Eating healthy does not have to be complicated nor difficult. After you begin making healthy choices, and make it a habit, you don’t have to think about it again. Just have healthy food choices always available and the decision will be easy.

A meal or snack needs to incorporate a proper balance between a protein, carbohydrate and fat.

Have you established for yourself your caloric consumption needs? I know for myself, if I want to maintain my weight, I should not eat any more than 1500 calories per day. If I want to lose, my daily calorie intake is no more than 1200 calories per day.

Once you find out how many calories you should be eating, you then need to space them over 5-6 small daily meals/snacks through the day. The meals and or snacks should compliment each other with the proper balance of carbohydrates, fats and protein. I will give you an example of these choices to make during the day.

I should make a quick mention of portion sizes. Do you know what a serving of meat looks like? No, it’s not the 22 ounce T-bone at your local steak house. A portion of meat is 3 ounces, the size of a woman’s palm.

VISUAL EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT FOOD PORTIONS:

* 1 medium fruit — tennis ball or tight fist

* 1/2 cup of pasta, rice, fruit, veggie, or cooked cereal — tight fist or cupcake size

* 1 cup of salad — the amount you can hold in two hands cupped together.

* 1 medium baked potato — computer mouse

* 1 cup of cold cereal — large handful or tight fist

* 3 ounces of fish, meat or poultry — deck of cards or a palm of a woman’s hand

* 1 ounce of cheese — 4 dice or the top half of your thumb

* 1 ounce of meat, fish, chicken or poultry — 1 egg

* 1 tsp — the tip of a medium-framed woman’s thumb. 3 tsp is equal to 1 tbsp

BREAKFAST:

A good breakfast is key to starting your day off right. Skipping breakfast is a surefire way to setting ourselves up for failure to maintain level blood sugars. I suggest keeping breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same calorie count and then adding two smaller snacks between meals.

Choose an item from each of the food groups for a healthy balanced breakfast.

Protein: 1 hard boiled egg, 1 cup nonfat milk, 1 cup low fat yogurt, 1 oz of low fat cheese

Carbohydrate: granola bar, 1 slice of whole grain toast, bagel or muffin, 1/2 cup of whole grain cereal or oatmeal.

Fruit: 1/2 banana, small apple, orange, grapefruit, 3/4 cup of raspberries, strawberries, blueberries

LUNCH AND DINNER:

Preparing lunch and dinner is very simple. Pick a lean protein, add some vegetables and top it off with some fruit for dessert.

Choose an item from each of the food groups for a healthy balanced lunch or dinner.

Protein: Lean beef, pork, beans, chicken, fish, turkey, etc.

Vegetable: Spinach, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, and salad greens, etc. For a serving size, fill about 1/2 of your plate with vegetables, 1/4 of your plate with protein and the other quarter with healthy carbohydrates.

Carbohydrate: Brown rice, corn, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, 1 slice of whole grain bread etc.

Dessert: 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup of strawberries or raspberries with a dollop of nonfat whipped topping, pear, apple.

SNACKS:

Snacks between meals are what make or break the weight loss. You need to maintain your metabolism in between meals so that you continue to burn calories throughout the day. For your snack, consume between 100 to 125 calories.

Choose an item from each of the food groups for a healthy balanced snack.

Protein: 1/4 cup of low fat cottage cheese, low fat string cheese, hard boiled egg, small yogurt cup, 1 oz. low sodium, low fat luncheon meat.

Carbohydrate: 1 slice of whole grain bread, 1/2 banana, apple, grapes, plum, baby carrots, etc.

Healthy fats: Handful of almonds, walnuts cashews or mixed nuts, 1 slice of avocado, 2 tbsp of peanut butter.

This doesn’t have to hard. These are just guidelines for healthy foods. Don’t make this boring by eating the same thing every day. There are so many more foods then what I listed here but be creative. Try a new fruit and vegetable every week. Remember, this is easy!

Like in all other type of cooking in the cuisine of the Mediterranean, people actually employ Mediterranean seasoning. Evidently, the food of the areas surrounding the Mediterranean sea is the Mediterranean cuisine. The truth is that the Mediterranean cuisine makes up foods from different cultures. These nation-states have influenced each other in time and the process of cooking developed into sharing common rules. Mediterranean cuisine is characterised by flexibility, a wide range of ingredients and many regional variations. The area inclined to favor goats and sheep rearing.

Fish dishes are also very common, although today much of the fish is imported since the fisheries of the Mediterranean Sea are no longer what they used to be. Seafood is still outstanding in many of the standard Mediterranean dish recipes. It is quite apparent that certain types of meats and fruit or vegetables, as it is the case with Mediterranean cuisine, demand for specific/typical seasoning, in this case, Mediterranean seasoning. Pita bread, barbecue or grilled meats, falafel and hummus are among the Mediterranean foods which ordinarily demand a special seasonings which are found in the area around Mediterranean seasoning apparently.

Talking of Mediterranean seasoning you must know that olive oil, though not necessarily a condiment, is produced in the Mediterranean countries ” Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Italy and Spain, as well as others. An important ingredient in Mediterranean seasoning is represented by garlic, which is used a lot throughout Mediterranean cuisine. Both the olive oil and the garlic applied in Mediterranean seasoning and cuisine in general, add to the peculiar taste of food. Besides, it is unanimously believed that the ingredients in this kind of cooking and in Mediterranean seasoning, and we have in mind particularly the olive oil, are a major contributor to the longevity and good health state of the Mediterranean people.

In case you are interested in making Mediterranean dishes you will surely require Mediterranean seasoning for them, or you will not get real Mediterranean food. You may easily buy various commodities which are labeled Mediterranean seasoning from stores around the country, notwithstanding, my recommendation is for you to try to prepare your own Mediterranean seasoning because it is not hard at all.

You only demand the right ingredients and a true Mediterranean seasoning recipe in order to achieve a good Mediterranean seasoning. This combo is what I call Mediterranean seasoning. How much you use does not matter, all you need to do is to mix the ingredients in the following proportions in a bowl, whisk, and then pour into a shaker. Place it in a container and then put in the refrigerator, there it is when you require to apply it for a cursory dusting on a grilled meat, or for a marinade:1 part cinammon, one part coriander, one part cumin, 1 part dried mint, and then one part Italian seasoning or oregano; Besides, put one part onion powder and 1 part garlic powder.

Extracting oils from olives using a press is one of the oldest ways to make olive oil, dating back over hundreds of years to the ancient Greeks. A simple process that is undergone using an olive press. But before the press is used there are certain processes that must be undergone first. Once pressed the liquid is put into a decanter so that the liquids can be separated. Let us take a closer look at the complete process:

First of all the olives should be harvested and the bad olives removed from the bunch. The olives are then put under a special stone called millstone or in some areas a ground stone. The olives should stay under the stone for just over a half an hour to turn them into a paste, also to guarantee that the paste collects the right aromas and smell that come from the fruit enzymes and forms into the olive oil drops.

After the necessary time the olive paste is removed from the millstones or ground stones and put onto special disks called fiber disks. The paste must be spread over the disks and completely cover it. They are then placed into the press, piled on top of each other. The machine will then press the paste and begin to compact it so the oils will start to percolate. So the percolation is easier water is poured down the sides of the press.

After the pressing process is over the liquids are removed from the presser and taken to a separate machine called a decanter. The decanter is used to remove the excess water from the olive oil, leaving a pure olive oil. There is another process that can be used to separate the water from the oils, it is called vertical centrifuge and is normally a lot faster than using a decanter.

Every time the process of extracting oil from the olives all of the machines must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. This is because any paste or oils left on the machines can ferment and therefore contaminate any new oils that will be done in the future. After the cleaning is finished, a final inspection will take place to make sure they are fully disinfected.

Using this traditional method of making olive oil has some advantages, these include that the olives are very well ground and easily pomaced. But the complication at the time of cleaning, the hours of extra manual labor and the time it takes to wait after the harvesting to the time of pressing the olives to make the oil can be classed as disadvantages when using this method, and because of this people have invented other methods that save time.

Basic Preparation Of Foods: Dairy Produce.

CHEESE.

Cheeses are manufactured from milk which has been naturally or artificially turned sour. The first method is achieved by standing the milk in a warm place and allowing natural, beneficial bacteria to convert the milk’s natural sugars into lactic acid. The second method is effected by adding an agent, usually rennet.

Salt and colouring and frequently put in too. The whey is then allowed to drain away and the curds are pressed into moulds where they are kept until ripened or cured. Some cheeses, usually hard ones, are subjected to pressure; soft cheeses are not. Curds are ripened or cured by various means. The way it’s done, the quality of the milk, the breed of cow, sheep or other animal and its pasture, and the type of bacteria all govern the end result.

Some local conditions are unique and those areas produce cheeses that are not successfully replicated elsewhere: for example Roquefort and Camembert, although factories do try. They even have a measure of, as most of the world’s Cheddar cheese now derives from the USA and Canada.

The constituents of cheese are typically: 33% fat, 33% protein and 33% water with salt, colouring, sugar etc making up the rest. These percentages vary from region to region as some producers use full-cream milk, others skimmed-milk and yet others add extra cream. Some add extra sugar, most do not. All cheeses have a high calcium content and may be considered ‘concentrated milk’ and stored as such.

Many people say that cheese should not be kept in a fridge and while storing in water, as for milk, is not an option, a cool larder is ideal. Try the traditional method of hanging it up in cheesecloth in a cool, airy place. If the weather is hot, dampen the cloth with water to which a little vinegar has been added.

Cheese is typically served in Europe with a salad or/and bread and is often served after or instead of the sweet course. Hard cheese can be difficult for children to digest and grating it first will make it more palatable to them. Once grated the cheese can be sprinkled on vegetable or fish soups or sauces; added to egg, pasta, rice and oatmeal dishes; put on baked potatoes or pastry; toasted on bread or put in salads and sandwiches.

How To Cook Cheese: A little known fact is that many people find cooked cheese indigestible. The reason lies in its molecular structure. Here is why: cooked starch can be digested by the saliva in the mouth but other foods must pass to the stomach or intestines for this process. They are, however, broken up in the mouth. Digestion of protein begins in the stomach and is completed in the small intestine, while fat is not rendered soluble until it reaches the small intestine.

Cheese possesses a high fat and protein mixture, but in melting, the fat often covers the protein and prevents the digestive juices reaching it in the stomach. Therefore, its digestion is delayed until the fat has been absorbed in the intestines. Cheese can be rendered more digestible by:

1] Adding to or combining with starchy foods. The starch will absorb the fat, not allowing it to cover the protein.

2] Adding seasoning. Cayenne Pepper or mustard will irritate the intestinal lining, causing extra digestive juices to be released.

3] Cooking rapidly at high temperature. This stops the protein from becoming tough and stringy and so, harder to digest or you could add cheese to sauces late in the process.

4] Adding alkali. A large pinch of Bicarbonate of Soda per 75g will help neutralize the fatty acids and make the proteins more easily digestible.

If you are like me you can stare at your pizza coupons stuck to your refrigerator door for seemingly hours, not being able to choose the pizza you want? That would be especially true if you are very hungry and you want one of each, or if you have children.

Having a group of people deciding, especially when they are kids involved makes it exponentially harder. Sometimes more is not merrier at all.

In your house you probably have some definite favorites as far as toppings go. Did you ever wonder how average, or shall we say normal your family is when it comes to pizza toppings? What are the favorite pizza toppings ion the US? Well, the gold metal comes as no surprise…

It’s the old standby, pepperoni. Something like 25% of all pizzas sold in the United States are pepperoni and cheese pizzas. Sausage is in second place, which again should be no surprise to most people. And you can probably guess number three, too. That’s right, it’s mushrooms. And about 70% of pizza places use canned mushrooms, not fresh ones. Most people ordering pizza seem to prefer the canned, although fresh mushrooms are gaining in popularity.

Next on the list are veggies. Onion is a real favorite coming in as number four on our list. Then we have olives. Black olives are much more popular than their green cousins. Twice as many folks choose black olives than green ones.

So, there you have it. The five most popular pizza toppings in the US. The next five more or lest share fifth place. Here we find Bacon, Ham, Peppers, Tomatoes and Hamburger. So. How does your family compare? Are your topping choices typical or are you the more exotic pizza connoisseur?

If you have school age children in the house, you’ve probably been introduced to the new and improved “Food Pyramid” courtesy of the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture). A great deal of research goes into developing the basis for a balanced diet, what we need to eat and why we need a variety of nutritious foods.

When we think of the food groups, we often think of protein first. It’s a big category that includes the heavy hitters - meat and poultry. However, fish is an important part of this food group and not just as an alternative to meat or poultry. Fish should be included in every well-balanced diet along with, not instead of, meat and poultry.

So isn’t all protein alike? If I eat a steak or a chicken breast I’m getting my protein, so why should I add fish to my diet? Does fish offer something other than what I’m getting from the other protein sources? What if I don’t eat fish… what will I be missing?

If you are living on a diet that includes meat and poultry as your only source of protein, you are missing out on the fatty acids, or “good fat”, that you need for a healthy heart. By including fish as one of your proteins, you will be adding an essential nutrition that you can’t find in a diet that consists of only meat and poultry.

Technically speaking, MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids) and PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids) are essential for your health, and you cannot create these elements in your body from other fats that you eat. We’ve all heard of the “omega-3 fatty acids”, which is believed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Salmon, trout, and herring are said to have a high level of this healthy fatty acid.

If you have not served your family a lot of fish in the past, it’s never too late to start. Depending on where you live, you should be able to find either fresh or frozen readily available in your grocery store. Watch the sales and fill your grocery cart with a variety of fish. Then, look through some recipes and pick a few simple ones to try.

You can start as simply as making some Pan Fried Fish, or going all out with a more complete Oven Fish Dinner. One of my favorites is a classic Fish Chowder. Don’t forget the very versatile tuna. Making a Quick and Easy Tuna Casserole may be a good first try, but I’d move on to something more interesting like Tuna Cheese Puffs just to keep the family from getting tired of the same kinds of dishes. Don’t forget to give Salmon Patties a try, too, as they are a real treat and may even become your family’s Sunday dinner favorite.

Start serving fish each week by trying a few simple recipes and you may discover that you and your family enjoy having a little more variety at meal time. Make notes about which types of dishes your family enjoyed, and which ones were not so much of a hit, and soon you’ll be collecting your very own favorite fish recipes.

You have probably heard all your life that water gives sustenance to the body and drinking 8 to 10 glasses a day is a must to keep the body functioning normally. Well the reason behind this is that two thirds of your body weight is actually water. All of the vital organs like heart, lungs, kidneys, brains and muscles need water to remain hydrated.

It is an amazing fact that water promotes weight loss by keeping obesity in check. It helps to make a person leaner and slimmer and heightens the glow of the face. To work at their utmost limit, our kidneys require a good supply of water. If there is insufficient water, the kidneys become less active and the burden is automatically transferred to the liver. The chief function of the liver is to transform stored fatty acids into energy for the body. But when the liver becomes burdened by the kidneys’ load, its own efficiency slackens and less reserved fats are transformed by the liver into energy. This gives rise to increased storage of fats and ultimately you start developing obesity. Overweight people need more intake of water than the ones who are already slimmer.

Our body reserves an adequate amount of water to keep the organs satiated. If the water intake is less, the organs will have to be starved to retain the water for more crucial functions. Insufficient water intake makes the person exhausted and weak as our brain needs fluids to function. Low memory and migraines are also negative symptoms of less water intake.

Water is beneficial for the heart as well as it aids in circulation of the blood and keeps the heart robust. The function of digestion is also eased as it aids in nutrient absorption. A soft glow in the skin is also observed as water expels toxins and waste products from the body. Skin disorders and acne can also be treated by drinking sufficient water.

Joints are also lubricated and muscles toned by the aid of water. For those suffering from intestinal problems, water helps as it prevents the formation of kidney stones and urinary diseases. It animates the character and helps in uplifting moods. It can also help to cool down the temperature of the body. This effect can especially be tested on a hot, sunny day.

People normally drink soft drinks and coffee when they feel the pangs of thirst. But water is an excellent substitute for these drinks as it is a natural hydrator where coffee and soft drinks are diuretics which mean that they dehydrate the body. Vegetables and fruits can also be eaten as they are good resources of water. A water bottle can be kept at an arm’s length as a constant reminder to drink plenty of water throughout the day.

Cold water is considered harmful for the body and it also promotes a pushed out stomach. Cold water should always be avoided as it has a negative impact on your health. For those suffering constant constipation, water is an answer to your prayers. Drinking sufficient water will ensure natural bowel function and help to reduce constipation.

Water is the source of life and a unique gift from Mother Nature. One should use it to a maximum to remain healthy and evergreen.

Coconut is one of those unique foods savored by man since the earliest ages. Even today, coconut is widely used in many recipes to add flavor. Coconut is the most widely used food on many islands even today. Almost one third of the world’s population relies on coconuts for food and financial systems.

Coconut was thought to promote weight gain and obesity in early periods because of its high percentage of fat. But researchers have disowned that fact and proved that even with its fat level it can essentially help to reduce weight and slim down. The key of this fact lies in the explanation that the fat chain in the coconut is not absorbed by the blood but taken to the liver to be converted into energy.

The nutritional value of coconut is very high. It is used in medicine today because of its exceptional healing properties. The fame of coconut oil started from the traditional ages and has maintained its fame even today. It has numerous benefits. It can fight viruses such as AIDS, flu, measles, hepatitis and herpes. It also helps to prevent osteoporosis and ulcers. Moreover, bowel function and digestion is also improved. It also shields the body against colon, breast and other life-threatening cancers.

Coconut oil is also widely used by athletes as it has major athletic advantages. It boosts up the performance level and energy level. It strengthens the bones of the body and improves stamina. It also helps in quick tissue repair. Weight loss is also achieved as metabolism rate is increased.

Coconut is also a very effective “look” enhancer. It prevents quick aging and wrinkles and keeps the order of the natural chemical in the skin balanced. The skin texture is also kept smooth and soft and the occurrence of flakes and dryness is reduced. If coconut oil is applied on the skin it can act as a sun block, preventing the harmful UV radiation from entering the skin. Skin ailments like eczema and dermatitis can also be reduced by its constant use. Hair shine can also be retained by applying coconut oil. It also helps in warding off dandruff.

Heart patients can find quite a lot of relief by eating coconut because it maintains the blood pressure of the body and keeps the cholesterol level under control. Clogging in the arteries is also reduced and health of the heart promoted through improved blood flow. Diabetes patients can also enjoy its benefits as it regulates the level of sugar in the blood.

Coconut is also a great aid in the field of orthodontics. It can control teeth from decaying and fortifies the teeth structure. Its antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties can strengthen the immune system. Coconut oil is also commonly used to massage the affected areas of the stroke patients as it gives instant relief.

The pioneering evidence today shows that coconut and coconut oil weigh the scales heavily when it comes to healing advantages. Though coconut has many advantages, its oil is said to take the lead. So set on today to use coconut daily to gain optimum results.