Diet Friendly Foods

Tasty Foods to Help Maintain a Diet

No matter what diet program is chosen, most dieters feel that some of their favorite foods are forbidden. Sometimes they are but there are many foods that provide delicious nutrition without adding calories OR fat. These eighteen easy to find, simple to
prepare foods range from proteins to provide energy to fruits and even candy!

If you find that your favorite pork chops pack too many calories or that fried catfish has too much fat, look for alternatives. A 3 and 1/2 ounce serving of water packed tuna has less than a gram of fat, just 116 calories but offers 25 grams of protein. Shrimp - unless its' deep fried - has less cholesterol than most shellfish but less fat - just one gram for three ounces of broiled or boiled shrimp. At just 84 calories, shrimp can be a tasty treat. Shrimp also packs heart healthy Omega-3 fatty acids.

If fish fails to hook your appetite, try poultry. Lean, roasted turkey breast without the skin offers less than a gram of fat for a 3 and 1/2 ounce serving. At a scant 135 calories, turkey breast also provides healthy doses of Vitamin B-12, zinc, and iron. A skinless chicken breast when baked, broiled, or microwaved weighs in with three grams of fat and substantial protein.

Spice up that seafood or poultry with condiments. Fat free salsa offers a burst of flavor as a topping. So do spicy mustard and horseradish. Don't limit your flavorful experience to meats - add any of the above to vegetables, baked potatoes, or even an egg white omelet.

Add a side of pasta to your entrée for a healthy serving of carbohydrate with little fat and some protein. Low-fat sauce toppers like marinara add zest. A cup of cooked pasta adds less than a full gram of fat and has just 186 calories. Choose a whole-wheat or vegetable base pasta for more fiber and less fat.

Tuck your tuna or turkey breast into a whole wheat pita bread pocket for a delightful sandwich with low calories, low fat, and great taste. Start your meal with a cup of tomato soup with only 85 calories (made with water, not milk) and two grams of fat. It will help to fill your tummy in a delicious, low fat fashion.

Another tomato based favorite is a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary made with spicy tomato juice and a stick of celery for the swizzler. This fun mixer allows you to enjoy cocktail hour with a mere 35 fat free calories and some beta carotene as a bonus.

Fruits that offer maximum taste and low fat appeal include cantaloupe. A cup of this sweet melon offers more Vitamin C and beta carotene than orange juice with just 60 calories and less than one fat gram. A fresh pear has 98 calories and almost no fat. Strawberries check in with just 43
calories for a cup and less than a fat gram. Strawberries also provide fiber, potassium, and a whopping 140% of the daily recommended allowance of Vitamin C. You don't have to be a monkey to enjoy ripe bananas. These long, yellow favorites may even lower blood pressure while filling your tummy. At just 108 calories and less than a full gram of fat, bananas are satisfying.

Add a dollop of real whipped cream to those berries or sugar free pudding or gelatin. Rich and delicious, whipped cream has only one fat gram per serving and just 8 calories.

If candy is a favorite, try a single Tootsie Pop with 60 calories and no fat. For a richer taste, try one Butterscotch drop. Savor it for about fifteen minutes and enjoy the taste with a low 25 calories and no fat.

If you prefer a cookie, try a couple of fortune cookies. These favorites from Oriental take-out have just 30 calories and no fat.

For those who want a salty, crunchy treat, try a handful (about five) regular size pretzels. You'll gain maximum crunch with very little fat. To avoid water retention from the salt, choose a no-salt variety. An ounce of either has just 108 calories.

Rather than cheat on your diet with calorie rich foods or fatty treats, use these simple foods to satisfy those cravings and stay slim!

Foods Part of a Longer Healthier Lifestyle

Eat it Raw
Traditional medicine tends to see aging as inevitable, bringing with it a collection of symptoms to be treated. And while medication and therapeutic treatments have proven to be effective in dealing with certain age related conditions, philosophies that take
into account issues such as diet, sleep patterns, exercise and mental state, are beginning to be embraced by the healthcare community. It is all part of an alternative approach to medicine known as “Lifestyle Medicine”. Author Dr. Leonard Smith explains. “Lifestyle medicine today would incorporate several features, certainly diet is one of them, exercise, psycho-emotional and spiritual aspects. Right life work, and now I would even add things like detoxification and targeted supplementation with the right nutritional supplements”.

Florence Vellan de Robinson suffered from chronic pulmonary disease. She recently went through a 3-week life-changing program at lifestyle institute in West Palm Beach. The medically supervised program included extensive lifestyle modification, and a diet made up entirely of fruits, vegetables, juices and other “raw” foods. Says Florence, “I started doing so much better; even after 4 days here I could see the difference… I am beginning to be totally alive again and it’s not just the quality of my life and how I feel but now I am able to perform and get back to being useful to humanity and to my society.

And while in well documented studies, thousands of individuals like Florence have recovered from devastating illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, even cancer – anyone can benefit from the rejuvenating effects of living the “raw lifestyle”. According to Dr. Smith,
“this lifestyle certainly adds life to your years and probably years to your life. The only anti-aging technology that has been proven is to cut back the amount of food we eat by 30%. That study wasn’t looking at the quality of food, but I think the quality as well as the quantity are critical.” Any diet, but especially a raw food diet, that decreases the level of free radicals in the body has been proven to be beneficial. “In the process of taking in oxygen in our food, we actually make what are called free radicals, its kind of scientific term, but everyone’s heard of it now, and free radicals are basically fire in the body. Medical science has certainly supported the fact that as we eat more vegetables, fruits seeds and nuts we increase the anti-oxidants in our body which are basically a way to put out the fire.” Says Smith. Olympic medallist and world-class athlete, Michael Gebhardt agrees. “Athletes interestingly enough are looking for the same thing that anyone with a health crisis is looking for, they want to recover. And so if you are trying to do extraordinary feats which is recover from cancer or recover from 7 days of running marathons everyday, or what ever it is you are doing in training if you can recover quicker you are going to have better results. So eating clean obviously, and cutting down the meat, or finding a cleaner higher performance, less toxic fuel will definitely improve your performance.” According to some experts, seeds, fruits, nuts and other raw foods are the cleanest and most efficient “fuel” the human body can process. It is the process of cooking foods, even vegetables that can reduce or eliminate their natural curative properties.

According to Dr. Smith and those that share his philosophy, we don’t catch diseases; we allow them to develop within our body by the choices we make. Choice involving stress and the ways we deal with it, hydration, diets, and our ability to detoxify our bodies. And while certainly there is a genetic predisposition towards certain conditions, and even lifespan itself is largely due to genetic factors, according to Smith while we cant change our genes we can “…change the environment that’s washing over those genes and causing them to either express as an illness, or express as average health, or better yet express as excellent health.”

While an apple a day may not actually keep the doctor away, more and researchers and medical professions from many fields seem to prove the old adage that we are what we eat.

live a healthy life

Losing Weight Isn't Necessarily About Dropping the Pounds Fast, but Rather Leading a Healthier Lifestyle and Making Better Choices


It's estimated that more than half of all Americans are overweight. Due to decreased activity, poor food choices and more, Americans are getting fatter and fatter by the minute. So how can one put forth an effort to lose weight without changing their daily life? Well, the answer is
simple: you can't. In order to lose weight and become more healthy, you've got to put some work into it. Even if it's just a little work, a little can go a long way. Here are a few ways to help yourself lose weight and become more active so you can lead a healthier lifestyle.

Healthy Tip #1 - Calories

Calorie counting is an easy way to start keeping track of your food intake. Keeping track of calories, while it may not significantly cause you to drop 30 pounds, will actually help you eat less. When you're watching what you eat, you become more aware of your food choices.

If you're not into calorie counting, you can also try keeping a food diary. In the end, keeping track of what you eat will help you eat less.

Healthy Tip #2 - Fluids

As Americans, we drink a lot, and I don't mean alcohol. We drink tons of soda, concentrated juices and high fructose drinks. Many of us can consume an entire day's worth of calories in a day, which would mean we wouldn't have any calories left toward our food intake.

If you're not ready to go cold turkey on your soda habit, you can try switching to diet or to zero calorie sodas. Switching to one of the alternatives can greatly reduce the amount of calories you're consuming each day, which in turn can help you lose weight. While the weight loss will only be a few pounds here and there, every little bit counts.

Avoid juices and other high sugar, high fructose syrup drinks. Energy drinks especially can throw off your entire day with sky-high calorie counts.

Healthy Tip #3 - Water


It's fact that we don't get nearly as much water as we should. You should be drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day. While it's unrealistic to go from drinking none to 8 glasses over night, it is a good goal to work toward. An easy way to add water into your daily life is to drink
a glass or two right when you wake up. Drinking water first thing in the morning will also help encourage you to drink more throughout the day.

You can even switch out one or two cans of soda a day with a glass of water.

If you're keeping a food diary or calorie counting, it also helps to keep track of how many glasses of water you're drinking.

Plus, if that doesn't convince you: drinking water leads to clear, healthier skin - and who doesn't want that?

Healthy Tip #4 - Exercise

Many of us are busy, whether it be school, work, or taking care of the kids. So we can't always add in exercise to an already tight schedule. An easy way to boost your metabolism and add some 'exercise' to your daily routine is to boost things up a bit. Turn that leisurely walk with the dog into a fast-paced walk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Housework is also a great way to burn calories.

You can add arm stretches to your morning shower, or leg crunches while sitting at your desk. Getting up and walking around the building once a day. Anything that makes you just a little bit more active.

While it doesn't sound like a significant amount, it will add up. The more frequently you do little things, the more energy you'll gain over the course of the day. A little goes a long way, and eventually you'll get to a point where you actually want to go for a quick jog in the morning.

Losing weight doesn't mean dropping 60 pounds in 3 months, or having drastic surgeries. It means watching what you're eating and become a healthier person. Your body will benefit greatly if you focus on fixing poor eating habits.