Wednesday, December 20, 2006
On the third day of Christmas my true love said to me...
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Today is my 'third' day of tips for keeping a check on that waistline over the Christmas festivities.
On the third day of Christmas my true love said to me...
ARE YOU NUTS ABOUT NUTS?
Nuts are a traditional snack at Christmas time. However, many people fear that eating them will have a negative impact on their waistline. The important point here is that there are 'good fats' and 'bad fats' and in the main the sort of fat you find in nuts is good fat.
Good fats are 'essential' for good health, hence they are called 'essential fats' and if you want to achieve or maintain a slim waistline, it is important to include 'essential fats' in your diet NOT exclude them.
Note: This is where 'no fat' or very 'low fat' diets fall down. You might lose weight but are you really healthy in the end and what about the long term effects of depriving your body of essential fats? I will not talk about those here as they are easy enough to research on the internet.
Nuts in moderation really are fine, although do give salted nuts a miss.
Another excellent source of 'essential fat' is seeds... eat them raw or include them in delicious recipes.
Yet another source is vegetable oils and the King or Queen of vegetable oils is 'Olive Oil' It really is 'top' oil! I like to consume a 'maintenance dose' of one tablespoon of Olive Oil a day. When shopping for Olive Oil look for 'Cold Pressed' and 'Extra Virgin'.
Oily fish is another exellent source of 'essential fat'. Eat 2 or 3 servings of oily fish each week eg herring, tuna, sardines and mackerel (including over the Christmas period).
To summarise; 'essential fats' such as those found in nuts and seeds, vegetable oils and oily fish are 'good' for you and will 'help' not hinder you in achieving / maintaining that slim waistline, and crucially they are vital for good health.
Tomorrow we talk about sweets / candy and chocolate!
Today is my 'third' day of tips for keeping a check on that waistline over the Christmas festivities.
On the third day of Christmas my true love said to me...
ARE YOU NUTS ABOUT NUTS?
Nuts are a traditional snack at Christmas time. However, many people fear that eating them will have a negative impact on their waistline. The important point here is that there are 'good fats' and 'bad fats' and in the main the sort of fat you find in nuts is good fat.
Good fats are 'essential' for good health, hence they are called 'essential fats' and if you want to achieve or maintain a slim waistline, it is important to include 'essential fats' in your diet NOT exclude them.
Note: This is where 'no fat' or very 'low fat' diets fall down. You might lose weight but are you really healthy in the end and what about the long term effects of depriving your body of essential fats? I will not talk about those here as they are easy enough to research on the internet.
Nuts in moderation really are fine, although do give salted nuts a miss.
Another excellent source of 'essential fat' is seeds... eat them raw or include them in delicious recipes.
Yet another source is vegetable oils and the King or Queen of vegetable oils is 'Olive Oil' It really is 'top' oil! I like to consume a 'maintenance dose' of one tablespoon of Olive Oil a day. When shopping for Olive Oil look for 'Cold Pressed' and 'Extra Virgin'.
Oily fish is another exellent source of 'essential fat'. Eat 2 or 3 servings of oily fish each week eg herring, tuna, sardines and mackerel (including over the Christmas period).
To summarise; 'essential fats' such as those found in nuts and seeds, vegetable oils and oily fish are 'good' for you and will 'help' not hinder you in achieving / maintaining that slim waistline, and crucially they are vital for good health.
Tomorrow we talk about sweets / candy and chocolate!
