Portion planning 101

Scenario: you’re sitting in front of a huge meal and you have to decide between indulging in your appetite and following your diet. It doesn’t sound like a fun choice, does it? The solution is that if you plan your portions while you’re cooking and preparing your food, it can save you a lot of anxiety when you actually sit down to eat. In fact, if you don’t over-cook and only prepare what you will eat, you will feel much better about yourself because you can eat everything on your plate AND still be eating in moderation.

Here are some other easy things that you can do to control your portions:

Use the smallest plates that you can find so that you won’t be tempted to fill a large plate with food
Pay attention to food labels because they can be tricky. For example, one single can of soup may contain two or more servings. That’s twice the amount of calories.

Avoid communal serving bowls! Put the appropriate amount of food on your plate before you sit down to eat so that you’re not tempted to take more than you should.

A portion is the amount of food that we eat in one sitting. The most important step to learning how to cook with portions is to learn how to visualize what exactly the recommended amount of food is. So, what’s REALLY in a portion? The answers may surprise you:

- One serving of fruit or vegetables = the size of your fist
- One serving of fish, meat, or poultry = a deck of cards or the palm of your hand
- One serving of nuts or dried fruit = a golf ball or a large egg
- One serving of peanut butter = the size of a thumb tip
- One serving of ice cream = a tennis ball

We all know that constant portion planning can rough. Holidays, hectic schedules, stressful events are all reasons why we tend to over-eat. Remember, that it’s perfectly fine to slip up for one meal! The key is not to lose confidence in yourself, but just get your diet right back on track for the next meal. By establishing a healthy food routine and eating several small portions throughout the day, your body will be able to embrace an eating pattern that is much more natural. The best part is, you will be able to look and feel much better!

Copyright © 2006-2009 Curb Your Cravings LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Breaking News: Green Tea May Prevent Colon Cancer

Is there a cure for colon cancer? Quite possibly. And, you won’t have to search too far as you can find this potential treatment on many household pantry shelves.

According to a recent study, scientific researchers believe that brewing a regular cup of green tea may be the answer. In preliminary tests, the scientists “used mice as a model as a model for colon cancer, and treated the animals with azoxymethane (AOM), a chemical that selectively induces cancer in the colon”, explains a NutraUSAIngredients.com news story. “At the age of eight weeks, the mice were divided into two groups – one to receive water or a green tea solution as the only beverage source for a further four to eight weeks”. The results were promising as “the researchers report that consumption of the green tea solution significantly inhibited the formation of new tumors in the colon”.

Should this be verified, we can add yet one further benefit to the many already associated with green tea. The drink has been previously touted as being nothing short of phenomenal; the many benefits include “lower risk of certain cancers, increased weight loss, improved heart health and protection against Alzheimer’s disease”, explains the news story.

The statistics associated with colon cancer are staggering – an estimated 945,000 cases of colorectal cancer with approximately 492,000 related deaths are reported each year worldwide. We may not have to experience such further tragedy. Boil up some water and make yourself some refreshing green tea – just what could be easier and healthier? It’s important to note that test results show no benefits against any larger, pre-existing tumors.

Buy Green Tea Today!

Copyright © 2006-2009 Curb Your Cravings LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

What do Calories REALLY have to do with your Weight?

Remember when you were much younger and were scared of that monster under your bed? You were frightened of something you had heard about but never seen. The same can be said for calories. When dieting, you count calories, read about calories and steer clear of foods containing high amounts of calories. Calories seem intangible while the results of too many are definitely tangible.

So, just what are these dark, mysterious and frightening things? Calories are a unit of measurement of energy used within your body. This energy, of course, comes from food. A good comparison here could be with a vehicle. When you fill your gas tank, you can drive your car; without fuel, you are immobile. Should you “fill up”, you can leave your car parked in your driveway and the fuel is kept until you need it. “Filling up” on calorie-laden food is slightly different where you must do something to burn it off. If you work out, calories will be stored as muscle; if you are sedentary, calories will be stored as fat.

You can’t avoid calories altogether, but you should be mindful of them. Take care with how many you consume on a regular basis and what you do afterwards. Strive for proper balance with what you take in and how many calories you use. With people being unique, there is no set amount of calories you should burn off. Everyone is different!

Copyright © 2006-2009 Curb Your Cravings LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Go Green with your Diet

There is much talk these days regarding the concerns of climate change, and rightfully so. Our planet – and all those who live on it – is at risk. There are many ways that you can help, which require only modest lifestyle changes … replace light bulbs in your home with more energy-efficient brands, cut down on your driving and recycle. Why not also “go green” in your kitchen?

Buy local, organic food. You be supporting community farmers and guaranteed to get naturally-grown and chemical-free produce.

Choose all-natural supplements to help you reach your best health and weight goals from sources you can trust, like Curb Your Cravings.

Use cloth shopping bags. By forgoing the choice of “paper or plastic”, you can help keep those used bags out of the landfill. Your cloth bag can be reused repeatedly.

Turn off your appliances. Prepare salads or cold meals made with fresh low-calorie favorites!

Walk, bicycle or ride the bus to your grocery store. By limiting your driving, you will cut down on dangerous emissions. Bring along an empty pack or a small wheeled cart to help your transport your groceries back home afterwards. Think of the calories you burn, instead of gas!

Compost your fruit and vegetable peels. Feeding your body will do wonders for your health. Feeding the compost will do wonders for your garden!

Avoid plastic containers and over-packaging. Pre-packaged food is often more of a convenience; however, the extra wrapping, when discarded, isn’t healthy for our environment.

Buy in bulk. Larger quantities often are available with less packaging and at significant savings. This will also help you practice portion control by measuring your food choices.

Recycle any used cans or bottles used in meal preparation.

Use a refillable water bottle, rather than buying bottled water over and over.

Eat green fruits and vegetables for increased antioxidants. Green tea is also very good to reduce cancer risk, increase calorie-burning and fight infections.

Going green means taking care – so why not start taking care of YOU today?

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What are Antioxidants?

Our human bodies are magnificent machines … we are capable of movement, reproduction, transporting and growth. Growth, of course, happens externally with height and weight gain, hair growth and fingernail development. Growth, however, also occurs internally with our body’s cells. Internal cells, in fact, are being constantly replaced and renewed through oxidation. “Oxidation is a very natural process (when cells and oxygen meet) that happens during normal cellular functions,” explains Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, professor of nutrition at Boston’s Tuft University.

But through change, cells can become damaged thus becoming free radicals. “They are ‘free’ because they are missing a critical molecule, which sends them on a rampage to pair with another molecule … free radicals often injure the cell, damaging the DNA, which creates the seed for disease”, Blumberg further notes.

Enter the antioxidant. While free radicals bounce around hither-nither within our bodies, antioxidants limit the potential harm. Without antioxidants, our cells run the similar risk of being involved in a multi-car collision, where one vehicle collides into another, which bounces off a third vehicle and so on and so on. “Antioxidants work to stop this damaging, disease-causing chain reaction that free radicals have started. Each type of antioxidant works either to prevent the chain reaction or stop it after it’s started”, states Blumberg.

Antioxidants, therefore, are a very good thing. You can help antioxidants help you by eating the proper foods. The next time you visit your grocery store, stock up your cart with these top ten antioxidant foods:

• Green Tea


• Berries


• Broccoli


• Tomatoes


• Red Grapes


• Garlic


• Spinach


• Carrots


• Soy


• Whole Grains
  
  With taking the proper precautionary measures, your own human machine will continue to perform at peak efficiency and last for many years.
  
  Copyright © 2006-2009 Curb Your Cravings LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

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Omega-3 – the Super Heart Supplement

Got your tackle box? Bait? Rubber boots? Fishing pole? It’s time to go fishing to improve your health! Your catch of the day will be more Omega 3 fatty acids!

Omega-3 fatty acids may have been medically proven to:


- Improve circulation and flow of oxygen to your vital organs

- Reduce inflammation and joint pain (ie. arthritis)

- Increase oxygen and blood flow to your Heart

- Manage and lower cholesterol for proper levels

- Help prevent heart disease, heart attacks and strokes

- Improve memory and brain function- Strengthen your immune system

One of the best sources for Omega 3 is fish oils. Dietary guidelines, long recommended by the American Heart Association, urge adults to eat a minimum of two servings of fish per week … fish including salmon, Albacore tuna, mackerel, herring and sardines. If cooking fish is a bother, you can always find fish oil supplements and/or Krill Oil to add to your diet.

So, go ahead and drop your fishing line and don’t let those Omega 3 fatty acids be the ones that got away!

Get YOUR 100% natural Omega-3 Fish Oil Here!

Low-fat Mushroom Stuffed Pork Chops from Curb Your Cravings

Pork is naturally low in fat and calories. A diet food dream! This recipe takes delicious juicy chops and stuffs them with savory herbs, spices, garlic and mushrooms. It couldn’t be easier or more delicious!

Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 90 min Servings: 4
Calories per serving: 229
Carbs per serving: 11 g
Fat per serving: 7 g
Protein per serving: 28.5 g

Ingredients:

2½ tbsp Celery, chopped
2½ cups Bread cubes (fresh)
2 tbsp Onion, chopped
2 tsp Garlic, chopped
2½ cup Mushrooms, chopped
¼ tsp Thyme, dried
½ cup Chicken Broth - Plain, low-fat
1 tsp Butter
1 pound Pork loin center loin chops (4 chops)
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tbsp Black pepper

Directions:

On rack in broiling pan, broil pork chops, turning once, until rare. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Arrange chops in casserole that is large enough to hold them in 1 layer and sprinkle with 1/8 tsp each salt, pepper and thyme, add broth, cover casserole, and bake for about 45 minutes. While Pork chops are baking, in small skillet heat margarine until bubbly and hot, add Onion and garlic and sauté until Onion is translucent. Add Mushrooms, celery and remaining 1/8 tsp each salt, pepper and thyme. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add bread cubes. Spoon an equal amount of stuffing mixture onto each baked Pork chop; bake, uncovered for 15 minutes.


Copyright © 2006-2009 Curb Your Cravings LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide