Starfruit
Your carefree summer won't have consequences with this island-inspired indulgence.
One large starfruit—similar in taste and texture to a pineapple—is 38 calories.
Dry-Roasted Peanuts
Summer baseball games and boardwalk adventures are a must for summer fun, but be wary of tempting foods, like corn dogs or nachos.
If you're craving a little something salty, opt for a bag of peanuts. Just 12 dry-roasted peanuts are 72 calories. Plus, they're fun to crack!
Grilled Halibut, Bay Leaf, and Lemon Kebabs
Mini skewers of halibut, fresh lemon slices, and bay leaves add a fancy touch to a casual weekend barbecue. And, they're quick and easy to make!
Halibut is one of the best sources of selenium, a powerful disease-fighting antioxidant.
Two skewers are 90 calories.
Green seedless grapes
This little oval fruit is a delicious and healthy poolside snack. Pluck half a cup of green seedless grapes in your mouth for 52 calories.
Tip: For an even cooler treat, freeze grapes first, then serve.
Monday, 22 July 2013
35 Summer Foods Under 90 Calories (Part 1)
Guilt-free grazing
You trained hard to get in shape for summer, so don't let tempting summer foods get in the way. Here are 35 delicious summer treats, snacks, and drinks that are low in calories.
Fruit Kebab with Chocolate Drizzle
This colorful and juicy treat will satisfy any sweet tooth. Snack on one fruit kebab for 62 calories.
How to make: 1 strawberry; 1 piece each kiwi, cantaloupe, pineapple; and 2 blueberries skewered and drizzled with 1 tsp. Hershey's chocolate syrup.
Yellow Tomato Gazpacho in Cucumber Cups
Take advantage of ripe lycopene-rich summer tomatoes and make these cute cucumber cups stuffed with yellow tomato gazpacho.
Crunch on four cucumber cups for just 80 calories.
You trained hard to get in shape for summer, so don't let tempting summer foods get in the way. Here are 35 delicious summer treats, snacks, and drinks that are low in calories.
Fruit Kebab with Chocolate Drizzle
This colorful and juicy treat will satisfy any sweet tooth. Snack on one fruit kebab for 62 calories.
How to make: 1 strawberry; 1 piece each kiwi, cantaloupe, pineapple; and 2 blueberries skewered and drizzled with 1 tsp. Hershey's chocolate syrup.
Yellow Tomato Gazpacho in Cucumber Cups
Take advantage of ripe lycopene-rich summer tomatoes and make these cute cucumber cups stuffed with yellow tomato gazpacho.
Crunch on four cucumber cups for just 80 calories.
Do I Really Need to Eat Breakfast?
Why You Need to Eat Breakfast
Starting your day with a meal that combines unprocessed or minimally processed grains (oats, Muesli, quinoa) and protein (Greek yogurt, eggs) improves overall health and your ability to lose weight. Here’s why: Eating breakfast sets your body up to better metabolize lunch through a phenomenon known as the second meal effect. The second meal effect describes a biochemical shift that occurs in your body as a result of eating breakfast that leads to better blood sugar control after lunch. This doesn’t happen when you skip your morning meal. But simply eating breakfast isn’t enough.
What You Should Eat for Breakfast
Most traditional breakfast foods are high in carbohydrates/sugar, low in fat, and low in protein (i.e. a bowl of cereal). If you improve the overall nutritional quality of your breakfast, you’ll reap benefits beyond just the second meal effect. Here’s your simple plan to makeover the morning meal:
1. Improve the quality of carbohydrates you’re eating for breakfast. The Cereal F.A.C.T.S. 2012 report recently released from the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity found that 63 percent of the cereals in commercials viewed by adults have a sugar content higher than 20 percent. Opt for the lower sugar, high fiber, minimally processed breakfast grains (oats, sprouted grain cereals, etc.) for better focus and mental performance throughout the morning.
2. Add protein. Having protein-rich meals throughout the day is a key strategy in maintaining calorie-burning muscles. Plus, one study found that breakfast was the only meal of the day in which increased protein helped in satiety and fullness. Make sure your breakfast contains protein-rich foods like eggs, egg whites, Greek yogurt, or a protein shake to reap these two metabolic advantages.
Starting your day with a meal that combines unprocessed or minimally processed grains (oats, Muesli, quinoa) and protein (Greek yogurt, eggs) improves overall health and your ability to lose weight. Here’s why: Eating breakfast sets your body up to better metabolize lunch through a phenomenon known as the second meal effect. The second meal effect describes a biochemical shift that occurs in your body as a result of eating breakfast that leads to better blood sugar control after lunch. This doesn’t happen when you skip your morning meal. But simply eating breakfast isn’t enough.
What You Should Eat for Breakfast
Most traditional breakfast foods are high in carbohydrates/sugar, low in fat, and low in protein (i.e. a bowl of cereal). If you improve the overall nutritional quality of your breakfast, you’ll reap benefits beyond just the second meal effect. Here’s your simple plan to makeover the morning meal:
1. Improve the quality of carbohydrates you’re eating for breakfast. The Cereal F.A.C.T.S. 2012 report recently released from the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity found that 63 percent of the cereals in commercials viewed by adults have a sugar content higher than 20 percent. Opt for the lower sugar, high fiber, minimally processed breakfast grains (oats, sprouted grain cereals, etc.) for better focus and mental performance throughout the morning.
2. Add protein. Having protein-rich meals throughout the day is a key strategy in maintaining calorie-burning muscles. Plus, one study found that breakfast was the only meal of the day in which increased protein helped in satiety and fullness. Make sure your breakfast contains protein-rich foods like eggs, egg whites, Greek yogurt, or a protein shake to reap these two metabolic advantages.
4 Weeks to a Better Body
MONDAY
Target your butt, legs, and abs.
What to do:
20 minutes of cardio activity
If you work out in a gym, try running on an elliptical trainer or riding an exercise bike with little or no resistance. If you work out at home, try walking briskly, jogging, or shadow boxing.
20 squats
To do: Stand with your hands by your sides. Sit back while raising your arms in front of you for balance until thighs are parallel to the floor. Resume your starting position.
20 lunges
To do: Stand with your hands on your hips. Step forward with your right leg until your right thigh is parallel to the floor. Resume your starting position, then step forward with your left leg.
25 dead lifts
To do: Stand with your arms hanging in front of your body with a three- to five-pound weight in each hand. Bend forward from your waist until your knuckles touch the floor. Resume your starting position.
40 crunches
40 reverse curls
To do: Lie on your back with your arms by your sides. Raise your legs toward the ceiling until they are perpendicular to it. Raise and then lower your butt two to four inches off the floor.
How to Get Rid of Underarm Fat
People can gain weight anywhere on the body, and the underarm region is no exception. Fat in that area can be unsightly and embarrassing. It is possible to lose the "double wave" via a combination of diet and exercise to burn the fat all over one's body. Read the following steps to start getting tank top ready.
1. Build muscle tone around your arms. Doing exercises that build muscle in your arms and surrounding areas will help tone the area regardless of your weight.
While you can't spot-reduce fat by working an area, you can increase the area's muscle size, which will make those areas appear leaner. For your back, perform exercises like barbell rows, back extensions and face pulls, and concentrate on chin-ups, flyes and push-ups for your armpits. Aim to do two exercises for each area per session, and stick to three to five sets of eight to 12 repetitions[1].
Use smaller weights to tone and lengthen muscles. Use heavier weights to build larger, bulkier ones.
Pilates is a great way to tone this trouble area. Make sure to work the muscles in your arms on all planes and levels. You should be working above your head, out in front of you, behind, pushing and pulling.
Read more:
1. Build muscle tone around your arms. Doing exercises that build muscle in your arms and surrounding areas will help tone the area regardless of your weight.
While you can't spot-reduce fat by working an area, you can increase the area's muscle size, which will make those areas appear leaner. For your back, perform exercises like barbell rows, back extensions and face pulls, and concentrate on chin-ups, flyes and push-ups for your armpits. Aim to do two exercises for each area per session, and stick to three to five sets of eight to 12 repetitions[1].
Use smaller weights to tone and lengthen muscles. Use heavier weights to build larger, bulkier ones.
Pilates is a great way to tone this trouble area. Make sure to work the muscles in your arms on all planes and levels. You should be working above your head, out in front of you, behind, pushing and pulling.
Read more:
Friday, 12 July 2013
The Surprising Way to Cut Calories
Scarfing a sandwich at your desk hardly qualifies as a lunch break. Eating slowly at lunch can help you reduce midafternoon snacking, according to a new study published in the journal Appetite.
When people chewed each bite of their lunchtime sandwich for 30 seconds, they ate less than half as much candy later in the afternoon as those who chewed at their normal pace.
Slow eating may help you encode the meal into your memory, making it so satisfying that you don’t desire as much food later in the day, says study author Suzanne Higgs, Ph.D., of the University of Birmingham in the U.K.
Here’s one way to start: Sip water between bites. You’ll stay hydrated, keeping you from confusing dehydration with hunger and slowing the bites you take.
When people chewed each bite of their lunchtime sandwich for 30 seconds, they ate less than half as much candy later in the afternoon as those who chewed at their normal pace.
Slow eating may help you encode the meal into your memory, making it so satisfying that you don’t desire as much food later in the day, says study author Suzanne Higgs, Ph.D., of the University of Birmingham in the U.K.
Here’s one way to start: Sip water between bites. You’ll stay hydrated, keeping you from confusing dehydration with hunger and slowing the bites you take.
CUCUMBERS & PINEAPPLE JUICE TO LOSE WEIGHT
Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
Fad diets and trendy food combinations for weight loss come and go, yet somehow those extra pounds remain a constant. Cucumbers have long been considered a dieter’s friend because of their high water content and low calorie count. Cucumbers and pineapple used in conjunction with a healthy diet and active lifestyle can certainly support your weight loss efforts.
Cucumber Facts
Cucumbers are made mostly of water. They have very little trace nutrients, mostly concentrated in the peel. According to Pennsylvania State University professor of nutrition Barbara Rolls, foods that are low-density and contain a lot of water make us feel full longer. Hunger is one of the biggest challenges to successful weight loss, so snacking on cucumbers may fill you up while keeping your calorie count down. Six to eight cucumber slices contain only five calories, making them an excellent snack choice as a snack or side dish.
Fad diets and trendy food combinations for weight loss come and go, yet somehow those extra pounds remain a constant. Cucumbers have long been considered a dieter’s friend because of their high water content and low calorie count. Cucumbers and pineapple used in conjunction with a healthy diet and active lifestyle can certainly support your weight loss efforts.
Cucumber Facts
Cucumbers are made mostly of water. They have very little trace nutrients, mostly concentrated in the peel. According to Pennsylvania State University professor of nutrition Barbara Rolls, foods that are low-density and contain a lot of water make us feel full longer. Hunger is one of the biggest challenges to successful weight loss, so snacking on cucumbers may fill you up while keeping your calorie count down. Six to eight cucumber slices contain only five calories, making them an excellent snack choice as a snack or side dish.
Ask the Diet Doctor: Fat-Burning Foods
Q: Are there any diet changes that I can make that will actually boost my metabolism, or is that just hype?
A: Generally the claim of “fat-burning foods” is technically incorrect, as most foods don’t proactively elicit increases in calorie burning but instead create a physiological environment in which fat burning is more easily accomplished. Broccoli, for example, doesn’t increase your metabolic rate, but it is a low-calorie food that contains slow digesting carbohydrates, fiber, and phytochemicals that may help clear excess estrogen. All of these things can make weight loss more efficient.
There are, however, a small handful of actual fat-melting foods, foods that when eaten increase your body’s calorie- and fat-burning ability. The two most popular and well known are green tea and hot peppers.
EGCG, an antioxidant in green tea, can boost fat burn and weight loss when combined with caffeine—which just happens to naturally be the case with green tea.
Hot peppers contain the antioxidant capsaicin, which can increase fat oxidation (i.e. fat burning). The only disadvantage to capsaicin is that you need to take it in supplement form to reap its benefits.
And, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, monounsaturated fats—such as those found in olive oil and avocados—should be added to the list of foods that help you burn more calories.
A: Generally the claim of “fat-burning foods” is technically incorrect, as most foods don’t proactively elicit increases in calorie burning but instead create a physiological environment in which fat burning is more easily accomplished. Broccoli, for example, doesn’t increase your metabolic rate, but it is a low-calorie food that contains slow digesting carbohydrates, fiber, and phytochemicals that may help clear excess estrogen. All of these things can make weight loss more efficient.
There are, however, a small handful of actual fat-melting foods, foods that when eaten increase your body’s calorie- and fat-burning ability. The two most popular and well known are green tea and hot peppers.
EGCG, an antioxidant in green tea, can boost fat burn and weight loss when combined with caffeine—which just happens to naturally be the case with green tea.
Hot peppers contain the antioxidant capsaicin, which can increase fat oxidation (i.e. fat burning). The only disadvantage to capsaicin is that you need to take it in supplement form to reap its benefits.
And, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, monounsaturated fats—such as those found in olive oil and avocados—should be added to the list of foods that help you burn more calories.
Tuesday, 9 July 2013
The Ultimate Summer 7-Day Diet Plan
If we had a penny for each time we heard the phrase "bikini body" this summer, we'd be very, very rich. And here's the thing: Your stellar swimsuit bod is completely attainable thanks to a consistent, fat-blasting workout routine and the right diet plan. We worked with Miraval Resorts' registered dietician Junelle Lupiani to create a satisfying, comprehensive week-long plan that will leave you full, healthy, and one step closer to that summer body of your dreams.
By Maura Brannigan
Monday
Breakfast
1 head of romaine lettuce
1 handful spinach
1 cup frozen berries
½ cup water
Lunch
1 head of romaine
1 cup hummus (purchase this pre-made)
1 sliced cucumber
1 tablespoon cold-expeller pressed olive oil
Squeezed fresh lemon
Dinner
1 cup French green lentils
1 cup wild rice
1 cup roasted vegetables
Snacks
½ baked sweet potato topped with ¼ cup granola
Cheats
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
HOW TO GET RID OF SHOULDER FAT
Shoulder fat doesn't get talked about as much as stomach or leg fat, but that doesn't mean it isn't as frustrating when it develops. You have to take care of this fat the same way you would with any other location--with diet and exercise. The exercise part involves some specific routines to hit the shoulders at different angles. This can cause muscle growth, which can increase your metabolism, and it can also creates better definition.
Step 1
Reduce your intake of empty-calorie foods. Avoid cakes, cookies, deep fried foods, fast food, dressings and heavy creamed sauces. Eat nothing but fruits, veggies, chicken breasts, lean beef, whole grains, beans and low-fat dairy products.
Step 2
Execute a set of military presses with a barbell. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the barbell at chest height with a wide grip. Press the barbell straight above your head until your elbows are almost locked out. Lower the bar back to the top of your chest and repeat.
Step 3
Elevate your shoulders to do shrugs. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the dumbbells down at your sides with your palms facing in. Keep your arms straight and lift your shoulders up in the air. Hold for a second, lower them back down, and repeat.
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