Healthy Restaurant Eating

Written by Joe Serpico


Continued from page 1

4. Think about what you're drinking with your meal. By not ordering an alcoholic beverage, you've saved yourself a considerable number of calories. Try sipping iced tea sweetened with a noncaloric sweetener, a diet soft drink, or water with lemon. You'll be glad you did when you considerrepparttar calorie savings.

5. Indulge your sweet tooth wisely. Many ofrepparttar 145410 chain restaurants now offer a low fat or low carbohydrate dessert selection such as a low carb cheesecake. These are wise choices forrepparttar 145411 health conscious eater and still allow you to endrepparttar 145412 meal on a sweet note. If a healthy dessert option isn't available, try a cup of coffee with skim milk to help satiate your desire for something sweet.

6. Learn to control your portions. Many restaurants are serving larger quantities of food than inrepparttar 145413 past. If this isrepparttar 145414 case, put aside a portion of your entree atrepparttar 145415 beginning ofrepparttar 145416 meal to take home with you. If you remove it from your plate before you start eating, you'll be less tempted to overindulge.

By following these steps, you can make your dining experiences not only healthy, but enjoyable. Your heart will thank you!

Joe Serpico is webmaster at aa-fitness-guide.com. For much more information regarding exercise, health, nutrition, and fitness, visit http://www.aa-fitness-guide.com




Diet Facts You Probably Didn't Know

Written by Joe Serpico


Continued from page 1

Here are a few examples of what we were eating inrepparttar 1970's compared to our diet today (information is taken from a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture survey):

- We are currently eating more grain products, but almost all of them are refined grains (white bread, etc.). Grain consumption has jumped 45 percent sincerepparttar 145409 1970s, from 138 pounds of grains per person per year to 200 pounds! Only 2 percent ofrepparttar 145410 wheat flour is consumed as whole wheat.

- Our consumption of fruits and vegetables has increased, but only becauserepparttar 145411 U.S.D.A. includes French fries and potato chips as a vegetable. Potato products account for almost a third of our "produce" choices.

- We're drinking less milk, but we've more than doubled our cheese intake. Cheese now outranks meat asrepparttar 145412 number one source of saturated fat in our diets.

- We've cut back on red meat, but have more than made up forrepparttar 145413 loss by increasing our intake of chicken (battered and fried), so that overall, we're eating 13 pounds more meat today than we did back inrepparttar 145414 1970s.

- We're drinking three times more carbonated soft drinks than milk, compared torepparttar 145415 1970's, when milk consumption was twice that of pop.

- We use 25 percent less butter, but pour twice as much vegetable oil on our food and salads, so our total added fat intake has increased 32 percent.

- Sugar consumption has been another cause of our expanding waistlines. Sugar intake is simply offrepparttar 145416 charts. According torepparttar 145417 U.S. Department of Agriculture, people are consuming roughly twicerepparttar 145418 amount of sugar they need each day, about 20 teaspoons on a 2000 calorie/day diet. The added sugar is found mostly in junk foods, such as pop, cake, and cookies.

- In 1978,repparttar 145419 government found that sugars constituted only 11 percent ofrepparttar 145420 average person's calories. Now, this number has ballooned to 16 percent forrepparttar 145421 average American adult and as much as 20 percent for American teenagers.

The days ofrepparttar 145422 wholesome family dinners so near and dear to our hearts, where we all sat aroundrepparttar 145423 kitchen table to discuss events ofrepparttar 145424 day, are now a part of our sentimental past. They have been replaced by our cravings for take-out and fast-food. We have gradually come to accept that it's "OK" to sacrifice healthy foods forrepparttar 145425 sake of convenience and that larger serving portions mean better value.

And, since I have been throwing-out statistics, here's one more: Americans are consuming about 300 more calories each day than we did twenty years ago. We should actually be eating less because of our decreased activity level, but instead are doingrepparttar 145426 opposite!

Decide TODAY that healthy eating and exercise habits will become a permanent part of your life!

Begin to explore your values and thoughts and other areas of your life where change may be required, and then take action. Just remember, it has taken a very long time to develop your habits, so it will take some time to undo them!

Joe Serpico is webmaster at aa-fitness-guide.com. For much more information regarding exercise, health, nutrition, and fitness, visit http://www.aa-fitness-guide.com




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