Snacking is often blamed for weight gain, but snacking properly can help save you from unwanted calories. Here are ideas for healthy snacking.

What Are Snacks?

Snacks are like mini meals that help us get through the day. They don’t need to be heavy or they can have the opposite effect. Eating at regular intervals helps increase metabolism, which is what is needed to help burn unwanted fat from the body. Your metabolism needs to be stoked constantly so that it can run at top speed.

All too often, we choose the wrong kind of snacks to eat. A sufficient snack is around 150 calories. Eating two or three snacks a day plus meals equals six smaller servings instead of three larger ones. When you eat more often, you don’t need to eat as much to reach a feeling of fullness.

Foods to Try for Snacking

Most snacks are usually high in fat, salt or sugar, which are full of empty calories, which results in you being hungry again in an hour or so, because your snack had no nutritional value. Also, empty calories will stick to your waistline.

The ideal snack should be filling and leave you with more energy. The way to achieve that is to choose high protein, low carbohydrate snacks. The protein helps to fight cravings and also builds muscle.

The carbohydrate factor in your food keeps blood sugar steady. Too much sugar will give you an energy boost, but it will be short-lived. In about thirty minutes, you will come crashing down and craving another sweet snack.

Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and therefore keep the blood sugar at optimum levels throughout the day. Without cravings, you are thinking less about sugar and more about your daily activities. You can eat satisfying foods and smaller meals without feeling deprived.

Here are some examples of high protein, low carb snacks. Some are contained in one food but others require food combining:

* Nuts – nuts are a good source of protein. They contain fats, but they are unsaturated fats that the body can use. Try a serving or two of almonds or pistachios for a snack.

* Cheese – did you know that cheese contains protein? Eat it with a small apple for the right amount of protein, carbs and sweetness to keep you satisfied until your next meal.

* Low-fat yogurt – Yogurt contains protein and calcium. Top with a bit of granola or bran to add carbs.

* Boiled eggs – A boiled egg provides protein. Mix it with mayonnaise and add a whole wheat pita for a quick snack. To keep the portion size small, use one egg, a tablespoon of mayonnaise and half a pita.

Are you looking to gain a bit of energy in the middle of your morning without adding unwanted pounds? Try these high protein, low carb snacks for a start.

If you are a teenaged girl or you know a teen girl, shifting hormonal levels and peer pressure can lead to unhealthy food choices. Here are some tips to help stay healthy through good nutrition.

Good nutrition is important in all stages of life and for teen girls, it can be crucial. As they experience puberty, the body changes. For girls, this means that deposits of fat shift to the hips. The pelvis widens to prepare for eventual childbirth. The breasts begin to grow larger. This is also a fat deposit where milk will be produced in the event of a pregnancy.

These bodily changes can be alarming and also unpleasant for many girls. It is not uncommon for adolescent girls to fall prey to some form of eating disorder – namely anorexia or bulimia – during this time in their lives.

Staying off this path is essential not only to present health, but also future health for girls; therefore, begin by instilling confidence through knowledge.

When a girl learns how her body works, she can take back some of the control she may feel she has lost. The body is doing what it is supposed to be doing at that time in her life. She may worry about getting fat, but she won’t have to if proper nutrition is observed.

Nutrition Tips

* Eat breakfast – People underestimate its importance. Breakfast fuels the mind and the body after a long sleep (and, teenagers do sleep a lot). It can also stop cravings for fats and sweets that can add fat to the body.

* Choose healthier snacks – Instead of hitting the snack machine, try fat-free microwave popcorn with spray butter. For a girl on the go, celery sticks with peanut butter or fresh fruit are easy to carry and fast to eat.

* Create your own snacks – One way to ensure that they will eat better is to let them have a hand in preparing their own food. They learn about food and how different ones affect the body, and at the same time they feel in control by preparing what will keep them healthy and give them the look that they want.

* Eat every few hours – If weight loss or weight maintenance is what she wants, keeping the metabolism high is the key. Eating often burns more calories. Eating healthy forms of grains, fats, protein and dairy lead to more fat burning because nutrients that the body can use are being provided.

Adolescent girls often turn to starvation diets to thwart what nature is doing within their bodies. However, there is a better way with a few nutrition tips, a positive self-image and an understanding of how the body works.

Teeth help us to chew food and also shape our face, but keeping them looking great takes work and the right foods. Teeth are covered with hard enamel to protect the soft material beneath. Bacteria can erode that enamel.

Bacteria are present in the mouth at all times. These bacteria can form a yellowish film on the teeth called plaque. It sticks to the teeth and discolors them. Daily brushing can limit the amount of plaque that settles on the teeth. Some plaques can move below the gum line leading to gingivitis, which is inflammation of the gums.

While sugary snacks are usually our first choice, the sugars in these snacks can affect the health of our teeth.

When the sugars break down, they can attract the bacteria in the plaque and form acids. It is the acid that breaks down the hard enamel, and once the enamel is gone, it doesn’t restore itself. Loss of enamel can lead to sensitive teeth, being affected by heat and cold touching them. It can also eventually result in tooth loss.

How to Snack Smarter

Most of us love the taste of sweets, but they aren’t so good to our teeth. To protect the teeth and keep them strong, here are some tips to snacking smarter:

* Choose sugar wisely – While it is all right to snack several times a day, choosing a sugary snack each time can hurt the teeth. Try limiting sugar for after dinner.

* Limit the fat – Too much fat in your snacks is not good for your body and also not good for your teeth.

* Brush your teeth – After a sugary snack, the acids that form can stay active for almost half an hour after you are finished eating. That is 20 minutes that your teeth are under attack. Brushing with fluoride toothpaste can stop the activity of the acid right away. Brush at least twice a day and after sugary snacks.

* Choose a different category of snacks – If you’ve ever eaten sugar then you know that it starts a vicious cycle. You will want more sugar after the blood sugar spike wears off. High fiber snacks are more filling and also healthier for the body.

Here are some examples of healthier snacks:

* Fruit – Apples, berries, oranges, pineapples, tomatoes
* Raw vegetables – Celery, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers
* Grains – Popcorn, bagels, oats
* Dairy – Cheeses, low-fat milk
* Nuts and seeds

Cutting down on sugary snacks may be the key to protecting your teeth well into your later years. This article gives you examples of better, healthier choices for your teeth and your body.

There are many energy drinks on the market, but they are not all what they appear to be. They contain ingredients that you might not want to ingest, and there can be side effects from extensive use. However, you can create your own nutrient-packed energy drinks to meet your energy needs.

Energy is the result of food eaten and broken down inside the body. When you eat the right foods that the body can use, you have more energy at your disposal. Therefore, you can regulate how much energy you have by how much food you consume that the body can use.

Here are a few foods to consider for making your own energy drinks:

* Berries – All kinds of berries are beneficial. Darker berries contain resveratrol in their skins, a compound that helps to increase heart health. All berries contain antioxidants, which are known to increase immunity, reduce disease in the body, increase energy and add balance to the body. Berries also contain fiber which lowers cholesterol and keeps the digestive system functioning.

* Green leafy vegetables – This includes spinach and kale. They are filled with protein and vitamins such as E, K and A. They contain carbohydrates that are filled with nutrients, but with few calories, and provide sustainable energy for the body.

* Apples – Apples contain fiber, which is good for filling you up and lowering your cholesterol. One of the best ingredients in apples is quercetin.

* Fruits – Try different varieties that blend well together such as mangoes, peaches, bananas, pineapples and oranges. They are full of vitamin C to boost immunity and energy.

* Seeds – You can use a bit of texture in that energy drink if you wish; in fact, you can grind your seeds into powder. Try some flaxseed and wheat germ to add a bit of fiber to your drink. Seeds also add protein, which is needed to fight sugar cravings.

Smoothie Recipes

We call it an energy drink but it is in reality an energy smoothie. You can put all of your ingredients together at night and pop them in a blender in the morning.

Berry Smoothie

* 1 cup of fat-free plain yogurt
* Generous portions of frozen berries of your choice
* Ice cubes

Use the natural flavor of the berries to sweeten the smoothie. If you need more liquid, try a fourth of a cup of 100 percent apple juice.

Energy Smoothie

* 1 banana
* 1 cup of strawberries
* 1 cup of soy milk or 1 cup of yogurt
* 1 cup of green leafy veggies like spinach or kale

Green Smoothie

* ½ cup of carrots
* Ice cubes
* Plain yogurt
* ½ cup apple juice
* Swiss chard

You can combine fruits and vegetables in whatever combinations taste best to you for that energy-packed punch. Sweeten with fruit juice, cinnamon or nutmeg. Using a good blender will ensure a smooth drink with no large pieces.

Experiment yourself to find what suits your taste buds the best.

When you are talking about Red Bull, 5-hour ENERGY or Amp, people know you are referring to energy drinks. They are all the rage as a way to replenish our bodies quickly when we are rundown. But, before you reach for your next drink, there are some things you should know.

Energy drinks are designed to give you more boost in your day. Mid-afternoon is usually the time when you feel weary. After work you have to worry about taking care of your home, and you can feel tired just thinking about it because you are already spent.

You may then reach for energy drinks and fir the next hour or two you are walking on air with energy to burn.  They help you get through the evening, but can have side effects:

* Crashing and burning – You get more energy for a longer period of time than if you eat a sugary candy bar, but the inevitable happens. You will notice a spike in your blood sugar levels as you go about accomplishing all the chores you were previously too tired to do, but then you will feel so sluggish and your energy is even less than before.

* Weight gain – Many of these energy drinks are mostly sugar and caffeine. Caffeine is known to be an energy booster, but all that sugar will find its way into your bloodstream and if it is not needed, it will be stored in the body as fat. As these drinks can be high in calories, without knowing it, more and more of your daily intake of calories will be empty ones.

* Elevated caffeine levels – Too much caffeine is not advantageous for your body. It can lead to irritability, high blood pressure and even sleeplessness. After all your work is done you want to sleep, but the levels of caffeine can prevent this. If you already suffer from heart problems, diabetes or high blood pressure, consuming energy drinks may not be the best idea for you.

* Withdrawal – Energy drinks are not a substitute for sleep or proper nutrition. Your body will begin to crave caffeine after you have stopped drinking energy drinks. This can lead to headaches, mood swings and even nausea.

There are some energy drinks that promise long energy throughout the day. What they don’t tell you is that there is a downside. The ingredients that give you a boost during the day can have long-lasting side effects.

Snacking is often blamed for weight gain, but snacking properly can help save you from unwanted calories. Here are ideas for healthy snacking.

What Are Snacks?

Snacks are like mini meals that help us get through the day. They don’t need to be heavy or they can have the opposite effect. Eating at regular intervals helps increase metabolism, which is what is needed to help burn unwanted fat from the body. Your metabolism needs to be stoked constantly so that it can run at top speed.

All too often, we choose the wrong kind of snacks to eat. A sufficient snack is around 150 calories. Eating two or three snacks a day plus meals equals six smaller servings instead of three larger ones. When you eat more often, you don’t need to eat as much to reach a feeling of fullness.

Foods to Try for Snacking

Most snacks are usually high in fat, salt or sugar, which are full of empty calories, which results in you being hungry again in an hour or so, because your snack had no nutritional value. Also, empty calories will stick to your waistline.

The ideal snack should be filling and leave you with more energy. The way to achieve that is to choose high protein, low carbohydrate snacks. The protein helps to fight cravings and also builds muscle.

The carbohydrate factor in your food keeps blood sugar steady. Too much sugar will give you an energy boost, but it will be short-lived. In about thirty minutes, you will come crashing down and craving another sweet snack.

Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and therefore keep the blood sugar at optimum levels throughout the day. Without cravings, you are thinking less about sugar and more about your daily activities. You can eat satisfying foods and smaller meals without feeling deprived.

Here are some examples of high protein, low carb snacks. Some are contained in one food but others require food combining:

* Nuts – nuts are a good source of protein. They contain fats, but they are unsaturated fats that the body can use. Try a serving or two of almonds or pistachios for a snack.

* Cheese – did you know that cheese contains protein? Eat it with a small apple for the right amount of protein, carbs and sweetness to keep you satisfied until your next meal.

* Low-fat yogurt – Yogurt contains protein and calcium. Top with a bit of granola or bran to add carbs.

* Boiled eggs – A boiled egg provides protein. Mix it with mayonnaise and add a whole wheat pita for a quick snack. To keep the portion size small, use one egg, a tablespoon of mayonnaise and half a pita.

Are you looking to gain a bit of energy in the middle of your morning without adding unwanted pounds? Try these high protein, low carb snacks for a start.

Children are quite impressionable. They use the behaviors of people around them as their guide for most behaviors. Learn to be a healthy role model for them.

What Is a Role Model?

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Often we don’t realize that what they are imitating is not necessarily the best until children demonstrate it for us. A child who sits in front of the television all day or one who wants to eat a lot of fast food could just be mimicking what they have seen others do.

Parents are a child’s first role models. A role model doesn’t need to be perfect – just someone who is willing to try to be their best before their children and the rest of the world.

You never know what a child might see and imitate. To that end, here are some ideas of how you can set a good example for them to follow. Don’t worry, as long as you are purposed to do what you can to teach your kids the better way, even a mistake or a setback can be viewed as a lesson.

Tips to Become a Healthy Role Model

* Eat all your meals. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but some people forget that. When you skip breakfast, you set yourself and your body up for difficult day. Your metabolism stays sluggish and you might even be tired throughout the day. Even if you only eat something small, such as a couple of pieces of toast or a piece of fruit, eat something.

* Choose healthy snacks. It is easy to stop at a drive-thru window for an ice cream cone or a sugary snack. Keep more healthy choices around: fresh fruit, chopped vegetables and dip, yogurt with granola, and fruit juice. Make the healthy choice yourself and encourage your kids to do the same.

* Watch the calories in your beverages. It is easy to drink at least half of the day’s caloric allowance in your beverages alone. One eight-ounce glass of soda has about 120 calories, and most people drink much larger portions, such as fast-food restaurants. When you choose unsweetened beverage choices and water, you don’t need to measure your intake. The body needs as much water as you can give it each day. If you want something tastier, add a juice ice cube or some lemon.

* Get your sleep. Going to bed at a decent hour lets children know that a good night’s sleep is important for health. You are more alert the next day when the body has had proper time to rest.

* Get active together. It is easy to sit and watch your children play, but they are more likely to get off the couch if you go with them. Participate in group activities with your kids to stress the importance of staying active.

The best way to be a good role model is to start with yourself. Show your children how you live a healthier life and they will want to follow suit

Teens play hard and need to recover from that play the correct way. What you feed them after an intense day of play is just as important as what they eat before.

As they are still in their formative years, teens need a lot of nutrition. Bones are still growing and they need nutrients. Teens who are active in organized sports or just playing outside with friends will need even more nutrients than a sedentary teen.

When teens play, nutrition becomes even more important than it was before. For instance, the body needs carbohydrates for fuel. It is the body’s long-term fuel source each day. By eating more carbs in the morning and afternoon, your teen’s body is being provided with energy for that after-school game or long bike ride.

Proteins are the building blocks in the body. They compose the muscles, cells, blood, tissues and other portions of body structure. Using these muscles in practice and weight training makes them strong enough to hold up to prolonged periods of high exertion.

Fats are also important for brain function and to maintain the integrity of the individual cells. A little bit of fat is okay and will cushion joints, which can get injured in sporting activities.

Before your teen ramps up for the game, make sure that your teen eats a meal at least two hours beforehand. Include carbs to feed the body and protein to feed the muscles. And don’t forget lots of fluids to keep the body hydrated and functioning properly.

When your teen is out on the field, keeping up their carbohydrate load is important. They should carry whole grain snacks and fruits with them for energy when they notice their performance waning.

What happens after a long game? Your teen may be noticeably sweating. This means that they have lost a lot of water. If their sweat is salty, then they have lost electrolytes as well. People question using sports drinks, but they can replenish electrolytes faster when they are most needed. Choose low-calorie, high-electrolyte options.

The muscles are also spent. There is a build-up of lactic acid in the muscles that can lead to cramps. The protein that was used needs to be replaced.  Try to choose complete sources of protein to give the body all the amino acids it needs to function and repair the muscles.

Good post play snacks include peanut butter, fruit, fat-free milk, lean protein, vegetables, whole grains and pasta. Your teen may not feel like eating pasta, so try a turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato. Give them something that they can carry easily, such as sliced fruit or bagels or sandwiches.

Your teen wants to play hard, so feed him or her the right foods to make that happen.

Broccoli is an excellent superfood almost everyone will enjoy in both its cooked and raw forms.

What are superfoods? They are foods that are perfect in the nutrition that they provide you. Broccoli looks like a small tree with a thick trunk that happens to be green and not brown. The head is made up of tiny tight projections that form the florets. All parts of broccoli are nutritious. Broccoli is classified as a cruciferous vegetable along with cauliflower. It smells bad when it is cooking (due to the sulfur compounds it contains), but it tastes good with a little low-fat butter spread and salt and perhaps a dash of vinegar. Broccoli is versatile, too, since it can be eaten raw, or lightly cooked as part of a stir-fry.

Broccoli is an antioxidant which fights the damage to your body caused by free radicals. Free radicals come from the environment, cigarette smoke, toxins in the air, stress and eating the wrong foods. Over time, they can increase the incidence of cancers and other age-related diseases, and make you act and feel older than your years.

Eating broccoli can help reverse that process before it even begins to be a problem. Here are some of the other benefits of this superfood.

* Broccoli contains flavonoids – These are a particular type of antioxidant. In broccoli they help shield you from lung, breast and gastrointestinal cancers.

* Broccoli can help preserve your memory – Broccoli contains substances that can help to reduce the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. It inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase from doing its job which is to break down acetylcholine. This is a brain neurotransmitter that is responsible for memory pathways. Eating broccoli performs the same action as some drugs that are given to Alzheimer’s patients to retard that process. Other foods – apples, oranges and even potatoes – also help, but not as much as broccoli.

* Broccoli cleans out the liver – The liver is a filtering organ that helps get rid of impurities in the body. Thanks to our modern lifestyle, it can become overwhelmed. Eating broccoli helps to clean out the liver so it can function better.

* Eating broccoli raw or steamed will give you the most nutrients of all. The less amount of processing done, the better. And remember to eat both the stalk and the florets.

If you want one single food that can fight disease, slow the aging process, restore your memory and give you a great deal of antioxidants? Try broccoli today.

(Note: You may be one of a small percentage of the population whose DNA causes you to experience broccoli and similar foods as very bitter. For more information, see: http://www.thetech.org/genetics/ask.php?id=87

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup ice cubes
1 small ripe banana, peeled and sliced
2 large, ripe papaya, peeled, seeded and chopped

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Fill into a large glass and enjoy this delicious smoothie anytime of the day.