Tips For Healthy Holiday Eating

Tips For Healthy Holiday Eating - Halloween

When the holidays arrive, many people forget all
about their diets and healthy eating.

  Weight gains of 7 - 10 pounds are common between
Halloween and Christmas. 

 To make the holidays
easier, these tips will help you with healthy
eating through the season and not gaining weight.

Most traditional foods can be made low fat. 
Turkey is very lean without the skin, and gravy
can be made without any fat. 

 Potatoes that are
served without butter can be very healthy.  

The
beloved pumpkin pie is nutritious, although it
can be made into a fatty dessert with the adding
of whipped cream.

Even though the holidays are in, don't forget
about the exercise.  Keeping weight off during
the holiday season is burning off the extra
calories.  You should plan a walk after meals,
park farther from stores when you shop, and
take a few walks around the mall before you
begin shopping.

During holiday parties and at family dinners,
feel free to sample foods although you shouldn't
splurge. 

 Decide on what you plan to eat in
advance, then stick to your plan.  Eat plenty
of vegetables, fruit, low fat dressings, and
slices of lean meats.  Before you go to a party,
eat a small snack to help curb your appetite.

If at all possible, avoid alcohol.  Having too
many drinks can cripple your will power, and
also add excess calories to your diet.  In the
place of alcohol, drink water with lemon.

 Water can help to limit your appetite and keep you
from binging.  Also make sure to avoid eggnog,
as each glass can have up to 300 calories.

Be flexible with your healthy eating, as one bad
meal won't ruin your diet.  Try to balance your
calories over a few days and don't just look at
one meal or day.

9 Facts About Fibers

9 Facts About Fiber

If you've been looking for a way towards a high
octane diet, you'll find fiber to be exactly what
you need.  Even though research has shown fiber to
be powerful, many people aren't taking this nutrient
seriously.

To help you fuel your health with fiber, here are
10 facts to help.

1.  Fiber fights diseases.  A diet high in fiber can
help to prevent colon cancer and heart disease.  High
fiber helps the body to eliminate cholesterol by
binding it in the digestive tract.  For thousands of
years, fiber has been used to stop constipation.

2.  Fiber can actually help with overeating.  All high
fiber foods will take longer to chew and digest,
making you feel satisfied longer

3.  Most popular foods don't have enough fiber.  If
you like the more popular foods, you probably need
to increase your intake of fiber.

4.  Grains offer the most fiber.  Dietary fiber is
actually plant matter that we cannot digest.  The best
sources are whole grains and concentrated grain
products. 

5.  Kids need fiber as well.  Children that are older
than 2 years of age should consume a daily intake of
fiber.  Kids are most receptive to fiber found in
fruits, vegetables, and even fortified breakfast
cereals. 

6.  More fiber needs more water.  In order to keep
fiber moving through your digestive tract, you'll
need to consume a lot of water.  With your diet of
fiber, you'll need eight or more glasses of water
every day.

7.  Fiber cannot be cooked out.  When you cook
your fruits and vegetables, don't worry about cooking
the fiber out, as it stays.  The fiber found in
fruits and vegetables aren't just in the skin or
in the peel.

8.  You can get enough fiber.  If you eat more than
50 grams of fiber in a day, you can get diarrhea
and bloating, which can interfere with your body's
absorption of other key minerals.

9.  Getting the right amount of fiber in your diet
doesn't have to be hard.  Even though you may think
so, getting the amount of fiber you need isn't very
hard to do.  All you have to do is eat the right
foods and you'll be well on your way to a fiber
rich lifestyle.

As one of the key ingredients to healthy eating,
fiber is something you don't want to skip.  Fiber can
serve many different purposes, which were covered
above.  If you aren't getting enough fiber in your
diet - you should do something about now instead
of waiting until it is too late.