after the age of 50

Dieting should be important for people of all ages. However for the older generation, it is a necessity. And dieting after age 50 is of paramount importance. There are many who believe that burning calories depends entirely on getting enough exercise. But facts reveal otherwise. Exercise or physical activity uses only 25 to 35 percent of the calories. 5 to 10 percent go towards processing the food we eat and the rest 60 to 65 percent of calories go towards the basal metabolic rate (BMR) i.e. the energy required to keep you alive even while you are sleeping.

With age the human body needs less and less energy to sustain activities. BMR slows down, and because of this, fewer calories are burned. Other physical changes accompany it, like loss in muscle mass, declining strength and aerobic capacity. Thus, if your diet still contains the ingredients of earlier years, then you are in for trouble. Dieting after age 50 is a very tricky thing. You must take enough proteins, vitamins and carbohydrates to give you the necessary energy, but also not overdo it. Remember, after you hit the magical 50, your body needs 5 percent fewer calories with each passing decade.

Banana Diet

Here's an easy to use version that will give you slow, steady weight loss. This is not an extreme diet like you may think.

You may think that the banana diet consists of eating just bananas all day. Wrong! Obviously that isn't very practical or smart. There is just 1 main rule to this diet and another general rule...

Rule #1: Eat 1-2 bananas before each meal... minimum of 3 times a day.

Very simple, huh? Not much to think about. If you eat, you're going to eat 1-2 bananas before your meal. Practical, easy, healthy, and not much to remember.

Before breakfast, eat 2 bananas. Before lunch, eat 2 bananas. Before dinner, eat 1 banana. So you eat 5 total bananas a day.

Rule #2: Eat whatever you want for meals.

This rule is simple... eat whatever you want, just as long as you eat 2 bananas before breakfast, 2 bananas before lunch, and 1 banana before dinner. Obviously eating healthier than normal would help your weight loss efforts even more, but it's not 100% necessary.

by Spurl.net

'fresh diet' from the garden

I see that many people are searching for the 'fresh diet' today on Google. Oh boy another new diet trend to confuse us all. What is the fresh diet? Well this is another of those diets where your food is prepared and delivered to you. The difference being, that all the food is certified to be fresh, healthy and prepared by chefs. The average cost of the fresh diet is said to be 50.00 – 60.00 a day.

You heard me right. That's 50.00 – 60.00 a day per person. Celebrities are raving about this diet and no wonder. They are the only ones who can afford it. But do not fear, I can show you how to come up with a fresh diet of your own for much less. Nothing is fresher than just picked garden produce. You don't need to be a chef to toss together a nice fresh diet salad from the garden.Salad is not the only fresh diet food you can make from the garden either. How about some sauces made from fresh herbs and your own just picked tomatoes? Or what about some fried green tomatoes?

Ingredients :

Two or three sliced green tomatoes

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ cup vegetable oil

Instructions :

Mix the cornmeal, salt and cayenne pepper together and spread on a plate.

Coat tomato slices on both sides by placing in the mixture and patting gently. Set to one side.

Heat vegetable oil in a small shallow pan over medium heat.

Eating fresh is nothing new to gardeners. We have been doing it for centuries. This fresh diet trend is nothing more than another money making scheme.

The best part about customizing your own diet with fresh foods from the garden is that you know what you like and how you like it. My pet peeve with fancy chefs is that darn balsamic vinegar crap. Do they have to put it on everything? It may be good for you but I'll take my own apple cider vinegar any day of the week.

Fellow gardeners, I implore you, stop wasting your money on these silly fad diets and get back to nature. Use your garden produce to create your own fresh diet. I guarantee it will be easier to stick to than the trend of the moment. It's also much less complicated, and most likely better for you. After all, isn't that why you are growing a garden in the first place?

Enjoy!

A samplle day in your diet...

Breakfast

Veggie Quiche
Start your day right with a quick veggie quiche � filled with cheese, spinach, and fresh vegetables. Add hot sauce for a spicier version. Enjoy with a cup of coffee, tea, or a glass of tomato juice.

More options:
Scrambled Eggs, Canadian Bacon, Spinach Frittata, Western Omelet, Yogurt, Coffee, Tea.


Lunch

Grilled Chicken Salad
For lunch eat a grilled chicken salad on a bed of romaine with a delicious balsamic vinaigrette. Drink with a cold ice tea, diet soda, or sparkling water.

More options:
Chicken Caesar Salad, Cobb Salad, Roasted Portobello "Pizza," Poached Salmon, Seared Steak, Crab Salad, Veggie Antipasto.


Diner

Spicy Seared Tuna
For an elegant and delicious dinner, grill or sear fresh tuna with a spicy marinade. Serve with grilled vegetables, and salad.

More options:
Orange Roughy with Vegetables, Merlot Flank Steak, Broiled Lamp Chops with Mint Pesto, Roasted Chicken and Vegetables.


Snacks

On the South Beach Diet™ you'll also eat snacks twice a day. This will help you avoid those 4:00 chocolate-cravings and all those tempting snacks in the office kitchen.

Options:
Laughing Cow cheese, turkey roll-ups, hummus and celery, tomatoes and cottage cheese, mixed nuts, and more!


Dessert

Plus DESSERT!

Chilled Espresso Custard
Enjoy the rich, dark taste of espresso in this decadent baked custard.

More options:
Mocha Ricotta Cr�me (similiar to an Italian cannoli) and after Phase 2, Lime Cheesecake, Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries, and Poached Pears in Red Wine.

Vegetarian Dietary Guidelines - Calcium

Ovo-lacto vegetarians have calcium intakes that are comparable to those of nonvegetarians. But calcium intakes of vegans are generally lower than those of lacto-ovo-vegetarians, although vegans may have lower calcium needs than nonvegetarians because diets that are low in total protein and more alkaline have been shown to 'use-up' less calcium. Fortunately, calcium is well absorbed from many plant foods, and vegan diets can provide adequate calcium PROVIDED the diet regularly includes foods rich in calcium.

Vegetarian Dietary Guidelines - Vitamin D

Vitamin D is poorly supplied in all vegetarian diets unless vitamin D-fortified foods are eaten. Vegan diets in particular may lack Vitamin D. However, vegan vitamin D-fortified foods - such as soy milk and cereals, are becoming more widely available. Exposure to direct sunlight exposure is a major source of vitamin D, so dietary intake is not important if sun exposure (to hands, arms, and face for 5 to 15 minutes per day) is adequate.

Vegetarian Dietary Guidelines - Vitamin B12

Plant foods are not a reliable source of B-12 for vegetarians. Vitamin B-12 in spirulina, sea vegetables, tempeh, and miso has been shown to be inactive B-12 analog rather than the active vitamin. Although dairy products and eggs contain vitamin B-12, research indicates that lacto-ovo-vegetarians have low blood levels of vitamin B-12. Thus use of fortified foods or supplements are advised for vegans or vegetarians who limit animal foods.

General Dietary Guidelines for Vegetarian/Vegan Eating

Vegetarian Dietary Guidelines - Protein

Plant sources of protein alone can provide all the protein required by vegetarians and vegans provided a variety of plant foods are consumed. Complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same time if they regularly appear in the diet.

Vegetarian Dietary Guidelines - Iron.

Although vegetarian diets are higher in total iron content than nonvegetarian diets, iron reserves are lower in vegetarians because the iron from plant foods is less well absorbed. That said, iron deficiency anemia rates are similar in vegetarians and nonvegetarians. Remember that it's easier to absorb iron from food if we eat it with foods that contain Vitamin C, so have some fruit or veg containing vitamin C, or some fruit juice with your meal.

Balanced Vegetarian Diet - Eat from All Food Groups

Use the Vegetarian Food Pyramid to maintain a healthy balanced diet by eating foods from all the food groups. Each of these vegetarian 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. Vegans should pay special attention to their vitamin B12 and vitamin D intake by eating fortified foods or taking vitamin B12/ vitamin D supplements.

[Note: Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that those who choose foods of only plant origin must supplement the diet with vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and zinc. Adequate intake of these nutrients are even more important for growing children and pregnant and lactating women.]

Weight Loss News in Review – Week of July 11

Each week, DietsInReview.com will recap the hottest headlines in weight loss, diet and health news to keep you informed of news you can really use.

Workout with Hugh Jackman for $30,000
Jackman is auctioning off two workouts, valued at $30,000, to support the Summit School for students with learning and adjustment challenges.

United Nations Supports Organic Farming to Fight World Hunger
In an international meeting on agroecology in Brussels, Olivier De Schutter, UN’s Special Rappteur on the Right to Food, stated that organic and sustainable farming can end world hunger and global climate change.

Eat-Weight-Off- Lose 10 to 15 Pounds In One Week

Newly found cause of excessive weight gain and its precise dietary solutions has sent waves of tremor among the vendors of weight products because the secret is so accurate and effective that you can lose weight 300 % faster; 99 % permanent; 100 % safer and 500 % cheaper than weight loss centers and fat loss pills---and that too while enjoying foods you like"

Even if you are 600 lbs; even if you are gaining weight at alarming speed; even if you have become hopeless trying everything on the carpet of this planet, you will not return disappointed this time because you are at right place on right time.

My Journey to Goal

I started a new blog about my clean eating (and my musings on life). I will include an easy, clean recipe with every post. Most of them will just be recipes that I stumble across, but I've also invented some of my own. Hope it will help at least one other person. That is my goal. Oh and I've been eating "clean" for 7 weeks now. Lost 12 lbs. I probably eat 95% clean and the other 5 varies. I'm not worried about calories anymore and I don't stress over eating "bad" foods because most everything I put in my mouth is good and clean. That's all for now. Blogs are a great way to share your daily or weekly progress with others. Tell us how you are doing with your diet. Have you learned something new? Discovered that you love to exercise? Need to vent about Aunt LuLu trying to sabotage your diet? Share all in your diet blog.

Let me know what you think!