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Healthy Diets - Free Information

The focus of this section will be on self-care topics and health factors we can easily manipulate in our lifestyle to better our health. In this section, you will find Sensa information on the general importance of nutrition including specific sections on a range of different kinds of diets, from those suitable for the chronically ill and aged, to the athlete.

The HEALTHY DIETS section will also discuss important lifestyle risk factors such as tobacco use and the positive influence of exercise on our health.

Golden Rules for a HEALTHY DIET

• Avoid stimulants such as sugar, coffee, tea and cigarettes, and limit alcohol.
• Avoid saturated (animal) fats and hydrogenated (processed) fats.

• Avoid simple (refined) carbohydrates, including white bread, biscuits, cakes and other processed foods.
• Avoid unnatural additives, flavorings and preservatives.
• Eat more beans, lentils, seeds, nuts and whole grains.
• Eat more vegetables, raw or lightly cooked (steaming is best).
• Eat several servings of fresh fruit every day.
• Wherever possible eat organically-grown, natural, unprocessed foods.
• Drink plenty of filtered water.
• Avoid these poisonous items in your diet and medications: aspartame, ritalin, Prozac, fluorinated water, vaccinations.

Of course it is good to eat foods rich in vitamins and minerals. But this is only one criterion. Good food should also be low in saturated fat, salt and fast-releasing sugars and high in fiber. Alkaline-forming foods (foods high in calcium, magnesium and potassium) are preferable - such as all fruit and vegetables, millet, seeds, almonds, brazils, herb teas, yoghurt, bean sprouts. These help to buffer the acids that result from the metabolism of proteins, refined foods and stimulants. Such a diet will also be low in calories. And to further help keep your weight in check, eat earlier in the day, rather than later when the metabolism slows down. And of course, equally important is to exercise every day.

Diet, the Great Normalizer

Diets are bewildering. People are overworked or stressed out or feeling down. We may be struggling to make it through each day. Often we want to be comforted. That is when we return to our favorite comfort source: food. Most of us are baffled by dieting.

The things we did fifteen years ago no longer seem to have any effect. What we think about ourselves influences our diet and proclaims who we are in many ways. Many of our diet choices are emotionally driven. They gradually thicken our bodies and reduce our self-esteem.

Billions of American dollars each year are consumed by diet companies. Advertisers and theatre stars, Madison Avenue and Hollywood, do not help either. Why do we seem to respond as they predict even when we understand their strategies and skewed tactics?

Think why you want to lose weight. Do you really want better fitness? Or do you secretly long to be more like glamorous images of beautiful people in the media all around us? Recently, scientific and medical communities appear to recognize that it may be possible for "heavy" people to still be healthy. This is wonderful. Maybe the time has come for us to move away from feelings of desperation and unworthiness about diet, dress and superficial appearances.

Perhaps when you begin to accept and value yourself it is possible to learn and rediscover simple pleasures rather than pointless striving. Simple things like the joy of a meals with a small homemade salad and a simple soup. Simple pleasures like how a little piece of fruit is arranged on our plate when served with elegance and simplicity.

Dieting is not hard on its own. Dieting is hard because of our own anxieties. Dieting is hard because we do not want to make the necessary changes. Admit it, most of us are lazy. We are the ones who declare we do not have the time to plan an effective diet, that we like and then stay with it.

We make it hard. Human nature resists change. However, change is the heart of the universe, the means to keep it ticking. Change is inevitable. Accept the facts.

When we look at our lives from this broader view, we may realize we each have more power than we thought possible. Successes in our lives have happened when we sought out goals diligently. Those times when we did whatever needed to be done. These universal laws also apply to your diet, comfort, internal stability. The food we choose to eat and the ways we prepare it or share it, can express volumes about our lifestyles and values.

Food choices reflect our goals and personal philosophies. Really now, do you care about your body? Or do you only think of it when it hurts? Or when someone else criticizes you? We can choose to live consciously or live with our heads in the sand. It seems that the conscious choice has a lot more potential than the sand.

What we consume is a good example. We make the choices to moderate our consumption or not. We can each make a commitment to adopt some exercise program that we enjoy.

Make a conscious choice and embrace it and stick with it. Different alternatives to the weight room or the gym include walking, playing with the kids on the block, dancing, Tai-Chi, ballet, Yoga or hiking.They all get you in motion. It is the activity that you do that counts the most. If you enjoy lifting weights or the camaraderie of the gym, then choose weights!

When it comes right to what is most important, it is all about your choices. It is your body. It is your life. You alone can make each day count for something better.

Value every moment for its own merit. Live each day with all of your senses wide awake.

The Weight Loss Institute has compared many weight loss programs and diet pills, and offer information on the best weight loss programs.

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