The word on the street
HOW TO KEEP VEGGIES AND FRUITS LONGER (Submitted by Mary (Trunkjunk)
Vegetables
1. Tomatoes – Always keep at room temperature.
2. Cucumbers – If you need to keep these fresh for more than a day or two after buying, wrap in a moist towel and refrigerate.
3. Peppers – Store in a plastic bag for 1-2 weeks in the fridge. If flash frozen, peppers will last up to 10 months.
4. Green Beans – These keep well with humidity (drape a damp cloth over them) but not wetness.
5. Carrots – Keep in a closed contained and wrapped in a damp towel or dip in cold water every few days. For lasting freshness, cut off the tops.
6. Squash – Will keep at room temperature for a few days if out of direct sunlight.
7. Peas – Place in an open container and refrigerate.
8. Onions – Keep in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place.
9. Broccoli – Store in the fridge: either wrapped in a damp towel or in an open container.
10. Corn – Best to leave these in the husk until ready to be eaten, but more flavorful if eaten sooner. Keep refrigerated.
11. Garlic – Keep away from humidity, dampness, or direct sunlight.
12. Celery – Wrap in foil and place in the fridge or keep in a bowl of shallow water on the counter.
13. Lettuce – Keep lettuce damp and refrigerated, preferably in an airtight container.
14. Mushroom – These are best stored in a paper bag.
15. Potatoes – Store in a dark and dry place or a brown paper bag.
Fruits
1. Bananas – To extend freshness, separate bananas after purchasing and store in a well-ventilated basket.
2. Apples – Away from heat, these will keep for about two weeks. For longer storage, place in a cardboard box and refrigerate.
3. Grapes – Store in the fridge, but only wash when ready to use to avoid mushiness.
4. Peaches – Only refrigerate when fully ripe.
5 .Pears – A cool environment or brown paper bag is best. Pears will keep for a few weeks on the counter.
6. Watermelon – Let ripen at room temperature for 7-10 days. After that, sliced watermelon can be stored in the fridge for several days.
7. Pineapple – Can be stored whole in the fridge (cut off the top) or sliced and put in an airtight container (don’t use aluminum foil, as this will alter the flavor).
8. Strawberries – Keep away from damp, wet places. Refrigerated strawberries placed in a brown paper bag will keep for a week if the bag is kept dry.
9. Oranges – Oranges lose juiciness when refrigerated. For freshest fruit, place in a ventilated basket and keep on the counter.
10. Cherries – Store in an airtight container and avoid washing until ready to eat. Keep refrigerated.
11. Plums – Store at room temperature until they are ripe, and then keep them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.
12. Blueberries – Store dry in a shallow plastic container in the refrigerator. Do not wash them until you are ready to eat them, because they will quickly mold if they are stored wet.
How To Keep Cut Avocado From Turning Brown
I've found the best way to keep a cut avocado green is to place it in a clean cottage cheese or similarly sized airtight container with a piece of cut up onion. Cover it with a lid and refrigerate. I've had a cut avocado stay fresh for several days this way. I don't know why this is, but I suspect that it has to do with the sulfur compounds that the onion releases. This is the same sulfur that makes you cry when you chop onions, but it is also used as a preservative. The onion's smell and taste don't seem to transfer to the avocado, as far as I can tell. But I'm not overly sensitive to onions, so you may want to check this out first if you are.
How to properly clean your vegetables
1. Add cold water to a large plastic bowl.
2. You can choose to use apple cider: pour in about 3 tablespoons per gallon of water or baking soda: sprinkle about 3 tablespoons to the water.
3. Add your vegetables and soak for 5-10 min.
4. Make sure there's enough water to cover the vegetables.
5. Use a vegetable brush to scrub the dirt from vegetables with skin, such as potatoes, turnips, celery or carrots.
6. After washing, rinse your vegetables.
How To Keep Bananas From Turning Brown Quickly
The main culprit in the banana-browning process is ethylene gas, which is released mainly through the stems and, when it hits other parts of the fruit (or any other fruits or veggies nearby), it causes them to ripen faster. The article suggested wrapping the stems in plastic wrap to prevent the gas from escaping. And so I grabbed some Saran Wrap and my banana bunch and began wrapping. I discovered an immediate problem, though: You can't get a tight seal on the stems of bananas that are still all together in the bunch; there are gaps through which the gas could escape. So I took a chance and separated the bananas from the bunch and wrapped the stems individually.
How To Keep Onions From Sprouting
1. Inspect all onions for soft spots, mold or other signs of damage. Only perfect onions are suitable for long-term storage.
2. Then, cut off the legs from a clean pair of pantyhose.
3. Drop an onion into the foot of the first leg, and tie a knot.
4. Continue adding onions and tying knots until both legs are full.
5. Hang the pantyhose in a cool, dry place (a location with a temperature between 40-45° is ideal).
6. When you need an onion, simply cut a slit in the side of one of the tied off sections. This will allow you to reuse the pantyhose again and again.
How to Keep Berries From Getting Moldy
Everyone says you shouldn’t wash berries until just before you eat them because moisture shortens their shelf life. But the truth is, berries carry mold spores that cause them to go bad very quickly. And that mold can spread through a whole basket of berries in a flash. Good news: You can easily kill off mold and bacteria with a quick vinegar and water bath, then dry off the berries before they go in the fridge. Here’s how to do it.
1. Vinegar Bath to Kill Mold. After discarding any berries that show even a bit of mold, put 3 cups cold water and 1 cup white vinegar in a large bowl or salad spinner. Immerse berries and swish around for about a minute. Drain berries, then rinse with clean, cold water until any trace of vinegar aroma or taste is gone. Spread out rinsed berries on clean cloth or paper towels, and pat and roll lightly with towels to dry them well.
When I was researching this kitchen tip, I read where people were worried about the berries tasting like vinegar after their bath. I can tell you from experience that they don’t. I used plain white vinegar and didn’t let the berries sit in the bath for more than a couple of minutes. It didn’t take much rinsing before I couldn’t smell even a hint of vinegar, and I never tasted any.
2. Anti-Moisture Storage If your berries came in a ventilated plastic clamshell-type package, wash it with soap and hot water, rinse and dry, then line it with a dry paper towel. Put the clean, dry berries back in the clamshell and store them in the fridge. Make sure to leave ventilation holes in the top uncovered so air can circulate in the package. Otherwise, store the berries in a clean container lined with paper towels, with the lid ajar so condensation can evaporate. Change the paper towels if they get damp over time.
Notes:
•This method works best for firm berries like strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Fragile raspberries should get the classic “rinse right before eating” treatment with just plain water.
•The vinegar bath won’t “cure” very moldy berries; it’s best to pick those out and discard them right away.
•Berries that are super-ripe to begin with should be eaten within a couple of days.
************************************************************************************************************
Unpleasantly Plump? Try These 11 Natural Weight-Loss Tips
Grab your tape measure: If your waist size is greater than 35 inches (40 for men) you’re at a higher risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. (To get the right number, measure around your belly button just above your hip bones.)
Though “pleasantly plump” was once a compliment, attitudes have shifted dramatically, and the 21st century ushered in new definitions as health problems ballooned. Doctors had previously used weight-for-height tables to set standards for men and women. But in the late 1990s, the body mass index (BMI), devised in the 19th century to measure body fat, took on greater significance. In 1998 the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) switched to the BMI to reassess weight standards.
Calculating your body mass index is easy and can help evaluate your risk. Check out the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s simple calculator. If your BMI falls between 18.5 and 24.9, you’re within the normal range. If your BMI is 25 to 30, you’re overweight. A BMI over 30 indicates obesity. The higher your BMI, the greater your risk for other health problems as well, such as gallstones, breathing problems, and certain cancers.
Other factors that put you at risk include high blood pressure, high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood sugar, family history of premature heart disease, physical inactivity, and cigarette smoking.
If your waist size or BMI indicates that you are overweight, you are far from alone. Fewer than one-third of Americans boast a “normal” weight for their height, a fact that has turned extra weight into a national epidemic. According to the CDC, 69 percent of adults age 20 years and over are overweight or obese.
Despite national initiatives such as the Strive for Five (veggies and fruits daily) and First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, or heart-healthy options such as the Mediterranean diet, the fat war continues to be a leading public health problem.
Changing habits can be a challenge, to say the least. But it is possible. Here are 11 tips that can help, from 500 Time-tested Home Remedies and the Science Behind Them:
1. Eat a good breakfast. Studies show that eating breakfast protects against being overweight. For many, a good breakfast satisfies the hunger of the overnight fast. A high-protein breakfast including eggs, for example, fends off hunger longer than a high-carb breakfast.
2. Push away from the table before you feel full. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register that your stomach is full.
3. Use smaller plates and serve smaller portions. Don’t just eat what’s in front of you.
4. Split meals. In restaurants, portions can be huge enough for two or three. Share desserts. And never order fried foods.
5. Eat only when you’re hungry and eat only real foods: fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts, and seeds. Avoid processed foods (the stuff that comes in bags and boxes).
6. Try fresh fruit. Juicy grapes or apples shake hunger better than dried fruit or juice. (Fruit juice is packed with sugar naturally contained in fruit but without the hunger-satisfying fiber. If you drink juice, cut it by half with water).
7. Stay away from sodas and soft drinks. Both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened (zero-calorie) sodas are associated with being overweight. High-fructose corn syrup can contribute unwanted calories linked to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, high triglyceride levels, and more.
8. Manage stress. The stress hormone cortisol and other stress-induced hormones increase appetite. Recurrent stress promotes compulsive overeating.
9. Get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation leads to changes in nervous system function, hormone release, and inflammatory chemicals that increase hunger, decrease satiety, and favor visceral fat deposition.
10. Set realistic goals. Start slowly with a goal of reducing body weight by 10 percent over 6 months (a reduction of 500 to 1000 calories per day amounts to approximately 1 to 2 pounds per week).
11. Make time to exercise. Physical activity should be part of a comprehensive weight loss therapy and weight control program because it contributes to weight loss and reduction of abdominal fat. Exercise can also help you maintain any weight you’ve already lost.
***********************************************************************************************************
Five Myths about High Blood Pressure
Myth Number One: It's No Big Deal. The problem with high blood pressure initially is there are no symptoms. You don't feel bad, so how could anything be wrong?
The truth is, when your blood flow begins to push too hard against your blood vessels, it leads to damage of your heart, kidneys, and other organs in your body. High blood pressure is a very big deal indeed.
Myth Number Two: There Is No Good Treatment. Many people feel there's nothing they can do about their high blood pressure.
The truth is if you follow a sensible plan, you can manage your high blood pressure.
Myth Number Three: A "Little" High Blood Pressure Is Okay. When you take your blood pressure readings, you probably notice they vary somewhat. You probably also notice there are two numbers, one on top and one on bottom.
Normal readings are: 119 or below for the top number, and 79 or below for the bottom number. Some people believe that as long as one of these numbers is normal, you're okay.
The truth is if either of your blood pressure numbers is above normal, you need to do something right away.
Myth Number Four: High Blood Pressure Cannot Be Prevented. This idea is dead wrong. Even if everyone in your family has higher blood pressure, this doesn't mean there is nothing you can do.
Simple changes such as eating a healthy diet, limiting salt intake, and keeping your weight under control, can help you prevent high blood pressure.
Myth Number Five: Treatment Is Difficult. Most people think that treating high blood pressure requires giving up all your favorite foods, engaging in some crazy exercise plan, or taking dangerous and expensive drugs.
While you do need to make changes to get your blood pressure under control, those changes do not have to be difficult or unpleasant.
***********************************************************************************************************
LOVE HANDLES
They’re called cutesy names such as muffin tops and love handles, but let’s face it, no one loves the roll of flab that pops over the waistband of your jeans and ruins the sleek line of fitness clothes, clingy sweaters, and tailored shirts.
Love handles are one of the most common reasons people exercise and hire a personal trainer. It’s often after an ab workout consisting of thousands of crunches that frustration finally leads people to get help from a fitness pro.
Most people think that doing crunches will get rid of love handles, but they are misinformed. When done properly, crunches do tone muscles, but the problem is, love handles don’t contain an ounce of muscle. They're fat, and to burn fat you need a healthy diet and a rigorous cardiovascular program, he explains.
Work your body correctly, and you will certainly see results. Read on to learn how to trim the fat.
Getting Rid of Love Handles: Your Strategy
An overall plan for 30 to 45 minutes of cardio three to four times a week, strength training (including the exercises below) two to three times a week, and a day of rest every week so your body can rebuild muscle. Using a variety of cardio approaches will be the most effective — don’t just stick to only the elliptical or just a few spinning classes. Getting stuck in a cardio routine can lead to a plateau. Instead, you want to keep challenging different muscle groups. High-intensity interval training programs helps to burn fat, instead of working at the same steady pace throughout your workout. On the treadmill, for instance, alternate two minutes at your usual pace with 1 minute at a faster speed.
Your initial goals will be weight loss and trimming down the fat. Once you’ve done that — or at least made significant headway — you can start to tone the muscles underneath your love handles. As you burn fat and increase your metabolism through building muscle, that extra padding will eventually go away.
Before you get started, take note that women may have a diastasis, a midline split in the abdominal muscles around the bellybutton, usually a post-pregnancy problem. First, check with a doctor and a trainer for ways to correct the diastasis and then get their go-ahead to do this type of ab workout.
Ab Workout: Kiss Love Handles Goodbye
Make these five exercises part of your plan to tone waist and hips:
1. Bicycle Crunches: This exercise will work your internal and external obliques as well as the rectus abdominis [the largest ab muscle].
•Lie on your back, knees bent.
•Place hands behind your head without interlacing your fingers. Lift your head slightly.
•Twist so that your left elbow goes toward your right knee while you extend your left leg.
•Pull your leg back in and extend the other leg, twisting so that your right elbow goes toward your left knee.
•Build up to 3 sets of 25 reps each.
2. Standing Trunk Twists
•Stand with your feet about hip-width apart.
•Keep hips and legs facing forward as you twist to the right, extending your left arm out (like a punch) to the right.
•Twist in the opposite direction (left), extending your right arm out in a punch to the left.
•Aim for 100 repetitions.
3. Lying Leg Twist
•Lie on your back with your arms stretched out to the sides, hands flat on your mat.
•Lift legs and bend knees so that your calves are parallel to the floor and your thighs form a 90-degree angle with your torso.
•Lower both legs together to one side so that your outer right thigh touches the ground on the right side, maintaining the 90-degree angle.
•Return them to center and then lower to the other side so that your outer left thigh touches the ground.
•Build up to 3 sets of 25 reps each.
4. Side Planks: This exercise strengthens your core, in the front and the back.
•Lie down on your right side, leaning on your elbow.
•Extend your legs out straight, with your feet stacked. The edge of your right foot should be on the floor.
•Use your core to hold your body up in a straight line (you can modify it by putting your right knee down on the floor if you need support). Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, or longer if you can.
•Lower yourself fully to the floor and switch sides.
•For added challenge, lift the top leg and hold it up so that it is not touching the bottom leg.
•Holding each side for about 30 seconds, do four or five reps, and increase as you get stronger.
5. Seated Russian Twists
•Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat.
•Hold your arms out in front of you, hands pressed together.
•Lean back about 45 degrees. With a slow, controlled movement, twist to your left side. Return to center, and twist to your right. That’s one rep.
•One full rep should take about 20 seconds. Take a breath and repeat. Start with four to five reps, adding more reps as you get stronger.
•For an added challenge, lift your feet off the floor as you do this exercise.You shouldn’t have to wait too long for results. If you eat a healthy, low-fat diet, burn more calories than you take in, and enjoy a good mix of cardio and ab workout time, you’ll watch your love handles start to melt away within a few weeks.
HOW TO KEEP VEGGIES AND FRUITS LONGER (Submitted by Mary (Trunkjunk)
Vegetables
1. Tomatoes – Always keep at room temperature.
2. Cucumbers – If you need to keep these fresh for more than a day or two after buying, wrap in a moist towel and refrigerate.
3. Peppers – Store in a plastic bag for 1-2 weeks in the fridge. If flash frozen, peppers will last up to 10 months.
4. Green Beans – These keep well with humidity (drape a damp cloth over them) but not wetness.
5. Carrots – Keep in a closed contained and wrapped in a damp towel or dip in cold water every few days. For lasting freshness, cut off the tops.
6. Squash – Will keep at room temperature for a few days if out of direct sunlight.
7. Peas – Place in an open container and refrigerate.
8. Onions – Keep in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place.
9. Broccoli – Store in the fridge: either wrapped in a damp towel or in an open container.
10. Corn – Best to leave these in the husk until ready to be eaten, but more flavorful if eaten sooner. Keep refrigerated.
11. Garlic – Keep away from humidity, dampness, or direct sunlight.
12. Celery – Wrap in foil and place in the fridge or keep in a bowl of shallow water on the counter.
13. Lettuce – Keep lettuce damp and refrigerated, preferably in an airtight container.
14. Mushroom – These are best stored in a paper bag.
15. Potatoes – Store in a dark and dry place or a brown paper bag.
Fruits
1. Bananas – To extend freshness, separate bananas after purchasing and store in a well-ventilated basket.
2. Apples – Away from heat, these will keep for about two weeks. For longer storage, place in a cardboard box and refrigerate.
3. Grapes – Store in the fridge, but only wash when ready to use to avoid mushiness.
4. Peaches – Only refrigerate when fully ripe.
5 .Pears – A cool environment or brown paper bag is best. Pears will keep for a few weeks on the counter.
6. Watermelon – Let ripen at room temperature for 7-10 days. After that, sliced watermelon can be stored in the fridge for several days.
7. Pineapple – Can be stored whole in the fridge (cut off the top) or sliced and put in an airtight container (don’t use aluminum foil, as this will alter the flavor).
8. Strawberries – Keep away from damp, wet places. Refrigerated strawberries placed in a brown paper bag will keep for a week if the bag is kept dry.
9. Oranges – Oranges lose juiciness when refrigerated. For freshest fruit, place in a ventilated basket and keep on the counter.
10. Cherries – Store in an airtight container and avoid washing until ready to eat. Keep refrigerated.
11. Plums – Store at room temperature until they are ripe, and then keep them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.
12. Blueberries – Store dry in a shallow plastic container in the refrigerator. Do not wash them until you are ready to eat them, because they will quickly mold if they are stored wet.
How To Keep Cut Avocado From Turning Brown
I've found the best way to keep a cut avocado green is to place it in a clean cottage cheese or similarly sized airtight container with a piece of cut up onion. Cover it with a lid and refrigerate. I've had a cut avocado stay fresh for several days this way. I don't know why this is, but I suspect that it has to do with the sulfur compounds that the onion releases. This is the same sulfur that makes you cry when you chop onions, but it is also used as a preservative. The onion's smell and taste don't seem to transfer to the avocado, as far as I can tell. But I'm not overly sensitive to onions, so you may want to check this out first if you are.
How to properly clean your vegetables
1. Add cold water to a large plastic bowl.
2. You can choose to use apple cider: pour in about 3 tablespoons per gallon of water or baking soda: sprinkle about 3 tablespoons to the water.
3. Add your vegetables and soak for 5-10 min.
4. Make sure there's enough water to cover the vegetables.
5. Use a vegetable brush to scrub the dirt from vegetables with skin, such as potatoes, turnips, celery or carrots.
6. After washing, rinse your vegetables.
How To Keep Bananas From Turning Brown Quickly
The main culprit in the banana-browning process is ethylene gas, which is released mainly through the stems and, when it hits other parts of the fruit (or any other fruits or veggies nearby), it causes them to ripen faster. The article suggested wrapping the stems in plastic wrap to prevent the gas from escaping. And so I grabbed some Saran Wrap and my banana bunch and began wrapping. I discovered an immediate problem, though: You can't get a tight seal on the stems of bananas that are still all together in the bunch; there are gaps through which the gas could escape. So I took a chance and separated the bananas from the bunch and wrapped the stems individually.
How To Keep Onions From Sprouting
1. Inspect all onions for soft spots, mold or other signs of damage. Only perfect onions are suitable for long-term storage.
2. Then, cut off the legs from a clean pair of pantyhose.
3. Drop an onion into the foot of the first leg, and tie a knot.
4. Continue adding onions and tying knots until both legs are full.
5. Hang the pantyhose in a cool, dry place (a location with a temperature between 40-45° is ideal).
6. When you need an onion, simply cut a slit in the side of one of the tied off sections. This will allow you to reuse the pantyhose again and again.
How to Keep Berries From Getting Moldy
Everyone says you shouldn’t wash berries until just before you eat them because moisture shortens their shelf life. But the truth is, berries carry mold spores that cause them to go bad very quickly. And that mold can spread through a whole basket of berries in a flash. Good news: You can easily kill off mold and bacteria with a quick vinegar and water bath, then dry off the berries before they go in the fridge. Here’s how to do it.
1. Vinegar Bath to Kill Mold. After discarding any berries that show even a bit of mold, put 3 cups cold water and 1 cup white vinegar in a large bowl or salad spinner. Immerse berries and swish around for about a minute. Drain berries, then rinse with clean, cold water until any trace of vinegar aroma or taste is gone. Spread out rinsed berries on clean cloth or paper towels, and pat and roll lightly with towels to dry them well.
When I was researching this kitchen tip, I read where people were worried about the berries tasting like vinegar after their bath. I can tell you from experience that they don’t. I used plain white vinegar and didn’t let the berries sit in the bath for more than a couple of minutes. It didn’t take much rinsing before I couldn’t smell even a hint of vinegar, and I never tasted any.
2. Anti-Moisture Storage If your berries came in a ventilated plastic clamshell-type package, wash it with soap and hot water, rinse and dry, then line it with a dry paper towel. Put the clean, dry berries back in the clamshell and store them in the fridge. Make sure to leave ventilation holes in the top uncovered so air can circulate in the package. Otherwise, store the berries in a clean container lined with paper towels, with the lid ajar so condensation can evaporate. Change the paper towels if they get damp over time.
Notes:
•This method works best for firm berries like strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Fragile raspberries should get the classic “rinse right before eating” treatment with just plain water.
•The vinegar bath won’t “cure” very moldy berries; it’s best to pick those out and discard them right away.
•Berries that are super-ripe to begin with should be eaten within a couple of days.
************************************************************************************************************
Unpleasantly Plump? Try These 11 Natural Weight-Loss Tips
Grab your tape measure: If your waist size is greater than 35 inches (40 for men) you’re at a higher risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. (To get the right number, measure around your belly button just above your hip bones.)
Though “pleasantly plump” was once a compliment, attitudes have shifted dramatically, and the 21st century ushered in new definitions as health problems ballooned. Doctors had previously used weight-for-height tables to set standards for men and women. But in the late 1990s, the body mass index (BMI), devised in the 19th century to measure body fat, took on greater significance. In 1998 the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) switched to the BMI to reassess weight standards.
Calculating your body mass index is easy and can help evaluate your risk. Check out the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s simple calculator. If your BMI falls between 18.5 and 24.9, you’re within the normal range. If your BMI is 25 to 30, you’re overweight. A BMI over 30 indicates obesity. The higher your BMI, the greater your risk for other health problems as well, such as gallstones, breathing problems, and certain cancers.
Other factors that put you at risk include high blood pressure, high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood sugar, family history of premature heart disease, physical inactivity, and cigarette smoking.
If your waist size or BMI indicates that you are overweight, you are far from alone. Fewer than one-third of Americans boast a “normal” weight for their height, a fact that has turned extra weight into a national epidemic. According to the CDC, 69 percent of adults age 20 years and over are overweight or obese.
Despite national initiatives such as the Strive for Five (veggies and fruits daily) and First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, or heart-healthy options such as the Mediterranean diet, the fat war continues to be a leading public health problem.
Changing habits can be a challenge, to say the least. But it is possible. Here are 11 tips that can help, from 500 Time-tested Home Remedies and the Science Behind Them:
1. Eat a good breakfast. Studies show that eating breakfast protects against being overweight. For many, a good breakfast satisfies the hunger of the overnight fast. A high-protein breakfast including eggs, for example, fends off hunger longer than a high-carb breakfast.
2. Push away from the table before you feel full. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register that your stomach is full.
3. Use smaller plates and serve smaller portions. Don’t just eat what’s in front of you.
4. Split meals. In restaurants, portions can be huge enough for two or three. Share desserts. And never order fried foods.
5. Eat only when you’re hungry and eat only real foods: fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts, and seeds. Avoid processed foods (the stuff that comes in bags and boxes).
6. Try fresh fruit. Juicy grapes or apples shake hunger better than dried fruit or juice. (Fruit juice is packed with sugar naturally contained in fruit but without the hunger-satisfying fiber. If you drink juice, cut it by half with water).
7. Stay away from sodas and soft drinks. Both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened (zero-calorie) sodas are associated with being overweight. High-fructose corn syrup can contribute unwanted calories linked to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, high triglyceride levels, and more.
8. Manage stress. The stress hormone cortisol and other stress-induced hormones increase appetite. Recurrent stress promotes compulsive overeating.
9. Get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation leads to changes in nervous system function, hormone release, and inflammatory chemicals that increase hunger, decrease satiety, and favor visceral fat deposition.
10. Set realistic goals. Start slowly with a goal of reducing body weight by 10 percent over 6 months (a reduction of 500 to 1000 calories per day amounts to approximately 1 to 2 pounds per week).
11. Make time to exercise. Physical activity should be part of a comprehensive weight loss therapy and weight control program because it contributes to weight loss and reduction of abdominal fat. Exercise can also help you maintain any weight you’ve already lost.
***********************************************************************************************************
Five Myths about High Blood Pressure
Myth Number One: It's No Big Deal. The problem with high blood pressure initially is there are no symptoms. You don't feel bad, so how could anything be wrong?
The truth is, when your blood flow begins to push too hard against your blood vessels, it leads to damage of your heart, kidneys, and other organs in your body. High blood pressure is a very big deal indeed.
Myth Number Two: There Is No Good Treatment. Many people feel there's nothing they can do about their high blood pressure.
The truth is if you follow a sensible plan, you can manage your high blood pressure.
Myth Number Three: A "Little" High Blood Pressure Is Okay. When you take your blood pressure readings, you probably notice they vary somewhat. You probably also notice there are two numbers, one on top and one on bottom.
Normal readings are: 119 or below for the top number, and 79 or below for the bottom number. Some people believe that as long as one of these numbers is normal, you're okay.
The truth is if either of your blood pressure numbers is above normal, you need to do something right away.
Myth Number Four: High Blood Pressure Cannot Be Prevented. This idea is dead wrong. Even if everyone in your family has higher blood pressure, this doesn't mean there is nothing you can do.
Simple changes such as eating a healthy diet, limiting salt intake, and keeping your weight under control, can help you prevent high blood pressure.
Myth Number Five: Treatment Is Difficult. Most people think that treating high blood pressure requires giving up all your favorite foods, engaging in some crazy exercise plan, or taking dangerous and expensive drugs.
While you do need to make changes to get your blood pressure under control, those changes do not have to be difficult or unpleasant.
***********************************************************************************************************
LOVE HANDLES
They’re called cutesy names such as muffin tops and love handles, but let’s face it, no one loves the roll of flab that pops over the waistband of your jeans and ruins the sleek line of fitness clothes, clingy sweaters, and tailored shirts.
Love handles are one of the most common reasons people exercise and hire a personal trainer. It’s often after an ab workout consisting of thousands of crunches that frustration finally leads people to get help from a fitness pro.
Most people think that doing crunches will get rid of love handles, but they are misinformed. When done properly, crunches do tone muscles, but the problem is, love handles don’t contain an ounce of muscle. They're fat, and to burn fat you need a healthy diet and a rigorous cardiovascular program, he explains.
Work your body correctly, and you will certainly see results. Read on to learn how to trim the fat.
Getting Rid of Love Handles: Your Strategy
An overall plan for 30 to 45 minutes of cardio three to four times a week, strength training (including the exercises below) two to three times a week, and a day of rest every week so your body can rebuild muscle. Using a variety of cardio approaches will be the most effective — don’t just stick to only the elliptical or just a few spinning classes. Getting stuck in a cardio routine can lead to a plateau. Instead, you want to keep challenging different muscle groups. High-intensity interval training programs helps to burn fat, instead of working at the same steady pace throughout your workout. On the treadmill, for instance, alternate two minutes at your usual pace with 1 minute at a faster speed.
Your initial goals will be weight loss and trimming down the fat. Once you’ve done that — or at least made significant headway — you can start to tone the muscles underneath your love handles. As you burn fat and increase your metabolism through building muscle, that extra padding will eventually go away.
Before you get started, take note that women may have a diastasis, a midline split in the abdominal muscles around the bellybutton, usually a post-pregnancy problem. First, check with a doctor and a trainer for ways to correct the diastasis and then get their go-ahead to do this type of ab workout.
Ab Workout: Kiss Love Handles Goodbye
Make these five exercises part of your plan to tone waist and hips:
1. Bicycle Crunches: This exercise will work your internal and external obliques as well as the rectus abdominis [the largest ab muscle].
•Lie on your back, knees bent.
•Place hands behind your head without interlacing your fingers. Lift your head slightly.
•Twist so that your left elbow goes toward your right knee while you extend your left leg.
•Pull your leg back in and extend the other leg, twisting so that your right elbow goes toward your left knee.
•Build up to 3 sets of 25 reps each.
2. Standing Trunk Twists
•Stand with your feet about hip-width apart.
•Keep hips and legs facing forward as you twist to the right, extending your left arm out (like a punch) to the right.
•Twist in the opposite direction (left), extending your right arm out in a punch to the left.
•Aim for 100 repetitions.
3. Lying Leg Twist
•Lie on your back with your arms stretched out to the sides, hands flat on your mat.
•Lift legs and bend knees so that your calves are parallel to the floor and your thighs form a 90-degree angle with your torso.
•Lower both legs together to one side so that your outer right thigh touches the ground on the right side, maintaining the 90-degree angle.
•Return them to center and then lower to the other side so that your outer left thigh touches the ground.
•Build up to 3 sets of 25 reps each.
4. Side Planks: This exercise strengthens your core, in the front and the back.
•Lie down on your right side, leaning on your elbow.
•Extend your legs out straight, with your feet stacked. The edge of your right foot should be on the floor.
•Use your core to hold your body up in a straight line (you can modify it by putting your right knee down on the floor if you need support). Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, or longer if you can.
•Lower yourself fully to the floor and switch sides.
•For added challenge, lift the top leg and hold it up so that it is not touching the bottom leg.
•Holding each side for about 30 seconds, do four or five reps, and increase as you get stronger.
5. Seated Russian Twists
•Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat.
•Hold your arms out in front of you, hands pressed together.
•Lean back about 45 degrees. With a slow, controlled movement, twist to your left side. Return to center, and twist to your right. That’s one rep.
•One full rep should take about 20 seconds. Take a breath and repeat. Start with four to five reps, adding more reps as you get stronger.
•For an added challenge, lift your feet off the floor as you do this exercise.You shouldn’t have to wait too long for results. If you eat a healthy, low-fat diet, burn more calories than you take in, and enjoy a good mix of cardio and ab workout time, you’ll watch your love handles start to melt away within a few weeks.