Fitness Friday

Eating 5 To 6 Meals A Day For Optimum Health & Fitness

A recent debate questions whether we should eat three meals a
day or five to six meals a day for optimum health and fitness.
Nutritional experts are divided about this, but all of them
agree that skipping meals is detrimental to overall fitness
success.

Individual metabolism seems to be the key in determining how
many meals a day to eat. However, if you eat only two to three
meals a day you are probably not making your metabolism work as
hard as it is supposed to. You may feel tired with a loss of
energy and wind up turning toward snacks, which may not be as
carefully chosen as an actual meal. With five to six meals a
day, you have more opportunities to plan to eat correctly as
opposed to snacking on junk food.

Eat Green

Your parents always said you need to eat your veggies. (I can
still hear those words, can’t you?) And, as usual, they were
right. Greens are packed with nutrients: antioxidants, fiber,
vitamins and minerals (and very few calories) to keep your body
feeling great and looking fabulous! Here are a couple of ideas
to increase the green in your life… A dinner creation by yours
truly, and a green powder that is superb for on-the-go
lifestyles. Try ’em, you might just like ’em….Mikey does!

Everything but the kitchen sink:

* Brown some ground free-range turkey meat (or use tofu for all
you super veggies).
* Steam your fav or organic veggies - I like spinach, broccoli,
kale, red bell pepper, snap peas & onions with a touch of
garlic powder.
* Get a large plate or bowl.
* Fill the bowl with a variety of fresh, organic crisp greens,
lots and lots of them.
* Add the steamed veggies.
* Pile on the cooked turkey (or other) meat.
* Crumble a handful of feta cheese over the whole dish.
* Sprinkle some raisins, to taste.
* Top it off with freeze-dried veggies like peas or corn
(Crunchies brand is the best!)
* Drizzle your favorite dressing.
* Shazaam - You’ve got a plate full of nutrition, protein and
greens, a variety of flavors to satisfy, and a dish with no
name. Oh yeah…it’s good, and quick to prepare!!
Remember - Eat Fresh, Buy Local.

Boosting Metabolism

Some are just much luckier than we are. In this body-conscious
world, it is important to have an ideal body that can standout,
not by way of course, of being too large.

There are always good ways to maintain the weight you have
always wished for. But for those we are not as blessed as they
want themselves to be, it is often tempting to blame it all on
metabolism.

By word metabolism, we pertain to a biological process that
allows the rate at which calories in the body are burnt out
which in the end influence the weight gain or loss.

It involves complex systems of enzymes and hormones that
facilitate the conversion of fuel to energy. The sad truth
though is that we have different rates by which our calories
burn. That’s why it is important to encourage metabolism for
better loss of reserved fuel, if our main aim is to shed off
some extra pounds.

Toward Berry Good Aging

As we live longer and pay more attention to diet and
healthy lifestyles, those in middle to upper ages want to “add
life to years”, not just years to life.

One way for aging well is to consume color-rich plants (i.e.,
mixed vegetables, varied fruits and particularly different
brightly colored berries).

Why is coloring a good guide for food selection?

Science teaches us that vivid colors in plants like berries
come from pigments provided by Nature to ward off pests and
attract pollinators, helping to guarantee regeneration of the
species.

Pigments have another important function for the plant. Located
mostly in the outer layers, skin or rind, they fashion an
antioxidant defensive shell against sun and radiation exposure
which, if not prevented from forming free radicals, would
oxidize cells, membranes, proteins and DNA.

Organically Yours

You too can make smarter choices in the food you buy.
Organically grown foods have been increasing in popularity as people are choosing to live a smarter and healthier lifestyle.  Organic farmers around the world are doing their part in preserving the quality of our ecosystem and to improve our health by growing food the way nature intended. Organically grown food gives us a naturally healthy and purely delicious
food that is completely free of harmful chemicals and pesticides. Most foods contain a high level of pesticides that can be more harmful that organically grown foods.

1. The Five Reasons

- Organic foods are free of additives and preservatives and
therefore taste more delicious and pure.

- Buying organic foods helps to reduce the dependence on all
the non-renewable resources.

- The organic food industry promotes healthy farmland and
supports those small family owned farms that produce the
organic food.

- Growing organic foods help to keep chemicals out of the water
supplies and help protect the farmers and other workers from
having contact with harmful chemicals and pesticides.

- Organically grown food is exceedingly safe for children
because it is free from harmful pesticides.

How Important Is Nutrition?

Since the beginning of times, human beings have known that we are what we eat.   Our ancestors were fully aware of the simple fact that eating well today means being stronger tomorrow.

As we all know, science has evolved since those old days, and today we know that a good nutrition is not just what we eat, but it’s also how much we eat and when we eat it.   This means that a good nutrition not only consists on carefully deciding what to eat, but also know what amount of each kind of food we may eat to fulfill our body needs without accumulating an excess of nutrients.

For this reason, it is a good thing to get advice from a professional nutrition expert. As an expert, he knows the right plan to follow in order to achieve a perfect nutrition.

What we eat is so important that many specialists will require you to have some tests prior to recommending you a specific diet; as every person is different, it makes sense to design a
diet plan that is unique and personal for each one.

Fruit Secrets

Fruits, gold mine of vitamins, minerals and fiber are ideal to

consume at least 4-5 servings in a day. Since they are in the natural form, account for largest part of water and 100% bad cholesterol free, it's much easier for the body to process and absorb the vitamins and minerals from the fresh fruit. 

Apple ­ Round fruit with lots of fiber, vitamins A, C, E and folate. Available in green, red or yellow skin when ripe. Apples reduce the risk of colon cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer. They also help with heart disease, weight loss and

controlling cholesterol.

Bananas ­ Long thick skinned fruit yellow in color when ripe. Good source of fiber, potassium, vitamins A, C, B6, E & folate. Unripe or green bananas are used in cooking.

Chocolate: A Health Food?

Ah, chocolate.   Everyone's favorite food. That one thing everyone dies for and craves for.   The dark, aromatic treat that emanates passion, romance, and happiness.   But what made it so appealing and well-loved by everyone?  2,600 years ago the Mayans from

Mexico

had already been drinking chocolate.   Cacao beans, for them, were the ultimate status symbol.   In 1500s, the Aztecs
adopted the

Mayans' love for chocolate and associated it with Xochiquetzal, the goddess of fertility.   A drink, called chocolatl, which was made of chocolate mixed with some spices and herbs, was a popular drink back then.   Under the Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican era, chocolate was a luxury item among the European nobles.   The
well-known traveler

Christopher Columbus introduced cacao beans to Ferdinand and Isabel of Spain.   Later, Hernando Cortes brought more of these to

Europe

and the rest is history.

Not Just Dairy: Other Sources of Calcium

Are you feeling tired most of the time?

Does your mood swing swift from one frame of mind to another?

Perhaps, you lack proper nourishment.  To other people, food alone does not suffice your body’s need for a healthy well-being.  Nowadays more individuals are into food supplements or vitamins to fill in the nutritional gap they are
experiencing.

Calcium is one great example of a nutrient which is normally less in an individual’s diet.  Because of this, more individuals are experiencing brittle bones and teeth.

Foods That Fight Health Problems

Research shows that most people who eat the widest variety of foods are more likely to meet their nutrients requirements and remain healthy than those who get stuck in the food rut.  Nutrients work together to keep your heart healthy, your blood pressure normal, your bones strong and your memory sharp. Many of the foods hold key to longer lives, cancer cures or smoother skins. Join me in exploring foods and their benefits that fight
host of diseases and health problems.