Fitness Magazines: What’s with them?

With the concept of staying fit and healthy dominating the society today, how hard you should be pushing yourself depends on your level of fitness and your health history. You can kick off with your doctor’s recommendation regarding optimal heart rate target for working out based on these factors.

On the other hand, you may start reading fitness magazines in order to entice you to start toning those thighs and biceps and have beautiful abs that can be very amusing to the others.

Since the advent of the printing technology, printing has been a crucial factor in progressive development of a person as well as a nation. Through prints, you now have some fitness magazines that do not only offer colorful graphics and superb layout but also helpful and useful tips and advices that people can use.

Fitness magazines are specifically designed to provide people with facts and information to come up with an improved body and a healthier life.

The best thing about most fitness magazines is that they do not “beat around the bush.” Most fitness magazines provide you with straightforward, no hype or shortcuts, just detailed and reliable information and feasible tips about fitness, health, and ideas on how to life a quality life. Fitness magazines only provide relevant pieces of information that matter most to you and your family.

Each article written in fitness magazines are classified according to the topics they possess. The categories may range from basic information about foods to the sports and fitness advices from health and fitness experts.

Consequently, one of the known benefits of having fitness magazine in the market is based on the premise that people need ageless realities bounded by true-to-life testimonials of other people. The articles written in fitness magazines are based on unfussy, systematic approach specifically made to answer timely issues about health and fitness.

These articles are specifically generated to motivate people to cope up and succeed in spite of the many adversities in life.

Best of all, fitness magazines are also great sources of advertisements that focus more on health products such as vitamins and minerals food supplements and other necessary equipments needed to keep your body at its optimum peak of health.

Alternatively, with the advent of information technology, fitness magazines are now available in the Internet. Like its printed replica, electronic forms of fitness magazines likewise provide pertinent information about health and fitness.

The only edge they have with their printed counterparts is that they can be easily accessed anytime, anywhere. You can even download some articles free of charge. There is also a wide array of tips and advices regarding some frequently asked questions of fitness buffs.

Moreover, fitness magazines on the Internet also provide some healthy gourmet recipes that fitness aficionados can use. These recipes do not just offer alternative way to stay fit but also provides sumptuous treat to the palate.

Best of all, virtual fitness magazines offers readily available hyperlinks to web sites that offer fitness products and equipments, and with the convenience of online shopping, you can readily purchase these products with just one click.

Indeed, there could be no better way to acquire the right information and facts about health and fitness like what fitness magazines can provide. It is definitely your one-stop health journal in a snap.

10 Diet Rules You Can Break

There are actually diet rules out there that are meant to be broken? Yes, recently many dated diet guidelines and myths are up for speculation. You’ve probably heard all these silly rules before, but experts weigh-in on the worthiness of these supposed truisms - most of which won't help you lose weight or make dieting any easier.

10 Food Rules You Can Ignore:

1. Eating at night will pile on the pounds. The total calories you consume over a 24-hour period or over a week is what causes you to gain weight, and when you eat these calories doesn't matter.

2. It's best to eat at the same times every day. Eat when you're hungry, not when the clock says it's time to eat.

3. Dieting with a buddy always makes weight loss easier. Common goals may pay off but weight loss is a personal journey.

4. Dietary fat keeps you feeling full longer, so you'll eat less. Fat does take longer to digest, but it will not help you control your appetite. Foods likely to fight off hunger the longest are protein foods, followed by carbohydrates, then fats.

5. When you blow your diet, you might as well wait until the next day to get back on track. Nothing could be farther from the truth- always try to get right back on track with your next meal.

6. Refusing food at a party or when visiting is rude. Turning down food that you know will blow your diet is socially acceptable.

7. Skipping a meal every now and then will help you lose. Skipping a meal means you will be so hungry at the next meal that you are likely to overeat. This can also help lead to a slowdown of your metabolism.

8. Bread is fattening, nuts are fattening, pasta is fattening. Whole-wheat bread/pasta is a great source of nutrients, and it won't make you gain weight more than any other food with the same number of calories.

9. All calories are equal. This is somewhat true, however; you'll get more nutrients from a 100-calorie apple than from a 100-calorie portion of white bread. Choose healthier items if you are losing weight, or controlling your hunger.

10. If you don't clean your plate, you're wasting food. If you just don't feel right leaving the table until you've cleaned your plate, underestimate your hunger and put less food on your plate to begin with, or you may overeat.

Don’t believe everything you hear! Much of it is just superstition. Now you can tell your friends the real truth. In the end, nutrition experts say, many of the food and dieting rules we hold dear are meant to be broken - without guilt!

Learn extra secrets by watching this video!

Until next time keep living your best life!

5 Simple Steps to Losing Weight

If you are carrying around a few (I use that term loosely) extra pounds like most of us are, you all know all the reasons why we should take the weight off. It will reduce stress on our heart, reducing the chance of heart disease, cancer, possibility of diabetes; feel better, look more attractive, etc.

There are 101 reasons why, but it can be a real pain to finally get that weight off. You push really hard, make a little progress, get side tracked, and bam you are heavier then you started.

It’s maddening. Enough with that hassle, I have put together 5 simple steps to actually losing weight and keeping it off. These steps can be applied to anything, but we are focusing on weight loss here.

1. Know What You Want
2. Know Where You Are
3. Track Your Results
4. Make Course Corrections
5. Being held Accountable

Now all your extra weight will effortlessly melt off. Yeah right! A simple list of 5 items is not going to do it, so let me explain the intricacies of the 5 items and where the hang up normally occurs when applied to losing weight.

1. Know What You Want

This one is dead simple. Most people that want to lose weight have an idea of how many pounds they would like to lose or how they would like their body to look.

I think we can safely say if your body started looking the way you wanted it, you would know, even if you didn’t have it completely mapped out and detailed.

2. Know Where You Are

This is the big trip up. It is almost always overlooked and is the number one reason for the up and down Yo Yo effect we experience with losing weight. We are unhappy with how our body feels and how it looks and it is painful to zoom in and get an accurate picture of where we are. Unfortunately, we have to know where we are, to be able to accurately judge the results we are getting.

You are on a trip to San Diego, California. You would like to start your trip from Phoenix, Arizona, but you really don’t know where you are. No problem. You get an Arizona/California map and find that a simple 6 hours trip west on interstate 8 will get you to San Diego.

6 hours later, you have no clue where you are and it is definitely not warm San Diego. You feel defeated and you want to give up! Do you blame the car? The stupid maps? San Diego? Yourself?

Now what if I told you, you were actually in New Your City, not Phoenix, Arizona. A 6 hour car ride west from New York City will never get you to San Diego.

If you took the time to accurately find out where you were, you would have been able to choose the appropriate means to get to San Diego and have an expectation as to how long it would take.

This is the same with weight loss and our personal physical condition. In our minds, we think we are starting in a different physical condition then we really are. When the results don’t follow the illusion in your mind, we get upset.


3. Track Your Results

This is conceptually simple. If we have no clue as to WHAT we are doing, how do we know what is working? It might be a simple to do, but is also simple not to do. In the end, most people never track their results.


4. Make Course Corrections

We love to do this one. We have it hands down. It is like step 1 of knowing what you want. We try the new food diet, the super sit up machine, and the cardio hip hop power energy yoga fat burner class.

We might be great at switching it up, but without knowing where we are starting from and a history of tracked results, we have no clue as to what we should change or even which direction we should go.


5. Being held Accountable

No, not accountability! That is an evil word. I don’t want someone to know what I am doing, or more importantly what I am not doing.

So, why do we resist accountability, your secret weapon to weight loss? Because it works! If you know someone is going to be watching, you would follow through or at least feel very uncomfortable not following through.

Accountability when used wisely is the ultimate turbo booster to your weight loss. Since you are going to be accountable anyway, you might as well get something out of it.

Using accountability up front, you can achieve the body of your dreams. If you let your body hold you accountable, it will throw on fat in places you don’t want it to be.

The biggest obstacle to weight loss is not taking any action. It doesn’t matter how good the plan is, it is worthless if you don’t follow it. So what do I do now?

First and foremost get Accountable.

Forward this article to someone you respect and care about and tell them I want to be accountable to finally taking off my extra pounds. When they agree to support you, start working through Steps 1 – 5.

Setting Your Personal Fitness Goals

Many people make the mistake of setting their fitness goals too high when they embark on an exercise program. This leads them to abandon their plans out of frustration and impatience. Setting manageable goals is key to maintaining a fitness program over time.

If you have been completely sedentary you need to start out your fitness regimen by working towards small and realistic goals. These can be as simple as walking around the block once a day for a week, and adding another block each subsequent week until they reach the 30 minutes recommended by health professionals. A few sessions with a personal trainer can help you set reasonable goals for weight-bearing exercise like weight training. In the beginning focus on overall conditioning rather than building muscle. Check with staff at your gym or fitness center for recommendations about what exercise classes are right for your current fitness level.

When you're just starting out, it's easy to make rash promises like exercising every day. It's hard for even people in top condition to make time each and every day for training. Start off three or four days a week and build up from there. If you're taking up a new sport like swimming, skiing or golf, consider taking lessons with a professional so that you develop good habits from the beginning.

If you've been getting moderate exercise your goals can be a little more ambitious. If you're walking the recommended 30 minutes per day, why not add hand weights to your routine? This might also be the time to consider adding more weight to your lifting or taking an intermediate fitness course. You may also be ready to speak to a personal trainer about beginning to work on building specific muscle groups.

Once you've attained a high level of fitness, then it's time for some serious goal setting. Plan to run a marathon or participate in a 5K walking event. There are many of these events run to benefit charity, giving a double benefit of both funds raised and health benefits to participants. When preparing for an event of this nature, return to your early habit of setting small, realistic goals. Add miles to your run on a weekly basis until you are able to complete the full distance. Speak with your trainer to establish a regular schedule of weight-bearing exercise that will help improve your stamina and flexibility.

Low Calorie Snacks

A common belief amongst dieters is that eating snacks will destroy your diet. Research is supporting the understanding instead that snacks may actually help you stick to your diet as long as you make healthy choices and don’t overeat. Snacking can be beneficial to any weight-loss diet. It will help to prevent binging. By having a small nutritious snack you will prevent overeating at your next meal. You can get much-needed extra energy and nutrients by a nutritious snack during the day.

In order to have healthy and easy snacks available, plan ahead. Do your grocery shopping with healthy snacks in mind and don’t shop while you’re hungry. If you make a list and stick to it and spend the least possible amount of time in the store, you are more likely to come home with good choices. Once you get the foods home, prepare or at least package them in handy serving size bags so they are readily available to you instead of grabbing something harmful to your diet.

Whole grain snacks are easy and healthy snacking options. They are rich in fiber and carbohydrates so they give you energy that lasts. Try low fat whole grain crackers, whole grain crisp breads, and whole grain pretzels.

Fruits and vegetables are simple snacking alternatives. They will provide you with a feeling of fullness that will help you make it until the next meal. They are fat free and have very few calories. In addition, they are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients. Try raw carrots, celery sticks, apples or bananas.

Nuts and seeds are clever snacks that are easy to incorporate into any weight loss diet plan. They provide protein, which helps you feel fuller longer. In addition, they possess mostly monounsaturated fat, which is the healthy kind. Nuts do however contain a lot of calories so do not eat them in large quantities. Soy nuts are a great choice.

Low fat diary products are another healthy snacking solution. Cheese, yogurt and other dairy products are rich in protein and calcium. They are also vital sources of other minerals and vitamins. It is important to choose low fat or light dairy products to limit your caloric intake. Try fat free pudding or light yogurt.

Remember, the key things to remember are that the snacks should be low calorie, you should not allow yourself to over eat them, and nutrition is vital. Source: Ravishing Global Community.

Don’t Skip Potatoes for the Holidays

Here come the holidays!

We’re fast approaching that ‘time of year’ – you know the one I’m talking about – the holiday season! For many people, it’s a bittersweet time. People get excited about the enjoyment of it all, but also sadly anticipate putting on a few pounds of weight with all the parties and goodies that abound.

And, unfortunately, with the holidays approaching quickly, all those crazy diets and nutrition misinformation will be floating around, confusing everyone.

Don’t follow the masses. Don’t accept weight gain expectations. Do something about your concerns this season by educating yourself on how to eat well during the holidays. Learn what should be avoided, and know what is essential and important to eat. And don’t fall prey to the popular low-carb diets. Carbohydrates are important to our health and nutrition and should not be avoided.

The role of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the primary fuel source for the human body. Although both protein and fat can also be utilized as fuel, carbohydrates are the macronutrients that supply the majority of glucose to the body. The brain cannot survive without glucose. The minimum amount of carbohydrate needed to ensure available glucose for the brain to function normally is 130g/day for adults and children. Most of us eat between 200-300 grams per day. If the body does not receive, through diet, enough carbohydrate to supply the brain with adequate glucose, the body will then break down its own protein stores (muscle) to supply the brain with its primary fuel.

Carbohydrates are also necessary to help burn fat, in the form of fatty acids, for energy. There is a saying that ‘fat burns in the flame of carbohydrates’. Again, if there is not enough carbohydrate to supply this need, then the body looks to its protein stores to serve this energy need. The conversion of protein into glucose happens in the liver, where protein, in the form of amino acids, is stripped of nitrogen and the carbon skeleton is converted into glucose. The downside of this, though, is that body fat then is not burnt during this conversion: Therefore, in order to burn the most amount of fat there has to be enough carbohydrates eaten.

Potatoes during the holidays

As an enjoyable holiday staple, it’s unfortunate that potatoes have been getting a bad rap, coinciding with people still afraid of eating carbohydrates. Nutritionally, eating potatoes is as good as it gets! Just one medium-sized potato is only second to broccoli in overall antioxidant activity, which may help protect against cancer. Potatoes are higher in potassium than a banana! Potassium, along with a low sodium diet, may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke. A potato is almost a non-fat food and only provides 100 calories. It also provides, with the skin on, three grams of fiber. Preliminary studies show that fiber is beneficial for a healthy digestive system and may help reduce the risk of some cancers and heart disease. And, just when you thought the potato had it all, potatoes are actually one of the leading sources of vitamin C in the American diet! Vitamin C is another potent antioxidant and also produces the collagen that helps hold bone tissue together.

Now that you know it’s not the potato that is harmful – keep in mind that what folks will sometimes add to the potato is: The butter, the sour cream, the gravy. Eliminate these on your potato or in your mashed potatoes, and use skim milk, or seasonings instead.

Here is a great recipe for healthy mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

Fat free garlic mashed potatoes

Ingredients:
1 garlic bulb, unpeeled
splash of olive oil
4 large potatoes (Idaho or russet)
1 cup low-sodium canned chicken broth
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper

Cooking instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Place the garlic cloves in an ovenproof dish and drizzle with olive oil. Place the dish, uncovered, in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the garlic is golden brown and soft.

3. Remove from the oven and let cool.

4. Peel and cut the potatoes. Place them in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender when pricked with a fork, about 30 minutes. Drain.

5. Simmer the chicken broth.

6. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves to release each clove of garlic from the skins. Throw away the skins. Mash the garlic with a fork.

7. Mash the potatoes. Add the roasted garlic. Slowly add the stock until the desired consistency is reached.

8. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serving Size: about 1/2 cup

Number of Servings: 6

Nutrition per serving: 106 calories, 26 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, 0 fat and saturated fat, 5 grams protein.

More holiday tips

Eating and enjoying potatoes at the holidays is just one step forward in the right direction. Here are some other tips for eating healthy during the holidays:

· Pay attention to portion sizes. Have one serving of each food at the meal and avoid going back for seconds. Chances are good that one plate of food provides enough calories for your needs. One half of a cup of mashed potatoes equals one serving.

· Eat slowly. This can be particularly hard if you have starved yourself all day, in preparation for the evening’s event. It takes about 15 minutes to feel the effect of food, so it’s important to eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly. Then you can really taste and savor your food and allow your body time to feel full.

· Don’t go to an event famished. Make sure to eat lightly during the day and have a light meal 1—2 hours before you head out for that holiday gathering. Saving up the calories for later can result in total sabotage to your good intentions. Most holiday parties offer a large number of high-fat, high-calorie foods that will look much more appealing when you’re starving than if you feel satisfied. Sure, these foods may still look enticing and you can sample them, but at least hunger won’t be the driving force toward these cravings!

· Cut the fat. There are many ways to cut down the total amount of calories we consume during this period. Here are just a few examples:
- Use skim milk when making mashed potatoes instead of whole milk or cream, and use seasonings instead of margarine or butter.
- Choose white meat turkey instead of dark meat.
- Skim fat from juices when making gravy. Use gravy in moderation.
- Use chicken broth instead of water and eliminate margarine or butter from stuffing recipe.
- Omit margarine and use pineapple and apple juice when making ‘candied’ yams.
- When making pies, use skim evaporated milk in place of regular evaporated milk.

· Include exercise in your holiday schedule. Above all else, make sure you don’t let your fitness routine fall into the recesses of your muscle memory! It’s harder to pick it back up after the New Year if you’ve stopped altogether rather than just slowed down. It’s common that your usual routine may fall short, but try to include some aspect of physical activity every day, and if you do exercise on a regular basis, get at least one or two days of your usual routine in each week. Not only will this help slow down any possible weight gain, but will also help keep stress levels to a minimum.

You can enjoy the holiday season! Just by keeping these few tips in mind, and remember to eat carbs instead of avoid them, you can indulge in the yuletide treats, feel healthy and energetic, and avoid any weight gain.

Marjorie Geiser is a nutritionist, registered dietitian, certified personal trainer, life coach, and MBA student. Marjorie has been the owner of a successful small business, MEG Fitness, since 1996, helping busy professionals incorporate healthy living and fitness into their lives. She also now offers coaching and consulting services other health professionals who want to start or grow their own small business. To learn more about the services Margie offers, go to her website at http://www.marjoriegeiser.com or http://www.megfit.com or email her at margie@megfit.com.

Need to Lose Weight? Then Increase Your Metabolism…

If you need to lose weight, one great way to start melting pounds away is to increase your metabolism. By increasing your metabolism, you'll be able to process food faster and therefore will store less fat in the body. In fact, with a better metabolism, you're body will even begin burning away existing fat in order to get the energy it needs to support itself.

How Metabolism Works

Your metabolism can either work for you or against you. The main way we all get energy is from glucose, commonly known as our blood sugar.

When our blood sugar runs low, our metabolism burns the fat in our bodies in order to make more energy. However, when our blood sugar runs high, our metabolism stores fat in our bodies to use later.

So now let's look at how you can get your metabolism to work for you.

Go Ahead and Eat

Many people believe that the key to losing weight is to stop eating. Well, that will actually have a negative effect on your metabolism. Eating less will cause your metabolism to slow down because it will sense that you don't have enough food.

So when you finally eat, your blood sugar will jump through the roof and your metabolism will store the extra glucose as fat.

Instead of starving yourself, eat many smaller, healthy meals that are low in calories and fat. Also, consume plenty of water, fruits, and vegetables.

By eating smaller portions you'll not only curb your appetite, but you'll also trick your body into thinking that it's getting plenty of food. Therefore, your metabolism will kick into a higher gear. Then when it doesn't get the glucose it needs for energy (because you're eating healthy) then it will begin to take that glucose from the stores of fat that are already in your body.

Get Yourself Moving

Exercise is a guaranteed way to increase your metabolism. Always check with your doctor for what is the best exercise regime for you. Most of the time, walking as little as twenty minutes a day, will help increase your metabolism.

Exercise actually helps you lose weight in two ways:

First, exercise builds muscle and muscle burns calories on its own.

Secondly, when you exercise your body is forced to come up with enough energy to support your activity. So, it begins burning fat in order to give the energy you need.

Don't be put off when I say exercise - there is no need to be pounding away furiously on a treadmill for hours a day.

A simple yet effective mini routine is all that is needed to give your metabolism a boost.

Some Final Words about Losing Weight

If you need to lose weight, you're certainly not alone. Millions of people are in the same boat. However, most people don't realize what it takes to first lose the weight and then to keep the weight off.

If you increase your metabolism, you'll see that over time, your fat will melt off your body and your weight will gradually drop. The two best ways to increase your metabolism are to eat smaller meals more often and to exercise regularly.

Matt Falconer's latest guide helps you shift pounds, boost metabolism and burn fat without spending hours in the gym sweating away on the treadmill.

7 Diet Secrets of the Stars

Celebrities always look fabulous. Whether appearing in television or films or strutting down the red carpet during movie premiers and awards, they never cease to fascinate us with their larger than life presence. The truth is, it takes a lot of effort to look the way they do, and being the public figures that they are, they cannot afford to slack off when it comes to taking care of their physical appearances. Their livelihood largely depends on how they look. Aside from the clothes, the hair and the makeup, celebrities have to take good care of their bodies.

So it is no surprise that these stars have their own secrets when it comes to staying fit and gorgeous. Their health agenda can range from extreme workouts to well-planned meals. Who doesn't want to know their secrets in staying absolutely sexy? Here are some of the diet secrets of seven women celebrities.

1. Jennifer Aniston
The star of the phenomenal television show Friends not only mesmerized audiences with her adorable comic sense and her famous hairstyle, she was also known for having one of the sexiest bodies in Hollywood, as she appeared in countless magazine covers. To stay trim, Jennifer follows the 40:30:30 diet method. The diet consists of:

40% Low glycemic carbohydrates
-Foods such as beans, fruits and vegetables, legumes

30% lean proteins
-Tofu, fish, chicken, turkey, beef and low fat dairy products

30% essential fats
-nuts and seeds, fish and olive oils

It is essential that every meal should contain macronutrients to attain the balance of hormones and maximum weight loss.

2. Kate Hudson
The gorgeous daughter of actress Goldie Hawn gained 60 pounds during her pregnancy, which she needed to shed quickly before commencing on her next film. From her previous eating plan, she switched to a higher protein diet. She consumed high protein meals in smaller portions, and she combined this diet with an exercise program that includes weight training and cardiovascular workouts. After getting a lot of flak because of her post-pregnancy figure, Kate removed all that baby weight in only four months and has gained abdominal muscles that gained the envy of many in Hollywood.

3. Oprah Winfrey
As one of the most successful talk-show hosts in the world, there is no question that Oprah needs to maintain her physical appearance for her millions of audiences. Known as one of those celebrities who are constantly battling weight gain, she has recently toned up her figure and has never looked better at age 50 by combining a regular exercise regime and diet plan. Oprah works out five days a week, spending 30 minutes on the treadmill and doing free weights. Her eating plan consists of legumes, fish, nuts, fruits and vegetables, chicken and dairy products that are lowfat. She limits her consumption of white sugar and flour. Oprah also credits her trim figure to her habit of not eating anything after seven in the evening.

4. Gwyneth Paltrow
A lot of people may find it hard to believe that the perpetually slim Academy award-winning actress actually needs to diet. Gwyneth actually follows a healthy eating plan that resembles Oprah's, avoiding sugar and white flour. She usually follows a macrobiotic diet, eating foods like vegetables, brown rice, and lean meat. She also eliminated dairy from her diet, and does yoga everyday.

5. Madonna
The pop star known as the Material Girl has always flaunted a body that is to die for, and has become a true fitness paragon over the years. She keeps herself in tip-top shape by having Ashtanga Yoga, and follows a strict diet that mostly shuns junk foods. She adopted a macrobiotic eating plan that includes organic foods rich in lean protein.

6. Claudia Schiffer
The bodacious German supermodel eats salad and steamed vegetables for dinner and eats only fruits before the afternoon. While on locations, she prefers to eat black grapes and drinks tomato juice and herbal tea.

7. Christie Brinkley
Long-time supermodel maintains her all-American good looks by being a vegetarian. She does not keep junk foods of any kind inside her home to make sure that she does not eat them when cravings occur. She snacks on sweet potatoes in place of candy bars, and she adopts a liquid juice diet when she needs to slim down fast.

Celebrities are just like ordinary people. They need to maintain their figures just like anyone else, and there is more pressure on their part since they are constantly in the public eye. Ordinary folks can have celebrity-like bodies, too, and by following these diet and fitness plans, they can also look like red-carpet worthy.

Until next time, keep living your best life!

How to Read Food Labels

You cannot measure every morsel that passes your lips, but it is a good idea to measure most foods and beverages until you get a feel for portion sizes.

It is a supersized world out there, and most people are surprised to find that their idea of a single serving is actually two or three.

If you are into bells and whistles, there are food scales that are preprogrammed with nutritional information, as well as scales that will keep a running total of your daily food and nutrient intake for you. The only tools you really need, however, are a simple and inexpensive gram scale, dry and liquid measuring cups, and idea on reading food labels.

Among all of the mentioned tools, reading food labels seem to be the most effective way of determining the right kind of food to be bought in the supermarket. It lets you make sensible food selections. Through the “Nutrition Facts” section in a particular item in the grocery, you can identify the amount of serving sizes provided in that product.

With food labels, you can clearly understand the amount and kinds of nutrients that are provided in the item. Usually, it contains the information on saturated fat, sodium, total fat, fiber, and cholesterol amount “per serving.”

However, understanding and reading these food labels can be very perplexing. A typical consumer would definitely ask what those numbers mean and how it will affect her diet intake if ever she will religiously follow the serving guide as stipulated on the food label.

To further have a clear and more comprehensive understanding of the items stated in the food label, here is a list of things that you need to know:

1. Serving size

This is the primary item you will see in a food label.

The amount of servings stated in the food label refers to the quantity of food people usually consume. However, this does not necessarily mean that it reflects your very own amount of food intake. (That's where a lot of us tend to over eat.)

Moreover, serving size determines the amount of nutrients that enters the body. This means that if you will follow strictly what the serving size is, you will obtain the same amount of nutrients according to the serving size that was given in the label.

For instance, if the serving size says one serving size is equal to 54 grams, that would mean you have to measure 54 grams and eat that and you have just eaten one serving. So to speak, the amount of nutrients stated in the food label is the same amount that has entered your body considering the fact that you have just eaten 54 grams.

However, if you have eaten everything, and the food label says that each pack is equivalent to 4 servings, you have to calculate the amount of nutrients that have entered your body. This means that if the food label says 250 calories per serving that means you have to multiply it to four to get the total amount of calories you have taken.

2. Nutrients

This refers to the list of available nutrients in a particular item. It is also where the nutritional claims of the product based on the recommended daily dietary allowance are stated. Usually, the nutritional amounts are based on both the 2,500-calorie diets and the 2,000 recommended dietary allowances.

In order to understand the numeric value of each item, you should know that the “% daily value” that the food label indicates is actually based on how a particular food corresponds to the recommended daily dietary allowance for a 2,000 calorie.

Note: If you're trying to lose weight by changing your eating habits instead of reading a lot of labels, you can get a book of healthy recipes until you get the hang of reading labels.

If in the event that you have purchased an item that has a dietary allowance different from the 2,000-calorie diet, you just have to divide the stipulated amount by 2,000 and you will be able to identify the “%daily value” for the nutrients.

3. Ingredients

This refers to the list of the ingredients that were used to manufacture the product. The listing is usually arranged from the main ingredients that have the greater amount by weight up to the smallest quantity. This simply means that the actual quantity of the food includes the biggest quantity of the main ingredient or the first item and the minimum amount of the very last ingredient.

4. Label claim

This refers to the kinds of nutritional claims of a particular food item. For instance, if an item says it is sodium-free, it has less than 5 milligrams per serving or a low fat item actually contains 3 grams of fat or less.

Indeed, reading food labels can be very tedious and confusing. Nevertheless, once you get the hang of it, it would be easier for you to watch your diet because you can already control the amount of food that you take. Remember healthy eating and meal planning can take you a long way.


Read more on fitness here:


Until next week, keep living your best life!

A Look on Diet Fitness

Many people nowadays are very much conscious about their own health and fitness. In addition to that, these people, and many others as well, are now having that desire to sculpt their bodies to achieve that magazine-cover look. As a result, gyms, health spas and other fitness centers have proliferated all over to cater to the needs of the fitness buffs and aficionados.

Even on television exercise machines, weight loss products, and other paraphernalia to improve fitness have more or less gained control over the airwaves and made their way into the households. But exercise is not the only way to build that body beautiful. It also entails certain amount of responsibility on the foods one chooses to eat. Being healthy and fit requires one to observe diet fitness.

Diet fitness is as essential as exercise itself. Diet for fitness provides the essential nutrition one needs to restore worn-out muscles and for healthy growth. Diet fitness should never be taken for granted. With the popularity of keeping fit, many different views, methods, programs and dieting strategies have been formulated by many professionals. Among these are high carb diets and high fat diets. Which one is more effective and which one should one choose to follow?

First thing to know would be the fundamental differences between these two diet approaches. As the name implies, high carb diets concentrates on taking in carbohydrate-rich foods while high fat diets endorses fat-rich foods. High carb diets are utilized to glycogen stored in the liver and muscles. Glycogen is a glucose complex that provides large amounts of energy ready for use in anaerobic exercises.

(note: You must increase your metabolism to help burn fat.)

Fats, on the other hand, is well-known for being the richest source of calories. It actually contains 2.5 times more calories than carbohydrates and proteins alike. Studies also show that it takes the body 24 calories to metabolize carbohydrates while it only takes 3 to burn down fat. So which one to follow? A person can follow a high carb and low fat fitness diet or the other way around. It is absolutely not recommended to follow both at the same time; unless of course if you want to gain body fat.

But then diet fitness is not all about losing fat, one must also consider his diet in order to keep fat away. Research shows that sustainable loss of weight can only be achieved on a diet which suits the individual food preferences, lifestyle, medical profile and satiety signals.

Diet programs all over can help you shed off excess pounds, but only one diet can help you stay sexy, and it is the one that satisfies you most. Other important aspects of having a fit diet are moderation, balance and variation. One must be careful not to leave out important nutrients and other substances necessary for healthy body functioning. health organizations are clear about the amounts of nutrients an individual should have in the body.

Low fat high carbs, high carbs low fat; the question is not which diet program will work out but which is it that will work for you. Striving for a sexy and healthy body does not have to burden an individual, diet fitness does not have to mean sticking to the same kind of food for life. One may even try to be adventurous and try out new foods out there. Who knows? one may even discover spinach interesting.






Until next time, keep living your best life!