The Diet and Nutrition Network

THE HEALTHY WAY

Dieting is an exhausting, mind altering task with a goal that is never achieved.We all attempted it at one time or another. On this site, you will learn that it is not as difficult as we all believe. Just remember that" All calories are not Created Equal"

Welcome! I am a Registered Nurse and didn't know much about nutrition until recently. I have done research on nutrition, weight loss, health, dieting and the correlation between nutrition and diease.I am 40 lbs lighter, feel great, decreased my cholesterol, increased my energy, got rid of the aches and joint pain,and feel 20 years younger.

Eliminate Unhealthy Fat From Our Diet

That cheeseburger, french fries and onion rings is a no no!

Ingested fat is stored easily by our body because the cell structure is the same. It is wise to remove the un healthy fat from our diet. Not only does the fat get stored, the fat cell's split apart easily, if left untouched, these fragments can tear at the cell membrane causing cell damage and damage to the cell's DNA- damaged DNR can lead to unwanted mutations.Whenever this mutation occurs ,your risk of cancer is significantly increased.

Now that you're aware of the extreme danger of unwanted fat, as a basic introduction, unwanted fat can be found in a variety of products including: meats, whole milk, eggs. More specifically, Trans Fat, which was recently exposed as dangerous to human health, comes from heating vegetable oils and are found in commercially prepared baked goods, fried foods, margarine, snack foods, and processed foods.

So before I scare you into reading the label of every package you ever eat, here are my Top 9 Tips for reducing unhealthy fats from our diet.

Tips for reducing unhealthy fats from our diet

-Avoid food containing hydrogenated oils or partially hydrogenated oils. It is sometimes difficult to avoid it totally. So choose products that list hydrgenated oils last on the ingredient list.

-Assume all prepared baked goods contain hydrgenated oils unless otherwise noted.

Tips for avoiding carcinogens

-Avoid foods that look or smell moldy

-Dont cook oils on high heat

-Go easy on BBQ

-Avoid cured, dried and perserved meats

-Avoid smoked foods

-Buy organic if possible

Calories are not Created Equal

Is 500 calories of skinless broiled chicken the same as 500 calories of fried chicken the same? I dont think so................

We all once thought all calories are the same. Overweight people eat too much calories and don’t exercise enough, and to loss weight you have to limit your calories intake. Well, that is not really the way it works. The food we eat can be broken down to create energy, converted to body tissue or excreted. A calorie from fat, protein and carbohydrates are just not the same. Protein calories are used for maintenance, repair and growth of tissue and organs carbohydrates are use for energy and fat is stored. Your body daily calorie intake is calculated by multiplying your ideal body weight by 15.The average person with a moderate activity level needs approximatley1900-2100 calories for their body work properly. To loose one pound, your body has to burn 3500 calories more that it is consuming .

Now here is the question: if person “A” restricts their calorie intake by 500 calories per day, eating fast food consisting of cheese burgers and French fries loose one pound per week compared to person”B” that restricts their calories intake by 500, eating brown rice, broiled chicken and vegetables. Most would believe a calorie is calorie and both should loose one pound per/week. Well that is not true at all. First of all, not all calories are created equal.

There are 3 food groups, First is carbohydrates, contains 4cal/gm. CHO had two subcategories simple carbohydrates and complexed carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are burned by the body quickly using fewer calories (energy} to metabolize the simple carbohydrates ingested. . Second, complexed carbohydrates contain the same 4cal/gm but the body uses more energy {calories) to burn complexed carbohydrates. Complexed carbohydrates contain high fiber. All fiber can not be broken down by the body. So the fiber that can’t be broken down will not be absorbed and will be excreted by the body. Thirdly, Fat contain 9 cal per/gm. Fat is stored easily because it has the same molecular structure as body fat. Protein contains 4cal/gm.The process in metabolizing protein is much more complexed and uses almost 2 times more energy {calories} to metabolize protein rich foods…

The fact is that all calories are not the same. An overweight person is not fat because she /he is just eating too much, but because she may also be eating the wrong foods. A healthy diet is one that is rich in protein, complexed carbohydrates and low in fat. White rice, White Bread, sugar, cold cereals, processed foods, fast foods, bagels, fatty meats, whole milk and fruit juices should be avoided. Choose foods such as brown rice, whole grain breads, nuts and seed, vegetable, turkey, fish, chicken, fruits, low fat milk.

Enhance Weight Loss

Foods to assist and enhance weight loss

Consume 1 oz of Nuts Per Day

Measure out 1 oz of nuts(raw nuts if possible).nibble all day

Eat Salad before meals

It takes our brain 20 minutes to know we are full . So why not begin each meal with a healthy low calorie salad. ( The French do).

Increase Fiber in Your Diet

Use whole grain breads instead of white. Sprinkle your cereal with flax seed. Add tomatoes and mushroom to your omlette. Cook with basil and oregano. Add Chic Peas to your soup and salad. Eat brown and wild rice instead of white rice

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