Balanced Diet - The Food Pyramid

Balanced, healthy eating is based on the "Food Pyramid" which contains six main food groups. Eating a balanced diet means eating foods from each of the six main food groups, each day and excluding fats, oils & sweets.
The Food Pyramid (6 Food Groups)




1. Fats, Oils, Sweets: Use Sparingly
2. Milk, Yogurt & Cheese: 2-3 Servings
3. Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, Nuts: 2-3 Servings
4. Vegetables: 3-5 Servings
5. Fruits: 2-4 Servings
6. Bread, Cereal, Rice, Pasta: 6-11 Servings

If you follow the recommended servings for each of the six food groups (Fats, Milk, Vegetables, Meat/eggs, Fruit, Bread/pasta etc.) each day, and choose lower-fat, lower sugar brands, you are sure to get sufficient nutrients like: protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber.

By choosing the lower number of servings from each group your calorie intake should add up to about 1600 calories, per day. If you choose the highest number from each group, your calorie intake should be about 2800-2900 calories, per day.
Food Pyramid Serving Sizes
Food Group Serving Size
Bread, Cereal, Rice, Pasta, Noodles 1 slice bread; 1/2 hamburger bun or English muffin; 1 small roll, muffin, or biscuit; 5-6 small crackers; 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice, pasta, noodles; 1 ounce ready-to-eat cereal.
Vegetables 1/2 cup cooked/raw vegetables; 1 cup leafy raw vegetables; 1/2 cup cooked peas, beans, other legumes; 3/4 cup vegetable juice.
Fruit 1 medium apple, banana, orange; 1/2 grapefruit; melon wedge; 3/4 cup fruit juice; 1/2 cup chopped fresh, cooked, canned fruit (in juice); 1/4 cup dried fruit;
Milk, Yogurt, Cheese 1 cup milk; 8 ounces yogurt; 1.5 ounces natural cheese; 2 ounces processed cheese.
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs and Nuts In this group 2-3 servings equals 5-7 ounces of cooked lean meat, or poultry without skin, or fish. Note: 1 egg (or 2 egg whites), 1 tbsp nuts, or 1/2 cup cooked peas, beans count as 1 ounce of meat.
Fats, Oils and Sweets Use sparingly. Note: Use fats/oils low in saturated fat. Unprocessed vegetable oils are best. Avoid fats with hydrogenated fat or trans-fatty acids.

Alcohol is not included in the Food Guide Pyramid. But official advice is to limit consumption to two drinks a day (male) or one drink a day, (female). [One drink = 12oz beer; or 1.5oz spirits; or 5oz wine.]

Weight Watching Tips - Eating Habits

Eating Habits

The first step you should take is to adopt healthier eating habits. Not only will you gain more food volume this way but you can use natural low calorie seasonings such as onions to improve the taste. This is proven for long term health and fat loss while removing the strain of dieting itself. Here are a few tips on improving your eating habits:

1. It takes the brain approximately 20 minutes to tell the body that it is full. Therefore, if you eat slower or wait awhile before you decide to take more you are less likely to eat more than you need to.
2. Never go to the grocery store while you are hungry. You will almost always end up with something that you do not need, like junk food for example. It is also a good idea to plan ahead and arm yourself with a grocery list.
3. Drink an 8 oz. glass of water before and after each meal. This will help battle the feeling of being hungry while restricting your calories.
4. No matter what type of diet you are on, the main objective is a slight reduction in calories therefore resulting in mild to extreme hunger attacks. This is normal. Usually it will take a week or two for your stomach to shrink and adjust to these new portions, that's why the first few weeks are the hardest.
5. Next time you go to grab a quick snack, ask yourself - "Am I really hungry?" You would be surprised at how many times we eat for other reasons such as depression, habit or sheer boredom. If you find that the reason is one other than hunger, try and replace it with another pleasure to take its place.
6. Remember the old saying, "Everything in moderation"
7. If you eat the same amount of calories day in and day out your body will get used to that specific amount of calories resulting in a slower metabolsim. Give it something to work with and eat more calories once every week or two. Your metabolism will then speed up over the week as a result.
8. Lose weight with spicy foods. Hot peppers can increase your metabolism. Frequently adding them to meals will increase your body temperature therefore creating a more constructive metabolism.
9. If you are always on the run because of work or school and simply don't have the time to prepare healthy meals quickly, try a protein bar. They come in many delicious flavors such as chocolate and eating more frequently also works to speed up your metabolic rate.
10. Write down what you eat and stick with it. You'd be surprised at how many extra things you might be eating if you don't write your menu down. Either plan ahead with your food intake or start keeping a food journal just to see.

Weight Loss Tips - Weight Training

Weight training tones your muscles and raises your metabolism, which helps your body burn more calories 24 hours-a-day, even while sleeping. Here are the top reasons to make weight training a part of you weight loss program:


* Reverse the natural decline in your metabolism which begins around age 30.
* Become energized.
* Positive effect on almost all of your 650+ muscles.
* Strengthens bones, reducing your risk of developing osteoporosis.
* Improves muscular endurance.
* Will not develop big muscles on women, just toned muscles.
* Makes you strong. Strength gives you confidence and makes daily activities easier.
* Makes you less prone to low-back injuries.
* Decreases your resting blood pressure.
* Decreases your risk of developing adult onset diabetes.
* Decreases your gastrointestinal transit time, reducing your risk for developing colon cancer.
* Increases your blood level of HDL cholesterol (the good type).
* Improves your posture.
* Improves the functioning of your immune system.
* Lowers your resting heart rate, a sign of a more efficient heart.
* Improves your balance and coordination.
* Elevates your mood.

Do More Squats and Lunges

Forget about butt-busting fitness gadgets. A recent fitness poll certified fitness professionals found simple squats and lunges to be the best ways to tone and shape the gluteal muscles.

More than 36,000 certified fitness professionals were asked to name the best exercise for achieving a shapely rear end. Most of the respondents said the best overall exercise was squats - with or without weights. Lunges were named a close second.

Both exercises require core body balance and strength to isolate lower-body muscle groups. But other favorites were just as basic. Walking uphill, jogging and stair climbing rounded out the top-five.

Richard Cotton, an exercise physiologist, is quick to point out that toning and shaping any muscle group requires incorporating a strong aerobic component into your exercise program.

"Squats and lunges will work to strengthen your gluteals, as well as most of the major muscle groups of the lower body," Cotton said, "but you will only see a change in shape if you are doing fat-burning aerobic exercise and watching your diet as well. You'll get the strength benefits doing squats and lunges, but there will be no change in appearance without a well-rounded approach.

"Your best bet is walking uphill. It's the best combination of aerobic activity to burn fat and anaerobic activity to shape muscles."

Here are the top gluteal/lower-body exercises, according to surveyed certified fitness professionals:

1. Squats, with or without weights
2. Lunges
3. Walking, especially uphill
4. Jogging, running, or sprinting
5. Stair Climbing


Cotton also strongly warns against believing any specific exercise is a sure-fire way to get the body you desire. A number of factors determine body size and shape, including diet, cardiovascular conditioning, and strength training. But according to Cotton, something none of us can control - genetics - is the No. 1 factor in body shape.



If you're going to do it... do it right! Improperly done, any exercise can have poor results and more importantly cause injury.

Five Reasons Why to Get a Personal Trainer

Why get a personal trainer?

1. A personal trainer can show you how to lift weights safely. The trainer can spot you so that you don't exceed your limits and drop the weight on yourself.

2. A personal trainer can develop a personal exercise program to help you meet your goals. Maybe you want to lose weight or gain some mass. Perhaps you have special needs that the trainer can help you train for.

3. A personal trainer can help you get out of a stale routine so that you can make new gains. Every three to four weeks consider changing your program so that you keep your body off balance and make new gains. The body adapts very easily and needs variety.

4. A personal trainer can motivate you to get to the gym and lift that weight that extra repetition. If a trainer is waiting for you at the gym you are much more inclined to get yourself out of bed.

5. A personal trainer can help you with your technique. The trainer can help you lift the weight so that you can get the optimum results.