What matters most to athletes is a careful and planned intake of various nutrients like vitamins, proteins and carbohydrates. An intelligent athlete should know the importance of balanced workouts with proper stretching exercises and of course, the intake of right nutrients. The reason why athletes need a good diet is that, they burn and lose sweat more than any normal person.

     Diet of athletes differ according to the sports they are involved in. A diet for sprinter is different from the diet of a weight lifter. An athlete should know what food and drink items he needs to avoid, as wrong intake of nutrients restricts the growth of body tissues. During a workout, there is wear and tear of cells in muscles. To build these muscles, adequate nutrients in the diet are required. Some important nutrients for athletes are:

     Proteins
     Protein is very vital for athletes, however the focus should not be on protein alone. Excess protein in the form of complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables must be avoided, because it puts more pressure on kidneys and may also lead to dehydration. Proteins help in building muscle tissues. The main source of protein should ideally come from lean meat. 15 – 20% of protein intake in a day is sufficient for an athlete.

     Carbohydrates Continue Reading »

     Yes, yes, yes! Fast food is very very unhealthy. Not only because they have added calories in them and that can make you gain weight. The reason why fast foods are so unhealthy is because they have no nutrients and have only added chemicals. For example, a fast-food chicken breast tends to contain everything from modified corn starch to hydrolyzed corn gluten. Do you know that corn is given to the cattle to fatten them up. These chicken nuggets, and even french fries are said to take about 51 days for digestion. Do you call that unhealthy? Yes, I call it lethally unhealthy. The body is not only using up energy to digest the food, but the food does not even have enough nutrition. How does it make sense? Did you know that 25% Americans consume fast food as a daily meal choice? Well, now who do you blame for the growing obesity and diabetes in the world? Read more on is fast food bad for you? Check out the advantages and disadvantages of fast food.

     Unhealthy Fast Food Facts
     Here are some fast food facts. One of the constituents that makes a certain food unhealthy is trans fat. More the trans fat, the more it’s ability to make you susceptible to obesity, diabetes etc. Read more on fast food and child obesity. Hence, here is an unhealthy fast food list of 10 of the most dangerous fast food options. These food products are extremely high in trans fats and other harmful elements.
White Castle Homestyle Onion Rings (sack): 30 grams trans fat
White Castle Fish Nibblers: 16 grams trans fat
KFC Chicken Pot Pie: 14 grams trans fat
Burger King Hash Browns (large): 13 grams trans fat
White Castle Chicken Rings (20 rings): 13 grams trans fat
Jack in the Box Fish & Chips (large): 12 grams trans fat
Jack in the Box Bacon Cheddar Potato Wedges: 12 grams trans fat Continue Reading »

     Calorie is the parameter to measure the amount of energy present in a food item. This energy is the fuel required by your body for carrying out the daily activities. When you overfill your body, your body does not waste the fuel. It is stored in the form of extra calories by converting it from food into fat. If you wish to burn this unwanted storage of fat, you should consume lesser calories than you need to fuel your daily processes. This will compel your body to use the stored fat as the source of energy to the body. ‘Consuming lesser calories’ means ‘focusing on low calorie drinks and foods. Read more on liquid diets that work and liquid diet recipes. Remember, for achieving the desired weight loss, you need to burn more calories than calories consumed and dieting is not sufficient for achieving this goal, you are expected to do regular exercises also. Here is the required information about low calorie drinks.

     Low Calorie Drinks

     These days, you get low calorie versions of almost all the famous brands of soft drinks. Diet cola, diet soda, etc., are some of the examples. Low calorie alcoholic drinks are available in all bars. Ordering these low calorie alcoholic drinks at a bar can help keep happy hours from turning into a diet disaster. You can order low calorie cocktails too. You can also enjoy reliable homemade combination of the cocktails. Continue Reading »

     Apart from its certain therapeutic applications in clinics, clear liquid diet can also be prescribed for a person suffering from obesity. If you are suffering from obesity you may drink clear liquids, such as juices without pulp, soups, tea, etc. with other nutritious foods. This consumption of fluids may help you lose excess weight.

     Regarding following a clear liquid diet, one must follow it according to the recommendation of a physician, as it is often prescribed as a colon cleanser for cleaning bowel before a test or diagnosis, such as sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy or certain X-ray tests.

     Clear liquid diet may help you in case you are suffering from indigestion, diarrhea or nausea. In such cases, clear liquid diet is prescribed as a short-term diet. Clear liquids, like broths, fruit juices are easily digestible.

     Generally, clear liquids have important minerals, such as sodium and potassium. However, even such a diet cannot be claimed to have all the necessary elements of nutrition. Therefore, it is often advised that a person should not depend only on clear liquid diet for more than four or five days.   Here is a list of variety of foods a clear liquid diet offers.

     Sweets and Desserts
     Gelatin
     Fresh hard candies
     Popsicles
     Beverages 
     Coffee
     Tea Continue Reading »