Is a Healthy Food Option Sabotaging Your Diet?

Is a Healthy Food Option Sabotaging Your Diet?

Wondering why the weight isn't coming off? Consider this - you might be unknowingly interfering with your goal, even if your resolve to shed those extra pounds is rock solid. This according to new research just seeing a healthy food option on a menu actually tempts you to chose a fattening food instead.

It doesn't make sense, but according to researcher Gavan Fitzsimons, PhD, we're all subject to what he calls "vicarious goal fulfillment".

Before you dismiss the idea entirely, consider that while fast food places and vending machines have more healthy options than ever before, analysts point out that the sales of the fast food industry aren't coming from those healthy items, but rather from the sales of calorie laden staples like burgers and fries.

We see the salad, but order the value meal instead.

This latest bit of research supports the idea that once we feel we've done something right, even if that's just thinking about choosing a healthy option from a menu, we feel entitled to a reward.

"We've found that the presence of a healthy item leads people to choose the one that is the least healthy on the menu," Fitzsimons tells online health resource WebMD.

"Just seeing the healthy item and considering it makes you feel you've done your duty. It's crazy, but it's human."

Here's how the team uncovered this bit of self-deception we feed ourselves.

Participants in a study who'd scored high on measures of self control and food were asked to choose a food from one of two menus with pictures.

Half of the subjects saw a menu with only unhealthy choices like fries, chicken nuggets and a baked potato loaded with butter and sour cream. The other half of the subjects saw the same menu, but with the addition of a side salad.

When the salad was a choice, some subjects did choose it, but many more of those most self disciplined participants selected an unhealthy option. Even more curious, the effect was strongest among those who normally have lots of self-control.

For whatever reason, consumers seem to have the tendency to ease off on the self control when something healthy is an option.

Its as if they feel the goal has been met just by seeing, and perhaps briefly considering, the visual. This appears to happen outside our conscious awareness.

In other variations of the study, participants also made unhealthy choices. Most choose a calorie laden bacon cheeseburger, chicken sandwich and fish sandwich over a healthier veggie burger. For desserts, they picked chocolate covered Oreos, original Oreos and golden Oreos against cookies labeled as only having a 100-calorie.

One thing that could help with vicarious goal fulfillment is to constantly remind yourself of your intentions.

Anything that helps you stay in control and hold off on gratification will also be a plus for keeping you on track.

For some, wearing a rubber band on the wrist and snapping it before ordering keeps attention squarely in the present, making the unconscious less likely to take over.

"What it shows is that adding one or two healthy items to a menu is essentially the worst thing you can do," Fitzsimons says. "This is all brand new research, showing that much of what we do is happening outside our consciousness."

The Importance of a Healthy Heart Menu

The Importance of a Healthy Heart Menu : A healthy heart menu is a a smart idea if you have cardiovascular disease or are simply trying to prevent future problems down the road. Cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer of both men and women in the United States. These foods will protect your vital organs that keep you alive but also nourish all parts of your body as well. Eyes, skin, bones and muscles all benefit from your improved eating habits.

The foods that are helpful to your cardiovascular system includes fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats and poultry, nuts, seeds, and legumes and whole grains. Here are some additional foods to keep in mind when planning your daily meals:

Including all or most of these foods in your diet as often as possible and limiting high fat snack foods is a good step towards overall good nutrition. However, the most important step you can take to take care of your ticker is to limit the amount of saturated and trans fat you eat. High cholesterol can lead to atherosclerosis which can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Try eating dried fruit as a snack, or a veggie platter instead of chips or cookies.

And don't forget the exercise!

Keeping physically fit goes hand in hand with a better eating for maintaining the cardiovascular system. A vigorous cardio workout 3 or more times per week will also help to keep your weight in check and your cholesterol levels down. Trying brisk walking for starters if you're new to exercise. Any increase in exercise will have a beneficial effect on your overall cardiovascular system. Your heart will love you for it!

Tips For a Healthy Diet Menu

Tips For a Healthy Diet Menu : A healthy diet menu is something that most people know they SHOULD be incorporating. More than likely you know what sort of items comprise a healthy diet menu, too. The problem is putting it all together and consistently eating healthy the majority of the time.

I say "the majority of the time" because you do need to live a little. Everyone should have an occasional indulgence. I'm not the diet dictator. Even I've been known to scarf down a handful of potato chips to squelch a PMS-induced salty craving. Hey, I'm only human!

3 Simple Steps to Organize A Healthy Diet Menu

These are some really easy ways to follow a healthy diet menu:

Step 1: Plan out a whole week and commit to eating healthy for that length of time. You plan so many other things in your life. Spending 15 minutes to sit down and create your menu for the week is no big deal. This is the start of a healthy lifestyle. There's even a show on the Food Network that helps you plan out easy healthy meals for a week with minimal time and ingredient preparations. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of it. I think it might be Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller. She has a recipe book, too.

Step 2: Avoid processed and packaged foods. You've got to realize that while a lot of these "items" (I can't really classify them as food) are tasty, they have ingredients which actually work against your weight loss success. Even the ones that are low fat or low calories. I know they now have these little bags in 100 calorie servings. The problem is that it's still 100 calories of crap that you don't need. Your body gets nothing beneficial. I used to use the Rice-a-Roni (mmm, chicken "flavored") out of the box.

Then when I discovered that it was filled with preservatives and junk (duh! Of course it is) I made the switch to buying a nice, pure rice. Plus, it's cheaper. For convenience, look for one that doesn't take an hour to cook. And no, minute rice does not count. NO enriched white rice. Jasmine or basmati varieties are healthful and taste good. I've found some that take only 15 minutes to prepare.

Step 3: Incorporate variety! A wide array of brightly colored fruits and vegetables can make following a healthy diet menu, fun, pretty, and tasty. Blueberries and broccoli are considered "super foods" because of all their wonderful health benefits.

The goal of a successful healthy diet menu is to be well balanced and increase your intake of vital minerals, vitamins, and other necessary nutrients. You'll feel more energized and start looking trimmer in no time. Plus, it's just a great thing to do for yourself and your family.

Healthy Diet Menu - Diet Menu Tips For Women That Burn Fat FAST Without Making You Go Hungry!

Healthy Diet Menu - Diet Menu Tips For Women That Burn Fat FAST Without Making You Go Hungry!  : A healthy diet menu that helps you lose weight while still tasting great and keeping you full isn't a fantasy. It's all about learning which foods you prefer that actually help your metabolism burn fat and get your sexy dream body around the clock.

Asian women have been able to lose weight and stay skinny for generations, even right after having a baby, and just by adding a few of their healthy diet menu tips and tricks you can get the same incredible results without suffering.

Healthy Diet Menu - The Skinny Asian Way

When I go through the healthy diet menu and cooking portion of the weight-loss program I teach to local clients they're always shocked at just how many tasty meals can be eaten that keep extra pounds off and help the body burn existing fat away.

And while you're not going to learn ALL of the best healthy diet menu secrets Asian women use get thin from just a single short article online, you CAN pick up some tips that will allow you to get started on the road to a new you:

1. The Power of Sweet Peppers - You've probably heard that hot peppers can really boost your metabolism towards fat burning, but did you know that sweet peppers also have the same effect?

These wonderful veggies can be stir-fried, broiled, used as a garnish, or even included in some salads, and their rich supply of "capsinoids" (fat eliminating ingredients) can help you burn 20% more calories per year!

2. Time For A New Secret Tea - I've enjoyed both Green and Oolong teas all my life, especially as a young girl growing up in Taiwan, but there's a third tea that's just as powerful for fat-burning and should be a part of any healthy diet menu: "White" tea.

White tea is packed with the antioxidant "epigallocatechin", which has been shown in lab testing to greatly impact the speed at which our bodies absorb and utilize calories we've eaten. Which means that people who drink a cup of white tea a day have a 25% better chance of having any calories they eat NOT turn to fat deposits!

3. Learn To Love This Fungus - Mushrooms of any variety are critical for anyone adding items to a healthy diet menu that lets them feel better while losing weight at the same time. Packed with natural Vitamin D, which isn't absorbed by our bodies as well when it's in pill-form, mushrooms have an impressive ability to help us get skinny.

They do this magical action by repairing the DNA in free radical cells, which cause hormones in our body that control our appetite and insulin levels to perform better...making us much less hungry and much more likely not to raid the refrigerator after dinner! Make mushrooms a part of your healthy diet menu today.

4. This Dangerously-Named Fruit is Amazing - It may be difficult to find at first, but if you search health food stores you'll find dry-chips in bags that come from a neat-looking fruit called "Dragonfruit".

Dragonfruit is massively popular in all of Asia, mainly because it tastes fantastic...but also because Asian women know that dragonfruit somehow helps them lose weight. Well scientists analyzed dragonfruit's effect on the body and they recently found it helps regulate our blood sugar in a powerful way...which means you can eat it with your "cheat" food and it will help reduce the negative impact of the sugar in that tasty dessert!

Don't give up if you can't locate any dragonfruit for your healthy diet menu, if you search around you'll be able to get either the dried chips (which are a great snack) or the actual fruit itself.

5. If You Just Can't Lose Weight - I know it can be depressing, but if you're upset because nothing has worked you need to learn one of the most powerful secret free methods that Asian women do to force fat off of their belly and thighs in less than a month...WITHOUT starving or doing crazy workouts.

Healthy Eating Menu - Preparation is Key

Healthy Eating Menu - Preparation is Key : There is a simple way to have a healthy eating menu every single night for your family. All you have to do is have a well-stocked kitchen full of healthy foods and you'll be good to go. Don't let the "What am I going to cook for dinner" blues keep you from eating right. Know ahead of time what you will cook for dinner and be prepared.

Healthy Eating Menu: Stocking the Pantry

A well-stocked pantry with common sundry items such as legumes, rice, lentils, pasta and other whole grains is a must when wanting to cook healthy meals for yourself and family. Legumes can be used a hundred different ways and there are twenty different varieties to choose from. Beans can be used for nachos, pasta salad, pureed for dips, and used in soups and stews.

Brown rice can be prepared in a couple dozen ways from stir-fries to rice pudding. Whole grain pasta is healthy and can be used for salads, soups, stews, and a variety of sauces. A healthy pantry should not be without legumes, pasta, and brown rice. Think of all the healthy, tasty and simple meals you can prepare using these three common sundry items as the base.

Healthy Eating Menu: Stocking the Freezer

The refrigerator should always have the basic vegetables for soups and stews such as carrots, onions, and celery. But as we all know, it is not always feasible to have fresh vegetables available when we need them. That's when frozen veggies come in handy.

Frozen vegetables aren't always as tasteful as fresh, but most of the vitamin content has been retained through freezing. Most vegetables are picked fresh, quickly blanched and then frozen to keep the nutrition intact. Use frozen veggies in the same way you would fresh.

It's also a good idea to have fresh frozen fruits and berries on hand, such as blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries. Berries are full of cancer fighting agents called antioxidants that protect the body. They are great in smoothies, cereal, and breakfast muffins.

Healthy Eating Menu: Stocking the Seasoning Rack

Nothing beats fresh herbs for flavoring our healthy meals with. Especially the aromatic herbs like basil, oregano and rosemary. But unless you have the luxury of your own herb garden, you'll have to resort to the grocery store's stockpile of herbs and seasonings. This is fine, but picking fresh basil from your own basil plant makes cooking a little bit more entertaining.

Be sure to have a variety of different herbs and spices on hand to flavor many of your dishes, sauces, soups, casseroles, and stews. Here is a basic list. Chili powder, red pepper flakes, cumin, curry powder, cayenne, sea salt, paprika, thyme, pizza seasoning, dill weed, sage, and garlic powder.

Healthy Eating: Cooking the Food

Now comes the fun part. Deciding what to cook with all the nutritious food in your kitchen. One way to get focused on nightly meals is to make a weekly menu of each meal you are going to cook for that week. Do the bulk of your shopping ahead of time. You can wash and cut vegetables and meats the night before.

You wouldn't believe how much time you will save just doing the basic prep work the night before. And family members, if you're reading this, give the cook some encouragement for their efforts in the kitchen. They will be overjoyed.

Healthy Diet Menu - 7 Things You Should Add to Your Daily Food Menu

Healthy Diet Menu - 7 Things You Should Add to Your Daily Food Menu | Obtaining a healthy diet menu is absolutely vital because food has always been the biggest factor regarding weight gain and also weight loss, according to various studies. As you can see, you do not have to stop eating just to lose inches off your waist.

The key to losing weight is to adjust your food intake and the foods that you take in. Moderation and control-these are your allies in the race against finding a healthy diet menu.

For your convenience, here are some useful tips you can use in preparing your food. Doing so may help you remove the fattening elements in the food that you eat. Remember these and you will be able to create the perfect menu for your dieting troubles.