WATER RICH FOOD

Why water-rich foods are good for your health?

Water-rich fruits and vegetables offer the same benefits as water, plus a few more. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables with high-water content:

• It’s a diet rich in minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and fiber.
• It keeps the body hydrated, preventing tiredness and fatigue.
• It helps to flush waste and toxins out of the body. Water-rich foods are popular in detoxing and cleansing diets.
• It reduces water retention.
• It decreases the need for insulin in the body.

What water-rich foods should I eat?

Most water-rich foods include fruits and vegetables with about 85 to 98 percent of water. Here is a list of some of the best ones:

Vegetables with a water content of 90 percent or more

• Bell pepper
• Broccoli
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Eggplant
• Pumpkin
• Radish
• Spinach
• Tamoto
• Zucchini

Fruits with a water content of 85 percent or more

• Apricot
• Blueberry
• Cantaloupe
• Grapefruit
• Orange
• Pineapple
• Strawberry
• Watermelon

BENEFITS OF BANANAS

Adding a banana to your daily diet has an array of benefits in your body

Bananas are one of the most widely consumed fruits in the world for good reason. The curved yellow fruit packs a big nutritional punch, wrapped in its own convenient packaging. Some scientists believe that the banana may have even been the world's first fruit. 

EXERCISE TIPS

Tips to exercise regularly

Set a simple target

The beginning is always tough. And if you start with a simple target, you will be able to achieve it and then you will also feel motivated. So, if you are going to start walking, then start with a target of 20 minutes of walking initially and then increase it gradually to 40 minutes. Be realistic while setting your goal.

Focus on quality

There are a lot of people who spend a lot of time in the gym without really adding much to their fitness regimen. Quality needs to be a vital part of your exercise regimen. If you are hitting a gym, make sure that you do it under the guidance of professional trainers.

Concentrate on simple exercises

Don't get influenced by the six pack and eight pack abs of film stars. Listen to your own body and its requirements. Know how much to push yourself. The fundamentals are basic: You need to set a target, focus on quality, and challenge yourself. Focus on simple exercises and then work your way up to more complicated routines as you get more comfortable and gain confidence while pushing yourself.

Make it a habit

Be consistent, that's the mantra for maintaining a regular exercise regimen. There are no short cuts to your fitness goals. You have to exercise regularly if you want the desired results. On most occasions, people start exercising on an enthusiastic note and then they falter as the initial enthusiasm wears off. So, stick to your schedule.

HEALTHY EATING

Eat healthy food while still enjoying the foods you eating

Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods

You need more than 40 different nutrients for good health, and no single food supplies them all. Your daily food selection should include bread and other whole-grain products; fruits; vegetables; dairy products; and meat, poultry, fish and other protein foods. How much you should eat depends on your calorie needs. Use the Food Guide Pyramid and the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels as handy references.

Enjoy plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables

Surveys show most Americans don't eat enough of these foods. Do you eat 6-11 servings from the bread, rice, cereal and pasta group, 3 of which should be whole grains? Do you eat 2-4 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of vegetables? If you don't enjoy some of these at first, give them another chance. Look through cookbooks for tasty ways to prepare unfamiliar foods.

Eat regular meals

Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control hunger, often resulting in overeating. When you're very hungry, it's also tempting to forget about good nutrition. Snacking between meals can help curb hunger, but don't eat so much that your snack becomes an entire meal.

Reduce, don't eliminate certain foods

Most people eat for pleasure as well as nutrition. If your favorite foods are high in fat, salt or sugar, the key is moderating how much of these foods you eat and how often you eat them. Identify major sources of these ingredients in your diet and make changes, if necessary. Adults who eat high-fat meats or whole-milk dairy products at every meal are probably eating too much fat. Use the Nutrition Facts panel on the food label to help balance your choices. Choosing skim or low-fat dairy products and lean cuts of meat such as flank steak and beef round can reduce fat intake significantly. If you love fried chicken, however, you don't have to give it up. Just eat it less often. When dining out, share it with a friend, ask for a take-home bag or a smaller portion.

Balance your food choices over time

Not every food has to be "perfect." When eating a food high in fat, salt or sugar, select other foods that are low in these ingredients. If you miss out on any food group one day, make up for it the next. Your food choices over several days should fit together into a healthy pattern.

Remember, foods are not good or bad

Select foods based on your total eating patterns, not whether any individual food is "good" or "bad." Don't feel guilty if you love foods such as apple pie, potato chips, candy bars or ice cream. Eat them in moderation, and choose other foods to provide the balance and variety that are vital to good health.

KITCHEN TIPS TO KEEP YOU SLIM

Here are our kitchen tips to help you stay slim 

Keep healthy foods visible...

Try to make healthy food options more accessible by ensuring they are as appealing and convenient as possible, as well as making them visible and easy to find. Leave out a colourful fruit bowl, prepare a salad in advance, and put some chopped veggies at the front of your fridge, for example.

Move bad foods out of sight

Just as putting healthy food in a prominent position can help your diet, it follows that the opposite is also true. While it may be best to avoid buying junk food completely, if you must stock up on the odd treat make sure they are hidden away at the back of cupboards to help prevent cravings. By making these foods a little more difficult to get to (store them behind piles of tins, in high cupboards or in locked drawers – whatever helps), you will also prevent mindless snacking and give yourself some thinking time to decide whether you really want to give in to temptation.

Get some fridge-spiration

To help stay motivated in the face of your cravings, try transforming your fridge from a source of temptation into an inspirational reminder of your progress so far. Consider sticking your favourite photograph of yourself on your fridge for a positive reminder of why you should resist those cravings next time you’re tempted to hit the fridge. Alternatively, stick on a motivational quote or a handwritten note to yourself listing five good reasons not to binge.

Opt for small, blue serving dishes

While many of us think we are eating standard portion sizes, this is in fact not always the case. To help reduce your temptation to overeat, try swapping your plates, bowls, glasses and cutlery for smaller ones, which will help control your serving sizes as well as how quickly you eat. Also, while you are making the switch, think about opting for a blue colour scheme for your crockery, as blue is thought to act as an appetite suppressant.

Set aside an eating area

Whether you eat your meals in the kitchen or a separate dining room, it is important to set aside an area with a table where you can sit down and eat. Furthermore, it is important to ensure you actually sit there. Make it a rule never to eat out of packets or standing up and you will find that this drastically reduces your tendency to overeat. The process of putting food on a plate and sitting down to eat it not only reduces the tendency to mindlessly pick at food, it also increases your awareness of what – and how much – you are eating, and may make you think twice about doing it.