Some Ideas for Holiday Baking

"It's that time of year again when we pull out our favorite holiday recipes or vow to try some new ones. As you think about special desserts and treats, keep in mind a small but important change you can make: Substitute extra-virgin olive oil for butter in baking. This is one Med Diet habit that helps you include healthy fats in your diet. And in making the switch, you'll use less fat overall. Here's a quick look at how to make the substitution:

¼ cup butter~3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup butter~¼ cup olive oil
½ cup butter~¼ cup +1 tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup butter~½ cup olive oil
¾ cup butter~½ cup +1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup butter~¾ cup olive oil

There are other steps you can take as well to help keep the finale to a holiday meal healthy:

Come up with ways to build a dessert around fresh or dried fruit.
Use plain or toasted nuts, another good source of healthy fats.
Substitute plain Greek yogurt for sour cream.
Replace half the fat in baked goods with applesauce, mashed banana, or pureed dried fruit.
Reduce sugar in cookies and cakes by one-third to one-half and add cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg to enhance the flavor.
Save sweet treats and desserts for truly special occasions during the holiday season, rather than making them daily fare."

More coming up, happy dieting! Visit my other blogs for great ideas!

Thanks, have a great day! Happy Holidays!

Very Important Video explaining Diabetes

This is a very important video explained by doctor Lauren Streicher on how Diabetes affect your body. She explains Diabetes I and Diabetes II, causes, damages and complications. Please watch carefully, and thanks.



Here is another video from Dr. Lauren Streicher explaining diet and exercise for diabetics Happy diet diabetics! Watch it and improve your health! Have a great week!

The Most Important Exercise! Read It!

Walking is the most simple exercise but if you walk at least 10,000 steps a day you will actually reduce the amount of fat you have and keep your weight at a healthy level.






One more thing I want to share:

"Just for Today"

1) Just for today I will eat 2 or 3 fresh fruits
2) Just for today I will eat some green and yellow vegetables
3) Just for today I will eat whole-grain cereals and bread.
4) Just for today I will eat legumes (beans) and no meat.
5) Just for today I will take a long leisurely walk.
6) Just for today I will be thankful-whatever the weather.
7) Just for today I will drink 8 glasses of water.
8) Just for today I will spend 8 relaxed hours in bed.
9) Just for today I will get fresh air day and night.
10 Just for today I will express gratitude to God for at least ten things.

Hope you enjoyed this article. Happy dieting! Keep coming back! Stay tunned for more! Have a great day!

How Much Water Do We Need?

I recently talked about water consumption. Today I want to include that many people are amazed when they learn how much water they need to drink. You often hear people say " I don't drink that much water and I never feel thirsty". The first thing we need to understand is that thirst is a protective mechanism to warn of danger - a shortage of water in the body. When feeling thirsty the body is already 1-4 glasses short of the water needed for optimal body function. The time to drink water is before the feeling of thirst to prevent the stress on the body due to a shortage of water or dehydration.

When do you drink all this water? Upon waking up in the morning, in between breakfast and lunch, between lunch and supper and between supper and bedtime water should be taken guarding against drinking water with meals, as this dilutes the digestive juices, interferes with the digestion of food, and prolongs the time that food is in the stomach. It is very acceptable to drink water on an empty stomach about 15 to 30 minutes before the meal and then resume drinking one to two hours after meals. Many of us don't like the taste of water because we are not used to it so adding a small amount of lemon juice in the water will give it a fresh taste, making it more palatable.

According to research done by Mayo Clinic here is what they say:

"Water is your body's principal chemical component and makes up about 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues."

"So how much water does the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate need? In general, doctors recommend 8 or 9 cups."

"Replacement approach. The average urine output for adults is about 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) a day. You lose close to an additional liter (about 4 cups) of water a day through breathing, sweating and bowel movements. Food usually accounts for 20 percent of your total fluid intake, so if you consume 2 liters of water or other beverages a day (a little more than 8 cups) along with your normal diet, you will typically replace your lost fluids."

"Dietary recommendations. The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day."

Stay tunned. I have more tips, ideas, recipes and more. Happy Dieting! Have a wonderful week friends. Thanks for stopping by.

Do you Want to Lose Weight Fast?

Many people want to lose weight fast. One of the first things you need to do is reduce your calories. Instead of keeping a 2,000 calories a day, reduce it by 500 and calculate your meals based on 1,500 calories. Drink more water that will fill you up. Whenever you are hungry drink a couple of glasses of water. Plan your exercises on a daily basis, but think what is the best exercise for you.

Kick your slim-down efforts into high gear by starting each meal with about 32 ounces of water.

If you do this you will lose about 5 lbs faster and you will drop about 45% faster. Think also that if you are well hydrated you are curbing your hunger and it even helps your skin. Exercise is good but be careful. Some people have back problems and should be careful about the kind of exercise they do. Walking is one of the best exercises and it won't hurt your body. We all need to walk.

Stay tunned and I will give you more ideas, thanks for stopping by.

Are You Aware that Your Sleep Patern can Affect your Diet?

Are you trying to eat right and exercise but you don't sleep enough hours? According to a new study this suggests that lack of sleep can throw off a diet.

According to CNN Health, research from the University of Chicago showed that dieters who slept for 8.5 hours lost 55 percent more body fat than dieters who slept 5.5 hours

"The dieters who slept less reported feeling hungrier throughout the course of the study," CNN said, even though "they ate the same diet, consumed multivitamins and performed the same type of work or leisure activities." "However, those on 8.5 hours will lose much more fat, while those on 5.5 hours lose mainly muscle, instead of fat, according to an article published in the peer-reviewed journal Annals of Internal Medicine. The researchers, from the University of Chicago stress that adequate sleep is a key contributor to managing body weight."

"Weight-loss dieting usually involves a certain amount of lean tissue (muscle) loss. The dieter should try to lose as little lean tissue as possible. This can be overcome by physical activity (exercise). However, it is clear that not getting enough sleep can undermine any attempts a dieter may make to limit lean tissue loss."

Do you Know How to Protect your Liver?

Very often we hear about vegetables that are affected by the environment and how can they damage our health. Here is one vegetable that even if we don't like it we should try it because it can protect our liver. It's the spinach.

Chlorophyll and chlorophyllin, two substances found in spinach and other leafy greens, may help reduce the body's absorption of aflatoxin, a common but potentially harmful type of environmental toxin.

"Aflatoxin is a problematic substance produced by the molds that grow on certain food crops, like corn, cottonseed, peanuts, tree nuts, and wheat. And since aflatoxin is known to cause liver damage, the FDA sets limits on how much can be in our food sources. But you may be able to add an extra measure of protection by eating leafy greens. When volunteers in a study were exposed to very small, safe doses of aflatoxin, less showed up in their systems if they were also given a little bit of chlorophyll or chlorophyllin".

"Chloro Chemistry
Researchers believe chlorophyll and chlorophyllin may form some sort of beneficial bond with aflatoxin that reduces intestinal absorption. In addition to spinach, other good sources of chlorophyll include broccoli, parsley, green beans, kale, arugula, and leeks. And here are some delicious ways to enjoy some of these veggies:

• Add spinach to a delicious pasta dinner: Spinach Gnocchi.
• Whip up an elegant, delicious, chlorophyll-rich appetizer: Broccoli and Goat Cheese Souffle.
• Try a healthier twist on this classic comfort food: Fresh Green Bean Casserole."

Try making mash potatoes and then once the spinach is slightly boiled add cheez whiz and put that on top of your mash potatoes. It's good. I have done it myself.

Here is a list of calories in spinach depending whether boiled, steamed....

• Approx 6 - 7 calories in each ounce or 28g of boiled or steamed spinach
• Approx 21 calories in ½ a cup of boiled or steamed spinach
• Approx 41 calories in 1 cup (6.3 oz or 178g) of boiled or steamed spinach
• Approx 23 calories in 3½ ounces or 100g of boiledor steamed spinach
• OR RAW
  
• Approx 65 calories in one 10 oz bunch of raw spinach
• Approx 78 calories in one 12 oz bunch of raw spinach
• Approx 7 calories in each ounce or 28g of raw spinach.

Happy Cooking!
Stay tunned more coming up.

Wondering about Water? Check it here!

Would you like to increase your weight loss by 75- 90 calories? Read this here. It's very important.

Current research studies have shown that drinking about 2 cups of water before meals helps promote weight loss. It may decrease meal intake by up to 75-90 calories per meal. Drinking more water may also help to maintain a healthy weight. Why?

- Water has 0 calories
- Helps to fill up the stomach
- Decreases hunger

So go ahead, drink up!

Best 5 foods for Weight Loss!

The 5 Best Foods on the Planet">The 5 Best Foods on the Planet Please watch this video which shows which are the 5 best foods to help you in your weight loss program.



Wishing you the best in your weight loss plan!

For those of you interested in keeping a diet that will help control your diabetes here is a good book from Amazon.com and it's very affordable.

500 Delicious Diabetic Recipes (Penny Books) [Kindle Edition]

Jill King (Author), Penny Books (Editor)
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Digital List Price: $1.20
Kindle Price: $1.20 & includes wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet

Delicious Diabetes Recipes

Weight Loss tips

3 Important weight loss tips which includes:

1) Nutrition
2) Exercise
3) Lifestyle

Watch this video which explains these 3 tips:

Healthy Diet Tips : Snack Foods to Avoid During Dieting

Healthy Diet Tips : Snack Foods to Avoid During Dieting