Saturday, April 20, 2013

Diet and Exercise III



If you get caught in rush hour traffic a lot, keep some sort of granola bars or trail mix at the ready. You can buy or make your own, and they usually don't rot away any time soon. You'll find that not only do they keep you on your diet, but they also take the edge of any anger you feel at the time, making them healthy and akin to meditation.
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The biggest problem areas will usually be mod-morning and mid-afternoon. Have some sort of snack prepared for those times, such as fruit or vegetables. If you are at work, you can keep a supply in your desk or bring it every day. Not only does this deal with the rumblings, but can also keep you focused and help you keep your anger, something people tend to lose a lot right before lunch and heading home.
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If you work away from home, prepare your lunch ahead of time. This allows you to pack a healthy lunch, save money compared to buying it at a fast-food place, and allows you to have the portions you want with no waste. Storage may be an issue, but there are any number of different insulated lunch bags available for anything you want to pack, from soup to sandwiches to salad.
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Debate going vegetarian. Although there are some health advantages, there are two major disadvantages: It's actually more expensive, and you need to be eating all day. You also need to keep a closer eye on what you are eating, as making sure that you are getting the full range of vitamins you should be getting. Although you can take multivitamins for most of the missing nutrients, that adds to the cost of the diet. Just be don't surprised at the cost when you switch over.
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Surprisingly, the best part of a vegetarian diet is the nuts. If you have allergies to nuts, a vegetarian diet may not be the best thing for you, as most of your protein will be coming from nuts of various types. Also, nuts make great snacks due to their extremely long life and high energy, allowing you to keep your focus all day long.
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Debate which stripe of vegetarianism you are going for, as they get more restrictive. Standard vegans are allowed dairy and egg products, but no other animal products. Strict vegans must forego all animal products, even dairy and eggs.  Raw vegans must forego not only all animal products, but also any cooked foods, which includes bread and even most alcoholic products. Once one is picked, stick with it, but don't you need to be religious about it; it's your diet after all, so have fun with it, such having one day a week you can can eat meat.
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Major tip for vegetarians: If you eat out a lot, start asking questions about your food in order to make sure that you aren't eating meat products. A common trick  for some restaurants is to cook their rice with chicken broth; great for flavor, lousy for vegetarians. Also, beware of sauces and other condiments, especially if you are a strict  vegetarian, as they employ creams and eggs for the texture. In essence, avoid oriental cuisines and find a great vegetarian restaurant you can trust.
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Carnivores have their own problems. The fat in most meats is a great energy source, but is also the source of a number of GI problems, as well as a contributor to coronary problems. Worse, if that fat isn't worked off immediately it can contribute to weight problems. Try to have no more than one or two servings of meat a day, with more protein from other sources, such as peanut butter. A few more veggies or fruit a day is definitely not going to kill you, and cancel out some of the issues that meat can cause.

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