Why You Need To Eat Healthy Snacks for Adults

First of all, eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner is the normal eating behavior for millions around the world. While the next popular eating behavior is either breakfast and dinner or lunch and dinner. However, drop in blood sugar levels between meals, or feeling stressed, or simply being idle, may make you hungry. Therefore, eating healthy snacks for adults relieves the hunger while taking away the temptation to eat unhealthy foods.

Above all, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends that four to five or even six small meals spread across the day is better able to maintain blood sugar levels steady and stop hunger. Indeed, if people maintained an eating schedule and ate small healthy portions, they are more likely to maintain their weight. Moreover, small portions of healthy snacks between lunch and dinner may quell your hunger and keep you from overeating during dinner.

Why Eat Healthy Snacks for Adults

Above all, the primary reason people snack is hunger. But other reasons include:

In fact, even if they are not hungry, people snack when there is easily accessible, appetizing food. Furthermore, a study found that overweight and obese people chose unhealthy snacks because:

Finally, snacking can help people avoid becoming very hungry. When you go too long without eating, you become so hungry and you end up eating many more calories than you need.

How Healthy Snacks for Adults Effect You

Effect of Healthy Snacks on Burning Calories

Incidentally, snacking every few hours does not increase your metabolism. In fact studies show that meal frequency has no significant effect on how many calories you burn. For example, a study found that people who consumed an equal number of calories by eating either two or seven meals a day, burned nearly the same amount of calories.

On the other hand, another study found that a high-protein, high-carb bedtime snack may increase the metabolic rate the next morning.

Effect of Healthy Snacks on Blood Sugar Levels

Most noteworthy, it’s not necessary to eat frequently to maintain stable blood sugar levels. In fact, a 2014 study reported that eating only two large meals a day resulted in better insulin sensitivity, lower fasting blood sugar levels, and greater weight loss than eating six times a day.

Meanwhile, other studies found no difference in blood sugar levels when the same amount of food was eaten as meals or as meals plus snacks.

In fact, low-carb, high-fiber snacks have the best effect on insulin and blood sugar levels than high-carb snacks in people without diabetes. Also, snacks with high protein content may improve management of blood sugar.

Finally, a study showed that consuming a high-protein, low-carb dairy snack led to lower blood sugar levels before the next meal compared to a high-carb dairy snack.

Benefits of Healthy Snacks for Adults

Because healthy snacks are high in fiber and/or proteins they are more filling. Consequently, you may feel satiated faster and eat less healthy snacks or regular meals. Most of all, healthy snacks also provide you with valuable vitamins.

Also snacks with high energy helps you burn more calories, which is helpful if you are going to work out. On the other hand, snacks with better metabolism helps you quickly digest the snacks that you ate.

Features of Healthy Snacks for Adults

Above all, if you want to lose weight eat snacks that are low in salt, low in sugar, low in saturated fats, and low in simple carbohydrates. Also, snacks made from non-processed foods are better than snacks made of processed foods.

Moreover, snacks need to be low in calories but high in volume or density so that they take up more space in your stomach. Consequently, you feel satiated from your full stomach. Therefore, snacking between meals helps you manage your weight.

Next, healthy snacks for adults should be low in added fat, low in sugar, high in fiber, and high in water. For example, it’s healthier to eat an apple than munch on chips. In addition, eat whole-grain snacks such as whole-grain bread, vegetables, fruits or drinks made from fruits, and low-fat dairy.

Next, healthy snacks for adults have a combination of proteins and carbohydrates that keeps adults the fullest for the longest period of time. Finally, choosing healthy snacks high in protein and fiber are best to reduce hunger and keep you full for several hours.

Portion Sizes

Incidentally, when you eat healthy snacks for adults, look at portion size on the label and stick to that portion size. In fact, instead of eating straight out of the container, always portion out what you need. Furthermore, portion size should be enough to satisfy your hunger but not so much that you overeat and put on weight.

As an example, only eat the nuts in small portions. Because, eating straight out of the container, will make you most likely eat too many nuts and hence eat too many calories.

Healthy Snacks for Adults under 200 Calories

Incidentally, it’s best to eat snacks with about 200 calories and at least 10 grams of proteins to stay full till the next meal. Furthermore, if you are very active you may need to eat 2 to 3 snacks a day while if you sedentary, you may need at most one snack.

Half a Slice of an Apple with One Tablespoon of Natural Peanut Butter

First of all, this snack has 157 calories along with protein and fiber. Also, half an apple has 63 calories while one tablespoon of natural peanut butter has 94 calories along with 8 grams of fat. And, if you desire, you can use seed butter instead of natural peanut butter.

Ten Carrot Sticks with Two Tablespoons of Dip

Two tablespoons of creamy veggie dip is about 132 calories, while the inclusion of ten carrots add up to less than 200 calories.

Two 100 Calorie Bags of Popcorn

Two 100 calories bags of air-popped popcorn is a good source of fiber. And the air-popped popcorn takes up a lot of volume in your stomach, which makes you feel full.

10 Baked Tortilla Chips with ½ a Cup of Salsa

½ a Whole-wheat Pita and ¼ Cup Hummus Snack

½ a whole-wheat pita has about 85 calories while ¼ cup hummus has about 93 calories. Whole-wheat pita provides the fiber while hummus provides the proteins.

Medium Sized Apple Together with a String Cheese Stick

A stick of low-fat string cheese is between 60 to 80 calories while a medium sized apple has about 126 calories. The string cheese provides calcium and protein so the blood sugar won’t rise too fast from the apple.

Half an English muffin and Two Tablespoons of Cream Cheese

½ an English muffin has 64 calories while 2 tablespoons of cream cheese has 99 calories.

¼ Cup of Almonds, Walnuts, Cashews, or Pistachios

Unsalted, raw or dry-roasted almonds, walnuts, cashews, and pistachios are all protein and fiber rich with monounsaturated fats. But because the nuts are high in calories eat only small portions. For example, almonds have 132 calories per ¼ cup, walnuts have 131 calories, cashews have 39 calories, and pistachios have 173 calories.

Protein Bar

Get protein bars with very little added sugar, low calories, large amount of proteins, large amounts of fiber, and made with natural ingredients.

½ Cup of Frozen Yogurt Snack

Should have less than 150 calories per serving. Frozen yogurt has low-fat while supplying protein and calcium.

½ Cup of Cottage Cheese with Mandarin Oranges

Good source of protein and calcium with natural sweetness of the fruit. ½ cup of low fat cottage cheese has about 97 calories and one cup of mandarin oranges has about 72 calories.

½ Cup of Sorbet or Sherbet

Sherbet is about 140 calories while sorbet can range from 80 to 200 calories.

Two Large Hard-boiled Eggs

2 large eggs provides 12 grams of proteins and 155 calories. Moreover the 12 grams of proteins will make you feel full for a while.

Turkey & Cheese Roll-up Snack

Roll one ounce of turkey and one ounce of cheese for 140 calories. Lean meats like turkey are a good source of protein, while cheese is a source of calcium. You can choose a low fat cheese such as, for example, Swiss cheese. For lower sodium use baked turkey breast meat instead of the sliced deli meat.

English Muffin Pizza

First, toast English muffin, top off muffin with cheese and melt it in a microwave. One ounce of low-fat mozzarella has nearly 72 calories, one slice of tomato has about 5 calories, and ½ an English muffin has about 64 calories.

8 Ounces of Fat-free Chocolate Milk

Most of all, the 8 ounces of fat-free chocolate milk has 135 calories plus the milk provides protein and calcium.

Cereal with Nonfat Milk Snack

First and foremost, a cup of skim milk and a cup of cheerios has about 183 calories. Moreover, choose cereal with more fiber than sugar.

6 Ounces of Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt with Strawberries

First of all, a cup of strawberries provides vitamins and antioxidants along with 46 calories. Greek yogurt provides calcium, and 18 grams of proteins in a cup, while, a 6 ounce serving of Greek yogurt is just 100 calories. Also, it’s important to eat only nonfat plain Greek yogurt because other types of Greek yogurts carry excess sugar along with other unhealthy ingredients that don’t help you lose weight. And, for something different, you can add reduced sugar strawberry jam to the yogurt. Or you can even substitute other fruits like bananas, blueberries, blackberries.

Thin Sandwich with Turkey

Sandwich thins are about 100 calories and one 3 ounce serving of turkey is another 60 calories with 12 grams of proteins.

Fruit Smoothie

More Healthy Snacks for Adults

Celery with Cream Cheese

Simply spread one tablespoon of reduced-fat cream cheese on the stalks of celery. And, add a few raisins for some sweetness.

Cottage Cheese Snack

Most of all, cottage cheese has lots of proteins and calcium, making it a healthy snack. And for variety, you can pair the cottage cheese with fruits or vegetables.

Fruits and Vegetables

First of all, because they are full of vitamins and low in calories, fruits and vegetables are excellent healthy snacks for adults. Also, some whole-wheat crackers and cheeses are other good examples of healthy snacks for adults. Indeed, whole-wheat crackers with peanut butter gives you plenty of proteins and fiber.

Still more examples include apples, bananas, raisins, dried fruit puree without added sugar, carrots, snap peas, nuts, whole-grain dry cereal, pretzels, low-fat or non-fat yogurt, toasted whole-wheat English muffins, cherry or grape tomatoes, and pumpkin seeds in shell.

Lime Avocado

Cut a complete avocado with skin in half, remove the seed and sprinkle lime juice and black pepper on the avocado.

Chocolate Chip Yogurt Snack

Add 1 tablespoon of semisweet chocolate chips to a six ounce nonfat plain Greek yogurt.

Hummus

With its protein and fiber, hummus makes you feel full quickly. Or you can combine hummus with vegetables, such as carrots, for a greater punch.

Roasted Chick Peas

Because of their low sugar content, high fiber and protein content, roasted chick peas make for a healthy snack.

Edamame

Edamame is a legume with protein, fiber, potassium, iron, and magnesium. Consequently, eating edamame makes you feel full while your body gets lots of good nutrients.

Air Popcorn with Cinnamon

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon on air-popped popcorn.

Snacks to Avoid

First and foremost, always avoid processed, high-sugar snacks because you will feel hungrier an hour or two later. In fact, definitely avoid snacks that list sugar as one of the first few ingredients. Next, avoid snacks and drinks with added sugar. Indeed, fresh fruit is better than a fruit flavored drink. Finally, foods and drinks that list corn syrup as one of the ingredients should also be avoided.

How to Handle Unhealthy Snacks

Above all, snacks such as candies, cookies, chips, and ice cream have to be avoided at all costs. Consequently, the best thing you can do is not to even have these in the house.

The second thing you can do is storing these tempting snacks so that they are hard to see and also out of your reach. For instance, store the chips, candies, and cookies in the back of the highest shelf while storing the ice cream in the back of the freezer.

And, instead of putting out a bowl filled with tempting candies, put out a bowl filled with fruits. Lastly, if you must snack when you are watching TV, just leave a portion of the snacks out for munching.

A Keto Intermittent Fasting Tip for Energy & Sleep

Description: Special dietary plans like the keto diet or intermittent fasting are gaining increased popularity. There are a lot of discussions about the health benefits of these diet plans. However, what is often not thoroughly discussed is how does the keto intermittent fasting affect sleep!

Some people say that a keto intermittent fasting should be exceptionally beneficial for sleep. Meanwhile, others claim that they experienced insomnia while being on a keto diet. So, where is the truth?

When looking at the keto intermittent fasting results, you will observe that in the long run, both of these dietary plans significantly improve sleep quality. However, you will also notice that they can disturb sleep shortly after you use it for the first time.

We are going to take a look now at what is going on when you start with the keto intermittent fasting. Also, we will look at what you can do to improve your sleep.

Sleep and the Keto Intermittent Fasting

So, once you start with the keto intermittent fasting diet, your body goes through different processes, and ketosis is crucial among them. But this keto-adaptation intermittent fasting can be quite a shock for the body when you are just starting. In fact, it can lead to something called keto flu and insomnia.

The main problem lies in the fact that the body isn't receiving carbs that are responsible for the supply of amino acid L-tryptophan in the brain. By the way, L-tryptophan is linked with the release of serotonin. This is an issue because serotonin is a neurotransmitter that contributes to a better quality of sleep. Lack of carbohydrates subsequently means that you might have trouble sleeping during the first stages of an intermittent fasting keto schedule.

As we said, the longer you are following these dietary plans, the more your sleep will improve. But in the meantime, it is good to know some tips for better sleep that can help you speed up the process and allow you to sleep better and longer from the start.

Tips for Better Sleep

Drink Plenty of Fluids

Drinking enough water with the best exogenous ketones during the keto intermittent fasting can help curb food cravings, sharpen mental focus, and increase energy levels. However, if you go to bed thirsty, there is a high chance that you will be restless and have trouble falling asleep. It also increases the possibility of snoring due to a dry mouth or nose. Therefore, be well-hydrated before going to bed to make sure you will sleep better and longer.

Eat Healthily

It may sound like we are asking to impose another kind of restriction besides the keto intermittent fasting. But in reality, we aren't – the only thing is that to make sure you enjoy a quality sound sleep during the night, you must consume the ingredients that are beneficial for your body. Try to eat as many whole foods, plenty of vegetables or freshly prepared vegetable juices, and so on.

Practice Mindfulness

Practicing mindfulness is relatively simple. You just need to breathe deeply and slowly while being focused on the breathing or do meditation that involves simple moves. It, however, helps a lot when you are figuring out how to do intermittent fasting on a keto. It also helps you sleep more soundly.

Conclusion

As you see, the keto intermittent fasting diet can be super beneficial for sleep quality. Of course, at the beginning, you might run into some difficulties, but here we discussed some ways to overcome them effortlessly. Do you have some tips on how to improve sleep quality?

How Good is the Nordic Diet

The Nordic diet is based on locally sourced foods eaten in the Nordic countries of Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Greenland, and Iceland. The philosophy of the diet is to eat locally grown, sourced, or available wholesome foods. As a result, the Nordic diet can be adapted to foods locally grown, sourced, or available wherever you live.

Emphasis of the Nordic Diet

Nordic Diet Guidelines

The Nordic diet is based on the guidelines described here.

Eat Fruits and Vegetables

Eat Whole Grains

Whole grains such as oats and barley are an important part of meals. Another example is dark, dense sourdough rye homemade bread or from Denmark. In addition, eat snacks such as whole-grain crackers from Sweden. Most of all, they provide high-quality “complex’ carbohydrates that are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to protect your cells.

Eat Fish

Fish from the ocean, seas, and lakes provide many healthy benefits. In fact, fish containing omega-3 fatty acids help you by:

And, examples of these fish include:

Eat Meat

High-quality meat should be eaten in small amounts.

Eat Less of

Processed foods as well as less sugary foods.

Eat Home Cooked Meals

Home cooked meals using canola oil or rapeseed oil provide many benefits. Canola oil is low in saturated fat, high in healthy monounsaturated fat, and alpha-linolenic acid. In fact, alpha-linolenic acid is an omega-3 that helps protect your brain from such things as strokes.

Eat Foods from the Wild

Seek out more foods from the wild. For example, nuts and seeds are a good source of complex carbs and fiber. Also, they are rich in zinc, copper, potassium, vitamin E, niacin, antioxidants, and mono-unsaturated fats and poly-unsaturated fats.

Eat Organic Foods

Whenever possible, use organic produce.

Avoid Food Additives

Instead, use herbs and spices.

Eat Seasonal Produce

Seasonal produce provides an opportunity to eat foods that are only available for short periods of time.

Reduce Waste

Minimize waste by eating more foods that comes with little throw away packaging.

Composing your Meals

Most of all, the Nordic diet doesn’t count calories, instead you calculate the meal’s carbs to protein ratio. Indeed, the ideal Nordic diet meal has a 2:1 ratio of carbs grams to protein grams.

Furthermore, the carbs to protein ratio is based on a combination of Low-Glycemic Index (low-GI) foods and moderately high-protein foods. Most noteworthy, high-protein foods include low fat dairy products.

First, low-GI foods cause a slower and lower elevation in blood sugars compared to high-GI foods. In addition, protein-rich foods make you feel less hungry. Therefore, by properly balancing nutritionally dense foods, you can:

Carbohydrates

Select carbs using the guidelines below.

Proteins

Select proteins using the guidelines below.

Fiber

Vegetables and whole grains provide fiber. And, for extra fiber add chia seeds to your meals.

Sample Meals

Above all, a one half of a typical meal would include vegetables, fruits and berries. Next, one quarter contains low-GI carbs. Finally, one quarter contains protein rich foods.

In fact, proteins should be included in every meal. Also, starches like rice and pasta are fine but in smaller amounts than plant foods, lean meats and fish.

Typical Nordic Diet Meal Plans

Breakfast

Breakfast would contain dry fruits, grains, berries, or porridge with oats.

Lunch

For lunch, eat rye bread, salads, pickles, herrings, eggs, mushrooms, asparagus, green peas, rhubarb, wild herbs and fruits.

Dinner

For dinner, eat fish, meat from animals hunted in the wild, and vegetables.

Midmorning or Afternoon Snacks based on Nordic Diet

These snacks can be low-GI toast made in a toaster, fresh fruits or their juice using a blender, and nuts.

How to User Nordic Diet when Eating Outside

When eating outside the home, eat fresh vegetables (instead of potatoes) and pasta salads. Also, eat lean protein and low-GI sides like chickpeas. Finally, drink plain water with every meal.

Benefits of the Nordic Diet

Most of all, the Nordic diet:

Physiological Effect of the Nordic Diet

The Nordic diet can help you lose weight, reduce blood pressure, and inflammation.

Weight Loss From Nordic Diet

A 2016 study, with 145 participants, in the Journal of Proteome Research compared the Nordic diet to a Danish diet. Most noteworthy, the Danish diet is almost like an American diet. Also, the Danish diet, with more fat and less fiber, consisted of more meat, processed foods, and fewer plant foods. And, the study reported that after 26 weeks, Nordic diet participants were more likely to lose weight.

Another 2014 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at the effectiveness of the Nordic diet. Also, this study, which lasted six months, had 147 obese participants. And, the study reported that obese participants on the Nordic diet lost 10.4 pounds. While others on an average Danish diet lost 3.3 pounds.

Finally, a 2011 6-week study in the Journal of Internal Medicine reported the weight-reducing effects of the Nordic diet. And, the study reported that Nordic diet participants lost 4 percent more body weight than the standard diet participants.

Blood Pressure Benefits of Nordic Diet

The 2014 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study, described previously, also looked at how Nordic diet affects blood pressure. And, the study found that Nordic diet participants saw greater decrease in blood pressure than the Danish diet participants.

Yet another 2014 study, in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition had 37 metabolic syndrome participants lasting 12 weeks. And, the study reported significant ambulatory diastolic blood pressure reduction among Nordic diet participants compared to control diet participants.

Other Effects of the Nordic Diet

Next, a 2013 study in the Journal of Internal Medicine looked at insulin sensitivity and blood pressure. Moreover, the 24 week study involved 166 participants either on a Nordic diet or a control diet. And, the study reported no significant changes in insulin sensitivity or blood pressure between control and Nordic diet participants. However, the Nordic diet participants saw improved lipid profile and beneficial effects on low-grade inflammation.

Finally, a 2015 Journal of Clinical Nutrition study looked at effects of Nordic diet on individuals with metabolic syndrome. And, the study reported reduced inflammatory gene expressions in abdominal subcutaneous adipose (fat) tissue compared to control diet participants.

Downsides of the Nordic Diet

Some of the negatives with the Nordic diet are listed below.

Popularity of the Nordic Diet

How to Keep Your Gut Bacteria Strong and Healthy

The GastroIntestinal or GI tract is made up of the stomach, the small intestine, and the large intestine.  Indeed this entire tract is filled with gut bacteria that is important to your health.

Bacterial Genera in the Gut

First of all, the stomach is home to the gut bacterium Lactobacillus, with a population that is less than one thousand colony forming units per milliliter.

Next, the small intestine is home to two gut bacteria: Enterococcus and Lactobacillus with a total bacteria population of one hundred to one billion colony forming units per milliliter.

Finally, the large intestine is home to eight gut bacteria: Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus, Bacteroides, Clostridium, Eubacterium, Staphylococcus, and Coliforms with a total bacteria population that ranges from ten thousand to one trillion colony forming units per milliliter.

Most noteworthy, a 2016 study at the Weizmann Institute of Science reported that the average human male has about 40 trillion bacteria, most of which resides in his digestive tract. Moreover, all of these gut bacteria may weigh as much as two to five pounds.

Benefits of Gut Bacteria

Most noteworthy, the benefits of these gut bacteria include weight loss, immune functions, and digestive health. Furthermore, these probiotic mixtures help treat irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, atopic diseases, immune functions, respiratory tract infections, inflammatory bowel diseases, and treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection.

In addition, a study in the Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility reported about the beneficial effects of gut bacteria.  In fact, probiotic lactic acid bacteria strains from Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium likely help psychiatric disorder-related behaviors. Indeed, these behaviors include anxiety, depression, autism spectrum disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, along with memory abilities, including spatial and non-spatial memory.

Consequently, keeping your gut biome healthy is in your best interest. Indeed one way to keep the gut biome healthy, while also enabling its growth, is by eating healthy snacks. And snacks that help fuel growth of gut biome, while keeping it healthy, make up the healthy gut bacteria diet.

Healthy Gut Bacteria Diet with Bananas

First of all, bananas help stabilize gut bacteria. Moreover, a medium sized green banana contains about 3 grams of fiber, some of which is the Type 2 resistant starch, a carbohydrate. Especially relevant, neither the stomach nor the small intestines digest the resistant starch. Accordingly, the resistant starch feeds the growth of bacteria in the large intestines. Next, the bacteria breaks down and ferments starch passing through the large intestines producing short-chain fatty acids. And these fatty acids, in turn, may help prevent chronic diseases. Furthermore, use of fatty acids in treating ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and antibiotic-associated diarrhea has been demonstrated by clinical studies. Meanwhile, a good way to consume green banana is as a smoothie.

Benefits of Cheese

Eating soft cheese is an excellent way to deliver probiotics to the large intestines. In fact, the pH of the cheese enables probiotics to survive and grow in the intestines. Consequently, soft cheese is better than yogurt at delivering probiotics to the large intestines. Most noteworthy, soft cheeses with fair amounts of probiotics include cheddar, parmesan, and Swiss cheese. However, Gouda cheese delivers the most probiotics to the large intestines.

Cold Potatoes for Healthy Gut Bacteria

Cold potatoes are potatoes that are washed, boiled, and then left to cool down. Next, as they cool down, cold potatoes form a firm texture. Indeed, this is the resistant starch forming. And, like green bananas, these cold potatoes contain Type 2 resistant starch. Also, like green bananas, the Type 2 resistant starch is an indigestible carbohydrate ending up in the large intestines. And, like green bananas, the resistant starch feeds gut bacteria, encouraging their growth and helping them flourish.

Surprising Benefits of Dark Chocolate

Next, a study in the International Journal of Food Microbiology reported that chocolate protected probiotic bacteria in the stomach.  As a result, the probiotic bacteria made its way to the large intestines.

Indeed, 22 volunteers, experienced significant increase in Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli population in their guts after consuming high-flavanol cocoa for four weeks.

In addition, scientist at the 2014 American Chemical Society meeting reported more benefits of eating dark chocolate. Most noteworthy, cocoa contains flavonols - antioxidant molecules that are too large for our body to absorb on its own.

However, Bifidobacterium and lactic acid bacteria, at the end of the digestive tract, ferments the antioxidants and fiber in cocoa into smaller, absorbable compounds that make their way into our bloodstream. Moreover, these anti-inflammatory compounds reduces stress on blood vessels and lowers blood pressure - thereby benefiting the cardiovascular system. Finally, these anti-inflammatory compounds increase insulin sensitivity – thereby reducing the blood’s insulin levels.

Meanwhile, the fermentation process results in short-chain fatty acids like butyrate and acetic acid. And these acids helps fend off harmful microbes while reinforcing the gut barrier against antigens and invaders.

Healthy Gut Bacteria Diet with Garlic

Above all, raw garlic is the best source of non-digestible prebiotic fiber. However you eat garlic (either raw or cooked), the stomach does not digest the prebiotic fiber in garlic. Consequently, the prebiotic fiber makes its way to the large intestines where it promotes growth of gut bacteria.

Meanwhile, asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, onions, nuts, lentils, chickpeas, fruits, vegetables, and beans are also all excellent sources of prebiotic fiber.

Honey for Healthy Gut Bacteria

Healthy Gut Bacteria Diet with Oatmeal

Benefits of Sauerkraut

Sour Pickles for a Healthy Gut Biome

Healthy Gut Bacteria Diet with Yogurt

Baby Food Myths You Shouldn't Believe

Nowadays, there's a lot of conflicting information on the best baby food. And many mothers are bombarded with all sorts of nutritional information. As such, choosing the right food can be daunting. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that you wean your baby at six months, food-related myths prevent mothers from feeding their babies as required. For this reason, this article will discuss baby food myths that you shouldn't believe.

1. Introduce vegetables first then fruits later on

Most people believe that you should first introduce your baby to vegetables. But, this isn't true. If you give your baby fruits first, they are likely to reject or hate vegetables. Besides, they are sweeter than vegetables. However, there are no studies about this. Most of all, you should avoid allergy-causing foods and any other food that is unsuitable for the baby.

2. Giving your baby fruit juice is similar to providing fruits and vegetables

Pure fruit juice contains vitamins essential for the optimal growth of your baby. But, drinking fruits juice shouldn't be a substitute for eating fresh fruits and vegetables, which contain lots of fiber. If your baby drinks a lot of fruit juice, the baby may not feed well since fruit juice has a lot of calories and natural sugar. So, it's advisable to give the baby lots of water and a variety of fruits and vegetables instead. If, at all, you give pure fruit juice, make it yourself from fresh fruits and possibly dilute it with a lot of water.

3. You should introduce solids early

Most mothers believe that you should give the baby solid food early to avoid problems in the future. Failing to do so will make your baby refuse some types of foods in the future. However, this is one of the baby food myths. In fact, you should introduce solids at the age of six months.

Starting solids at 4 months or earlier makes the baby unable to digest the food entirely and can easily suffer from diarrhea. Your child will get used to a wide variety of foods when you introduce them gradually but at the right time.

4. Breast Milk contains insufficient iron

You should exclusively breastfeed your baby or give a formula for the first six months of life. However, some people presume that breast milk contains inadequate amount of iron, making it necessary to offer solid foods even when the baby is too young. Indeed, breast milk contains lesser amounts of iron than formula milk, but it's readily absorbed.

On the other hand, you need to increase iron in the formula to ensure that the baby absorbs enough. Also, introduce your baby to solid foods at the right time and offer iron-rich foods for additional iron.

5. All babies require vitamin supplements

A healthy diet should supply your baby with all the essential nutrients. So, vitamin supplements may not be necessary if you feed your baby food that is rich in energy and protein. But, a child with poor eating habits or from needy families can supplement their diet with micronutrients. Your choice of food affects the quality of your breastmilk, and your doctor may prescribe prenatal vitamin supplements if you're breastfeeding.

6. You shouldn't wean your baby with any other food apart from rice

Rice cereal is associated with numerous benefits. It rarely causes allergies; it's smooth and mixes easily. Also, it is ideal for the baby's first food. However, this doesn't mean that you can't start with other food types like pumpkin or strained apples. When introducing solids to your baby, you can give different types of food as long as it's safe and isn't likely to cause a reaction.

7. Growth hormones in milk or meat can make your child fat

Nowadays, kids have a sedentary lifestyle along with calorie-rich diets making them likely to be obese. Sadly, most parents blame this on growth hormones. Although they are useful in increasing milk production and lean muscle in cows, hormone products are safe. Hormones consumed in meat or milk are broken down and later digested. Moreover, they do not affect your baby's weight.

Final thoughts

Myth Busted: Veganism is on the Rise

As a lifestyle choice, veganism is on the rise. In fact, veganism is gaining popularity all around the globe. Although there are people apprehensive about foregoing meat, and they believe that veganism doesn't offer the same nutrition that a regular diet does, this is far from the truth. A lot of people think one can get proteins only from meat and dairy. With vegans abstaining from meat, many people fear losing essential proteins if they want to choose this lifestyle. Unknown to them, there is some plant protein that is a part of everyone's daily intake and is a healthier choice by evidence.

This myth about veganism has made people disinclined to it. But, vegan diet constituents like soya, tofu and others are rich in proteins. Nuts and seeds, green vegetables, and lentils are all rich sources of protein too. They also are enriched with omega-3 fatty acids usually found in meat, making them a healthy alternative. The consumption of plant proteins is especially useful in weight loss. Not only are they loaded with nutrients, but they also contain less fat than animal proteins and more fiber. In fact, fiber is especially essential for weight loss. Plant-based proteins are also devoid of allergy-causing substances like gluten, dairy, nuts, and such.

The consumption of plant based proteins has become easier with them being available in many forms. The most versatile is protein powder derived from plants. This can be added to any meal and have no taste.

Now, that veganism is on the rise, plant protein has become a raging hit amongst fitness enthusiasts. Consequently, this has led to a boom in their production. They are now available for convenient consumption based on one's diet or regimen.

Protein Shakes

A protein shake is perhaps the best way to start the day. Vegan protein shakes use plant based protein combined with other nutrients to give a power-packed start in the morning. People who start their day by jogging can benefit from these protein shakes. For maximum calorie burn during a run, one can consume a protein shake before starting. Due to these protein shakes being plant based, they burn calories faster. They are also available in many flavors and brands offering non-GMO protein powders. Incidentally, they boost immunity as well.

Capsules

Many people with hectic schedules often find themselves skipping the gym or even forgoing their exercise routine altogether. People who cannot find time for exercise should at least switch to a more nutritional diet. Supplements aid in adding nutrition to the diet, ensuring all the necessary proteins are made available for bodily functions. Plant based proteins also come in capsule form to supplement an individual's protein intake. They are safe for all ages as they come from natural sources.

Protein Desserts

Everyone craves desserts at some point. Desserts are the ultimate comfort food. But, most desserts are usually loaded with calories and show up immediately on the weight machine. These fats are hard to get rid off as well. Substituting these desserts made with all-purpose flour by protein flour is a great way to ensure there is no additional weight gain. Protein flours are extracted from plants and nuts and don't affect the taste of the desserts either. Pancakes, mousses, puddings, virtually all types of desserts are now available in protein alternatives. For the home baker, they can purchase the flour and bake any dessert they wish to without guilt. While satiating the appetite, these recipes also contribute to one's daily nutrition intake.

One can incorporate plant proteins into any diet with many options available in the market. Many online nutrition supplement stores, with worldwide shipping, make healthy living achievable to anyone. These vegan options benefit not only the individual but also the planet as they discourage the growing of GMO plants and lead to greener farming methods, thus helping the entire world in the process.

How to Lose Weight - Foods with Strong Aroma

Foods with strong aroma appear to have the potential to help lose weight. In fact, two studies describe two different ways of using aroma to achieve that goal.

Eat Foods with Strong Aroma

Above all, people naturally eat smaller bites of food that isn’t very tasty or food that is not familiar. Therefore, we associate smaller bites with food having low flavor or taste.

In addition, research shows that people take smaller bites when food aroma is strong. Indeed, our unconscious self-regulating mind tells us that because the food has strong aroma, it must be rich with calories. As a consequence, we take smaller bites. In addition, the self-regulating mind subconsciously tells us to take fewer number of bites to feel satiated. As a result, we eat less which, in turn, helps with our weight.

On the other hand, when food has very little or no aroma, our unconscious self-regulating mind tells us the food doesn’t have too many calories. As a consequence, we take bigger bites. In addition, our subconscious mind tells us that since the food likely doesn’t have too many calories, it’s OK to take many bites. As a result, we likely eat more, which, in turn, causes us to put on weight.

In fact, a similar effect occurs with taste. For example, we eat small amounts with each “bite” of a very salty soup. And likely we won’t take too many such “bites” of the soup. On the other hand, if the soup isn’t salty, we eat larger amounts of the soup with each “bite”. And likely we take too many “bites” of the soup.

Incidentally, the “bite” size reduction with salty soup is about 5%. Similarly, the “bite” size is reduced by about 5% for foods with aroma.

Role of Self-Regulation

Indeed, the key here is self-regulation. That you are consciously trying to not overeat. A similar thing happens, when you have a mouth-watering aromatic chocolate cake in front of you. No doubt, you would want to eat the biggest piece of mouth-watering cake. However, your self-regulating mind causes you to take a smaller piece. Then, eat that by further taking small bites while reducing the number of bites.

Or, if you have a low aromatic salad, you associate the low aromatic salad with fewer calories. Consequently, you not only take bigger bites of the salad but you take more of them.

On the other hand, this method does not work for someone whose eating habits are not self-regulated. In fact, you may be just the kind of a person, who, if they see a chocolate cake in front of you, you may eat not one slice, but even two or three slices. And if you have some very tasty and mouth-watering aromatic foods, you are tempted to take bigger bites and more of them.

In conclusion, the method works for anyone who has a self-regulating mind when it comes to food.

Smell Foods with Strong Aroma

Meanwhile, a new study reports that breathing the strong aroma of indulging high-calorie foods for more than two minutes satisfies your taste buds and your stomach. And, this reduces the temptation to eat the high calorie indulging food.

So, the next time you come across the strong aroma of indulging food, wait for two minutes or more before deciding on taking a bite. Or if the strong aroma of indulging food doesn’t reach your nostrils, carry a nebulizer with you. And, take a whiff with a nebulizer that gives off the scent of strong aroma indulging food. After waiting for two or more minutes, your desire for the indulging food may disappear.

On the other hand, since non-indulging foods don’t give off as much aroma, they do not affect our rewards system so much. As a result they have less influence on what we eat.

In fact, studies done at a school cafeteria and a supermarket demonstrated these effects. In the study, participants were exposed to the aroma of indulging cookies for more than two minutes as well as lack of aroma from the non-indulging strawberries. As a result the purchases of cookies were lower than the purchases of strawberries. Indeed, the prolonged exposure to the indulging cookies induced pleasure in the brain’s reward system resulting in a diminished desire for the actual eating of the indulging cookies.

On the other hand, when exposure to the aroma of indulging cookies was less than 30 seconds, more cookies were purchased than the strawberries. So, next time you come across strong aromatic indulging foods, soak the aroma for two or more minutes before deciding on eating the indulging food.

How Does it Work

Above all, olfactory fatigue is the common experience of losing sensitivity to smells after prolonged exposure. In fact, your body adapts to the smell. As a consequence, the effects of the smell weakens over time. And, eventually you won’t be able to recognize the smell. After prolonged exposure, olfactory fatigue allows your body to adapt to the smell so as not to overload your nervous system.

For example, smelling a cookie activates smells cells, located at the end of your nasal passage. As a result, the smell cells send chemical messages to the brain. And the brain interprets these messages before relaying them to the mouth. Indeed, this entire process is known as the olfactory referral.

Moreover, the olfactory referral happens with each breath exposing us to the smell. And, our bodies adapt to the smell with continued stimulation. As a consequence the effect of the smell weakens. In fact, our brains are programmed to tell us when smell changes. And not to tell us when things smell the same as they did a few minutes ago.

First of all, retronasal olfaction refers to acquiring smell related information through the back of the mouth. And, orthonasal olfaction refers to acquiring smell related information through the nostrils. In fact, both methods influence flavor. For example, food aroma such as vanilla causes something perceived as sweet, to taste sweeter. And, once you experience the smell of food along with its flavor, the two become associated; thus, smell influences taste and taste influences smell.

So when you smell food aroma for two or more minutes, you get the effect of having tasted it. And having tasted it satiates you. So the desire to actually eat it lessens.

Is the Ninja Blender Right Machine for Making Smoothies and Juices?

1. Ninja Professional Countertop Blender

Quality Feature of the Ninja Professional 72oz

2. Ninja Nutri Pro Personal Blender

Here is another blender with 900-watt base. It is great and known for its powerful motor. Also, it has a single serving cup. This model of the Ninja brand comes with 18oz smoothies and 24oz cups. This type of blender has a nice twist on the sprout covers. It enables you to take your drink out if you are going for a stroll. The motor is integrated with 900 watts of power; this makes it crush solid items, including rice, seeds, nuts efficiently. Ninja Nutri Pro Personal Blender has stainless steel blades that are thick, sharp and unbreakable.

Quality Features of Ninja Nutri Pro Personal Blender

3. Ninja Personal Blender

This type of Ninja blender is for personal use, good for smoothies, juices, shakes, food prep and also for frozen blending. It has a 700-watt base. This is the most affordable and better for someone living alone. For a single person, it can efficiently prepare nutrient-rich smoothie, juice, protein shake and other kinds of blending activities. The Ninja personal blender is made with double 16oz Nutri ninja cups, seal lids and slip, plus 30 recipes for juices and smoothies. For coffee lovers, this blender is great at bullet-proof coffee too.

Note that this particular blender is small, so for this reason, you have to cut all the materials or ingredients you want to blend into smaller pieces and add milk, water or yoghurt. It can not blend a whole fruit well like the bigger ninja blenders. So making the pieces smaller is better for efficiency and consistently blending of the content into the needed fine paste or juice. Good maintenance of this blender makes it last longer without any fault. Even with the lowest budget, anyone can afford to buy this product.

Quality Features of the Ninja Personal Blender

Conclusion

At the end of this article, we have been able to see that ninja blender are all great for making smoothies, juices and shakes, and so many other drinks. The lowest of them all is recommended for every household. Ninja blenders, regardless of the model, is highly recommended.