17th May 2012

Five tips on how to eat less

Eating less food in order to lose weight, for many, can be extremely difficult and no matter how hard we try we cannot seem to resist opening the fridge door.

If this sounds depressingly familiar and you’d do anything to be able to resist the harsh temptation the biscuit jar cruelly gestures then you may find the following tips on how to eat less surprisingly valuable.

Eat slower!

Eating slower and chewing your food more thoroughly can go a long way in your quest to eating less.

When we eat fast we do not give our bodies chance to digest the food and feel full and often end up eating a lot more than we actually need to. Eating slower counteracts this problem as your body will have chance to digest the food, feel full, meaning you are less inclined to reach for a second portion.

Drink plenty of water

If you are serious about eating less and losing weight then water is an essential component of your daily dietary consumption. Drinking water throughout the day not only helps to flush toxins out of the body but it can also make your feel full and be less partial to snacking.

Aim to drink at least eight glasses of water a day.

Chew gum

Chewing gum produces saliva and can help ‘trick’ the body into believing it is eating. So if you feel the urge to open the fridge and honk on a hunk of cheese, pull out some chewing gum to help curb those cravings.

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16th May 2012

The five hottest celebrity diet plans of 2012

From shrinking back to a size 8 just days after giving birth, to managing to remain cellulite-free even with the evil glare of the papparrazi’s lens scrutinising them from every angle, celebrities have an uncanny ability at making dieting look so easy.

To give you insight into how are favourite celebs manage to stay enviably slim, check out the five hottest celebrity diet plans of 2012.

The 5-factor Diet Plan

Created by the highly sought-after celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak, who is renowned for gaining results fast and effectively, it is easy to understand why the likes of Katy Perry and Megan Fox are following the 5-factor Diet Plan.

As simple as its name suggests, this fashionable diet involves each meal including five different elements – fibre, complex carbs, protein, fluids and fat.

The Fresh Diet Plan

Fresh to 2012 the Fresh Diet Plan involves having fresh gourmet chef-prepared meals delivered directly to your door.

The meals prepared are customised to your personal weight loss goals and are supposed to taste so good, that you don’t even know you’re on a diet!

Sounds to good to be true? Well it certainly sounds expensive and is therefore likely to remain a diet among the rich and famous such as Paula Abdul and Olivia Munn, both of who are self-confessed Fresh Diet followers.

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15th May 2012

3 healthy strawberry recipes

Tasting like candy but without all the badness, strawberries are one of those rare types of food that as well as being mouth-wateringly delicious are extremely healthy and nutritious. As well as being low in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol, strawberries are a great source of vitamin C, fibre and potassium.

While strawberries themselves are one of the best things we can eat, it is the things people tend to eat strawberries, dousing them in double whipped cream or Cornish ice-cream for example, which can effectively deem such a pudding as unhealthy and fattening.

With the strawberry season now upon us if you are struggling for ways to tart up your favourite fruit without destroying all its goodness, read the following three novel, tasty and healthy strawberry recipes.

Vegan Strawberry Pudding

Our first of the three healthy strawberry recipes features this mouth-watering strawberry pudding which can be enjoyed by all the family and is quick and easy to make.

Simply place 18 oz of strawberries into a blender and blend until they become liquid.

Add 2 tablespoons of Agave nectar and 4 tablespoons of Chia seeds into the liquid strawberries and let the mixture set in the fridge.

Once set, pull it out and to give your super tasty pudding an even healthier edge, decorate it with hemp seeds and nuts.

Frozen strawberries and Greek yoghurt

Either freeze some fresh strawberries or buy a bag of frozen strawberries and mix a large portion with some thick and creamy Greek yoghurt.

Blend the two together and you will have instant delicious strawberry yoghurt but without all the sugar and additives many pre-prepared yoghurts contain.

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14th May 2012

Unusual weight loss tips

When it comes to losing weight there are literally hundreds of tips and advice out there designed to helping you lose weight more quickly and effectively.

If you are one of thousands of people who have followed numerous weight loss strategies and tips to no avail you may welcome reading some more ‘unconventional’ tips that may prove more effective in securing a slimmer and healthier you.

Check out our three top sensible yet unusual weight loss tips.

Be proud of your diet

Many dieters have a tendency to be ashamed of being on a diet and try to keep it concealed from friends, family and colleagues. By pretending you are not on a diet when you really are can be negative on the effectiveness of your diet as, in your quest to keep your diet hidden, you may be inclined to gorge on fattening food in public and you will nobody to motivate you.

Most friends, family and colleagues will be supportive of your diet and may actually encourage you, so instead of pretending it doesn’t exist, be proud of your diet and tell everybody!

Give yourself a break!

Monotonous dieting can make you feel bored, depressed and crying out for something greasy or sinfully sweet to eat! To counteract these common diet feelings, which in doing so may actually make your diet last longer, be sure to give yourself a break and dedicated one or two days a week to more ‘sinful’ eating habits!

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2nd May 2012

A guide to finding the best energy bars

Energy bars, often referred to as nutrition bars, protein bars, health bars or snack bars, are a popular choice of snack amongst athletes to provide their bodies with fuel.

Although despite be branded as a healthy, energy-boosting and nutritious snacks, it is a sensible precaution to check what the ingredients are and what the nutritional value is an energy bar before you eat it to ensure that it is really as ‘healthy’ as it claims.

To help you know what to look out for in energy bars, below is a guide to finding the best energy bars and on what energy bars should contain to provide you with energy instead of lost calories.

Whole grains

Quality energy bars that are bursting with energy boosting goodness are packed with whole grains. Whole grains, such as oats, are a good source of carbohydrates which of course gives us energy, as well as fibre, which helps make us feel full for longer.

Dried fruit

Many energy bars contain dried fruit and quite simply the more dried fruit an energy contains, the better. Being naturally sweet, dried fruit can help us regain energy and stave of tiredness. Fruit of course is also bursting with vitamins and minerals, and energy bars that contain a large amount of fruit, will contribute to our recommended five a day portions of fruit and veg.

Seeds and Nuts

As well as being an excellent source of fibre, both seeds and nuts contain high levels of “good fats” and calories. Calories and “good fats” are important if we want to maintain our energy levels and stay at peak performance whatever physical activity we may be doing.

Look out for sugar

Sugar may make things taste great and will act as a ‘temporary’ energy fix, but as sugar is associated with weight gain, providing temporary energy that is quickly followed by an energy slump and is generally considered to be bad for one’s health, energy bars with added sugar should be avoided. All the sugar found in energy bars should come from the fruit in them.

Look out for artificial ingredients

Energy bars that contain artificial ingredients, such as colouring, preservatives, sweeteners and flavours, should be avoided as they will not provide any nutritional value and will just weigh you down with wasted calories.