Good Low Carb Foods

By Dexter Matthews 

Many people don't begin a low carb diet, or don't stay with it, simply because they can't find tasty choices that are also low in carbohydrates. Actually, there are many foods that can be used for meals, in recipes or for snacks, when you're trying to maintain a diet that is low in carbs. Consuming a variety of foods that are naturally low in carbohydrates will allow you to eat a healthy diet that's tasty and also good for you.

Everyone is unique, and the same foods won't work for everyone, but there are foods that are very popular on low carb diets, and you can tailor your recipes to suit your tastes. Fish is a popular staple on low carb diets. But you don't need to restrict yourself to just the well-known types. There are many good low carbohydrate foods, and fresh fish are a healthy part of your low carb diet that you should eat at least several times a week. The best fish for your diet may include orange roughy, Alaskan halibut, trout, wild caught salmon, sea bass, cod and mackerel. Shellfish are healthy low carb choices that are full of taste, too. They include scallops, crab, shrimp, oysters, clams and lobster.

Eggs and egg whites can be included as breakfast essentials or as ingredients in other meals. Free range eggs are often preferred in low carb diets. You're not limited to chicken eggs, either. You might wish to try quail or duck eggs, to keep your diet alive and different from one day to the next.

Red meat is an important staple in low carbohydrate diets, because it allows you to get enough protein for a healthy diet. Lamb is a good choice, as is venison or deer meat. Cattle that have been grass-fed will be a positive choice, as will buffalo or bison meat, as long as the animals were not treated with antibiotics or growth hormones.

Poultry can be included in many low carbohydrate recipes, to make them tasty. Consume only poultry that was never treated with antibiotics or hormones. Some of the most popular poultry choices are chicken, duck, goose and turkey. Wild bird meat is also on the list of good low carb foods that provide quality low carbohydrate recipe mainstays, so add pheasant, wild turkey and quail to your list.

You should include vegetables and fruits in any diet, too, so that you reap the rewards of their many vitamins and nutrients. Vegetables that are not starchy are the best for your diet, including collard greens and spinach. Good tasting vegetables to use for recipes and healthy snacks or salads include Romaine lettuce, cauliflower, asparagus, cucumbers, mushrooms, turnip greens and celery. You can also add cabbage, zucchini, cilantro and mustard greens. Vegetable leaves and stems can help you to prepare healthy salads that are low in carbohydrates.

Fresh fruits are good choices, as parts of recipes or as snacks. Include fresh strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, and deduct any carb count from your allowance for each day. These do contain sugar and carbs, so they should be enjoyed sparingly.

Oils add omega fatty acids to your diet, so use them as desired in your recipes. Some of the best choices are extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed and canola oils. By using all these different good low carb foods, you can add good taste to your low carb, heart healthy diet.

Ideal Diet to Lose Weight

By Julius Daviz Galvez 

Many people have this misconception that in order to lower their cholesterol, they have to follow strict diet programs and take drugs or supplements. However, drastic dieting is not a good way to lower your cholesterol; in fact you are only endangering your body instead of helping it. Aside from that too much dependence on drugs or prescription will only lead to more years of being dependent on drugs and food supplements.

Now, to make matters worse, you were taking different cholesterol lowering pills and supplements but you are not pairing it with a healthy diet and regular exercise. According to many diet experts, in order to successfully lower your cholesterol levels and to make it stay on the prescribe level is to have a healthy diet, healthy lifestyle and regular physical exercise. In short, in order to get rid of bad cholesterol, you have to totally change your lifestyle, bad habits and diet. Stop being a couch potato and have a regular exercise.

It has been easy for us to lose weight because there has been many introduced weight loss methods. And this includes diet programs, it is easier for us to get rid of our fats and lose weight without doing rigorous exercises. Exercise often discourages people because it requires time and much energy, and that is people prefer to go for diet programs.

There are varieties of diet programs so it is not so hard to find and choose the appropriate diet your body needs. Low-carbohydrate diet is the more quite known, it reduces and cut off the calories that people regularly take. Usually the foods that are high in carbohydrates also have the high calorie content. The consumption of calories is keenly regulated in the low-carb diet by reducing the daily serving of the rich in carbohydrate foods. The type of foods that this diet usually consists is dairy products such as milk and cheese, and strictly do not include foods like bread, rice, potatoes. The diet is the best and safest way to weight loss because it satisfies the hunger without doing tiring exercises.

Discover How to Lose Weight Fast

You must know the foods and drinks you must avoid, for you to only eat the proper diet and successfully lose weight. The following are the things you must know and do:

1. Eat Vegetables and fruits! Go sweet fruits as an alternative for eating sweet chocolates and snacks. Organic vegetables with low-calorie content should be prepared for every meal. Vegetables and fruits are a great source of fiber that helps in dissolving harmful fats in the body and lose weight faster.

2. You must forget soda, soft drinks and alcohol. These drinks may taste good but remember that the only significant liquid need by the body is water. Go for healthy drinks suck as green teas, and other natural refreshments containing antioxidants! Plain water is still the best!

3. Eat more of whole grains and less of processed foods because your body does not need preservatives, artificial colors, sodium, fat and sugars. Instead you must supply your body of good nutrients like protein and carbohydrates to aid your body in losing weight.

Costa Rican Food: Gallo Pinto, Anyone?

 By Jeremy Goodman 

If you regularly dine out in New York, Paris, or Barcelona, well... you're lucky. But for simple local cuisine, Costa Rican food is unbelievably delicious and friendly priced.

Let's start with breakfast! A centerpiece of Costa Rican dining is gallo pinto: a rice and beans dish cooked with various spices and finely diced vegetables. Gallo pinto is almost always served at breakfast and is usually paired with eggs or meat, plantains, and fresh coffee. The coffee in Costa Rica is renowned for its strong flavor and its role throughout the country's history. Coffee remains a major export alongside bananas. Plantains are similar to bananas, and are served with meals usually in fried form, but draw less interest abroad.

The most common lunch in Costa Rica is a casado. Similar to most Costa Rican food, the dish is made up of servings of rice, black beans, salad, plantains, and often a small serving of meat. Casado translates directly to 'married man,' earning its name because wives traditionally serve their husbands this combination of food for lunch. If the meat has a specific preparation, in a stew or with specific seasoning, it will have a specific name, such as carne en salsa, but will be paired with the same sides.

A really great dish that can be found on most menus is 'chifrijos' - a layered treat with rice on the bottom, then beans, fried pork, and pico de gallo on top. Traditionally, it is paired with tortilla chips on the side. The mixing of flavors is exquisite, and many chefs or restaurants have a few tricks up their sleeves and boast that theirs is the best around.

Contrary to what many expect, Costa Ricans are not known for spicy food. Most Costa Rican food is prepared very mild and is served with a sweet sauce called Lizano. Hot sauce can be easily found though, so there's no need to worry if you like your rice and beans with a kick! Vegetables come with nearly every dish, usually roasted or steamed and served as a side. Popular vegetables include onions, sweet peppers, potatoes, squash, zucchini, and more!

If fruit is nature's dessert, consider Costa Rica the best confectionary in the world!

Tons of fresh fruit grows locally, in abundance and flavor! Some of the popular fruits are pineapples, watermelons, and mangos, as well as more exotic fruits like rambutan. Rambutan is the 'hairy fruit,' known locally as mamones, which is Spanish for sucker. Ticos and ticas, Costa Rican locals, eat fruit at various times of the day for snacks. At hotels and other commercialized areas geared towards tourism, fruit is mainly served with breakfast.

Buying imported food in Costa Rica can be very pricy, so when possible, it is best to shop for local brands. Whether it be snacks, meats, or cheese, comparable items can be bought, though they may take some getting used to. Because of the accommodating climate, many people have their own vegetable gardens, which harvest amazing products and quickly ripen, ready to be tossed into any popular Costa Rican food!

Fun and Healthy Recipes for Kids With Type 2 Diabetes

By Aaron Capp 

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world today. Research shows that diabetes has affected more than 300 million people all over the world. Every day, more and more people are being diagnosed with this disease and a rise among children being diagnosed with diabetes is definitely very alarming. The most common type of diabetes is Type 2 diabetes which is also seen in kids nowadays because of excess weight. It's very important that diabetic kids follow a strict diet meal plan along with proper medication in order to manage diabetes. If you're a parent of a diabetic child and you're always asking yourself where can you find fun but healthy diabetic-friendly recipes for your kid, then sit back and relax because I'll share with you some of the easiest to prepare diabetic and kid-friendly recipes that your child will surely love. Here are some recipes that you can quickly do in your kitchen today:

1. Applesauce Oatmeal Pancakes

-Try to prepare this quick breakfast recipe and your child will surely start his day smiling.

Ingredients:

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup fat-free milk

2 tablespoon sugarless applesauce (recipe also found in Recipe Finder)

4 egg whites

Directions:

Get a bowl and then combine the oats, baking powder and flour together. Second, get another bowl and then combine the milk, egg whites and applesauce and then you must add to dry ingredients and then mix well. Third, pour batter by 1/4 cupful onto a heated griddle which is coated by cooking spray and then cook until all of the bubbles appear on the top of the pancakes and then turn and cook until it looks lightly browned.

2. Zucchini Frittata

-You can prepare this yummy and very healthy recipe for lunch and your kid will surely ask you to make this recipe the next day!

Ingredients:

1 tbs. olive oil (0gC)

1 small onion finely diced (2.5 oz. onion) (7gC)

3 med. zucchini (about 1.5 lbs.) sliced (23gC)

1 tsp. dried or 1 tbs. fresh thyme (0.5gC)

coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

8 eggs (3gC)

1/4 c. milk (3gC)

3/4 c. shredded white cheddar (0gC)

Directions:

First, you need to get a 10-inch oven-proof skillet and warm oil in it and then add the zucchini, thyme and onion. Cook covered and make sure to stir frequently until tender for about 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until the liquid evaporates and then add salt and pepper and then remove the skillet from heat. Second, turn oven on to 425 degrees. Third, whisk together eggs, cheese and milk and then pour over zucchini lifting up zucchini to make sure eggs to coat bottom of pan. Fourth, put the skillet on medium-low heat and then cook until the slides are set and the top is slightly runny for about 15 to 20 minutes. Lastly, place in a heated oven and then cook until the center is cooked through and then remove from the oven and slide silicon spatula around the edges to loosen it. Slide and put it onto a large plate.

3. Oven Fried Drumsticks

-Kids love to eat chicken that's why it's a guarantee that your child will love this yummy and healthy recipe.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 egg

1/4 cup low-fat (1%) milk

1 cup coarsely crushed oven-toasted corn cereal

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

8 chicken drumsticks, skin removed

Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

First, you need to preheat the oven to 375 degrees and then coat a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Second, you need to place the flour in a shallow dish and in a second shallow dish, you need to beat the egg and the milk and on the third shallow dish, mix the crushed cereal with seasonings. Lastly, dip the chicken in the flour and then into the egg mixture and make sure that you coat them evenly and then arrange the chicken on the baking sheet and coat it with nonstick cooking spray and then bake it for about 25 minutes and then turn the chicken and then bake it for 25 minutes more.