Enjoy Healthy Eating While on Vacation

You don’t have to leave your clean eating regimen behind when you leave for vacation.

You want to celebrate getting away from it all and rejuvenate yourself – and experience new things and new foods. But, you can do all that and still not sabotage your body by breaking totally away from the clean eating plan.

If you’re trying to maintain a healthy diet or lose weight, you may be uneasy about eating in a strange environment. Food may also be especially tempting to you because it’s new and different.

Here are some ways you can resist sabotaging all your efforts and still enjoy the food on your vacation:

Don’t overeat – It’s important to watch your portions, eat slowly and resist the extra calories and fat that sometimes accompany eating out at restaurants or on the street. Try to eat several meals per day to keep the metabolism burning the fat.

Make wise choices – You can still enjoy the food of the area you’re visiting and make wise choices about calories and health. Ordering mustard rather than mayonnaise on a sandwich is just one way of making wise choices.

Drink lots of water – Water can be your best friend on a vacation, keeping you hydrated and keeping your system in sync. You may be out in the sun more than usual, so hydration is especially important. Keep bottled water handy at all times.

Walk – Sightseeing while walking is the best way to get the feel of the area and to keep in shape. You can offset many extra calories when you walk more than usual. Or, take a swim in that gorgeous pool at your hotel.

One treat per day – A buttery croissant in France or bratwurst in a roll in Germany can certainly be part of the treats you allow yourself. But, plan ahead and enjoy one a day rather than sticking to the high calories throughout the day.

Avoid the mini-bar – Rather than indulge in the many beverages, sweets and salty treats in the mini-bar, keep snacks on hand in the room that you choose. Fruit and veggies will last awhile and can ward off hunger pains.

Get your fruits and veggies every day – No matter where you’re visiting, it’s possible to find fruits and veggies and purchase them as side dishes with a meal. This will ensure that you get enough fiber and antioxidants and prevent you from becoming ill on the vacation.

The bottom line is that while you should and can enjoy the various foods and dishes on your vacation, you can avoid overloading yourself with too many calories, fat and sodium by planning ahead.


 

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Have You Tried These 3 Healthy Meal Combinations?

Do you know that feeling you get after having a healthy and delicious meal? You are more positive, full of energy and everything in life seems better! Because each and every meal makes a difference for our health and wellbeing, here are 3 healthy combinations that you can try:

1) Greek Yogurt and Oatmeal
Oats are an excellent source of slow releasing carbohydrates (which practically means that you will have more energy for a longer period of time), as well as an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and fibers. They stabilize blood sugar, they reduce cholesterol, strengthen the immune system, lower the risk of type 2 diabetes or heart disease and are very rich in fibers. They also contain prebiotics, which are non-digestible food ingredients that form a proper environment for good bacteria in your body, which also helps in minerals absorption. You can find prebiotics in other whole grains too, as well as in bananas, garlic, onion, asparagus or honey.

Greek yogurt is an excellent source of calcium and proteins and it is also very low in calories. Besides that it also contains probiotics, which combined with the prebiotics in oats will have great positive effects on your stomach and your overall health.

2) Spinach and Orange
We know that spinach is rich in iron, but many people don’t know that an adult only absorbs 15% of the iron he consumes. So now the vitamin C comes into play, because it helps in absorbing the iron better. Squeeze some lemon on the spinach or even better, add a few slices of orange next to it. The combination of flavors is very interesting and it also makes a great and healthy meal that is very low in calories.

3) Tomatoes and Broccoli
Because of the antioxidants they contain and their capacity to prevent cancer, these foods should definitely not miss from your diet! By combining them you will get a good amount of vitamin C, vitamin A, lycopene and other antioxidants. To get the maximum benefits out of these 2 foods, you can cook them together. While the broccoli needs to be cooked lightly, the nutrients in tomatoes become more concentrated when they are cooked into a sauce, a soup or a paste. The healthy nutrients and antioxidants found in tomatoes and broccoli can help in reducing the risk of cancer and especially prostate cancer. If you don’t have any fresh tomatoes at hand, you can also use tomato juice, just make sure it is 100% natural!

So there you go…some simple yet effective food combinations that will help you enjoy a healthy and delicious meal! And what other interesting combinations do you know? Share your opinions with us in the comments area below!

About the Author: Craig Wilson is a big Fitness enthusiast, Author and owner of www.Body-Buildin.com. Feel free to visit his website for lots of interesting articles, tips and motivation!


 

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Recipes For A Raw Food Diet

It's been said that stars and celebrities are flocking to the raw food diet in the same way as they once shifted to Kabala. Well, they're not the only ones. More and more, people are seeing the value of a diet rich in good, wholesome foods, low in meat, and one that avoids processed foods. Some people claim it's a curative for almost everything that ails you, it improves your appearance, and it extends your life expectancy.

Now, some people hear: raw diet, and they immediately think rabbit food. They think they're going to be eating sprouts and carrots, peas and rice, and broccoli and nothing more. Or they expect to have to squeeze mango juice or kiwi pulp, or some other exotic fruits and vegetables; all of which may be quite expensive. True, a raw food diet is essentially a vegetarian or vegan diet, but that doesn't mean it can't be tasty and it doesn't have to be made of up foods you don't know and love.

Advocates of the raw food diet sat it will prolong you life expectancy, clear and improve your skin, decrease the risk of you getting strokes, heart disease or diabetes; give you more energy and allow you to control your weight in a natural manner so that you don't have to count calories and monitor the grams of fat in your daily diet. You might think this is all too good to be true, but it's been shown that many of the chemicals and preservative in processed foods cause a host of problems for people. Food allergies can lead to rashes, stomach and gastrointestinal troubles, even anaphylactic shock! Many people are lactose intolerant or have a gluten allergy. Eliminating these from your diet is far better than spending your life taking medications.

For some people, the idea of a raw food diet summons up images of eating like some sort of prehistoric being. Yes, as stated above, a raw food diet is vegetarian. So, that means eating a variety of fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grains, unpasteurized dairy products and freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices. Now, if you have a gluten allergy, you can substitute whole rice for the grains; it's an excellent, healthy food.

While you may look at that list and see it as rather limited, there is plenty of variety available to you. As with any foods, some are easy to prepare, and others take some time and planning. So, something like the dish listed below, vegetables topped with raw vegetable sauce, is a fine example:

Cut up some zucchini into strips. Then, use your food processor to blend 1lb fresh tomatoes, half a cup of chopped white onion, some basil (vary it depending on your personal preference), a clove of garlic (minced), some chopped and seeded red peppers, and a couple teaspoons of dried herbs. Once they are all blended together, pour this sauce over the zucchini strips, and start eating. It's a tasty and healthy meal!

Now, that's just one recipe. Let's look at what you could expect for a typical day. First, for breakfast, have some raw fruit juice or whole fruit and have all you want. The fiber and natural sugars will keep your energy levels up, and help keep your "pipes" clean. You body will process this quickly; so long about mid-morning, you'll need a little boost. The same is true in the afternoon. Have a snack of a handful of nuts or some avocado. For lunch, a salad made up primarily of salad greens; add to it some vegetables like cucumber or red peppers. Now, many people make the mistake of putting a lot of heavy dressing on a salad. Instead, go with some fresh lemon juice or maybe just oil and vinegar. Finally, for dinner, go with a nice spinach salad with some almonds, and one to two avocados. Again, no processed dressing; go with orange juice. Then wash this all down with some fruit or vegetable juice which has been freshly squeezed.

Now, this is but one example of a daily menu. Don't think you have to stick with it. The point is, you can see that a raw food diet is easy to make delicious. To improve your health, boost your energy levels, and maybe increase your life expectancy, give the raw food diet a try.


 

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You Don

It's been said that a raw food diet program is the most influential diet trend to hit the scene in years. For many people, they hear that term: raw, and they figure they know exactly what's involved in it. However, you'd be surprised as what it really encompasses.

Of course, a raw diet is nothing new. Looking back over the history of humanity, primitive man ate a raw diet prior to the discovery of fire. In modern times, at the beginning of the 20th century, a number of people began to advocate a return to such a diet as being the healthiest way for people to live.

Your mouth is – quite naturally – the means by which food enters your body. A key benefit of raw foods is that you have to chew them well before swallowing. No doubt your parents may have told you to chew your food a certain number of times before swallowing! The reason for this is that the digestive process starts in the mouth. Chewing releases saliva, an enzyme that helps you digest your food better. In the case of starches, it begins the process of breaking it down into its component sugar molecules.

Some people wonder if a raw food diet means you eat raw meat. No, that is not the case. For the most part, a raw diet is a vegetarian diet. In general, your diet will be composed of things like fresh fruit and vegetables (and their juices), nuts, seeds and sprouted seeds, purified water and unpasteurized dairy products. There are other foods included in the diet, but it's important that they be unprocessed and free of any chemicals or preservatives. Typically, a raw food diet means that about three-quarters of the food you eat is raw. The remaining components of your diet are usually dehydrated fruits and vegetables. You can either buy them that way, or get yourself a dehydrator specially made for food. The one caveat with such a device: be sure that it operates below 116 degrees Fahrenheit; a good dehydrator functions best at this temperature.

Now, once you start eating the raw food diet, you'll start to see some of the benefits and then you won't miss those steaks and chops you once ate. A raw food diet will lower your risk of developing heart disease or diabetes, give you more energy, improve the glow to your skin by erasing some of the signs of aging, diminish your digestive troubles, help you to control your weight loss, and even get rid of some of those illnesses and chronic health conditions you may be suffering from. So many processed foods have so many chemicals that we still don't know the long-term health impact of. By purging your body of these things, you can see a real improvement in your overall health.

Of course, deciding on a raw diet isn't as simple as starting to eat a vegetarian or vegan diet, and that's it. No, you should always meet with a doctor or dietician to design a diet just right for you. For one thing, you may have a food allergy that can cause you trouble are you lactose or gluten intolerant? If so, you must avoid dairy and/or some grains. Gluten is present in most grains; so the doctor will tell you to substitute whole grain rice. Then there are certain vitamins and minerals that you need on a daily basis. If you don't eat certain foods (maybe you don't like certain vegetables), then you'll need to take supplements.

A raw food diet isn't ideal for everyone, but with the basic information contained here, you now have enough knowledge to discuss it with a specialist in the field, and see if it's something you want to pursue.


 

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When to Say That Detox Diet Guide on Cleansing Your Body Is Safe

A detox diet may sound very reassuring for it is a fact that toxics are bad for the health of a person. These diets however encourage you to eat foods that are natural which involves lots of veggies and water. Well, you can also add all the stuff that is good for your body. You could even hear news about celebrities having detox diets as well as those people who are subjected to alcohol or drug rehabs and are detoxifying themselves. So, you would really ask if detox diets are safe.

The answer is dependent on who is going to utilize such type of diet. Detox diets like many fad diets can later on display side effects that are harmful especially for teenagers.

To avoid misconception, you need to understand the lingo. Toxins are poisons or chemicals that have harmful side effects on your body. It could come from water or food, chemicals used for growing or preparing food, and from the air that you breathe. These toxins are processed in kidneys and liver eliminating it in the forms of urine, feces, and sweat.

Most people who are supporting detox diets are saying that dehydration or emotional stress is the cause why toxins do not leave the body properly during wastes elimination. Instead, these toxins are just hanging around the digestive system, gastrointestinal systems, lymph, skin, and hair. Even detox diet's proponents said that these toxins are the promoters of problems such as headaches, tiredness, acne, and nausea.

So you must understand that basic idea behind a detox diet is to give up temporarily the foods that are known to have toxins. It is a means of purifying and purging your body from all bad stuff. Detox diets may also vary however most of it is involved in several versions of displaying fast results. You need to give up foods within a few days, then after that, gradually reintroducing a particular food in your diet. Lots of detox diets also encourages you to go through colonic irrigation or enema to clean up your colon. The enema washes out your colon and rectum using water. But then others still recommend taking herbal supplements during the purification procedure.

There lots of available detox diets anywhere. Typically, it involves one or two days of complete liquid diet. For the succeeding four to five days, add brown rice, steamed vegetables, and fruit that are all organic to your diet is advised. After one week of eating these foods, you will then gradually introduce certain foods except for wheat, red meat, eggs, sugar, and junk food in your diet.

People who are having their detox diets are advised to chew up their foods thoroughly, drink only very little amount of water while eating, and relax before eating. It is much better if you add one glass of lemon juice in every meal.

There can be numerous claims made about the effects of detox diets on a person. It can prevent and cure diseases to give you extra energy so that you stay clear-headed and focused. Well, anyone who prefers low-fat but high fiber diets will probably feel much better and more healthy. But no matter what good things detox diets proponents said, still it is up to you to decide whether to try it or not for your own safety. It is because there is no scientific evidence that these diets get rid of body toxins faster or if the elimination of it can make you more healthy and energetic.


 

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