Did your mom enlist you in the “clean plate club” at an early age? Do you get your down-home cooking skills and your growing waistline from her? Well, recent research says that women learn their eating habits (and so many other good things) from their mothers. Here’s why it’s so important to teach our daughters healthy eating habits.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Like the old adage “like mother, like daughter” says, women can pick up many eating habits by watching their mothers in the kitchen.

Investigators found that low-income African-American women often learn from their mothers to be “grateful” for the food they are given, but may get few lessons on which foods are healthier than others.

Specifically, discussions with 21 women between the ages of 25 and 65 revealed that women were often taught that food was scarce, and they should eat everything they are served - a practice that could lead to overeating. And while some mothers told their daughters that they should eat more vegetables because they are “good for you,” other daughters received no such information.

Girls watch their mothers closely, and these findings demonstrate that women have a great opportunity to provide their daughters with life-long healthy eating habits, “by their own positive example,” study author Dr. Diane Baer Wilson told Reuters Health.

“Habits become behaviors when they begin early, when they are routinely observed in parents, and seem to be valued by an authority figure,” she said.”Parents can use their influence to model positive health habits for children, including healthy eating and exercise,” added Wilson, who is based at the VCU School of Medicine in Virginia USA.

During the study, Wilson and her team reviewed information gathered from four discussion groups with the women. Two of the groups included women between the ages of 25 and 45, and the other two groups were made up of women between the ages of 46 and 65.All study participants were members of the African Methodist Episcopalian church, and lived in low-income communities in South Carolina.

Although there were many similarities between the older and the younger women, theresearchers discovered important differences, as well. For instance, younger women were more likely to say that they eat differently now than their mothers did, noting that their busier lifestyle and added conveniences like microwaves often discourage them from cooking large meals three times per day, as their mothers did.

Younger women also indicated that they learned about the importance of healthy eating and its relationship to diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure at an earlier age than older women. In many cases, women also picked up their attitudes about their bodies from their mothers. For instance, older women said they were often taught by their mothers to be happy with their bodies, and their mothers only rarely spoke about wanting to lose or gain weight. However, some younger women reported that their mothers dieted, or were concerned that their daughters looked too thin.

This study may not be 100% in its findings but it is just common sense that we mothers should provide the very best role model for our daughters. Make sure that it exists in our daily approach to children’s nutritional needs.

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Cutting the Cost of Eating Healthy

Many friends and acquaintances tell me that healthy eating is all very well but is far too expensive for those on low incomes.

I feel compelled to explain that even nutritionists, like many others, exist on tight budgets.

Nevertheless, I am pleased to receive these views as they highlight a common misconception.

Perhaps those who genuinely believe healthy eating is expensive are not too keen on the idea of cooking or spending time in the kitchen. Certainly, healthy food can consist of an expensive recipe from a celebrity cookbook. But it needn’t be. Tasty, healthy food can be made using the simplest and most basic ingredients.

Convenience food, on the other hand, may be quick and easy to prepare but is neither cheap nor healthy.

Here are some healthy ideas to help keep your shopping costs down. No doubt you can think of many more:

*Boost your fruit intake by eating it between meals as a snack with seeds, nuts or pieces of cheese instead of spending your cash on chips and chocolate.

*Make home-made muesli rather than buying sugary breakfast cereals: Soak a handful of oats in filtered water for 15 minutes. Add a chopped apple or any seasonal fruit and some nuts or seeds. Serve with a dash of milk or yogurt.

*Make a fruit salad and store for up to two to three days in the fridge: Buy a can of ready-made fruit salad sweetened with apple or grape juice, add chopped fresh fruit of your choice and a little fresh orange or apple juice. Decorate with ready-to-eat dried fruit, nuts or dessicated coconut.

*Increase your vegetable intake by steaming several vegetables at once with your main meal and adding fresh or frozen vegetables to casseroles and stews.

*Home-made vegetable soups with added lentils or barley are quick and easy to prepare and can be frozen into several portions.

*Save chicken bones and boil for an hour to make a delicious stock or gravy.

*For healthier chips, scrub a few potatoes, cut into slices and then sticks, with skins retained. Arrange in one layer in baking pan. Brush with olive oil and soy sauce. Bake for 20-30 mins in a pre-heated oven (220ºC).

*Keep a good stock of low-cost, healthy store-cupboard items such as canned fish (sardines, tuna and mackerel), tomatoes and brown rice.

*Baked beans on a baked potato sprinkled with grated cheese and eaten with a salad is easy, cheap and tasty.

*Boiled or poached eggs and oily fish are useful standbys as they contain vitamin D - a nutrient that is essential to good health.

*Plan ahead and stock up basic ingredients such as rice, meat or fish when they are better priced.

*The ancient, enjoyable art form of cooking is easily learned and you’ll be less likely to resort to expensive takeaways.

Finally, cut down on your transport costs by sharing the shopping chores with your family, friends and neighbors.

Eating well doesn’t have to be expensive if you plan ahead and smartly.

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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It is no secret that eating fruit is good for you and has plenty of health benefits - but what are they? Generally, people who eat more fruit as part of a healthy diet are less likely to develop diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer, and they provide your body with all the nutrients it needs to fight other infections and repair cells, too.

Most people want to be as healthy as possible. We want to be able to enjoy life without the constraints of illness and disease, and live a long, and active life. Eating fruit every day as part of a balanced diet is just one of the ways we can improve our health, and give our bodies a helping hand in living to a ripe old age.

Why Fruit?
These days our bodies need more vitamins and minerals than ever before. This is because we work longer hours, are exposed to more toxic fumes from pollution and are under more stress than we used to be. Eating fruit every day is a simple way of providing your body with these nutrients to ensure you are well equipped to deal with the stresses of daily life, and possibly protect you from illnesses in the future.

A diet involving regular amounts of fruit will provide your body with antioxidants to help prevent free radicals from attacking the body.

Free Radicals
Free radicals are molecules that are produced when our bodies react with oxygen. They react with other molecules within cells and can damage their proteins, membranes and genes. The damage caused can lead to the onset of disease, in particular Alzheimer’s, heart disease and cancer. It also contributes to the ageing of our bodies.

The following external factors also trigger the production of free radicals in the body:

* Pollution
* Sunlight
* Smoking
* Alcohol

This means we are exposed to more free radicals than ever before.

Antioxidants
The body also naturally produces antioxidants, which fight free radicals and help prevent premature ageing and the onset of disease. These antioxidants neutralize the free radicals and stop them attacking our healthy cells. Because we are exposed to more and more free radicals every day, we need more antioxidants to neutralize them.

Fruit is a great source of antioxidants. Eating them regularly will stop free radicals attacking and mutating our cells.

Other Health Benefits
Fruit is also paced with dietary fibre, which helps to keep your digestion system running properly. Not only will this help expel waste products more efficiently, but it can also help prevent colon and bowel cancers as well, as there will be fewer toxins exposed to that area for less time.

How Much Fruit Neutralizes Free Radicals?
You should eat five portions of fruit or vegetables each day as part of a balanced diet. This should give you a mixture of all the nutrients and vitamins necessary to ward off free radicals.

The fruit can be consumed in a number of ways - in smoothies, on its own as a snack, on pizza or dried on breakfast cereal. There is a very wide variety of fruit for you to chose from, so you needn’t eat the same fruit each day (in fact, it’s better for you if you eat a wider range of fruit as possible, as different fruits have different combinations of minerals and nutrients in them).

Below is a list of the health benefits of eating five portions of fruit or vegetables a day:

* Reduced risk of a stroke and other cardiovascular diseases
* Reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes
* Reduced risk of developing certain cancers, including mouth, stomach and colon or bowel cancers
* Reduced risk of developing coronary heart disease
* Reduced risk of developing kidney stones and osteoporosis

Eating fruit as part of your daily diet will make you feel better, look better, and be more active and healthy. Any fruit will do, dried, frozen, fresh or tinned. Why not eat fruit instead of chocolate or crisps as a snack, or enjoy it dried over your breakfast cereal? It’s easy to enjoy fruit as part of your diet, and much healthier too.

(6 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Good Workouts Need a Good Diet

Whether you’re a recreational athlete or a competitive one, you need the right foods to fuel your physical activity.

A healthy diet and the right amount of fluid are keys to good performance. That’s because food provides the energy your body needs to work. The more active you are, the more energy you need. Calories provide that energy. Serious athletes need more calories and fluids than those who are less active.The best diet for you depends on:

*The kind of physical activity you do. A marathon runner has different food needs than a weight lifter or weekend jogger.

*How long and how often you work out.

*Your size and weight.

Although the same diet won’t work for everyone, there are some general guidelines that will. One is that you build your “active” diet around a variety of healthy foods. No “magic” food or diet will turn you into a super-jock.Another is that, for the active person, carbohydrates and water are the rule. In fact, about two-thirds of your calories should come from carbohydrates.
With all the sports nutrition advice out there, it’s not uncommon for experts to disagree. But avoiding fad diets and foods, and sticking to the basic rules should keep you out of trouble.

If you have nutrition questions related to a specific sport or training routine, consider talking to a qualified trainer or sports nutrition expert. You also can find books dedicated to the sport or activity you’re interested in.

Make friends with carbohydrates. You can’t work out, train, or compete well on a low-carbohydrate, low-calorie diet. Your body stores carbohydrates as glycogen in your muscles and liver, and uses it when you exercise. Therefore, about two-thirds of your calories should come from carbs. Good sources include cereal, bread, pasta, fruit, and vegetables.

Know when to eat. Eating before you exercise can rev you up for a good workout and keep you from feeling lightheaded or tired. But having a big meal right before an intense workout can make you sick. A rule of thumb for eating before exercising: allow four hours for a big meal to digest (1,200 calories); two hours for a light meal (about 600 calories); and an hour or less for a snack (300 calories).

Generally, you need to drink eight to 10 cups of fluid a day when working out to avoid drying out. You won’t perform your best if you don’t get enough to drink. Without enough fluid, you can’t build as much muscle or endurance, or burn as many calories. Drink two cups of fluid a couple hours before you exercise. If your workout is an hour or less, drinking four to six ounces of water every 15 or 20 minutes should help you stay hydrated.
Drink something after your workout, too, like water, fruit juice, or milk. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which dehydrate you.

If you’re a competitive athlete, weigh yourself before and after you exercise. For every lost pound, drink 24 ounces of fluid. If you exercise an hour or less, water is best. If longer than an hour, try sports drinks with carbohydrates and electrolytes to replace lost stores.

Eat healthy foods. Vitamins, sports drinks, energy bars, powders and gels - you don’t need any of them if you have a healthy diet. Focus on the kind of healthy foods that give your body fuel. Besides carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables, and grains, include peanut butter, nuts, and yogurt for protein. Avoid candy bars, potato chips, and other high-calorie foods low in nutrients. Refuel your body. Your muscles and body need to recover after a long and tiring workout. Carbohydrates and protein will replace lost fuel and rebuild your body. Having something to eat or drink within 30 minutes after you exercise is best. Water, sports drinks, juice, and milkshakes are good. Try foods like bagels, yogurt, or a banana or other fruit.

If you want to get the most from your physical activity, make sure you eat right. While you’re not guaranteed a trophy, you’ll come out a winner, both on and off the playing field.

(3 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Big Breakfast, Means Eating Less

Between cutting carbohydrates, taking diet pills, and numerous other gimmicks, dieters have tried just about everything to loose unhealthy and unsightly pounds. However, they may have overlooked one, not so obvious, yet simple, solution; eat more. A new study could provide the answer to the weight-loss riddle that plagues so many.

John de Castro, Ph.D., a researcher at the University of Texas, conducted a study that demonstrated that eating a good breakfast helps reduce caloric intake during the rest of the day. De Castro studied the eating habits of nearly 900 adults, asking them to complete a log, detailing everything they ate during the day; including what time of day they ate it. “I looked at people’s averages (caloric intake at breakfast), and on the days where people ate more than that, they ended up eating less overall,” de Castro said. The results showed that people who ate a larger breakfast, ended up eating less over the course of the day, and by doing so, actually lowered their caloric intake by an average of 100-200 calories per day.

These results could mean good news for dieters. De Castro emphasized that techniques like this one can promote weight loss, but there are no guarantees. “Everyone is very different, even gender can make a difference.” However, he noted that based on a 2,000 calorie-a-day-diet, reducing caloric intake by 200, a ten percent drop, could easily translate into weight-loss.

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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