Are You Eating Enough Dark Leafy Green Vegetables?

Do you eat at least three servings of dark leafy green vegetables a week? Most of us will answer no to this question. If you answered no, you are missing out on great health benefits. Getting at least three servings of these vegetables per week helps to manage your weight, reduce your risk for heart disease and cancer. They are a great source of calcium which helps to protect you against Osteoporosis. Include broccoli, spinach, collard greens, and kale in your diet regularly. These vegetables are low in calories and fiber rich which helps you to maintain a healthy weight. How can you include them in your diet? Make a spinach salad, steam fresh broccoli as part of your dinner, or make a stir fry with your favorite green leafy vegetable. Ideally you should strive to eat one serving per day. Start with three per week and improve from there.

Health Hint #9 Read the Labels and Ingredients on Your Food

How many people actually know what they are eating? Most of us don't take the time while grocery shopping to read nutrition and food labels. Reading the labels and ingredients in your food will give you valuable health information. Pay attention to the amount of sugar and fat, more specifically, the saturated and trans fat content in your food. A healthy diet is low in saturated fat and sugar. If you are at risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or stroke must pay close attention to their saturated fat and sugar intake.
When you are reading the ingredients look out for high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils. High fructose corn syrup is a sweetener often added to processed foods and sweetened drinks. Partially hydrogenated oils contain trans fat. Avoid foods that contain these unhealthy ingredients because frequent consumption is detrimental to your health. Is it coincidental that the obesity and type 2 diabetes is on the rise in our society as well as increased consumption of high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils.
Next time you are grocery shopping invest the extra time in your health by reading the labels. You will be glad you did.

Health Hint #8 Don't Focus on Your Weight; Worry About Your Body Fat Percentage

Most people are obsessed with their weight. When they are trying to lose weight they will often weigh themselves several times a week to measure their progress. Focus more on lowering your body fat percentage than your weight. The lower your body fat percentage is, the higher your muscle mass. Why should you care about your muscle mass? The more muscular you are, the more fat you will burn. Fat is the primary fuel source of muscle. So don't obsess over your weight. Building muscle mass is a better way to lose fat and maintain that loss long-term.
Adding resistance training to your exercise routine will build more muscle. Other benefits of weight training include osteoporosis prevention, reduce your risk for muscular injuries, you will look and feel better too.
If you are a beginner start out slow and add exercises as you feel comfortable. Proper form is important so you do not hurt yourself. It is a great idea to find a personal trainer to get you started the right way. You will be glad you did.

Health Hint #7 Eat More Salads

Salads are a healthy choice for lunch or dinner. You can make it your entree or a side. Vary the ingredients you use in your salad so you don't get bored.
Here are some easy and tasty salad recipes:

• Spring mix with olives, artichoke hearts, and feta cheese tossed with lemon vinaigrette
• Spinach with apples, raisins, and cheddar cheese tossed with balsamic vinaigrette
• Romaine lettuce with grape tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, green peppers, and grilled chicken breast tossed with your favorite dressing

Remember to go easy on the dressing, extra dressing adds calories. Eating a salad a day is an easy way to ensure you are getting your daily allowance of vegetables and is a great weight loss strategy.

Health Hint #5 Healthy Snacks

Healthy snacking during the day is beneficial and aids in weight loss. Good choices include an apple with natural peanut butter, low fat cheese with a couple whole grain crackers, low fat yogurt, nuts, or carrot sticks. Two small snacks during the day helps to fight hunger and maintains your metabolism. Avoid snacking on cookies, candy, chips, and ice cream because of their high calorie and fat content. Excessive snacking during the day or night can lead to weight gain.

Health Hint #4 Eat at Least 2 Servings of Friut a Day

Fruit is also an important part of your daily diet. You need to eat at least two servings of fruit each day. Fruit contains essential vitamins for optimal health. Apples, oranges, berries, kiwi, and mango are delicious fruit choices. Fresh is best choice. Avoid canned fruit because it is often packed in syrup, which contains extra sugar. Berries are a good source of antioxidants, which are important for fighting free radicals that cause cell damage. It is easy to fit fruit in your diet by snacking on an apple, adding blueberries to your cereal, or making a fresh fruit salad for dessert.

Health Hint #2 Manage Your Stress

Many individuals are stressed. Stress can be detrimental to your health; especially if you experience stress for a prolonged period of time. Some symptoms of stress include headaches, neck and back pain. Stress may lead to overeating and consequently weight gain. We tend to consume foods high in refined sugar and fat when we are stressed. Finding an effective stress management plan is crucial to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Exercise, meditation, and massage therapy are great ways to reduce your stress. It is also important to identify the stressors in your life and know your limits. Eliminate unnecessary stress in your life by learning to say no and do not over extend yourself. When you decrease your stress levels you will notice that you do not consume as many unhealthy foods.

Do You Want to Lose Weight?

Weight loss is the most common health goal people set. The majority of us have said at one point in our lives “I want to lose weight” or “I need to lose weight.” Everyone can relate to managing their weight. We are flooded daily with diets that promise quick weight loss or diet pills that are the solution to your weight problem. Diets are not the answer. Stop associating diets with weight loss. Correlate weight loss and weight management with adjusting your habits toward a healthier life.
Why is weight management a struggle for most individuals? It isn’t always easy to make the right food choices or to find the necessary time to exercise. We have so many food choices today. Foods that seem “healthy” often are not because there is hidden fat or sugar. Buyers need to be aware of foods that bear a label of “low fat” or “fat free.” These foods often contain added sugar for flavor. Reading labels and understanding nutritional information on the food you consume is essential.
“I don’t have time to exercise.” I hear this frequently from my patients. When our schedules are filled with working, taking care of a family, cooking, and cleaning; little time is left for exercise. What is the solution? Time management skills are necessary to ensure we have the time in our schedule for important tasks. Schedule exercise just as you do any other appointment.
The healthy approach way to approach weight loss or healthy weight management is to think about it as modifying your eating and exercising habits for life. Weight loss should be secondary to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Learning how to improve your health will undoubtedly lead to a healthy weight.
For many, these are habits you have adopted for years. Major changes do not happen over night. I challenge you to set a small health goal daily. Small changes are easier to make and you are more likely to stick with these changes. Maintaining a healthy weight is a crucial component to healthy living.
Starting February 8, 2010 my daily post will give you a health hint to allow you to modify your habits toward a healthier life.