Burn Calories During Commercials

Don’t fast-forward: Use commercials to squeeze in these easy but effective strength moves

Every hour-long TV show has about six commercial breaks that last 3 minutes each, so you can get a decent total body workout while you watch—no gym necessary. This workout is great for beginners, but it’s also good for exercisers of every level, since extra bouts of activity throughout the day help to keep your metabolism revved, says Prevention’s fitness advisor Wayne L. Westcott, PhD, of Quincy, MA.

Do 10 to 15 repetitions of each exercise, followed by the aerobic component, until the show starts.

Couch Potato Exercise

1. Couch Push-Ups
These modified pushups sculpt your triceps and chest.
Facing a couch, kneel on the floor about 2 feet away from it. Cross your ankles, and place your hands shoulder-width apart on a cushion edge. Slowly bend your arms, and lower your upper body until your chest touches the couch. Hold, then press up again.
2. Side Crunches
These work your oblique muscles for a trimmer tummy.
Lie on the couch on your left side with your legs together and your knees bent. Place your right hand behind your head with your elbow pointing toward the ceiling. Wrap your left arm across your waist. Contracting the oblique muscles along your right side, lift your shoulder off the couch, bringing your rib cage toward your hip. Hold, then slowly lower. Repeat, then switch sides. (If your couch is too soft, you may need to do this exercise on the floor.)

Cardio finish: Do crossover punches. While standing, twist from your waist, and alternate punching your fists diagonally across your body.

3. Armchair Stands
This variation on squats tones your butt and thighs.
Sit on the edge of a chair or couch with your feet shoulder-width apart. Without using your arms, press into the floor with your feet, and stand, tightening your butt muscles as you rise. Keep your abdominals tight and your back straight. Hold, then slowly lower yourself. Before you touch the chair, stand up again.

Cardio finish: Walk or jog up and down stairs.

4. Armchair Dips
These moves are the ultimate arm flab fighter.
Sitting on the edge of a chair (or couch), place your hands on the edge on either side of you. Move your feet out so that your butt is off the chair, and your knees are bent at 90-degree angles. Bending your elbows so they point behind you, lower yourself as far as comfortable. Hold, then slowly press up again.

Cruches work!

5. Leg-Up Couch Crunches
Watch your form on these for maximum flat-belly benefits.
Lie on your back on a couch with your knees bent, your feet up on one end, and your hands behind your head. Pressing your lower back into the couch, slowly lift your head, shoulders, and upper back off the couch. Hold, then slowly lower. (If your couch is too soft, you may need to do this exercise on the floor.)

Cardio finish: Do knee lifts. While standing, alternate bringing your right elbow down to meet your left knee, and vice versa.

6. Scissors
These will help your legs look amazing in skinny jeans.
Lie on your back on a couch (you may need to angle yourself for more room) with your hands (palms down) under your butt and your legs straight up in the air. Keeping your knees slightly bent and your feet flexed, slowly spread your legs as far apart as comfortable. Hold, then slowly bring your legs together, resisting as you press them in.

Cardio finish: Do side slides, stepping your right foot out to the side, then sliding your left foot to meet it. Repeat in the opposite direction, doing this as quickly as you can.

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7:30 AM: Have Breakfast
“Eating breakfast kick-starts your metabolism — especially since we don’t eat for around ten hours overnight,” says Di Prima. “Eggs are a high-satiety food and good to begin the day with.”

Keep your carbohydrate intake light at breakfast if you’re trying to lose weight; think one slice of wholegrain toast instead of two, and include beans or spinach rather than the empty calories of white bread, jam and butter.

“Aim to get 25 percent of your total day’s calories at breakfast, with five other small meals throughout the day. Think breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper — and two dainty snacks — like a princess!”

Eat Right! Burn Fat!

9:00 AM: Skip the Morning Latte
Forgo the large, full-fat latte in favor of a small, skim latte, or better still, try tea. “This will save a lot of calories,” says naturopath Kevin Griffiths. “It will also help keep sugar cravings in check, and blood sugar levels on an even keel.”

11:00 AM: Ditch the Juice
Have an apple instead. “A glass of apple juice has the calories of almost three apples,” says Di Prima. Studies also show that regular fruit juice intake may increase diabetes risk by 50% due to massive sugar hits. “Also, the fiber — which is what helps you fill up faster — is left out of the juice. By making this one swap you’ll save calories every day.”

1:00 PM: Love Your Lunch
“Don’t eat at your desk. Get outside, go for a walk and be conscious when you do eat of what’s going into your mouth,” says Di Prima. “If you want to cut carbs, have a stir-fry with extra sprouts and vegies, but ask for fewer noodles. Eat fish with salad instead of fries, and if you must have bread, ditch the top of the sandwich and have it open.”

3:00 PM: Avoid the Afternoon Sugar Slump
If you don’t want to look like the Michelin Man, drink water and avoid soft drinks. A Harvard study of 6000 people found that drinking just one soft drink a day (diet or standard) increased the risk of obesity by 31%. And now there’s more evidence that diet drinks are as bad as normal ones; one university study found that rats fed artificially sweetened drinks for ten days gained more weight than those fed sugar-sweetened drinks. Researchers theorize that when you eat artificial sweeteners, your body prepares for a large intake of calories. When these fail to materialize, your body demands food by making you feel hungry. Di Prima agrees. “Soft drinks are liquid candy. Aim to make water the main drink that passes your lips, outside of a daily coffee and a glass or two of skim or low-fat milk. And aim for a maximum three or four glasses of wine or beer per week. “Beat sugar and salt slumps by having solid food snacks at your desk, such as low-fat yogurt or fresh fruit.”

4:00 PM: Breathe Easier
Although morning exercise suits many people, for athletes looking for that extra endurance — or for those who are asthmatic or easily exhausted — working out between 4pm and 5pm may be best. One study of 4800 people by the American College of Chest Physicians found that lung function peaks (at about 20% higher) during this period, with midday exercise returning the lowest lung function.

“The main thing is to exercise at a time that’s best for you,” says Rob Daly, an exercise physiologist from the University of Melbourne. “For people with depression, sunlight on the eyeballs in the morning is good. For others, afternoon works better. The main thing is to do it — not just think about it.”

7:00 PM: Enjoy a Drink
There have been countless studies trumpeting the health benefits of moderate daily alcohol intake (emphasis on “moderate”), with wines — especially the newer organic breeds – linked to reductions in arterial and cardiovascular diseases. So go ahead, we’re not saints or robots.

But try to aim for low-alcohol (and therefore low-calorie) varieties, and don’t be fooled by the latest low-carb beers; it’s the calories that count, and there’s actually little difference in calories content between standard beer and the low-carb varieties.

8:30 PM: Stop Eating
“Unless you are an insulin-dependent diabetic, it’s better not to eat two to three hours before bed,” says Di Prima. “If you are tempted, give your body an ‘automatic’ brain signal that eating is over for the night. This might include washing the dishes, putting away all the leftovers and flossing and cleaning your teeth thoroughly. If you’ve done this, you’re less likely to be tempted to put anything but herbal tea past your lips late at night.”

Source: Jane Washington from HealthSmart

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Eat right and lose weight

Excerpted from Lose It! The Personalized Weight Loss Revolution by Anahad O’Connor and Charles Teague

Certain ingrained habits—even seemingly minor ones—have a significant effect on your weight. The hard part, too, is that even when you make the decision to, say, eat more fruit or hit the gym one more time a week, past behaviors can sneak in and undermine your best efforts. Those patterns can be grouped into five basic eating types. Chances are, you’ll identify with one or more. Once you recognize your type (or types), you’ll be able to develop strategies and solutions tailored specifically to your needs.

Type # 1: The Weekender You live “by the book” all week, only to throw it out the window on Friday night. Or maybe you travel a lot for work or pleasure, and as soon as your surroundings change, so do your eating and daily calorie-counting habits.
Fix It:
Go (mildly) wild on Wednesday. It’s hard to resist going nuts on Saturday and ordering the mac ’n’ cheese when you’ve been buttoned up for 5 days straight, so consider working one splurge night into your week. If you inject a little food-related fun into the weekdays, you’ll be less likely to “reward” yourself with major damage on the weekends.

Type # 2: The Calorie Drinker One of the biggest diet mistakes is thinking that if it’s something you sip, the calories won’t stick. Unfortunately, liquid calories are stealth fatteners—they go down quickly, making it easy to drink more and rack up the calories—fast.
Fix It:
Make smarter switches. Whether your weakness is sweet coffee drinks or soda, there’s a way to alter your particular poison so it doesn’t sabotage your progress. Skip the sweetener (and whipped cream) in coffee and drink seltzer instead of sugar-packed soda. You’ll save hundreds of calories and barely notice the change.

Type # 3: The Low-Hanging “Fruit” Grabber These days we’re confronted with calories everywhere we go, from bagels in the conference room to king-size chocolate bars in the checkout aisle. In an environment with such an abundance of cheap, easy calories, temptation lurks around every corner and chips away at your willpower.
Fix It:
Track every single bite. It’s always important to track your meals, but in this case, it’s extra important that you take note of everything that slips between your lips. Until now, you probably haven’t been “counting” all those free samples at the supermarket, but they can easily cost you 100 calories or more. Seeing how all those extra bites add up is motivation enough to make you say no to the free muffin sample.

Type # 4: The Stress Eater Do you find yourself looking for solace in a red velvet cupcake after a long, stressful day? Do you empty a bag of tortilla chips whenever your mother-in-law is in town? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then stress eating is a part of your life–and probably a major hindrance to your weight loss.
Fix It: Name that theme. Are there any common themes among your stress-related binges? Do they generally occur at work? Do they happen mostly in the evenings, when you’re dealing with family, bills, or housework? If you know that a certain situation or person tends to push you over the edge, prepare yourself for the stress that will inevitably come. Just being aware that a binge-inducing situation is on the horizon can help you brace for it and lower the chances that you’ll give in.

Type # 5: The Judger Do you wonder why you’re not losing weight when you seem to be doing everything right? You may be falling for healthy buzzwords on a package of high-calorie processed food. Even actual “healthy” foods–some of which offer many benefits–can be calorie bombs.
Fix It:
Don’t buy into marketing gimmicks. Read every food nutrition label and decide for yourself whether or not something makes sense for your calorie budget. Also, stop personalizing your food choices. Try not to categorize them as “good” or “bad”–and definitely don’t apply that black-and-white thinking to your character. Eating an apple does not make you a “good” person any more than eating a cookie makes you a “bad” person! If you’re an ecoconscious eater, “good” and “bad” have other connotations for you. While your efforts to green our planet are applause-worthy, don’t forget that words like organic, sustainable, and grass-fed do not necessarily mean “low in calories.” Being good to the Earth doesn’t automatically mean you’re making good choices for your waistline.
Finally, beware of healthy calories. If eating larger portions of lower-calorie foods is your thing, that’s fine, but some foods can throw you off your budget when you indulge with too much abandon. For example, almonds are often touted for their nutritional power–and they do pack lots of protein and a nice dose of vitamin E and monounsaturated fats. But if you eat just 1/2 cup of almonds (easy to do in one sitting), you’re taking in 400 calories.

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Slim Trim weight loss

Set goals you can see
Choose markers (stop sign, park bench, etc.) and speed up until you reach them, suggests Therese Iknoian, author of Fitness Walking. Slow down for the same distance.

Wipe the pavement
Roll through from heel to toe. When you get to the ball of your foot, push off as if wiping gum off your sole, Iknoian says. This will get your calf, hamstring, and glute muscles involved—and the more muscle you use, the more calories you burn.

Go shoe shopping
To get the most power from your push-off, opt for a shoe with minimum cushioning and maximum flexibility in the front of the shoe, Fenton says.

Stand straight
When your body’s aligned, your back and butt muscles are able to work more powerfully, so you walk faster and torch more calories. Stand tall with a straight spine, keeping your ears and shoulders aligned over your hips.

Raise your rate
Wearing a heart-rate monitor is like having your own coach keeping you at optimal fat-torching pace. “It’ll give you a push if you’re slowing down too much, but also get you to ease up if you’re pushing too hard,” Iknoian says.

Add strength
Simple moves like push-ups and lunges get more muscles involved for major burn, reveals Harley Pasternak, who trains many celebs, including our November cover celeb Hilary Duff. When you walk, stop every five minutes and do one minute of moves. This will help up your metabolism over the long-term, too. What’s better than burning more calories while you walk? Blasting them off while you sleep, of course.

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Article By Tracy Teare

Weight loss plans

Make the most of your own circadian rhythms by following our body clock guidelines to lose weight, boost stamina and get fitter faster.

6 a.m.

Your biological ticktock starts the moment you wake up and is affected by how long you’ve slept. According to the National Institutes of Health, circadian rhythms are produced by natural factors within the body, but they’re also affected by signals from the environment. Light is the main cue, which turns on or off genes that control sleep-wake cycles, hormone release and other body functions.

What to do: Buy blackout curtains, turn your phone off and catch up on at least eight hours of sleep per night.

7 a.m.

Many studies suggest that sleep loss increases hunger and slows metabolism. Sleep loss has, in fact, been shown to affect the secretion of cortisol, a hormone that regulates appetite. As a result, if you lose sleep or wake prematurely, you may continue to feel hungry all day despite food intake.

What to do: Each morning, create a healthy wake-up regimen, such as a few minutes of stretching in the shower or in-bed meditation before bolting out and rushing through a harried morning routine.

8 a.m.

Are you a morning exerciser? Eating 100 to 200 grams of carbohydrates within two hours of high-intensity exercise (either before or after) is essential to building energy stores for training. Waiting longer than two hours results in 50 percent less glycogen stored in the muscle and a less effective recovery. It may also lead to injury.

What to do: Lace up your walking or running shoes and blast about 300 calories in 30 minutes. If you did not eat a healthy breakfast before exercise, replenish carbohydrates afterward with a yogurt smoothie or a glass of OJ and several wheat crackers until you can hit the breakfast table or coffee shop.

9 a.m.

Stressed about an early-morning meeting and tempted to nosh jelly donuts on your way to work? How about a little exercise instead? “Try releasing toxins first thing in the morning to stabilize your weight loss attempts,” said registered dietician Joan Clark, co-author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Glycemic Index .” “We carry stress in our muscles and getting out the kinks early in the day may relieve tension headaches and backaches.”

What to do: Lie in bed or on the floor and bring knees into your chest to stretch the lower back, then rock side to side slowly with eyes closed. Progress to 10 minutes of your favorite stretches.

10 a.m.

The early bird who gets the worm also has the longest amount of time in which to blitz off those breakfast calories! The moment food enters your stomach, energy from digestion is allocated to deal with it. Eat lean sources of protein to prevent energy spikes throughout the day.

What to do: Grab a breakfast of lean protein and healthy carbs, such as an egg white omelet with a cup of veggies and a little cheese, or even a whole-wheat English muffin with fruit and a dab of cream cheese.

11 a.m.

Prior to a lunchtime sandwich drink two 8-ounce cups of natural green tea (no sugar added). A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that green tea extract, taken over a 24-hour period, increases metabolic rate by up to four percent. These effects are probably due to the high concentrations of catechin polyphenols, which boost fat oxidation.

What to do: Brew natural green tea leaves and keep a chilled batch in your travel mug, in the car, or on top your desk or dresser.

Noon

Drink two or three 8-ounce glasses of water if you have not already done so! Water helps maintain healthy body weight by suppressing appetite, reducing the body’s level of sodium and maintaining muscle tone. “It’s also necessary for proper kidney function, but it’s so easy to take water for granted,” said Dr. Donald Hensrud, co-author of “The Mayo Clinic Diet.” “Water cushions joints, carries waste away and protects your organs and tissues, too.”

What to do: For the body to metabolize properly, you should drink half your body weight in ounces per day, said Hensrud. If you weigh 130 pounds, for example, drink a minimum of 65 ounces of water, about eight 8-ounce cups.

1 p.m.

Plan meals wisely: Lunch should contain protein, healthy fats, complex carbohydrates and non-starchy veggies to sustain stamina and curb cravings later. Make sure lunch is packed with fiber, too. “The high-fiber content of vegetables, fruit and whole grains bulk up your diet so you feel satiated longer,” said Hensrud. You require 25 to 35 grams a day!

What to do: To bypass bloating, feel alert and optimize digestion, incorporate oatmeal and apples into breakfast; whole-wheat bread and vegetables into lunch; and beans, legumes and greens into dinner.

2 p.m.

Have a pickle for a snack! That’s right: Acidic foods significantly lower the glycemic index of a midday meal by one-third. What does that mean to dieters? “The slower your carbohydrates break down, the lower their glycemic index and the healthier your food intake,” said dietitian Clark. “Acidic foods slow the emptying of your stomach, which is a boon to any weight loss plan.”

What to do: Nibble acidic foods such as pickles, tangy salsa, marinated veggies or sourdough bread for lunch or snacks. Other acidic foods include horseradish, pickled beets, lemon juice and pickled herring.

3 p.m.

Watch water intake midday: You may have to increase daily consumption during intense exercise as well as in hotter temperatures. (Psst: Medications require an increase of water intake, too, so check with your doctor.)

What to do: A good way to make sure you drink enough is to carry a stainless steel bottle of water with you at all times. Add sliced citrus to make it tastier.

4 p.m.

This is your lowest energy point, when body temperature drops and cravings creep up. Sleep loss may interfere with the body’s ability to metabolize carbohydrates, which leads to high levels of blood sugar. Excess blood sugar promotes overproduction of insulin, which can lead to body fat storage and insulin resistance, critical to the development of diabetes.

What to do: Your body truly craves sleep now, according to your body clock: Try a short 20-minute power nap to rejuvenate. If that’s impossible, head outdoors in the sunshine to boost stamina and reset your body clock. If cravings strike, try chewing sugar-free gum or a fiber-filled apple.

5 p.m.

Physical co-ordination, stamina and metabolic rate peak! Perfect time to slate a game of doubles tennis or schedule an early-evening kickboxing class.

What to do: Thirty minutes pre-workout, nibble a handful of raw almonds and drink a cup of green tea or even a small, low-fat mocha latte to fuel up. Natural appetite suppressants, like the caffeine in green tea or iced coffee, rebalance your brain and curb cravings.

6 p.m.

In the early evening, core temperature is at its warmest, which makes your muscles and joints supple and helps you sidestep exercise strains and side stitches. Early-evening workouts that target your endurance muscles, such as core training, hardcore yoga stretching, and step-interval workouts, are best now.

What to do: Try a Power Pilates class or a Core Fusion DVD and you’ll feel pumped and primed for action all night long.

7 p.m.

Hunger levels rise now, so drink another cup of green tea or sip soup before dinner to curb appetite. Scientists at the University of Chicago found that green tea caused rats to lose up to 21 percent of their body weight. Rats injected with green tea extract consumed 60 percent less food after seven days of daily injections, which may have something to do with the blood sugar-regulating effects of green tea.

What to do: If you are still craving solids but don’t want to ruin your appetite for dinner, try snacking on fresh fruit slices such as apple, watermelon, peach or orange, since these fruits have high water and fiber content.

8 p.m.

High-cortisol hormone production brought on by, say, a horrid commute or a brawl with your boyfriend, can set off an unhealthy chain reaction that puts your body into evening crisis mode. Rebalancing brain chemistry with a balanced meal and a five-minute meditation sends out signals of well-being to combat these fight-or-flight hormones. More reasons to make dinner a simple, slow and contented affair.

What to do: Eat a meal high in omega-3 fish oils to help you drop inches and soothe stress. Studies at the University of South Australia found that eating omega-3 fish oil combined with moderate aerobic exercise jump-starts weight loss. Stir-fry a salmon filet (use peanut oil or other omega fatty acids) with two cups of cruciferous veggies and watch the pounds (and anxiety!) melt away.

9 p.m.

Sip a cup of warm milk since the carbohydrate and insulin released make it easier for tryptophan to be absorbed into the brain, making you sleepy. Being fully hydrated regulates the body’s temperature and helps muscles contract, which, in turn, leads to a more productive workout tomorrow, not to mention a more restful night’s sleep.

What to do: Wind down gradually during evening hours with great conversation and good company. Alternate: If water or milk won’t cut it, sip a glass of antioxidant-rich red wine in the evening as a lower-calorie option to fattening bedtime snacks.

10 p.m.

Can you padlock your fridge? Avoid eating additional calories in the evening, since your body gears up to extract all the nutrients you took in during the day. Eating food late at night and going to sleep forces the body to expend energy on digestion during sleep time, which is neither effective for dieting nor for snoozing.

What to do: Brush and floss your teeth so you’re not tempted to nosh.

11 p.m.

Sustained high cortisol levels (and production of other stress hormones) can lead to intense cravings and binge eating at night, so it’s important to adopt a calming bedtime ritual, such as taking a bath, playing with your kids or reading a book for several minutes before lying down.

What to do: Jot personal notes into a food and exercise diary before you hit the sack, including workout times, calorie counts and other mind-body notes. Identify your weak willpower moments, as well as your most satisfying meals, and you’ll set yourself up for success tomorrow.

Midnight

You should be sleeping now, not stressing! Studies show that decreased amounts of deep REM sleep can lead to increased food intake. Abnormal circadian rhythms have also been associated with depression, bipolar disorder and seasonal affective disorder.

What to do: Understand what makes your biological clock tick from day to day, which will lead to healthy weight loss, regular workouts and a happier life.

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Weight Loss Plans

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Maintain a healthy weight. The weight that’s right for you depends on many factors including your sex, height, age and heredity. Excess body fat increases your chances for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some types of cancer and other illnesses. But being too thin can increase your risk for osteoporosis, menstrual irregularities and other health problems. If you’re constantly losing and regaining weight, a registered dietitian can help you develop sensible eating habits for successful weight management. Regular exercise is also important to maintaining a healthy weight.
4. Eat moderate portions. If you keep portion sizes reasonable, it’s easier to eat the foods you want and stay healthy. Did you know the recommended serving of cooked meat is 3 ounces, similar in size to a deck of playing cards? A medium piece of fruit is 1 serving and a cup of pasta equals 2 servings. A pint of ice cream contains 4 servings. Refer to the Food Guide Pyramid for information on recommended serving sizes.
5. 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.
6. 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.

7. 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.
8. Know your diet pitfalls. To improve your eating habits, you first have to know what’s wrong with them. Write down everything you eat for three days. Then check your list according to the rest of these tips. Do you add a lot of butter, creamy sauces or salad dressings? Rather than eliminating these foods, just cut back your portions. Are you getting enough fruits and vegetables? If not, you may be missing out on vital nutrients.
9. Make changes gradually. Just as there are no “superfoods” or easy answers to a healthy diet, don’t expect to totally revamp your eating habits overnight. Changing too much, too fast can get in the way of success. Begin to remedy excesses or deficiencies with modest changes that can add up to positive, lifelong eating habits. For instance, if you don’t like the taste of skim milk, try low-fat. Eventually you may find you like skim, too.
10. 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.

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Healthy eating to all…

Things you will need:

* A new food attitude: Carbs are not the enemy. Neither is fat. Eliminating certain food groups may help your waistline, but it will hurt your brain functioning.
* A stash of snacks: To keep your brain well fueled, you can’t let yourself get too hungry. Have a ready supply of trail mix, peanut-butter crackers, or Snickers bars at work. The combination of carbs and protein in these snacks will stabilize your blood sugar, fill you up, and keep you energized.
* Some willpower: Big meals actually reduce the supply of energy to your brain and leave you feeling sleepy for hours. Eat half of what you order, and take the rest home.

1. Balance What You Eat, Whenever You Eat

In 1956, the United States Department of Agriculture produced its “Basic Four” guide promoting the daily consumption of foods from four main groups — meat, dairy, grains, and vegetables. But today, nutritionists talk about a different set of food groups —proteins, carbohydrates (which produce glucose), fats, and fiber — and a different way to combine them. Instead of having a few helpings from each group every day, they recommend having something from each of the four groups every time you sit down to eat. And, yes, that includes carbs, which certain popular diets restrict. Why? Because the combination of carbs and protein (and to a lesser extent, fats and fiber) regulates your glucose levels and keeps your mood and mental ability on an even keel.

Moreover, each food group brings unique brain-boosting benefits to the table. “Research suggests that meals with more protein and fats are associated with better-sustained attention, focus, and concentration,” says Tufts research psychologist Kristen D’Anci. “Meals that have a higher carbohydrate content seem to be more calming and have fairly consistent positive effects with memory.” Cut back on either group and you’re missing half the benefits that food can offer.

2. Neglect Carbs at Your Own Peril

The research here is clear: Cutting carbs may shrink your waistline, but doing so will shrink your brainpower, too. “The popular low-carb and no-carb diets have the strongest potential for negative impact on thinking and cognition,” says Tufts psychology professor Holly A. Taylor. In a 2008 study Taylor conducted, dieters who lowered their blood-sugar levels by cutting carbohydrates from their meals immediately performed worse on memory-based tasks than those who simply reduced total calories by the same amount. When they started eating carbs again, their memory skills quickly rebounded.

Brain cells require twice the amount of energy needed by other cells in your body because they never rest. And high-carb foods like pasta, bread, fruit, and rice produce the brain’s favorite fuel — glucose. “Your brain only wants to burn glucose,” says Shawn Talbott, a nutritional biochemist and author of A Guide to Understanding Dietary Supplements: Magic Bullets or Modern Snake Oil. It can burn protein if it has to, Talbott adds, “but it’s like trying to run a gasoline engine on diesel.”

If you are on a low-carb diet, we’re not suggesting you go out and eat a loaf of Wonder Bread. There are plenty of “good” carbs (such as fruit, vegetables, and brown rice) that will supply your brain with all the fuel it needs.

3. Pack in the Protein

Proteins such as meat, fish, dairy, eggs, beans, and nuts slow the absorption of glucose so your brain gets a long and steady flow of fuel, rather than the brief blast you get from eating carbs and sugary foods (fats and fiber also help with this). And protein also brings its own set of brain boosters to the party. The amino acids found in meats, poultry, fish, and eggs help produce the neurotransmitters — serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine — that keep us focused, energetic, and upbeat.

Studies also suggest that certain minerals typically found in high-protein foods also enhance memory. A 2005 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that adding zinc — found in meat, seafood, eggs, and milk — to the diets of middle-school kids improved their memories and attention spans. After receiving 20 milligrams of zinc a day, five days a week, for 10 to 12 weeks, their reaction time decreased by 12 percent, their word recognition rose 9 percent, and their ability to sustain attention on a task increased 6 percent.

4. Eat Smaller Amounts, and Eat More Frequently

If you want to keep up your energy and performance levels, the last thing you need is a three-course lunch (or a three-egg cheese omelet for breakfast). The same thing goes for big dinners if you’re working late. Too much food — even if it’s well balanced — is going to make you drowsy because it introduces too much glucose for your body to handle at one time. When that happens, your liver reacts by storing the glucose, and your brain actually gets less fuel than it needs. “If you eat too much, you’re going to get sleepy, and there’s really no way to recover from that,” says Talbott. “Five to six small meals tend to make people perform much better than three squares.”

5. Fat Is Beautiful … for Your Brain

You probably know that omega-3 fatty acids are good for your heart. But they’re great brain food, too. The fats found in salmon, walnuts, and kiwi improve learning and memory and help fight against mental disorders like depression, schizophrenia, and dementia, according to a 2008 report from the Brain Research Institute at UCLA. The fats support the synapses in the brain where much of our cognitive functioning occurs.

6. How to Keep Things in Proportion

In addition to controlling your carb intake, portion and proportion play a big role in regulating glucose. Talbott recommends a highly sophisticated tool for measuring food amounts — your hand. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner, he says the portions are the same: “Your fist is the size of the carbs; your palm is the size of the protein. Make an OK sign with your thumb and index finger, and that’s how much fat you should have. Open your hand as wide as it can go; that’s the amount of fruits and vegetables. That’s going to be a well-balanced mix.”
By Gail Belsky for CBS MoneyWatch.com

Lastly, have fun…
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