Fats Help Keep Your Salad Healthy

I love salad. But not your regular 3 leafs of spinach and a slice of cucumber type of salad. Yes, my salad has lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers and all the "good vegetables", but I top my salad with mixed nuts and crumbled feta cheese. And instead of regular dressing, I add an olive oil/balsamic vinegar mixture. Think that adding all these fats to your salad cancels its benefits?

Many dieters think losing weight means you have to cut corners (which is true) by cutting out fatty foods like salad dressing (which is not true). While it’s a fact that when you leave off fatty salad dressings you may be reducing the total number of calories in your meal, you’re also reducing the total number of carotenoids you absorb from the phytochemical-rich assortment of veggies in your salad.

Carotenoids are a class of pigments found in vegetables. They make carrots orange, green peppers green and tomatoes red, and they also act as powerful antioxidants. These healthy compounds, however, are fat-soluble, meaning they need to be digested in the presence of fats in order to cross the intestinal wall and be absorbed into the body. That means if you’re not eating some amount of fat with your salads, whether from the dressing, shredded cheeses, avocado, or other source, you won’t be able to benefit from the all the fat-soluble nutrients, carotenoids and antioxidants found in the vegetables. How much fat do you need then? Research shows that you need to eat at least 6 grams of fat along with your meal in order to absorb these healthy, fat-soluble compounds. Check the label of your favorite salad dressings and opt for one that has a healthy amount of unsaturated fats, like an olive-oil based dressing. Or just add a quarter of an avocado to your salad for 7 grams of fat, 6 of which are heart-healthy unsaturated fats.

10 Diet Rules to Shed Pounds

Losing weight is frustrating. You’re hungry all the time. You even dream about food. Until that chocolate cake is yours, you simply can’t rest. Then once you’ve eaten it, you feel doomed. Will you always be tormented and overweight? Not necessarily. Researchers are learning that eating too much has little to do with lack of willpower. We’re wired to eat as much as we can when food is available and to undereat when it’s not. Trouble is, we’re not living in caves anymore, and our body’s conditioning hasn’t caught up to the fact that food is now available 24/7. In fact, the mere sight and smell of our favorite dishes set off brain signals that make passing them up unbearable. Saliva increases, our stomach muscles relax and the pancreas secretes insulin, causing our blood sugar levels to drop, says Susan Roberts, Ph.D., director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Energy Metabolism Laboratory at Tufts University and co-author of The Instinct Diet: Use Your Five Food Instincts to Lose Weight and Keep it Off (Workman Publishing). Scans of overeaters also show “that their brains are excessively activated by fat, sugar and salt,” says David Kessler, M.D., a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and author of The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite (Rodale). “Eating those [foods] activates the brain’s reward pathways — and that just keeps happening,” he says. So how do you fight your own brain chemistry? “The secret to dieting is learning to control those internal and external signals that get to the brain,” Roberts says.

1. Banish hunger. Hunger is the first problem dieters deal with. “Controlling it is a matter of what you eat, how often you eat and watching your calories,” she says. The combination of what, how and when is dynamite for weight control. To figure out how many calories to eat, Roberts recommends you focus on pounds first. If you weigh 120-160 pounds, start your diet by eating 1,200 calories per day; 160-200 pounds, 1,600 calories per day; 200-240 pounds, 1,800 calories per day. For two weeks, spread most of your allotted calories over three 300- to 400-calorie meals and two 100- to 200-calorie snacks. If you lose 6 or more pounds right away, add back 200 calories per day so you don’t get too hungry. Once you reach your desired weight, you can eat more but continue to keep track of calories and pounds, Roberts says.

2. Know what to eat. The best foods to nosh are low fat but high in fiber and protein. For a high-fiber cereal, try All Bran (which contains 10 grams of fiber per half cup) or Fiber One (14 grams of fiber per half cup). Eat lean proteins like white fish, which satisfies hunger better than any other protein food, Roberts says. For reference, a 200-calorie serving of fish is about the size of a checkbook. Lean, skinless chicken and vegetables and legumes, like chickpeas, are good sources of protein too. A 200-calorie serving of chicken is the size of a deck of cards. For your daily dose of dairy, swap out regular yogurt for low-fat Greek yogurt, which is higher in protein.

3. Clear cabinets of the bad stuff. “If it’s there, you’ll eat it,” Roberts says. “This isn’t just a willpower issue.” Remember, the sight and smell of food triggers metabolic responses that make you hungry. So throw away cookies and corn chips, and put healthy foods like fresh fruit and sliced red peppers, celery and carrots within reach.

4. Retrain your brain. Stop thinking of potato chips as your pals. “The way you take power out of a stimulus is to change the wanting,” Dr. Kessler says. “Food loaded with fat, sugar and salt is designed to make you want more.” You have to start saying to yourself, "I don’t want that food." “That helps you cool down the stimulus,” Dr. Kessler explains. By consistently telling yourself that sugary, fatty foods are no good, you lay down new circuitry in your brain that changes how you perceive the alluring food, he says.

5. Set up eating rules. It’s important to set boundaries when temptation tries to muscle in, Dr. Kessler says. So tell yourself: "No fried foods" or "I’m going to put half of my sandwich in a take-out box." But make sure you set rules you can follow, Dr. Kessler advises. If you think you’re obsessing and craving, stop the debate right away, so there’s no room for argument in your mind, he advises. Taking this approach means you won't feel deprived because you'll want to follow your rule, he says.

6. Eat healthful versions of favorite foods. Another urge we fight? Mom’s home cooking. Don’t ask yourself to give it all up. It just won’t work, Roberts says. “The best way to deal with those cravings is to cook more satisfying — and healthful — versions of the same foods.” That may mean adding fiber (think oats) to Mom’s chocolate chip cookie recipe or putting more mushrooms in your chicken Parmesan and less cheese. “Your brain gets the familiar taste and you get healthier food,” Roberts says.

7. Limit your choices. Stay away from buffets. The more choices we have at a meal, the more we’re driven to eat. A 2006 British study found that people ate up to 40% more when offered several foods instead of one. The assortment of foods, sight and smells stimulated people's appetites, delaying a feeling of fullness. So save the variety for fruits and vegetables, which can stimulate you to eat more of the good and less of the bad, fatty stuff. “That makes your eating so much easier to control than if you have an array of things,” Roberts says.

8. Enjoy treats — with restraint. Anyone who has broken a diet with a bag of M&Ms knows that deprivation doesn't work. “Food has to be pleasurable,” Dr. Kessler says, “but you have to control and plan [your cheats].” So leave room in your diet plan for an occasional treat — a small piece of chocolate or biscotti. Roberts' advice: Allow 100 calories a day of your favorite food. Just don't eat that goodie by itself. Roberts suggests “sandwiching” the treat between two low-calorie fillers. For example, if you’re craving a cookie, have a half cup of strawberries, then eat the cookie, followed by a cup of tea. “That makes it possible to enjoy the food without having a huge amount,” Dr. Kessler says.

9. Think of the rewards. Just cutting down or eliminating forbidden foods you overeat isn't enough. To break pleasurable food associations, create rewards. Maybe it's a picture of your slim self on the refrigerator, the boost of energy you get from daily walks or the delight of wearing new flattering clothes.

10. Forgive setbacks. Everyone succumbs to temptation sometimes, so don’t beat yourself up for binging on chocolate. That old brain circuitry is always there despite the patterns you've laid down, Dr. Kessler says. “If you get stressed or fatigued, it will [reactivate]," Dr. Kessler warns. "That’s normal and human. I go through a handful of chocolate chip cookies every once in a while.”

9 Best Times To Drink Water

How do you feel about drinking water? Naturally, you probably drink some water in the course of a day. Even if you don’t have a glass of clear water, you can find more limited sources of drinking water in beverages like tea and coffee, and in foods such as soups and stews. Did you know that drinking water could be a lifesaver? Pure, clean drinking water does much to keep your body running smoothly and to guard your health. Want to drink more water to benefit your health? Try these tips for identifying nine times that your body needs drinking water most.

1. Drink water when you first get up.
Imagine walking into a dark room and looking for something. Chances are you will stumble and maybe even fall unless you turn on the light. Or consider starting your car in sub-zero temperatures and putting it into gear without waiting for the engine to warm up. Either situation can lead to problems or even disasters. The same is true of the human body. Without water to “wake up and turn on” the body each day, you may be running on empty, especially if you skip breakfast altogether. Have a glass of cool water right after you wake up in the morning to tell your body it’s time to get started. Like a gently flowing stream that pushes along debris and rocks, your circulatory system needs fluid to get rid of stubborn free radicals and residue from burned calories that were used during the night’s metabolism. Refresh your system with a drink of water.

2. Drink water before each meal.
Drinking water before a meal helps you feel fuller, so you may be less likely to attack your meal like a starving person. Water helps prepare the stomach for the food that will follow, waking up taste buds on the tongue and moisturizing the stomach lining so brittle or acidic foods won’t be uncomfortable. Having a glass of water clears your mouth of dryness or leftover tastes from earlier dining, drinking, or smoking in anticipation of the food that is coming.

3. Drink water with a snack.
Between meals, if you feel hungry, try some fresh drinking water first to see if you are dehydrated. Sometimes people think they are hungry when they really are just thirsty. If you shop at the grocery store or supermarket while dehydrated, chances are you are going to spend more to subconsciously fill that empty urge. Drinking water before a snack, or with one, will help you feel full faster and perhaps eat less, a habit that could benefit two-thirds of our nation that is considered overweight or obese.

4. Drink water before a workout.
Depending on the temperature, humidity, and your body’s fluid levels, you may need one or several glasses of water, each about eight ounces, to arm yourself against dehydration during an indoor or outdoor workout.
Whether you play for a sports team or simply jog for personal fitness, hydration is essential to help guard against heat stroke in warm weather and frostbite in cold temperatures, as your body’s circulation plays a protective role in both seasons.

5. Drink water after a workout.
Following your exercise session, drink up to replace fluids lost by sweating and physical labor. Don’t drink too much too quickly, or you could induce stomach cramps. But make sure you drink enough so you don’t stay dehydrated.

6. Have water with your medication, if allowed.
If you are allowed to take water with your medication, do so. Water helps to dissolve the medication and spread it throughout your digestive organs for rapid absorption. Water prepares the tissues to receive the substance and put it to work right away. Water also helps medicine work its way through your system and out the other end, which can be beneficial when you take harsh medications with side effects.

7. Drink more water to prevent illness following exposures.
If you are around sick people in the hospital or at work and school, drink a little more water than usual to wash away germs and viruses that your body may have picked up from exposure to these people. A well-hydrated body helps to move along any invaders before they settle down and multiply in your system. Drinking water each day before or after going out in public can help to prevent certain types of viruses, or lessen their severity.

8. Drink more water when you’re ill.
When you do become ill, drink plenty of fluids—the old-time recipe still works. Most experts recommend drinking eight glasses of water each day (eight ounces per glass), in addition to other fluids like tea, juice, and soup.

People in the hospital often have an IV dripping water into their vein continuously so they can keep hydrated as well as maintain a line to your body if medications are needed.

9. Have a glass of water when you’re tired.
Feeling tired? Fatigued? Need a nap but can’t take one? Have a glass of water. Because of its ability to move quickly throughout the body, water can reach your brain and activate it right before a meeting or other situation where you need to pay attention. Cold water, especially, will wake up your body to keep you alert.

Drink pure, clean water without contaminants.
People who live in urban areas that have their own water supply may be able to drink tap water with no problem. Others that live in more rural areas and rely on well water or ground water sometimes decide to purchase processed water to avoid possible chemicals in drinking water. They may also be avoiding pollution from farm runoff, industrial landfills, and other toxic sources of contamination. If you don’t buy bottled water, you can get a filter for your kitchen faucet that will remove up to 99% of local contaminants to purify your drinking water. Contact your local public health service for a referral to water testing systems that can come and check your water as well as advise you how to treat it or take precautions if any are needed.
Stop drinking water two hours before bedtime.
If you don’t like getting up at night to use the bathroom, avoid fluids two hours before bedtime, and visit the bathroom a couple of times before you go to bed. You can keep a glass of drinking water close to your bed in case you wake up thirsty at night, but keep in mind you might have to get up and use the bathroom before daybreak.

There is no replacement for clear, pure, natural drinking water. Over the past few decades, it has gotten scarcer, with the result that more and more people are choosing to buy processed water or installing filters in their homes. Water used to be a free or cheap resource; not so any longer. Nowadays you have to check the water for bacteria and toxins before you can safely use it in your home for everyday activities like cooking, bathing, and cleaning. Don’t take your water supply for granted. Find out if your drinking water is safe, and if not, what you can do to make it usable.

Does Canned Food and Bottled Water Increase Your Abdominal Fat Through Hidden Chemicals?

...and 9 Tips to Minimize Your Exposure to these Harmful Chemicals

by Mike Geary - Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author of best-selling program - The Truth About 6-Pack Abs

You may have started hearing in the news about some of the hidden chemicals that might be lurking in your canned foods and bottled water and other drinks. Some of them are known as xenoestrogens, which have the potential to cause serious health problems over time, as well as increase abdominal fat from the estrogenic effect.

Today, I want to share with you some important details about one of the MOST problematic chemicals that you're being exposed to specifically from canned foods and bottled drinks, etc...

It's called Bisphenol A (BPA).

BPA can be found as a component of some types of plastic bottles, and also in the lining inside of canned foods.
Since BPA is a known "xenoestrogen", it's been linked in animal studies (at surprisingly small doses) to all sorts of various health issues such as cancer, metabolic disorders, heart disease, diabetes, and fertility problems and birth defects or miscarriages... and of course, any xenoestrogens in large enough amounts can trigger your body to hold onto abdominal fat (aka - stubborn belly fat).

The major offenders to look for are polycarbonate bottles (some plastics with the #7 symbol on the bottom are polycarbonate, but not all) and also canned foods, since the lining of most canned foods contains BPA, which can leach into food. The longer that a can of food sits on a shelf and the higher the temperature, the more BPA can leach into your food. The same can be said for polycarbonate bottles that contain food or drinks.

According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), BPA was detected in the bodies of 95% of Americans in one CDC study (this is a worldwide issue though, not just limited to the US). This is nothing to shrug off either... look at this scary finding...

The Environmental Working Group reports, "analysis of our tests reveals that for one of every five cans tested, and for one-third of all vegetables and pastas (ravioli and noodles with tomato sauce), a single serving would expose a pregnant woman to BPA at levels that fall within a factor of 5 of doses linked to birth defects — permanent damage of developing male reproductive organs".

If that didn't get your attention, how about this...

The EWG also reports evidence of... "An investigation demonstrating that low doses of BPA spur both the formation and growth of fat cells, the two factors that drive obesity in humans (Masumo et al. 2002)."

This is not surprising, since as I mentioned at the beginning of this article, BPA is a known xenoestrogen, and any xenoestrogens can contribute to what's been referred to as "stubborn abdominal fat" as well as cancer and other health problems.

It's also important to note that any canned tomato products (canned ravioli, pastas, canned tomato pastes, tomato sauces, etc) are some of the biggest offenders with the highest BPA concentrations due to the acidic nature of tomatoes, which leaches more of the BPA.

So what steps can you take to minimize your exposure to BPA and it's negative effects on bodyfat and other health risks?

1. Try to always avoid canned foods as much as possible and choose frozen or fresh foods instead. Buy the ingredients yourself and prepare the meal the old fashioned way instead of resorting to canned foods. Also, a better alternative to canned foods is products in glass containers.

2. If you do resort to using canned foods instead of fresh foods, try to find labels that say that the cans are free of BPA.

3. If you need tomato products, always avoid canned varieties and search for tomato sauces, pastes, etc in glass bottles instead (unless the can specifically states that it is BPA-free). Or just make your own tomato dishes from scratch with fresh tomatoes.

4. If you use plastic wrap, plastic ziplock bags, plastic containers for food storage, etc, try to investigate on the label if the product is BPA-free or not. Some brands packaging will label if their products are BPA-free.

5. If you for some reason choose to use a microwave with your food (which by the way, microwaved food is thought to have negative health effects), then by all means, do not microwave the food in plastic containers as it can increase the leaching of chemicals including BPA.

6. If you drink bottled water, or water from reusable plastic bottles, make sure that it is not a polycarbonate bottle, or make sure that the label says BPA-free. Plastic that shows #7 on the bottom will sometimes contain BPA, but not always. If a bottle shows "PC" on the bottom, it is made from polycarbonate, so it will contain BPA. In addition, sometimes aluminum bottles will contain a lining that has BPA, so avoid these.

7. Avoid soda cans, as the EWG states analysis showed that 42% of soda cans contained BPA. Of course, if you care about your health and your body, I'm sure you never drink soda anyway -- it's pure evil for your body... and yes, that includes unhealthy diet soda too, with it's dangerous artificial sweeteners.

8. Never use plastic cups for hot liquids such as hot tea or coffee, as this can accelerate leaching of BPA and other chemicals, depending on the type of plastic.

9. As much as you can try to avoid BPA and other xenoestrogens, you will most likely still be exposed to some levels of xenoestrogens from various chemicals in your foods (from pesticide/herbicide residues, packaging chemicals, etc), chemicals in your water supply, chemicals from cosmetics, lotions, etc.

However, you can help to protect yourself and counteract these harmful xenoestrogen chemicals in your body with certain powerful phytonutrients in foods like onions, garlic, chamomile and green teas, and cruciferious vegetables. In fact, read this article to see how 3 specific veggies can help you to fight abdominal fat by counteracting xenoestrogens.

If you stick to most of these guidelines, you can help to protect yourself and your family from the health dangers of bisphenol-A (BPA). And you can also help protect yourself against the issue of "stubborn abdominal fat" that can be caused by the xenoestrogen effect of BPA exposure too... which I'm sure you'd rather avoid!

Diet Foods That Will Make You Fat Part 2

Fat-free cookies: Fat-free doesn’t mean calorie-free. It doesn’t even mean reduced-calorie, and fat-free products contain other ingredients, usually sugar, to make up for the texture and flavor lost when the fat is removed. Most fat-free cookies contain as many calories as the original cookie, which doesn’t make them a diet food.
Read the label. If you want a cookie, have one. That’s ONE cookie occasionally. Otherwise, a great “diet” treat is sugar-free, fat-free chocolate or vanilla pudding, which you can count as a serving of dairy.

Diet Bread: Diet breads, diet crackers or other bread products may be the same product, only portioned differently. Bread labeled “25-percent fewer calories” than the regular version may merely be sliced 25-percent thinner. Read the label and compare the weight of the serving. “Lite” bread usually refers to the color and does not indicate its fiber content. Sometimes breads are colored with caramel, molasses or brown sugar. Choose bread made from 100-percent whole-wheat flour with a minimum of 4 grams of fiber per serving.

Olive oil: Olive oil has a better nutritional profile than butter and especially margarine because of the low ratio of saturated fat and because it contains no trans fats. However, olive oil, although a healthy fat, is fat. All fat contains approximately 9 calories per gram, or about 45 calories in one teaspoon. Include olive oil as a part of a healthy diet, but don’t eat more than you need.

Protein Bars: Protein bars, breakfast bars and cereal bars are all convenient, but if you’re trying to lose weight, choose carefully. Most contain too much sugar and hydrogenated fat to be called healthy and more resemble candy bars than breakfast. I prefer quick and portable breakfasts and snacks of real food, such as stirring a cup of unsweetened cereal into a cup of yogurt, a half-sandwich on whole-grain bread with turkey breast, or a portioned serving of nuts and raisins.
If you’re pressed for time or need something that won’t spoil, read the label and make an educated choice. The first ingredient should either be a whole grain or a protein source (whey or soy protein). Ignore bars with refined sugar as one of the top listed ingredients (sucrose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, or any other syrup).
If you see hydrogenated fat in the ingredients and more than 1 gram of saturated fat in the nutrition facts panel, forget it. A good meal replacement bar contains about 300 calories, with approximately 25 percent from protein (approximately 19 grams of protein), nearly 0 grams of saturated fat and less than 10 grams of total fat. The higher the fiber, the better; that means it contains whole grain. Aim for a minimum of 4 grams per serving.

Low-Carb Beer: If you think that low-carb beer is a diet food, think again. Neither low-carb nor “lite” beers are low in calories. The USDA defines low calorie as a food that has no more than 40 calories per serving. Low-carb and “lite” beers have about 90 to 100 calories per serving. A low-carb beer is relatively low in carbohydrates, but calories count. Drink one beer with two water chasers.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows the following definitions on food labels:
FAT-FREE: The product has less than .5 grams of fat per serving.
LOW-FAT: The product has 3 grams or less of fat per serving.
REDUCED or LESS FAT: The product has at least 25% less fat per serving than the full-fat version.
CALORIE-FREE: The product has less than 5 calories per serving.
LOW-CALORIE: The product has 40 calories or less per serving.
REDUCED or FEWER CALORIES: The product has at least 25 percent fewer calories per serving than the non-reduced version.

LITE or LIGHT:
* The product has fewer calories or half the fat of the non-light version.
* The sodium content of a low-calorie, low-fat food is 50 percent less than the non-light version.
* A food is clearer in color (like light instead of dark corn syrup).

Diet Foods That Will Make You Fat Part 1

By Susan Burke March MS, RD, LD/N, CDE eDiets Contributor (from ediets.com)

Can diet foods make you fat? I realize that this sounds like a contradiction, but the diet industry is like that. You need to come armed with some savvy to weed through the hype. Just look at what happened in the 1980s, when “fat-free” was a fad.

“Fat-free” appeared on all types of foods, and consumers (not surprisingly) assumed that fat-free meant calorie-free. Au contraire! For example, fat-free cookies have just as many calories as the original, maybe even more.

Some health experts link the “fat-free” craze to the explosion of obesity in the U.S., and certainly consumers are confused about what’s best, fat-free, carb-free, high protein, etc. Bottom line: You need to read the top line on the nutrition facts panel. Calories do count. Read the number of servings in the package or container, and then read calories per serving. When you know what you’re eating, it all adds up.

The Skinny on “Diet Foods”
All foods can fit into a healthy diet in the correct portion size. Even healthy foods can be “fattening” if you eat too much of them. Here’s the skinny on some “diet” foods you’d think would help you with your diet:
Juice: You’ve seen the ads: “100% pure juice with live enzymes and packed with vitamins and minerals.” It is often labeled with claims for weight loss, increased energy and better immunity. Let the buyer beware! To balance the scale in your favor, consider this: People suffering a low blood glucose reaction are given juice because the fruit sugar (fructose) is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream.
Juice is not a diet food unless you’re on a weight gain diet. It’s one of the quickest ways of getting extra calories I know. Juice is extracted from the whole fruit; the beneficial fiber is left behind. Regardless of how pure the juice, it contains no inherent properties that will make you healthier or make you lose weight. Peel and eat an orange instead. See below for a tip about juice.

Enhanced Waters: Diet myths abound, displayed on labels of enhanced waters and sports drinks. Drink this for “energy, balance, performance.” I want to paste ‘Buyer Beware!” signs on the labels. These waters and flavored teas are certainly fortified… with caffeine and sugar, plus high-fructose corn syrup.
Before reading the front label and advertising hype, read the ingredient list. If you're working out strenuously for more than an hour at a time, then a sports drink is OK, but choose one with less than 8 grams of sugar per serving. If you prefer, buy an artificially sweetened beverage.
Otherwise, drink water before, during and after exercising. Adding just a quarter-cup of 100-percent orange or grapefruit juice and a dash of salt to a quart of water makes the perfect sports drink.

Turkey Burgers: When dining out, have you ordered a turkey burger while your friends are all having steak? You may think you’re eating diet food, but you may be better off with that sirloin. Turkey breast is an ultra-lean protein, but most restaurants don’t serve ground turkey breast; rather, they serve ground turkey in their burgers, which likely contains the more fatty dark meat and even skin. Restaurant turkey burgers are also enhanced with mayonnaise and even cheese.
If you can’t be certain the turkey burger is made from skinless turkey breast, order a grilled chicken breast sandwich or grilled fish sandwich sans mayo and cheese.

Breakfast cereals: Eating breakfast is one of the lifestyle habits that predict weight loss and maintaining that desired weight. I love my cereal in the morning, but exploring the cereal aisle can be a confusing experience, especially for dieters. Don’t read the front of the package to get the scoop on cereals. Read the back first, namely the ingredient list and the nutrition facts panel.
Cereals labeled “smart” or “whole grain” or “fruit” are not necessarily smart for your waistline or your health. Often they contain a bit of whole grain, but there is no limit on the other ingredients, including sugar. Here’s a tip: The first ingredient should be whole grain: whole wheat, whole oats, rye or other. Read the nutrition facts panel and note the serving size. The standard serving size is 3/4 to 1 cup, and you make your decision from there.
If one serving contains more than 4 to 8 grams of sugar (1 to 2 teaspoons), then move on. Kashi GoLean, Shredded wheat, All Bran cereals, Fiber One, unsweetened muesli and granola (fat-free) are good choices. Watch out for “code words” that mean sugar and fat have been added. Cereals that are labeled “Crunchy,” “Frosted,” “Honey” or “Honey Nut” may have more sugar added.
Add your own sugar; don’t let the manufacturer add it for you. For example, a 1-cup serving of Cheerios with a half-cup of nonfat milk has 150 calories. A 3/4-cup serving of Cinnamon Toast Crunch has 170 calories; a smaller serving for more calories. Not a bargain.

How to stop Overeating

I have recently watched a few shows about severely overweight people, and all, with no exception, did not admit that they were over-eating. In my searches on methods on how to stop over-eating I ran into lots of useful advices. Here is a set of points I find fairly straight forward:

Just because it tastes good isn't a reason to eat until you're uncomfortable. There are some simple steps that can be taken to stop overeating everyday. Once you make your commitment to controlling your appetite, you're on your way to success.


1. Drink a lot of water. Water good for you and it fills you up. When your stomach feels full from drinking water, your hunger urges are fewer.
2. Evaluate your hunger. At the beginning of your meal, evaluate your hunger. Do this again halfway through your meal. Most of the time we don't think about it again until the meal is finished. Unlike when you were a child, you don't have to clean your plate.
3. Change activities. If you're eating simply because you're bored, get up and do something. Change the activity you're engaged in.
4. Wait a few minutes. After feeling those first hunger pangs, make the decision to wait for 10 minutes. If you're still hungry after the interval, you probably need to eat. However, hunger pangs could merely mean you're bored and need a break from some task.
5. Eat slowly. Studies have shown that satisfaction levels take 12 minutes or more to reach the brain in a thinner person, but take 20 minutes or more to get to the brain if you're overweight. Eating your meal more slowly will help your stomach catch up with your brain.
6. Make your meal your task. Don't eat while driving, working or doing something else. Your mind is typically on the other task and not on your meal. You don't realize when you're full when you're not paying attention.
7. Savor the first bites. It's been proven that taste buds lose their sensitivity as your meal progresses. Savor the first few bites of your meal. By doing this, you satisfy your craving for that particular food more fully.
8. Use a smaller plate. Our brains react to visual cues. If it appears that our smaller portions are small on a large dinner plate, our brain is apt to think that it's not enough food. However, if you put the same amount of food on smaller plate, it appears like a full plate of food. Fool your brain into thinking your portions are larger.
9. Choose satisfying foods. Foods that are high in calorie, but small in portion are not going to be satisfying. Select foods high in protein and high in fiber.