Slow Cooker Apple Steel-Cut Oats

While exercise is considered the best way to increase your metabolism (click here for part 1), there are other factors to consider that you have control over.

1. Sleep – Lack of sleep has been shown to have a negative impact on metabolism, slowing it down which can be an obstacle to maintaining or losing weight. Make an effort to go to sleep when you are tired.

2. Frequency of eating – How often you eat effects your metabolism. Every time you eat you stimulate your metabolism for a short period of time. Research from Georgia State University shows that people who eat every 2 to 3 hours have less body fat and faster metabolisms than those who eat only 2 or 3 meals per day. Also, by eating frequently, you teach your body not to go into starvation mode, where it will conserve fat because it doesn’t know when the next meal will be.

3. What to eat – Include a serving or two of vegetables with lean protein or nuts. Increasing the amount of high-fiber foods, like vegetables is one of the best ways to raise your metabolism. First, your body tries to break down fiber, which is a non-digestible carbohydrate, this burns calories and boosts your metabolism at the same time. Second, vegetables are low in calories and high in nutrients aiding in your ability to lose weight or to maintain a healthy weight.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Are You Aware of What You Eat?

23 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Eating

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Artificial Colors and Flavors, Artificial Flavorings, Calories, Fast Food, Fiber, Food, Food Labels, Fruit and Vegetables, Health, Healthy Eating, healthy-living, Ingredient Lists, Man-Made Food Chemicals, Nutrition, Nutrition Facts, Nutrition Food Labels, Optimal Health, Plant Based Diet, Prevention, Processed Food, Real Food, Reverse Food Related Illnesses, Sugars, Whole Food, Whole Grains

Do you make it a practice to read nutrition food labels and ingredient lists on the foods you buy? Do you have an idea of how much fruit and vegetables you eat in relation to processed foods?

Living a lifestyle of healthy eating, that is, eating a diet made up primarily of real food, whole foods, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds, has been shown to provide optimal health. Switching to a plant-based diet, with small amounts of chicken or fish if you choose, has been shown to prevent and reverse food related illnesses that so many people suffer from by eating a diet high in fat, cholesterol, and sodium from eating too much fast food and processed food.

Getting in the habit of reading nutrition food labels will help you be able to see just how many calories you are consuming along with the breakdown of fats, sugar, cholesterol, sodium, protein and fiber.

When reading the ingredient lists, remember that ingredients are listed in order of the most to the least. Keep in mind that there are many names for sugar and a food item will often show more than one form. Also, be on the lookout for ingredients you can’t pronounce or don’t know what they are. Beware, they may be artificial flavorings, colors, or other man-made chemicals to preserve and make the food item taste better.

Stay informed for better health!

Love, Health & happiness,

Phyllis

Hungry and Tired? What Did You Eat Last?

07 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Body

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Angry, Blood Sugar, Complex Carbohydrates, Fat, Fiber, Health, Healthy Body, Hungry, Simple Carbohydrates, Sugar, Tired, Whole Grains

There’s a saying, “Never let yourself get too hungry, tired or angry.” Did you know that what you eat can have a direct effect on how you feel hours later?

For example, When you eat or drink something high in sugar, your body gets a sudden surge of energy followed by an insulin surge that rapidly drops your blood sugar level. Then about two hours later, you feel really hungry, tired and sometimes irritable. To avoid this, replace simple carbohydrates/sugars and processed foods with whole grain/complex ones. You will feel better and more satisfied. Sugar does not have to be completely avoided, but it should be eaten with some fat (from cheese or nuts) or fiber (from fruit or grains) so you can absorb it more slowly.

Also, remember to eat often enough so that you don’t let yourself get too hungry.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

What Happened to My Nutrients?

26 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Eating

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Fiber, Flour, Nutrients, Nutrition facts label, Serving size, Wheat Berries, White Flour, Whole grain, Whole Wheat

Did you know that bread and pasta made with white flour, has been striped of its nutrients? When wheat berries are processed into white flour two out of the three nutrient-rich parts, the bran and the germ; where the fiber, vitamins (B & E vitamins) and nutrients (magnesium, zinc, folic acid and chromium) are, get discarded. Only the starchy endosperm is used.

It’s easy to tell if you are getting a nutrient rich product by reading the ingredient list and nutrition facts label. Look for the words “whole grain or whole wheat.” And when looking at the nutrition facts label, see how many grams of fiber there are per serving. Remember to look at the serving size, and when comparing different bread products see how many slices are in a serving, some bread packages consider one slice a serving while others use two slices as a serving.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Nature’s Medicine

17 Thursday May 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Eating

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Antioxidents, Fiber, Food, Fruit, Healthy Eating, Phytonutrients, Supplements, Vegetables, Vitamines, Whole Foods

Healthy eating includes a variety of fruits and vegetables in a rainbow of colors.

Apples, artichokes, arugula, asparagus, avocado, bamboo shoots, bananas, beets, beet greens, bell peppers (green, yellow, orange and red), berries (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries), bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, cabbage (red and green), cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cherries, chives, collard greens, corn, cucumber, dark green leafy lettuces (baby greens), eggplant, endive, escarole, fresh lemons, garlic, grapes (red and green) green beans, grapefruits (red and pink), honeydew melon, hot peppers, kale, kiwi, leeks, mango, mushrooms, nectarine, onions, oranges, papaya, peach, pears, pea pods, pineapple, potatoes, pumpkin, radish, rutabaga, scallions, snow peas, spaghetti squash, spinach, sprouts, star fruit, string beans, summer squash, sweet potatoes, swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, water chestnut, watermelon, winter squash, yams and zucchini.

How many of these have you tried? How many do you eat on a regular basis? What are your favorites? What sounds new and interesting to try? A variety of fruits and vegetables can be eaten cooked or raw, by themselves or in recipes. Some can be found fresh, frozen, or in a jar or canned.

There are many health benefits to eating whole foods. Each fruit and vegetable contains hundreds if not thousands of phytonutrients unique to that food, in addition to antioxidants, vitamines, minerals and fiber. It really will make a difference to your health. If you don’t get enough of “Nature’s Medicine,” on a daily basis, you may want to consider whole food supplements. If you would like to learn more about whole food supplements click here.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Healthy Eating – One Meal at a Time

10 Thursday May 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Eating

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

Digestion, Fiber, Fruit, Fruit and Vegetables, Healthy Eating, Healthy Lifestyle, Phytonutrients, Vegetables, Whole Foods

One way to transition to a lifestyle of healthy eating is to gradually add whole foods to what you already eat. Whole foods are fruits and vegetables, grains, beans, nuts and seeds, that have not been processed. For example, at breakfast, add a banana, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries or raspberries, or if making eggs, add some spinach. At lunch add a cup of vegetable soup or a salad. At dinner add an extra serving of vegetables. In between meals, consider eating a piece of fruit (apple, orange, peach, pear, nectarine), raw vegetables (carrots, celery, jicama, red bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumber) dipped in hummus, or a small handful of almonds.

The advantage of eating whole foods is that your body gets all of the phytonutrients that are unique to fruits and vegetables and other whole foods, in their original form. Whole foods also contain fiber that not only helps with digestion, but also gives you a satisfying feeling of fullness.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Creating a Healthy Lifestyle

Tag Archives: Fiber

Slow Cooker Apple Steel-Cut Oats

Increase Your Metabolism, Part 2

Hungry and Tired? What Did You Eat Last?

What Happened to My Nutrients?

Nature’s Medicine

Healthy Eating – One Meal at a Time