Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Tip of the day for the rest of your new years resolution days...


PART II - Change your diet!

I'm sure we all know people who complain about their weight and how much they "exercise" but continue to pig out and eat whatever they want. You know the saying, "You are what you eat" and the saying could never be more truer.

I want you to think about this... Other than air and water to survive, what's the next most important thing? Food. Duh. We eat food everyday because we NEED food to live. So if food is that important, then why put so little thought into it and stuff yourself with junk? Also, if food is that important, then it MUST be doing something to and for your body. What you eat and how it gets digested and processed is directly affecting your insides and mirrors on the outside.

So the tip of the day is to change your diet. I cannot stress it enough. Working out everyday but eating unhealthy will do nothing for you and obviously you won't see any results.

You can try all the fad diets all you want, but you need to change the number of calories you intake daily, the kinds of food you eat, when you eat etc. Stay away from processed foods. Eat your greens and fruits. Cut-down on refined sugar products. Also, no need to fully cut out carbs or fats. Just eat them in moderation. You need a little bit of everything but at the same time too much of a good thing is not a good thing, so find balance

Last tip, if you crave fast food or other junks, please set one day or one meal a week to be your cheat day/meal. To have a cheat day is absolutely necessary psychologically and also physically. However, do not binge. Get a control your cravings before they control you! It's been about 10 months since I had a soda and 1 year and 3 months since I've had a piece of candy and I'm going on strong. So once you get the hang of it junk food will look, well, like junk.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Tip of the day for the rest of your days...



The holiday season is pretty much here and most of us are probably rushing to finish our last minute Christmas shopping. Busy malls, packed parking lots and long line ups usually don't give us enough time to eat healthy, especially at a mall. But you possibly cannot continue to shop without eating. So what do you do? Mall's don't offer the healthiest of meals, but when you really, really don't have a choice here's a list of the best of the worst a food court can offer:

McDonald's

Chicken McNuggets (4 pieces without fries and soda)
Calories 190
Fat 12g
Saturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 30g
Protein 10g
Carbohydrates 11g
Sodium 400mg

Egg McMuffin
Calories 300
Fat 12g
Saturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 260g
Protein 18g
Carbohydrates 30g
Fiber 2g
Sugars 3mg
Sodium 820mg

Premium Caesar Salad without Chicken
Calories90
Fat 4g
Saturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 10g
Protein 7g
Carbohydrates 9g
Fiber 3g
Sugars 4mg
Sodium 180mg

Quiznos

Honey Bourbon Chicken Sub (Small)
Calories 280
Fat 4g
Saturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 35g
Protein 22g
Carbohydrates 41g
Fiber 3g
Sugars 3mg
Sodium 760mg
Mesquite Chicken with Bacon Sub (Small)
Calories 360
Fat 10g
Saturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 45g
Protein 26g
Carbohydrates 41g
Fiber 3g
Sugars 1mg
Sodium 940mg

Chicken Sammie
Calories 190
Fat 4g
Saturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 20g
Protein 12g
Carbohydrates 26g
Fiber 2g
Sugars 1mg
Sodium 400mg

Subway
Roast Beef Sub (Small with cheese)
Calories 190
Fat 4g
Saturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 15g
Protein 13g
Carbohydrates30g
Fiber 4g
Sugars 5mg
Sodium 600mg

Turkey Breast Sub (Small with cheese)
Calories 190
Fat 3g
Saturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 15g
Protein 12g
Carbohydrates 30g
Fiber 4g
Sugars 5mg
Sodium 670mg

Taco Bell

Beef Soft Taco
Calories 170
Fat 10g
Saturated Fat 4g
Cholesterol 25g
Protein 8g
Carbohydrates 13g
Fiber 3g
Sugars 1mg
Sodium 350mg

Chicken Burrito Supreme
Calories 400
Fat 13g
Saturated Fat 6g
Cholesterol 45g
Protein 20g
Carbohydrates 49g
Fiber 6g
Sugars 5mg
Sodium 160mg

Wendy's

Chicken Caesar Salad
Calories 180
Fat 4g
Saturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 75g
Protein 28g
Carbohydrates 8g
Fiber 3g
Sugars 3mg
Sodium 690mg

Jr. Hamburger
Calories 220
Fat 8g
Saturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 30g
Protein 13g
Carbohydrates 26g
Fiber 1g
Sugars 5mg
Sodium 490mg

Mandarin Chicken Salad
Calories 180
Fat 2g
Saturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 65g
Protein 24g
Carbohydrates 16g
Fiber 2g
Sugars 12mg
Sodium 630mg

This is obviously a very short list of the many fast food chains you see in a mall and the nutritional value may vary at locations. Just be smart eaters and make sure you know what you're putting into your body!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Tip of the day for the rest of your days...


Organic produce seems to be the big thing these days and genetically modified produce seems to be a no no. Differentiate the difference by looking at the labels more carefully. 

Instead of looking at labels for just the title and whether it says "organic", check out the UPC code on the labels. UPC codes beginning with the number "4" means the produce is conventionally grown using pesticide and other preservatives. Codes beginning with the number "8" means the produce has been genetically modified and codes beginning with "9" means the produce is organically grown. 

However, be weary of what you buy because "organic" doesn't always mean organic. The best produce is Ontario grown produce and whatever is in season. Less chemicals and preservatives are used on your produce if it is Ontario grown and in season.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Tip of the day for the rest of your days...

Okay, so since we've been on the topic of detox for a few days now, I feel I need to cover an important area of detox. As a student of Chinese medicine, it is important for me to recognize that the kidneys are the centre of a person's hereditary energy and plays an important role in vitality and longevity of life. The kidneys cleanse, filter, reabsorb nutrients, excrete toxic waste, control blood pressure and so much more. For the older folks, as you age, the first organ to usually weaken are the kidneys and one of the clear signs of a weakening kidney is hearing loss. So let's take care of our kidneys with, you got it, parsley!

Parsley aids kidney function by eliminating waste and toxins in the kidney and prevents the re-absorption of those toxins. Thus, effective against many kidney and urinary complaints.

There are so many other health benefits of parsley that one could probably write a book on it. But here is the gist of it:

- Acts an anti-oxidant in the blood stream
- Kills bacteria
- Reduces bad breath
- Purifies the blood and helps to repair vessels
- Aids in digestion of proteins and fats (Good for those guys who wanna bulk up!)
- Lowers cholesterols
- Boosts the immune system
- Aids in irregular menstruation and pain
- Acts as a diuretic and reduces edema and water retention
- Fights fatigue
And so much more...
But wait, how can I forget? Aids in weight loss by removing dreaded water retention.

Now you're probably wondering how you can use parsley. Easy! Just boil a handful of parsley in hot water, let it steep and drink. Do this once a month to keep the pipes clean!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Tip of the day for the rest of your days...



Next time you're studying for an exam or writing a paper, instead of reaching for a bag of chips or candy, grab a handful of almonds instead. Almonds will give you that extra boost of energy to study strong, improve brainpower and cognitive function and OF COURSE slim down your waistline. A perfect snack to fight off the "freshman fifteen" while making the grades!

The health benefits of almonds are nearly endless. On top of boosting energy, improving cognitive function and slimming you down, almonds also:

- Prevents cancer
- Protects you against diabetes
- Eases constipation
- Reduces risk of heart disease
- Lowers cholesterol
- Regulates blood pressure
- Prevents birth defects
- Protects your skin against premature aging