The general public should consume foods that are high in antioxidants, but they first need to understand what herbal antioxidants are and what health benefits they offer.

Antioxidants are essential to one’s overall health and well being. Antioxidants are phytochemicals, vitamins and other nutrients that protect the body’s cells from damage that is caused by free radicals. These free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms with an odd number of electrons and which are formed when oxygen interacts with certain molecules.

The antioxidants can safely interact with free radicals and they work by terminating the chain reaction before any vital molecules in the body are damaged.

Since a variety of foods contain high amounts of antioxidants and are also nutritious, it is better to use food and not supplements to raise antioxidant levels. Dietary supplements are not as nutritionally effective as antioxidant-rich real foods. Surprisingly, many such foods are rather tasty to boot.

Foods high in antioxidants include berries, broccoli, tomatoes, garlic, spinach, tea, carrots, soy, whole grain, red grapes, and cabbage. Foods that contain elevated levels of antioxidants are at present wonder foods of choice, it ought to remain this way due to the fact that these foods are what will promote peoples high levels of health.

Foods with high amounts of antioxidants are very healthy because, among other things, they fight off free radicals. They also help to provide a person with the nutrition that they need by offering them the right vitamins and minerals.

Any fruit or vegetable that has a bright color is also high in antioxidants, also certain foods like blueberries or chocolate are even higher in dietary antioxidants and are incredibly nutritious, but also high in oxalic acid. Because oxalic acid binds to some other valuable nutrients and makes them not available for digestion, this can be harmful to the body.

It is important for people to pack foods high in antioxidants into their diet to increase lifespan and the overall quality of life.

Tags: Healthly eating, dieting, weight loss, nutrition, nutrisystem, chefs diet, antioxidants

Are you in a rut and ready to lose weight and feel great long term and not just for a special occasion? Many of us do. We try the latest diet whether it is the cabbage diet, liquid diet, or something that will not last long term and will result in weight gain. Many of us lead busy lifestyles which does not lead us much time to prepare meals, count calories, measure and weigh foods on a daily basis to ensure that we are eating the appropriate amount of nutrition each day. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an easy diet plan like the celebrities have access too? Have your meals are created by gourmet chefs and delivered to your home for you to just eat and go about your day? Well, you don’t have to look far and you don’t have to worry about breaking the bank because there is a plan out there for you to have the same access to just like the celebrities.

This simply delicious and easy way to lost weight is diet is known as the Chefs Diet. Many Celebrities like Fergie, Jenny McCarthy, Kathy Griffon, Head Coach for Kansas City Football team, Herman Edwards, and Eva LaRue from All My Children and CSI Miami, and many more have had awesome success with this diet. What is the Chef Diet? The Chefs Diet™ was founded on the belief that a diet plan should always be healthy, delicious and convenient. Based on the Dr.Sears Zone Diet balances a ratio of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% favorable fats. As they continued to grow, improve and add new products and services, they have streamlined their name to Chefs Diet™. ONE name, but ALL the programs we offered before and more!

Their gourmet line of freshly prepared meals and snacks have helped their clients, including many Hollywood celebrities, to find a healthier, easier, and more enjoyable way to reach their goals. They have given the highest standards in delivering quality meals and offer 24/7 customer service combining this level of personalization with the science behind the Dr. Sears Zone Diet, Chefs Diet promotes increased energy levels, weight loss, lean body mass and maintains blood sugar levels. As a provider of daily delivery to the NY Tri-State area / Southern California and weekly delivery of frozen foods and snacks to all 48 states across the nation, their program offerings are unparalleled to any other food delivery service in the nation.

They have been featured in over 60 nationwide news articles including news channels such as CNBC and CNN.com. They have also been featured on The View and many other magazine publications out there too.

Chefs Diet has very talented and influential professionals in the diet industry. Their customer-focused management team consists of a highly-talented breed of executives dedicated to offering the best service to their clients. They also have an advisory team of professionals includes specialists such as Dr. Carol Forman Helerstein, a Licensed Clinical Nutritionist for over 20 years and Chef Philip Andriano, rated #1 Seafood Chef in New York.

The average client on this plan loses 8-10 pounds the first month and 6-8 pounds months after, however keep in mind every individual loses weight at different rates. So remember to combine healthy eating with this any diet in conjunction with exercise and water and you will be successful in your weight loss.

Tags: chefs diet, weight loss plans, diet, Dr. Sears Zone diet, zone diet

Well, I just received my September issue of Oxygen Magazine already. Time is flying fast!! Anyway, This product must have been out for a while, but I am just noticing it today. Has anyone tired this cereal called
Dymatize Elite High-Protein Cereal, 7 Single Servings, O’s? The add shows that is has 25 grams of protein in each bowl and is need is water or milk. Hum. . . According to the company:

Elite High-Protein Cereal combines popular breakfast favorites with the nutritional boost of 25 grams of protein. Elite High-Protein Cereal, with its scientifically developed, patented formula and manufacturing process, provides a whole new approach to protein supplementation. Micronized whey protein isolates provide the basis for Elite High-Protein Cereal, with all the nutritional and amino acid benefits of a full serving of Elite Whey Protein.

Elite High-Protein Cereal’s nine great flavors offer something for every taste and preference. O’s, Sweet Raisin Flakes, Raisins and Crunchy Clusters, Snaps, Cocoa Snaps, Frosters, Tropical Loops, Fiber Crunch, and Slenders bring the familiar tastes of breakfast to this revolutionary new way to enjoy your protein and your cereal.

It sounds pretty good and I am curious to see if anyone has tired this cereal before and if you would recommend it to be apart of a meal plan for someone like me tying to lose fat and build lean muscle?

Tags: weight loss, nutrition, bodybuilding, Dymatize elite high-protein Cereal

Remember in my previous post I was talking about starting this 8 week slimdown program I found on bodybuilding.com. Well, I officially started it on Sunday 7/6/08!! I was just so excited to get started because I had a bit of fun eating on the 4th of July. Burgers, hotdogs, and I will not name any more. Saturday evening I ventured out to the grocery store and picked up my goods for this week. I am not kidding. Check out my stash below:

My list of goods consisted of:

• turkey bacon
• turkey deli meat
• chicken breast
• tuna
• steak
• salmon
• Almonds
• eggs & egg whites
• salad
• low fat mayo
• low fat yogurt
• non fat cottage cheese
• instead of cream of rice I did instant grits
• fruits, veggies
• low fat dressing
• natural peanut butter
• diet soda
• green tea

Phew!! Long list. So far I have been working this plan and I am seeing results already like 3lbs!! My exercise plan for myself so far is:

• 20-30 minute walk/jog in the morning or elliptical
• afternoon either cardio (interval training) or weight training the upper or lower body on alternate days.

I have to say the food is not bad at all and I now I will be able to make it through the eight weeks and then on to maintaining. I just finished my last workout today which was my lower body (leg extensions, hamstring curls, dead lift, lunges, and abs! So i am happy! I swear I am ready to get down so that I can model my skinny jeans and be ready for our trip to Disney World in September!! Well, I am out for the evening.

Chat later-

Natasha

Hey all! I hope that you all had a great 4th of July celebration! Did you all go to the beach to see fireworks and all? My family and I went to our local park to catch a show full of action here in the Austin area and had a blast!! How did you all do on your eating? Me for one did okay given that the scale was only up .5lbs (170), but I will not worry because I will work that off and then some for the next 8 weeks.

Anyway, I was reading my email and came across this in a daily message that I receive from Jillian. I was surprised to see that Jillian Michaels is now offering a meal plan that is delivered through eDiets.com. So if you are so busy and it is difficult to prepare your own healthy meals eDiets will deliver them to you already packaged and ready to go. Check it out plus I know they are also running a few specials too!

Tags:eDiets, Jillian Michaels, weight loss, diets, nutrition

Hey All, I was just browsing on the net and came across this interesting article on msn.com called Diet Saboteurs. This article talks about top healthy food items that people typically over eat that are high in calories and what it would take to burn it off. I was shocked when I read this:

Top loading your diet with “health foods” such as yogurt and granola does not a flatter belly make, according to researchers at Cornell University. In a recent study, they discovered that people not only underestimate the number of calories in wholesome fare, but they also consume substantially larger portions of it. Here are eight of the healthiest high-calorie food bombs that can dismantle your diet.

Top Offender: 6-oz. bag of vegetable chips

Calories: 840

Low-Calorie Alternative: 16-oz. bag of baby carrots with ½ cup hummus (390 cal)

To burn off a 6-oz. bag of vegetable chips, a 180-pound man would have to:

* Run 55 min
* Swim 65 min
* Bike 70 min
* Row 70 min
* Lift weights 1 hour, 45 min
* Golf 2 hours, 20 min
* Shop 4 hours, 30 min
* Do desk work 7 hours

I was like wow!! You think your are eating healthy food, but even with healthy food you will have to watch your portions too. So, think about your next snack and watch your portions per serving so that you will not have to burn any more calories that you are already trying to burn to continue your successful weight loss. If you do decided to splurge just keep in mind of the additional work you will have to do. Check out the link above because they list a few more examples and give lower calorie alternatives too for those of us the need them.

Tags: weight loss, healthy living, nutrition, diet

Think about all of the plastic water bottles that we drink to keep our bodies hydrated throughout one week. I know that I for sure drink 64 ounces of water a day which equates to two 32oz bottles a day = 14 plastic bottles trashed per week. Now, for a month that equates to 56 bottles thrown away and for the year that’s 672 bottles. Holy cow!! What is that doing to our environment? Anyone have any clues?

Instead of picking up a bottle water I am looking to purchase a reusable bottle, however after reading shape mag and other articles I want one that is free of bisphenol A which is a chemical found in many plastic containers. What is Bisphenol A? Well according to, Toxic Nation, at evironmentaldefence.ca

Bisphenol A is primarily used to make polycarbonate plastic (recycling # 7) food and beverage containers, plastic food wrap, and epoxy resins that are used to line metal cans for foods, such as cans of soup. Bisphenol A can leach from these products as they age, to be subsequently ingested by people. Recent research has shown that this chemical is an estrogenic hormone disruptor that can cause reproductive damage and birth defects that may lead to prostate and breast cancer in adulthood.

I didn’t think nothing of it, but I have heard of cases like this more frequently, so now I more eager about getting a reusable bottle. One to help the environment and two for my health in the long run. The bottle that I came across was the CamelBak bottle that was featured in Shape magazine:

The features of this bottle are:

• Made of Eastman Tritan™ copolyester, the bottle is completely BPA-free and is dishwasher safe
• Tritan™ copolyester provides excellent impact resistance and is suitable for both warm and cold beverages
• Bypass the potential hazards of drinking from wide openings—CamelBak’s Big Bite valve eliminates awkward drips and spills
• Just bite and sip and the beverage flows through the valve—you don’t even need to tip the bottle to drink

This savvy bottles retails for $13, but if you are a shape reader, Shape is giving 50 shape readers the chance to win a CamelBak Better bottle. Click here to win. If you don’t win you can always got to rei.com to purchase this awesome bottle in any shade you hearts desire. Well I am off to try and win one of those bad boys and if I do I will post of pic.

Happy Earth day!!

Tags: earth day, camelbak better bottle, health nutrition, bispenol A

A diverticulitis diet is pretty easy to go by, and if you are aware of the items you should and should not have a person won’t have any issues at all.  It is a must for everyone that may be having problems or has suffered from this disease in the past.  The diverticulitis diet is designed to reduce the stress on the intestines and to help relieve the symptoms, that includes cramping and inflammation, that can happened during a diverticulitis attack.  A diverticulitis diet is key when diverticula, in your intestines, become infected or irritated.

Diverticulitis

A person with diverticulitis may get diverticulitis when waste material and bacteria get stuck in a pouch (diverticula).  It can be either painful and in some risky scenarios need an operation.  Diverticulitis is a common digestive disorder, which is summarized by the swelling of pouches called diverticula on the outside of the colon.  It is three times more likely to happened in the left area of the large intestine, and males are three times as likely as women to suffer from the disorder.

The excellent thing is that Diverticulitis can be prevented by sticking to a well balanced diet.  The basic idea behind the Diverticulitis Diet is to prevent the accumulation of new pouches by assisting the food passing efficiently through the colon.  Basically, this is a diet suited for people who may suffered from diverticulitis or are suffering from constipation.

Foods

Aging and genetics are big factors in the development of diverticulitis although diet also plays a role as eating a lot of low-fiber refined foods can greatly increase the risk.  The great news is that there is a better way to achieve your goals of an effective diverticulitis diet that includes a balance of healthy foods taking better supplements.

It’s highly recommended that a person eat foods such as fresh fruits, whole grains, and vegetables due to their high fiber content.  Foods including nuts, popcorn, and sunflower, pumpkin, caraway, and sesame seeds should not be consumed.  Also avoid refined foods such as white flour, white rice, and other processed foods.  Foods containing fiber have a tendency to comprise nutrients like vitamins A, C, and E and selenium, useful in fighting cancer.  In both scenarios with or without diverticulitis, you may want to stick to a diet that includes an abundance of NATURAL fiber from whole foods.

To summarize this all, a diverticulitis diet is used by thousands of people all over the continent that suffer from this issue.  The Diverticulitis Diet is created to avoid diverticulitis from beginning, or re-occurring.  The diverticulitis diet is specifically designed to reduce the swelling by avoiding the intestine to not to have to work so hard during the time when it’s most sore and upset.  The Diverticulitis Diet is a diet made to reduce further attacks of diverticulitis, or alleviated the symptoms of this painful abdominal disorder.

Tags: diverticulitis diet, diets, weight loss, healthy living, nutrition

Are you getting with some of your low calorie recipes or menus and looking for something new, low calorie, but not bland in flavor? The other day I was searching for something new myself because sometimes I even get bored of the same old thing, right? So I was on food network and found this yummy crab cake recipe and I decided to make it and man were they yummy with a side of salad and brown rice.

My taste buds were happy and I want to share this one with you all the ingredients are as follows:

Nonstick cooking spray
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Dash hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon crab boil seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 scallion, including green top, finely chopped
1 pound lump crab, picked over for cartilage
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Smarter Tartar Sauce, recipe follows

Nutrition Information
Nutritional Analysis per Serving Calories: 254
Total Fat: 8 grams Saturated Fat: 1 gram
Protein: 26 grams Carbohydrates: 18 grams
Fiber: 1 gram

For cooking instructions click here. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!!

Tags: Weight loss, nutrition, diet, food network

Hey you!! Are in in weight loss mode or building lean muscle for the summer or your next fitness or figure competition? I was reading my February issue of Oxygen magazine and food this yummy protein shake recipe that I have to share with you all. I just tired it this morning and I loved it!! You have got to try it if you are in need of a new taste!

Ingredients:

1. 1 scoop of your favorite chocolate protein powder (Mine is the BSN Lean dessert)
2. 1 tbsp smooth, natural peanut butter
3. 1 cup or cold water
4. 1/2 cup of ice

instructions:

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. For a thicker consistency and more protein, use soy or skim milk instead of water. Add that is what I did just calc the additional calories from doing that. Give it a shot and tell me what you think? Enjoy!!

nutrients per serving;

calories:215, total fats 9g, saturated fat 2g, trans fat 0g, cholesterol 15mg, sodium 146mg, total carbohydrates 9g, dietary fiber 2g, sugars 4g, protein 25g.

tags: Protein Shakes, bodybuilding, nutrition