The UnDiet Weight Loss Guide » June 2012

Monthly Archives: June 2012

Healthy Products

Three Natural Remedies to Lower Cholesterol

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High cholesterol is a chronic health problem that contributes to coronary artery disease and stroke. Patients with high cholesterol are often prescribed medications to help lower bad cholesterol, or LDL levels. For people with borderline levels medications are not always need. Simple changes in diet and exercise habits may be all that these people need to reduce their cholesterol. For any extra boost patients can try one of these three natural substances.

  1. Niacin: niacin, is also known as vitamin B3. This vitamin has caught the attention of the medical community and naturopaths for its potent cholesterol fighting qualities. Niacin has been clinically proven to help protect against heart disease by boosting HDL, or good cholesterol, levels. Many patients may find this supplement difficult to tolerate due to its uncomfortable side effect, niacin flush. This sudden sensation of warmth and redness in the skin can be decreased is a baby aspirin is taken 30 minutes before you take your niacin. There are also extended release formulations of this supplement that may decrease the severity of the niacin flush.
  2. Fish Oil: fish oil supplements contain heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids that are known to lower triglycerides. Add fish to your diet or try a supplement to improve your cholesterol naturally. Click here to learn how much fish oil you should take to help improve your heart health.
  3. Soy Products: soy is being carefully studied for its potential to improve cholesterol levels. It is gaining popularity as part of a diet known as the portfolio diet which is a diet strategy that uses a combination of soy and other foods to lower lipid levels. Try adding soy to your diet in combination with a low fat diet for reduction in your lipid levels.

The best natural remedy for high cholesterol levels is a healthy diet and routine exercise. For those that need an extra boost, try one of these three supplements to see your cholesterol numbers rapidly improve.

Tips

Using Long-term Storage Beans Instead of Oil and Butter

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You can’t bake without 0il and butter – right? Most cookie and cake recipes require some oil or butter and while that’s okay, the fact is that oil and butter, when used in excess, can be a cause of high cholesterol and can add more calories to your diet as well.

What can be substituted for oil and butter that does not have the same high cholesterol – high calorie effect? You can use pureed bananas, pumpkins or applesauce in your baked goods but they do impart their own unique flavors. What low calorie food could you use that won’t change the flavor of your favorite chocolate cake recipe? Well, I’m here to tell you about how the long-term food storage beans in your pantry can be a wonderful substitute for oil and butter. If you think this is unbelievable, you will just have to try it out for yourself. Now, you can definitely find a use for that huge bag of beans that you have recently gotten.

Here are some useful tips for oil and butter substitution:

1.     Substitute oil for bean puree on a 1:1 ratio. Bean puree is simply beans that have been put in the blender and pureed.

2.     Substitute drained cooked beans for butter.

3.     Use a 1:1 ratio when employing beans as substitute for oil and butter.

4.     Use the beans exactly how oil and butter are supposed to be used in your recipe.

While using beans as an oil and butter substitute may seem a bit far-fetched to you, I guarantee that it really works. Go ahead and try it, and you will definitely be amazed at the difference, or rather, the lack of difference. If you want to also check out other ways where you can use other food storage items, then you can click this link: twitter – daily bread food storage.

UnDiet Note: the tips in this article are geared towards baking rather than grilling or sauteing. We’ve tried this method with great success in chocolate chip cookies and brownies 🙂

Tips

Ordering Take Out Food – Making Healthy Choices

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When ordering take out food from fast food chains, it’s good to know how to choose healthier options. I know that this can be a difficult thing when you are talking about fast food but consider the following options.

Burger Restaurants

When ordering take out food from burger chains, choose any one of these to ensure that you are getting a healthier option:

1.    Regular, single-patty hamburger without mayo or cheese and skip the bun unless it’s whole wheat.

2.    Grilled chicken sandwich and skip the bun unless it’s whole wheat.

3.    Veggie burger and skip the bun unless it’s whole wheat.

4.    Garden salad with grilled chicken and low-fat dressing.

5.    Egg on a muffin if it’s a whole wheat muffin.

6.    Baked potato.

7.    Side salad.

8.    Grilled chicken strips.

With any of the above choices limit cheese, mayo, and special sauces unless you’re doing a high protein diet.

Fried Chicken Restaurants

When you decided to drop by a fried chicken chain restaurant go for these foods:

1.    Skinless chicken breast without breading.

2.    Honey BBQ chicken sandwich.

3.    Garden salad.

4.    Mashed potatoes.

Avoid breading and fried items. Limit gravy and sauces.

 

Mexican Restaurants

When your choices are Mexican restaurant chains, the following foods are your best choices:

1.    Grilled chicken soft taco.

2.    Black beans.

3.    Shrimp ensalada.

4.    Grilled “fresco” style steak burrito.

5.    Veggie and bean burrito.

Avoid flour tortillas unless they’re whole wheat and definitely don’t choose breaded and fried items. Limit sour cream and cheese unless your doing a high protein diet.

 

Sandwich Restaurants

When you decide to go for a sandwich restaurant try the following healthier choices:

1.    Six-inch sub instead of twelve-inch.

2.    Fill your sandwich with lean meat (roast beef, chicken breast, lean ham) or veggies.

3.    One or two slices of lower-fat cheese such as Swiss or mozzarella.

4.    Add low-fat dressing or mustard instead of mayo.

5.    Add extra veggie toppings.

6.    Choose whole-grain bread and take the top slice off your sub sandwich and eat it open-faced.

 

Asian Restaurants

When you choose an Asian chain restaurant select foods that include the following:

1.    Egg drop, miso, wonton, or hot & sour soup.

2.    Stir-fried, steamed, roasted or broiled entrees (shrimp chow mein, chop suey).

3.    Steamed or baked tofu.

4.    Sauces such as ponzu, rice-wine vinegar, wasabi, ginger, and low-sodium soy sauce.

5.    Steamed brown rice.

6.    Edamame, cucumber salad, stir-fried veggies

Avoid sweet and sour as these contain sugar. Avoid deep fried.

 

Italian Restaurants

Italian fast foods are likewise on the rise and can be a great choice when you want to eat healthy.

1.    Thin-crust pizza with half the cheese and extra veggies.

2.    Grilled (“griglia”) dishes.

3.    Antipasto with vegetables.

4.    Substitute grilled or steamed veggies for the pasta.

5.    Order an entrée with a side of veggies.

Avoid breaded and fried items.

 

So you see that when  you’re ordering take out food you can choose to be healthy.  There’s no reason to compromise your health with foods that are not nutritious.  For a convenient way to order food online, check out vellka.com.