Pure Power - Laying Down The Law

It is a law of nature that energy can be neither created nor destroyed, but can be converted from one form to another. Keeping this in mind, and knowing that the things we eat and drink are used to build our bodies, the high prices of organic products in the supermarket may be justified. After all, who would not be willing to pay a bit more to ensure that what we put into our bodies is as pure as possible, with the least amount of genetic modifications or added artificial preservatives? Likewise, a glass of tap water from your kitchen sink is likely to taste a bit different from the ice cold water you gather in your hands fresh from a mountain spring, untouched by human hands or mechanized processes.

Pure and Simple
Not all of us have access to markets which sell products that are whole, pure and healthy. In fact, a majority of people in the world, when they do have access to enough food, are faced with a choice between affordability and quality; you cannot always have both. Inexpensive food like what is available at fast food restaurants is terribly unhealthy in most cases, while the purest and freshest ingredients are off limits to anyone without a healthy disposable income. It is not an ideal situation, but with a bit of creativity you can alter your eating habits to ensure the highest quality energy is entering your body.

Along with purity comes simplicity, by virtue of pure products being free of a lot of chemical additives and processing. When you learn to live with a limited list of items that provide the necessary nutrients for good health, you are free to experiment with novel ways to add flavor and texture. Most of the recipes that come from peasant societies are based on high nutritional value for a low cost, and modern women would do well to modify such dishes to suit their tastes. For example, there is no need to pay money for canned soup containing dozens of additives and preservatives, not to mention sky high quantities of salt, when you can make a delicious soup from a handful of lentils and a couple of carrots. When you add a few spices to the mix and drizzle a bit of olive oil on top, you will be amazed at how enjoyable it can be to eat well.

Addition By Subtraction
If you wonder how you can incorporate strategies like this into your life to feel the power of pure energy, you might take a look at success stories of people who have made the change.

[Continue reading...]

Is Cereal Allowed On The Nutrisystem Diet?

I sometimes hear from folks wanting to know if they will still be able to eat their favorite food on Nutrisystem. Sometimes, they are asking about comfort foods like pizza or hamburgers. Other times, they are asking about their favorite staple - that they go to time and time again - like cereal.

I might hear from someone who says: "I am a cereal fiend. I love it. It is not unusual for me to take it far past breakfast. Sometimes, I even have it for dinner or for a snack. Are you allowed to have cereal on Nutrisystem? And if so, what kind?"

The answer is that yes, you have all types of cereal options (including hot and cold) on Nutrisystem. I will go over some of the details below.

Cold Cereals: I think that most people who ask about cereal on Nutrisystem are referring to the cold cereals and not the oatmeal. I will outline the oatmeal a little later. But for now, let's talk about your cold cereal options.

The Sweetened O's: This cereal is a lot like the frosted O cereal you find in the grocery store. There is a hint of sweetness to it. A serving is only 110 calories and it is rated over four out of five stars by dieters.

The Granola Cereal: I love granola but it is often not included in any diet plan because regular granola can be very high in fat. This version isn't. It only has 2.5 grams of fat and it includes both granola and almonds. It is rated a perfect five start by over 400 users. It's extremely popular. I have to agree with the good reviews. This is my favorite cold cereal on the menu.

Nutri Flakes Cereal: I would compare this to flaked, bran cereal. It does have a bran type of taste, which is why I prefer it with fruit like blueberries or strawberries. But many people do like this, which is why it has a four star rating.

Oatmeal Or Hot Cereal Options: There are basically two flavors to choose from here. Apple cinnamon (which is rated four stars) and maple and brown sugar (which is rated four and a half stars.) I find both quite good, but of the two, I prefer the apple and cinnamon because it does contain chunks of apples in it and I like fruit in my oatmeal.

I hope that this article has shown you that you don't have to give up cereal while on this diet. You are absolutely allowed to have it and you have a decent amount of choices also.

[Continue reading...]

The Green Diet

Some foods can minimize the likelihood of inflammation and help the weight-controlling hormones to do what they do best: control our appetite and balance our blood sugar. These include fruits, vegetables, oily fish, nuts and seeds and their oils, whole grains and herbs and spices. All we can use for one green diet smoothie or start with the green diet.

- Herbs and spices are important because they are rich in antioxidants, substances that protect body cells from the damage created when the inflammatory process is in full swing. Antioxidants are like protective parents that form a shield around our body's cells and absorb free radicals, which lose their destructive energy and are safely excreted from the body.

- If you cut an apple in half and leave one half uncovered for 20 minutes you can see free radical damage occurring. The apple starts to go brown and dries up because it reacts with the oxygen in the air causing free radicals to be formed. If you soak the other half in lemon juice however, it retains its white color and texture. This is because it has been protected by the vitamin C in lemon juice. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant.

- The antioxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory properties of herbs and spices encourage fat burning while reducing fat storage. They also add flavor and excitement to food, which results in reduced salt consumption. Too much salt prompts fluid retention, another fat-loss adversary.

- It seems that every diet I have ever tried involved way too much shopping. All the nutrients that are important for fat loss appear to be richest in fresh foods, but after the first few days of struggling to find the time to shop fresh, I always returned to ready-made chilled foods. When I spotted a diet on the internet that promised weight loss by eating foods from the freezer, I learned that frozen fruits and vegetables are packed with almost as much nutritional punch as their fresh counterparts (sometimes more). If you have a few bags in the freezer you can create soups and smoothies, super-fast! I now always have at least six bags of frozen fruits and vegetables in the freezer and no longer have a weight problem.

- I drink chilled green tea mixed with fresh fruit juice and sparkling water when hunger strikes. Why it works: We often confuse hunger with thirst. A glass of water can take the edge off our hunger, but water can be unexciting. Caffeine-rich green tea mixed with deliciously sweet, vitamin-rich fresh fruit juice and topped up with fizzy water is a great idea. A filling, fat-burning and more exciting solution when water just isn't enough!

- I always have three apples and a bag of almonds in my handbag. Apples (and pears) are high in pectin, which helps reduce fat absorption; and they're rich in soluble fiber, which slows down the absorption of sugars into the bloodstream. Almonds are a great protein/essential fat combination. The two together make for a balanced, fat-burning and filling snack; perfect on the go.

[Continue reading...]