Health is wealth�”said the wisest of the wise and it holds true. Falling prey to dreaded diseases can have disastrous effects on our lives�” be it due to serious health problems or other minor trysts with nature. What you eat and do tells a lot about how serious you are about your health. Doctors agree that eating a lot of vitamin C rich foods in your daily diet strengthens the human immune system by leaps and bounds.

Healthy living has a lot to do with one’s discipline, sense of responsibility, commitment and respect for the body. We are aware that nature is the main source of positive as well as negative energy; it gives us shelter, antidotes and the elements required for survival. Vitamin C is abundantly found in nature�” in different vegetables and fruits of varying shapes, sizes and colors.

Known technically as Ascorbic Acid, it is not produced by the body on its own. This incredible component can be extensively found in citrus fruits and its presence is characterized by the sour taste that is bound to tantalize your taste buds. Excessive consumption of vitamin C does not typically result in any harmful side-effects on the body by reason of its water soluble nature.

Most fruits are known to have a high content of vitamin C. Some of them worth mentioning are citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and grapefruits and other fruits such as pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, papayas as well as mangoes. The list is incomplete without the mention of fruits from the berry family�”strawberries, cranberries and raspberries. Digging on for veggies? Some of the most nutrient dense range from green leafy vegetables, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, cabbage, tomatoes, squash and peppers. Yes, that’s right. Green and red peppers!

For all those who love to keep the skin radiant and beautiful, vitamin C is highly effective in reducing free radical damage to the body caused by over exposure to sun or pollution. Including vitamin C rich foods in your daily diet will significantly boost your immune system and overall health for years to come. Remember, it’s better to start today for a great tomorrow. Be vitamin C conscious!

Choosing from the large selection of retirement gifts can be difficult. Many of us when we think of a retirement gift, we think a photo of the group, or a watch, or something to do with golf, or travel. Which these are great gifts. I am thinking a little closer to home.

What is one of the most important concerns of retirees after their retirement? It would be concerns about their health. They want to stay healthy. They want to enjoy a long healthy life with family and friends. To be healthy enough to travel, play golf and more generally, be able to enjoy life.

As folks are usually older when they are ready for retirement, you may find them already choosing a healthy diet. They are already watching more carefully what they eat, how many calories, how much fat and how much sodium. Many are already on a high blood pressure medication or have had heart problems in the past or may be diabetic. So they need to choose a healthy lifestyle and eat healthy.

Here are some retirement gift ideas focused around food gifts: Note: It is helpful if you know some of their interests, hobbies, foods they like and don’t like for these gift ideas.

1. They may have always wanted to learn to cook, to be a better cook, or wanted to learn to cook a different way or style. The Mediterranean Diet has been touted as one of the most healthy diets. Perhaps if they enjoy cooking, maybe they would enjoy some cooking classes. Local cooking classes or send them to take cooking classes in Italy or Greece would be great gift ideas.

2. A set of cookware from a small set to a large set. A very basic set to a gourmet set of cookware. This would let them cook just about anything. As we get older sometimes our cookware has seen better days. Or give cookware that makes their cooking easier like a crock pot, (you will be surprised at the price range of $30 to several hundred dollars), or a pressure cooker, a Dutch oven or a pan or skillet with a lid. Good cookware makes cooking easier and more enjoyable.

3. A barbeque is a great gift. Cooking outdoors. No messing-up the kitchen. They can cook fish (which is good for their heart) without smelling up the kitchen. There are all types, sizes and prices.

4. Food items unless it’s wine or champagne are not as common for retirement gifts as they are here today and gone tomorrow. Retirement gifts are usually gifts that last and are remembered. If the person loves good food or has gourmet tastes, there are nice food options. Balsamic vinegar, (the best is around $175), is very expensive and unforgettable. There are collections of olive oils (olive oil is good for the heart) from around the world and some come in beautiful wood or olive wood cases. Truffles or truffle oil would be an expensive and unique food gift, (black truffles around $300-$600 or white truffles $2000 – $3000 per pound). There are chocolates in all different price ranges and qualities from all around the world and dark chocolate is good for the heart.

5. Herbs, spices and salt free seasonings are key to a flavorful healthy diet. Herbs and spices can be quite expensive depending on what you select, the amount and the quality. For instance, some of the best and most flavorful spices like Tellicherry peppercorns sell around $15.00 a pound and some of the best quality ground cinnamon sells for around $30 per pound, 1 ounce of Saffron is around $150 (the most expensive spice), but these flavors are amazing. If they are cooking healthy they need to increase and learn how to season their food without the usual salt, sugar and Msg. Salt free seasonings are important and make cooking easier and more flavorful, especially when trying to prepare a more healthy diet and/or a low sodium diet. Seasonings could be also be added to any of the gifts listed.

Can my healthy eating plans include oatmeal? Many individuals assume that because oatmeal contains carbohydrates and sugar that it cannot be included in their healthy diet plans. Because of misleading information this seems to be the consensus. Well, the facts tell us that oatmeal can be a part of your healthy eating plans and should be included in your healthy eating guidelines. Here is why.

There are many varieties of oatmeal and it is true that many are not the healthiest forms of oatmeal and should not be included in your healthy eating plans. Steel-cut oats are chopped oat groats and the least processed type of oatmeal. There are also rolled oats and these oats are steamed. Then the most popular and generally the least healthy for you’re healthy eating plans are instant oats, which are precooked and often contain added sugar.

Steel cut or rolled oats can be used as long lasting energy because of the type of carbohydrate that they are. You can even make a healthy shake out of them by combining 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1 scoop Prograde Protein Powder and 1.5 cups water. Oats of a healthy kind are usually eaten in what we think of as conventional ways, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Think outside the box a little to discover other ways to include healthy oatmeal into your healthy eating guidelines and healthy diet plans.

Nutritionally a one half cup serving of cooked steel-cut oats has 150 calories, 5gms of protein, 27gms of carbs and 4gms of fiber. One packet of plain instant oats has 100 calories, 4gms of protein, 19gms of carbs and 3gms of fiber. As you can see they have similar nutritional profiles with the steel cut oats being a little higher in overall carbohydrates and fiber. Now some would say that the instant oats would be better for your healthy eating plans, but if you notice I wrote “plain” instant oats. How many of you actually eat “plain” instant oats. What you see on the store shelves are instant oats that are usually flavored with something and many times filled with added sugar.

If you want to eat instant oats make sure you are selecting the proper type of instant oats for your healthy eating plans. You can always add chopped fruit, cinnamon or other low calorie flavorings to your oatmeal.

Some people are under the assumption that steel cut oats can not be made quickly and have to be cooked for long periods of time. Well there is an alternative to this method. Put 1/2 cup steel cut oats, 1/2 cup 1% milk, and 1/2 cup water into a large microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 4 minutes, stir and then cook for 2 more minutes. While I am giving you a microwave recipe, I am not suggesting that you cook all your meals in a microwave. Though if you need a quick healthy oatmeal recipe to use every now and then this is it.

Continuing with thinking outside of the box have you ever tried substituting oats for bread crumbs in just about any recipe? All you have to do is use a food processor and finely chop the oats. Then you can add them to ground beef to be used in meatloaf or use them as breading for fish fillets or chicken fillets. Just because something has carbohydrates or sugar does not mean that it cannot be included in your healthy eating plans or healthy diet plans. Make sure you take the time to look at the full nutrient profile and think unconventionally in regards to how you can include that food into your healthy eating plans.

If your goal is to attain a healthy body weight, then it is vital to monitor your calorie intake. You may find some useful guidelines in this article relating to balanced diet and healthy eating.

A high calorie intake with little exercise will lead to weight gain.

What is a balanced diet?

You will be able to achieve a balanced diet through a regimented intake of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, mineral salts, and fibre. For a healthy body weight, you have to take correct proportions and increase regular physical activity.

Carbohydrates are considered as the main source of energy

Proteins, allow you to build muscle for growth and repair

Fats are important as some of these contain fat soluble vitamins

With mineral salts, your teeth, bones, and muscles are strengthened

Fibre is important as it corrects the functioning of your intestines

How a balanced diet helps to maintain body mass index (BMI)?

Maintaining a balanced diet will help you attain weight loss. Eating healthily and exercising regularly will enable you achieve a good body shape. This can help you keep a check on your obesity levels, which can be measured with the help of body mass index (BMI).

Most doctors will take BMI into account when examining a patient. It is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in metres squared of a patient. If the BMI of a patient is:

Less than 18.5, it is considered as underweight

Between 18.5-25, it is considered to be a good body weight

Between 25-30, it is considered to be overweight

Between 30-40, it is considered to be obese

Above 40, it is considered to be very obese

Balanced diet and regular exercise

Overeating will have detrimental effects upon your health and lead to weight problems. To combat this, you must eat a variety of foods. Nowadays; people make unhealthy lifestyle choices, increasing their intake of junk food. However, consuming more fruits, grains, legumes and vegetables will undoubtedly have a positive effect.

Try to cut down on portion size and keep it moderate especially when consuming high calorie food. Ordinarily, the trend in restaurants is to serve large portions, however you should try to avoid supersized portions of food.

While selecting your diet, try to limit the intake of food containing high levels of sugar, salt, or refined-grain products. Once you have begun your healthy diet, try to combine it with regular physical activity for more effective results.

A fundamental dieting tip concerning healthy eating is to monitor your diet.

Try to eat slowly so that you get the time to chew food properly. When we rush meals we lose the ability to taste it.

You should be relaxed while eating food. If you stressed, it can affect the digestion process

You should avoid overeating once you are full

Never skip breakfast

You should eat healthy and small meals throughout the day

Losing pounds is a magnificent way of improving your fitness as well as helping you to look and feel better. Diet and weight loss are very intimately linked as you won’t be able to lose weight without having a healthy diet. If you need to diet to lose weight then you must start as soon as you possibly can. There is no cause to delay and a fast weight loss diet may well help you to lose weight really quickly.

When you know how to loose weight you will no longer need to be bothered about not fitting into your jeans or dresses ever again. There are lots of places that you can go to for information on how to loose weight fast such as newspapers, books and magazines and of course the internet. Knowing how to lose weight is a very vital ability for these image conscious times.

A quick weight loss diet can help you to shed pounds quickly and straightforwardly and can be a remarkable help in overcoming any weight problems that you may have. Weight loss diets can be an invaluable tool to help to keep you healthy and looking and feeling at your most excellent. A high-quality weightloss programme will make losing weight stress-free and easy and take the anxiety out of dieting.

Once you have found the correct weightloss resource for you start by incorporating it into your every day routine and start losing weight straight away. Weightloss programmes occur in a broad variety of forms and it is worth taking the time to pick the one that is exactly suitable for you

We are all familiar with the notion of eating right. There is so much information about all sorts of healthy foods and their calorie values. There is enough being written about how vitamins are good for us and what are the rich sources of this nutrient. But rarely do we get to know the approximate quantity that is required by human body on daily basis. What makes a balanced diet? To make it a little simple let’s get an overview of what should make your daily dietary intake.

The key nutrients that are required for smooth functioning of the diet are proteins, fat, fiber, minerals, iron, carbohydrates, vitamins and calcium. A diet that includes all these essential nutrients, in proper portion, is known as a balanced diet. Based on the average calorie requirement for a male weighing 60 kilograms it is 2700 and for a female weighing 55 kilograms it is 2100.

Different age and lifestyles demand more intakes of certain nutrients to counter the deficiency and restore the balance. The following is the list of essential foods and nutrients that are recommended in the general dietary intake for an average person –

Chapatti/Rice: Carbohydrate is the most important fuel for human body. It is the refined carbohydrates like sugar, white bread, sodas and other processed foods that make you gain weight and make you prone to diabetes and heart diseases. A daily meal should consist of 4-5 portions of carbohydrates in a day.

Milk or Dairy Products: Dairy is an essential for calcium, protein, phosphorous and magnesium. In fact some recent studies even suggest that dairy can help you cut belly fat. A minimum serving of 1-2 glasses of dairy is required every single day.

Vegetables: Vegetables are the most important part of a balanced diet. A minimum of 3-5 servings of vegetables are required daily to get minerals, fiber, iron and most vitamins. The fiber in vegetables also helps regulate the use of sugars in human body while helping to keep hunger and blood sugar in check. Eating vegetables is also linked to weight loss.

Fruits: One should eat at least 2 fruits a day to fulfill the requirement of vitamins in human body. Fruits besides providing essential vitamins boost immunity to keep away from infections with its anti-oxidant properties to destroy free radical.

Pulses/Poultry and Other Meat: They are the main source of protein. If you believe in the myth that eating extra protein will add muscle mass then you are wrong. The human body rather process according to the requirement of the muscle and the extra protein gets saved as fat in the fat cells. 2-3 servings are more than sufficient for daily protein intake.

Water: Human body is 70-75% water and forms the bulk of blood and tissue fluid and is therefore essential for transporting nutrients, hormones and waste products around the body. Water is also essential to help digest the food and generate the energy required for body movements and other physical activities. Minimum of 10-12 glasses are important for normal functioning of the body.

Fat: Extremely important for absorption of vitamins in the body. It also helps maintain the elasticity of skin. A person requires at least 4-5 teaspoons of oil/butter every day. So for all those people who consider fat as their enemy should start reconsider and add it to their diet. In fact the real enemies are the Trans-fat and Saturated fat usually found in processed food. Fat can also help you improve memory and build muscle.

These days, people are considering the benefits of healthy nutrition for overall wellness, but they don’t necessarily know how to combine good eating habits with a weight loss plan. The information that is available about dieting is somewhat overwhelming, and deciding on a diet plan can be a daunting task.

In some diets, fat consumption is acceptable as long as you avoid carbohydrates. Then there are other diets that allow carbohydrates, but restrict fat intake. There are a plethora of diets to choose from: meat diets, vegetarian diets, and diets where one eats a single food (i.e., the cabbage soup diet).

Most people know that fad diets are not a good plan. You may lose weight quickly, but over the long term, they are not necessarily healthy and you probably will not keep the weight off for good. When you finish one of those diets, you usually gain back the weight — even worse, you usually gain back extra!

So, how do you figure out which diet is best for you? Knowing what makes up a healthy diet is vital. If you want to have a healthy diet, keep in mind that disallowing certain foods or food groups entirely is counterproductive. The reason for this is that your body needs different foods to stay healthy.

Smaller portions are vital to weight loss. For instance, if you are out for a special occasion and want to have a cheeseburger, have only a regular one, not a double cheeseburger — and leave off the bacon. You can fill yourself up with a little yogurt or a salad.

Although it is vital to control your portions, you must avoid starving yourself. This will actually make your weight loss slower by slowing down your metabolism. Your body will be tricked into thinking it’s starving and, instead of letting you lose the fat by burning it, it will store it.

A healthy diet should include 3 meals per day. There are some weight loss plans that suggest you eat four to five small meals daily. This lets you lose weight and improve your health while avoiding being hungry. If your weight loss plan leaves you feeling constantly hungry, you will probably give up.

Physical activity is another essential element for any diet. In order to lose weight in a healthy way, you will need to reduce the amount of food that you eat and increase your physical activity. An hour-long walk or a ten minute exercise routine a few times each week will surely help you to lose weight quicker and feel healthier.

When you are just getting started, it is important to avoid working out too strenuously. You risk pulling a muscle or suffering a major injury.

Before beginning any diet or exercise routine, it is wise to get your doctor’s advice to make sure that you are healthy enough to do so. After you are told that it is safe to proceed, you can begin shedding the pounds and living a healthier life.