Diet Friendly Foods for Snacks and Meals

Diet Friendly FoodsDiet Friendly Foods – Taste Good and Make You Thinner

So, you’re on a diet (or just trying to eat healthier) and you want some good stuff to eat – but you can’t think of anything beyond the obvious boring vegetables, lean chicken breast, and fruit.  Today we’ve got a few great ideas for diet friendly foods that will tantalize your taste buds without breaking the caloric bank.

Diet Friendly Foods Idea #1 – Tasty Wrap

One whole wheat tortilla (100 calories)
1/4 of an avacado, mashed (70 cal)
2 tbsp salsa (mild, medium or hot, 20 cal)

Mash the avacado and spread in the center of the tortilla.  Add salsa, roll it up and enjoy cold, or warm it under the broiler for a few minutes to give the tortilla a nice crisp edge.  Great snack for less than 200 calories.

If you want to include some protein, add 3 oz. chicken breast, cooked and cubed (150 cal); or 1/2 cup of pinto beans (120 cal), or 3 oz. of cooked shrimp (90 cal).

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Visualization for Weight Loss: Using the Power of Your Mind to Shrink Your Body

visualization for weight lossDoes it seem strange to think that you could close your eyes and imagine something and have it come true?  Using visualization for weight loss is a little more complex than that – but the basic premise does have merit!

Here’s how it works:

When you visualize something repeatedly, it starts to sink into your subconscious mind as something of importance.  As a result your subconscious mind will keep reflecting back this important essence so that you become more attuned to it mentally, emotionally, and physically.

That means you will automatically start identifying more with that slender version of yourself rather than the heavier, unhappier version of you.  As a result, you’ll start thinking and acting in ways that will help bring forth your slender vision.

It may sound like something out of a science fiction movie, but psychologists and even sports professionals stand behind the effectiveness of visualization for weight loss or anything else you want to accomplish.

Other good ways that visualization can be used for weight loss:

- Visualization can help you stay motivated to stick to a healthy eating and exercise plan, simply because when you “see” yourself being slimmer and happier, you automatically want to do whatever it takes to make it a reality.

- Visualization helps convince you that your desired outcome is possible – you keep “seeing” it as if it were true, and you gradually dissolve inner blockages, doubts and disbelief that you could achieve such a thing.

- Visualization can minimize stress and anxiety, and help you feel more positive so it’s easier to take better care of yourself and lose weight more quickly.
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Negative Calorie Foods: Are They for Real?

negative calorie foodsWhat is a negative calorie foods, anyway?  Is it just another diet gimmick, or can they really help you lose weight and keep it off?  First of all, there is no such thing as a “negative calorie” – all foods have calories.

When people talk about negative calorie foods they are referring to foods that require more energy expended to digest them than you ingest when eating them.  Example:  water.  Water isn’t technically a food, but it has zero calories.  When you drink water, your body has to expend energy to absorb and process the water, so you now have a “negative calorie” effect, where you have burned more calories than you ingested.

The same concept can apply to foods that do have calories, especially if the calories are low in quantity.  Remember too that even as your body is digesting food and absorbing liquid, it is also expending energy to keep vital bodily functions going, like respiration, heartbeat, blood circulation, and the like.

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Quick Natural Weight Loss Techniques

quick natural weight lossLooking for quick natural weight loss techniques? Losing excess weight can undoubtedly improve your quality of life, not to mention your appearance.  And like most people, if you’re carrying a few extra pounds (or more than a few) you probably want to lose it sooner rather than later.  This is understandable, but some common sense and caution should still be used before doing something that will set you up for health problems later.

Checking with your doctor is a good idea, because he or she may be able to recommend a healthy, effective weight loss plan.

Beyond that, here are a few common sense quick natural weight loss tips that should help you shed the fat quickly and easily:

#1 – Remember that weight loss is not just a one-trick pony

You need to address several areas to be successful, such as overall calorie intake, quality of foods eaten, level of physical activity, and nutrients needed for optimal health.

It makes sense that your diet should include healthy, nutrient-rich food.  But you may also benefit from taking a multi-vitamin or select supplements, according to what your doctor recommends.

It also makes sense that in order to burn more calories, you need to get your body moving more than it was before.  (Again, check with your doctor on this to be sure exercise is okay for you.)  If you currently lead a very sedentary life, you’ll need to start slowly by walking briskly for 15-30 minutes each day, or performing similar low-intensity exercises.  As you get into better shape, you can increase both the length of your workouts and the intensity at which you work.
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Fad Diets: 5 Good Reasons to Stay Away

fad dietsFad diets are so incredibly tempting, aren’t they?  Just follow these simple steps and poof!  Magically, you’ve dropped weight and look fabulous!  Unfortunately, the results are always temporary.  In fact, much of the “weight” you lose on fad diets is water weight, NOT FAT.

If you’re still not convinced that fad diets are ineffective at best and dangerous at worst, take a look at these reasons to stay away:

1)  They deplete important nutrients

Many fad diets have you banish whole groups of food and gorge on other food groups.  While these radical guidelines may indeed help you shed pounds quickly, they can also be dangerous, adversely affecting levels of potassium, sodium, and other vital nutrients your body needs to function.

2)  They set you up for constant cravings

At first fad diets may seem like fun (“Oooh, I get to eat a few gallons of whipped cream every day?!) but within a few days you start to get really sick of eating all the formerly “forbidden” foods.  Worse, now that other, healthier foods are forbidden, you start to crave those, and can’t stop thinking about everything you’re not allowed to eat.  This just sets you up for constant cravings – or worse, complete failure if you can’t resist the temptations.

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