Whole Grains Vs. Regular Grains

There are a lot of different grains out there and chances are that you already eat your fair share of them in your diet. At the same time however the average person doesn't get enough whole grains in their system throughout the day!

You should try to aim for about half your daily grain intake throughout the day to be whole grains, that way you will receive the adequate nutrients that your body needs. Basically put grains are the seeds of grasses that are used in the cultivation of foods.

Types of grains

1. Whole grains. This type of grain hasn't been through the refining process and therefore still retains its 'germ' and all its nutrients remain present. Also, because it has not been through the refining process it is a better source of fibre and other important nutrients! Whole grains are usually single foods such as brown rice and ingredients of food like whole wheat in bread.

2. Refined grains. These are grains that have been through the refining process and therefore have less fibre and nutrients than their whole grain counter-parts. Because they are refined they are finer in texture and have a longer shelf life, but won't keep you as full as whole grains.

3. Enriched grains. These have been through the refinement process but have then had extra nutrients added back to them at a later stage! Like refined grains, enriched grains also have added nutrients that don't naturally occur in them. However, despite the effort to add nutrients, many of the nutrients that are lost during refinement can never be replaced.

Types of whole grains

• Barley
• Brown rice
• Buckwheat
• Bulgur (cracked wheat)
• Millet
• Oatmeal
• Popcorn
• Whole-wheat bread, pasta or crackers
• Wild rice

It is usually difficult to tell the difference between unrefined grains and refined grains because of added colouring. The best way to tell the difference is look for the word whole on the packaging.

How to add whole grains to your diet

1. Eat breakfast that includes whole grains
2. Eat whole wheat toast
3. Rather have sandwiches using whole grain bread
4. Replace white rice with brown rice

Whole grains and weight loss

If you are trying to lose a bit of weight, whole grain foods are a great place to start! Losing weight can be done in many ways but one way is all about consuming less-calories while staying fuller for longer. The concept is called energy density.

Basically energy density is about rather consuming certain foods over others because they have fewer calories in them for example:
• A cup of grapes has about 80 calories which gives it a low energy density rating.
• A cup of raisins has about 450 calories giving it a high energy density rating.

So it is not necessary to cut certain foods out altogether, rather by being aware of their energy density you can consume less.

At the end of the day it isn't necessary to cut out refined grains altogether, rather try have a good mix of both the refined and whole grains to ensure maximum nutrition. Also by having a mix of the two you will find that meals become more interesting with the different flavours!

 

Author:  Justin Greyling

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4 Tips for Lasting Weight Loss

Everyone can agree on one thing and that is actions leads to results, and an action repeated over a long enough time frame will eventually form a habit. As the old computer adage goes; garbage in, garbage out, therefore if we have bad fat burning habits we invariably experience bad results in our weight loss!

For example, if an individual were to have the habit of going to the gym for 30 minutes a day after work, eventually they would start seeing some good weight loss results, such as losing a few pounds. The real question then is for how long has the habit in question been in use for, because obviously a person couldn't spend 6 hours at the gym and see any results in one day!


Here are 4 tips on building sustainable weight loss habits:

Building confidence

 

Past experiences, the ones and the bad ones are just learning opportunities for an individual to improve themselves. Consider what was learned from the experience and what actions can be taken in order to make an improvement. Plans can then be made in order to start forming the new habits that will lead to greater weight loss success.

 

Routines

 

Sticking to any sort of weight loss program will be easier it is a part of a routine that you don't have to think about. Just think of someone gets to being overweight in the first place, they don't consciously think over indulging in unhealthy foods. Make sure that your weight loss routine is one that you can perform over the long, and not just some fad that will lasts a week.

 

When it comes to routines, success breeds success, so the more 'little' victories you have the easier it will become to create bigger victories. Another tip would be to set realistic goals, after all if they aren't believable you are less likely to even start!

 

Addition not subtraction

 

It is harder to lose weight if you are focusing on all the things that you are giving up on especially if you are giving up on some of your favourite food. So it is my advice that you rather start focusing in some of the things you are adding to your life like, feeling fit, strong and healthier! Also make sure that you always celebrate all of your victories in order to build momentum towards your healthier lifestyle.

Personalize your weight loss routines

 

The more your weight loss program is your own the less likely you are to 'rebel' against it and quit on your diet! Make sure also that you add a 'cheat meal' into your routine at least once a week because after all you need to enjoy yourself a little as well. Do whatever it takes, within reason, to make your weight loss routine sustainable and pleasurable!

 

It's always important to think long-term in-order for you to not only burn the fat off but also, more importantly, keep it off. Just remember to take little steps in order to keep your weight loss as manageable as possible!

 

Author:   Justin Grayling

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Relax With a Mug of Coffee to Go Faster

Regular practice has prepared you to take on the next strenuous challenge, which may be a bicycle race, mountain bike cross-country trek, 10K mini-marathon or a hike in the hills with some challenging rock climbing ahead. On some days, your muscles seem willing to overpower the course and you feel ready to take on challenges that are more difficult. Then, inexplicably, you struggle to perform a routine that you have performed with ease a hundred times before. About halfway through the course, you feel your energy drain away, your muscles begin to strain and the finish line seems too far away. Climbing up that rock face seemed easy, but the way down is proving to be problematic. Losing your grip now can have catastrophic results. 

 

Of course, many factors contribute to your performance on any given day, beyond general conditioning. Adequate sleep the night before, diet, hydration and rest are just a few of the important influences on your strength and endurance. If you have experienced the unexpected drain of muscle power, doing one simple thing may help to provide the boost of energy and strength just when you need it. You may just go a little faster, and your strength may last a little longer because of it.

 

About one hour before you start the race or other strenuous activity, drink a large cup of caffeinated coffee. Regardless of whether the exercise is a brief sprint up a hill, or a long hike or cross-country mountain biking event, the caffeine in coffee helps you to improve your strength and endurance. Caffeine boosts your brain's performance as well, so you will be less likely to lose concentration during the race, keeping your feet firmly placed on the road, your tires on the track or your fingers gripped onto the right crack in the rock face.

 

The polyphenols in coffee are powerful antioxidants that help to support brain health and lower blood pressure. These antioxidants, combined with the caffeine, also help your body to recover from exercise more quickly by accelerating the recovery of glycogen levels. Athletes often drink carbohydrates and protein drinks after races to speed recovery. Adding a cup of coffee into the mix works even better.

 

It is possible to overdo the caffeine intake, so it is important to limit yourself to one large cup before the race. A caffeine overdose can make you light-headed and dizzy, create a feeling of anxiety and even produce heart palpitations. All of these are conditions that you want to avoid during any strenuous physical activity and a race in particular. In addition, the extra caffeine won't do anything to further boost your performance.

 

The timing of the caffeine intake is important as the peak benefits in performance are experienced about an hour or two after you drink the coffee. The combination of polyphenols and caffeine in coffee seems to work better than pure caffeine supplements so leave those behind and brew your up your own natural booster. Enjoy that morning cup and hit the road faster and stronger.

Author:   Patrick Smyth

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Seeds Are Nutrition Powerhouses

Plants have a perfectly designed approach for ensuring the survival of their species. Every flower or fruit produced by the plant is packed with seeds. Some seeds are microscopic, like the seed of the orchid, so small that it looks like dust. Others are gigantic such as the seed of a palm tree native to the Seychelles that can grow up to twelve inches long and weigh as much as forty pounds.

Despite their size differences, all of these seeds have something in common; they are packed with nutrition. Nature has no idea what type of soil or nutrients will be available externally. To give each seed the best fighting chance when conditions are favourable for germination, the plant packs it with a variety of essential nutrients that can sustain the young sprout until its roots are capable of extracting nutrients from the soil. 

 

 

 

A wide variety of these seeds is edible and they add nutrition, flavours and new textures into our regular diets. They can also be great replacements for products that are sources of allergies, as in some nuts, and those that are far less nutritious, as in wheat crackers. Add a few seeds to your diet every day or as a snack and you'll gain valuable vitamins, minerals, proteins and essential fatty acids to your diet. Choose raw natural seeds to get the biggest bang for your buck. Roasting breaks down many essential nutrients and may even produce substances that are toxic to your system. This also applies to seeds that are coated with sugar, no matter how tempting those chocolate-coated sunflower seeds may be.

 

Many of these seeds can be thrown into a salad to add texture and nutrition, others can be used to make a seed butter, similar to almond butter and they can be eaten as a nutrient-packed snack between meals. You can also find a recipe for a multi-seed cracker that is simple to make and a highly nutritious replacement for wheat crackers. Add seeds to yoghurt smoothies and hot oatmeal breakfasts for a power-packed start to the day. All of these seeds are also excellent sources of fiber, which is often lacking in modern diets. Adding a variety of seeds to your regular diet can boost your brain health and your immune system and help to protect you from diseases including diabetes and heart disease.

 

A few commonly available seeds are worth noting. First among these is the diminutive chia seed. The chia seed is no longer the brunt of jokes from its Chia Pet fame. This little seed is loaded with protein, antioxidants, iron, calcium, vitamin C and omega-3 oil. Next comes hemp seed, which may be the richest source of essentially fatty acids available of any known food substance, including fish. The fatty acids in hemp seeds are provided in a form that is readily available to the body and similar to the form found in the body itself. It also includes all nine of the essential amino acids required by our bodies for optimal health.  Flax seeds are often used in weight loss diet plans to improve digestion by adding fibre and suppressing the appetite. The fatty acids in flax are also known for their anti-inflammatory properties.

 

 

Pumpkins seeds are gaining in popularity because they produce alkaline rather than acidic material in your body. Pumpkin seeds also supply a lot of protein and vitamin B complex nutrients. Pumpkin seeds are rich in tryptophan, an essential amino acid that helps to keep your mood balanced.

 

Sunflower seeds are rich in vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that supports healthy cells. Sunflower seeds also provide magnesium and they are believed to help lower cholesterol. Finally, sesame seeds are mineral powerhouses, loaded with manganese, copper, calcium, zinc, iron and phosphorous. They also provide vitamin B1 and are believed to have positive effects on lowering cholesterol.

 

The list of edible seeds is quite long and the flavours and textures are just as varied. Search for them in your local supermarket and have fun adding them to your favourite dishes and replacing some of your snacks with these highly nutritious choices. Take some with you when you travel and nutritious food options seem to be hard to find.

 

 

 

 

Author:   Patrick Smyth

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5 Ways to Sneak Fruit and Veg Into Your Fat Burning Diet

Do you like fruit and veg? Well, it's not a favourite part of my diet either, and I'm guessing many of you out there feel the same way! However if you are trying to burn unwanted body fat, fruit and veg are going to be a vital part of your diet. The real trick is then to sneak them into your diet rather than unwillingly to force them down your throat.

Let's face it there is a ton of fruit and veg in the world and yet, most people don't consume enough of it. In fact such little fruit and veg is consumed that it could be considered as a major public health concern for both children and adults.

How much is enough?

An important factor to consider is portion size, how much fruit and veg should you be taking in every day? You should aim to at least fill half your plate with fruit and veg. Another important factor to consider is what types of fruit and veg you should be consuming. The best way to answer that question is to simply refer to the colours of the rainbow. As long as you are including at least one fruit or vegetable from each colour of the rainbow you should receive the maximum nutrition for that meal.

Which fruit and veg is the best?

There is no simple answer to this question, instead purchase produce that is in season at the moment. This way they will be at their cheapest and at their peak flavour. Canned fruit and veg will work just as well, as long as they are stored in their own juices or water, however try avoid frozen produce as they typically contain more sugar than normal for added flavour!

5 Ways to get sneaky with your fruit and vegetables.

1. Quick snacks. Keep produce that require very little preparation and freshly cut fruit and veg for the 'on the go' snack. This is a handy little trick especially if you are the type of person who likes to snack while working or watching TV! Try avoiding dried fruits as these tend to contain more calories and fill you less than the fresh versions would.

2. Experiment with combos. Try mixing your fruit and vegetables for more wild and exotic tastes!

3. Create meals with fruit and vegetables as the main ingredient.



4. Mix your breakfast with fruit and veg.

5. Create delicious smoothies. Throw your fruit and veg into the blender and drink them, but stay away from prepared fruit juice at all costs as these are usually just empty calories! A good idea is to use low-fat yogurt as the filler.


There's no way to avoid it, but if you want lose weight, fresh fruit and vegetables are just going to be a part of your diet! And let's face it, it's not that fun to be shoving them down your thought every day, that's why it's best to sneak them into your body. It's all about enjoying the process, if you make it a 'gruelling' experience you will give up sooner and won't burn any fat that way!

Author:   Justin Greyling

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8 Creative Ways to Burn More Fat at Work

Are you trying to set time aside before or after work for fat burning exercise? And how is that working for you? Do you get home and make dinner only to realize that there is just simply no time left in the day for exercise? If I said you could slip extra exercise into your work routine I'm sure you would be interested!

 

Well here are a couple of tips you can use in order to burn more fat at work:

 

1. Leave your car at home! - If you live close enough to work, try walking to work or even cycling. In fact, walking is one of the easiest and healthiest ways of burning fat.

 

2. Stand more - because standing burns off more fat than sitting, try looking for opportunities to stand rather than sitting. You can do this by switching your 'sitting desk' to a 'standing desk', standing while eating your lunch and also walking to other department in your company instead of messaging/calling them.

 

3. Have a break have a... fitness break! - Instead of hanging out in the lounge with coffee and snacks at the tea/coffee break time, go for a stroll outside or do some stretching. This also improves your diet by cutting out on all the sugar that is usually associated with this break time.

 

4. Use a fitness ball instead of a chair - this might seem odd but is great way to burn fat, if you can balance, that is. Also you will be building your core muscles which in turn will help in the fat burning process.

 

5. Keep hand weights at your desk - Do a couple of arm curls in between meetings. You can even mix it up by keeping other exercise equipment such as stretchy cords that provide resistance when you pull on them.

 

 

 

6. Create a lunchtime walking group - this is great exercise for your lunch break, get a few work colleagues together and go for a walk! And on the plus side if you are a very social person you will love this part of your work day while burning fat!

 

7. Do a couple of 'walking meetings' - Instead of meeting or brainstorming at a desk, if it is practical get up and do it on the go. And besides if it is new ideas you are looking for, then the extra blood flow will definitely help the creativity juices.

 

8. Get there faster - if you are lucky enough to have a job that involves a lot of walking, then pick up the pace and you will burn more calories.

 

 

Well there you go, as long as you aren't wasting any time at work these tips will definitely you on your weight loss journey. You probably aren't going to replace all your 'after hour exercise' with these tips, but they will definitely make up what you are missing on the odd occasions and can get you past those few extra stubborn pounds.

 

Author:   Justin Grayling

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Fast Weight Loss With Increased Metabolism

The main reason to consume food is to gain energy and have enough strength to perform the daily tasks. Therefore the breakdown of the food items into enzymes is very essential. If enough calories are not burnt inside of your body, then this would get collected as extra flesh and result in obesity. To burn the calories the only process that is found responsible is metabolism. If there are ways that one can increase the rate of metabolism, then surely the fats can be cut down on the body. It is not required for someone to keep searching for the different ways to reduce the body weight. Plan a good diet and workout, and everything would just fall in place to gain an attractive personality.

 

There are some processes that are not under the control of the humans, for example, the calories required by the different processes in the human system cannot be decided, these can only be determined. But, how many calories an individual can burn in a day are under control as it can be regulated with a few changes in the daily routine.

 

1. Avoid starvation mode. This is a myth amongst many that to starve and to deprive of oneself from food can help in losing weight. Rather, this can cause harmful effects. Not taking enough amount of food deprives the body from the energy needed and metabolism would crawl as it did not find enough energy to continue.

 

2. Drinking enough water is suggested as one of the best ways to maintain a healthy system. 8 to 12 glasses of water consumption is not much, anyone can manage to take this amount and it has been found that people who maintain this amount of water have a higher metabolism rate.

 

3. Green tea has proven great results too. It promotes fat burning with a compound named ECGC. A study says that an individual can reduce up to 4 to 5 percent of body weight if consumes 3 to 5 cups of green tea for at least 12 weeks.

 

4. Intake calcium, it will help metabolization efficiently. There are certain supplements, which can work as fast weight loss pills. Stop believing that overcutting of calories is anyway going to be beneficial in losing weight, rather healthy meals, consumption of proteins and maintaining a pile on protein along with the necessary workout is all that is required.

 

A body should get everything that is needed to increase the metabolism so that the unnecessary fat can be cut down easily. Remember that no one is convincing you to eat more, but, only to meet the required energy levels for which 6 mini meals are preferable than having 3 huge meals.

 

Alcohol consumption is widely accepted all over, but having an alcoholic beverage before the meal can cause to consume about 200 calories more, thus, it would be better if it is avoided. A healthy diet and a good workout to increase the metabolism help more than any weight loss tablets.

 

Author:  Rohit Bisht


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