THE LUNCH YOU SHOULD BE EATING

Breakfast may be the most important meal, but lunch comes in a close second. What you eat can determine how much energy you will have for the rest of the day and whether you will overdo it at dinner. The following suggestions will keep you satisfied no matter what you have on your agenda. No Time to Fit In A Real Meal Give yourself permission to graze, healthily. Stock you desk with nutritious 200 calorie mini meals and have one every 3 to 4 hours to fend off hunger. Good picks are: oatmeal with 7 walnut halves or a cup of applesauce and a quarter cup of raisins Your Post Work Plans Include Beers and Burgers If you have to splurge in store, you may be tempted to skimp on lunch to save calories. But this approach will only lead to a binge. Instead, have a midday meal of cup of vegetable soup and half a sandwich, like turkey and avocado on whole wheat. Then eat the other half around 3 or 4 pm so you wont be extremely hungry at the restaurant. You Are Hitting the Gym Have a 100-150 calorie snack, like a cup of low fat yoghurt, an hour before your workout. Afterward, refuel with a green salad topped with lean meat, such as grilled chicken or tuna. The fibre in the vegetables fills you up, while the protein keeps protein at bay. Also make sure to rehydrate with at least one cup of water. Dont Be a Slave to Diet Claims Many people tend to eat more of something that is labelled as 'low fat'.Do not trust the food labels blindly. It is not always accurate. Check the ingredients to know what was really used to make the product.

SECRETS OF SLIM WOMEN

Pump up the Protein A recent study shows that women who got the highest levels of protein in thier diet, maintained a 6kg weight loss for more than a year. Those who got less than 72 grams of protein, only sustained a 3 kg loss during the same period. It is a known fact that higher amounts of protein may prompt the release of hormones that help you feel full. Rather than getting additional energy from carb or fat laden food, add protein to most meals and snacks. Sprinkle kidney beans or chickpeas on your salad, or switch to protein rich greek- style yogurt from the regular variety and trade your bag of chips for a mini cheese and turkey roll up instead. Strive for Five.... servings of fruits and vegetables daily.Packing your plate with greens, as well as red, oranges and blues, not only helps protect you from variety of diseases, but also keeps extra kilos from sneaking back in. A study shows that women who consumed the highest number of fruit and vegetable servings, minimum 5 servings, were less likely to put on weight again as compared to those who had fewer servings. Experts say loading up on produce, which generally has a high fibre and water content means you have less room for high calorie foods. Weigh in Regularly Hopping on the scale regularly provides positive reinforcement for your healthy habits. It can helo you catch small weight gains before they escalate. It would be a good thing to check yourself on the scale once a day so that the weight can be closely monitored it gets out of hand. Eat out Less Often With portion sizes growing and some dishes packing 1000 calories, its little surprise that restaurant meals can sabotage your weight loss plans. You can certainly minimise the dietary damage by making healthy selections. Preparing your own meals can be a far more effective way to ensure you are eating foods that are low in fat and calories. Compared with people who eat fast food at least twice a week, those who skipped it entirely increased their odds of maintaining their weight by 62 percent. Because it is quite unrealistic to expect that you would never sit down at a restaurant again, it is suggested that the food portion be shared with a friend or getting a smaller portion or ordering an appetiser as your meal, People who used these strategies were 28 percent more likely to stay slimmer than those who didnt. Learn to Love Exercise Regular workouts can help you maintain lean muscle mass, which means you wil burn energy even at rest. Also exercise gives you a bank of extra calories to play with, allowing you to enjoy that occasional slice of birthday cake or a small bag of movie popcorn without gaining weight.

DOES REHEATING OF FOOD KILL THE NUTRIENTS?

Reheating kills of nutruients in the food, particularly vitamin B and C. To ensure food safety and minimal nutrient loss, never reheat a dish more than once. If there is a need to reheat, do it at a temperature of 75 degrees for two minutes. While reheating the food using the microwave is the fastest way, the peripheral of the dish tends not to be heated up due to the way the heating is centralised. In this case, the dish should be taken out midway and stirring it thoroughly before putting it back into the oven. And if you do not intend to consume the food within two hours of cooking it, always put it in a refridgerator to prevent it from going bad.

EATING AFTER 10PM CAN CAUSE WEIGHT GAIN?

It is said that eating after 10 pm will cause weight gain. At least that is what many people believe and what many choose to believe especially now that people are becoming more health conscious. It is not advisable to eat within 3 hours of your bedtime only because this will not allow enought time for the food to be digested and will cause bloat and cramp in the morning. When you eat late at night, the energy is diverted to digesting the food and therefore will cause the body to be lethargic and tired the next day. If there is a large portion of high calories food and combination of late nght snacking, you will definitely gain weight. If you must snack, try a piece of fruit, handful of nuts or a glass of warm low fat skim milk.