Healthy Foods That Keep You Full

Do you find yourself hungry 30 minutes after eating? Certain healthy foods can keep you full for sufficient hours, helping you avoid mindless munching throughout the day. No doubt about it, hunger is unpleasant. In fact, it can be downright embarrassing when your tummy grumbles for your attention at the most inopportune times. When you’re watching your calorie intake to lose or manage your weight, there will be days when you might experience ongoing hunger, even when you’re eating at the top of your calorie range. Eating healthy foods will be helpful to keep you full for a longer time and help you manage your appetite.

Here is the list of healthy foods that you should eat in your daily lifestyle -

Eggs: For just 70 calories, an egg delivers more than 6 grams of protein. Eggs will help you feel fuller longer-a lot longer. Add two eggs in your breakfast with whole grain bread. This combination of protein and complex carbohydrates helps to prevent spikes in blood sugar levels and keeps the digestive system engaged for a longer period, preventing you from feeling hungry soon.

Soups: Studies show that foods containing a lot of water can keep your stomach full. And when you start a meal with soup, you activate brain signals that begin to tell you’ve had enough to eat, so that by the time you finish your second course, you’ll be satisfied. Vegetable soups are one of the best healthy foods. Vegetable soups in which some green vegetables and spicy condiments have been added are perfect for keeping you satiated for at least a few hours. The water content of soups ensures that you feel a bit heavy. Fiber-rich soups, like those made from spinach, are particularly good for this cause.

Salads: Salads are an easy way to stick to a healthy diet. Just boost the stay-full factor by filling your salad bowl with fiber and protein. Foods containing fiber helps make you feel fuller. Adding more fruits and vegetables in it increase its fiber content, so your best bets are fruits, veggies, and whole grains. So, add these healthy foods in your meal and keep yourself full with fewer calories.

Whole Grains: Adding whole grains in your major meals helps you to feel full for a longer time. Eating whole wheat or multi-grain bread or rotis are recommended since complex carbohydrates release glucose slowly. They also adds fiber which helps in keeping the stomach full for a sufficient time since fiber slows down digestion.

Beans and Legumes: Beans and Legumes are one of the best healthy foods choices. They are nutritious, filling high-fiber foods that can be included in a number of different types of entrees and healthy snacks. Because beans can add up to a lot of calories if you eat more than a serving or two, you might want to combine them with vegetables and whole grains for a more complex meal that will keep you feeling full for longer.

Apples: Apples are great at suppressing your appetite, because they contain a lot of a bulk. This fiber has the ability to expand in your stomach, making you feel full and turning off your appetite longer than other fruits, and far longer than other processed snacks!

Green Veggies: Green Vegetables are all time healthy foods. Veggies have a very high concentration of soluble and insoluble fiber along with having a thermic effect. This refers to the overall effort exerted by the body in digesting foods. While proteins have a very high thermic effect, veggies like Spinach too have a high thermic value. When the metabolic processes are busy, trying to digest such foods, the tendency to feel hungry is automatically reduced.

Add all these healthy foods in your diet and keep yourself full for longer.

Foods for Stamina Development

You need tons of energy to cope with your hectic lifestyle. A well balanced diet rich in nutrient dense foods, helps build up body stamina and increase energy levels, especially if you’re interested in sports and athletics. Good stamina is a result of good energy levels, and we get our energy from food. So the degree of stamina we have is largely just a reflection on what we eat.

Following is our list of foods for stamina development, to keep you active throughout the day with enough energy levels -

Bananas: Bananas are best eaten a few hours before you intend to exert yourself. Being a great source of carbs, they are so effective because they trigger the release of dopamine. Bananas are among top foods for stamina improvement. This is known to increase our concentration and drive and is one of the reasons that caffeine makes us so alert.

Green leafy vegetables: Packed with micronutrients, it is essential for building stamina and also to improve your RBC count. Green leafy veggies are rich in fiber and digest slowly while maintaining your blood-glucose levels.

Peanut butter: Peanuts are said to contain Omega 3 fatty acids that helps in reducing pain, boost heart health and develop your brain. Peanut butter is also an excellent food among foods for stamina building. It is high in calories and digests slowly. Consume peanut butter in combination with complex carbohydrates like whole wheat bread or as a dressing on green salad .

Beans: Beans are a powerful food for stamina building due to their high iron content. Iron is used by your body to make red blood cells, which carry oxygen to working muscles. Beans are also high in protein, which slows the digestion of carbohydrates and provides a sustained energy release. A traditional combination like beans and rice provides lots of sustained energy.

Beetroot juice: Consuming a glass of beetroot juice before exercising will make your body work for long hours without feeling exhausted. Beetroot is rich in vitamin A and C —making it the best food for stamina building and reducing fatigue.

Oatmeal: One of the best foods for stamina development. Oatmeal is an unprocessed carbs, which gets digested slowly and hence keeps you feeling full for a longer period of time.  A power-packed cereal, oatmeal provides sustained energy for hours. Due to high content of complex carbs, it breaks down slowly in your body and keeps the blood sugar at optimum level.”

Coffee: Coffee is known to be an instant energy provider. It is known to help fight against fatigue, as it triggers the central nervous system. Coffee keeps you energized and active throughout the day. Caffeine is almost always completely absorbed and used by the body once ingested. It also affects every organ of the body, increasing mental alertness and energy. Caffeine has a glycogen-sparing effect on the body. Glycogen is glucose that is stored in the muscles for long-term energy.

Foods for stamina building provide calories which serve as energy your body needs to function properly. These Foods also furnishe your body with nutrients and vitamins which help sustain energy. For improved stamina, the right choice of foods can keep you going all day long. So, pick from these power packed foods and experience the change in your energy levels!

Cholesterol Lowering Foods to Stay Healthy

Have your doctor told that you have high cholesterol? Then you know you need to change your lifestyle and diet to include cholesterol lowering foods to lower your cholesterol and your risk of heart diseases. Our body needs a small amount of cholesterol to function properly. LDL cholesterol can cause plaque to build up in arteries, leading to heart diseases. HDL Or “good” cholesterol, on the other hand, helps clear bad cholesterol from blood. You want to lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol. Eating low cholesterol foods and doing regular cardiovascular activity does exactly the same, i.e. lower LDL levels and increase HDL levels.

Here are some cholesterol lowering foods that can lower the cholesterol levels and help in protecting heart -

Oatmeal: Oatmeal contains soluble fiber & cholesterol lowering components which reduces the low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad,” cholesterol. Soluble fiber is also found in kidney beans, apples, pears, barley and prunes. Soluble fiber can reduces the absorption of cholesterol into bloodstream. Use oats, oat bran or oat flour when you cook and bake.

Beans: Beans are also one of the effective cholesterol lowering foods. Same as oats, chickpeas, lentils, soybeans and kidney beans are high in soluble fiber, prevents cholesterol from being absorbed into the body. Soluble fiber forms a gel in water that helps bind acids and cholesterol in the intestinal tract, preventing their re-absorption into the body. This is why soluble fiber helps to lower cholesterol levels (and decreases the risk of heart disease). Include such low cholesterol foods in your diet and reduce your risk of coronary heart diseases.

Fish: Eating fatty fish can be heart healthy because of it’s high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which can reduce blood pressure and risk of developing blood clots. In people who have already had heart attacks, fish oil or omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of sudden death. You should eat Fish as cholesterol lowering foods by baking or grilling the fish & avoid adding unhealthy fats. If you don’t like fish, you can also get small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids from foods like ground flax-seed or canola oil. Ground flax-seed or canola oil are also low cholesterol foods.

Nuts: Walnuts, almonds and other nuts can reduce blood cholesterol. These cholesterol lowering foods are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Walnuts also help keep blood vessels healthy. Eating about a handful a day of most nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pistachio and walnuts, may reduce the risk of heart diseases. People who eat nuts regularly have less heart disease and other illnesses than people who don’t eat them. The heart-healthy monounsaturated fats they contain are also better for body joints than the polyunsaturated fats found in corn and safflower oils.

Olive Oil: One among the best cholesterol lowering foods, Olive oil is a nutritional superstar. Olive oil which is high in monounsaturated fat seems to help lower bad LDL cholesterol levels without affecting good HDL cholesterol. Diets rich in olive oil, fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains are associated with lower risks of heart disease and stroke. Olive oil is also rich in healthy vitamin E, an antioxidant. Other healthy oils include canola and flax-seed.

Apples: Apple pectin is a soluble fiber that helps draw cholesterol out of the system. The flavonoids (Quercetin) in apple act as a powerful anti-oxidant that seems to short-circuit the process that leads “bad” LDL cholesterol to accumulate in the bloodstream. This cholesterol lowering food will help you to keep your heart safe.

Spinach: Green vegetables are also a great source of vitamin and minerals and spinach is one of the best green vegetables. This low cholesterol food contains around 13 flavonoids compounds which keep us away from cancer, heart diseases and osteoporosis. 1/2 cup of this lutein-rich food daily guards us against heart attacks.

To reduce bad cholesterol & lower your risks of heart disease choose from a wide variety of cholesterol lowering foods, and follow a healthy route towards a healthy heart.

What is Making You Fat

We know enough about the repercussions of being fat, unfit or eating unhealthy foods which can cause metabolic disorder and cause weight gain. Though we read about healthy food options to include in our diet and presume to have fixed all the factors for weight loss but yet weight loss seems to not happen.

Did you fix quitting junk food that adds only calories, fats and not nutrition ? Have you started eating foods that are healthier than what you were eating earlier? You are reading the best of advices and following them too but the outcome is not satisfying. Where is it that you are going wrong and what is it that you do to make weight loss happen and not get fat. Fix the loopholes where you are going wrong and correct it to lose weight.

Its not just about eating the right amount of calories , it is about ensuring they meet the daily nutritional requirement intake for a healthy metabolic rate. Read below for factors that probably are holding you back from losing weight.

Fluids: It is lots of water that you have to drink through out the day and not energy drink, iced teas, lemon drinks, sodas and sweetened beverages. Do you know how many packets of sugar are these pre-packaged drinks are adding to your diet  even if they are being marketed as healthy. These drinks might even sabotaging your fitness routine by increasing your daily intake of required calories. Instead stick to water to rev up metabolim and keep the body hydrated.Water is zero calories and preloading with it before a meal can help you lose weight fast.

Portion Control: You feel unsatisfied when you eat small meals. Large meals make more calorie intake which is over your daily nutritional requirement and gets saved as fat. Eat in small plates, chew slowly and stop eating once you feel full.

No Fiber: Fiber helps in better digestion of food and absorbs lots of water from the body. If you have water retention then add fiber to your diet. Fiber also keeps you feel fuller for a longer time without adding any extra calories.

No Exercise: Exercise boosts weight loss. You are eating to your requirement which will help you lose weight but exerise will accelerate the calorie burn in the body and give quicker results. As more muscles are improtant higher metabolism and weight loss, regular exercise will develop muscles in the body.

Missing Meals: Some people miss meals to fasten their weight loss presuming to save calories for the day. Missing meals makes the body go in the mode of starvation where the body burns the reserves slowly. Eat you meals at time as you would miss on the nutrition for that meal. Eating the next meal after the missed meal makes you consume more calories as you are hungry, which would get saved as extra calories as skipping meals slows the body’s natural metabolic rate.

Cheat Meals: It is alright to have a cheat meal once or twice a week but if you are cheating more unhealthy meals for healthy meals then you are slimming your chances of losing fat. It disrupts the weight loss process as the body takes time to adjust to a pattern before showing results.

Balanced Diet

We are all familiar with the concept of eating right. There is so much information about all sorts of healthy foods and their calorie value. There is enough being written about how vitamins are good for you and what are the rich sources of this nutrient. But rarely do we get to know the approximate quantity that is required by the body on a daily basis. What makes a balanced diet. To make it a little simpler for you we decided to give you an overview of what should make your daily dietary intake.

 

The key nutrients that are required for smooth functioning of the diet are proteins, fat, fiber, minerals, iron, carbohydrates, vitamins and calcium. A diet that includes all these essential nutrients, in correct portion, is known as a balanced diet. Based on the average calorie requirement for a male weighing 60kgs: 2700 or a female weighing 55 kgs:2100 here is a list of essential foods to maintain your weight :

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Are Mangoes Fattening or good for Health?

Ever wonder if, if mangoes are fattening or is mango healthy and good for your health? Its mango season, so lets find out- A ripe mango is a soft fleshy fruit. Seems like mangoes would have high fat content. But the fat content in mango is minimal. There is not even 1 gm of fat per mango!

So, what’s in a mango- calories, nutrition, health benefits? Read on to find out..

Nutrition analysis of mangoes- It gets all the sweet flavour from its carbohydrate content. There are many varieties of mangoes, and most of them have a high carbohydrate content. Since the carbohydrates are fruit based, its healthy complex carbohydrates- sucrose. Per 100 gms of mangos, there are about 14 gms of carbohydrates. There is almost no fat or protein content in mango. It provides you with more than your daily requirement of Vitamin A and Vitamin C. It also contains fiber, magnesium, iron and antioxidants. So, as you can see mango is overall a nutritious fruit, and like most fruits is low fat and cholesterol free!

The glycemic index of mango ranges between 41-60, so its low. So, mango does not have any significant effect in increase blood sugar levels, so it does not promote fat storage. Know about glycemic index and blood sugar levels. Due to the medium glycemic index, mangoes are okay for diabetics.

So, does eating mangoes promote fat gain? No, mangoes do not promote weight gain. What can promote weight gain are sugar loaded mango drinks like Maaza, Frooti, Slice, etc. Find out which is the healthiest mango drink in the market? Read more

Biscuits can promote weight gain

In India, there is a common notion that biscuits are healthy food. Many people eat them as a part of their weight loss diet. But the truth is that they’re really not that healthy. Read on to find out more.

The primary ingredients for biscuits are refined flour and sugar. Both sugar and refined flour are simple carbohydrates. When you consume these, it spikes your blood sugar level, and promotes fat storage in your body.

Since eating biscuits can spike your blood sugar, its not good for diabetics either. Biscuits are also loaded with fat used in the cooking process, so its adds up the calories and fat.

If you want a healthy snack, try healthy smoothies – Choco PB Smoothie and Strawberry Smoothie, or this delicious dessert. You can even eat Almonds- loaded with protein, antioxidants, vitamins and healthy fats.

So, the next time someone offers biscuits as a weight loss food, feel free to enlighten them about the unhealthy side of bisuits

Recipe- Make unhealthy Samosas Healthy

Samosas are the ultimate moral war in the unhealthy world of Indian snacks. They are irresistible, but so unhealthy. If only there could be healthy samosas, life for many would be easy.

Well, we have some good news- a recipe for you to make healthy samosas. We still haven’t found a place where you can get healthy samosas, but we can tell you how to make them healthier.

The maida (refined flour) used for the crust acts inside your body the same way sugar would. It has a high glycemic index, so it spikes your blood sugar, and promotes fat storage. Read here for details. So, you know, even samosas are not sweet, they’re not good for diabetics.

Then, the samosa is deep fried, so the outer crust absorbs all the oil and gets loaded with calories. To further drop its health quotient, the unhealthy samosa is stuffed with potatoes that are cooked in oil and fat!

But worry not, Fitho is here to your rescue. Make the following three swaps in the samosa recipe, and your samosas will be much healthier.

- In the dough, instead of using only maida (refined flour), mix in equal amounts of atta (whole wheat flour). So, the samosa will still retain its flaky and crisp crust, but will have more fiber, protein and vitamins.

- Instead of deep frying them, bake them in an oven. This saves all the calories and your heart from all that saturated fat and cholesterol.

- Instead of the same potato stuffing, use other veggies like peas, carrot, cauliflower. You can even stuff them with any kind of cooked meat, and turn up their protein content.

So, make these swaps in your samosa recipe, and load up on these samosas! Get more healthy recipes here.

Chicken breast- Total fat burning, muscle food

In the world of muscle food, the chicken breast is held in high regard. Chicken breast without the skin, has a high protein content, very low fat and carbohydrate content. The protein helps to build some muscle. Chicken breast also contains a dose of vitamin B, which helps to metabolize food for energy in your body.

And chicken breast is really easy to cook- it can be grilled, roasted or pan fried. Top it with some cheese and have it with a side of grilled vegetables.  Shred it into a soup with vegetable, and it makes a nutrition balanced meal that fills you up.

Hidden calories in fruit smoothies

Are you trying not to gain weight, and do you drink fruit smoothies, because you think they are healthy? Well, watch out!

Many fruit smoothies contain added sugars and high-fructose corn syrup and are so high in calories, that they sabotage your diet, than help you lose weight. The key here really is in the ingredients. Check if the fruit smoothie contains added sugar, or syrup. Many fruit flavourings added to smoothie are loaded with sugar, so they seem healthy, but they’re really not. They syrups, flavouring and added sugar really pack on the calories and promote fat storage.

A healthy smoothie should be made from fruit, instead of fruit concentrate (since that contains added sugar) and made with plain yogurt instead of ice cream or frozen yoghurt will contain nearly half the calories and significantly less sugar. And, it will provide all of the calcium, vitamin and antioxidant capacity that a smoothie is supposed to have.

Potatoes nutrition- help weight loss

We all love potatoes! We know that potatoes are loaded with carbohydrates. Then, they’re often cooked in lots of oil and butter, so general belief is that they make us fat. So, do potatoes really make you fat?

Recent study shows that you can eat potatoes and it could help you lose weight! The study shows that foods with resistant starch helps you slim down and improve digestion by resisting immediate digestion, thus keeping you full – the same way, fiber would. This kind of starch is found in legumes (beans are a great source), potatoes, barley, brown rice, corn and other unprocessed whle grains (in their natural form)

The catch is that you can get this benefit from eating bananas (unprocessed), the others get their resistant starch during the cooling process after cooking. Since reheating destroys the benefits, only cool foods will do the trick.

Also, potatoes are loaded with fiber, and iron. They also provide vitamin B, C, potassium and protein. The fiber keeps you full for longer, the protein helps to build muscle, the carbohydrates provide energy. So, the potato by itself is not unhealthy. Its the cooking process that makes it that way. We all love french fries, and mashed potatoes with plenty of butter and cheese on them

A healthy way to eat them is baked with a little bit of cream and cheese sprinkled on top. If you can eat, with the skin- its loaded with fiber. Eaten the right way, they could actually help build muscle, and lose weight.

Fruity Yoghurt is calorie loaded

Do you eat those yoghurt and fruit cups assuming that they’re healthy? Well then, you need to watch out.

The fruit and yoghurt cups sold in the stores are loaded with sugar- almost as much sugar as a soft drink. Sugar has a high glycemic index and promotes fat storage in your body. Yogurt has many health benefits, and we all know about fruits being healthy. They’re also loaded with antioxidants.

Yoghurt and fruit is a great snack for anytime, whether you want to start your day with it, or as a post workout snack. So, make yourself some by mixing a cup of low fat plain yoghurt with half a cup of berries, or any other fruit that you like. It makes for a delicious snack, without all the hidden sugar and calories.

Check out these two simple recipes (Strawberry Smoothie, Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie) for some delicious, healthy and simple snacks

Healthy Hair Diet

Wonder what’s a healthy hair diet? To get healthy hair, we’re all bombarded with shampoo and conditioner advertisements that promise to do wonders to your hair, make it heathy, strong, etc etc.. But do you ever wonder about this- Your hair grows from inside your scalp. Its health is decided before it actually grows out of your scalp. Sure, the shampoos and conditioners ensure that they remain clean and all of that, but to really have healthy hair, its important for you to be healthy and consume a healthy diet that promotes healthy hair. Include the following foods in your diet- they won’t grow hair back on a bald patch, but they’re probably help salvage whatever is left of it, and will promote a healthier head of hair

Salmon- This delicious (we’re already drooling) and healthy fish is rich in protein and Omega-3. Sardines is also a good source of Omega-3, which helps to seal in shine in your healthy hair.

Bran- Not on the list of most delicious foods, but surely on the healthy list. Its rich is fiber, and it’s full of vitamin B, which slows hair loss and promotes growth of healthy hair. Other sources that are rich in Vitamin B are beans, peas, carrots, cauliflower, nuts, and eggs.

Avocados- Not so easily available in India, you can find avocados a health food stores and international food markets. These are used extensively in Mexican cuisine and new-age American cuisine. This fleshy fruit can be eaten straight up, or mashed to make a bunch of dips, fillings, etc. These protect hair follicles.

Green tea- Green tea helps weight loss and is healthy for your hair too. Brew a strong pot, cool it, and then give your head a rinse to kill dandruff-causing fungus.

Is your brain making you fat?

A new study found that when people don’t sense enough satisfaction from food, they overeat to compensate. It has to do with the brain’s please chemical, dopamine. Earlier research showed that overweight people have fewer dopamine receptors in the brain. With fewer dopamine receptors, it makes them more vulnerable to compulsively eat food and become obese.

The good news is that you can control this tendency. Don’t overload your diet with unhealthy foods- the more you eat them, the more you’ll crave them. Instead find healthy and satisfying replacement. Try smoothies- we have two great ones- Strawberry Banana Smoothie and a Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie. These are really simple recipes and the smoothies are healthy, fill you up and keep you full for longer.

But once every week, allow yourself to eat anything you please. Yes, you heard that right- anything you crave! This will help you maximize the pleasure from your indulgence and since you won’t be completely deprived, you’ll stick to your diet plan better.

Running Tips

Running Tips, Run better- Part 1

Loads of people are training for the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. But here is some information that will help you run better. When most people who don’t run hear the term ‘running better’, they look skeptical, assuming that running is a very natural movement and that it should be quite easy. But you’ll be surprised to know how small running tips and changes can make a big difference not just to your speed, but also prevent injuries. These tips make an even bigger difference when you’re training for an event. These tips will help improve running speed, running distance and reduce running injuries. In part 1, here are some basic but essential running tips to get you started.

1. Get energy: Running requires energy and for you to run well, you need to have energy stored in your body. So, ensure you feed yourself correctly before a run. If you run on an empty stomach, you’re body will look for energy stores within itself to get that energy. Its options are fat and muscle. First it goes after the muscle. So, by running on an empty stomach, you might be forcing your energy to cannibalize its own muscle, which clearly will not help you run faster. Now, about what you should eat- If you haven’t eaten anything and need some quick energy right before the run, eat some boiled sugar candy, jaggery or a glucose based drink. If you have say 30 minutes before your run, eat some slow burning carbohydrates like oatmeal, dalia, muesli with low fat milk or any other such breakfast cereal. Don’t overeat as it will make you feel heavy. Avoid a high fat snack right before or after the run, since fat slows absorption of nutrients into the body and before a run, you want relatively quicker absorption. So, get your nutrition right and see yourself bursting with energy

2. Hydrate well- When your body is not well hydrated, it affects your performance. To hydrate yourself well, drink water 30 minutes before your workout, the best health drink ever. Right before your run if you’re thirsty, have a glass of water, but if you drink too much, then it might sit in your belly while your running- not too much fun! And in a country like India where its so hot, its even more important to hydrate yourself properly before a run. If you need water while your running, you can run with a small bottle of water and keep sipping as you need. As you build up your running ability, your need to sip water while you run will reduce. If you can’t carry a bottle with you, then place it somewhere on your running track.

3. Wear the right clothing: As irrelevant as it seems, this can make a huge difference. Wear running shorts that are light- preferably made of material wicks sweat away from the skin. Cargo/khakhi shorts are a strict no. On top, avoid cotton tshirts for two reasons- one they can cause chaffing from all the rubbing against your skin. Nipple chaffing is a common problem among male runners who don’t wear the correct clothing. And the other reason is that cotton absorbs sweats and holds it, so it adds to the weight of the clothing. Also, it sticks to your skin. Psychologically and physically, it can affect your performance. For women, wearing a sports bra is essentail. It will make your run so much better. Ladies, invest in a few good sports bras and you’ll notice all the difference. Also, get running socks- they’re the absorbent kinds. Do not wear dress socks! Running socks help your feet get a better grip within the shoes and absorb the sweat, so no smelly feet

Now, that we’re done with the basic running tips, watch out for more running tips!

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