Healthy Eating Tips for the Holidays

On average, Americans gain a pound or two during over the holiday season

Now this may not seem like a lot, but it all ads up in the end… and even a couple pounds of weigh gain is no way to start the new year for those of us with weight loss resolution

Here are 6 tips for keeping the holiday weight to a minimum

-Eat regular meals. There will be all sorts of delicious holiday foods to tempt you, and while it might seem counter intuitive, eating a substantial (but sensible) breakfast and lunch can keep you from raiding the holiday party buffet.

-Bring something healthy to the holiday party. Many see holiday time as an opportunity to make their most lushes dish – one that usually contain lots of calories. So why not go against the grain and make a healthy dish. This way you’ll know there will be at least one healthy option at the party

-Remember drinks have calories too! We sometimes can forget that the holiday drinks can pack as much calories as holiday dishes. Eggnog for instance has around 200 calories per 4-ounce serving. Liquids can make you feel not as full as food usually does, so it’s easy to consume more calories than realize

-Use a smaller portions. Smaller plates offer a sort of optical illusion which can make a smaller amount of food more substantial. Also, a littler plate will cut down on the amount of food you eat because you simply can’t the same amount of food on the dish

-Take your fiber. Eating high fiber foods first will not only take the edge off hunger, but fiber will also absorb water and make you feel fuller

-Eat slowly. Take your time eating. Be sure to take lots of sips of water, talk a lot, and enjoy the food at a leisurely pace. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes for your brain to get the signals that the stomach has had enough. Always take at least 15 minutes before even thinking about seconds

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The Connection Between Eczema and Food Allegies

Studies of children and young people with atopic eczema found that one-third to nearly two-thirds also had a food allergy. In most cases, eczema symptoms worsened within 2-24 hours of eating a trigger food, and some patients experienced gastrointestinal upset as well.

Some common food allergies that may trigger eczema are

Dairy products

Eggs

Nuts and seeds

Soy products

Wheat

Food allergies can vary from person to person, however, so understanding which foods make your eczema worse can be a personal journey. People who wish to identify eczema trigger foods in their diet should consider the following options

Elimination diets: cutting a suspected food trigger out for 10 to 14 days. Watch to see if it makes a difference

Food challenges: After you’ve taken food out of your diet, add a small amount back in to see if it causes symptoms

Skin testing: Performed in a doctor’s office, this test uses food extracts to test for sensitivity. If the area tested swells up, it’s a sign of an allergic reaction. This test can be unreliable, however, especially in people with sensitive skin

Blood tests: RAST — radioallergosorbent test — can check for special cells in the blood that are signs of specific food allergies

This does not mean that the food allergy is the cause of the eczema and therefore removal of the food(s) will not result in eczema cure, but will prevent an immediate reaction and flare ups. Managing eczema can be a challenge. Research suggests hormones and stress can impact eczema, and likewise, foods that affect hormones and stress can be problematic. Don’t try to solve you eczema issues alone; make sure you involve your doctor to ensure you find relief as soon as possible

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Tips to Avoid Overeating The Next Time You Fly

You will have a much better chance of arriving at your destination feeling refreshed if you pay attention to what you eat and drink when you fly. Here are a few tips that might help

Stay on Schedule When Eating

When you are traveling across different time zones, it’s a good idea to continue eating on the same meal schedule you have in the place you are departing from. This will help prevent you from doubling up on a main meal. Once you arrive at your destination, you can adjust to local times by spacing out your main meals, with a couple of small snacks in between

Pack Your Own Snacks

You will generally have a pretty difficult time finding healthy snacks at the airport concessions, so if you want to eat right, bring your own food. The best types of snacks for a long flight are those that are high in fiber and nutrient dense. Foods that are high in fiber, such as fruits, vegetables, and nuts, take longer to digest, and help you feel fuller for longer

Drink Plenty of Water

Your body becomes dehydrated when you fly, and alcohol and caffeine make it even worse. Drinking water inflight will help prevent dehydration, and it doesn’t add any calories either. Pack an extra couple of bottles in your bag and drink throughout the flight. Becoming dehydrated is uncomfortable, and can lead to fatigue, headache, dry skin, and constipation

Eat Foods That Hydrate

Water will help keep you hydrated, as will consuming foods with a high water content. Fruits and vegetables fall into that category, and are perfect as a snack or part of a main meal. For example, creating a leafy green salad that contains chicken or fish is a great option. You might also think about adding raspberries to fat-free Greek yogurt

Hold Off Stress with Comfort Foods

Omega-3’s are great at helping reduce the stress of traveling, so bring along a meal that is high in that ingredient. A great example would be a piece of poached salmon with steamed vegetables, or perhaps some walnuts as a nice little snack

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Spring is in the air, which means it’s time to start embracing change and renewal in some areas of your life. If one of the things that you want to change is the food that you consume on a daily basis. You will need to start thinking about ways to eat healthier, even if you have a busy schedule to contend with. Here are 6 tips that will help you do just that

Shop locally and think about different types of produce

With spring almost upon us, the types of produce now available is changing. What’s on offer will vary depending on where you live, so be on the lookout for fruit and vegetables that are in-season. Not only are they cheaper, they can also add a new splash of flavor to your meals

Have a plan at the farmer’s market

If you have a farmer’s market close by, you can save some real money when shopping for produce. If you also want to save time, find out which days and times are the quietest, as this will allow you to get in and out quickly. Take other members of the family with you and split up in the store, with each person taking a list of things to get

If you go nearer to closing time, you might actually be able to grab a discount or two. The problem is that you also run the risk of having fewer items to choose from

In order to get the most out of the produce that you buy, take the time to properly prep it, which means washing it once you get it home from the store

Be on the lookout for organic store brands

If you don’t have a farmer’s market nearby, or just prefer the convenience of shopping at your local supermarket, there are still healthy options available to you. Some stores now team up with local farmers to deliver an organic store brand that can help you save some money

Pack a healthy snack when traveling

Eating properly when you have to travel for work regularly can be tough. Eating often gets put on the back burner when rushing to catch flights and make connections, so make sure to pack a healthy snack in your carry-on bag. A healthy granola bar or a pack of nuts is a much better option than a candy bar snagged while in a hurry

Keep track of your snacks in a digital food diary

Keeping detailed info on all that you eat can help you eat and spend more wisely. It will also help you understand what portion sizes actually look like. There are a number of great apps available, with MyFitnessPal and Lose It! among the best

The Lose It! app lets you scan bar codes on products to find smarter options. You will also get a better idea of the foods that help you stay fuller for a longer period of time. This is information that can be invaluable when traveling, especially if you know you are not going to have an opportunity to eat during the course of the day. It’ll also help you keep track of the calories you consume on a daily basis

Keep it simple

Choose a breakfast item that is quick and easy to prepare. Oatmeal fits that bill perfectly, and is also a very cheap option. Oatmeal is easy to make, as well as being very healthy. The high fiber content will make you feel fuller longer, and the soluble fiber content is good for your cholesterol levels. The steel cut version of oatmeal is healthier still, but it does take a little longer to prepare

As you can see, eating healthier does not have to be a massive chore. The above tips will help you to start eating healthier without having to break the bank

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Healthy Foods That Help You Lose Weight

If you want to lose weight and keep it off over the long haul, you need to commit a large chunk of time to the process. There are thousands of fad diets that promise fast weight loss, but the fact of the matter is that losing weight too quickly is incredibly unhealthy. You also have to understand that it’s incredibly difficult to keep he weight off when you lose it too fast, which is why so many people rebound and end up right back where they started, and sometimes even heavier than when they started

The good news is that there are a lot of healthy foods that you can incorporate into your diet that will help you get that excess weight off a little quicker. When you are about to embark on a weight loss program, one of the things that you probably already know is that you need to increase your water intake. Water can help you get the weight off, which is why it’s no big surprise to learn that fruits and vegetables, which have a high water content, are an essential part of any healthy diet. Some are better than others, though, so let’s take a quick look at a few

Broccoli is certainly not a food that is for everyone, but it is definitely something that you should add to your diet when you are trying to lose weight. Besides the water content, broccoli is also a great source of fiber and calcium. The next time you are putting together a healthy stir fry, think about adding some cabbage into the mix. This is a vegetable that is rich in antioxidants, and which can offer a nice little boost to your immune system. Remember, there is more to getting healthy than just losing a few pounds

Cauliflower is another vegetable that can help give you a little boost in your weight loss efforts. This is a food that is also known for its cancer-fighting properties, and which is also incredibly high in vitamin C and folate. If you prefer fruits over veggies and don’t fancy having raw cauliflower as a snack, you might consider getting into grapefruit. There are a ton of benefits to be had from eating grapefruit, but one of the best has to be that it is great for heart health. It also helps that grapefruit is a truly delicious treat

You have probably noticed that there are all kinds of different varieties of lettuce available at your grocery store. The great news is that they are all great for you, and really don’t contain a lot of calories. If you want lettuce that is rich in nutrients, go with those that have darker leaves. Radishes deliver a double jolt of healthiness, as the leaves of the vegetable are as beneficial as the veggie itself. Speaking of leafy greens, make sure to add a little spinach to your diet, as this is another one with a multitude of great health benefits

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The Health Benefits of Jogging

There are many health benefits of jogging. For starters, it’s a great cardiovascular exercise which increases your heart rate slightly. This is exactly the type of exercise you should be doing if you are looking to lose weight and improve your overall fitness. Jogging is also reasonably easy to do, costs you almost nothing, and you don’t need any equipment other than a comfortable pair of shoes. You can take up jogging by yourself, or get your friends together and go jogging as a group. Some areas even have organized jogging groups for all fitness levels that you can join, if you feel you need the encouragement

Weight Loss

One of the most obvious health benefits of jogging is weight-loss, and many people take up jogging for this reason. The reason jogging, or any other cardiovascular exercise, helps with weight loss is simple. Jogging uses energy (calories), and if you use up more energy than you take in the effect is weight-loss. Jogging is also very good for improving muscle tone which can aid weight loss and help with creating a slimmer, more defined figure. You should aim to increase your heart rate slightly for around thirty minutes each day for maximum effect. Of course you don’t want your heart rate increasing too much and you shouldn’t be too out of breath. If you find that you are so out of breath or become unable to speak, you should take a break until your breathing returns to normal

Better Mood

Research has shown that cardiovascular exercise, such as jogging, can help relieve depression and make you feel generally happier. This is because endorphins and ‘feel good’ hormones are released during exercise which have been shown to improve mood. This improved mood even continues after exercise stops. With regular exercise, mood can be significantly improved over the long term

Reduces Stress

Another one of the great health benefits of jogging is that as a cardiovascular exercise, jogging can reduce stress levels. Exercise such as jogging reduces short-term stress due to endorphin release, and reducing short-term stress will help to relieve longer-term stress over time. Jogging is a particularly good stress relieving exercise because you can simply pop in some headphones and jog away – there is nothing to focus on other than your music and where you are going

Also, people who undertake regular exercise, such as jogging tend to sleep better at night. There are many reasons for this including the reduction in stress levels brought about by regular exercise. There is also thought to be a hormonal reason for sleeping better after exercise, and some people think that simply burning off extra energy by exercising can contribute to a better night’s sleep. Whatever the reason, getting a better night’s sleep has all sorts of benefits; including less stress, better concentration and less irritability during the day

Reduce Cholesterol and Blood Pressure

High cholesterol is a growing problem in our modern society, caused in part due to a diet which is too high in fat, which can build up in the arteries. High cholesterol has many associated problems, including high blood pressure and heart disease, and it is a known risk factor for heart attacks. Undertaking simple, regular exercise such as jogging has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels over time, which in turn reduces the risk of developing 

any of the associated complications

Jogging is also a great way to reduce blood pressure, in part because it helps reduce cholesterol, but also because of the way your body responds to exercise. Your blood pressure is higher during the time you are working out, but due to exercising it will be lower than it would normally be when you are not working out. It is a complicated process, but it does work and studies show that cardiovascular exercise can significantly lower blood pressure over the long term

Cardiovascular exercise such as jogging helps your muscles to use oxygen more effectively, which benefits the muscles and your overall health. Every cell in the human body needs oxygen to survive, if your body can use that oxygen more effectively then you may find that you don’t get out of breath as easily. For example you may find just now that climbing a few flights of stairs leaves you feeling a little breathless for a few minutes; this is because your cells need oxygen and because you have increased the workload of your cells by climbing the stairs, they now need more of it. This causes your body to increase the rate you are breathing in order to pull in more oxygen. However, if your cells can use the oxygen you already have more effectively, then you will not need to breathe faster to accommodate the extra oxygen demands

Great Way to Start Exercising

Finally, jogging is a great exercise to take up if you are just starting out with regular exercise because you control the intensity. You decide how fast to go and how far; you can even use the popular technique of jogging for a set amount of time then walking for the same amount before going back to jogging again, and continue repeating this process until you reach your destination. As your fitness improves, you can increase the jogging time and decrease the walking time, or increase the distance of your jog. This allows your work out to grow with you as your level of fitness improves and ensures that you don’t tire yourself out too much when you’re first starting out

The health benefits of jogging are numerous; it costs very little to take up and you don’t need a costly gym membership to do it. You can jog wherever and whenever suits you, as long as it is safe to do so, and it is something you can do yourself or in a group. Jogging will improve many aspects of your health, particularly your cardiovascular health, as well as improving your general fitness

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Tips on Eating Healthy for Lunch

Eating healthy really isn’t as hard to do as you might imagine, but there are times when eating something good for you is more difficult than others. Lunch is perhaps the toughest, simply because you have a limited amount of time available to you, and you generally have to eat at the office. Too many people fall into the trap of grabbing something from the vending machine or heading to the nearest fast food joint, neither of which are home to healthy food. It is entirely possible to make lunch a healthy part of the day, but it will require a little work and planning on your part

If you are in the process of trying to lose weight, you might already have some sort of meal planner set up. If you don’t, then it’s definitely something you will want to consider. Spontaneity and healthy eating don’t tend to go hand in hand, so the more prepared you are, the better chance you have of consuming healthy lunches. The best thing you can do is pack a lunch to work every day, as this puts you in total control over what you eat. Buy your food in advance, and get in the habit of making and packing the lunch before you go to bed or first thing in the morning

Now you know how to prepare, the big question is what you should eat. A salad might seem like a great idea, and it can be if you are careful about what you put in it. A fresh green salad is incredibly healthy, but as soon as you start adding things like ham and bacon, or go a little overboard with salad dressings, you start tilting things the other way. If you do have to add something for a little splash of flavor, think about going with salmon and a little splash of dill vinaigrette, both of which add flavor without cranking up the calories

Sandwiches are another popular lunch option, but again, you have to be careful about what you put in them. Processed meats are a definite no go, as they are loaded with salt, and are just generally not very good for you. Bread can be an issue, too, so try using whole grain breads or go with a wrap instead. Turkey (not processed) is an excellent addition to a sandwich or wrap, as are cabbage, carrots and plum tomatoes. If you are craving something sweet for dessert, try adding some fresh berries into your lunch pack

We are just beginning to scratch the surface of the healthy food that you can pack for lunch, and the good news is that there are entire books and websites devoted to the subject. With a little bit of due diligence, you should be able to find all kinds of great healthy recipes for lunch that are perfect for your taste buds and your overall health. Not only will you look and feel great by following a healthy lunch routine, you will also have a little extra money in your pocket

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