Month: November 2014

The dieter who thinks he or she can visually determine 6 ounces of meat or half cup of ice cream probably is not doing all that well on the diet. Successful diets require food scales, measuring cups, and no guesswork.

For most, it’s impossible to visualize a serving size, especially if the dieter measures by hunger level versus by a scale.

Why Worry About Portion Control?

How to Portion Food

Portion control is essential. That half-cup of ice cream, if not measured, could go from 120 calories to 400 calories with one “just a bit more” scoop. Consider bagels or muffins, which were once a safe 100 calories.

Today’s supersized breakfast breads can blow a dieter’s entire calorie count before lunchtime.

A dieter must cut back on the quantity of food eaten. That’s not easy in a country in which the perception is ingrained that large portions of food are desirable and small portions make one feel cheated.

The types of food being served can determine portion control. If dinner is a platter of spaghetti with meatballs, cook just enough for the number of diners being served. If the side dish is steamed vegetables, feel free to cook extra. The larger the portions that are served, the more people will eat (whether they are hungry or mindlessly eating).

How to Portion Food

1. Measure your food! Always!
2. If you don’t have a scale on measuring cups, consider these measurements:

•   ½ cup is the size of an ice cream scoop
•   1 cup is the size of a tennis ball
•   1 ounce of cheese is the size of a domino

3. When serving a meal, serve from the stove, versus large serving platters
4. Reduce the size of your dinner plates. Smaller plates make for smaller portions.
5. Break down your purchases into single serving packs. For example, instead of freezing an entire package of ground turkey, divide it into individual portions and freeze then individually.
6. When eating out, check the menu for portion hints. If the offering is a double chicken breast, anticipate taking half home. If the baked potato is jumbo, ask for a take home box immediately. If it’s a 12-ounce steak, anticipate cutting it in half.
7. Increase the visual portion sizes on your plate by decreasing the high carbs and replacing them with more vegetables.
8. Looking forward to dessert? Cut the treat in half by sharing.
9. Turn off your television. Controlling how much you eat requires paying attention. If you’re watching television or playing computer games, you are more likely to mindlessly eat.
10. Think visual. The more food that is in front of you, the more you are likely to eat. Consider the reaction to dining on a platter of pasta versus a single serving of pasta. You can feel full with the single serving of pasta whereas you will feel stuffed and guilty with the platter of pasta.
11. Don’t eat out of a box or bag. That popcorn should be served in a small bowl, not consumed by the fistful from the bag.
12. If available try a restaurants tasting menu. It’s fun, it offers variety, and it’s portion control.
13. Read nutrition labels: Determine the amount of food in a serving and then measure it out.
14. Don’t trust your eyes. Measure everything.

Our minds are skewed by the bounty of food that is available. Some steak houses offer a whopping 18 ounces prime rib. Faced with that large slab of beef, some diners forget that 18 ounces of meat could feed a family of four at their kitchen table. Instead, the meat eater thinks: “It is in front of me; I will eat it all.”

I know that there are lots of ways that we have opportunities to overeat so following these portion control tips are really key to getting the right amount of food, being satisfied eating, and not overeating.

Are these great tips for you? I know that there are lots of tricks that help me with portion control and I think I have covered them all here.

Are you like many other women and looking for a natural yeast infection cure? Do you get yeast infections often? If so, you may be sick of taking prescription medication. Or maybe you don’t get them often – you just don’t want to take the prescription or over the counter medication for whatever reason.

Well, there is a natural remedy for yeast infection that can definitely work to help get rid of them. In fact, natural remedies can even help prevent them.

What are Yeast Infections Caused By?

Natural Yeast Infection Cure

There are a lot of reasons why you can get yeast infections and since everyone is different, they all need to be considered. In some people, more than one factor can play a part.

Generally, a yeast infection occurs when the conditions are right for the yeast to grow. This could mean anything from excess sugar in the diet, to sexual transmission, to a change in the PH level.

To help you sort it out, here are the most common yeast infection causes.

Taking antibiotics – If you take antibiotics you could be setting yourself up for infection. To help prevent it, eat yogurt or take an acidophilus or other probiotic supplement. This will help restore the normal microbe level that is naturally present in the gut.

Sexual transmission – It is possible to get a yeast infection from your partner. If you know your partner has one, refrain from contact until the infection clears.

Poor diet – Diet can definitely be a factor for several reasons. Things like sugar and yeast in the diet could play a part. To be safe, just eat a healthy diet – follow the food pyramid and resist eating junk food and things high in sugar and fat.

Immune system – In general, if your immune system is impaired in any way, this could make it more likely for you to get a yeast infection. Work on eating a healthy diet and keeping yourself healthy to make your immune system strong.

Grooming – Some people think that washing themselves “down there” keeps them clean. It may do that but it also harms the PH levels. Once your PH levels are thrown off, it is more likely to get an infection. Instead of soap use products that are designed for the vaginal area.

Consider the Whole Person – for a natural yeast infection cure

Before we get started talking about a natural remedy for yeast infection keep in mind that when you use natural remedies, you need to look at the big picture.

This includes figuring out why you got the yeast infection in the first place and changing your diet and lifestyle so that you can eradicate the original problem. Always make sure to eat a healthy diet, that way you can be healthy enough to prevent and ward off infection.

Symptoms and Causes- for Yeast Infections

So that your natural treatment is as successful as possible, you may want to get educated on the symptoms and causes. This will help you determine if you really do have a yeast infection. When in doubt, review the symptoms with your doctor.

Make sure you know exactly what kind of infection you have so that you can find the right natural cure. Symptoms of a yeast infection include itching, burning, painful urination, discharge, etc. Get to know the symptoms and make sure you truly do have a yeast infection.

Go Natural- Natural Yeast Infection Cure

There are several things you can do that will treat a yeast infection naturally. Things like tea tree oil can be effective as well as various substances that kill yeast and strengthen the immune system. A word of advice – don’t take a natural remedy unless you research the ingredients and the product yourself. You may also want to let your doctor know that you’ve decided to treat it with natural remedies.

Why go for a Natural Yeast Infection Cure?

Why would you even want to go natural? Some people simply believe that it will help provide a lasting and gentle cure. Not everyone likes to take medication and thinks that approach makes sense. Just make sure that the ingredients in the natural yeast infection cure that you choose are not harmful.

As people grow older, they frequently complain that they have problems with joint pain, hip pain, back pain, neck pain, and other types of pain. They then go on to blame their pain solely on the fact that they are getting older. Sure their body may have been through a lot, but that does not mean that the pain cannot be prevented or fixed.

To fix anything in life, you just have to take the right steps.

Exercise for Joint Health

You know your body needs physical activity on a regular basis. You do not have to go climb a mountain or run an ultra-marathon, you just have to do things that challenge your current fitness abilities.

Exercise is important for maintaining a healthy body , keeping muscle tissue strong, and also for promoting joint health. When you exercise, the bones in your joints and the muscles around your joints are strengthened.  It is important to have strong muscles surrounding your joints because they help support the joint. If the muscles are weak, unnecessary stress is placed on the joints. This can cause pain and increase the risk of injury.

Mobility Work to Eliminate Pain

Your mobility is basically how well your joints and soft tissues are able to move.

Every day, your body endures a variety of stresses and strains. Over time little things add up, causing soft tissue and joint restrictions. When your joints and soft tissues are not healthy, they are not able to move fluidly through a normal range of motion, causing pain and discomfort.

The pain and problems associated with these restrictions can be avoided and corrected. You just need to practice moving your body through the motions.

Here are two things you can do to improve your mobility

Stretching: Both static and dynamic stretching are beneficial to the soft tissues in your hip. If you need a stretch to try for your hips, get in to a full squat position.

Here’s how to do a full squat:

• Stand up straight.
• Place your heels so that they are positioned below your shoulders.
• Slowly push your hips down and back, like you are going to sit in a chair (focus on dropping your hips and your knees will automatically bend).
• As you squat down, you will need to lean your torso forward in order to keep your center of gravity over your feet.
• Go down until you reach the end of your range of motion and hold that position for a little while.

Squat Tips:

• Keep your chest up and put your arms in front for balance.
• When you go to stand up, push your hips back so you do not place unnecessary stress on your knees.

Rotational exercises: These exercises are particularly helpful if you have hip joint pain. They can be used to move each of your joints and their supporting tissues through their complete range of motion. Here is another one you can try for your hips…

 Front to Back Leg Swing:

• Stand up straight.
• Lift one foot off of the ground and balance on one foot.
• Swing the leg that is not in contact with the floor back behind yourself, then swing it in front of yourself.
• Repeat this motion several times, and then switch legs.

Leg Swing Tips:

• Use your arms to balance, and hold onto something if you need to.

Eat Properly

Food is essentially a drug.  Due to this simple fact, you can either use food to help yourself or to hurt yourself.  When it comes to keeping your joints functioning well, it is important that you eat foods that contain fatty acids and anti-oxidants. Both anti-oxidants and fatty acids help to reduce inflammation. When you reduce inflammation, you also speed up the healing process which will help relieve joint pain.

In addition to eating foods that help reduce inflammation, you should also eat in a way that helps prevent inflammation in the first place. I am taking about eating to control your body . Maintaining a healthy body ensures that additional stresses are not placed on your joints. In the long run, this will help reduce the wear and tear caused by daily activities.

Bonus: Drink lots of Water

Other benefits of water have been stated before here on Fitness Tips for Life, here is another one to add to the collection. Drinking lots of water promotes joint health be ensuring that the muscle tissue around your joints have the proper fluids to function smoothly. It also helps the cartilage in your joints to perform optimally.

 

About the Author:

Dave is a trainer who focuses on sustainable methods of training. He maintains a personal website about hip pain, which can be found here.

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