Cart Weight Loss Secrets
Diet secret number 1 –"diets" don’t work. The ever-rising statistics on the numbers of overweight people are testament to this. Any diet, which is based on quick-fix ideas, might seem to work at first but it is usually impossible to sustain. And when you give up the regime, of course, all the weight you lost comes piling back on.Shockingly, many of these diets can actually be bad for you, too, limiting the range of foods and so the range of nutrients that you eat. In the case of high-protein and low-carbs diets, for example, this can lead to a lack of necessary vitamins, constipation and even bone deterioration. With diets that focus on one food or group of foods (remember the cabbage soup diet?) you will probably find that, although you may well experience dramatic weight loss, you will regain the weight when you inevitably return to your normal diet. Often the reason these diets seem to work at first is that you lose fluid rather than fat. Disappointment follows, as does yo-yo dieting, in the effort to keep the pounds off. Finally the body – faced with the threat of starvation – clings to the food it receives and flatly refuses to lose any more weight.
However, don’t despair. There are proven ways to lose weight successfully, and I will show you them. The first thing to do is to choose the right foods and cook them properly. This is the first secret of successful weight loss. Let’s talk about main food groups that you need to be both slim and healthy, together with information what really works, including explanation on GI and GL, low-carb and low-fat diets and detox foods, and then 100 of these foods and how to prepare them. Some of the foods are well known to dieters, others less so. But together they form the basis of a healthy diet that can be sustained over time to ensure you lose those unwanted pounds – and keep them off.
FOOD GROUPS FOR WEIGHT LOSS FRUITS
Fruits make delicious, healthy, low-calorie, and low-fat snacks or desserts and are one of the most important parts of our diet. In many recent diet fads – such as Atkins – they play a very limited role or are excluded altogether because of their natural sugar content. In fact, without fruit you miss out on a range of vital nutrients and their powerful cleansing action on the system, particularly the digestive tract, that is crucial to the dieter.
A healthy digestive system is a key factor in succeeding at weigh loss. Improving your digestion increases your ability to absorb essential nutrients from foods, which regulate all bodily processes. Poor digestive health can leave your body nutritionally depleted and unable to regulate essential functions efficiently, which can lead to water retention and weight gain as well as health problems.
Fruits are packed with fiber, which stimulates the digestive system, encouraging peristalsis (the muscular contractions of the bowel) and preventing constipation. This, in turn, helps avoid bloating and water retention.
Owing to their natural sugar content, some fruits will have a high GI – though they will generally have a low GL. Fruits also contain lots of water and this helps to dehydrate the body and prevent the digestive system from becoming sluggish, thus aiding metabolism and fat-burning. The benefits of including fruit in your diet go beyond helping you stay slim. People who eat lots of fruit have healthy skin and hair and a radiant glow. Make sure you eat plenty of fruit every day as part of your diet plan.
VEGETABLES
The importance of vegetables for the dieter cannot be overstated. Low in calories and fat, they are highly nutritious, containing a whole range of vitamins and minerals that will keep you healthy while you are trying to lose weight. At the same time, they introduce healthy fiber to the diet, ensuring the digestive system is working properly, clearing away toxins and keeping the body hydrated, yet banishing water retention. And they have fabulous skin boosting properties, too.
The best way to eat vegetables is fresh and raw. Raw food makes the body works harder in digestive terms and by using more energy it has less fat to store. Most vegetable scan also be juiced if you have a juicer and, though you miss out on some of the fiber, juicing is a great way of consuming vitamins and minerals. Never leave vegetables to soak in water before cooking. Instead, peel and chop them immediately before you need them. Any kind of cooking destroys some of the nutrients in vegetables, so cook them lightly to retain as much goodness as possible. Steaming is the quickest and best way to cook green, leafy vegetables, with boiling second best, but keep the lid on and use only a little water (don’t throw the water away at the end – it makes an excellent basis of stock). Baking is another healthy option (though it raises the GL of foods), but use oil sparingly.
Don’t fry vegetables (except onion and garlic) and avoid microwaving as the jury is still out on whether this will destroy certain nutrients. Dieters should eat a wide range of vegetables per day. If you think of juices, soups, salads, and snacks such as crudités, you will see it’s actually very easy to achieve.
GRAINS AND PULSES
Grains and pulses do have a high carb element and so do carry a calorie load. It is a mistake, though, to think we don’t need carbs – they are a vital part of healthy eating, but we do, however, need to ensure we are getting the right carbs.
There are a lot of confusions about grains and cereals in our diets. They are banned from many low-carb diets, yet other regimes insist on plenty of fiber, notably in the form of bran. The truth is that fiber is essential in the diet but in the form of bran or bran flakes it is often far too harsh for the digestive system, preventing the absorption of other nutrients and causing sensitivity in the gut. The best dietary fiber is found in fruit and vegetables – leave the bran on the supermarket shelf.
Whole grains (such as brown or wild rice, bulgur wheat, and barley) and pulses (such as garbanzos, soybeans, and lentils) are a fantastic low-fat source of fiber, promoting a healthy digestive tract and helping to protect the lining of the colon. They also boost energy and regulate blood-fat levels.
NUTS AND SEEDS
Most nuts and seeds are rich in healthy fats and are good protein sources, but use in moderation as they are often high in calories.
PROTEIN
We need protein for cellular growth and repair and it is an essential part of our diet – but a relatively small one. Protein is found in a wide range of foods including fish, meat, poultry, game, dairy products, eggs, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and tofu. Some of these foods are high in fat or have heavy cholesterol loads, but all cab be eaten in moderation, if properly prepared.
MEAT, POULTRY AND GAME
When cooking animal protein, it is important to trim all the fat (and skin in the case of poultry) and cook them in a way that reduces \ the fat further than adding to it. Always start with the raw ingredient rather than buying processed meals that contain lots of undesirable additives – usually including salt and sugar. Avoid any "coated" meat or poultry, such as those in breadcrumbs or self-basting products, and go for organic or free-range.
FISH AND SEAFOOD
There are generally lower in fat than animal proteins. However, always buy as fresh as possible and avoid any coated fish. Canned fish is also for dieters, but check that it has not been canned with oil or undesirable additives.
OTHER PROTEINS
A protein is available from a wide range of non-meat sources. Eggs are a good source of protein but they are high in cholesterol, so limit yourself to one or two a week. Tofu and other soy products are excellent vegetarian sources of protein, as are many beans.
DAIRY
Always buy low fat when it comes to milk, cheese, and other dairy produce, as, although they are good sources of protein and calcium, they are high in saturated fat.
