Monday, February 6, 2012

Quick low calorie breakfast recipes for you..

Hi Friends,


Though breakfast is the most essential and important meal of the day , many of us skip it because of  few reasons..mostly because we are always in a hurry to start the day and most likely the extra minutes of sleep wins over the extra minutes of time spending in the kitchen ..


Keep your weight in check and start your morning  with a quick, satisfying low-cal breakfast. Here are light, nutritious, grab & go ideas to get you started.

·        The Very – Berry Smoothie


 You can jump-start your day with this nutritious, tasty smoothie in just minutes. It provides vitamin C, fiber, potassium and soy protein.

 
Ingredients
  • 1 banana
  • 1 1/4 cups frozen berries, such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and/or strawberries
  •  low-fat plain yogurt
  •  Splenda Granular (optional)
Preparation
1.       Combine  banana, berries, yogurt and Splenda, if using, in a blender; cover and blend until creamy. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Per serving: 139 calories; 2 g fat ( 0 g sat , 0 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 33 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 4 g protein; 4 g fiber; 19 mg sodium; 421 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (110% daily value), Fiber (16% dv).
Carbohydrate Servings: 2
Exchanges: 2 fruit, 1/2 low-fat milk

·        Egg White Sandwich


Ingredients

  • 4 hard-boiled eggs
  • 3 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons red onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 slices Multigrain/Brown Bread

Directions

Remove eggshells, separating egg whites from yolks; dice egg whites. Combine diced egg whites with mayonnaise, onion, parsley, vinegar and curry powder in small bowl.
Spread egg salad between slices of bread creating 2 sandwiches.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving  Calories: 200 | Total Fat: 10.2g | Cholesterol: 400mg

·        Cocoa-Date Oatmeal

If you are looking for a way to get yourself to start their day with a bowl of oatmeal, this is it. The microwave is convenient, but you can also cook the oatmeal on the stovetop following package directions. Top the cereal with milk or soymilk and sweeten with brown sugar or no-calorie sweetener, if desired.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup chopped pitted dates, (10-12 dates)
  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 cups water
Nutrition
Per serving: 142 calories; 4 g fat ( 1 g sat , 1 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 61 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 8 g protein; 9 g fiber; 81 mg sodium; 497 mg potassium.

·        Raspberry-Avocado Smoothie

Ingredients


·         1 avocado, peeled and pitted
·         3/4 cup(s) orange juice
·         3/4 cup(s) raspberry juice
·         1/2 cup(s) frozen raspberries
Preparation
        Puree avocado, orange juice, raspberry juice and raspberries in a blender until smooth.
 Nutritional Information          (per serving)

Calories
249
Total Fat
14g
Saturated Fat
2g
Cholesterol
0
Sodium
14mg
Total Carbohydrate
32g


Healthy recipes for breakfast that fight fat and keep you fuller longer.

Eating a breakfast made with “slow-release” carbohydrates, such as oatmeal or bran cereal, 3 hours before you exercise may help you burn more fat, suggests a recent study in the Journal of Nutrition. Here’s why: in the study eating “slow-release” carbohydrates didn’t spike blood sugar as high as eating refined carbohydrates, such as white toast. In turn, insulin levels didn’t spike as high and because insulin plays a role in signaling your body to store fat, having lower levels may help you burn fat. Not in the mood for oatmeal? Here are some delicious recipes to help you fight fat.


·        Muesli with cold milk  or non fat flavored yogurt
 

·        Cranberry Muesli


There may be as many versions of muesli as there are breakfast cereals, but this one's modeled after the original Swiss wake-you-up—a combination of overnight-soaked grains, nuts, dried fruit and yogurt. Make it the night before and you'll have breakfast ready when you are.
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened or fruit-juice-sweetened cranberry juice
  • 6 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats, (not quick-cooking or steel-cut)
  • 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted sunflower seeds
  • 1 tablespoon wheat germ
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
Preparation
1.       Combine yogurt, juice, oats, cranberries, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, honey, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl; cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.
Tips & Notes
  • Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
Nutrition
Per serving: 209 calories; 4 g fat ( 1 g sat , 1 g mono ); 4 mg cholesterol; 37 g carbohydrates; 8 g protein; 3 g fiber; 190 mg sodium; 266 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Calcium (15% daily value)

·        Banana-Cocoa Soy Smoothie

Ingredients
  • 1 banana
  • 1/2 cup silken tofu
  • 1/2 cup soymilk
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon honey
Preparation
Slice banana and freeze until firm. Blend tofu, soymilk, cocoa and honey in a blender until smooth. With the motor running, add the banana slices through the hole in the lid and continue to puree until smooth.

Nutrition
Per serving: 340 calories; 8 g fat ( 1 g sat , 1 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 60 g carbohydrates; 17 g protein; 10 g fiber; 121 mg sodium; 749 mg potassium.

Some Important healthy tips …..

·        Start your day with a one warm glass of water mixed with lemon juice and  1 tsp of honey.
·        If you don’t have time or any of these recipes  and it must be one of these busy days for you then don’t worry  here are some easiest things to keep u off starving :
  1. just take one banana with you and have it on the way
  2. one health bar ( ensure it has oats and should be less than 300 calories)(you can try the fibre one health bars)
  3. 2 multigrain toasted bread slices
  4. One glass of hot milk (skim)
  5. Substuitute your regular conrnflakes with honey bunch of oats

·        Try to move around  the whole day .. take the stairs instead of the elevators; walk when talking on the phone; don’t leave any opportunity to move that butt off the seat :p

So start your day healthy and keep moving.. and don’t forget 1 litre of water to keep you hydrated the whole day..keep watching .. for more healthy news..till then cya and have a healthy day ahead..:)


Friday, February 3, 2012

Breakfast - the most important meal of your day..

The Importance of Eating Breakfast

Eating breakfast gets your morning started on the right track. It helps you keep your energy up and make healthier eating choices throughout the day.

People always say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but is that really true?

Importance of Eating Breakfast
“There’s some physiology to it — eating breakfast prevents you from bottoming out and getting too hungry,” explains Susan Kraus, MS, RD, registered dietitian at the Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. “Psychologically, you know you started the day off right. When eating breakfast becomes part of your regimen, you start having ownership of it, become more consistent, and feel that you’re making a change for the better. Nutritionally, when you have breakfast, there’s more of a guarantee that you’re getting the nutrients you need every day.”


The Importance of Breakfast: Starting Off With Better Nutrition

Eating breakfast gives you a mental advantage. When you start off your day, your body needs fuel. “Glycogen stores start to deplete. If you haven’t had any food, by lunch you’ll start to feel fatigued,” says Kraus, adding that cognitive studies, particularly on children, tell us what happens if you don’t eat — you lose focus and concentration as well as the ability to think and problem-solve.

“Without eating breakfast, you’re more vulnerable to cravings and less likely to make healthy choices in the morning and throughout the day,” says Kraus. That’s a disaster — whether you’re on a diet or just eating for good health.

One study that tracked nearly 10,000 young people from adolescence into their twenties found that not only did skipping breakfast lead to being overweight, but people who missed out on their morning meal also increased their eating at fast food restaurants, and both unhealthy behaviors caused them to gain weight.


The Importance of Breakfast: Focused Thinking

Recent research also suggests that there are advantages to both eating breakfast and choosing certain foods in particular. “Studies have shown that kids do better in school when they’ve eaten a high-fiber, low glycemic index breakfast like oatmeal, rather than a sugary cereal. The same approach should work for adults who go to work early and have to make quick decisions,” says Kraus. “It’s anecdotal, but at lectures, we always say the worst thing to serve attendees in the morning is the typical pastry — it’s only a temporary filler. Couple that with a cup of coffee and you have a big surge of energy, but by midmorning your audience is sluggish or sleeping — everyone bottoms out.”

To make eating breakfast a habit or to give your breakfast a nutrition makeover, rethink your meal. “Breakfast just means breaking the fast; it doesn’t mean you have to eat specific foods. Breakfast food alternatives just don’t come to mind because they weren’t taught to you,” says Kraus. “For sustainable energy, partner high-fiber foods with proteins that promote alertness, like egg whites, turkey, chicken, fish, and lean meats.”

“Breakfast can also be a smoothie, a slice of pizza, or waffles with fruit,” suggests Kraus. “It can be a homemade high-fiber muffin made with added egg whites and milk, nonfat dry milk powder, or whey powder instead of water to embellish the protein content.” Besides hot cereal made with milk, other ideas to try are smoked fish or hummus on whole-grain or rye bread or on half a whole grain bagel.


The Importance of Breakfast: Getting on the Fitness Track

“There’s no right or wrong time to eat breakfast,” says Kraus, who admits that her morning routine has her heading to the gym before breakfast. “I exercise early in the morning and can’t eat beforehand — I have to do it this way because it’s the difference between getting to the gym or not.” However, Kraus says she is quick to refuel afterwards before starting her workday.

“Everything we know tells us that for people to keep themselves going, to keep from craving foods and going off the right track, you have to eat in the morning,” says Kraus. And the words of clients who make the lifestyle change are like music to her ears. “They say, ‘I never was a breakfast person, but now I actually look forward to it. I can’t leave home without having breakfast or bringing it to work.’”

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

First things first ..

There are a few first steps that we need to take in order to loose weight systematically..
  1. Make a small handy diary as your personal weight diary
  2. Measure your weight and make a promise to yourself and the next time you weigh yourself you will weigh lesser .
  3. Make a chart  of  date, weight, and  size of jeans
  4. Write down the date of your healthy start , your current weight , and the current size of your jeans.
  5. Remove all the junk from the house if possible (lol.. when i say junk i mean junk food .for eg: all the fried foods, cookies, chocolates, sodas ,etc.)
  6. Prepare your mind for doing any kind of exercise everyday for an hour, not necessarily you need to join the gym, you can also dance for an hour, go for a swim,  go for a jog, go for a brisk walk, yoga etc
  7. Positive thinking. This is the first and the most important step for the journey  you gotta be positive and make yourself realise that you gonna loose that weight in 6 months time.
  8. Prepare your mind for the long term goal of loosing the extra weight and dont get carried away by lip smacking food. Remember one thing, tastier the food , more the calories ;)
  9. Weigh yourself in every 5 days so that you dont divert from your goal.
  10. Have at least 1 litre of water everyday.
These are just the first few steps of the journey .. so guys get set and go..:) .. keep watching for the next post ..

What is this all about ?

Hi,

I am sure some  of us dread hearing certain things, like, "you are fired," or "have you put on weight?" These statements very often make us feel sad and do silly things like going on a crash diet, over eating out of depression, or just munching on high calorie snacks.

My name is Towa and I have started this blog for everyone who thinks  it is important to remain fit and look good to be socially accepted in today's World. This blog is all about simple tricks to fight that fat and to remain healthy and fit. There are very simple tried and tested methods which will not only help you loose those extra pounds but  also maintain the same  if followed to perfection. You will get  information about different low calorie recipes, diet charts, different exercising techniques.



I still remember i once weighed 75kgs and nothing in this World would motivate me to loose weight. This was when i started my first job and before that i weighed just 58kgs.

Months went by , and things wouldnt improve. i would go on a diet and would break it no sooner than i had a party or a social gathering  to attend and bingo the lost weight would show up again smiling at me...my clothes size would change every month from M to L to XL to XXL after which i had to try stores for large women..and that was pretty depressing

Thats it..one day  i  decided  to try one of the  famous weight loss insititute, which promised to make me loose 15 kgs in 4 months . i invested a pretty hefty amount  for loosing that weight and thought thats it , now no one could stop me from loosing the extra weight , but unfortunately i was proved wrong.

People at these institutes would want you to not only invest your money but also time and energy to do one hour of exercise  everyday and extreme will power to let go all the tongue tingling delicacies...which was the most difficult thing to do ..but yes doing all that i could loose all the weight that i had gained in just 6 months. So the good news is that IT IS POSSIBLE and the bad news is THAT WE HAVE TO WORK TOWARDS IT.

But friends dont worry.. i will make this  task much simpler for you by adding variety for  you everyday..so keep watching for the future posts and lets make a healthy journey together ..:))