The Food Guide Pyramid

The Food Guide Pyramid is an outline of what to eat each day. It’s not a rigid prescription, but a general guide that lets you choose a healthful diet that’s right for you. The Food Guide Pyramid calls for eating a variety of foods to get the nutrients you need and at the same time the right amount or improve your weight.

The Food Guide Pyramid emphasizes foods from the five major food groups shown in the three lower sections of The Food Guide Pyramid. Each of these food groups provides some, but not all, of the nutrients you need. Foods in one group can’t replace those in another. No one food group is more important than another - for good health, you need them all.

Tips for Guaranteed Healthy and Fast Loss Weight

Almost everybody, at some point in their of life, has experienced weight-related problems. Most of us, women and men alike, are not content with what we see. We feel that unless we are wafer thin like the models and celebrities we see on television and magazines, we will never be attractive and beautiful.

On the other hand, there are an increasing number of obese individuals across the world. Becoming overweight has become a trend in both the West and East hemispheres. The increasing popularity of processed and fast foods have exacerbated the obesity situation.

There are many diseases related to being overweight, such as hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, coronary heart disease, to name a few. Thus, you need to find ways to incorporate weight loss activities and good eating habits to our daily routine.

Before you start any type of diet, however, you need to go to a physician first. The doctor will tell you if your weight loss plan is appropriate for your health condition. Furthermore, the physician will also assist you in determining if you really need to lose weight and how much weight you need to shed. Many people develop eating disorders because they do not visit a doctor before drastically changing their eating habits and starting a diet plan.

If you want to lose weight fast, healthy and permanently, you need to follow the tips below.

* Maintain a balanced dietThe reason why many people are overweight is partly due to an unbalanced diet. If you eat too much from one food group, you won’t be able to get the vitamins and nutrients that your body need.A balanced diet is composed of protein, dairy food, a little bit of fat from healthy oil, fruit and vegetables, and good carbohydrates — at least 5 portions every day. Many professionals suggest a diet that is composed of mostly carbohydrate, moderate protein intake, and a little bit of fat.However, there are many diets espousing a huge amount of protein intake and a dramatic decrease in carbohydrates. Before you apply such diets to your daily routine, you need to talk with a physician first. This high-protein diet may not be ideal for some people, such as those with kidney disease.
* Increase servings of fruit and vegetablesFruits and vegetables are good sources of vitamins and minerals that our body need. Such food supplies us with vitamin A that is good for our eyes, vitamin C that boosts our immune system, beta-carotene that helps protects our body from the damage of free radicals, and nutrients.Most fruits and vegetables are high in fiber and low calorie, so they also help clean our colon and make us feel fuller. Canned fruits and vegetables are acceptable; however, there is no substitute for the real thing.
* Stay away from junk food and sugar-loaded drinksTry eliminating junk food and soda from your diet for a week or two, and you will surely feel and see the difference. Maybe the reason why it is called junk food is due to its poor nutritional value. Try looking at a junk food’s label, not only is it full of saturated fat, but also usually high in salt or sugar, or both.Aside from water, most of the things you drink are also loaded with calories. Soda and sweetened fruit juices are mainly sugar. Thus, no matter how little you eat, but if you still drink lots of soda and sweetened beverages, you will still continue to gain weight.
* Don’t skip breakfastEven if you are in a hurry or late for work or school, you need to grab a bite. It would be better if your breakfast is healthy - probably an apple, oatmeal and a glass of nonfat milk.If you miss breakfast, you most probably will feel hungrier the rest of the day. In order for our body function properly, we need energy from the food we eat. If you skip breakfast, or a meal or two, your body’s metabolism will slow down to compensate for the lack of energy supply.More often than not, people who skip meals, particularly the first meal of the day, will binge later in the day. So, even if you skipped breakfast, you will have a tendency to eat a lot during lunch or dinner.
* Start exercisingMany of us spend an extended number of hours in our offices. We get stuck sitting down in front of the computer for more than eight hours. When we get home, we spend another hour or two to check e-mails and chat with friends. Thus, we don’t expend most of the calories from the food we eat and those excess calories go straight to our belly, arms and thighs.If you want to increase your metabolism, you must start exercising. Brisk walking is a good way to start your exercise routine. If you do not have time to go to the gym, you need to find ways to increase your activities. Try sports activities that you will enjoy - boxing, badminton, or spelunking. There are many to fat burning activities to choose from.

The tips above will not let you lose 10 pounds overnight. However, in the long run, such changes will help you become healthier and fitter. The weight loss you will experience will be more permanent.

Mayo Clinic Diet Plan

The Mayo Clinic Plan is a diet program based on the clinic’s healthy weight pyramid. The Mayo Clinic is considered by most top dietitians and health experts as one of the most credible health resources. They have partnered their program with E-Diets to bring their version of weight loss to the on line world.

Food Guidelines
The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid heavily emphasizes vegetables and fruit - and says these foods may be eaten in unlimited quantities. Grains, an example of another carbohydrate, play a far lesser role on the pyramid. Consuming ample amounts of vegetables will not only provide a nutritionally rich diet; but will also lead to the desire to eat less sugary and fatty foods. The Mayo Clinic’s diet program is one of the most healthful and natural diets you will ever find.

Sample Meal Plan
The following is a 1200 calorie meal plan based on the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid.

Breakfast

1 banana

1 cub of bran cereal

1 cup fat free milk

Herbal tea

Lunch

Tuna sandwich made with ½ cup water packed tuna, chopped celery, leaf lettuce, 1 tablespoon of low calorie mayonnaise, and 2 whole grain toast slices

2 cubs of raw baby carrots

1 Apple

Water

Dinner

Cod with lemon and capers

¾ cup steamed green beans

½ cub sliced beets

Salad made with Boston, butterhead or leaf lettuce, ½ cup of cherry tomatoes, a splash of balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil.

Sparkling water with lemon.

Healthy Diets

Healthy Diets Make Healthy People
It seems every time we turn around there’s a new diet showing up that’s going to make us skinny like those models we see on TV. Trouble is too skinny is no more healthy than weighing too much. Healthy diets make healthy people and these 6 ways to shed those extra pounds will have you eating healthy.

1. Loose The Mindset
If you really want to loose those pounds forever you need to change the way you think. You need to retrain your brain about how it thinks when it comes to exercise and healthy diets. Stop thinking short term and start planning into the future.

You have to build habits that are going to be with you for the long haul and that means you have to loose your current mindset about healthy diets. Good habits take time to build but once you do watching your weight will be a thing of the past.

You will never loose weight permanently by dieting. You can only permanently loose weight with healthy diets that are regular meals consisting of good nutrition and good eating habits.

2Mind Over Muscle.
Never give up your muscle mass no matter what you mind is telling you. In fact to permanently loose weight you need healthy diets and healthy exercise. Body builders fully understand this association which is why they don’t have any fat. Of course that doesn’t mean we want you to look like a body builder.

Muscles burn calories faster when you are exercising which is why weight training is so important if you want to loose weight permanently. Your weight will also go up as your muscles develop because muscles weigh more than fat so you’ll weigh more and look thinner.

3. Reduce Slowly
This might be the most important tip of all - do not drastically reduce your calorie intake because when you do your body panics and thinks it’s being starved so it begins to store everything as fat. Instead what you need to is reduce your calories slowly. So reduce your calories by about 500 and increase your activity dramatically with both aerobic activity and weights.

4. Burn Baby Burn
It’s much more important to increase activity than to decrease calories. When you increase activities you burn those calories and the secret is you must always burn more than you eat. Don’t be in a hurry - combine increased activity with healthy diets for healthy weight loss that will last forever.

5. Figure It Out
You need to determine what the minimal calories are that you can take in before your starvation mode kicks in. Then you need to make sure you do not drop your calorie intake below that point. Your healthy diets should make up your calorie intake.

6. Eat A Little A Lot
Eating many small meals throughout the day is much better than eating three huge meals. Snack all day long on healthy foods. This way you never kick in your starvation response and you burn up the calories quickly eating your healthy diets.

Green Tea Weight Loss

Green tea weight loss has been the talk of the town recently. Here are the reasons why green tea is touted as the natural way to lose weight.

1. Green tea speeds up your metabolism.A study has found that green tea extract helped increase energy expenditure, or enhancement in the body’s metabolism process. The increase of a person’s metabolic rate then causes a greater number of calories to be burned and body fat to be lowered, rendering green tea weight loss programs effective.

2. Green tea regulates glucose and slows down fat absorption.By acting as a glucose regulator, green tea prevents high insulin spikes, which leads to fat storage. Green tea also helps by slowing down the action of amylase, a certain digestive enzyme. The catechins in green tea also help to suppress the passage of glucose into fat cells. The effectiveness of green tea weight loss programs are then made possible through glucose regulation and the repression of fat absorption.

3. Green tea weight loss programs can help cut down calories.

4. Green tea may help decrease the desire for food.

Animal studies done by scientists revealed that green tea can help lose up to 21 percent of body weight in rats. Researchers suggested that the reaction may have been caused by the way green tea regulates blood sugar.

Healthy Foods for a Healthy People

Most of us do like to eat well. Even though we may not always pick the best of foods, we do see and hear about healthy foods from many different sources. Sometimes, however, the information can be confusing, and if we don’t have a good education in what to look for in choosing healthy foods, we can often become misled.

Since the trend is going towards healthy eating, many companies have created a twist in their product lines to include foods that are so called healthier. However, many of their products are just glorified junk foods. They still contain white sugar, corn syrup, white flour, preservatives, milk and whey proteins, and are overly refined so you still don’t get the foods that promote good health. Instead of getting high nutrition, you may end up with just more high calories – something you don’t want or need.

Education is key here, however, one thing to first consider is where you shop. Shop where healthy foods are sold, and where you won’t be tempted to purchase unhealthy foods. Also, don’t shop with coupons. You will rarely find coupons promoting healthy foods. Most generally, the foods that are cheaply made, engineered to taste good, and are heavily advertised that are on the coupons. So consider the following information so you can make great healthy food choices.

• Foods in their natural state are obviously more nutritious because they have the natural fiber, vitamins, minerals, and proteins, untouched. Plus they don’t have the added sweeteners, enhancers, colors, additives, fats, etc. added. We need to remember why we eat! We eat for the nourishment of our bodies, and if the foods do not provide good nourishment, then they most likely are causing adverse affects on the body – congesting, polluting, and creating health problems and disease. We need foods that are high in vitamins and minerals to feed our cells; fiber for cleansing; proteins for building and repair; natural carbohydrates to give us energy; and good sources of fats to help our brain and organs function properly. Foods should accomplish two things: nourishment and cleansing, and even though water is our best cleanser, foods cleanse too. If foods do not nourish and cleanse, in reality they are not real foods – just fillers and fluff! So that answers why many people are actually over weight!

• White flour is a common ingredient in many of our foods today. However, white flour is void of the fiber, oil, and the vitamins and minerals that naturally occur in the whole wheat kernel. If white flour can be used as a glue, then what might it be doing to our intestines (creating all kinds of digestive and bowel disorders)? Even though many are now choosing whole grain breads, better than that is the whole grains themselves. Whole grains in all their varieties (brown rice, barley, oats, millet, quinoa, kamut, wheat, spelt, amaranth, etc.) are great for breakfast cereals, added to whole-meal salads for lunch, main dishes for dinner, and even desserts. We need more fiber and roughage and the whole grains are perfectly designed to give exactly what our bodies need. Just sprout them, or cook them up a few at a time, and keep them refrigerated to use on a moment’s notice in a variety of ways.

• Sweeteners are a real consideration today. Our biggest problems with health and weight is the addiction of sugar, and that’s exactly why it is purposely put into most processed foods – to create an addiction to it. Sugar can actually be considered a drug because it is void of all vitamins and minerals, and thus can only cause a chemical reaction in the body. It can not nourish or create positive benefits to the body in any way. Better than eating candies, pastries, and desserts, is choosing to eat good sources of raw natural fruits themselves. Often times that’s what our body is really hungering for. When we do choose to eat something sweet other than fruits, choose sweeteners such as raw honey, raw dates, stevia, brown rice syrup, other natural sweeteners, and fructose on occasion. These sweeteners provide vitamins and minerals and work with the body, not against.

• Our meat market today is producing unhealthy animals not fit for human consumption. Main stream market animals are fed hormones to help them grow faster and produce more quickly, antibiotics to keep them producing without infections in their crowded circumstances, and even their own bi-products even though cattle and poultry are herbivores by nature. If that is not enough, their slaughter houses have soaking solutions for water retention, which also contains the fecal matter, dirt, blood, etc. that is all absorbed into the meat. The fat and connective tissues in the meat make it the hardest food to digest – which does heat the body and can be used to our advantage at times. However, we have been blessed with wonderful legumes – beans in all their varieties: black beans, pinto beans, soy beans, red beans, navy beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, and much more. Just keep in mind that most of the world relies on legumes as their main staples, so these shouldn’t seem uncommon to us. They are full of protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, as well as a good balance of carbs. And they have very little fat (especially compared to meat with the same amount of protein), and no connective tissue so they digest easier. We would greatly benefit from eating a variety of legumes on a daily basis and cutting out unhealthy meats.

• Many of us have been raised drinking milk. Again, our milk market is like the meat market and the milk products from such unhealthy animals are not fit for human consumption. Think about it! Would you take supplements of hormones and antibiotics on a daily basis? Well you are getting a good dose of them if you consume main stream market milk products. It is often brought out that our children reach puberty earlier, our feet are growing longer, our height is increasing, and the average weight is increasing, partly due to the hormones we consume through our meats and milk products. If that is not enough, please note that much of the milk produced is Grade B – which allows up to 5% blood and pus from infected cow utters. No, they won’t allow that to be sold for drinking milk, but they do use it for making cheese and other milk products. Milk is not the best source of calcium as we have been brain washed to think. Because of the pasteurization process, the calcium in the milk is indigestible. Our best sources of calcium come from leafy greens, raw nuts and seeds, whole grains and beans. What we really need to be drinking is water – good pure water. It is our best natural cleanser and we really don’t need any other drink. Water has that good clean flavor of its own that says it’s pure and exactly what our bodies need. Nothing can compare to the importance of water!

• Raw fruits and vegetables are one of our most important foods. They are water- rich for great cleansing, they provide many essential vitamins and minerals and the perfect amount of fiber. Plus, they give us natural digestive enzymes to not only help aid digestion, but for cellular respiration and reproduction. When we don’t get these natural enzymes, our cells do not reproduce properly. For best digestion, fruits are best eaten first thing in the morning and for mid-morning or mid-afternoon snacks. They do not digest well with other foods and don’t make great desserts. Vegetables are great for any meal and prepared in a variety of ways. Though raw is always better, if we do not chew sufficiently and properly, then we may actually be assimilating more nutrients from cooked vegetables that have been somewhat broken down in the cooking process. Organically grown produce is not always that much higher in nutrients if it is picked too early or too mature when eaten, however, remember that they are grown without the chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals which is an advantage.

If you are hooked on fast foods and convenience foods, this kind of a diet might seem somewhat of a change. However, the change is simpler than you may think. Just focus on good wholesome nourishing and cleansing foods, and omit those which don’t. Read labels, learn the art of preparing healthy recipes, and enjoy a whole new world of great foods. Then you will have increased energy with a clean, more functional system!

7 Healthy Tips For Your Kids Lunchbox

Next time you pack your child's lunchbox, take a look inside. How many different options of foods have you given your little one and what is the ratio of healthy food to junk food? It is so important to include a variety of healthy foods and snacks for your child to eat whilst they are at school. But sometimes it can be difficult to come up with new ideas for the lunchbox.

So to help, here are 7 healthy tips for your kid's lunchbox:

1. Keep it healthy - Fill the lunchbox with a variety of healthy foods. Be sure to include plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables and try using a variety of different breads such as wraps or rolls using wholemeal or multigrain bread. Add protein fillers such as meats or fish and include dairy products.

2. Make it fun - place pieces of fruit in clear zip up bags and write a note or joke to your child on the front. This will make them excited about opening their lunchbox to see what note is left each day. Cut sandwiches in different shapes (quarters, circles, smiley faces).

3. Make it colourful - ensure there are plenty of fruit and vegetables in their lunchbox so it is colourful and healthy: - such as a ham and tomato sandwich, a fruit salad, vegetable sticks (carrot, cucumber), homemade muffin, cheese and crackers, juice, water.

4. Easy to eat - Cut up pieces of fruit for your child so it is easy for them to eat. Such as watermelon (cut into cubes), apples (quarters), kiwi fruit (circles), orange (quarters or peel the skin in a circle motion forming a long snake like ring that sits on the orange until your child is ready to eat it. Then they pull off the skin to eat the orange and the skin is in a snake ring - makes it fun for kids!)

5. Dunk & Dip! Cut up some cucumber, carrots or celery into small sticks and include cherry tomato. Then place all the vegetables into a container. In the middle of the container add a dip such as hommos or cheese. Make it fun for the kids, so they can dunk their food into the dip.

6. More than just cheese and crackers - When packing cheese and crackers as a snack option, opt for a cheese that you can cut yourself instead of pre-packaged. This way it gives you the freedom to choose a healthy cheese option and also to include add ons. Use a container from home and cut up some cheese and include cherry tomatoes, cucumber (cut into circles) and include crackers. That way the kids are getting more then just cheese and crackers.

7. Leave the junk out! - if you do not put junk food into your child's lunchbox high chances are they won't eat it! So leave out the junk and replace it with healthy foods such as fruit, vegetable sticks, yogurt, cheese or healthy muesli bars.

Healthy Foods For Skin Care

The popularity of skin anti-aging care and the cosmetics industry is proof positive that people around the world are looking for a way to have more beautiful, healthy skin. The amount of money spent each year is a testimony to our increased focus on anti aging and healthier, younger-looking skin.

Simply put, our diets can and will dictate to a great degree the health of our skin. Natural oils found in fish and nuts together with antioxidants help improve elasticity of aging skin as well as fight free-radical skin damage caused by oxidization. Your diet should include the following five healthy foods. Your skin will show results in amazing ways, and you will find skin antiaging care to be enhanced by what you eat and the use of natural skin care products.

Drink Your Water
The number one thing to add is WATER, WATER and WATER. It keeps the body hydrated and the skin working as it should. The body stays clean and productive when a constant supply of water is provided. Water makes the skin elastic and soft to stop cracking and flaking. The correct balance of fluids helps keep the pores open and clean and the skin shining.

Hydration is necessary for proper cell development and circulation. Improved circulation allows delivery of nutrients, minerals and vitamins needed for healthy skin. Skin antiaging care hinges on hydration and moisture...without it, we're fighting an uphill battle. Dry, rough or tired skin is often the result of environmental exposure or lack of hydration and moisture. Using a skin care body lotion for external moisturization and eating fruits and vegetables high in fluid content are excellent options.

It is recommended to avoid drinks high in caffeine. Caffeine is a diuretic and often causes you to lose more fluids than you consume. Also, alcohol has the same effect. The trick and objective is to retain fluids. Using skin care products containing hyaluronic acid helps as well. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occuring substance in the body and aids cells to "retain" moisture. Commonly used for facial skin care, it helps plump tissue and improve water retention.

Antioxidants Skin Care Products
Antioxidants skin care products and natural antioxidants such as green tea will help to remove and flush the oils and dirt naturally from the body and thus produce healthy skin. Green Tea also provides the skin with an anti-inflammatory to reduce swelling. By drinking green tea on a regular basis, the body can rid itself of the toxins that can build-up in the pores and cause blemishes and infection. You can also use it to clean the skin itself as it makes a wonderful astringent.

Antioxidants fight free-radical damage. Free-radicals are produced normally as part of natural oxidization. Accelerated oxidization can occur as we age, are over-exposed to the sun or drink lots of alcohol or caffeine. Free-radicals attack skin cell membranes and destroy cells. Using antioxidants skin care products as part of an antiaging skin care regimen can lead to a more youthful appearance and reduce the signs of aging.

Skin Oils For Health
Skin oils such as Olive oil is one of the few oils that are good for the body. It provides stretchy, strong skin tone - improving elastin and collagen development. Switching to olive oil in recipes will give your tissue and cells a "good fat" and radiance. Walnuts are also a form of oil but in an Omega -3 category as with fish. This oil will make the face look fuller and healthier. Flax seed is also a great choice.

Berries For Boost
Berries are another great source of antioxidants as is green tea. The types needed include cranberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. They will also give the skin a boost in complexion and a chemical that will give the cells a protective covering to stop damage. Not to mention, they taste great.

Eat Your Vegetables
When you were little, you were told to eat your vegetables and with good reason. The leafy green vegetables help to reduce acne and to help repair damage to the skin. The vitamins and minerals in the vegetables are also positive to the dermal layers of tissue. Carrots, spinach, and broccoli are the ones with higher nutrients.

The Important of Healthy Foods

Food is the fuel that our bodies use for energy. The three main sources of fuel are carbohydrates, protein, and fat. The body changes them into glucose for energy or stores them as fat. A car uses gas for energy-we use glucose! Eating a balance of healthy foods that contain carbohydrate, protein, and fat every day will help your blood glucose stay in balance and keep your weight where you want it to be.
Today most people are to accept as a fact that "to be healthy" a well-balanced diet is required. They want what's best for their live. Healthy foods are an important issue because healthy eating is important to good health. There are lots of reasons to eat healthy foods, here are just a few:

* For energy and vitality to live
* To grow at a healthy rate
* To help keep blood sugar or glucose levels in balance-not too high or too low
* For weight control
* To control of blood fats and prevention of heart disease
* To keep the body working properly
* To help the body avoid other health problems caused by diabetes

Good nutrition is an important part of healthy foods. Many causes of disease are related to poor nutrition, including heart disease, diabetes, overweight and obesity, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and certain cancers. Poor nutrition can also impact day-to-day life by affecting concentration and work performance. For children, a poor diet can have a significant effect on proper growth and development.

People who want to follow a healthier eating plan should try to:

* Increase the amount of fruits and vegetables eaten as part of an everyday diet.
* Buy fresh produce in season for the best prices.
* Select canned fruits and vegetables as a convenient way to include more produce in the diet. Look for fruits canned in light syrup or natural juices.
* For vegetables, choose "No Salt Added" versions if sodium intake is a concern.
* Choose frozen fruits and vegetables, which are available year round and are rich in important nutrients.
* Choose whole grain products when possible. Look for "Whole Wheat Flour" or "Whole Wheat" as the first ingredient on the nutrition facts label.
* Include up to three servings of fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1-2%) milk and milk products each day.
* Select lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts as quality protein sources.
* Focus on choosing food items low in saturated fats, trans-fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.
* Use proper serving sizes for all foods to prevent excess calorie consumption. Information on the correct serving sizes for each food group is available at The Food Guide Pyramid.

Many factors can affect the nutritional health of both individuals and communities, including an individual's knowledge about healthy nutrition, cultural practices related to food choices, and having access to information about an adequate and healthy diet.

Natural Health Foods

Natural health foods will make you live a more healthier life no question about it. If you put junk in your body the chances are you won't look like Mr. Universe. Foods that are natural consist of raw fruits and vegetables that contain no fertilizers or pesticides when grown. It is no secret how to become healthy, eat healthy foods its that simple but yet people want to search for the "next big thing" when it comes to diets.

When it comes to organic and natural foods you must make the transition slowly, eating too much natural foods too quickly can result in sickness. I know because I started eating a more natural diet and the first few days I didn't feel well. It was like my body didn't know how to respond to the healthy foods my body was absorbing. But after the initial "sickness" I was beginning to feel much better and had more energy I had in a very long time.

It may not be your favorite drink but raw milk is considered one of the best natural drinks you can take. What I also enjoy is sushi which can become addicting and you want more of it, but too much might make you sick. Instead of eating a bag chips for a snack try eating a piece of organic fruit or vegetable and you will see the improvements in your health in no time. Not once have I regretted ever taking natural healthy foods and I don't think I ever will.

Healthy Foods For Diabetics

When it comes to developing a diet that is healthy and beneficial for an individual living with diabetes, the best choice that a person can make is to select foods that are highly nutritious, yet low in sugar.This however, does not mean that diabetics have to sacrifice taste or flavor in their diet, since today, they can choose from a variety of foods that are both tasty and healthy. Convenience also need not be sacrificed, since most grocery stores now carry microwave and frozen foods that are actually quite healthy.Products made by Healthy Choice and Weight Watchers are low in salt and sugar, and still very healthy. The pre-portioned meals also eliminate overeating.

Besides a very well stocked healthy frozen food section, most supermarkets now offer relatively extensive sugar-free sections.Everything from candy and ice cream, to cookies and energy bars can be found in the sugar-free section. This is yet another way that diabetics can control the amount of sugar they eat.

Although diabetics should also include several servings of fruits as part of their diet, they should be careful to note that some fruits contain high amounts of sugar. Fruits are highly nutritious, but care should be exercised when including them in any diabetic healthy cooking diet.

What indicator can a diabetic use to determine the benefits associated with a certain piece of fruit?
The color of certain fruits and vegetables can actually offer quite a bit of information about its nutritional content. The best plan for any diabetic healthy cooking diet is to make it colorful by including a different colored fruit with every meal of the day.

At the end of the day, a diabetic should focus on developing a nutritionally balanced diet, which should include vegetables, fruit, lean meats, dairy, and whole grains.

In terms of vegetables, experts recommend several servings of carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, and broccoli, all of which contribute something extremely beneficial to the diet of a diabetic. Diabetics should be careful to avoid vegetables like cucumbers and iceberg lettuce, since they are difficult to digest and low in nutritional value, respectively.

Adding yogurt to a diet can also be beneficial, since yogurt contains calcium. However like other foods, diabetics should be careful to select a yogurt that is low in sugar. To avoid this, some diabetics purchase plain yogurt and add berries and fruit to it for flavor.

A diabetic diet does not have to be tasteless. With a little effort at the supermarket, as well as a little nutritional creativity, even the most restrictive diabetic diet can be made flavorful.

5 Tips Healthy Foods For Weight Loss

The food you're eating is very important if you want to get rid of extra fat.
Many think that reducing your food intake will help you lose weight, but this is actually not true, and can even put your health at risk. Of course it can be possible to lose a couple of pounds at first by reducing your food intake, but in the long term you will just probably add more weight to your body, then when you started.

So instead of trying to starve yourself, arm yourself with the most powerful weapon towards fighting overweight.

Food.
Because food could either make you thin or fat.
There are many different types of foods and dishes you could choose between to lose weight successfully.
This is also why you could enjoy perfectly ordinary food, while still losing unwanted pounds.

Below are a couple of food tips you could use if you want to lose fat successfully.

1. Fish, Chicken & Turkey Breast.
Fish such as salmon and tuna are great for weight loss, and in general fish is good choice to use if you want to get rid of ugly fat. Lean chicken and turkey breast are also much better choices then for example red meat which you should avoid.




2. Fruits & Vegetables.
Fruits and vegetables are great in order to surpress you hunger, and to help you reduce your fat. Fruits and vegetables could successfully be used as snacks between your meals as well if you would get hungry, instead of cookies and goodies. Also try to not remove the skins of fruits and vegetables since most of the nutrients are concentrated under the skin.

3. Eat More Chili.
Chilli helps you speed up your body's metabolism, even the milder varieties. This is also why you could use more chili in your cooking in order to help increase your body's fat burning metabolism.





4. Have alfalfa or mung beans.
You could add alfalfa or mung beans to your salad in order to get extra iron.






5. Stuff capsicum & zucchini.
Another tip is to stuff vegetables such as capsicum and zucchini with flavored fillings or chicken, white meat or fish. These are healthy foods and contain a low amount of fat.

Also remember to drink plenty during the day. It's important to keep rehydrated if you want to lose weight successfully. Try to drink 6 - 8 glasses of water or more per day.

By selecting foods that can help you lose weight, you don't have to starve yourself, and you could still lose those extra pounds while not putting your body in danger. This way you could also become a healthier, happier and thinner person in the future!

Healthy Foods For Busy People

Rule #1 for Busy People- Don't allow yourself to get starving. Once you reach that state of "I'm starving," you are going to eat anything and everything in sight. How do you avoid getting starving? Snack on healthy foods throughout the day. Here's a few tips:

* Keep healthy snacks on your desk such as dried fruit, dry cheerios, unsalted nuts, and even cut-up bagel

* Once you feel that hunger coming on, simply have a handful of your favorite healthy snack and WhAla! You won't be starving anymore- and can easily get back to work.

Rule #2 for Busy People- Stay hydrated. It's very easy to confuse being hungry with being thirsty. Try this: next time you feel hungry, have an 8-12oz glass of water. How do you feel? Perhaps you feel less hungry?

Don't wait until you are thirsty. By that time, you are already dehydrated. Rather, keep your body "lubricated" all day by taking a few more trips to the water fountain and trying to keep bottled water near your desk.

Rule #3 for Busy People- Know the numbers when dining out. Simply by understanding what you are eating, you can cut back on overall calories, yet still consume the same amount of food. Simply by passing on the high-fat salad dressing, you can save hundreds of calories. Ordering a burger? Skip the fries and enjoy saving a few hundred calories, a few hundred mg of sodium, and a whole lot of fat grams!

Rule #4 for Busy People- Use commonsense. If you are going to be confined to the office all day with no chance of going out for lunch, be sure to bring a healthy lunch. Otherwise, you will be heading to the snack machine to indulge on a 500 calorie, high-fat snack that your body doesn't need one bit.

Healthy Foods For Kids

Training your kids to eat healthy is indeed a challenge for most parents, as they are often influenced by TV commercials about fast foods and other influences that may become more appealing to them.

Putting more vegetables and fruits in their diet will truly make a difference in their growth and in their eating habits. Training them to eat healthy at an early age will also lead them to lesser health problems in their adulthood.

If you want to start with healthy foods for kids, you can select vegetables and add them into their everyday diet. You can also serve them in variety of ways to make them appealing. Fruits and vegetables add a variety of colors and textures to recipes and meals, so you may want to take advantage of that too.

Starting out with the healthy foods for kids, vegetables and fruits, chicken without the skin, wheaties and whole grain, skim milk, frozen yogurt or non-fat ice cream are some healthy foods that you can serve your kids. You can also make your own recipes and make sure you include the healthy ingredients on it.

Breakfast is important not only for adults but for children as well. You can serve them breakfast that is high in fiber, and most likely, you will get this from vegetables as well as in whole grain bread. Cereals and low-fat cheese and skim milk are also good choices for breakfast. You can also give them the fresh fruit rather than canned fruit juices to get the most nutrients out of it and less the artificial coloring.

A healthy sandwich for lunch is also good for the kids. You can use whole grain bread or whole grain crackers. For your tuna salad, you can also cut and mix vegetables like carrot, celery and green peppers. You can also use fat-free mayonnaise together with chunks of chicken and don't forget to add the carrots, raisins or almonds for your chicken salad. Peanut butter and jelly are also good choices for sandwiches, or you can serve them with your celery sticks. You can always make healthier sandwiches by adding more vegetables in it and serve it with fresh fruit.

At times, you may need a lot of patience to make your kids love vegetables, so make sure also that you are letting them see that you are also eating them. You can also put a bowl of veggies and fruits like grapes or carrot and celery sticks nearby when they are playing so they will be more exposed to these kinds of food.

Organic fruits and vegetables are also healthier choices for your kids. Aside from being free from pesticides, they also have higher nutrient contents and antioxidants. Keep in mind too that if you want healthy foods for kids, refrain from bringing them to fast foods, of course this part may be quite difficult with all the colorful TV ads, but there is always a way to explain. You can also be creative. If they just love those chicken nuggets at the fast food, you can make your own at home less the fat and too much salt. You can grill chicken breast, cut it into smaller bite sizes and make a healthy dipping sauce.

You can actually make your own healthy foods for kids at home like making a healthier pizza and getting those carrot and celery sticks instead of those salty French fries.

Healthy Nutrition Diet

Healthy Nutrition Diet
A healthy food is beneficial for each and every person. It is important to take care of your body and if you, you will reap the good benefits. A healthy food does not need to be boring! It should be tasty, balanced too. If you feel bored with a healthy food, you will quickly yield to passion it! The body works like a machine - if you put good and healthy foods in, it will appear and perform better. For that we should take the healthy diet such as vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, nuts and whole grain products, etc.

Healthy meals are more fun and tasty than unhealthy food. Usually fatty meals are only to satisfaction and enjoyment of a meal and not satisfy our health. When ones you adopt to eat healthy foods, you'll be forced to make hem tasty and variety in all kinds of different ways.

To work best, our body needs vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins and liquids. A good vegetable, fruits, grains and proteins keeps our body healthy. Eating this kind of food prevents from the risk of illnesses such as cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease, blood cholesterol. A deficient diet can result in obesity, and anemia. It is possible to have healthy food delivered to your door, either fresh ingredients or prepared meals. It is a bad idea to needed yourself totally of your favorite foods, but the occasional slice of chocolate and cake is good. You don't need to eliminate anything out completely. . You can make good choices and substitute one food choice for another. However, Changes should be made gradually. You can begin by introducing more fresh fruit and vegetables into your diet are beneficial. Always keep adopt to go through the labels of the food item about content of added salt, sugar and fat, etc. whatever you purchased from market.

Another main problem that people face is trying to lose weight that they have a dependence on the fatty and unhealthy foods that they are used to eat. They feel that by giving up these foods they are punishing themselves.

Choosing the best healthy food to eat should include many factors. Three important healthy foods to eat factors are the following:

1. Avoid white flour and pizza items it contains large amount of calories, Even though you're getting nutrition from the vegetables, the overall effect support against towards a negative due to the other fat gaining ingredients. Much bread available on the market which are being encourage as a healthy food to eat actually contain high sodium levels. High amount of sodium has a lot of negative possibilities to spoil the health. Also fruit and vegetables that we believe to be a healthy food to eat but it might also contain sodium solution to preserve the product. fresh fruits and vegetables are always good for healthy life.

2. Avoid deep fry, try grilling or baking instead deep fry and try to add high fiber diet. Always take fiber
content and low fat diet: like if have to eat bread go to wheat bread (Brown bread), include more quantity of green and color vegetables and fruits such as carrot, beetroot, orange, apple papaya and guava, especially guava is very good for diabetes and papaya is good for blood cholesterol and heart diseases it melts the fat sediments which mixed in our blood.

Once you have to adopt some time on healthy food diets, you'll find it very hard to go back to your old one. These are just some of the main reasons to get into a healthy food diet, so make that decision today to change your diet and change your lifestyle.

How to Lose 5 Pounds in 1 Week

How to Lose 5 Pounds in 1 Week - Quick and Healthy?
Are you, just like I was, misled by the eye-catching headlines about diets that says – Lose X pounds in little or no time? Of course you are, but why? Does it make any sense to believe that you could lose 10 pounds of fat in a week when you know that it can’t be done, at least not in a healthy way?

In this article I will show you that there actually are ways to lose weight fast but that it is not healthy for you. We could make a deal, well, it is you that have to make a deal with yourself. I will show you a method that guarantees a weight loss of at least 5 pounds per week in the healthiest way (not meaning that it is healthy but better than lots of other diets) and you will also learn why a superfast weight loss is dangerous to your health and the do’s and don’ts in fast weight loss.

First, as promised, the fast weight loss diet: This diet is composed to speed up your metabolism and it must be followed exactly. You may not use any spices except salt and peppers. It is important to remember to drink a lot of water, preferably water that is isotonic, meaning that it has added minerals that make it chemically look like you body fluids. To give this diet a boost be sure to do some cardio exercising to speed up the fat burning process.

Here is the menu:

Day 1:
Breakfast: ½ grapefruit, 1 toast (no butter), 2 teaspoons of peanut-butter
Lunch: 5 fl oz of tuna-fish, 1 toast.
Dinner: 3 oz beef (lean), 10 fl oz green beans, 10 fl oz beetroot, 1 small apple, 10 fl oz vanilla ice-cream

Day 2:
Breakfast: 1 boiled egg, 1 toast, ½ banana
Lunch: 10 fl oz cottage cheese, 5 salty crackers
Dinner: 2 hot dogs, 10 fl oz broccoli, 5 fl oz carrots, 5 fl oz banana, 5 fl oz vanilla ice-cream

Day 3:
Breakfast: 1 boiled egg, 1 toast
Lunch: 5 slices of cheddar-cheese, 5 salty crackers, 1 small apple
Dinner: 10 fl oz tuna-fish(conserved in water), 10 fl oz beetroot, 10 fl oz cauliflower, 5 fl oz honey melon, 5 fl oz vanilla ice-cream.

Like mentioned before it is very important to follow this diet like it is written above, if it is altered in any way it may not work for you.

Now you will learn why this diet is not healthy. First of all it makes you lose weight faster than the body can burn fat. Even if you drink a lot, the weight loss will consist of 20% fat, 40% water and 40% lean muscle. So let’s say that you lost 5 pounds, according to the percentage above you lost 1 pound of fat, 2 pounds of water weight and 2 pounds of lean muscle. Did you want to lose that much muscle? Probably not. All of the diets making you lose more than 1-2 pounds per week will burn your muscle mass for energy.

Now, why is that? The body saves the fat stored in your body for a rainy day (starvation period) and if you are on a diet and don’t exercise and use your muscle to the fullest extent your body figures that the muscle is not necessary to save and it will start using it for energy.

The diet above could be executed once a week but it will not give you a long-lasting weight loss. To lose weight for good you have to compose your menu to have the right amount of protein, the right kinds of fat and some great carbs. Those three nutrients cover our total calorie intake. To be a successful dieter(meaning that the fat is burnt and not the muscle) you should reduce your calorie intake by 10-20% and increase your calorie consumption, and how do you do that? Well, you have to start exercising and do some weight-lifting.

Now you know how to lose weight fast (I guarantee that the menu above works) so stop looking for any more fast weight loss diets. You also know why a fast weight loss is only a temporary weight loss and most important, you know that there are no shortcuts to get rid of those extra pounds. It is really a really easy equation: (Calorie intake) – (Calorie burnt) = weight loss/gain. Simple? Yes! But it is not that easy to achieve because it requires some fundamental change of attitude to foods, exercise and body.

If you decides to go on the diet explained, do so as a life-saver for now, but stop procrastinating and start to lose weight the right way after this panic-fast weight loss.

This article is merely an introduction, but if you are still reading you have taken the first steps towards a healthier lifestyle.

Eat Healthy Desserts

You Should Eat Healthy Desserts
There are people who think that a meal can only be completed if there is a dessert. It is very true that we love dessert. However the fact is that most desserts out there are not something healthy. There are just too much salt, sugar and fat. As a result, you should only eat desserts which are good for your health. This is even more important if you want to lose weight.


You may want to know what kinds of desserts are considered healthier. What you have to be careful is that desserts which are of low fat content do not necessarily mean they are something healthy. In most cases, you will tend to eat twice as much of the dessert if it is low fat dessert. In this case you will only eat more fat than you should. A lot of overweight people will fall into this trap. They think that it is low fat and they can eat more. However, you should never do that otherwise you will not be able to lose weight.


Let us talk about some healthy dessert. Fresh fruit is certainly a good dessert. For example, you can eat apples and oranges as your dessert. Melons are also very good. They are normally tasty. There are people who will also put slices of bananas into orange juice. This is an excellent kind of dessert. Since the flavor of the orange juice and bananas are different. It creates a wonderful new flavor when they are put together.


You might also consider purchasing a blender in order to create healthy and excellent dessert. You can easily make milk shakes with a blender. You can put some bananas and strawberries with the milk. Of course you will try to use low fat milk. And you can create an excellent low fat and healthy dessert with these fruits. The taste is great too!


As mentioned, most people will love desserts. There is no point for use to totally cut the consumption of them. However, we should try to eat healthy desserts. Only by doing that we will be able to lose weight healthily. With the blender you purchase, it will also be possible for you to create some really healthy desserts. You will probably know that you will need to eat a lot of fresh fruits when you are trying to lose weight. So it will make sense to turn this fruit into dessert so that you can lose weight while you can eat what you love!

frozen yogurt

7 Reasons We Love Frozen Yogurt
1. It helps boost our immune systems.
According to the National Yogurt Association, thanks to the live and active cultures (LAC) found in yogurt, it may increase our resistance to immune-related diseases such as cancer and infection, particularly gastrointestinal infection. So get yourself a light-size acai berry at OrangeCup (8687 N. Central Expwy., Ste. 2202. 214-890-7710; www.myorangecup.com), which has received the coveted LAC seal from the NYA. And throw on some mixed berries while you’re at it. Doctor’s orders.
2. We like exotic flavors.
Sure, you can get chocolate at most of these places. But why would you when there’s a world of flavors before you: pomegranate, green tea, taro, coconut, and more. We crave the pink guava from Natsumi (2323 N. Henderson Ave., Ste. 105. 214-823-1707; www.natsumiusa.com), made with organic yogurt and milk. Kinda makes vanilla seem so, well, plain.
3. It’s an excellent source of calcium.
We know we have to worry about bone density and osteoporosis and all that, and sometimes the only calcium we get is in our morning latté. Research also suggests that calcium can help keep off weight and improve premenstrual mood. Snap! Off we go to Berry Berry (4145 Belt Line Rd., Ste. 218, Addison. 972-991-6002; www.berryberryyogurt.com) for tart and tasty YoGo topped with granola.
4. We’re mad about mochi.
Mochi are those squishy little tapioca balls that taste a bit like marshmallows. While we’re still not sure if they make a great topping for fro-yo—you can find them at most of the yogurt shops around town—we like to eat them like, well, candy.
5. We get to BOO (build our own).
Thanks to the self-serve concept, we can mix and match to our tummy’s content. California-based I Heart Yogurt (10720 Preston Rd., Ste. 1006; www.ihearty.com) claims to be the first self-serve yogurteria in the country; Yogurtland (2625 Old Denton Rd., Ste. 316, Carrollton. 214-483-3553; www.yogurt-land.com) is another self-serve import. Yogurtville (3220 E. Hebron Pkwy., Ste. 114, Carrollton. 972-862-8000) deserves a nod for its toppings, but of the self-serve shops, Yogilicious (3000 Blackburn St., Ste. 160. 214-521-7888; www.yogi-licious.com) is the yummiest.
6. It’s cheery.
With neon walls, mod seating, bursts of accent color, and good lighting, you can’t help but have a smile on your face the second you cross the threshold. Who couldn’t use a little happy?
7. It feels naughty.
But it’s not—assuming you don’t pile on the cookie dough. A light size at OrangeCup runs about 100 calories, and the label on the cup is a handyreminder. The calories range from 112 to 168 for 10 ounces at Berry Berry, and a half-cup at Yogurtville will set you back 100. So when it comes in flavors such as cookies and cream, it’s a good way to be oh-so “bad.” But if you can’t be trusted to control your portions in the self-serve line, then go to a shop where they serve you—or fill your cup with a healthy dose of antioxidant-rich blueberries. Your waistline will thank you.

Best Frozen yogurt shops in United State

Cefiore

19481 San Jose Avenue
City of Industry, CA 91748
909/869 7727; Fax: 909/869 7737
www.cefiore.com

Italian non-fat frozen yogurt
Smoothies, snow ice, waffles and organic beverages
Inside the Menu
Cefiore’s fro-yo is called “Italian” due to the fact that its formula
comes from Italy, a point of differentiation for the chain. The tart fro-yo
comes in six flavors with a choice of more than 20 toppings. The fro-yo
menu centers on:
• Italian non-fat fro-yo—in Original, Aiberry, Acerola
Cherry, Chocolate, Green Tea and Raspberry-
Pomegranate flavors (95￠ per topping)
• Original flavor—(kids, $2.50; single, $3.50; double, $4.50;
family, $5.75)
• All other flavors—(kids, $3; single, $3.95; double, $4.95;
family, $6.50)
• Fruit Toppings—blueberries, blackberries, bananas, pineapple,
pomegranate, mangos, kiwi, cantaloupe, raspberries,
watermelon, coconut and strawberries
• Nut Toppings—almonds, mixed nuts and walnuts
• Miscellaneous Toppings—chocolate chips, Oreo cookies,
M&M’s, mochi, granola, Gummy Bears, Fruity Pebbles and
yogurt chips
The company notes that the most popular flavor-topping
combinations are Original with strawberries, mangos and kiwi;
Raspberry-Pomegranate with raspberries, blackberries and coconut;
and Aiberry with blueberries, granola and mochi. Mochi is sweet,
sticky rice. Ai (ah-sigh-ee) berry, grown in the Amazon rainforest,
is said to have a number of health benefits, including boosting the
immune system and increasing energy and strength.
Smoothies, snow ice, waffles and beverages
Unlike some of the other new fro-yo concepts, Cefiore offers
more than just fro-yo. Although it is certainly the main attraction, it’s
hardly the only one. The chain also menus a variety of snacks, desserts
and organic beverages in an effort to appeal to a broad cross-section of
customers.

Berry Chill

635 N. State Street
Chicago, IL 60605
312/266 2445
www.berrychill.com

Non-fat, lactose-free frozen yogurt
Blasts and blenders
Inside the Menu
Berry Chill rotates its fro-yo flavors on a monthly basis, ensuring
that customers never tire of one particular flavor. Original flavor
is always offered, with the other three flavors changing regularly.
Customers are encouraged to vote online for their favorite flavors,
with those votes influencing which flavors are offered every month.
Berry Chill’s fro-yo has been identified by the National Yogurt
Association as having the necessary amount of probiotics as well as
live and active cultures to qualify as yogurt; it’s a distinction that the
chain notes and advertises with pride. In addition to being non-fat, the
fro-yo at Berry Chill is made with specially treated lactose-free milk,
making it a preferred dessert choice for customers who are lactoseintolerant.
A look at the fro-yo menu reveals:
• Frozen yogurt—in Original, Chocolate Amaretto, Peach
Mango, Pink Guava, Pins Colada and Pistachio flavors
– Small (no toppings, $2.99; one-topping, $3.99; twotoppings,
$3.99; three-toppings, $4.99)
– Medium (no toppings, $3.99; one-topping, $4.99; twotoppings,
$5.49; three-toppings, $6.49)
– Large (no toppings, $5.49; one-topping, $6.49; twotoppings,
$7.49; three-toppings, $8.49)
• Fruit Toppings—strawberries, blueberries, raspberries,
blackberries, bananas, pineapple, mangos, kiwi, Brazilian
papaya and starfruit
• Cereal Toppings—Cookie Crisp, Golden Grahams, Captain
Crunch, Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Krispies, Apple Jacks,
Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Oh’s, Kashi Go Lean Crunch and
Special K Red Berries
• Miscellaneous Toppings—coconut, chocolate chips, yogurt
chips, carob chips, chocolate sprinkles, rainbow sprinkles, mini
marshmallows, mochi, Leonard’s smiley face cookies and granola.

Cherry on Top

6281 Beach Blvd., Ste. 203
Buena Park, CA 90621
714/676 8088
www.cherryontopyogurt.com

Low-fat and non-fat frozen yogurt
Fruit, nut, cereal and sweet toppings
Inside the Menu
The simplistic menu at Cherry on Top can be divided into
just two categories: fro-yo and toppings. Therefore, customers
who are partial to diverse menus with numerous choices might
be disappointed with Cherry on Top’s strictly fro-yo offerings.
Nevertheless, the chain contends that it does offer variety to its
customers through its 11 different fro-yo flavors and more than 30
toppings. Cherry on Top serves both non-fat and low-fat fro-yo at
96 and 110 calories per serving, respectively. The concept’s fro-yo
menu reveals:
• Frozen yogurt—in Strawberry, Blueberry Tart, Chocolate,
Raspberry, Cherry Tart, Banana Cream, Plain Tart,
Cheesecake, Mango, Peach Tart and Cookies ’n Cream
flavors (39￠ per ounce)
Cherry on Top differentiates itself from its competitors with
its unique self-serve approach. Customers prepare their fro-yo
themselves, dispensing it from machines and adding toppings on their
own from a central toppings bar. The central location of the toppings
bar, accessible from all sides, cuts down on time spent waiting in line.
Unlike many other fro-yo concepts that have set prices based on the
number of toppings, Cherry on Top weighs its products to determine
the price. That means customers can add as many toppings as they
wish and are limited only by their imaginations in what they can create.
The self-serve approach guarantees that patrons get exactly what they
want, helping to ensure customer satisfaction.
Fruit, nut, cereal and sweet toppings
To complement its fro-yo, Cherry on Top menus a wide array
of toppings, including some 10 sweet toppings that balance out the
fro-yo’s relative tartness. The chain’s diverse toppings include some
selections offered by few of its competitors. Unusual offerings such as
cantaloupe, Mandarin oranges, grapes and Skittles illustrate Cherry
on Top’s creativity, as well as its desire to put its own spin on fro-yo
in what has become an increasingly competitive market. Toppings can be
divided into four categories:
• Fruit Toppings—cherries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries,
blackberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, pineapple,
Mandarin oranges, grapes, bananas, mango, kiwi fruit, cranberries,
coconut and dried fruit
• Nut Toppings—peanuts, walnuts, almonds and pine nuts
• Cereal Toppings—granola
• Sweet Toppings—Gummy Bears, sprinkles, Oreo cookies, chocolate
chips, Skittles, M&Ms, peanut brittle, white chocolate shavings and
Reese’s Pieces.

Red Mango

15301 Ventura Blvd.
Building B, Suite 470
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
310/215 4888; Fax: 818/461 9454
www.redmangousa.com

Frozen non-fat yogurt and toppings
Blenders
Inside the Menu
Red Mango’s fro-yo is arguably the sweetest among the new froyo
chains, although it does have a hint of tartness. When it comes
to flavors, Red Mango favors simplicity, offering just two options:
Original and Green Tea. The company notes that its Original flavor,
with strawberries either alone or with another fruit or cereal, is its
most popular selection. The Green Tea flavor tastes surprisingly like
actual green tea. It is likely that in the future the company will slowly
introduce new flavors one by one, but for now Red Mango is all about
maintaining the “excitement and originality” of its product. The froyo
menu is highlighted by:
• Frozen yogurt—Original (4-oz. small, $2.50; 8-oz. medium,
$3.50; 12-oz. large, $5.50) and Green Tea (4-oz. small, $3.50;
8-oz. medium, $4.50; 12-oz. large, $6.50)
• +1 Topping ($1)
• +2 Toppings ($1.25)
• +3 Toppings ($1.50)
• Fruit Toppings—strawberries, mango, raspberries, pineapple,
blueberries, blackberries and banana
• Dry Toppings—Bear Naked Granola, Captain Crunch, Cocoa
Pebbles, Fruity Pebbles, Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate, graham
crackers, coconut, mochi and sliced almonds
Fat-free and 90 calories per serving, Red Mango’s fro-yo is
a slightly sweet treat that customers can feel good about. Red
Mango patrons also value the fact that its fro-yo contains no
artificial flavors or colors.
Blenders
For on-the-go customers who seek a more portable way to enjoy
their fro-yo, the chain offers Blenders, a drinkable smoothie-like
blend of yogurt and toppings. The Blenders menu centers on:
• Blenders—a drinkable blend of yogurt and choice of up to three
toppings; Original (16-oz. regular, $4.95; 24-oz. large, $5.95)
and Green Tea (16-oz. regular, $5.95; 24-oz., $6.95)

Why yogurt can really help you lose weight

For years we've been watching fellow colleague's pulling out a yogurt as they delve into their lunch bags. There between the tuna sandwich and the fruit for dessert is a yogurt. After a lot of research and some amazing results we now know that yogurt can actually help you lose weight.

New research from scientists at Washington University might offer more reason to jump on the yogurt bandwagon. According to a study just published in the journal "Science Translational Medicine", there could be a link between the amount of bacteria in your stomach and the amount of fat you carry around your middle.

When scientists from Washington University's School of Medicine took stomach bugs from mice eating fatty foods and injected them into the stomachs of lean mice on plant-based diets, they discovered that, despite their healthier diets, the lean mice started packing on the pounds, too.

So if you’re eating too much junk food, it could be causing the composition of the bacteria in your stomach to change in a way that further exacerbates weight gain.

So is yogurt the answer to our weight loss fantasy? Probably yes, not necessarily because yogurt will help you fight junk food loving bacteria in your stomach. Instead, it's because low-fat yogurt is high in calcium and protein, while still having enough carb and fat content to help you feel full. Just be sure to steer away from yogurts with added sugar and artificial ingredients, which are often high in calories too.

With more studies still in the process of analyzing yogurt, there might one day be a yogurt that helps eliminate fat bacteria altogether. Until then I personally will be reaching for my blueberry yogurt instead of the ice cream I am notorious for eating. Who knows, it might really do a body good.