By Jason Clemens, a leading weight loss and nutrition expert.
Just because a food is healthy, doesn’t mean that you’re going to burn fat eating it. For example, many people who are making a conscious effort to eat healthy make the mistake of consuming things like whole wheat bread, fruit and/or other such “healthy foods” in the P.M hours. The problem with this is that these are high glycemic, high energy foods that your body will not completely burn off when you sleep. Consequently these foods can be stored as fat deposits.
Simply consume them for the last two meals of the day, whether it be dinner or snacks, and you’ll begin to notice that midsection shrinking, along with your other problem area fat deposits!
1: Skinless Chicken
2: Skinless Turkey
3: Spinach
4: Broccoli
5: Lean red meat
6: Egg whites
7: Salmon
8: Tuna Fish
9: Whey Protein Shake (Can make an excellent low carb substitute for those who need something simple.)
10: Tomatoes
Now many people will look at a list like this and get overwhelmed , thinking that they have to some how squeeze each of those low carb foods into their diet plan. But the most important thing to remember is just to keep it simple. Choose two or three of these foods and make sure to have them on hand so that when you begin to get hungry in the P.M. hours you can reach for one of them instead of a high carb alternative.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Temperature of Food
From: http://library.thinkquest.org/11960/facts/chinese.htm
In China, the temperature of food does not refer to how hot or cold the food is physically, but rather the heating effect and the cooling effect of the food. Food can be classified as Hot, Warm, Neutral, Cool or Cold.
Hot food has a heating effect on us. Have you eaten curry and found that there is heat stirring up within you and you even start sweating? This also happens when we eat chili or something spicy. This is due to the heat present in the food. This heat warms our bodies, and is also responsible for causing heat-related health problems such as fever, headache, sore eyes, sore throat, and bloodshot eyes. It is this heat that causes pimples to rise on your face, so the Chinese are careful not eat too much hot food. The heat can also irritate us and make our temper "hotter". During cold seasons, the Chinese eat more hot food to keep warm.
Have you seen women sticking slices of fruit or cucumber on their face? You may wonder how does it helps their faces. Cucumbers and other fruits and vegetables are known for their cooling effect, and cucumbers have been used for facials. Beauticians have also encouraged people to eat more fruits and vegetables and to drink water (water is neutral) to have a good skin. Cold food cool us down, but also require more energy for digestion, as they take away warmth. But overcooling can cause us to have a cold, cough, diarrhea, and stomach pains.
It is possible to balance the heat in our food. People have also adjusted the temperature of the food they eat according to the climate.
Here is a list of foods and their temperatures:
Hot: Black pepper, butter, chicken fat, chocolate, coffee, crispy rice, curry, hot chilies, lamb, mango, onions, peanut butter, sesame seeds, smoked fish, trout, whisky
Warm: Beef, brown sugar, cheese, chestnuts, chicken, egg yolk, dates, garlic, ginger, green pepper, ham, leeks, oats, peaches, pomegranates, potato, turkey, turnips, walnuts, vinegar, wine
Neutral Apricots, beet roots, bread, broad beans, brown rice, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cherries, egg whites, grapes, honey, water, milk, oysters, peanuts, peas, plums, pork, raisins, salmon, sugar, sweet potatoes
Cool Almonds, apples, barley, broccoli, celery, corn, fish, mushrooms, mangos, oranges, pears, pineapple, radishes, salt, seaweed, spinach, strawberries, tangerines, turnip, watermelon, wheat
Cold Bananas, bean sprouts, cucumbers, duck, grapefruit, green tea, lettuce, ice cream, mussels, peppermint, tofu, tomato, yogurt
Eating Cooking and Raw Food
Generally raw food is cold and should not be eaten in excess. The Chinese maintain that food should be cooked before consumption. Moreover, taking cold raw food may upset our stomachs because digestion will require more energy.
The Taste of the Food
There are five main tastes of food: Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Pungent, and Salty. It is recommended that our diets contain all these flavors, not taking too much of any. It is also believed that salt should be avoided because it can affect the functioning of the kidneys.
Quality of the Food
It is best that we eat food that is fresh and pure, free from chemicals, preservatives, and additives. The vegetables and fruits we buy in our supermarket often have been sprayed with insecticides, and we should wash them before consumption. Some animals are also injected with antibiotics or hormones to prevent diseases from attacking them. Do you know that an apple can be sprayed up to 26 times before reaching your fruit basket? Processed food should also be avoided.
How and When We Eat the Food
If you have always gobbled fast food, eating on the run, then you may be shocked to know that a Chinese meal can take hours. The Chinese believe that eating has to be at a leisurely pace to give time for digestion, and it is best to eat in a relaxing environment. The food is to be chewed thoroughly and properly. This breaks down the food and aids digestion. Drinking is not advisable when eating because the fluid may wash down the food rather than allow it to be digested fully. We should drink before the meal or between meals. It is good to eat up to three-quarters full, so that the stomach would not be over-stressed, causing us to feel tired due to the extra energy spent in digestion.
We should eat regularly at usual times of the day. The breakfast should be nourishing enough to provide us with enough energy for the day. Heavy meals late at night can make our digestive system work overtime, even after we sleep. This may cause insomnia and we will not be well rested. Hence it is best to eat our last meal early in the evening.
In China, the temperature of food does not refer to how hot or cold the food is physically, but rather the heating effect and the cooling effect of the food. Food can be classified as Hot, Warm, Neutral, Cool or Cold.
Hot food has a heating effect on us. Have you eaten curry and found that there is heat stirring up within you and you even start sweating? This also happens when we eat chili or something spicy. This is due to the heat present in the food. This heat warms our bodies, and is also responsible for causing heat-related health problems such as fever, headache, sore eyes, sore throat, and bloodshot eyes. It is this heat that causes pimples to rise on your face, so the Chinese are careful not eat too much hot food. The heat can also irritate us and make our temper "hotter". During cold seasons, the Chinese eat more hot food to keep warm.
Have you seen women sticking slices of fruit or cucumber on their face? You may wonder how does it helps their faces. Cucumbers and other fruits and vegetables are known for their cooling effect, and cucumbers have been used for facials. Beauticians have also encouraged people to eat more fruits and vegetables and to drink water (water is neutral) to have a good skin. Cold food cool us down, but also require more energy for digestion, as they take away warmth. But overcooling can cause us to have a cold, cough, diarrhea, and stomach pains.
It is possible to balance the heat in our food. People have also adjusted the temperature of the food they eat according to the climate.
Here is a list of foods and their temperatures:
Hot: Black pepper, butter, chicken fat, chocolate, coffee, crispy rice, curry, hot chilies, lamb, mango, onions, peanut butter, sesame seeds, smoked fish, trout, whisky
Warm: Beef, brown sugar, cheese, chestnuts, chicken, egg yolk, dates, garlic, ginger, green pepper, ham, leeks, oats, peaches, pomegranates, potato, turkey, turnips, walnuts, vinegar, wine
Neutral Apricots, beet roots, bread, broad beans, brown rice, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cherries, egg whites, grapes, honey, water, milk, oysters, peanuts, peas, plums, pork, raisins, salmon, sugar, sweet potatoes
Cool Almonds, apples, barley, broccoli, celery, corn, fish, mushrooms, mangos, oranges, pears, pineapple, radishes, salt, seaweed, spinach, strawberries, tangerines, turnip, watermelon, wheat
Cold Bananas, bean sprouts, cucumbers, duck, grapefruit, green tea, lettuce, ice cream, mussels, peppermint, tofu, tomato, yogurt
Eating Cooking and Raw Food
Generally raw food is cold and should not be eaten in excess. The Chinese maintain that food should be cooked before consumption. Moreover, taking cold raw food may upset our stomachs because digestion will require more energy.
The Taste of the Food
There are five main tastes of food: Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Pungent, and Salty. It is recommended that our diets contain all these flavors, not taking too much of any. It is also believed that salt should be avoided because it can affect the functioning of the kidneys.
Quality of the Food
It is best that we eat food that is fresh and pure, free from chemicals, preservatives, and additives. The vegetables and fruits we buy in our supermarket often have been sprayed with insecticides, and we should wash them before consumption. Some animals are also injected with antibiotics or hormones to prevent diseases from attacking them. Do you know that an apple can be sprayed up to 26 times before reaching your fruit basket? Processed food should also be avoided.
How and When We Eat the Food
If you have always gobbled fast food, eating on the run, then you may be shocked to know that a Chinese meal can take hours. The Chinese believe that eating has to be at a leisurely pace to give time for digestion, and it is best to eat in a relaxing environment. The food is to be chewed thoroughly and properly. This breaks down the food and aids digestion. Drinking is not advisable when eating because the fluid may wash down the food rather than allow it to be digested fully. We should drink before the meal or between meals. It is good to eat up to three-quarters full, so that the stomach would not be over-stressed, causing us to feel tired due to the extra energy spent in digestion.
We should eat regularly at usual times of the day. The breakfast should be nourishing enough to provide us with enough energy for the day. Heavy meals late at night can make our digestive system work overtime, even after we sleep. This may cause insomnia and we will not be well rested. Hence it is best to eat our last meal early in the evening.
Hot & Cold Chi Foods for Balance
by Zhenzhen Zhang
As simple as this treatment sounds, it goes to the heart of what all Chinese medicine is about -- restoring balance to the body. Conditions like this patient's cold often will fade on their own as the body's self-healing powers swing into action. However, other times, the illness will drag on, maybe for weeks. Chinese medicine can help you quickly get at the underlying energetic imbalance that is causing the illness.
My patient's condition, while commonly called a "cold" in the West, is only one type of cold that people can experience. Some colds are "hot" colds, caused by too much heat in the body, and they require a cooling remedy. Doctors of Traditional Chinese Medicine give acupuncture treatments and prescribe herbs, exercises, and foods to help restore a balance of hot and cold as well as dampness and dryness and other unbalanced conditions. The simplest and most accessible of these treatments is foods. By including the right foods in your diet for your specific condition, you can help to restore the balance that's needed to help you overcome a variety of illnesses.
Daily Dietary Balancing
For those who would like to experience the benefits of Chinese medicine, I've developed a simple do-it-yourself program that uses foods in this way. With the recommendations that follow, foods are used to re-balance the body's internal "climate," as traditional Chinese doctors call it. In illness, this climate has become too hot or cold.
My food-balancing prescriptions are based on the Chinese view that the human body is a microcosm of the universe. just like on the earth where floods and droughts wreak havoc, climate extremes in the body can create problems. When the body is sick, we try to bring warmth to coldness, or cool off too much heat.
As a doctor of Chinese medicine, I know that acupuncture and herbs will help bring about these changes. But I also tell patients which foods will help produce these same effects. Every food has an effect on the body's metabolic temperature. (This is different, by the way, from your body temperature, which you take with a thermometer. Metabolic temperature is the heat energy generated through all your organ systems from the food -- the fuel -- that you eat and that your digestive system burns.) Some foods, such as tofu or ice cream, produce a characteristic internal coldness. Others, such as ginger or chicken, generate internal heat. If you eat too many warming foods, you increase the chance that your condition will become too warm. If it does, you might come down with a "hot" illness. Some colds, for example, marked by a dry or sore throat, fever, and sweating, can be caused by too much heat. The way to help correct the underlying imbalance that brought on that condition is to eat more cooling foods.
The first step toward remedying a condition -- whether acute or chronic -- is to add the proper balancing foods to your daily diet. All foods are divided into three basic categories -- cold (yin), hot (yang), and neutral. The antidote will generally be an emphasis upon foods with the opposite "temperature" as the condition. If your symptoms describe a warm or hot condition, then your diet should emphasize cooling, cold, and neutral foods, and fewer warm and hot foods.
If you are not experiencing any symptoms of illness, you still can help to avoid illness by eating a varied diet as much as possible. I recommend that people eat a minimum of seven different fruits and vegetables a day, to avoid a cold or hot imbalance. The accompanying chart, shows the temperature characteristics of common foods. (Vegetarians will want to substitute foods in the same temperature category for crab and rooster.)
In addition to paying attention to overall daily diet, people in China often use specific foods as medicines. Certain food preparations are particularly effective in correcting hot and cold imbalances, like the ginger and scallion soup did for my patient's illness. Recipes like this have been proven over many years in clinical practice to help cure a vast assortment of illnesses and diseases.
The foods and herbs selected for the medicinal recipes that follow are intended to treat five specific conditions: colds and flus (one category), insomnia, headaches, low back pain, and hay fever. They are combined to make pungent teas, juices, or thick porridges, and are taken in doses, like medicine. Some include sugar or salt. The quantities, however, are so small they are unlikely to have any adverse effects; in fact, they are included as balancing agents for the condition in question.
To treat the conditions that follow, you need to first identify the symptoms you're experiencing. That's because there may be different types of colds or different types of headaches, each with a different set of symptoms.
For our purposes, I've identified the most common symptoms that occur for two variations of these five common health problems. For each condition I've identified symptoms for a cold and hot type of the condition, or sometimes a "weak" type, which requires neutral foods that tonify (strengthen).
When diagnosing your own disorder, make sure to take into consideration every symptom. Look to see which set of symptoms most closely matches yours. In cases where your symptoms do not match or they do not closely match those I've detailed here, you'll need to consult with a Chinese practitioner.
Even if you're not experiencing any symptoms of illness, you may have an imbalance of hot and cold whose symptoms haven't manifested yet. If left unaddressed, this can lead to an illness. At first, the imbalance may appear as a slight discomfort; you may feel tired, unable to concentrate, or become easily angered. At such times, you should rest and eat a balanced diet.
Chinese medicine, even in its elementary form described here, can be a powerful first-aid technique. Foods can be potent healers when used the right way. However, these prescriptions should never be attempted as a lone antidote for serious or chronic conditions. The best results are achieved when dealing with temporary illnesses, instead of chronic conditions. The latter are more likely to require a Chinese medical doctor's attention. If your symptoms are serious, or persistent, consult a doctor.
The Remedies
COMMON COLD AND FLU
COLD TYPE
Symptoms: Severe aversion to cold, low-grade fever, no sweating, headache, muscle aches, stuffy nose, cough with clear white phlegm
Treatment: Too much cold in the body, requires "warming" remedies.
Recommended Foods: Pick mostly from "hot," "warm," and "neutral" foods, including garlic, ginger, green chives, pepper, pumpkin, apple, onion, and mutton (lamb).
Medicinal Foods: Prepare a soup from the following ingredients:
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons scallion stalk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Recommended Foods: Pick from "cold," "cool," and "neutral" foods, including mushroom, white radish, marine algae, green bean (a Chinese bean resembling a soybean), lotus seed, and tofu.
Medicinal Foods: Make a porridge from the following ingredients:
1 small fresh pumpkin
1 cup millet
2 1/2 cups water
As simple as this treatment sounds, it goes to the heart of what all Chinese medicine is about -- restoring balance to the body. Conditions like this patient's cold often will fade on their own as the body's self-healing powers swing into action. However, other times, the illness will drag on, maybe for weeks. Chinese medicine can help you quickly get at the underlying energetic imbalance that is causing the illness.
My patient's condition, while commonly called a "cold" in the West, is only one type of cold that people can experience. Some colds are "hot" colds, caused by too much heat in the body, and they require a cooling remedy. Doctors of Traditional Chinese Medicine give acupuncture treatments and prescribe herbs, exercises, and foods to help restore a balance of hot and cold as well as dampness and dryness and other unbalanced conditions. The simplest and most accessible of these treatments is foods. By including the right foods in your diet for your specific condition, you can help to restore the balance that's needed to help you overcome a variety of illnesses.
Daily Dietary Balancing
For those who would like to experience the benefits of Chinese medicine, I've developed a simple do-it-yourself program that uses foods in this way. With the recommendations that follow, foods are used to re-balance the body's internal "climate," as traditional Chinese doctors call it. In illness, this climate has become too hot or cold.
My food-balancing prescriptions are based on the Chinese view that the human body is a microcosm of the universe. just like on the earth where floods and droughts wreak havoc, climate extremes in the body can create problems. When the body is sick, we try to bring warmth to coldness, or cool off too much heat.
As a doctor of Chinese medicine, I know that acupuncture and herbs will help bring about these changes. But I also tell patients which foods will help produce these same effects. Every food has an effect on the body's metabolic temperature. (This is different, by the way, from your body temperature, which you take with a thermometer. Metabolic temperature is the heat energy generated through all your organ systems from the food -- the fuel -- that you eat and that your digestive system burns.) Some foods, such as tofu or ice cream, produce a characteristic internal coldness. Others, such as ginger or chicken, generate internal heat. If you eat too many warming foods, you increase the chance that your condition will become too warm. If it does, you might come down with a "hot" illness. Some colds, for example, marked by a dry or sore throat, fever, and sweating, can be caused by too much heat. The way to help correct the underlying imbalance that brought on that condition is to eat more cooling foods.
The first step toward remedying a condition -- whether acute or chronic -- is to add the proper balancing foods to your daily diet. All foods are divided into three basic categories -- cold (yin), hot (yang), and neutral. The antidote will generally be an emphasis upon foods with the opposite "temperature" as the condition. If your symptoms describe a warm or hot condition, then your diet should emphasize cooling, cold, and neutral foods, and fewer warm and hot foods.
If you are not experiencing any symptoms of illness, you still can help to avoid illness by eating a varied diet as much as possible. I recommend that people eat a minimum of seven different fruits and vegetables a day, to avoid a cold or hot imbalance. The accompanying chart, shows the temperature characteristics of common foods. (Vegetarians will want to substitute foods in the same temperature category for crab and rooster.)
In addition to paying attention to overall daily diet, people in China often use specific foods as medicines. Certain food preparations are particularly effective in correcting hot and cold imbalances, like the ginger and scallion soup did for my patient's illness. Recipes like this have been proven over many years in clinical practice to help cure a vast assortment of illnesses and diseases.
The foods and herbs selected for the medicinal recipes that follow are intended to treat five specific conditions: colds and flus (one category), insomnia, headaches, low back pain, and hay fever. They are combined to make pungent teas, juices, or thick porridges, and are taken in doses, like medicine. Some include sugar or salt. The quantities, however, are so small they are unlikely to have any adverse effects; in fact, they are included as balancing agents for the condition in question.
To treat the conditions that follow, you need to first identify the symptoms you're experiencing. That's because there may be different types of colds or different types of headaches, each with a different set of symptoms.
For our purposes, I've identified the most common symptoms that occur for two variations of these five common health problems. For each condition I've identified symptoms for a cold and hot type of the condition, or sometimes a "weak" type, which requires neutral foods that tonify (strengthen).
When diagnosing your own disorder, make sure to take into consideration every symptom. Look to see which set of symptoms most closely matches yours. In cases where your symptoms do not match or they do not closely match those I've detailed here, you'll need to consult with a Chinese practitioner.
Even if you're not experiencing any symptoms of illness, you may have an imbalance of hot and cold whose symptoms haven't manifested yet. If left unaddressed, this can lead to an illness. At first, the imbalance may appear as a slight discomfort; you may feel tired, unable to concentrate, or become easily angered. At such times, you should rest and eat a balanced diet.
Chinese medicine, even in its elementary form described here, can be a powerful first-aid technique. Foods can be potent healers when used the right way. However, these prescriptions should never be attempted as a lone antidote for serious or chronic conditions. The best results are achieved when dealing with temporary illnesses, instead of chronic conditions. The latter are more likely to require a Chinese medical doctor's attention. If your symptoms are serious, or persistent, consult a doctor.
The Remedies
COMMON COLD AND FLU
COLD TYPE
Symptoms: Severe aversion to cold, low-grade fever, no sweating, headache, muscle aches, stuffy nose, cough with clear white phlegm
Treatment: Too much cold in the body, requires "warming" remedies.
Recommended Foods: Pick mostly from "hot," "warm," and "neutral" foods, including garlic, ginger, green chives, pepper, pumpkin, apple, onion, and mutton (lamb).
Medicinal Foods: Prepare a soup from the following ingredients:
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons scallion stalk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Recommended Foods: Pick from "cold," "cool," and "neutral" foods, including mushroom, white radish, marine algae, green bean (a Chinese bean resembling a soybean), lotus seed, and tofu.
Medicinal Foods: Make a porridge from the following ingredients:
1 small fresh pumpkin
1 cup millet
2 1/2 cups water
Monday, March 9, 2009
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