Why Weight Loss On The Raw Food Diet Is Inevitable

More and more folks than ever are ditching modern fad diets for weight loss and are undergoing sustainable and sensible lifestyles. The healthier a person's lifestyle choices, the quicker a person's body will return to its optimal weight. I have never come across any diet that is healthier or more nutrient-dense than the raw food diet. In fact, I can safely say that weight loss will inevitably occur whilst following a raw superfood diet plan. Your weight loss will pretty much begin from day one of your raw food journey! Of course you won't magically leap from overweight to skinny overnight, but your results will be steady and constant. Let me discuss two primary reasons why this is the case.

The nutrient-density:
Nutrient-density relates to the ratio of the nutrient content to the energy content of food. Therefore, because living uncooked foods are nutrient-dense, the amount of vitamin and mineral content is high whilst the foods total energy content (calories) are low. How does this apply to weight loss? It means that because your body will be fed generous amounts of vitamins and minerals, your cravings will be kept to a minimal. Of course cravings are still going to occur sometimes, but not as much as they would on an unhealthy fad diet. You can be assured of proper nutrition whilst on the raw lifestyle. This is one reason why weight loss is so much easier on a raw food diet.
 
The low energy content:
I briefly mentioned in the previous paragraph that the raw food diet is low in energy content (ie, the calories are low). Let me expand on this a little bit more. Just imagine that you had two large platters on the table.

The first platter was covered with greasy chips, a bacon and egg burger, a coleslaw (not lacking with mayonnaise), a sticky-date pudding and a couple of scoops of ice-cream. The other platter was filled with grape tomatoes, avocado slices, cucumber sticks, some watermelon, rock-melon, cherries, raw chocolate, walnuts, dates and pumpkin seeds. Which platter would have more calories on it? The first platter of course - you wouldn't have had to think twice about it! Why is that? This is because saturated fats, oils, meats, mayonnaise, refined sugars and dairy products are calorie-dense foods that makes weight loss nearly impossible! The second platter contained much fewer calories because raw foods are generally low in fat content, the sugar is natural and your body can digest raw foods much quicker than cooked foods. Living superfoods will fill you up easily but will also slim you down easily. This is another primary reason why weight loss will inevitably occur whilst eating large amounts of raw foods in your daily diet.

So to recap why slimming is guaranteed on a raw food diet: living superfoods will fill you up, offer you a low amount of calories, a high amount of nutrients, and will also ensure that your food cravings are kept to a minimal. Increasing your amounts of raw foods in your diet is clearly the way to go when weight loss is a goal. I am certain that you will be amazed at how fast your body will slim down if you decide to venture into the raw food lifestyle.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Loren_R_Antonios/1527610

6 Best Weight Loss Foods to Stay Fit

When it comes to losing weight, one of the best approaches is to adopt healthy meal prep ideas and plans. You will also need to make the necessary changes to your diet. A lot of people would prefer to go for foods that boost metabolism, suppress appetite, stabilize blood sugar levels, and burn calories.

And, if you are looking for the best weight loss foods, the proven ones include fiber-rich vegetables, high-water content fruits, and lean meats. Read on to see more about our proven fat loss tips
Here are top 6 foods to lose weight;

#1: Berries
One of the ways to keep your stomach feeling fuller for a longer time is to embrace juicy foods that have nothing less than 75% water by weight. And, berries are definitely the best juicy foods - cranberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries. Berries are also loaded with fiber, which in turn promotes weight loss.

#2: Skin-less Chicken & Turkey
Protein aids in increasing and maintaining lean muscle mass, which in turn boosts metabolism. Also, you will feel fuller all day long when you eat foods rich in protein. This will also help to reduce in-between meals snacking. The best sources of lean protein include turkey breast and skin-less protein.

#3: Seafood
Omega-3 fatty acids supply the human body with healthy fats and would not impact your health negatively. However, omega-3 fatty acid should be taken in moderation. Seafood is one of the major sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, and the best seafood for this purpose includes wild salmon, mackerel, herring, anchovies, sardines, rainbow trout, and Pacific oysters.

#4: Low-Fat Dairy Foods
Good sources of low-fat dairy foods include fat-free and low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese. These help to maintain a healthy blood sugar level and improve your mood generally. Consequently, people trying to lose weight are able to curtail their craving for food, and will avoid over-eating as well.

#5: Salads
Salads that have lettuce as the major ingredient are usually low in calories and have lots of water. Other essential ingredients for weight loss salads include cucumber, cabbage, carrot, and tomato. These will supply the quality fiber your body needs, as well as good carbohydrate. The healthy dressing to choose includes olive oil, lemon, or fruit.

#6: Green Vegetables
Consuming lots of vegetables will help you feel fuller all day and curtail your craving for food. The best vegetables for weight loss include cabbage, broccoli, and spinach. These contain soluble fiber. Other weight loss vegetables include asparagus, olives, kale, artichokes, and Brussels sprouts - these have low calories and are packed with water.

Also, whole grains are great foods for weight loss as they are loaded with fiber, minerals and vitamins. Remember, you need to combine weight loss foods with exercise regimen for faster weight loss result. You can enroll in a personal training studio or work out on your own.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/George_Perelshteyn/1403162

Weight Loss - Beware of Additives in Diet Foods

There are two food additives that are most commonly consumed by people attempting weight loss. These additives are Aspartame and MSG and although used in so called diet foods, the negative effects on your body may counteract weight loss success.

Dangers of Aspartame
Many people on diets mistakenly consume foods labeled as "diet" foods. One extremely popular food fitting this category is diet drinks. Most of us have seen people consume way too much food at meals and follow up with a "diet" cola or other drink. The fact is that almost all sweet diet foods contain aspartame which is a man made chemical sweetener. It is sold under many other names. The one we know best is NutraSweet.

This chemical is known to cause dizziness, hallucinations, nervous system problems and cancer. Although you may enjoy weight loss, the side effects associated with aspartame are more dangerous than the excess weight you carry. There are better alternatives available that provide weight loss without the dangerous consequences of prolonged use.

Stevia as a Substitute for Sugar
Stevia is a plant native to Paraguay and derived from a plant similar to sunflower. This natural sweetener is said to be thirty times sweeter than sugar. In the US it is marketed as a dietary supplement but is widely used in other countries throughout the world as a natural substitute for processed sugar.

Dangers of MSG
Other popular foods often consumed by people on diets are soups and salads. Although homemade soup is great for dieters, the majority of canned soups contain MSG. Likewise, salads are good for diet but the average person adds salad dressing. Like canned soup, most salad dressing contains MSG.

Extended consumption of MSG can cause Type II diabetes, rashes, and weight gain. One of the most prevalent effects of MSG on your diet is that it triggers food cravings. This is why we crave potato chips or other foods that contain monosodium, even when we are full. While you are trying to lose weight by reducing calories, you are actually causing many other serious health problems.

Alternatives To MSG for Flavor Enhancement
Homemade soups or salads are good healthy choices for anyone trying to lose weight. Some good flavor enhancers for these dishes include natural herbs such as dill, bell peppers, onion, cumin, ginger, and many more. For salads, use different varieties of cheese such as cheddar, parmesan, and feta are so rich that they replace the need for salad dressing.

As you can see, there are alternatives to consuming foods that are full of additives that cause toxins to accumulate in our bodies. You can effectively lose weight while enjoying food and maintaining good health.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Carolyn_Williams/542545

Healthy Foods Can Lead to Weight Loss

Most people who eat healthy foods are often fit and barely have any problems with weight loss. However, this constitutes only a handful of the population. Why? The first thing that pops into a person's mind when you mention healthy cuisine is tasteless food. Even if there are already ways of making nutritious food more attractive and palatable to be able to propagate weight loss, the mindset of the common person is still the same: to lose weight, you need to eat healthy.

Having a balanced diet will not shed those pounds automatically and quickly. It just means that you need to stop ingesting foods that are not wholesome and healthy to the body. Examples are soda, junk food, sweets, salty foods, processed meats, etc. Halting the intake of these unnecessary foods in the body, coupled with proper exercise and activity will shed off those excess pounds. Continuing consistently with this kind of diet will not only place you within the normal weight limit proper for your age, built, and height but will also help you maintain it. Unfortunately, to be able to make an overweight person hold off the eating of junk food, with all the ads and pictures of their favorite snacks surrounding them can be a Herculean task. Only someone with enough will power to overcome those tempting dishes can successfully shed those pounds. But in a perfect world, that strong-willed person will not have a problem of being overweight in the first place.

Knowing this, innovations in weight loss have been introduced such as putting the person under a hypnotic spell, to be able to appeal to their subconscious. The purpose of this exercise is to introduce to the person a subliminal message that makes them see the unhealthy effects of junk food, therefore totally avoiding its consumption. This is done through full and deep relaxation of the body that makes them quite receptive to subliminal messages. A setback of this technique is the inability to fully concentrate on what is what the hypnotist is saying, thus not being able to fall into a hypnotic state.

Neuro Linguistics Programming NLP is another method employed to help a person lose weight. It deals with interpreting and understanding visual cues from a person. These cues will then be processed and influenced so as to reach their final goal of having a healthy and well balanced diet. It can be composed of signals to keep them from ingesting junk food and steering towards better eating habits.

Guided imagery is also a tool that has been employed in order for people, specifically overweight people to lose weight. With it, a person's mind is visualizes how they want to be, like in this case, with a voluptuous slim figure. It can also include placing a picture in one's mind, according to your end goal. A good example is getting images of the dripping fat content of most junk food. Because of this image, the overweight person will identify junk food as something to be wary of because of its fat content. Images depicting the benefits of good food can also help a great deal in developing their mind set into eating healthy so as to lose weight.

However the method employed to shed off those unwanted pounds, the message is clear. Eating a well balanced diet is synonymous to the health of a person and his ability to lose those extra pounds. The more receptive and cooperative the person is the easier and better it is for them to lose weight. And, they will not only keep the right body and weight, but have their outlooks in life affected to include more important things in life.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Steven_C_Maglecic/1236256

3 Fat Burning Foods For Faster Weight Loss

In this article, we'll look at a couple of the healthiest foods that you can incorporate into your diet to start burning body fat faster and eat healthier.  I'm confident that once you start to incorporate healthy foods on a daily basis, you'll not only look better, feel more energy, but also lose fat easier.

1. The first food that helps to burn body fat and lose weight permanently is any type of raw nuts.  Although most people view nuts as a "fatty food", nuts contain so many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that they help to keep your body functioning properly.

Raw nuts are better for you than roasted nuts because the roasting oxidizes some of the healthy fats in the nuts and destroys some of the nutritional value. Raw nuts on the other hand help to preserve the vital nutrients that aid in giving your body what it needs to maintain proper fat burning hormone levels and appease your appetite.  The end result -- faster weight loss by eating these healthy fats.

2. The second food I want to mention that can help you burn fat and lose weight faster is whole eggs.  I say whole eggs vs egg whites because despite popular belief, the egg yolks actually contain the majority of the nutrition in the eggs in terms of vitamins and minerals and trace nutrients.  The nutrition of egg yolks actually accounts for over 90% of the vitamins and minerals in whole eggs.

Whole eggs contain protein that's vital to building lean muscle throughout your body, which increases your metabolism to aid in weight loss.  It's important to note that the egg yolks contain amino acids that make the protein of the whole eggs more bioavailable compared to just egg whites.

The combination of the high quality protein along with the antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals helps to control your appetite for longer periods of time to prevent overeating. They also keep your body functioning at peak levels to help with long term weight loss.

3.  The third type of food that can help long term weight loss is berries.  In the first two foods above, I talked about good sources of healthy fats and proteins, so with this example, we'll talk about a quality healthy carbohydrate source -- berries.

Berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, acai berry, goji berry) are such a good quality source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and even fiber, that they help to control blood sugar and cravings. Try to eat several servings a day of any type of berries to make sure you're getting optimal nutrition for weight loss. Berries have a higher fiber to sugar ratio than most fruits so can be more conducive to healthy weight loss compared to high sugar fruits.

I could talk about dozens more healthy foods that help to burn body fat and aid with weight loss, but I hope these 3 examples will help you for now.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Maureen_Kurman/317586

Why Weight Loss On The Raw Food Diet Is Inevitable

More and more folks than ever are ditching modern fad diets for weight loss and are undergoing sustainable and sensible lifestyles. The healthier a person's lifestyle choices, the quicker a person's body will return to its optimal weight. I have never come across any diet that is healthier or more nutrient-dense than the raw food diet. In fact, I can safely say that weight loss will inevitably occur whilst following a raw superfood diet plan. Your weight loss will pretty much begin from day one of your raw food journey! Of course you won't magically leap from overweight to skinny overnight, but your results will be steady and constant. Let me discuss two primary reasons why this is the case.

The nutrient-density:
Nutrient-density relates to the ratio of the nutrient content to the energy content of food. Therefore, because living uncooked foods are nutrient-dense, the amount of vitamin and mineral content is high whilst the foods total energy content (calories) are low. How does this apply to weight loss? It means that because your body will be fed generous amounts of vitamins and minerals, your cravings will be kept to a minimal. Of course cravings are still going to occur sometimes, but not as much as they would on an unhealthy fad diet. You can be assured of proper nutrition whilst on the raw lifestyle. This is one reason why weight loss is so much easier on a raw food diet.

The low energy content:
I briefly mentioned in the previous paragraph that the raw food diet is low in energy content (ie, the calories are low). Let me expand on this a little bit more. Just imagine that you had two large platters on the table.

The first platter was covered with greasy chips, a bacon and egg burger, a coleslaw (not lacking with mayonnaise), a sticky-date pudding and a couple of scoops of ice-cream. The other platter was filled with grape tomatoes, avocado slices, cucumber sticks, some watermelon, rock-melon, cherries, raw chocolate, walnuts, dates and pumpkin seeds. Which platter would have more calories on it? The first platter of course - you wouldn't have had to think twice about it! Why is that? This is because saturated fats, oils, meats, mayonnaise, refined sugars and dairy products are calorie-dense foods that makes weight loss nearly impossible! The second platter contained much fewer calories because raw foods are generally low in fat content, the sugar is natural and your body can digest raw foods much quicker than cooked foods. Living superfoods will fill you up easily but will also slim you down easily. This is another primary reason why weight loss will inevitably occur whilst eating large amounts of raw foods in your daily diet.

So to recap why slimming is guaranteed on a raw food diet: living superfoods will fill you up, offer you a low amount of calories, a high amount of nutrients, and will also ensure that your food cravings are kept to a minimal. Increasing your amounts of raw foods in your diet is clearly the way to go when weight loss is a goal. I am certain that you will be amazed at how fast your body will slim down if you decide to venture into the raw food lifestyle.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Loren_R_Antonios/1527610

6 Best Weight Loss Foods to Stay Fit

When it comes to losing weight, one of the best approaches is to adopt healthy meal prep ideas and plans. You will also need to make the necessary changes to your diet. A lot of people would prefer to go for foods that boost metabolism, suppress appetite, stabilize blood sugar levels, and burn calories.

And, if you are looking for the best weight loss foods, the proven ones include fiber-rich vegetables, high-water content fruits, and lean meats. Read on to see more about our proven fat loss tips
Here are top 6 foods to lose weight;

#1: Berries
One of the ways to keep your stomach feeling fuller for a longer time is to embrace juicy foods that have nothing less than 75% water by weight. And, berries are definitely the best juicy foods - cranberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries. Berries are also loaded with fiber, which in turn promotes weight loss.

#2: Skin-less Chicken & Turkey
Protein aids in increasing and maintaining lean muscle mass, which in turn boosts metabolism. Also, you will feel fuller all day long when you eat foods rich in protein. This will also help to reduce in-between meals snacking. The best sources of lean protein include turkey breast and skin-less protein.

#3: Seafood
Omega-3 fatty acids supply the human body with healthy fats and would not impact your health negatively. However, omega-3 fatty acid should be taken in moderation. Seafood is one of the major sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, and the best seafood for this purpose includes wild salmon, mackerel, herring, anchovies, sardines, rainbow trout, and Pacific oysters.

#4: Low-Fat Dairy Foods
Good sources of low-fat dairy foods include fat-free and low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese. These help to maintain a healthy blood sugar level and improve your mood generally. Consequently, people trying to lose weight are able to curtail their craving for food, and will avoid over-eating as well.

#5: Salads
Salads that have lettuce as the major ingredient are usually low in calories and have lots of water. Other essential ingredients for weight loss salads include cucumber, cabbage, carrot, and tomato. These will supply the quality fiber your body needs, as well as good carbohydrate. The healthy dressing to choose includes olive oil, lemon, or fruit.

#6: Green Vegetables
Consuming lots of vegetables will help you feel fuller all day and curtail your craving for food. The best vegetables for weight loss include cabbage, broccoli, and spinach. These contain soluble fiber. Other weight loss vegetables include asparagus, olives, kale, artichokes, and Brussels sprouts - these have low calories and are packed with water.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/George_Perelshteyn/1403162

Slider Foods Spell Weight Regain For Weight Loss Surgery Patients

For most people eating sliders is a good thing. Popularized by the American food chain, White Castle, a slider (originally slyder) is a miniature grilled hamburger or cheeseburger on a steamed bun often served with onions and dill pickle and other condiments. They originally sold for a nickel a piece in the 1940s making it affordable to add a side of fries for just pennies. By all accounts this is a good kind of "slider" food.

To the weight loss surgery patient slider foods are the bane of good intentions and ignorance often causing dumping syndrome, weight loss plateaus, and eventually weight gain. Slider foods, to weight loss surgery patients, are soft simple processed carbohydrates of little or no nutritional value that slide right through the surgical stomach pouch without providing nutrition or satiation. The most innocent of slider foods are saltine crackers, often eaten with warm tea or other beverages, to soothe the stomach in illness or while recovering from surgery.

The most commonly consumed slider foods include pretzels, crackers (saltines, graham, Ritz, etc.) filled cracker snacks such as Ritz Bits, popcorn, cheese snacks (Cheetos) or cheese crackers, tortilla chips with salsa, potato chips, sugar-free cookies, cakes, and candy. You will notice these slider foods are often salty and cause dry mouth so they must be ingested with liquid to be palatable. This is how they become slider foods. They are also, most often, void of nutritional value.

For weight loss surgery patients the process of digestion is different than those who have not undergone gastric surgery. When slider foods are consumed they go into the stomach pouch and exit directly into the jejunum where the simple carbohydrate slurry is quickly absorbed and stored by the body. There is little thermic effect in the digestion of simple carbohydrates like there is in the digestion of protein so little metabolic energy is expended. In most cases patients in the phase of weight loss who eat slider foods will experience a weight loss plateau and possibly the setback of weight gain. And sadly, they will begin to believe their surgical stomach pouch is not functioning properly because they never feel fullness or restriction like they experience when eating protein.

The very nature of the surgical gastric pouch is to cause feelings of tightness or restriction when one has eaten enough food. However, when soft simple carbohydrates are eaten this tightness or restriction does not result and one can continue to eat, unmeasured, copious amounts of non-nutritional food without ever feeling uncomfortable.

Many patients turn to slider foods for this very reason. They do not like the discomfort that results when the pouch is full from eating a measured portion of lean animal or dairy protein without liquids. Yet it is this very restriction that is the desired result of the surgery. The discomfort is intended to signal the cessation of eating. Remembering the "Protein First" rule is crucial to weight management with bariatric surgery.

Gastric bypass, gastric banding (lap-band) and gastric sleeve patients are instructed to follow a high protein diet to facilitate healing and promote weight loss. Bariatric centers advise what is commonly known among weight loss surgery patients as the "Four Rules" the most important of which is "Protein First." That means of all nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat and alcohol) the patient is required to eat protein first.

Protein is not always the most comfortable food choice for weight loss surgery patients who feel restriction after eating a very small amount of food. However, for the surgical tool to work correctly a diet rich in protein and low in simple carbohydrate slider foods must be observed. The high protein diet must be followed even after healthy body weight has been achieved in order to maintain a healthy weight and avoid weight regain.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Kaye_Bailey/10510

Raw Food Weight Loss - A Primer

Raw food weight loss occurs while consuming a largely uncooked diet.
Our discussion will be restricted to uncooked vegetables, fresh fruits, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
Raw meats, shellfish, and unpasteurized milk will not be included in our conversation. The potential for food borne illness is much too high with these foods.

Many sources of information are available for you to explore these items on your own. Just be careful and have a full understanding of the ramifications of adding uncooked meats and seafood into your diet.

Typical American Diet
This is nothing new. They have been the staple of human food supplies since Adam and Eve. Remember the apple? It was raw fresh fruit!

However, it can be assumed that most people today consume much more cooked foods than they have in the past. A good example is the so-called Typical American Diet (TAD), which consists mainly of refined, highly processed and cooked foods.

The Typical American Diet is blamed for many of the illnesses and diseases people currently suffer from.
It is often postulated by proponents of raw foods that much pain and suffering (not to mention health care costs) could be saved if the majority of people consumed such diets.

Common Foods
Weight loss using these foods can be accomplished with a minimum of fuss because it consists of common foods.

Raw vegetables, fresh fruits, sprouts (like alfalfa or bean sprouts), nuts, seeds, and legumes (such as lentils) are familiar raw foods. Grains, preferably whole grains instead of refined grains, are found on grocery store shelves everywhere.

It is generally accepted amongst those consuming raw food diets that foods should not be heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

Raw food weight loss diets are a very natural way to lose weight. Unlike fad diets that promote extreme weight loss at the expense of your health, raw food diets offer many healthful benefits.
Don't be afraid to embark on an exciting journey into the new world of healthy weight loss diets. It just may be the best thing you can do for yourself.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Dr._Dale_Heil/375377

Recipe Re-Do: Chicken Cordon Blue

Like many households, chicken is a staple for dinner for my family. But, it does get tired doesn't it? There are only so many ways to cook a chicken, especially if you generally use the boneless, skinless variety. Several years back, we discovered these really tasty meals in a plastic bag. They are single serving chicken entrees.

Our favorite is the chicken cordon blue. Unfortunately, the ingredient list and the fat and calories in these little numbers don't make it past my nutrition standards. My re-do of this dish is really quick and easy; perfect for busy-night dinner. You can even prepare them the night before and just pop them in the oven when you're ready. Be sure to check out the stats at the end of the recipe.

CORDON BLUE ROLL-UPS
4 small chicken breasts (1 lb total)
8 thinly sliced deli ham slices
4 tsp low-fat cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put each chicken breast on a cutting board, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and pound to about a quarter of an inch thick. Cut each breast in half. Spread ½ tsp of cream cheese on each piece of chicken. Put a slice of ham over the cream cheese. Roll up each piece of chicken and place seam-side down in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cook for 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

4 servings, 2 rolls each
CORDON BLUE ROLL-UPS STORE BOUGHT
calories 185.0 calories 350
fat 3.5 grams fat 15 grams
sodium 345.0 mg sodium 880 mg

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Betsy_McGuire/1068404

Baked Chicken Recipes - Would You Like My Amazing Chicken Pie Recipe?

It is no wonder that baked chicken recipes have become so popular. After all, it has a low fat content, is readily available and has a pleasant flavor and a nice mild texture when prepared properly.

Unfortunately, the very mild texture of most supermarket chicken will be too bland for most palates if the cook doesn't "jazz it up" a bit. Fortunately, even simple seasonings work wonders on chicken. Since the flavor options are limitless, chicken can be your "blank canvas" to create some culinary masterpieces with different flavors each time.

One of my very favorite baked chicken recipes is my Chicken Pie Recipe. I currently have a dear friend who is seriously ill. I love to see her face light up when I walk in with my Chicken Pot Pie! This is one of those wonderful "Comfort Foods" that just tend to make you feel that all is well while you are eating it. Fabulous on a chilly day, preferably next to the fireplace!

I don't like to use a bottom crust. I like to top is with a wonderful, easy puff pastry topping called Bladerdeeg - which originated in the Netherlands. This recipe makes enough for two pies, I usually freeze half. Be sure to cut attractive "vents" in the top. I always make a little heart out of some scraps of dough and put it in the middle before I bake it. My friend Susie loves that part! Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Recipes: Chicken Pie Recipe
* 1 cup potato, diced
* 1 cup onion, diced
* 1 cup celery, diced
* 1 cup carrot, diced
* 1/3 cup melted butter
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 cups chicken broth
* 1 cup half-and-half
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 4 cups chicken, cooked and diced
* 1 cup green peas
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Making sure that you start with a rather large pan, saute all the veggies (except the peas) in the melted butter for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the flour and stir well. Keep stirring for one minute.
4. Combine the broth with the half and half and stir this gradually into your veggies.
5. Cook over medium heat - keep stirring - until thick and mixture is bubbling.
6. Now stir in salt, pepper, chicken and peas. Thoroughly combine.
7. Pour everything into a shallow 2 quart baking dish and top with rolled out puff pasty of your choice - or use the Bladerdeeg recipe below. I usually use the lid of my dish as a guide to cut out the perfect size topping of puff pastry.
8. Bake for about 45 minutes until top is nicely browned and the filling is bubbling.

Netherlands Puff Pastry (Bladerdeeg)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sour cream

I usually use the food processor for this. Simply cut the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like crumbs and stir in the sour cream. Turn this out onto a floured surface and knead until it holds together. Form into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Put it into the frig for at least two hours or make it the day before. Roll out half and freeze half for another pie!
I truly hope you will enjoy one of my favorite baked chicken recipes!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Lynne_Klosterman/410561

Choosing the Right Weight Loss Foods

If you have ever tried to diet or loose weight before, you are well aware of the fact that weight loss foods are seemingly hard to come by and even when you do find something that is of some nutritional value, or weight loss importance it tastes horrible! Luckily for those who have a hard time staying away from sweets or whatever else seems to be calling your name at every hour of the day, their is hope for weight loss yet!
The science behind weight loss is very simple. You must burn off more calories than you take in. This makes sense and should be the basis of any weight loss philosophy. Those who realize this mantra will also realize that you do not have to starve yourself, nor do you have to eat a salad a meal every day. The solution however is simple, although at first it may be hard to cope with.

You should start out by eating the same that you have always eaten, the only difference is to eat half of each portion. So for instance, if you generally drink two cups of coffee in the morning, drink one. If you generally eat two pieces of bread with dinner, eat one. You see the trend here? Now you need not be a math teacher to understand the fact that if you eat half as much you will loose some weight, it is pretty cut and dry. Once you have been working with that process for some time, you should also consider performing some form of cardio several days per week, this will enhance the benefits of losing weight.

If you feel that you are beginning to plateau your gains by eating half as much as everything, you should then look at your daily intake. Try to cut down on the number of carbohydrates and fats that you are consuming, and start to consume more and more protein into your every day diet. Solid forms of protein include chicken, fish, and nuts. Also you should be consuming a good amount of water as well as a good amount of fruits and vegetables.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Peter_Foti/90420

The 4 Best Natural Foods For Weight Loss

Many people like popping pills to aid in weight loss. The problem with this is that most if not all of these pills come with some warnings attached to them.

A more effective and safe way of losing weight is to go with natural foods. Yes, I know that natural foods can be dangerous as well, but in most cases the amount you would have to eat to cause you harm is out of the range for most people. So that should not be that big of a concern.

In fact, some of the best natural food sources to aid in weight loss is at your disposal now. The following is a list of 4 of them.

4 Best Natural Foods for Weight Loss
Fiber Rich Foods If everyone would increase fiber in their diet to the recommended amount per day, this is the one food that would help to alleviate many health problems, especially obesity. As for how much you should have in your diet, for women whose calorie needs are 2000 Calories per day, they should ingest 28 grams per day. For men whose calorie needs are 2800 Calories, they should ingest 36 grams per day. For men and women, this comes out to be 14 grams, per 1000 Calories.

Low Glycemic Foods Low glycemic foods are extremely beneficial to your health and to weight loss. This is because they help to control the spiking of your blood sugar, which is a major cause to obesity and is also a cause of type 2 diabetes.

As far as determining which foods have a low glycemic index, there is no fool proof way since it depends on how the food source is digested, for instance cooked or eaten raw. Though there are many list showing the glycemic index of foods, as a general rule and if you are unsure about a food source, notice if the food is whole grain and high in fiber. These types of foods tend to be linked to a low glycemic index.

Green Tea Individuals who have taken green tea extract high in catechins, namely epigallocatechin gallate, EGCG, have been shown in studies to have a greater decrease in body weight, as well as in their body mass index and visceral fat then those who did not take the supplement.

As for how much to take, studies have shown good results for those who have taken less than 300 milligrams per day. However, those who have taken more, in one study 600 milligrams a day, showed greater fat loss than those who did not take as much. So, to enjoy its benefits, look for green teas that show there ECGC amount.

Acai berry Acai berry is another wonderful natural food. Completely safe, this berry has become popular because of its high antioxidant capacity, more formally, Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, ORAC. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, blueberry has an high ORAC. However, acai berries have more than 5 times the amount of ORAC than blueberries.

Moreover, not only does this berry help to reduce free radicals in your body, it has also been shown to aid in weight loss, reduce pain and soreness, help to fight cancer, and help protect against heart disease. To enjoy its benefits, you can pick up a bottle at your local grocer or at a health food store.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/John_C_White/159409

Fast Food in Your Weight Loss Plan

Let's face it. Fast food chains are not known for healthy weight loss options. As two thirds of the United State's population is now overweight, we are starting to take a closer look at their dining habits. Fast food chains are responding to the demand with menus that include more fruit and vegetables, smaller portions and even vegetarian options. Their marketing campaigns are well funded and designed to keep your business but where does fast food really fit into your weight loss plan?

Let's look at some top industry players and what they're up to these days.

• Subway: Possibly the first fast food chain to jump on the weight-loss wagon was Subway. In 1999 Jared Fogle, an unknown college student, became known as "The Subway Guy," when he told us that eating Subway sandwiches helped him lose 245 pounds in a year- dropping from a whopping 425 pounds to a healthy 190 pounds. He tells the story of how his diet consisted of two meals per day: a turkey sub for lunch and a veggie sub for dinner. Subway's menu continues to focus a number of its choices on low fat, low carbohydrate and other 'healthier' choices.
• McDonald's has been modifying their menu ever since Wayne Spurlock created the Super Size Me documentary in 2004. In addition to a wider choice in salads and grilled chicken they added apple dippers and a fruit and yogurt parfait. They are even test-marketing a smaller version of the Big Mac in some areas.  Their website has a "Nutrition and Fitness" section for customizing healthy options to your needs.
• Burger King has dished up some creative food, and is one of the first fast-food giants to offer a vegetarian option with their BK Veggie Burger. They recently added scaled-down items called BK Burger Shots and BK Breakfast Shots. Essentially they are smaller versions of Burger King's standard burgers and breakfast sandwiches.
• Jack In The Box is on the healthy bandwagon with their Healthy Dining Menu. Eight in ten of these menu items have less than 500 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving, in addition to mango smoothies and fruit cups. I see in the news that they have joined the movement and are testing Mini Sirloin burgers in San Diego.

You can see at a glance that the fast food industry provides options with lower calories and less fat and saturated fat. That's a great start, but while calories and fat matter a great deal when trying to lose weight it's also important to note that maintaining a healthy body requires adequate nutrition.

Unfortunately fast food menus lack much of the nutrition that is required for a healthy body. Fast food salads usually use iceberg lettuce, not the darker lettuces. Organic steamed or raw vegetables are non-existent. Most proteins come in the form of greasy burgers and fried chicken, rather than legumes, nuts, and fresh fish. Stripped down white bread replaces whole grains.

Our bodies are starved for nutrition, which causes our brain to tell us we're hungry. If we fill up on empty, nutrition-lacking calories we aren't feeding our body and our brain will continue to tell us we're hungry. This is partly why you can eat a whole bag of potato chips and still be hungry.

Can you lose weight in fast-food restaurants? Absolutely. Jared proved it to us and now I see that a man in Virginia has lost 80 lbs. by eating nearly every meal at McDonald's. Our bodies are designed to survive and are highly adaptable at doing so. Whether we are dieting or not, my biggest concern is that we have become too dependent on fast food and by doing so have lost our connection to our food. I suggest that if you want to lose weight and keep it off in the long run, keep your fast food meals to a minimum. I recommend that you focus on preparing fresh meals as often as you can and really feed your body. This will help you lose weight and keep it off!

Do you want to be able to go shopping for a bathing suit and not become depressed afterward? Visit Healthy Weight Loss Ideas [http://www.healthy-weight-loss-ideas.com/] for free tips, ideas and the newest trends for quickly losing weight and keeping it off!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Kathy_Shute/324662

Tips on Choosing Healthy Weight Loss Foods

Consumption of certain foods can actually help in healthy weight loss. In fact, all obesity and many diseases are really linked to bad food choices over a long period of time. It is never too late to make a change especially when it comes to matters relating to one's health and fitness. This article talks about how to choose the right foods for your healthy weight loss goals.

The easiest way to decide if a certain type of food is good for you is to look at its nutrient to calorie ratio. You don't have to have a perfect answer, even an estimate will do. So on one hand you have natural and fiber rich foods like oats, bran, fresh fruits and vegetables and on the other hand take processed foods like white bread, chips, heat and eat dinners. If you were to compare the nutrients delivered by each compared to the calories they pack in per serving, you will be amazed to realize that the first group has almost 10 times as much nutrients per calorie than the second group. Now you don't really need to calculate this ratio every time you reach for something; we all know which foods are good or bad for us. It is more a question of putting into practice what we know rather than learning about what healthy weight loss foods are.

If you have a hard time resisting the urge to snack on something which is empty in calories and hate good foods, here is a three point guide to help you stay on track in your healthy weight loss efforts.

1.    Identify at least 2-3 fruits and vegetables that you like to eat.  It is better to try and choose something that is easily available where you live and will be able to replenish easily. Make sure you start every meal with one of these. It could be an apple that you munch or an assorted salad that you eat without a dressing. Just eat it BEFORE the main meal. You will find that you eat up to 25% less of your regular lunch or dinner saving you many calories per meal.

2.    Drink water every 2-3 hours. There is no fixed amount that you need to drink - just pour yourself as much as you can drink at one go. You can add a squeeze of lime or some mint leaves to make it tastier. You will automatically find yourself feeling fuller for longer with a reduced tendency to snack.

3.    Eat something within 2 hours of waking up. This can be really tough on people who cannot manage to eat anything at all in the morning rush hours but is really quite important. Reason being that the body fasts all night and wakes up to a really reduced metabolic rate. The smallest of snacks, even a fruit helps rev up the metabolism without which it slums further leading to a near starvation situation at the next meal opportunity.

It is also a great idea to stock your home with small servings of low calorie snacks which you can reach for when hungry. The key to healthy weight loss lies in the correct intake and optimal expenditure of calories.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Nick_Preston/63533

Weight Loss Foods - Top 4 Recommendations

Weight loss foods are not necessarily foods that will make you lose weight as you eat them! That would be fantastic, but that's just not the case. Weight loss foods are types of foods - beans, lean meats, vegetables - that will promote overall health, naturally speed up your metabolism and help you lose weight. To get the most from these types of foods, they should be part of a healthy overall food plan that will help you get the most of what they have to offer.

Vegetables and fruits have to make the top of the weight loss food list. While some vegetables will be high in fat - think avocados - they will help you feel full longer, and contain very little calories, compared to their volume. Contrary to popular belief, vegetables are actually quite difficult to digest, so you will burn many calories just through the act of digesting them. On top of being full of vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, vegetables and fruits are actually delicious - at least in most cases! Just make sure not to drown them in butter when you eat them!

Lean cuts of meat are an essential part of a healthy array of weight loss foods. Try to limit yourself to poultry, always without the skin, as well as fish and very lean cuts of pork - no bacon! Fish should always be baked, never fried, and the fat allowed to drain away as it cooks. Animal proteins are considered by many to be an essential part of a healthy human diet, and very often the tastiest!

Foods that will accelerate your metabolism, helping to burn calories and fat should also be considered as part of a weight loss food diets. Cayenne pepper - yes, the one that makes your eyes water - is an excellent metabolism enhancer, and will add flavor and adventure to your meals.

To conclude your feast, how about some green tea? Green tea has been shown to not only enhance and accelerate your metabolism, but also boosts your immune system, helps lower your cholesterol and may prevent cancer and cardiovascular diseases. It also seems to help with digestion!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Cecil_D._Murphy/778328

Is There One Weight Loss Diet Food Which Works Best?

There have been many books and reports published about magic weight loss foods, those foods when eaten will provide you with fantastic weight loss results. But, is there really one weight loss diet food which is better than any other? The reason why these foods are advertised as magical is because of the ingredients which they contain. Many of these fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants which help cleanse the body of waste. Thus producing great weight loss results in a matter of days.

Many of the foods which you have heard about are the Acai berry, blueberries and lemons. By using these fruits you are cleansing your body. As you excrete excessive waste, you are also getting rid of stored fat and other damaging toxins in your body.

If you take a closer look at many foods you will see that many foods can be grouped together with varying labels. This includes low fat, low protein, high carbs, low sugar, fat free and more. If you take a look at the five major food groups there are foods there, which can be labeled as a weight loss diet food. Instead of eating white bread, choose whole wheat bread, the same goes with pasta and rice, choose the whole wheat varieties. For protein choose lean poultry and fish over red meat. There are always going to be certain foods which are considered better for you. It is in your best interest to eat these recommended foods regularly in order to achieve your weight loss goals.

Eating too much of one food can cause harmful effects. You have probably seen photos of children who have eaten too many strawberries turning pink, or eating too many carrots and having your skin turn orange. Your digestive organs can be damaged by consistently eating the same food, your kidneys and liver will not function properly. So think, before you try any new fangled diet food, claiming to be the solution to your weight loss efforts.

Adding plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, along with preparing homemade recipes, is going to improve your health for sure. Be certain, to include foods from the five major food groups and add variety to your diet. When you sit down each evening for supper, look to see if you have lots of color on your plate, if you do, then you are eating a healthy diet. What looks more appetizing a plate of broccoli, carrots, meat and potatoes or a plate of brown French fries and chicken nuggets?

While many foods are touted as the best weight loss diet food of the century, you want to look at the properties of the food first. Then see if you can incorporate this new health find in a nutritional way, so your entire family can reap the benefits of it too.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Marquita_J._Moten/807120

Simple Weight Loss Foods For Everyone

With today's many diet plans and fads flooding the bookstores and health food websites, it can be difficult to know which weight loss foods you should be eating to maintain a healthy weight. Whether you're looking for a prefab meal collection from a box or you're yearning for healthy, organic foods, there are a large range of foods available for anyone who wants to lose weight or simply stave off the upward swing in weight that normally occurs as we age. Those willing to take time to look for these foods and then prepare them properly will be surprised at the results they will obtain while eating them.

While selecting great weight loss foods, it is important to remember the need to attain satiety while eating. What is satiety? Well, it's a point at which the brain decides that you have taken in enough of a food or foods and you are now no longer hungry. Certain fats allow satiety to take place while most carbohydrates do not. An example of a healthy fat to eat for satiety is found in avocados. One avocado can contain 30 grams of fat! Most people try to avoid fats while trying to lose weight and don't realize that some fats are actually good fats. Avocados contain a monounsaturated fat that not only is perfectly healthy, unlike saturated fats (animal fats), but does a great deal to promote satiety while eating. So when you decide to make a side salad, consider a healthy serving of avocado on top of the salad to help fight off hunger pains later.

Since we're on the topic of healthy foods and in the last paragraph 'healthy fats', we should try to keep in mind a wonderful polyunsaturated fat called olive oil. Not only is olive oil a great oil to sauté your vegetables in, it also contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, both essential in the human body. In most cases, we produce and are able to take in plenty of omega-6 fatty acid, but the omega-3 fatty acid is more difficult to obtain. Because olive oil along with certain types of fish is among just a few natural sources, our diet should be rich in these. Not only does a healthy balance of the omega fatty acids help to control weight, but research has shown that omega-3 may also help to reduce the risk of heart disease. So if you like the taste of foods that have been cooked in oil, try a tablespoon of olive oil.

If you don't want to let go of red meat, you're not alone. Unfortunately, over the past few decades, doctors have asked patients with high cholesterol or issues with weight to avoid red meat. Thirty years ago there was good reason for this suggestion, since red meat at that time very commonly contained large amounts of animal fat. Saturated fats such as animal fat are thought to contribute to high levels of triglycerides in the blood which in turn can contribute to plaque build-up in the blood vessels known as atherosclerosis.

However, with today's steaks and other cuts of meats being available in much leaner forms, there are plenty of red meat options available for everyone. For example, a trip to the local meat market could be an educational experience in the cuts and types of beef. Some cuts are considered so lean that as little as 5% fat remains. So what can you do with this small amount of remaining fat? If it is steak, try grilling the meat, which is known to remove at least ½ of the residual fat, thereby reducing your fat intake to less than 3% per serving. A bonus to this is the fact that red meat can be one of the many weight loss foods because more energy is expended by the body to break down the meat that is collected in the body by fat content. No one would have thought just three decades ago that red meat was actually one of the great weight loss foods.

Remember the commercials about the 'incredible, edible egg?' This commercial met some resistance in the early 1990's as some doctors and researchers began to question the amount of cholesterol found in eggs. For several years many people began to avoid eggs and opted instead for egg substitutes that contained only egg white and some yellow coloring. Thankfully, recent research suggests that the cholesterol found in eggs is actually much lower than previously thought and there is no correlation between eating eggs and heart disease. As a matter of fact, eggs are just one of the great weight loss foods that help to trim weight while providing satiety and helping to keep your blood sugar even.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/D_Bui/901246

Weight Loss Food - Which Foods Should You Choose to Lose Weight?

The most successful way to lose weight is to eat weight loss food. These are low-calorie foods. According to weight loss experts successful weight loss should be one pound per week.

To quote from a saying "a person is what he eats." The size of the body of a person shows the food that he eats. Pork chops, fried chicken, potatoes, cheese, cakes and chocolates makes a person fat or even obese! It is not bad to enjoy every meal that a person eat as long as it is in moderate way. There are some foods that a person can eat and at the same can help him lose weight.

These foods should be shared with the help of healthy foods like green leafy vegetables, food that burns energy like red rice and wheat bread. It is also wise to take note of what types of meats and fish that do not have fat. There are lean meats that can be eaten with other foods that promote fat burning effect inside the body.

By discriminately examining this different foods before eating them, weight loss will be evident, extra pounds will gradually shed off. Since the main objective of weight loss is to lose excess weight in a healthy way, a person trying to lose weight should pick a diet that will help promote weight loss.

In order to have a full knowledge of weight loss food, there are some recommended options to research for. These foods can be found in diet and cook books that focus on weight loss. Another way is to research via internet to find these types of foods.

It is not difficult to identify these types of foods, in fact it can easily be found in the supermarkets and groceries. These can be as simple as onions, bananas, apples and other fruits and vegetables. This just a short list of weight loss food that a person who wants to lose weight can eat in order to shed off those unwanted fats, well, if there is a long list of the common weight loss food, there is a list of uncommon weight loss food like lobster.

It is indeed true that lobster is one of these uncommon weight loss foods, of course with the butter and dressings; still it permits to burn fats which the body has already absorbed. Edible frogs are also qualified as weight loss foods. Frogs are considered food that can help to lose weight because they are like chicken meat.

Weight loss foods are just the ordinary food that are consume on the dinning table everyday. These are just usual meals. They can also be fun to eat like any other food in a fancy restaurant. It is recommended that in order to enjoy these foods through cooking and baking then a nice and good presentation.

In order to be successful in losing weight, it is essential to choose what food to eat carefully. There should be a change in lifestyle and eating habit in order to lose weight effectively.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Janet_Sommers/203500

How to Lose Your Belly Fat and Double Chin by Eating Low GI Foods

I struggled for years to get rid of my fat belly and double chin. This is my story...
I lost my double chin and big fat beer belly after a near 6-year struggle. In the end the solution was easier than I expected. If only some could of told me right at the beginning I could have had 6 years of looking great and not wasting so much money on fads and enjoying the food I eat.

My fat belly made an appearance at the age of 26. I looked ridiculous with my big fat belly. Where did it come from? I did eat a lot of sausage rolls that Christmas, or maybe it was just turning 26. Whatever it was that fat belly was here to stay. Loosing weight was not something I had done before but I believed the answer was easy - eat less food and exercise. I was no expert but this simple formula seemed the most straightforward way to lose weight. It just had to be.

My fat belly motivated me to stop eating and get to the gym. I hit the gym with force. I skipped lunch to cut down on eating; I was sure this would eliminate my beer belly in a shot. After a few months of trying my best at the gym and almost starving myself I had defiantly lost weight; as much as 6kg - a good effort. But looking at my belly it didn't look any smaller; in fact it might even be bigger. I had lost weight on every part of my body except my belly.

Doing too much exercise and not eating enough caused my body to burn muscle to get extra energy. What I had been doing was counter productive, I was reducing my muscles and increasing my fat storage. This was going to be harder than I thought.

Things were about to get worse now at the age of 28 a double chin. I was still at a total loss as to how I still managed to have the fat belly I had tried so hard to get rid of. I swapped weights for cardio - pushing myself for faster times on the bike and running further and further on the treadmill. After only a few weeks eating salad for lunch and hitting the treadmill every day I looked in the mirror and saw I had burned away almost all the muscle I had put on. I was back to square one.

A flyer came though my letterbox for a local gym that advertised body re-shaping by way of a special but sensible diet. I had never heard of Educogym but the flyer did seem intriguing. My own experience of weight loss had made me angry and cynical. But since I was getting married I would make one last attempt to sort my body out and I picked Educogym.

Gina at Educogym explained to me that we would be training every day for 12 days; only 20 minuets at a time but this would be high intensity. Gina then explained to me my new diet. Gina explained to me about a chemical called insulin. Insulin regulates blood sugar in the body and effects how the body burns energy. If your insulin is kept low then your body will burn fat and not muscle. To keep my insulin low I would need to eliminate one particular thing from my diet - SUGAR.

No sugar, and nothing made from flour. Starches such as bread and pasta will absorb itself into the blood and raise my insulin. Even natural sugars from fruit need to be kept to a minimum. Fats on the other hand do not raise your insulin.

Sugar is in so many of our daily foods; it's only when you try to avoid it you realize how often you eat it. To my surprise milk is 40% sugar. No eating white bread, or any bread for that matter. I would have to train my body to burn fat and fat only. So from now on I will be eating only protein and fat. Something in me knew this was going to work.

Breakfast was Bacon and eggs every day, no toast or anything else. No milk in my tea or coffee; but I could use cream which I found very nice. Lunch was meat - beef, lamb, or pork (no chicken), preferably meat with a nice fat content, and some green vegetables. Dinner is more of the same. Adding some walnuts for additional fatty acids was beneficial.

After a few days my body was now in a state of 'ketosis'. That is all the energy used by my body came from fat and not carbohydrates. The fats and protein diet had killed my hunger and prevented me getting sugar cravings for chocolate and other mid morning snacks. I was burning fat and only fat; if there was no fat in my stomach to be burned then it would have to come from that large fat deposit - my fat belly.

I started to notice the difference from day two. The flab around my belly was much softer. The diet was slightly tedious but bearable; I did really miss all those wonderful sugar hits from chocolate and other foods. On day 7 my wife looked at me while I was recovering on the sofa from my hard 20-minute workout and exclaimed, "your double chin has gone!" On day 12 my measurements concluded I had lost some 3% body fat, my double chin was gone and my beer belly was about half gone.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Richard_Llewelyn_Jones/1390210

The Best Weight Loss Food You Can Eat

There are several diet plans that have their own recommended types of weight loss food. But how can you tell that the weight loss food you are eating can really contribute to healthy and gradual weight loss?
No restrictions?

The best weight loss food does not restrict you from eating more. In fact, you can eat more of them but still aid you in losing weight. The latest studies show that you can eat as much lean protein as you want. Even by substituting your carbohydrates and fats with lean protein, you can gradually lose weight and keep it off.

The deal with protein
Protein has always been known to benefit people who are trying to lose weight. For instance, protein-rich foods are essential for building and repairing muscle tissue. Some of the best protein sources include the following: milk, tofu, fish, eggs, cheese, low-fat yogurt, and lean meat.

Just enough calories
Being mindful of how much calories your body can burn should never be taken for granted when it comes to losing weight. Weight loss food provides your body with reduced calorie intake but they are still giving you enough vitamins and minerals for your body.

No skipping meals
The best weight loss food is something that you can eat for 5 to 6 times a day in small portions but still won't make you worry about gaining weight. They include fruits and vegetables that are flexible enough to be included into different types of recipes for snacks, complete meals, and shakes. Keep in mind that you should not starve yourself to keep your metabolism running.

Mind the energy
It is important to understand that no amount of weight loss food alone can provide you instant results for losing weight. It is important to understand that losing weight results from the energy (from calories) that you are consuming from different types of food included in your diet. Furthermore, the entire energy of your diet should be lower compared to the total energy that is being used by your body.

High in fiber
Another type of weight loss food that is suitable for people who are trying to lose or maintain their weight should be high in fiber. Fiber works by helping your stomach fill in quicker, making you feel full so you eat less. Eating less simply means that you are cutting down your intake of calories.

Something low in fat
Your weight loss food should also be low in fat. In fact, low-fat foods are perceived as the most helpful if you want to lose weight. This is because fat has more than twice the quantity of energy compared to protein and carbohydrates. Therefore, eating less fat also cuts down your intake of calories.

The importance of water
Water also benefits weight loss so make sure that food for weight loss keeps you dehydrated and can aid in your digestion. However, make sure that you do not eat salty foods because they will cause you to retain water, which contributes to the feeling of being bloated. The bloated feeling is caused by your water weight, which causes you to gain a few more pounds.

What to avoid
Everybody loves fast food and processed foods like junk food and anything that can be cooked instantly (i.e. microwave pizza, TV dinners, etc.). However, they are not the best foods for losing weight. In fact, they are one of the contributors for weight gain because they usually have high sugar, high fat, and high calorie content. Avoid processed foods especially those that have high sugar and calorie content

On prepackaged foods
Fad diet plans come with their own ideas on how much calories you should take in. These plans provide you with prepackaged foods for weight loss that are geared to teach you discipline when it comes to following a strict diet regimen. They make it easy for you to limit yourself on what you should eat in a day and they are designed for people who have no time to plan their meals.

Nutritious foods
There are also foods that packed with nutritious elements, especially those that are filled with B vitamins. B vitamins are helpful when it comes to increasing your energy levels so you can exercise more. Keep in mind that no food for weight loss can become entirely effective unless you pair them up with regular exercise, so get all the energy you need to keep moving.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Phillip_England/100285

How Healthy Food and Weight Loss Go Hand in Hand

If you desire to lose weight; then your first priority is to condition your mind to eat healthy food because weight loss is synonymous with healthy dieting.

We live in world where traditional foods are considered to be McDonald's and Jack-in-the-Box; however, healthy weight loss programs can never be successful as long as these culprits are a part of our eating regimen. We condition our children to eat at these places and they condition theirs, and before we know it we're living amongst a whole generation of overweight or obese people. It's no wonder the obesity rate is at an all time high; nonetheless, this chain of events will not change until we change our eating habits. Weight loss cannot be accomplished if we don't first change our thinking, which will eventually translate into better and healthy eating habits.

Healthy food and weight loss is like a stable marriage, one spouse compliments the other. In a good marriage spouses watch one another and should critique each other on good and bad habits including eating habits. All too often one spouse will allow another spouse to "indulge into a bulge" and this has cause divorces, separation as well as mental and physical abuse in relationships, all because of poor eating habits.

We have to seriously watch what we eat by knowing what foods are causing the love handles, bulges and excessive fat. Knowing is only half the battle but refraining from fast food restaurants, preprocessed foods and trans-fats are battles within themselves. All of these foods have the potential to cause negative effects in your weight and overall health. If healthy food and weight loss is going to be a part of our lives then refraining from the things we know are causing harm to our body has to be a practice and custom of ours.

Let's take in consideration the effects in which a steady diet of fast food restaurants has upon our health and the health of our children. It goes without saying, that healthy food and weight loss goes hand in hand and if we're not willing to refrain from fast food restaurants on a consistent basis then we put ourselves and our children at risk for some very serious problems in the present and distant future.

It's should be no surprise to us that fast food restaurants have a stranglehold upon the necks of our youth nor should it be a surprise that weight gain and Type 2 diabetes is now becoming more prevalent in our youth. The reason for this is the excessive amounts of calories in fast food which also leads to a high concentration of refined fats and sugar; not to mention, the use of oils (hydrogenated) that are repeatedly reheated for preparing processed foods, have a crippling effect upon our blood vessels. This is a major problem not only during our youthful years but the effect worsens over the course of years and becomes responsible for various health issues because we choose not to eat healthy food for weight loss and overall good health.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Brian_A._Wilson/508232

Success With the Raw Food Weight Loss Program

If you've been on the hunt for a new diet plan to help you lose weight, you may have stumbled upon the raw food weight loss program that has recently been gaining in popularity. This diet has led to some amazing and drastic results in some of its adherents. In fact, the whole concept of eating raw foods has moved past being a diet and into an entire movement, known as "rawism." You may be wondering exactly how this diet works, and why it is so effective.

Those who support the raw food weight loss idea claim that raw foods offer a number of benefits both to personal health and for weight loss. For one, raw foods contain enzymes that help with digestion, and cooking destroys these enzymes. Leaving the enzymes alone by eating the food raw helps support a faster metabolism, which results in losing weight fast and keeping it off. In addition, raw foods have a higher nutrient content than cooked foods, and they are also free of preservatives and additives that can make food unhealthy for us.

Another piece of the raw food weight loss program has to do with acidity. Your body contains a number of different fatty acids, which can affect your weight. Most of the foods in the raw diet are alkaline, and thus reduce that acid. Foods that are part of the raw diet include all sorts of uncooked vegetables and fruits, raw fish such as sushi, nuts and seeds, unprocessed cheeses. If those are kinds of foods that are regularly part of your diet, you may want to considering going raw and seeing if it benefits you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Hadyn_Tanner/89897

What You Need To Know About Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori Chicken Recipes are native to the Indians. The Indians knew how to bring out the authentic taste and flavor of their food using their secret blend of herbs and spices. With these special spices, and a special clay oven in which the chicken is baked, this chicken dish is succulent, flavorful, and unique.

Tandoori chicken was discovered in Peshawar, Pakistan in the 1940s, where the owner of a restaurant, an Indian man by the name of Kundan Lal Guiral--came upon the idea of baking the chicken in a clay oven. The owner first began introducing the recipe to his frequent diners by showing them how he cooked the chicken out in the open using the clay ovens.

Since the process-and flavor-of the chicken dish was unique to his guests, it became a novelty that piqued the interest of other locals and the word spread. Before this time, the clay ovens were used solely for baking na'an bread. Now, he discovered that cooking chicken in the ovens gave them a saturated flavor, and made the chicken tender on the inside but crispy on the outside. Soon the business-and the chicken recipe-began to spread like wildfire.

Soon even the people in Delhi, neighboring country of Pakistan, began to use this flavorful chicken recipe. Later, Kundan Lal Guiral, who began baking the chickens in his small restaurant, called the Moti Mahal, moved to a partition in Delhi, India, where business began to thrive. Today, Tandoori chicken is a popular dish that is loved by multiple cultures and people, and is served all around the world.

Tandoori Chicken is a great choice for the health-conscious among us, since the fat burns off during the baking process. The clay oven, or Tandoor, as it is called, brings out the authentic flavors of India and is made with 100% healthy ingredients, which consists of yogurt and spices.

The Tandoori Chicken Recipe is quick, simple, and easy to prepare. Even beginners can make this dish. Only the amount of time for cooking is what is necessary to achieve the original taste of this dish. With a little mastery, you can achieve the crispy outside and juicy inside that this chicken recipe is known for.

Here's the best news: You do not need a Tandoor, or clay oven, anymore, in order to cook this wonderful dish! All you need is a marinate made of yogurt, along with a few Indian spices, such as cumin and fine garam masalas, and you can easily and successfully make this dish at home on your backyard grill!

Anne Bernstein

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Anne_Bernstein/949422

Easy Chicken Recipes For Families

If you love to cook or if you cook often for your family, you must have had a lot of experiments in the kitchen. I am sure that in the past, you have grabbed something inside the refrigerator and you decided to combine or mix it with other food.

We must admit that simply heating chicken can be boring. What this article is trying to tell you is that there are quick and easy chicken recipes you can prepare in no time.

Chicken in Lemon Garlic Sauce
For this recipe, cut chicken breasts in halves. After, mince some garlic and sauté it in a pan over medium heat. Let the garlic brown then fry the sliced chicken breasts with it until the chicken are evenly browned. Season it with salt and pepper. Remove the chicken and put it on a plate. In the same pan, pour some chicken broth and scrape of the bits stuck at the bottom. When the broth boils, add the olive oil and reduce heat to medium low. Cover and let it simmer for another 30 minutes or until the sauce is reduced to half and the chicken is tender. You can now put the lemon juice. Allow it to simmer for another 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Serve it warm over rice.

Easy Chicken Meatballs with Mayo Dressing
In a bowl, combine the chicken breast, minced garlic, finely chopped onions and chopped parsley. Season it with salt and pepper and mix well. Turn the ground chicken into small ball formations. Dip them in an egg mixture (to keep the shape) and roll them in bread crumbs. Fry them under moderate heat on a pan with butter until it is evenly browned. Serve it warm with rice and mayonnaise dressing.

Sautéed Ground Chicken with Mixed Vegetables
In a skillet, sauté some minced garlic and onions over low heat for around 5 minutes. Add ground chicken and put a few teaspoons of soy sauce to enhance its color and flavor. Season it with salt (if needed) and pepper. Another option is to sauté the chicken for 10-15 minutes or until it is tender. Place some diced carrots, corn and green peas. Stir-fry for another 5-8 minutes to cook the vegetables, but keep them crispy. You can also boil the vegetables in chicken broth before serving.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/David_Jhones/918626