the urge to have a smoke.

2 eggs beaten
1 Chopped lean bacon rasher - no fat.
1 chopped canned tomato
1/4 cup soy milk/low fat milk
1 finely chopped leaf spinach/frozen spinach
Sprinkling of low fat cheese

Mix ingredients together in mixing bowl. Transfer into a microwave safe bowl and cook on high for 2 minutes or until eggs have solidified. Eat with a low GI bread. You’ll find that depending on the quantity eaten, it can be a filling snack or light dinner.

7. When eating out. Avoid the restaurants with the all-you-can-eat option. These restaurants unfortunately encourage people to eat until they are bloated. Researchers found that 20% of weight gain among freshman University students could be attributed to their eating in the all-you-can-eat student dining halls.

References:

Caroli M, Argentieri L, Cardone M, Masi A. Role of television in childhood obesity prevention. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Nov;28 Suppl 3:S104-8.

Levitsky DA, Halbmaier CA, Mrdjenovic G. The freshman weight gain: a model for the study of the epidemic of obesity. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Nov;28(11):1435-42.

Maddock J. The relationship between obesity and the prevalence of fast food restaurants: state-level analysis. Am J Health Promot. 2004 Nov-Dec;19(2):137-43.

Copyright © 2004 Jenny Mathers. All Rights Reserved.

Jenny Mathers writes for Savvy Fat Burning Foods and has created a research resource to educate and inform about what REALLY is fat burning food.

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Food in general has the distinction of being probably the
first thing we all think about in the mornings before our feet
hit the floor. The main reason for this is we cannot survive without it. There are four major food groups arranged in what is commonly
called the food pyramid. At the base of the food pyramid lies the
group that contains breads, grains, pastas and cereals. These foods provide complex carbohydrates, which are an important source of energy, especially for a low-fat meal plan. You can make various low-fat choices from foods in this group.

You will need 6 to 11 servings of these foods in a day. Try
to eat whole-grain breads, cereal and pasta for most of your
servings from this group. Whole-grain foods are less
processed and retain more valuable vitamins, minerals and
fiber than foods made with white flour. When you purchase
whole-grain foods look for breads and pastas with “stone
ground whole-wheat flour” as the first ingredient, because
some “wheat” breads may be white breads with only
caramel
coloring added.

The next group in the pyramid is fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and vegetables are rich in nutrients. Many are
excellent sources of vitamin A, vitamin C, folate or
potassium. They are low in fat and sodium and high in fiber.
The Food Pyramid suggests 3 to 5 servings of vegetables,
and
2 to 4 servings of fruits each day. Count only 100% fruit
juice as a fruit, and limit juice consumption. Many
commercial bottled juices come in containers that hold
more
than 2 servings - which can add lots of sugar and calories
to your daily diet. Punches, ades and most fruit “drinks”
have only a bit of juice and lots of sugar. Fruit sodas are
sugary drinks and they do not count as fruit, either.

Up next on the pyramid are proteins such as beans, eggs,
fish, and meat. Meat, poultry and fish supply protein, zinc
and iron. Non-meat foods such as dried peas and beans
also
provide many of these nutrients. The Food Pyramid
suggests 2
to 3 servings of cooked poultry, fish or meat. Each serving
should be between 2 and 3 ounces. Pick lean meat, fish
and
dry beans and peas often because these are lowest in fat.

Continuing on we come to dairy products. Products made
with
milk provide protein, vitamins and minerals, especially
calcium. The Food Pyramid suggests 2 to 3 servings each
day.
If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, a teenager or a young
adult age 24 or under, try to have 3 servings. Most others
should have 2 servings every day. Go light on high-fat
cheese and ice cream. Choose non-fat milk and yogurt and
cheeses made from skim milk because they are lower in
fat.

Lastly are sweets and fats. These make up the Food
Pyramids
smallest part, so the fats and sweets in the top of the Food
Pyramid should comprise the smallest percentage of your
daily diet. The foods at the top of the food pyramid should
be eaten moderately because they provide calories but not
much in the way of nutrition. These foods include salad
dressings, oils, butter, cream, margarine, sugars, soft
drinks, candies and sweet desserts.

The author teaches people how to eat in a healthy manner
and nurture their bodies without feeling deprived.

Rose Marie Allesando is passionate about food and
is the webmaster of Food
A to Z

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