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]]> http://myweightlossrevolution.com/preview/feed/ 0 http://myweightlossrevolution.com/using-fish-as-part-of-a-healthy-eating-plan/ http://myweightlossrevolution.com/using-fish-as-part-of-a-healthy-eating-plan/#comments Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:11:18 +0000 admin http://myweightlossrevolution.com/?p=87 It is hard to beat fish and seafood for high protein and low fat.  Fish has been shown in study after study to have a positive impact on health, and to lower the risk of heart disease and other diseases.  In addition, fish is delicious and easy to prepare.

Many nutrition experts recommend eating fish at least once or twice every week.  The most nutritious varieties of fish, and those that contain the greatest amounts of heart protecting omega-3 fatty acids, tend to be those that live in cold ocean waters.  These varieties of fish include salmon and sardines.

The benefits of a fishy diet

Fish has long been thought to have a positive benefit on the heart.  So far the results of clinical studies have been inconclusive, but research into the heart healthy effects of fish continues.   No matter what the benefits, there is little doubt that fish is a healthy food, containing significant levels of protein and smaller amounts of fat and calories than other types of meat.

As a matter of fact, fish is one of the best sources of protein there is.  Everyone needs protein for building muscles and repairing damaged body tissues.  In addition, protein plays a vital role in the growth of nails and hair, in hormone production and in many other vital bodily processes.

In addition to fish, many other animal based products, such as meat, eggs, poultry and dairy products, contain significant amounts of protein.  Plant based sources of protein exist as well, in nuts, beans and lentils, among others.

The key to getting sufficient protein in the diet is to balance the healthy effects of protein on the diet against the large amounts of fat and cholesterol that protein rich foods often contain.  The combination of high protein and low fat is one of the things that makes a diet rich in fish so appealing.

With the exception of salmon, almost all commonly eaten varieties of fish are very low in fat, and even salmon contains lower levels of fat than many varieties of meats.  In addition, fish is low in saturated fat, the type of fat that is most associated with heart disease and clogged arteries.

Fish is low in unsaturated fat because of the nature of where and how they live.  Instead of storing energy in the form of saturated fat as land animals do, fish store their fat in the form of polyunsaturated oils.  That adaptation allows their bodies to function normally in the cool oceans and streams where they swim.  It also makes them a great choice for anyone seeking to cut levels of saturated fat in the diet.

For all these reasons, fish remains an important part of any low fat, heart healthy lifestyle.  Substituting high fat, greasy foods like hamburgers and ribs is a great way to make a change for healthy living.

One note about fish and pollution, however.  It is true that many fish caught in polluted waters contain high levels of mercury.  While most commercially caught and grown fish is low in mercury, it is important for fisherman to limit their consumption of locally caught fish.  Pregnant women are also advised to limit their intake of fish, due to the potential harm to the baby.

Fitting fish into your busy lifestyle

Many people avoid fish because they do not know how to prepare and cook it.  While it is true that fish can present more of a challenge for the inexperienced, there are many recipes and cookbooks that make preparation easier.  In addition, many packaged seafood products contain cooking tips and serving suggestions that take some of the mystery out of preparing a nutritious and delicious meal of fresh fish.

Even those who do not cook, however, can enjoy the many benefits of fish in the diet.  There are a number of canned seafood products on the market, including canned salmon, sardines and the ever popular tuna.  So there is no reason fish cannot fit into your healthy eating plan.

There are many good reasons for cutting back on the amount of fat in the diet. The average diet today contains far too much fat, and lowering the level of fat in the diet is a great help for losing weight and gaining fitness.  Since fat contains more than twice as many calories as protein or carbohydrates, cutting back on fat usually means a reduction in caloric intake.

In addition to its usefulness in losing weight, cutting levels of fat in the diet is also important to long term good health.  High fat in the diet can lead to high cholesterol levels, hardening of the arteries, obesity, diabetes and other serious medical complications.  In addition, high dietary fat is though to play a role in the development of some of the most common cancers.

In addition, cutting back on high fat foods will allow you to enjoy more of other, healthier foods.  Enjoying more wholesome, healthy foods like vegetables, fruits and whole grains while cutting back on greasy, fatty foods, is a great way to enjoy a healthy lifestyle.

Cutting back on the amount of fat in the diet is not always easy, however, especially for those who have never had to worry about fat content before.  There are a number of simple, easy changes you can make, however, that will allow you to enjoy a low fat lifestyle with little sacrifice.

For instance, when enjoying toast, bagels and other whole grain products, don’t use peanut butter or cream cheese, which are high in fat.  For a low fat alternative, spread toast, bread and bagels with jelly, jams, apple butter, low fat cream cheese or low fat margarine.

Eating a healthier, lower fat diet often means changing your relationship with high fat foods.  That means enjoying high fat foods like bacon and sausage as an occasional treat or garnish, instead of as a staple of the diet.

Eating healthy naturally means eating more salads, but it is important not to wreck the healthy effects of the salad by loading them down with high fat dressings.  A salad tricked out with blue cheese dressing, for instance, can easily contain more fat and calories than a hamburger.  That is why it is important to keep a supply of low fat or nonfat dressings on hand.   When eating at your favorite restaurant, ask for nonfat dressing, or get the dressing on the side so you can control the amount used.

Baked potatoes are another healthy alternative, but like salads, they can be sabotaged by the addition of high fat dressings.  Instead of using butter, margarine, cheese or sour cream, try topping baked potatoes with plain nonfat yogurt, salsa, cottage cheese or steamed broccoli.  And don’t forget to eat the potato skin for extra nutrients.  The skins of baked potatoes are great sources of fiber and vitamins.

When using seasonings, there are a number of great garnishes that add zest and flavor without adding calories.  Additions like lemon juice, salsa, herbs and green onions are great additions to salads and stir fried vegetables.

You’re probably seeing a pattern here.  Toppings can be great when used wisely, but the wrong toppings can quickly add fat and calories to even the lowest fat recipe.  Use high fat toppings sparingly, and try to find low fat and nonfat alternatives whenever possible.

There are a great many low fat and nonfat products on the market, and these products make it easier than ever to eat healthy while still enjoying your favorite foods.  Some of the best low fat and nonfat foods are found in the dairy case, including low fat and nonfat milk, cheese and even ice cream.

Many popular snacks, including cakes, cookies and even potato chips, are available in nonfat and low fat varieties as well.  Care should be used, however, with such products.  Some of these baked goods and salty snacks have very high levels of sugar, sweeteners, salt and other unhealthy ingredients.  As with all snacks, low fat cakes, cookies and chips should be an occasional treat only.  Instead, snack on fresh fruit like apples, oranges and bananas.

While there is no substitute for a well balanced, fresh cooked meal using plenty of fresh and healthy ingredients, healthy frozen meals can provide a quick and easy alternative for busy people and those who do not have time to cook meals from scratch.

No matter what type of diet you are following, chances are there is a frozen meal available to meet your needs.  From low fat to heart healthy to vegetarian meals, there are a great many frozen dinners at the local supermarket or grocery store.

While frozen foods can be very healthy, it is important to keep a close eye out for potentially unhealthy ingredients as you shop.  In particular, many frozen and prepared foods have unacceptably high levels of sodium.  In addition, many frozen dinners, even those that use the healthiest ingredients, may use preservatives to which some people may be sensitive.

When choosing from among the many brands and varieties of frozen foods on the grocery store shelf, it is important to read the nutritional labels very carefully.  These government mandated nutritional labels contain a wealth of information, but it is important to understand how to read them.

Nutritional labels provide information on such imporarnt things as calorie count, number of fat grams and amount of sodium, as well as the percentages of various vitamisn and minerals the food contains.

When examining those nutritional labels, it is important to pay close attention to the portion size.  Even a small frozen dinner can be equal to two servings, so if you plan to eat the whole thing yourself, be sure to double the calories, sodium and fat content numbers.

When looking at the amount of fat in a frozen dinner, it is important to follow the widely accepted recommendations to keep the total amount of daily fat to less than 30% of daily calories.  Luckily, the new nutritional labels mandated by the government makes this calculation a lot easier.  Food manufacturers are required to list the amount of fat their foods contain as a percentage of an average daily diet, so it is easy to tell at a glance if a particular frozen food is a healthy, low fat choice.

In addition to keeping total fat to less than 30% of total calories, it is important to keep saturated fat levels to less than 10% of daily calories.  For sodium levels, it is important to limit the amount of sodium to less than 200 milligrams for every 100 calories of food.

In addition, most experts recommend keeping your daily sodium intake to less than 2400 milligrams per day.  It is important to read the labels on all frozen foods, even if they are labeled as healthy.  While claiming the healthy label obligates food manufacturers to follow certain guidelines, it is still important to review the labels in order to choose the healthiest choices.

When choosing the healthiest meals from among the hundreds of varieties at the average supermarket or grocery store, it is a good idea to choose those that contain at least a half cup of vegetables, fruits or beans.  Doing so will help you ensure that the meal you choose is healthy and nutritious.

Finally, since you are in the grocery store already, why not make a stop at the salad bar for a healthy addition to your frozen entrée.  Many large grocery store chains have installed wonderful salad bars stocked full of the freshest fruits, vegetables and garnishes, as well as a great selection of low fat and nonfat salad dressings.

One great practical food is the humble tomato.  It may not look much like an orange, but the tomato is actually a citrus fruit as well.  As such, tomatoes are rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants.  In addition, tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene, which has shown promise in preventing certain kinds of cancer.

In addition, tomatoes are easy to use, versatile, and inexpensive.  In addition to fresh, in season tomatoes, which are delicious as well as nutritious, tomatoes are available in canned and frozen varieties as well.  Tomatoes can be used in so many different ways, and in so many different recipes, that it is always a good idea to have a supply of them on hand in the pantry or the fridge.

Pastas, especially the whole wheat varieties of pastas, are another great example of functional foods.  Pastas can also be used in a variety of ways, from simple preparations with simple tomato based sauces, to elaborate creations using shrimp, tuna and other seafood.

Of course, pasta dishes can be healthy or unhealthy, depending on how they are topped.  Toppings such as Alfredo sauce or rich cream sauces, should be avoided when trying to follow a healthy diet.  As with all foods, such heavy sauces are fine in moderation, but they should not form the bulk of your diet.

Luckily, there are lower fat alternatives to many high fat pasta sauces, and these low fat alternatives should be used whenever possible.  Substituting lower fat alternatives for fatty, unhealthy foods is an important skill when it comes to creating a healthy diet.

Whole grain breads, flours and grains are also good examples of hellathy, practical foods.  Stocking up on these staples when they are on sale will help ensure that you have everything you need to create the most healthy recipes possible for yourself and your family.

Whole grain products should be substituted for more highly refined breads and cereals whenever possible, since whole grain breads, cereals and grains retain more of their important nutrients than do more highly refined foods.

Starting a healthy eating program using practical foods is easy.  Start by taking a personal inventory of your current diet, including where it is good and where it can use some improvement.  Learn to assess the personal health risks created by your current diet (your family physician can be of particular help here).  A physician or dietitian can be a big help in putting together a list of healthy, easy to use, practical foods you can use to change your diet for the better.

It is also a good idea to use your interest in healthy eating to create and use exciting new recipes.  There are a great many healthy eating recipes available, both on the internet and in cookbooks.  Seek out some of these recipes and try using your favorite healthy staples to create some wonderful dishes.

For some ideas on how to use practical foods morning, noon and night, try some of these great ideas:

Breakfast:

Include some healthy staples, and some healthy fruits in your breakfast.  For instance, pair healthy oatmeal with blueberries, or whole wheat or wheat bran cereal with strawberries or bananas.

Try mixing a healthy cereal like All Bran into your nonfat or low fat yogurt.  It will perk up your plain yogurt and give it a great crunch.

Fresh fruit is also a great addition to yogurt.  Try buying plain, nonfat yogurt and mixing in your own raspberries, blueberries and strawberries.  You will save money and enjoy a healthy breakfast.

Instead of high fat butter, spread your toast with apple butter or soy nut butter instead.  Always try to use whole grain varieties of bread like wheat or rye.

Drink a glass of 100% fruit juice with breakfast every day.  Orange juice, grape juice, apple juice and grapefruit juice are all great choices.

Blend 1% milk or soy milk with fresh pineapple for a healhy, delicious breakfast smoothie. These smoothies are great for people on the go.

Lunch and dinner ideas

Make a great tuna salad with grated carrots, green peppers, red peppers, garlic and onion.

Make a dish of fresh whole grain pasta and top it will homemade tomato sauce and fresh home grown herbs.

Use healthy foods like onions and leeks, along with tomatoes, as a great side dish.

Grill healthy fish and serve with a healthy side salad.

Try some low fat soups like spinach and broccoli soup.

Make a great vegetable stir fry with olive oil.

Healthy snacks

Of course no plan for healthy eating is complete without some great healthy snacks.  Below are some of our favorite healthy snacks for those on the go.

A piece of fresh fruit, like an apple, orange or banana, always makes a great snack.  Keep a bowl of fruit on your kitchen counter for easy access.

Try mixing nuts and dried fruit for a great homemade trail mix.  Hikers and non hikers alike will enjoy this healthy snack.

Treat yourself to a great glass of orange, tomato or cranberry juice before you leave the house in the morning.

Keep a supply of broccoli florets, baby carrots and other bite size vegetables, and some healthy dip, on hand.

Make your own fruit salad with oranges, bananas, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and other favorites.

Learning to read labels is an important skill for any healthy shopper.  The information on nutritional labels is very valuable, providing complete information on the percentage of many vitamins and minerals a particular food contains.  In addition, nutritional information labels provide valuable information on things like the amount of calories, number of at grams, percentage of total fat and amount of fiber each food contains.  It is important to choose those foods that have the best nutritional qualities as you roam the local grocery store.

There are some important guidelines to follow to make sure that every trip to the grocery store will be a healthy experience.  After all, you cannot have a healthy refrigerator or a healthy dinner table without first stocking your kitchen pantry with the healthiest foods available.

One of the best pieces of advice is probably something you have heard a million times, and that is to never go grocery shopping when you are hungry.  Even if it means stopping for a quick snack on your way, it is important to not enter the supermarket while you are hungry.  Hungry shoppers make bad choices, and those unhealthy choices will be around long after your hunger has abated.

Another good trick is to hit the produce section of your grocery store first.  Fill up your food basket with healthy, nutritious fruits and vegetables.  Not only will this allow you to stock the fridge and the pantry with healthy choices, but it will leave less room for all those less healthy foods.

It is also important to always make a detailed shopping list before hitting the grocery store.  A well thought out grocery list keeps you from overspending, and also helps keep you from succumbing to the temptation of less healthy junk foods.  To keep a detailed list of what you need on your next shopping list, try keeping a notepad by the fridge or on the dining room table.  Write down each item as you think of it, and come shopping day, you will have a complete list of everything you need to buy.

As you shop around the grocery store, it is a good idea to take advantage of the many low fat foods that fill grocery store shelves.  There are low at varieties of many foods, including milk and dairy products, meats and cheeses, even cakes and pies.  Most of these products contain all the taste of the full fat products, without all the fat.

When shopping for low fat foods, however, be on the lookout for extra sugar content.  This is not so much a concern with milk and dairy products, but it is sometimes a concern with low fat baked goods.  Some manufacturers pack their low fat baked goods with extra sugar, so it pays to be a smart label reader.

As long as you watch sugar content, however, low fat desserts and sweets are excellent choices.  When grocery shopping, try to choose naturally lower fat alternatives, such as angel food cake, fig bars and vanilla wafers.  Buying smaller portion sizes is another smart strategy for enjoying sweets while limiting fat and calories.

Another smart strategy is to choose whole grain breads and cereals whenever possible.  Whole grains contain more fiber and other nutrients than do more processed foods, so buying whole grains makes a lot of sense.

When shopping for the healthiest cereals in the grocery store, it is helpful to understand how the cereal aisle of the typical grocery store is arranged.  Shelf space at a grocery store is in high demand and short supply, and cereal manufacturers take advantages of this fact in their store shelf marketing.  In general, the less healthy, sugar laden cereals are arranged at kid height, while the more adult, healthier products are on the top shelves.

That is one reason why your kids are always trying to put those sugar cubes disguised as cereal in your cart as you shop.  Choosing the healthier cereals from the top shelves is a good strategy, but it is still important to read the labels to make sure you are getting what you think you are.

For some people, a healthy diet can be as simple as increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in the daily diet.  For others, a radical change, involving strict control of fat and cholesterol, may be required.

Of course what is needed will depend on the goal of each individual.  The serious runner in search of greater conditioning will of course have different goals than the couch potato who is concerned about the possibility of heart disease.

Even though every person will different goals when it comes to healthy eating, the basic tenets of healthy eating are the same.  The most important thing is to eat a good variety of foods, while eating less of the bad stuff and more of the good.

That may sound like an oversimplification, but it really is that easy.  Putting that simple concept into proactive, however, is the hard part.  Everyone wants to eat healthier, but there are so many temptations in today’s world that healthy eating can be very difficult.  The key is to make healthy choices as appealing as unhealthy ones.

One way to make healthy foods appealing is buying a wide variety of exotic fruits at the local supermarket.  There are probably varieties of fruits and vegetables at your local grocery store that you never even heard of before.  Why not make your next trip to the grocery store an adventure by sampling these exotic offerings?

Experimenting with new recipes is another great way to bring excitement and adventure to healthy eating.   A quick perusal of your favorite low fat or healthy eating cookbook will likely present you with many fun and exciting recipes to try.  Often a new cookbook, or a couple of new recipes are all it takes to spur a healthier lifestyle.

It is also important to know that eating healthier does not necessarily mean making a radical change.  There are very simple things you can do, such as cutting the skin off your chicken breast, or trimming the fat from your favorite steak, that can result in significant fat reductions and health improvements.  Dieters should not overlook the importance of these small changes when seeking a healthier diet.

Other examples of small changes resulting in healthier eating include:

• Replacing whole milk with skim or 2%, both in recipes and for drinking
• Snacking on sorbet or low fat frozen yogurt instead of premium ice cream
• Spraying pans with nonfat cooking spray instead of using butter or margarine
• Replacing high fat cuts of meat with leaner ones
• Eating more low fat fish and less red meat
• Using egg substitutes, the kind made from egg whites, in recipes, meals and baking

There are probably hundreds of other such tips, and they can add up to significant health improvements, whether your goal is to get fit, lose weight or improve your level of health.  No matter who you are or what your current level of fitness, eating a healthier diet and losing weight may be easier than you think.

In the end, eating a healthy diet, improving your level of fitness, and managing your consumption of fat and cholesterol boils down to common sense.  Depriving yourself of your favorite foods can be counterproductive to a long term dietary change.  Deprivation leads inevitably to cravings, and that can start a vicious cycle of dieting and splurging.

It is best to think of healthy eating as a marathon rather than a sprint.  The goal of any healthy eating program should be to make easy, lifelong changes in the way you shop, cook and dine.  Only by making changes that you can follow for a lifetime will you truly be able to enjoy a healthy diet.

The key to changing your diet, of course, is to change it is ways that you can live with for a lifetime.  The reason that most diet and lifestyle changes fail is that they are too difficult to follow once the initial excitement has worn off.  The key is to make small changes, simple changes, that you can follow for the rest of your life.

Where you start your healthy eating plan depends in great part on your particular goals.  For many people, a healthy eating program can be as simple as eating more fruits and vegetables.  For others, a healthy eating plan will require a radical change in the way they shop, cook, and eat.

Since healthy eating means so many different things to different people, it is impossible to come up with a single healthy eating guide that will be right for everyone.  The runner toning up for a marathon will have different nutritional needs than the factor worker who wants to lose 20 pounds.

No matter what the goal, however, it is important to eat a variety of foods, and to make smart choices when shopping, when cooking and when eating.  Eating out can present special challenges, and it is important to familiarize yourself with the ingredients of the foods you order in your favorite restaurant.

Making healthy food choices means eating more of the good foods – like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, etc., and less of the bad foods, like salt, sugar and fats.

Starting by eating more high nutrition, low calorie foods is a good place to start.  Luckily, the produce section of the local grocery store likely contains hundreds of different examples of such foods.  Fruits and vegetables are almost always low in calories and fat, and they are generally very nutritious as well.

Since variety is so important to a healthy diet, it is a good idea to try out a sampling of different fruits and vegetables on your first healthy eating shopping trip.  Start with some of the fruits and vegetables you have always wanted to try but never gotten around to.  For instance, many people have never tasted asparagus, spinach or Brussels sprouts.  While some love these foods and others hate them, you will never know unless you try them for yourself.

This kind of foraging is a great way to introduce yourself to foods you have never tried before.  It is a great way to try new things, and you just might discover a new favorite food while you’re at it.

Experimenting with cooking all these exotic fruits and vegetables is another great idea.  There are a ton of healthy cooking recipes and cookbooks on the market, and a new cookbook can be a great motivator for healthy eating.

It is important to remember that making your diet healthier does not necessarily mean making a radical change.  Simple changes, like trimming the excess fat off of a steak, or substituting nonfat yogurt for sour cream on your baked potato, can go a long way toward enjoying a healthier lifestyle.

As a matter of fact, in the long run the simplest and easiest to follow changes are the ones that matter most.  That is because making easy changes means that you will be able to stick with them for the long run.  Healthy eating is a marathon, not a sprint.

Given the huge variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meats and other healthy foods at the local grocery store, however, it is definitely possible to create exciting, nutritious meals that will keep boredom at bay.

Your key to healthy eating

The key to the success of any plan for healthy eating is to eat what you like, but to exercise moderation when it comes to the less healthy foods.  Improving your level of health and fitness does not mean forgoing that piece of chocolate cake, for instance.  It does mean, however, limiting yourself to one piece.  A healthy diet contains all types of foods, including carbohydrates, proteins, and even fats.  The key is choosing foods that provide the best combination of taste and nutrition.  After all, if your diet consists of foods you hate, you will not stick with it.

The revised USDA food pyramid contains five major food groups – grains, vegetables, fruits, milk and dairy, and meat and beans.  When choosing foods from these groups, it is important to eat a wide variety of foods from every food group.  Doing so will not only give you a great deal of variety and keep boredom from setting in, but it will provide the best nutritional balance as well.  In addition the widely known micronutrients, such as vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin C, etc. all foods contain a variety of macronutrients, like fats, proteins, fiber and water.  Though present in extremely tiny amounts, micronutrients are vitally important to good health.  That is why a healthy, varied diet is so important.

In addition, when choosing foods from within the various food groups, some choices are naturally better and healthier than others.  For instance, choosing skim or 2% milk instead of full fat whole milk is a good way to cut down on both fat and calories.  And choosing poultry or lean meat is a great way to get the protein you need every day without extra fat, cholesterol and calories.

Likewise cereals and breads that carry the whole grain label are healthier than those who do not.  Even in the world of fruits and vegetables some choices are better than others.  For instance, peaches packed in heavy syrup add unnecessary sugar to the diet, while those packed in water or juice provide only good nutrition.

There has been a trend lately to add vitamin fortification to food, and this can sometimes be a good way to maximize nutrition.  It is important to remember, however, that proper nutrition comes from a healthy diet, not from vitamin supplements.  It is fine to buy calcium fortified cereal, but the bulk of your calcium intake should still come from milk, dairy products and green leafy veggies.

Choosing the best foods

Knowing the five major food groups and how much of each to eat every day is only part of the picture.  The other part is choosing the best foods from within those food groups.  That means things like choosing the leanest cuts of meat, using egg substitutes instead of whole eggs, choosing the freshest fruits and vegetables, etc.

Even with fruits and vegetables, some choices are better than others.  Some fruits, such as avocados, for instance, are packed with fat and calories.  It is important to check the nutritional qualities of the fruits and vegetables you buy, and not simply assume that all fruits and vegetables are equally healthy.

One way to maximize nutrition while minimizing cost is to buy fruits and vegetables that are in season.  Fruits and vegetables that are in season are usually quite a bit cheaper than those that must be shipped hundreds or even thousands of miles, and they are generally much fresher too.  Of course, depending on where you live, there may be varieties of fruits and vegetables that are not available locally, so the northerner in search of citrus fruits will just have to watch the sales and buy accordingly.