5 Foods for Instant Healthier Diet

Have you ever said to yourself that "I want to start eating healthy?" Then only to figure out you don't know where to start. The first idea is often fruits and vegetables which are important though there is more to eating healthy. Live Lean Today has listed 5 foods that will work perfect for any person to add to their diet and it will become instantly healthier. You can plug these foods and more into you own online diet plan.

Cranberries

They earn super status for their ability to help fight off nasty urinary tract infections. About 10 ounces of juice a day does the trick. Plus, recent research shows that cranberries might also help fend off colds and fight stomach bugs, gum disease, and certain types of cancer. Add a little unsweetened cranberry juice to smoothies, and sprinkle some dried berries into cereal and muffin mix. Cranberries are great to add to any weight management program.

Walnuts

These nuts are rich in omega-3s, which help reduce inflammation and increase good cholesterol. They may even help with depression and reduce your risk of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Top your salad with 1/4 cup or try them in pesto.

Beans

The humble legume may prevent heart disease and help head off colon cancer. Rich in two heart-friendly phytochemicals, beans are packed with magnesium, potassium, folate, and fiber. Get a 1/2 cup five to six times per week by adding canned kidney and garbanzo beans (rinse and drain first) to salads, burritos, and dips.

Fish

Studies show that eating seafood rich in omega-3s at least twice a week could reduce your risk of heart disease. And the reports say women of childbearing age and nursing mothers can safely eat as much as 12 ounces of seafood a week if they avoid high-mercury swordfish, shark, tilefish, and king mackerel; albacore tuna should be limited to 6 ounces a week.

Tomatoes

Loaded with the antioxidant lycopene, tomatoes and cooked tomato products pack a big health punch (at 32 milligrams, 1 cup of spaghetti sauce serves up the day's recommended intake). Studies show that women with lycopene-rich diets can have as much as a 50 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer. The antioxidant can also lower your blood pressure and bad cholesterol, and may even reduce your risk of getting macular degeneration and a host of cancers.

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SPICE Up Your Life and Your Food

When people see the healthy food I eat they often ask me “Don’t you get bored eating like that all the time?” My answer: NO WAY! There are many ways to keep your pallet guessing. Below are a few of my favorite secrets on keeping a healthy eating plan delicious and exciting.

Produce: I encourage everyone to consume fresh, whole food. The best way to incorporate this into your nutrition plan is to focus on your fruit and veggie selections. Next time you go to the store, try picking up a fruit or veggie that you haven’t tried before. The internet is a great resource to learn the best and healthiest ways to prepare them. Better yet, try some of the seasonal produce from your area! Farmer’s markets have cropped up across the country. Take advantage of access to the freshest ingredients at incredibly low prices straight from the source.

Spices: There are so many options I don’t know where to begin! Fresh garlic, onion, and/or ginger are the easiest way to flavor up a dish. Spices are yet another opportunity to try something new. For a South American flare, try cumin and red pepper flakes. Craving tasty Asian flavors? Try mixing in some Chinese Five Spice in with your chicken and veggies! There are also many spice blends available that take the guess work out of what might be good together. Ms. Dash and McCormick both make tasty blends.

Dressings: If you choose a bottled dressing, of course, I would always recommend low fat/low carb dressings. Vinaigrettes are my favorites. Have you ever tried making your own dressing? As an example, vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic and a packet of Splenda (show me a dressing that doesn’t have some sugar in it!) mixes up to a very tasty low cal, low carb, and low fat dressing. Let your imagination free and come up with your own favorite concoction.

Diverse Protein Sources: We’ve all heard of people going on a “diet” and eating canned tuna or boiled chicken for every single meal. BORING! You can easily incorporate all sorts of protein sources into your nutrition plan. You just need to enjoy them in the appropriate portion sizes. Chicken and turkey breast are quite common in most healthy meal plans, but there are many more options. How about trying a new type of fish? Even considered shrimp or scallops? How about extra lean pork or beef?

All of these are delicious options and yes… you can have them all AND keep yourself from getting bored with your eating regimen. Don’t be afraid to try something new! Your taste buds will thank you for it and you’ll easily keep your nutrition plan on track.

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Avoiding Trans Fat May Save Your Life

As consumers we had no idea how much trans fatty acids (trans-fat) were in the food we eat. Until now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), after much red tape, is requiring that trans-fats be on all packaged food labels. You will see the new addition right below the saturated fat listing. At least now, Americans in the packaged food they buy can see how much is in there. Trans-fat are worse on the heart than saturated fat and should be avoided in any diet program.

Trans-fat are, in my opinion, the most deadly of the unnatural forms of fat. The FDA estimates that 500 deaths from heart disease will be prevented in the next 3 years, thanks to this new information to consumers. Harvard researchers have estimated that 100,000 lives a year could be saved if people cut trans-fats out of their diets completely.

So what is a trans-fat? Trans-fats are artificially created by a process called hydrogenation. Hydrogenation is adding hydrogen atoms to liquid vegetable oil. This process allows a longer shelf life and stabilizes the flavor. It is also cheaper than other fats, like butter or lard, so many food manufacturers prefer to use it. About 40% of the food on grocery store shelves contain trans-fat. Health officials in New York City estimate that 30% of the restaurants use trans-fats or fry food in them.

Once in the blood stream, trans-fats raise bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, LDL) and lower good cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein, HDL). Trans-fat may raise cholesterol twice as much as saturated fat, which makes it one of the major contributors to heart disease deaths crippling Americans. There are more than 1.4 million Americans dying from heart disease each year. In a Harvard Nurses' Health Study, those who eat more trans-fat were 53% more likely to develop heart disease than those in the study eating low amounts of trans-fat. The high risk group was consuming 6.7 grams a day. You can find the same number of trans-fat in fast food French fries fried in partially hydrogenated oil. Higher incidence of diabetes and gallstone disease may be linked to trans-fat as well.

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) estimates that there is no safe amount of trans-fat to eat. No one is sure exactly how much trans-fat Americans are eating. One tablespoon of margarine has 3 grams, one doughnut has 5 grams. The best thing you can do is cut trans-fat out of your diet completely. Your heart will thank you. Frito-Lay chips and Pepperidge Farm goldfish crackers have already taken out trans-fat from their food. Most companies still have not taken trans-fat out of their products. There are two grocery store chains that carry no products with trans-fat, Whole Foods and Wild Oats. If you want to rid your diet of trans-fat, you are going to have to read food labels carefully. Besides the grams of trans-fat in the product, you need to check the serving size as well. Some products have small serving sizes to keep their grams total down.

If you want to keep trans-fat out your diet, there are things you can do. Cooking your own food is one of the best ways. You then know what style you are cooking with. Good oils to use are olive, grape seed, rice bran, canola, corn, and safflower oil. Staying away from restaurants that use trans-fat would also be advisable. Look for foods that contain essential fats that our bodies want, like the avocado.

With a little extra effort you can take trans-fat out of your diet. Taking trans-fat out of your diet may be the single best thing you can do to lower your risk of heart disease. There is no known health value of trans-fat, so your body won't be missing anything if you completely get rid of them in your diet.

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