Looking Into Carbs, Proteins and Fats

The human body uses three specific types of energy sources; energy from carbohydrates, energy from proteins, and energy from fats. What is the difference in these energy sources and how can you ensure you are fueling your body correctly?

Carbohydrates are typically recommended to account for 40-45% of a healthy diet. Carbohydrates, because they break down so quickly, are your body’s main source for fuel and energy. Most carbohydrates digest in two hours or less so many nutritionists advise that ingested carbs be packed with fiber to slow the excretion of sugars into the blood stream. If you are consuming more carbs than you are burning, then carbohydrates will ultimately be stored in your body as fat. This is the reason there are condescending views on carbohydrates but if they are not eaten in excess, then they are actually a very healthy method of energy. On the contrary, if you are eating too little carbs, then your body will begin to steal energy from neighboring muscles causing detrimental muscle loss; and don’t forgot, your heart is also a muscle. Therefore, cutting out carbs completely can be really unhealthy for your heart, amongst other muscles within your body.

Proteins are the building blocks of your body’s muscle makeup. They should compensate for 25-30% of your daily intake, and most nutritionists will recommend lean meats as opposed to red, fatty meats. Portion sizes, especially in America, are often overgrown. An actual portion size of protein should be no larger than a deck or cards or an average sized fist. If you are an avid weightlifter, or if you do some type of physical activity where you are exerting large amounts of energy, you may want to consider adding a few more grams of protein to your diet each day. There are a plethora of healthy products out there, such as protein powder or protein shakes, to help you accomplish this mission. Children, especially very active children, should definitely be ingesting a higher amount of protein on a daily basis as well.

Fats, despite their bad reputation, are actually recommended to makeup approximately 30-35% of your daily intake. That is more than your protein intake! There are three types of fats. The worst type of fats will increase your LDL, lipoprotein cholesterol, which is unhealthy cholesterol. Foods that increase LDL will be listed as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. The second worst type of fats are saturated fats. They may take up to 10% of your daily fat intake and can be found in most fatty meats and dairy products. Lastly, there are the good fats; good fats are normally derived from naturally oily substances such as olive oil, nuts, avocados, and grape seeds. If you are going to be consuming fats, the best way to do it is with these healthy fats. They are, in moderation, good for heart health and circulation.

Diets in general are always about balance. If you use moderation when consuming your meals, you will be able to ensure that you will not ingest too much of one food energy source!

How Healthy Watermelon Can Be

Are all fruits the same? Do they not all provide good nutrition and help keep your body healthy? Certainly all fruits are better choices to consume over snack foods or fatty ones, but some are certainly more superior than others. Nutrition is watermelon for example should be looked into if you are seeking a delicious food to aide in your weight loss journey.

Watermelon is a very popular choice for fruit salads and barbeque foods around the world as well as a common favorite among children. What some people do not know is that it is also a very smart option for anyone trying to lose weight. It is fulfilling and most importantly it keeps you busy while you are eating it. One of the best tricks to staying trim is to always eat foods that take you awhile to eat or ones that have the ability to hold your attention for longer periods of time. When you eat pretzels for example it takes awhile to eat them, you must chew them up for minutes just to digest them and the longer you take to eat your foods the longer you take to digest them allowing your stomach to get full by consuming less amounts of food.

The nutrition of watermelon is pretty good compared to other foods. It contains no fat which is great and is a great source of Vitamins A and C. Watermelon also contains fiber and carbohydrates which your body needs to use a main fuel source for energy during the day. It does contain sugar in each slice of watermelon, but the sugar that is consumed in fruits is a more natural form of sugar and if consumed sparingly you will not fall off your dieting at all. In fact, watermelon is so useful when dieting because it actually works as a diuretic and helps aide in better digestion and helps keep your bowels on a more regular schedule as well. For a great breakfast, you can indulge in a few slices of watermelon and some cottage cheese to receive a good source of protein and carbohydrates that you need each day to keep you going strong. At lunchtime you can combine your nutritional watermelon along with a sandwich or yogurt for a fulfilling lunch that is very low in calories. It is very affordable to enjoy watermelon and in most cities you can find it all spring and summer long when it is ripe and in season. There is nothing easier than enjoying foods you love when they are providing a healthy additive to your life. use watermelon all year round if you can locate it in your local grocery store as a fresh snack.

Keep A Food Journal For Weight Loss

Are you looking to lose weight, but aren't sure of how to begin? Have you had problems losing weight in the past? One thing that can help tremendously in losing weight is keeping a food journal. Yes, writing down everything you eat might seem tedious at first, but you will see very quickly that it is worth the effort.

First, start making the food journal *before* you start your weight loss plan.  Not only does it make you more aware of exactly what it is you are putting in your body, it gives you a 'visual' to help you decide what changes to make as time goes on. If you utilize the food journal correctly you will write down every snack, drink and meal that you consume each day for about one week. By doing this you can then begin to create your weight loss plan going forward. Take the week that you worth down all of your foods and add the calories up for each day. Next, go onto to free calorie weight chart and see how close you were to the amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight. If you are way over that amount then you know what you need to do to lose the weight. If you are under then look closely at the foods you were eating. Were they high in fat or sugar? How many servings of vegetables and fruits did you consume during the week? Look closely at the food choices you were making and in most cases you will notice there are many poor food choices that you will need to change.

Next, you must begin your new weight loss food plan and map out the entire week or weeks ahead of you with which meals and snacks you will be eating. Track your progress in your food journal and write everything down, even the times when you may cheat off of your diet and they can be very crucial. When you write it all down you are not only receiving the benefits of learning exactly how many calories you are consuming each day, but you are also noticing a pattern as far as which times of the day you are more prone to stray from your diet and when you need to play close attention to having the right foods in the house to avoid those occurrences in the near future. You will continue the food entries into your journal for quite some time after you have reached your weight loss goals to track your progression and to also look into any changes you may need make for the future. You will also receive other benefits by keeping a food journal such as which foods may be making you sick and which foods result in giving you more energy during the day and which ones make you tired as well.

Is It Possible To Achieve A Great Body Naturally?

While the focus continues to remain on millions of people men and women, young and old trying to achieve a perfect body image, the issue to obtain that look naturally can be the biggest challenge. Many men and women are turning to performance enhancing drugs and to over the counter diet drugs to stay in tip top shape. While some of these may be safe alternatives to give you that boost that mother nature simply did not, some of them can be very dangerous.

Everyone now knows the dangers using steroids can have on the body and on the mind, so there is no need to get into that subject, but what about all of the other pills and supplement drinks that many think are completely safe when they actually are not at all. Women fall prey to taking water weight reduction pills, they take diet pills and they tend ot have very dangerous eating habits that can seriously harm them. The question remains, can you actually build muscle and get a great fit and trim body naturally? The answer to this is an astounding yes! There are three components to getting that perfect body you are looking for naturally and they are getting enough rest, eating the proper foods and getting enough exercise. It is really that simple, the first is one of the most important which is getting enough sleep. When you lack in sleep, your workouts to follow the next day will be less productive and you also have a tendency to eat more calories after you have not slept well. Eating the right foods, you will need to drink enough water each day and always have a healthy diet of proteins and healthy carbohydrate choices to get the body that you want. When you eat junk foods your body simply does not know what to do with them, it takes longer to digest them and of course, they result in putting weight on your body. What you need to possess is enough self discipline to actually continue to eat the right foods on a regular basis and also to continue pushing yourself to get in those workouts. Once you begin to make the choices for meals and snacks that are great for getting into shape such as lean meats and good side options such as brown rice and fresh vegetables, your body will fall right into place with your workouts and the muscles crave that kind of food. Make exercise a weekly activity, use weight training as well as cardio exercises to get the most out of your fitness plans. The results will come much quicker if you incorporate all three components of good rest, good diet and plenty of exercise to get to your fitness goals and once you get there it will be much easier to maintain your figure from that point on. Stick to your plans, and realize that the goal can be obtained naturally with some determination and encouragement to have that body you always wanted.