Top 10 Diet's Health and Diet Tips

Stay Out of the Kitchen for the Holidays

2008-12-15T12:09:00.000-08:00

OK, it's the holidays and many of us spend time off from work and exposed to all that food in the kitchen - or at least more than we would if we were at work. So how, with that free time and all that delish food available, do we keep the pounds off? I found this little list of things to help at 'Living Healthy in the Real World'.

- turn the kitchen light off. Don't even go in there!
- clean: dust, vacuum, tidy the living room, get rid of the recycling, make your bed, wash the bathroom mirror, do the dishes or laundry; just do anything to keep your hands occupied and mind comfortably busy. You get to be productive, get in some exercise, and distract yourself from mindless munching all at the same time!
- brush your teeth. Food tastes a lot worse when you're all minty. (BJ added: You should limit this to not more than 10 to 15 times daily.)
- put on some bouncy music to make you move and dance.
- sew/knit/insert other hobby here
- drink water or tea
- read blogs (I'm serious. Maybe avoid the food blogs though;)).
- primp. Applying makeup, shaving legs, and putting on jewelry can take up a surprisingly long amount of time. And when you look really good, it's not much incentive to then go and stuff your body with unhealthy food. If months have gone by since your last hair cut (crap when did I become a brunette? or stop being a brunette? as the case may be . . . ), then go get that done!
- do an exercise dvd!
- make a list of things you would be so happy to do if only you had the time. Cross some of those things off your list (by which I mean, actually do them- don't just cross them off the list for the fun of it).
- perform step-ups while reading a book or do strength training exercises while watching TV. Be prepared to get weird looks from your roommate for this one and try not to walk into a wall.
- decorate for the holidays!

Until next time,
all the best,

B.J.
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Top 10 Diet Health & Wellness Tips

Slow Eaters Are Thinner

2008-10-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

Recently, the University in Osaka, Japan completed a study of some 3000 people and found that those who ate too fast were more likely to be overweight.

This is just the last of several studies which all agree that those of us who wolf down dinner eat more. The reason for this is rather simple. It takes about 20 minutes for our bodies to comunicate to our brains that we are full. If we're eating fast, we can eat a lot of food in those 20 minutes.

Some researchers have speculated we could lose up to 20 pounds a year just by slowing down when we eat. Now that's what I call painless dieting.

Until next time,
all the best,

B.J.
To Find the Best Diet for your body visit Top 10 Diets
What is the Best Diet Plan Blog

What is the Best Diet Plan?

2008-09-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

So what is the best diet plan for you? Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) there isn't one plan that works for everyone. Just as two people who are the same gender, size and age will react to different foods with allergies or by gaining weight in their shoulders instead of their butts, different foods will make one person hungrier while it satisfies another.

Nobody wants to be on a diet that makes you hungrier than you already are. It would be pure torture. And while you might be able to make it work in the short term, long term doesn't look good for maintaining any weight loss you may have.

If you want to lose the weight and keep it off you're going to have to change your eating habits; for good. So before you can find a healthy eating plan you can live with, long term you're going to have to determine whether your body responds better to low carbohydrate diets, or low fat diets.

Choose your diet wisely. The wrong diet can waste your time, money and willpower. Don't waste months on a diet doomed to fail. Learn the type diet right for you.

Until next time, all the best,

B.J.
To find the best diet plan for you, visit Top 10 Diets
Top 10 Diet Health & Wellness Tips

Want to Learn How to Eat Healthy?

2008-08-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

You know that's the bottom line. Many of us want to eat healthy, and we read all this information on how to accomplish this. (And there's a LOT of information out there.) And much of it is just plain junk. After a while we end up with information overload.

So you mentally throw your hands up and say, what's the use? So do you want to learn to eat a healthy diet - once and for all? Here's your very best bet. This is not a diet scam nor is it a quick fix. This is an 'Eat Healthy for the Rest of Your Life' plan.

Check out The Diet Solution. It's not a 'diet', it's a healthy way of eating that will leave you healthier than you've ever been and naturally slim.

Until next time, all the best,

B.J.
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How To Peel An Egg

2008-07-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, this isn't rocket science or anything but I thought this was cool and it really works. Not only will you first get to watch a hunk in the kitchen, second you'll get rid of that annoying chore of peeling boiled eggs and third, in the process, you'll strengthen your lungs . . . you have to blow pretty hard.

Until next time, all the best,

B.J.
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Are You Using Age to Excuse Your Weight?

2008-06-11T08:59:00.000-07:00

There’s no question, as we age we find our body deposits fat in different places than it use to. People with flat tummies will suddenly find their legs becoming thinner and their waists becoming larger.

The metabolism that was once stoked and could handle all that fast food, pastry and pasta just doesn’t process the intake the way it use to.

And though hormonal changes explain where the body deposits the fat, there is one thing you can count on, no matter how old you are, if you take in more calories than you burn each day, you’re gonna gain weight.

Though lots of people will use their age to excuse their weight problems, age alone is really not the culprit; there are too many slender and fit seniors for that to be true.

Our lifestyles make our bodies what they are and if the body you’ve create with your lifestyle choices is not the body you’d hoped for only you can change it. Years of poor nutrition and lack of exercise begin to show as we age and fat and health issues begin to develop.

Your goal should be to keep your body mass index (BMI) in a healthy range all your life. Better quality of life and health are dependent on your doing so.

As we age we may have to focus more on maintaining our muscle mass than our younger counterparts. And because we naturally become more sedentary, we have to give more thought to increasing our activity level. But addressing both of these helps maintain bone mass which is a huge issue as we grow older.

Age doesn’t make us gain weight nor does it keep us from losing weight, poor nutrition and lifestyle choices do.

The best way to remain at a healthy weight is to exercise, eat a healthy diet and watch your caloric intake. While it won’t turn back the clock, you’ll soon find you don’t have to surrender to father time.

Until next time, all the best,

B.J.
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BMI - What Are Your Numbers?

2008-06-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

What is BMI and should you know your numbers? Most of us are a little vague about what BMI is and what our numbers are. Lots of us don't want to know. The body mass index (BMI), is a statistical measure of the weight of a person based on their height.

It provides a simple numeric measure of a person's "fatness" or "thinness", and allows healthcare professionals to discuss over- and under-weight problems with their patients in a more dispassionate manner. In other words they can tell us we are overweight numerically rather than coming right out and saying it.

While it is probably a good thing to have an idea what your BMI is - don't attach any extra significance to the number. Basically it just took the place of the old life insurance tables we all use to hate. It's no more or less correct than they were.

If you want to get your BMI number, just visit Top 10 Diets and find out what your numbers are. Oh, and take our survey while you are there.

Until next time, all the best,

B.J.
For Weight Loss and Diets Visit Top 10 Diets
Tips to Help You Stay Healthy
Top 10 Diet Health & Wellness Tips

Dieting for Dummies

2008-04-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

Don’t you just hate difficult to follow diets? You spend hours reading about it, planning menus, finding recipes. You come up with a grocery list of all the unusual items you don’t keep in your kitchen. You shop, you plan and you’re so stressed getting ready to start your diet, you sit down and eat a whole row of Oreos. I want dieting for dummies!

Shakes Don’t Work

You’ve tried the diets where you have a shake at breakfast and lunch and then a reasonable dinner. But you’re always hungry and so the reasonable dinner becomes larger and larger. Not to mention the boredom. This is not so much a diet as a subtle means of torture.

Counting Calories or Points Is A Hassle

The calorie and point counting plans are anything but easy. Not too much to read, but you still have to plan menus, find recipes and with some plans you even have to attend meetings. Not to mention the expense. And unless you eat the same thing every day, or commit the book to memory, you have to carry a book with point values of foods.

No, I want dieting for dummies; not a lot of planning. I want menu plans that are prepared for you with meals normal people eat – nothing gourmet. And it has to be nutritious; based on what my body needs; I want all this and a plan that’s easy.

The Idiot Proof Diet is Dieting for Dummies

Ok, here comes the part I like best. You simply go to the computer, input your food preferences (yes you get to choose) and the computer gives you meal plans for the next 11 days, plus a shopping list for all you’ll need. How easy is that?

There are 10 basic rules to follow, and you simply follow the meal plans for the next 11 days. After that you have 3 days to eat whatever you like. Then, you start all over again. It truly is dieting for dummies. For more information on the Idiot Proof Diet, follow the link.

Until next time, all the best,

B.J.
For Weight Loss and Diets visit Top 10 Diets
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Top 10 Diet Health & Wellness Tips

Pregnancy Without Pounds

2008-04-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, it wouldn't be safe to go through pregnancy without gaining any weight, not for you or your baby, but sometimes it's difficult to keep the weight gain to a reasonable amount.

The average woman - whoever she might be - should put on no more than about 30 pounds from conception til the blessed event. Yeah right, but the average woman - not those perfect few who gain like 10 pounds and say things like, "I didn't even have to buy maternity cloths, I just wore baggy shirts," - finds it hard to keep off the pounds.

You can't diet while your pregnant, but you can eat healthy. Enter "Pregnancy Without Pounds." This guide helps you eat healthy while you're pregnant and gives you exercises you can do to help you and your baby while you're pregnant, aids in an easy dilivery, and helps you regain your figure after childbirth.

Until next time, all the best,

B.J.
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Interesterified - Say What?

2008-04-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

For those optimist who actually believed food producers had removed the trans-fatty acids from our foods, I hate to bust your bubble but . .

New name, same ole stuff. Only this time, it's a little worse. In this article posted by Jenny Thompson in the April 2nd addition of HSI e-Alert, Interesterified, is coming to a label near you. Interesterified is the name they've given the replacement for partially hydrogenated oils that produce trans-fatty acids.

In a study published in Nutrition & Metabolism about a year ago, researchers fed diets containing different fats to volunteers and found both trans-fat and interesterified fat adversely altered blood glucose and metabolism of cholesterol (increasing HDL/LDL ratio). In fact, interesterified fat raised glucose 20 percent in one month.

Food manufacturers have just put the same old pig in a brand new dress and somehow managed to make it WORSE than before.

Until next time, all the best,

B.J.
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Just a Few Healthy Pointers

2008-03-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

For those who are frequent visitors, you know I love Dr. Mercola and his wonderful health tips. So this morning I found 17 Random Health Facts You Never Knew that were both funny and thought provoking - so I thought I'd share. Here is just a sampling:

If you 'pass gas' consistently for 6 years and 9 months, you will produce enough gas to create the energy of an atomic bomb. (So see honey, when I said your 's were dangerous, I wasn't kidding.)

There are more than 1,000 chemicals in a cup of coffee; of these, only 26 have been tested, and half caused cancer in rats. (Very dangerous - however if I don't have my morning coffee, I'm dangerous to others. Tough decision.)

The average American eats at McDonald’s more than 1,800 times in their life. (Okay, now that's just scary.)

Banging your head against a wall burns 150 calories an hour. (Really good to know, but who tests this stuff.)

Until next time, all the best,

B.J.
Top 10 Diets

Technology Use You Should Limit

2008-03-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

Ain't technology grand? There have been massive steps taken in the fields of technology - specifically in the area of communication over the past decade or two. Things we take for granted now, like having your phone with you all the time, were unheard of less than twenty years ago.

However, all these carrier waves created by all this wonderful technology may be too much of a good thing. According to Dr. Mercola of Mercola.com,

The modulated signals of the carrier waves used by these devises resonate in biological frequencies of a few to a few hundred cycles per second, and can stimulate your cellular receptors causing a whole cascade of pathological consequences that can culminate in fatigue, anxiety and ultimately cancers.

This is a MAJOR problem because in the last few years we have had an exponential increase in exposure to these waves. It took from 1984 to 2004 to reach the first billion cell phones, the second billion took just 18 months, the third billion took only nine months, and the fourth billion just six months.

To read more on this very important topic, visit Mercola.com.

Until next time, all the best,

B.J.
Get Healthy - It's a Choice

Want to Avoid Type 2 Diabetes?

2008-03-12T05:52:00.000-07:00

Everybody does; type 2 diabetes is a on the rise everywhere. Researchers from the Institute for Medicine and Public Health at Vanderbilt University teamed up with scientists at the Shanghai Cancer Institute in China to examine the effect of fruit and vegetable intake on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

This was reported by Jenny Thompson at Healthy News, and should have us all reaching for an extra serving of vegetables:

STUDY PROFILE:

* Researchers interviewed more than 64,000 healthy, diabetes-free women between the ages of 40 and 70 to assess dietary intake for each subject
* Following up more than four and a half years later, about 1,600 subjects had developed type 2 diabetes
* Overall, subjects with the highest intake of vegetables reduced their risk of type 2 diabetes by nearly 30 percent
* Fruit intake was not linked to either a smaller or greater risk of type 2 diabetes

Writing in the March 2008 issue of The Journal of Nutrition, the Vanderbilt team cautions that their study does not prove that type 2 diabetes can be avoided by eating vegetables. But they also note that components of vegetables – such as fiber, antioxidants, magnesium, phytates, isoflavones, and lignans – "might have an additive or synergistic effect on lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes."

The Vanderbilt researchers mentioned one other quality that makes vegetables a good choice for those who want to avoid type 2 diabetes: Most vegetables score very low in the glycemic index (GI).

Which brings us to a couple of vegetables you might want to avoid if you're pre-diabetic, or if you have type 2 diabetes: potatoes and corn.

A web site that reveals GI values for carbohydrates (carbs-information.com) provides a listing of foods and their GI ratings. A low GI is 55 and below, medium is 56 to 69, and anything above 69 is high and should be avoided.

Until next time, all the best,

B.J.
Top 10 Diets

Just Say No to Artificial Sweeteners

2008-03-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

I noticed today a number of weight gurus are writing about the fact that diet sodas cause weight gain. This really doesn’t come as a surprise. This was being reported over twelve years ago. Check out excerpts from an article published two years ago by Dr. Joseph Mercola:

Despite the superficial logic that consuming fewer calories will produce weight loss, the evidence is very clear that using artificial sweeteners will cause a paradoxical effect and actually cause you to gain weight.

In fact, nearly a decade ago, studies were already revealing that artificial sweeteners can:

• Stimulate your appetite.
• Increase carbohydrate cravings.
• Stimulate fat storage and weight gain.

These chemical cocktails may be a powerful contributing factor in the obesity epidemic many industrialized nations are now experiencing. But, the damage artificially sweetened beverages and other foods can cause does not stop there.

While I am no fan of sugar, it has become abundantly clear to me that, when compared to artificial sweeteners, sugar is greatly preferred -- at least it is natural and you only need to be concerned with leptin and insulin regulation.

When using artificial sweeteners, you not only have the same insulin and leptin issues but you now must contend with the toxic effects of these artificial chemicals.

Artificial sweeteners like aspartame (NutraSweet®) and sucralose (Splenda®) can contribute to a host of additional side effects.

If you're trying to eat healthy, sodas of any type - whether regular or diet, have no place in your diet.

Until next time, all the best,

B.J.
Top 10 Diets

Vaccine-autism link unproven or is it?

2008-03-07T09:44:00.000-08:00

Just a quick drive-by here, I didn't want this news item to escape your notice. For many years the huge spike in cases of autism in the US and other modern countries has puzzled many. The debate rages on among those in the medical community.

And the jury is still out, but for many of us, the suspicion is the over use of Vaccines. The solution seems obvious, when in doubt, don't risk the future of your child. At the very least, space out the vaccines as much as possible, and wait as late as possible to give each and every one of them. Elect not to receive any that are not absolutely required.

As the child ages, it's little system will be better able to handle the chemicals they will be exposed to. Later is better. Until then, stay informed and stay involved.

Until next time, all the best,

B.J.
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What's for Dinner?

2008-03-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

It happens to me every day . . . I'm at work, and it's just about time for lunch and I'm getting hungry, then all of a sudden I realize, I have no idea what we're having for dinner tonight.

Often (probably too often) I quickly realize I'm making reservations for dinner. But usually, we eat less and a lot more healthy, if I cook. Which of course leads me back to, 'What's for Dinner?'

But I just ran across a really neat site called Dr. Gourmet. All you have to do is register (you need to register all those who will typically be eating at your home on any given evening)and based on the information you give, you will get a healthy menu for a week, with recipes, and a grocery list. And what's better, it's free.

How cool is that. Drop by and take a look. Until next time, all the best,

B.J.
Top 10 Diets

USDA Beef Recall May be Catalyst

2008-03-04T13:39:00.000-08:00

The nearly 150 Billion pounds of USDA beef recalled may be just the catalyst some need to stop eating so much beef. Though most of the beef recalled has probably already been consumed, the many problems with the beef you've been eating still remains.

Aside from the mad cow issue, it's not the beef itself that's bad. Grass fed beef has an omega fatty acid ratio almost as good as wild Alaskan salmon. But beef raised on grain (like you'll find at your local grocers) is high in fat with an abysmal fatty acid ratio.

If you can't afford grass fed beef, (which can be purchased at many natural whole food groceries), you might approach a local farmer or rancher and see about purchasing your own grass fed beef, or splitting the purchase with another family.

Because it takes longer to raise cattle on grass, the chances of purchasing beef infected with yet undetected mad cow disease - are greatly diminished, (which should be a relief) and the health issues related to beef consumption are gone.

Until next time, all the best,

B.J.
Top 10 Diets

Your Momma Told You To Eat Your Vegetables

2008-02-28T17:27:00.000-08:00

Recent studies confirm or at least reaffirm you should eat your vegetables. Particularly the cruciferous vegetables -- such as cabbage, kale, and collard greens.

They don't sound very appetizing when called cruciferous vegetables, but the most potent of these are broccoli sprout, which have something like 30 times the isothyiocyanates (ITCs), a group of phytochemicals with anti-cancer properties, as mature broccoli.

Studies show eating these vegetables will cut your risk of certain cancers, such as bladder cancer, by as much as 50%. Great odds!

And while we're on the subject of broccoli, next time you're planning to serve these fabulous cruciferous veggies, skip the microwave and steam them instead. Studies show all vegetables lose significant amounts of their nutritional value when microwaved, however broccoli loses the most at 90%.

Don't sacrifice all those lovely vitamins and cancer fighting phytochemicals for convenience. Steaming only takes a few minutes more and saves all those nice nutrients for you.

Until next time, all the best,

B.J.
Top 10 Diets

Have a little Yogurt for your Teeth

2008-02-21T13:23:00.000-08:00

For years we've been told dairy products would give us strong teeth and healthy gums. So we dutifully drank our milk and ate our cheese thinking we were improving our oral health.

In fact, research identified a lower occurrence of periodontal disease among people who ate high amounts of dairy products, but unfortunately they never identified which dairy products were most beneficial.

Today, Health Central reports Dr. Yoshihiro Shimazaki and colleagues of Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, found consuming yogurt and lactic acid drinks were significantly associated with better periodontal health. "But, milk and cheese were not."

Shimazaki's team assessed the severity of periodontal disease in 942 men and women, aged 40 to 79 years, and their intake of milk, cheese, and lactic acid foods. Those with the highest incidence of periodontal disease had the lowest intake of lactic acid foods.

Bottom line, grab that yogurt! "The beneficial effect on periodontal disease might be based on the probiotic effect of lactobacilli found in lactic acid foods," Shimazaki told Reuters Health.

In addition to periodontal disease, there are lots of other great reasons to add yogurt to your diet. Take a look at the 10 REASONS YOGURT IS A TOP HEALTH FOOD at the Ask Dr. Sears blog.

Until next time, all the best,

B.J.
Top 10 Diets

Lose More Weight Exercising in the Morning!

2008-01-12T15:06:00.001-08:00

Did you know you can boost your weight loss by exercising in the morning before you eat? When you exercise you burn calories from carbohydrates first and then fat stores.

If you've just had a meal or had a meal recently, you'll burn the carbohydrates from that meal first. However, if you have limited carbohydrates in your system (because the last time you at was the day before) you'll burn fat instead.

In addition to burning more fat, by exercising, you'll boost your metabolism for the next twelve hours; another little added bonus.

For additional information and help with your diet, visit Top 10 Diets.

All the best,

B.J.

Just Do It!

2008-01-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

Without a doubt, the number one diet tip anyone can give or receive is quite simply to 'Just Do It!' Often we intend to do it, plan to do it, schedule it but then just forget it. Don't let that happen to you - Start Today!

It doesn't matter what you've had to eat so far today, even if you already had that whole row of Oreos. Start right this minute. Don't put it off!

You'll be glad you did.

For additional information and help with your diet, visit Top 10 Diets.

All the best,

B.J.