Bean and Avocado Salad and Why it is Good For You
First I will show you how to make the salad then we will go into the nutrients and benefits of adding these foods to your menus. This salad is high in protein. The avocado is a healthy fat. The recipe is also vegetarian and it cuts the craving for us meat eaters. It is full of nutrients and can be served with your favorite flat bread, crackers or artisan bread.
Gather together the following:
1-16 oz can kidney beans
1-16 oz can garbanzo beans
2 small tomatoes
1 medium avocado
1 small red onion
1/3 cup Italian dressing
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Tips on What Not To Do During Your Diet
We all know that when we start a new diet it can really be a test of our self control. If you’re trying to lose weight with a latest diet craze, there are things you must keep in mind to avoid getting off track with your plans:
1. Don’t just wear baggy clothes until you have reached your desired weight. When you wear clothes which are too big it can cut down your motivation. You might feel encouraged to give up on the diet. Don’t forget to wear clothing that makes you feel your best no matter what weight you are at.
2. Don’t go to the grocery store before eating. Don’t sabotage your diet by going to a place where all of the bad foods tempting you on an empty stomach. Schedule your shopping when you are less vulnerable.
3. Don’t get rid of your favorite foods. Diets almost always backfire when the dieters are stuck eating boring, tasteless food. They start missing their favorite dishes. Use creativity and those cooking skills you have to remake some of the foods you like but still adhering to the diet’s standards.
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Using Great Tasting Substitutes To Reduce Fat In Your Diet
Here are some great substitutes so you can make your favorite foods without all the fat and calories! Think about all of the recipes passed generation after generation that are so great tasting but they use cream, shortening, and other very unhealthy ingredients. Sometimes I feel guilty when I just read the recipes!
Believe it or not it is easy to make healthy recipes out of unhealthy recipes.
1. Substitute eggs with just egg whites and egg substitutes.
Generally replace one egg with two egg whites in most recipes. Check the packaging on the egg substitutes for exchange rates.
2. Alter the sugar amount in your recipes and use sugar substitutes.
You can easily lower the calories and carbohydrates by reducing the amount of sugar in the recipe. You can easily decrease the sugar, without altering the taste, up to 1/3 in some recipes. You can also use a non-calorie sugar substitute like Splenda. In most cases Splenda is measured in equal amounts when replacing sugar. Experiment to determine the best quantity if a different sugar substitute is used.
3. Make your baked foods more healthy by using whole wheat flour.
Replace half the traditional white flour with healthy whole wheat flour. You won’t notice the difference in the taste. The nutritional benefits are added fiber and quite possibly a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke.
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The Secret to Creating South Beach Diet Recipes
The Secret to Creating South Beach Diet Recipes That Don’t Taste Like Cardboard
It is no secret that the South Beach Diet is one of the most effective means of losing an extraordinary amount of body fat in a short period of time. But does the goal of looking great naked mean that we also have to sacrifice taste? One thing that makes the South Beach Diet so easy to stick with is that you can often find a wide variety of delicious recipes, while still following the program. These South Beach Diet recipes also ensure that you will not have the temptation to cheat by engorging on those fattening foods you often end up craving when following other diets. By eating a variety of meals, knowing the proper types of seasonings, and substituting unauthorized ingredients, you will find it much easier to remain on the South Beach Diet and achieve the body of your dreams.
One of the greatest advantages of the South Beach Diet is that it doesn’t severely restrict the foods that you are allowed to eat. This means that you have a wide variety of South Beach Diet recipes to choose from. One of the main reasons that most people find it hard to stick with a diet is because their recipe choices are so limited, that they often end up becoming bored. South Beach Diet recipes consist of a wide variety of meats, vegetables, cheeses, and nuts. And in Phase 2 of the South Beach Diet, you can even begin incorporating more whole grains, fruits, and dairy products. But, of course, no recipe is complete without you being able to flavor your food with a variety of seasonings.
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South Beach Diet and Meal Replacement Bars
After a couple of weeks of being on the South Beach Diet we can reduce the restricted eating. Many of us are so busy with work and keep up with our children’s activities that we don’t have the time to stick to the restrictive diet and not feel hungry. Many companies have jumped on this bandwagon by offering meal replacement bars. These are completely different than energy or protein bars. Choosing the wrong bar can mess up all of that hard work you have done for weeks on the South Beach Diet.
Meal replacement bars are basically diet bars that are for people who are very busy and the bar replaces small portions of meal that are usually consumed at regular times throughout the day. This is healthy as well as controlling the cravings to have unhealthy snacks. Meal replacement bars are very popular to dieters as well as bodybuilders.
Meal replacement bars are referred to according to the ratio of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. For example the Balance Bar is rated at 40:30:30 which is a ratio of 40% arbohydrates, 30% Proteins and 30% Fats. Don’t worry the fats are the healthy fats that we try to strive for on the South Beach Diet.
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The South Beach Diet Success Secret
The true secret of success to sticking to the South Beach Diet is to plan out your meals and snacks. This will save money, time and help stop any unhealthy eating because you are finding yourself hungry and not within reach of your South Beach Diet foods.
Menu planning will save you money. In fact menu planning will save you a lot of money. If you plan your meals and snacks for the entire week before
your trip to the grocery store, buy more bulk products which are much cheaper in the long run. For example knowing how many meals include beef will help you estimate how large of a package to buy. That bulk package of beef is much cheaper than if you visited the store everyday to pick up a 1/2 pound of steak or ground meat. Grocery stores charge more for the smaller cuts of meat, so buy the larger cuts and divide them up at home. Plan your meals, buy in bulk and save money.
Menu planning will save you time. Take an example from a menu planned for seven days which includes in it’s schedule roasted chicken, stir-fry with chicken and barbecue chicken salad. This calls for the use of the 3 C’s rule for saving time with menu planning.
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Three Sample South Beach Diet Meals
Three South Beach Diet Meals that will keep you filled.
You won’t feel that you are missing anything with these great tasting and nutritious meals. These recipes are for all three phases. They are designed to make you feel satisfied with no cravings. These recipes also show how easy it is to have great food
on the South Beach Diet.
We start with an omelette that takes less then 15 minutes to make and will give you a good meal for the beginning of the day. Cheese and Canadian bacon help satisfy the cravings for fat and protein. You may be surprised how well vegetable juice substitutes for orange or apple juice. Make the juice from fresh vegetables because some store bought juices add sugar.
The lunch salad is very filling and the crunchiness of the vegetables help satisfy the cravings for fries or chips. Use store bought chicken strips and packaged spinach to make your own healthy ‘fast food’. Spinach is used because it is much more nutritious than Iceberg lettuce.
You will finish the day of feeling very satisfied, and full, with the London Broil and Asparagus. Look for low sodium beef broth. In Phase 2 and 3 you can substitute the beef broth for red wine. This adds a more robust flavor to the beef.
If you like good home cooking these meals are sure to show up many times in all three phases of your South Beach Diet journey.
South Beach Diet – What is it?
The South Beach Diet concentrates on high and low sugar carbohydrates. According to the creator of the South
Beach Diet, cardiologist Arthur Agatston, MD, processed carbohydrates such as rice, breads and pastas contain high
sugar carbohydrates that the body digests and burn very quickly. Because of this a person’s insulin levels rise
and the body craves more food. Usually the next bit of food chosen is also loaded with high sugar carbohydrates.
The South Beach Diet makes one want to eat less and much better quality of food. Calorie counting is not
required, making the diet very popular. Many people don’t feel that they are ‘dieting’ because they can eat more
often and not worry about calories.
Even though concentration on carbohydrates is very important for one on the South Beach Diet, it does not mean you
can eat all of fat that you want. Unhealthy fats are not allowed while healthy fats are encouraged.
Phase 1
For the first two weeks, the induction phase, all fruits, breads, cereals, rice and pasta are completely banned.
Alcohol, corn, beets and carrots are also not allowed.
You will lose your craving for the high sugar carbs in this phase. You get to eat six times a day which includes
the 3 main meals and three snacks. If you feel hungry you are allowed to increase your portion size.
Phase 1 can be extended to 3 to 4 weeks for more weight loss.
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Benefits of a High Fiber Diet
Benefits of a High-fiber diet:
1. Constipation: When a bulky stool is passed through without any problem then automatically constipation doesn’t occur. And if the stools are watery and loose then also the fiber absorbs water and adds bulk to stool and solidifies.
2. Reduces Cholesterol level in Blood: Beans, Oats, Oat bran etc contains soluble fiber which might be useful in lowering the blood cholesterol levels. This is done by lowering low density lipoprotein and bad cholesterols.
3. Controls blood sugar: Diabetic patients have high sugar in their blood level. Soluble fiber slowly absorbs the sugar from the blood. Fiber diet is very much useful for the persons with type 2 diabetics.
Quantity of fiber per day:
For young and middle age men below 50yrs of age needs 38 gm of fiber diet. Similarly for the same age of women they need 25gm of fiber diet per day. 30gms of fiber diet is needed daily for men above 50 yrs and for women 21gm is needed daily.
High Fiber Diets
There are numerous benefits of consuming a regular high fiber diet. Some of them are discussed below. The primary benefit of fiber diet is that it helps in increasing the weight and size of your stool and softens it, which in turn helps in decreasing the chance of constipation. Fiber diet lowers the blood cholesterol and controls the blood sugar levels. The soluble fibers particularly can help in lowering the cholesterol levels and improves the blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. It lowers the risk of digestive conditions such as haemorrhoids.
The food stuffs such as oats, beans, apples, peas, citrus, fruits and carrots are rich in soluble fiber. The food stuffs rich in insoluble fiber are wheat flour, nuts and vegetables. A high fiber diet is a part of a healthy diet, so consume large amounts of dietary fiber for availing maximum benefit.