Low Cholesterol Recipes with Flavour

by Weight Loss - January 25, 2012

Low Cholesterol Recipes With Good Flavour

If you need to start to watch your cholesterol, you might think that tasty foods with are now off limits to you.

Not so. When you need to watch your cholesterol levels use low cholesterol recipes and eat cholesterol lowering foods, too.

Tip 1

Anyone on a low cholesterol diet should use condiments sparingly. Many of these are a big culprit for producing high cholesterol levels.

Tip 2

Integrate these cholesterol lowering foods into your recipes..

Garlic provides a plethora of health benefits. You can feel good about using garlic.

While avocados are high in fat, they are a great food for those fighting cholesterol.

Using orange juice as a glaze on food as well as drinking orange juice and eating oranges is good for your cholesterol levels.

Prunes can help you lower your cholesterol.

Oatmeal and Cheerios or another oat cereal can both help you lower your cholesterol and make for a great breakfast, especially when paired with fruit.

Add nuts into your cooking and have it as a snack. Walnuts and almonds are both great choices for fighting cholesterol.

Soy is good for cholesterol levels.

Eat more beans and other fibre-laden foods.

Tip 3

Cook according to advice for fighting and lowering bad cholesterol levels. Here are some tips for low cholesterol recipes..

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Look for alternatives to deep frying and frying in general. Experiment with cholesterol-friendly ways to cook your favourite foods. Steaming vegetables isn’t just a way to prevent bad cholesterol from frying or drenching it in butter. It’s also said to be a way to help lower cholesterol levels by changing the way your body processes the food, resulting in lower LDL levels.

Use whole grain bread in your recipes instead of white bread.

Switch to skim milk and low fat cheese. Use cheese sparingly in your recipes.

Don’t use cream in your recipes (or your coffee). Try using low fat or fat-free milk instead. Skip the full fat sour cream on your potato and try different toppings instead (you can get creative with potato toppings, such as by making a lean turkey chili, for instance.

Eat red meat less often. Try experimenting with recipes that use other meat, such as turkey or chicken.

Use plant oils, such as olive oil instead of butter for your cooking. Use all oils and fats sparingly.

When you switch to low cholesterol recipes, you’ll find that a bit of experimenting with spice can go a long way in adding flavour to your dishes.

Yes, you might not be frying those vegetables in butter but some fresh herbs and lemon juice can add loads of flavour.

When you begin to transition to healthier low cholesterol recipes you’ll soon find that you stop craving so many fatty foods.

Weight Loss Recipes – How to find them

by Weight Loss - January 18, 2012

Weight Loss Recipes are available from multiple sources. Finding the best ones, however requires some basic knowledge.

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How To Find Great Weight Loss Recipes

If you use the web to find weight loss recipes, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much easier it is to lose weight without feeling deprived.

One of the biggest difficulties with weight loss is not knowing what to cook. This feeling of being lost is what drives a lot of people back to their old habits. Weight Loss Recipes

If you’re someone who is overweight, there’s a good chance that your menu is pretty repetitive.

People who experiment with weight loss recipes tend to have a better success rate with long term weight loss without deprivation.

Trying out new weight loss recipes will be an adventure for your taste buds. You don’t have to eat the same things day in and day out.

There are great ideas throughout the internet that can help you effectively lose weight without the boredom of eating steamed vegetables and flavourless meat on a daily basis.

Weight loss recipes tend to use the right portion, low fat or fat free condiments, plenty of herbs and spices (so you don’t have to resort to calorie laden sauces), and whole foods rather than convenience foods. Not only will experimenting with weight loss recipes help you at night but they’ll help you with breakfast, lunch, and healthy snack ideas as well. Have a look for a variety of recipes.

Weight Loss Recipes – Tips

Look through your weekly grocery flyer for what’s on sale before looking for weight loss recipes.

If chicken breasts are on sale this week or a specific set of vegetables is in season, look for recipes that use these ingredients.

Use your crock pot. There are a lot of crock pot recipes that are figure friendly and using them will save you on time, especially during the workweek.

When you find weight loss recipes you like, make double batches and freeze some for dinner on another day.

Some recipe sites offer subscriptions. Subscribe to a weight loss recipe category, then you’ll get sent new recipes via e-mail as they become available.

Got some recipes you like that you know aren’t figure friendly? Try substituting some lower calorie items in them. 1% milk for cream, whole wheat pasta for white pasta, fat free mayo and sour cream, low fat cheese, and so on.

Look for low calorie desserts for weight loss as well. You’ll find great options that let you enjoy some treats without as much guilt.

You might want to purchase some weight loss recipe books as well as look online. There are some great books dedicated to specific diet plans as well.

You can find books that conform to the Weight Watchers point system, or that are specific to another plan, such as the South Beach or Mediterranean diet, the Atkins diet, and so on.

Weight loss can happen when you find great ways to enjoy lower fat and lower calorie foods. Experiment with weight loss recipes to keep away feelings of deprivation and keep things interesting.

Raw Food Diet Recipes for Weigh Loss

by Weight Loss - January 17, 2012

Raw Food Diet Recipes that work well

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There are some substantial benefits to a raw food diet. But, to succeed with this diet, whether temporarily or on an ongoing basis, you will need to find some great raw food diet recipes. There are some interesting and creative ways to follow a raw food diet. Recipes can increase your chances of finding satiety with this sort of diet plan. Here are a few suggestions:

Add Variety To Your Salads

Salads are probably the best part of a raw food diet. Recipes for salads are in abundance. Add variety and colour to your salad, eat a big volume of it if it’s serving as a meal, and look for salad-friendly raw protein sources, such as seeds and nuts. Shop your local farmer’s market for great variety of organic vegetable and fruit sources.

Beverages That Double As Meals

Shakes and smoothies are great for raw food enthusiasts. You’ll find ways of pureeing raw food into shakes, smoothies, and cold soups. Here are a few raw food diet recipes you may want to try, to make up a meal:

Salad Example:

Broccoli & Cranberries Salad: Mix broccoli florets with a handful of dried cranberries and slivered almonds and cashews. If desired, mix with a little dressing made of fruit juice and organic apple cider vinegar.

Shakes:

You can make a delicious and nutritious shake by juicing some juice and then mixing with a banana or two as well as your favourite fruits and blend until thick.

Cold Soup:

You can make a lot of different raw soups, such as a creamy carrot soup. Wonder how you’ll get raw carrots to taste creamy? Mix raw carrot juice and pureed avocado, and garnish with some parsley.

Dessert:

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Blend bananas, vanilla, honey, and a few almonds and it can become the consistency of banana nut pudding. You’ll be surprised when you delve into the world of raw food diet recipes just how many options there are. And there are additional sources of raw food that you might also enjoy, such as sushi. Whether you are interested in doing it for a week or transitioning to a complete raw food diet, recipes are abundantly available online and offer you a great opportunity to experiment and develop your own. Raw food diets can benefit your digestive system, your skin, and your overall health and wellness. Cooking many foods eliminates enzymes and forces your body to work harder at digestion. Even increasing your diet to include more raw food more often would be a good thing. And if you’re up for doing the radical thing and trying to go 100% raw food only, you’ll find that there is an abundance of information out there, helping you find a variety of fun and creative raw food diet recipes to try.

More Raw Food Diet Recipes can be found throughout our website. Read more now!

Low Calorie Diet – Tips for Success

by Weight Loss - January 11, 2012

Low Calorie Diet – A Good Way to reach your goal

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Lowering your calories can help you lose weight, that is absolutely certain. But be careful with a low calorie diet. Some people don’t do it carefully and put themselves at risk for health issues as well as failure..

Too low of a caloric intake and you’ll put your health at risk. You will feel faint and listless and not only is this unhealthy but this can lead to falling off the diet wagon as well as making it difficult to function. You want to lose weight but you don’t want to lose muscle mass.
Be sure you’re eating the right amount of food along with the right types of food.

Too low and you’ll slow down your metabolism. If your body thinks it’s starving it’ll start hoarding calories.

You need to be sure you’re getting a good mix of nutrients and a good ratio of carbohydrates and protein while you’re lowering your fat content. Don’t just pay attention to calorie counts. Look at nutritional value as well.

Tips for Low Calorie Diet Success

Count nutrients as well as calories. Eat healthful foods, make sure you’re getting enough protein, and track your calories to make sure you’re getting enough.

Find out what your basic calorie requirement is and compare it to what you eat on an average day. (Using a nutrition calculator can help) This can help you figure out how many calories to cut down.

Look at low calorie weight loss foods and swap some out for some of your usual staples.

Add exercise into your day. Low calorie diet foods can help you lose weight.

Eat breakfast. This will start your metabolism up and help your body burn calories as well as help regulate your appetite.

Drink plenty of water. In addition to your low calorie diet foods, drink water as it will help fill you up and doesn’t contain any calories.

Eat small and frequent meals that contain low calorie foods throughout the day.

Some people try crash dieting and go too low with their low calorie diet. This is like setting yourself up for failure. Most people should be eating at least 1200-1500 calories per day and your size and lifestyle might suggest a higher caloric intake than most.

There are plenty of low calorie diet foods out there that can help you succeed.

Be vigilant about making informed dieting choices so that you can increase your chances of success without jeopardizing your health.

Eating Healthy To Lose Weight

by Weight Loss - January 5, 2012

Eating Healthy To Lose Weight

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To begin with, eating healthier will help you lose weight. Therefore, the vast majority of people who eat healthy have healthy body mass indexes. Portion control and exercise blended with healthy eating is a very good approach to weight loss.

Here are 7 tips for eating healthy to lose weight..

1. Count The Calories

Count calories, you’ll have a better chance of weight loss. Be accountable for what you eat, you will stop and think about eating healthy.

2. Quality Instead Of Quantity

Make your calories actually count. A good way to do this is to track nutrition as well as caloric intake. Being nourished will reduce cravings and eating healthy to lose weight will often take time and effort at first but soon you’ll probably start craving the quality and realise just how much better eating healthy feels.

3. Cut The Condiments

A lot of healthy foods are less healthy by the time you’ve prepared them because they’ve been slathered in high calorie and low quality condiments. Use condiments sparingly. You don’t have to eat bland but find lower calorie and healthier ways to make sauces and dips.

4. Swap The Snacks

Crave crunch at night? Try raw veggies instead of potato chips. Reach for low fat frozen yogurt instead of ice cream. Grab a bowl of frozen grapes instead of chocolate chip cookies.

5. Try Healthy New Recipes

One of the challenges of eating healthy to lose weight is thinking up healthy foods. We often default to our old favourites because we don’t feel creative. Find some websites with healthy recipes. You can even join mailing lists and have them mailed to you. Try a healthy new recipe each week and it could be easier to eat healthy than you thought.

6. Be Prepared

Cook extra so you can reheat leftovers. Go to the grocery store with a well thought out list in hand. These things will contribute to being better able to avoid temptation. Don’t bring junk food into your pantry and it won’t be there to woo you away from healthy eating.

7. Brown Bag It

Bring healthy snacks with you. This is part of being prepared. A stash of low fat snacks at work, a snack or two stashed in the bag, and highly portable fresh fruit can all help you give the 3:pm chocolate bar a miss and / or avoid the box of donuts in the break room.

Yes, eating healthy to lose weight takes effort but the results can be overwhelmingly positive.

Vegetarian Diet Plan – Useful Tips for Success

by Weight Loss - December 19, 2011

Vegetarian Diet Plan – Useful Tips

If you’re interested in being a vegetarian, you need a vegetarian diet plan that will work. You need a vegetarian diet plan that will help you get the right mix of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. It’s not enough to simply exclude meat from your foods. You need to make sure you’re getting enough nutrition.. and nutrition you’d normally get from meat must come from elsewhere.

Simply eliminating meat from your diet could cause problems for you if you’re not careful about what you do eat. If you’re willing to eat eggs and dairy products it is a bit easier to get your required protein and other nutrients. If not, you’ll have to make even more of an effort to be careful with your diet.

Track your food intake so you can keep an eye on your mixture of carbs, fat, and protein. This can help you make sure the ratios are healthy. A good ratio, depending on you, could be 45% carbs, 30% protein, and 25% fat.

Depending on your size, you’ll need between 40-60 grams of protein every day. That’s not always easy when you don’t eat meat. And make sure your vegetarian diet plan takes this into consideration. Here are some good food choices to sprinkle into your diet to keep things moving in the right direction: beans, peas, lentils, quinoa, tofu, whole grains, nuts and seeds, nut butters, milk and cheese.

Many vegetables contain incomplete proteins but when combined with other veggies, can become complete proteins so a good vegetarian diet plan will have a wide variety of foods. You might opt for a protein supplement as well. Hence, a good vegetarian diet plan should have several servings of various foods per day.

Vegetarian Diet Plan An example is:

6 servings of whole grains
5 servings of food that have high protein levels
5 servings of food that have high protein levels
4 servings of vegetables
2 or 3 servings of fruits
About 2 serving equivalents of fat (25% or less of your calorie ratio is ideal)

There is a false rumour that vegetarians are not typically overweight. On the contrary, many vegetarians struggle with waist circumference due to too many carbs (for help with this, read our article on vegan weight loss). Make sure your carbs are complex and that you keep an eye on your food ratio so you can be a healthy vegetarian with a healthy body mass index. If you’re not following a good vegetarian diet plan, consider making a plan that starts with a weekly menu to help you stay on track.

In conclusion, creating an effective and nutritious vegetarian diet plan requires planning. Do it now!

Tips For Making A Dairy Free Diet Work

by Weight Loss - December 9, 2011

Dairy Free Diet – A Solution for Lactose Intolerance

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If you are thinking that dairy is the cause of your health problems, learn how to make a dairy free diet work. Whether you are lactose intolerant or simply want to eliminate dairy from your diet to overcome health issues that might be related to it, read on for some information to help you make a dairy free diet work.

It’s important to consider how you will get the right level of vitamins and nutrition and get around recipes that call for milk, butter, cream, and cheese. Read on for some tips for your dairy free diet:

Be sure that you take multivitamins. Make sure you get an adequate amount of calcium, magnesium, and other nutrients that you’d normally get from dairy products. Most people aren’t able to follow a picture perfect diet, a good multivitamin is always smart.

Look for a milk alternative. You may want it in your coffee, cereal, or for recipes that call for milk. Try soy or almond milk, for example. Almond milk often works great in baking recipes. If you’re highly allergic, you may find rice milk more agreeable.

If you have small children, talk to your pediatrician to make sure that you know what’s required for them. Small children need much more dairy in their daily diet than adults. It will take a concerted effort to make things work in a dairy free household when kids are involved.
Look for alternative diets such as vegetarian or meat based diets for valuable sources of protein and vitamins.

You can find dairy free cheese and ice cream, too. If needed, you can check your local health store for some alternatives and suggestions on dairy free diet products to try.

Consider consuming extra calcium rich foods, such as calcium enriched orange juice and increasing your intake of salmon, sardines, and tofu. Many dark green leafy veggies also have a lot of milk-like nutrition qualities.

There will be a period of adjustment as you navigate through this unfamiliar territory but whether you’re doing it for an experiment or because you need to do it, there are a lot of available products to help make a dairy free diet much easier.

Finding a Dairy Free Diet that offers nutrition is difficult, however there are good options out there.

5 Yummy Low Calorie Chicken Recipes

by Weight Loss - December 6, 2011

Low Calorie Chicken Recipes that are Easy and Delicious.

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Chicken is a great food for those who want to watch their diet by reducing fat and increasing protein. It’s a versatile food as well. When it’s on sale, stock up in the freezer! There are a great deal of yummy low calorie chicken recipes.

Here are five easy low calorie chicken recipes for you to try out..

Low Calorie Roasted Chicken

Roast a chicken on a metal cage. These cages are available for, typically, under $10 and let you stand the chicken up in the oven. Because fat drips off. Cook according to package directions based on the size of chicken (typically 325F for a few hours). Just sprinkle with some BBQ chicken spice. Avoid eating the skin. In addition, serve with vegetables and/or salad.

Tip: Save the leftover roasted chicken and make some hearty and low calorie chicken vegetable soup (see next recipe!)

Chicken Vegetable Soup or Stew

Soup is a hearty meal with low calorie count. It’s also very budget and schedule friendly as you can make a batch easily and freeze some for later. Boil some leftover chicken to make a broth and strain out the chicken and bones. Re-deposit the meat and add some vegetables and spice to the mixture and cook until tender.

If you want to make it into stew, add a can of low fat cream of chicken soup and some thickened chicken broth to it.

Low Calorie Chicken Recipe – Mexican Chicken

Place boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a roasting pan and add a jar of salsa and half a jar of vegetable cocktail. Cook in roasting pan at (180 degrees or 325 – 350 Fahrenheit) until done. Serve with brown rice and your choice of vegetables. The sauce is low calorie and delicious!

Homemade Chicken Tenders

Chicken tenders are often heavily breaded and fried. They’re delicious but they’re off the charts on the caloric value scale. To cut the calorie count, consider baking them instead of frying them. Slice your chicken into strips and dip in flour, then an egg and milk mixture, and then breadcrumbs mixed with your favourite spices.

Also consider using whole wheat bread crumbs for better nutrition or for extra crunch, crush some cornflakes cereal. Bake these, flipping half way through. For extra crunch without loads of extra calories, spray them lightly with cooking spray half way through cooking. This is a pretty good alternative to deep frying.

Chicken Pasta Alfredo

5 Yummy Low Calorie Chicken Recipes Chicken in pasta Alfredo sounds decadent, doesn’t it? It probably doesn’t sound like one of the more figure friendly low calorie chicken recipes. But here’s a way you can get the decadence without eating a day’s worth of calories in one meal:

Whole wheat pasta (and only serve yourself a cup of it).

Saute or grill some boneless and skinless chicken breast with some vegetables (chicken and broccoli and a bit of spinach works great). Lots of veggies will fill you up, add flavour, and won’t leave you feeling robbed due to the smaller pasta portion.
Add a teaspoon of butter and a teaspoon of flower into a skillet. Make a roux and slowly add some chicken broth, skim milk, and low fat cream cheese and parmesan cheese until desired consistency. Add some salt, pepper, parsley and any other spice you like. Toss together and serve over hot whole wheat pasta.

*** Always be sure to cook chicken until it’s no longer pink in the middle!

Finally, these Low Calorie Chicken Recipes are easy and fast to prepare, Try Them Now!

Low Fat Diet Plan – Pros and Cons

by Weight Loss - December 1, 2011

Low Fat Diet Plan – Pros and Cons

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You’ll find low fat diet plan options out there that help you lower your fat intake through low fat and fat free foods. But is a low fat diet plan your best option for weight loss? Read on for some pros and cons of a low fat diet plan.

Low Fat Diet Plan Pros

Low fat diet plan foods tend to have lower calories than fat laden foods. If you’re counting calories to lose weight, you’ll find that low fat foods allow you to have more of a particular food, increasing your satiety level and helping you get to the next meal.

Beyond lower calorie counts, less fat is better for your body. This is better for your heart.

Low Fat Diet Plan Cons

The biggest con of a low fat diet plan is the belief that if you don’t eat fat, you won’t gain weight. If you eat a lot of sugar, for instance, and you don’t burn it off through exercise, it will cause weight gain. Many junk foods are a bit deceiving to dieters who read labels and see a zero fat content.

Some fat is needed by the body. Cutting out fat entirely probably isn’t good for your health overall. So what’s the answer? Here are some tips:

Opt for good fats wherever possible. Fish, olive oil, avocados.. these contain good fat.

Count calories but make calories count. Look at nutritive value more than numbers.

Calculate your percentage of each area. What percentage of your low fat diet plan includes carbohydrates, protein, and fat? Chances are that you’re eating too much fat, too many carbs, and not enough protein. Try tipping the scales in a better direction.

Conclusions

Some people opt for low fat diet plans that are portion controlled. Some food plans provide you with prepared meals, which can make it easier for you to lose weight because you don’t have to think about what to eat. There are pros and cons with this way of dieting. Yes, it can work but it’s important to learn how to identify low fat diet plan and high yield nutritional foods on your own so that when the diet plan is over, you’ll be able to make healthy choices without having to rely on packaged foods.

However you choose to approach your diet, whether choosing a low fat diet plan or choosing a low carb plan, or something else altogether, learning as much about nutrition as possible will serve you well in your diet efforts and in terms of your overall health and wellness.. and longevity, too!

Low Calorie Desserts For Weight Loss

by Weight Loss - November 28, 2011

Low Calorie Desserts Help Maintain Weight Loss Routines

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Low calorie desserts can help you stay on track with your diet. By eating low calorie desserts, you’ll feed your urge for a treat without sabotaging your dieting by overeating. Eating plenty of variety in your diet can help keep you interested. Be sure that you look forward to your meals at least somewhat.

While you’re probably trying to think of food as fuel rather than eating for pleasure, having food that you enjoy will help keep you on track. Dessert is something we are programmed to enjoy. It’s a treat. It’s something that signifies family, fun, joy, celebrations. The wrong dessert after dinner can undo your hard work all day long. Don’t skip it, though; just choose something that’s a bit more figure friendly. Here are some simple low calorie desserts ideas..

Fruit

Fruit is known as nature’s candy. A bowl of fruit, as in a fruit salad or fruit cocktail, can be very satisfying as options for low calorie desserts with variety. A fruit smoothie can be filling and remind you of a milkshake. Fruit and yogurt dip can feel decadent.

You can even melt just a little bit of dark chocolate and dip a few strawberries for a great treat that delivers a heavenly experience for the taste buds. You could also bake some apples with a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon on them (go easy on the sugar). It’s like apple pie without the crust.

Tweaked Baking Recipes

When you bake a boxed cake mix you can often see cholesterol or calorie lowering tips that could include: reducing eggs, using water instead of milk, using apple sauce or some other liquid instead of butter, and reducing specific ingredients such as sugar, butter, and oil. You could, conceivably, trim a big chunk off a baking recipe if you get the right advice (Tip: don’t dabble without advice unless you’re willing to experience the occasional recipe flop!). Keep portions to a minimum with baked goods and you can enjoy them once in a while.

StockSnap / Pixabay

Yogurt

Frozen yogurt, low fat yogurt with fruit, a yogurt parfait with fruit and a bit of granola are all great low fat, healthy snacks for weight loss. Do watch sugar content, though.

Jell-O

Gelatin desserts aren’t too calorie laden and can be a low calorie dessert idea. You can buy light whipped topping if you want it to feel extra decadent.

Pudding

Pudding can also be low calorie desserts. Making pudding with skim milk instead of full fat milk, for example, can help you trim calories. Again, portion control is important. You might also opt for a low fat pudding pop for a sweet treat that takes a while to eat (resulting in keeping you satisfied longer).