My father reads the papers and believes them. I’m not sure if it’s that generation gap at work again or perhaps I’m just a bit more skeptical of the “lastest medical findings” funded by junk food giants and published by the media.

I just know that if I read a story that sounds like baloney then it probably is just that. Like this one that has done the rounds in some of the UK’s papers. Here’s a sample of the crazy headlines:

• FRY-UP GETS EXPERT APPROVAL
• A bacon fry-up at breakfast could be the healthiest start to the day

And how did these so-called reporters come up with the conclusion that a pile of  fat-soaked animal products was better for us than muesli? The research indicated “that eating a fatty meal just after waking was not as bad for the mice as eating a fatty meal before sleeping.”

Amazing.

The research was itself funded by the USDA and Kraft foods so it’s not anything like impartial, but even the research doesn’t take the ludicrous leaps of these “reporters”.

We all need to be careful where we get our advice from

These days there are conflicting reports for just about everything so you have to use your common sense. Like with this story- do you really believe that muesli is less harmful than fried bacon, at any time of the day?

Just be careful that you don’t fall prey to these topsy-turvey headlines supported by medical quackery because you want to feel better about abusing your own body with food.

Sometimes it can be really hard to strip away all the marketing ploys and reveal the truth. We all know that junk food is bad for us, but with the recent campaigns that Tom mentions in his post it can be awfully tempting to just to give in and think that we’re still making a smart choice.

Think again.
When I read this post, and in particular saw that long, long list of ingredients (plenty of which I can’t even pronounce) it just brings the whole blurry mess into sharp relief.

Junk food = bad. Whole foods, fruits and veggies = good.

Eat the junk if you like, but don’t, for a second, fool yourself that you’re actually doing anything good for your body!

If you don’t get at least your minimum number of servings of vegetable per day then you are depriving your body of basic and vital nutrients that it needs.
The health benefits associate with eating vegetables are compelling and numerous: lose weight, burn fat, resistance to disease, clearer skin, younger appearance, improved elimination, higher energy levels- to name just a few.

But, sometimes it can seem difficult to incorporate them into your daily meals, or you get stuck in a rut with the same old combos day in day out. Here you will discover the top 3 easy ways that we use in our household on an almost daily basis to squeeze more vegetables into our diets in interesting ways.

“Not” Pasta

We are huge pasta lovers in this house, but did you know that courgette (zucchini) makes a fantastic substitute? It’s especially good in a lasagne. All you need is one of those peeler that can make thin slices. As well as lasagne you can also make your own Tagliatelle by taking your vegetable strips and slicing them lengthways- the stripy cream and green ribbons look so pretty and appetising on the plate.

For cooking, it’s just the same as fresh pasta and the texture is similar.

“Have with Everything Roast Mediterranean Vegetable Sauce”

Try this quick and easy recipe:

Slice and dice into 1″ cubes:

* 2 courgettes (zucchini)

* 1 aubergine (egg plant)

* 2 sweet peppers (red and yellow look great)

* 5 tomatoes

* 1 onion.

Pile your veggies in a shallow roasting tray then toss them all in olive oil (2-3 tablespoons), 2-3 cloves of garlic (chopped or grated) and salt and pepper and chopped herbs.

Preheat your oven to 220ºC (425ºF) and roast the veggies for about 40 minutes until the edges of the vegetables are starting to go brown.

At this point you either have an amazing, rustic sauce to serve or you can (with extreme care!) blend half of it to make a smoother sauce.

This sauce is fabulous with so many dishes. We have it with pasta, served over steamed vegetables, with potatoes, rice, quinoa- the list is endless. You can even mix in a little water and serve it as a tasty soup in winter. Vary the vegetables and include your favourite herbs- sometimes I also like to add black olives sometimes for a “gutsier” sauce.

Raw Vegetable Juices

I love fresh vegetable juices- especially in summer- so refreshing! Here are a few of our favourite blends:

Cucumber strawberry, cucumber apple, cucumber carrot, carrot & fresh ginger, carrot apple, carrot beetroot, beetroot apple.

Getting a mix of raw and cooked vegetables into your diet is best because there are enzymes present in raw vegetables that really benefit the body. And since they’re so delicious it doesn’t seem like any effort at all!

Try these suggestions out to get more veggies into your diet, remember, by making small, subtle changes like the ones described here, you can transition towards a healthier diet and reap the rewards.

Technorati Tags: eat more vegetables, fat loss help, Fat Loss Nutrition, five a day, Healthy Fat Loss, lose belly fat

by papertygre

A new study from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that omega 3 deficient diets cause up to 96,000 preventable deaths annually in the U.S and was the sixth of twelve different modifiable and preventable causes.

Scary statistics indeed! I take such reports with a pinch of salt (or perhaps not so much- the fifth leading cause was hight salt intake!) but the underlying message, that the modern diet is deficient in omega-3’s and that they are crucial for good health, is one that you should take serious note of.

The human body makes many of the substances that it needs, but certain nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids (also called omega-3 fats and n-3 fats) must be consumed.
Omega-3 fatty acids are necessary for growth and development. EPA and DHA are essential for proper brain function (vision, mood, learning ability, co-ordination), they control the stickiness of the blood and also control blood cholesterol and fat levels, improve immune function and metabolism, reduce inflammation and maintain water balance.

omega fatty acids

We tend to get enough of the omega-6 variety already, so pay attention to the omega-3’s as this is where we tend to be most deficient.
The best seed oils for Omega 3 fats are flax (linseed), hemp and pumpkin. When you eat these, your body converts up to 10% of the oils into EPA and DHA.

If you want to go directly to EPA and DHA then you can eat other animals which have also done this conversion in their bodies e.g. mackerel, herring, lake trout, salmon, tune, sardines, swordfish and white fish.

Of course, there are a wide variety of essential fat supplements that you can take. Be sure to get one with omega-3 oils, many on the market contain a mixture of 3’s and 6’s with a higher ration of the 6’s.

My top tip for general good health but also to lose belly fat is to grind golden linseeds and take a tablespoon a day with or after breakfast. I have found it to be a very effective way to curb cravings and maintain concentration. Flax, as well as having high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, contains fibre and lignans- substances linked with cancer prevention.

Incidentally, a tablespoon a day especially in the week leading up to your period will significantly reduce PMS symptoms.

If you make your own bread then you can also replace some of the flour with a tablespoon or three of the ground seeds (also try ground toasted sesame and whole poppy or sunflower seeds) for an amazingly delicious bread.

Finally, the ground seeds are expensive to buy. Buy whole, organic seeds (golden linseeds) and then whizz them up in a coffee grinder, a week’s supply at a time. This way you’re getting the maximum goodness for less money.

Technorati Tags: Flax Benefits, flax nutrition

by EraPhernalia Vintage (here . . . every now & then)

Many people think that to lose belly fat you automatically have to start counting the calories- well if you’re a calorie counter then it seems that the figures you’re relying on for your calories in food may be misleading.

A new report in New Scientist (The Calorie Delusion) explains that because the method used for measuring calories in a food (literally burning them) is not the same way as we use calories in the body, the calorie figures quoted on food labels could be over or underestimating by as much as 25 per cent.

Which is scary if you’re on a strict regime, however, personally speaking I find that strict regimes are scary!
Of course it’s true that you have to regulate your food portion sizes and keep it healthy, but it seems to me that if you

• exercise every day,
• eat small meals frequently (like every 3 hours),
• never miss breakfast,
• eat plenty of vegetables and whole grains and
• drink water

then you can dispense with the minutely, obsessive counting of calories.

I’m mathematically minded but even I was unable to super-accurately keep track of even one day’s worth of food. However if it’s something that appeals to you then I’d recommend a free trial over at www.weightlossresources.co.uk.

Personally I’d rather look at the calories I’m expending- I have a Heart Rate Monitor and I love seeing how many calories I “burn” when exercising- it’s a great motivator and it can keep you honest on those days when you might be tempted to take it easy…

Technorati Tags: calories, calories in food