Easy Fast Weight Loss Ideas

In today's world, where everybody is getting conscious about looking good, it has become all the more necessary to keep oneself in shape. If you have a good figure, not only it enables you to flaunt your body, but also it helps in boosting your confidence level. For some people, obesity becomes a serious cause of concern, thus affecting their mental fitness.

There are several reasons as why some people are overweight. It is interesting to know that your metabolism rate has a major impact on your weight loss program. People with low metabolism have a hard time in losing weight because of their slow metabolism fat gets stored in their bodies. There are some people who suffer from the problem of hormonal imbalance, but one of the major causes of obesity in people is their unhealthy eating habits and inadequate exercising.

Given here are some easy and fast weight loss ideas:

• Make water your favorite drink. A person must have a minimum of 8 glasses of water in a day. Avoid taking soft drinks or carbonated beverages; moreover replace them with water. Water helps in reducing weight in the most effective manner.
• Don't stuff yourself with food in a single sitting; instead have 5 to 6 small meals or snacks in a day. Eating several small meals helps the body to release less insulin, which keeps blood sugar steady and helps to control hunger.
• Make a habit of walking. Instead of driving car to the nearby market, prefer walking down. Walking is more important for people in sedentary jobs. Walk for at least 45 minutes every day; it helps in burning extra calories.
• Keep small plates for serving food because a study shows that the less food put in front of us, the less food we'll eat. So downsize your food plates and coffee mugs, and say goodbye to those extra calories.
• Eat more vegetables during meals as water-rich foods like zucchini, tomatoes, and cucumbers reduce your overall calorie consumption. Some other water-rich foods include soups and salads; they are good source of nutrition.
• Use vegetables to make hefty meals. Like pasta salad loaded with vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and tomatoes can be eaten twice. Same applies for stir-fries; add vegetables to make a fluffier omelet.
• Avoid taking white foods as they contain large amounts of carbohydrates, which may further lead to weight gain. Replace white sugar, white rice, and white flour with whole grain breads and brown rice.
• Switch to ordinary coffee because coffee drinks at shops has extra calories, owing to whole milk, whipped cream, sugar, and sugary syrups. A cup of regular coffee, having skim milk brewed with good beans, tastes great and moreover has fewer calories.
• Use skimmed milk as it is high in calcium and low in calories. For coffee, use nonfat powdered milk.
• Prefer eating cereal for breakfast five days a week. Following this, you will consume more fiber and calcium, and less fat than those who eat other breakfast foods.
• Prefer having meals at home. We're more likely to eat more - in fact, more high-fat, and high-calorie foods- when we eat out than eating at home.
• Try to eat slowly and put your fork or spoon down after every bite. Drink water often and talk about your day with your partner. If you eat slowly, you would feel contended with your meal.
• Eat only when your stomach wants food. Usually out of boredom, nervousness, habit, or frustration; many of us unnecessarily have food. If you want to have something specific, it's probably a craving, not hunger.
• Prefer flavorings like hot sauce, salsa, and Cajun seasonings rather than butter and creamy or sugary sauces. These flavorings not only provide flavor with no fat and few calories, but the spicy ones also turn up digestive fires, causing your body to burn more calories.
• Eat fruit rather than drinking fruit juice. Eating whole foods will keep you satisfied for longer period of time than juice. Moreover, fruit juices are very high in calories.
• Eat equal portions of vegetables and grains at dinner. A cup of cooked rice or pasta has about 200 calories, while a cup of cooked veggies has just 50 calories. This will help to avoid a grain calorie overload, and high-fiber veggies will help satisfying your hunger.
• After every two hours, get up and walk around the office or your home for five minutes. A brisk five-minute walk after every two hours will you're your body active.
• Once a week, make a habit of washing something thoroughly - could be floor, windows, shower cabin, bathroom tiles, car, etc. It helps in burning out about four calories for every minute spent in cleaning.
• Take a walk before dinner and it'll not only burn calories, but also cut down your appetite.
• Prefer not eating with a large group as we tend to eat more when we eat with other people, probably because we spend more time at the table. When eating in groups take a note of time and leave the plate, as and when you have had enough.
• Skip watching TV for an hour and go for a walk instead. Or else, you have now time to finish your domestic chores.
• Take most of the calories before noon because studies tell that the more you eat in the morning, the less you'll eat in the evening. Moreover, you will get more chances to burn off those early-day calories than late-night calories.
• Order alcohol by the glass, not the bottle. This way, you'll be more aware of how much alcohol you're intaking. Alcohol is high in calories, however moderate drinking can be good for your health.
• Stock your refrigerator with low-fat yogurt. Cut down 500 calories a day from your diet and eat yogurt three times a day for 12 weeks. It will help you lose more weight and body fat.

Heart Diseases and Foods

Coronary heart disease is the most common of all heart diseases. It is characterized by blockage in the coronary arteries that result in reduction of blood flows to the heart muscle, depriving it of vital oxygen. The clogging of coronary artery, known as arteriosclerosis, begins with fatty streaks in and under the layer of cells, that line artery walls. Gradually, the streaks are transformed into plaques-fatty scar tissue that bulges into the artery opening, partly choking off blood flow.

If the clot becomes large enough, it can block blood flow, suffocating large patches of cardiac muscle, an event known as a heart attack or angina. Or if a blood vessel to the brain closes off or ruptures, it will result in a stroke. While the exact causes of coronary heart disease are imperfectly understood, certain major risk factors have been identified, including genes, gender, diet, and lifestyle - smoking, exercise, and stress.
Scientific evidence indicates that diet is vital to whether your arteries clog or your heart gives out. Stopping the progression of artery disease in the first place with your diet is foremost in warding off heart attacks and strokes. Even if you already had heart problems, including a heart attack, changing your diet now may prevent future cardiac problems and even halt or reverse arterial damage, helping restore arteries to health.
Foods with anti-heart disease activity can:

1. Block platelet aggregation (clotting)
2. Reduce blood vessel constriction
3. Increase blood flow
4. Lower fibrinogen (clotting factor)
5. Increase fibrinolytic (clot-dissolving) activity
6. Block cell damage from oxygen free radicals
7. Lower triglycerides
8. Raise good HDL cholesterol
9. Makes cell membranes more flexible
10. Lower blood pressure

However, wrong food choice may do just the opposite of the above.

Brain Power Foods

Brain power is characterized by how alert, energetic, and concentrated your brain is in response to a task. Information in your brain passes through neurotransmitters, which are manufactured by the nerve cells using precursors. Different neurotransmitters will have different impacts on your brain activity. For example, serotonin is the calming neurotransmitter that usually makes you more relaxed, drowsy, and fuzzy-headed. While dopamine and norepinephrine are neurotransmitters that make you more alert, more attentive, motivated and mentally energetic.
Food affects your brain power by affecting the production of neurotransmitters in your brain. By supplying amino acids, which are used as precursors to manufacture neurotransmitters, and by affecting the entry of the amino acids into brain, foods can have a significant impact on your brain activity. High-carbohydrate foods in general tend to subdue brain activity. Protein foods, on the other hand, can counteract carbohydrate food induced sluggishness. In addition, foods and herbs can have effects on brain activity by affecting blood circulation - the supply line of oxygen, nutrient, and hormone to the brain.

How to Set Weight Loss Goals

Setting weight loss goals is probably one of the more difficult things to do when you embark on an exercise and/or diet program. How much do you need to lose? That question is hard to answer and often based on your particular goals. If you're losing weight for your health, your goal might be more modest, say 5-10% of your current weight. But what if you have something more specific in mind like a certain clothing-size you want to fit into? How do you set a reasonable goal for yourself?
The key to setting weight loss goals is to follow the standard of goal setting. It needs to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and tangible. Your first step is determining if you really need to lose weight.

Do You Need to Lose Weight?
If you talk to most people, you'll probably find that everyone feels like they need to lose weight, even people who appear to be at a healthy weight. Often our weight loss goals are based on what we think we should look like rather than what's reasonable for our bodies right now. There are broad parameters to use to figure out if you need to lose weight but, in general, a candidate for weight loss may have the following characteristics:

• A BMI of more than 25
• A Waist-Hip ratio of higher than .8 for women and higher than 1.0 men
• An Abdominal Girth measurement of more than 35 inches in women and 40 inches in men

Of course, those aren't the only clues that tell us we need to lose weight. There are those annoying indications like tight clothes, getting out of breath doing simple activities, or stepping on a scale for the first time in awhile. However, before you set goals based on what you think you should weigh, make sure you see your doctor to get an individual assessment.
Set Your Goals
If you've determined you do need to lose weight, your next step is to set a reasonable weight loss goal for yourself. You can base your goals on any number of factors, but a great place to start would be the general recommendations set out by the American College of Sports Medicine which are 5-10% of body weight or one to two pounds per week.
You can also use these calculators to set your goals:

• Ideal Body Weight Calculator
• How to Assess your Ideal Body Weight
• Height – Weight Chart
• BMI Calculator

Keep in mind that these calculations offer guesstimates. There are a number of factors that affect weight, so it’s best to take the results you get with a grain of salt. For example, BMI is affected by how much muscle you have…if you have more muscle, your weight might actually be higher than what is considered healthy on the BMI chart, even though you have a healthy body fat percentage.
Another way to do this is to focus less on a target weight and more on making healthy choices each day to reduce your calories. One way to look at this is your Lowest Sustainable Weight. In this case, you would create a calorie deficit (with diet and exercise) and let your body respond to that over time. Eventually, you'll get to a weight you can sustain and feel good about.

Rules of Weight Loss

To lose one pound of fat, you must burn approximately 3500 calories over and above what you already burn doing daily activities. That sounds like a lot of calories and you certainly wouldn't want to try to burn 3500 calories in one day. However, by taking it step-by-step, you can determine just what you need to do each day to burn or cut out those extra calories. Below is a step by step process for getting started.

1. Calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate). Your BMR is what your body needs to maintain normal functions like breathing and digestion. This is the minimum number of calories you need to eat each day. Keep in mind that no calculator will be 100% accurate, so you may need to adjust these numbers as you go along.
2. Calculate your activity level. Use a calorie calculator to figure out how many calories you burn while sitting, standing, exercising, lifting weights, etc. throughout the day. It helps to keep a daily activity journal or you could even wear a heart rate monitor that calculates calories burned.
3. Keep track of how many calories you eat. You can use a site like Calorie Count or use a food journal to write down what you eat and drink each day. Be as accurate as possible, measuring when you need to or looking up nutritional information for restaurants, if you eat out.
4. Add it up. Take your BMR number, add your activity calories and then subtract your food calories from that total. If you're eating more than you're burning, (your BMR + activity is 2000 and you're eating 2400 calories) you'll gain weight. If you're burning more than you eat, you'll lose weight. 

Instead of...	Do this...
An afternoon Coke	Drink a glass of water. (calories saved: 97)
An Egg McMuffin	Eat a small whole wheat bagel +1 Tbsp of peanut butter (calories saved: 185)
Using your break eat sweets	Walk up and down a flight of stairs for 10 minutes (calories burned: 100)
Hitting the snooze button	Get up 10 minutes early and go for a brisk walk (calories burned: 100)
Watching TV after work	Do 10 minutes of yoga (calories burned: 50)

Healthy Eating

Healthy eating is not about strict nutrition philosophies, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, and keeping yourself as healthy as possible– all of which can be achieved by learning some nutrition basics and using them in a way that works for you.
Healthy eating begins with learning how to “eat smart”—it’s not just what you eat, but how you eat. Your food choices can reduce your risk of illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, as well as defend against depression. Additionally, learning the habits of healthy eating can improve your health by boosting your energy, sharpening your memory and stabilizing your mood. Expand your range of healthy food choices and learn how to plan ahead to create and maintain a satisfying, healthy diet.

Healthy eating tip 1: Set yourself up for success  

To set yourself up for success, think about planning a healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps rather than one big drastic change. If you approach the changes gradually and with commitment, you will have a healthy diet sooner than you think.

• Simplify. Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think of your diet in terms of color, variety and freshness—then it should be easier to make healthy choices. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that incorporate a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your diet will become healthier and more delicious.
• Start slow and make changes to your eating habits over time. Trying to make your diet healthy overnight isn’t realistic or smart.  Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. Make small steps, like adding a salad (full of different color vegetables) to your diet once a day or switching from butter to olive oil when cooking.  As your small changes become habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices to your diet.
• Every change you make to improve your diet matters. You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to completely eliminate foods you enjoy to have a healthy diet.  The long term goal is to feel good, have more energy and reduce the risk of cancer and disease. Don’t let your missteps derail you—every healthy food choice you make counts.

Think of exercise as a food group in your diet.

Find something active that you like to do and add it to your day, just like you would add healthy greens, blueberries or salmon. The benefits of lifelong exercise are abundant and regular exercise may even motivate you to make healthy food choices a habit.

Healthy eating tip 2: Moderation is key 

People often think of healthy eating as an all or nothing proposition, but a key foundation for any healthy diet is moderation.  Despite what certain fad diets would have you believe, we all need a balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals to sustain a healthy body.

• Try not to think of certain foods as “off limits.” When you ban certain foods or food groups, it is natural to want those foods more, and then feel like a failure if you give in to temptation. If you are drawn towards sweet, salty or unhealthy foods, start by reducing portion sizes and not eating them as often. Later you may find yourself craving them less or thinking of them as only occasional indulgences.
• Think smaller portions. Serving sizes have ballooned recently, particularly in restaurants. When dining out, choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything. At home, use smaller plates, think about serving sizes in realistic terms and start small.  Visual cues can help with portion sizes—your serving of meat, fish or chicken should be the size of a deck of cards. A teaspoon of oil or salad dressing is about the size of a matchbook and your slice of bread should be the size of a CD case.

Healthy eating tip 3: It's not just what you eat, it's how you eat 

Healthy eating is about more than the food on your plate—it is also about how you think about food. Healthy eating habits can be learned and it is important to slow down and think about food as nourishment rather than just something to gulp down in between meetings or on the way to pick up the kids.

• Eat with others whenever possible. Eating with other people has numerous social and emotional benefits—particularly for children—and allows you to model healthy eating habits. Eating in front of the TV or computer often leads to mindless overeating.
• Take time to chew your food and enjoy mealtimes. Chew your food slowly, savoring every bite. We tend to rush though our meals, forgetting to actually taste the flavors and feel the textures of what is in our mouths. Reconnect with the joy of eating.
• Listen to your body. Ask yourself if you are really hungry, or have a glass of water to see if you are thirsty instead of hungry. During a meal, stop eating before you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly.
• Eat breakfast, and eat smaller meals throughout the day. A healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating small, healthy meals throughout the day (rather than the standard three large meals) keeps your energy up and your metabolism going.

Healthy eating tip 4: Fill up on colorful fruits and vegetables 

Fruits and vegetables are the foundation of a healthy diet—they are low in calories and nutrient dense, which means they are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. Fruits and vegetables should be part of every meal and your first choice for a snack—aim for a minimum of five portions each day. The antioxidants and other nutrients in fruits and vegetables help protect against certain types of cancer and other diseases.

Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day—the brighter the better. 

The brighter, deeper colored fruits and vegetables contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants—and different colors provide different benefits. Some great choices are:

• Greens: Greens are packed with calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, vitamins A, C, E and K, and they help strengthen the blood and respiratory systems. Be adventurous with your greens and branch out beyond bright and dark green lettuce—kale, mustard greens, broccoli, Chinese cabbage are just a few of the options.
• Sweet vegetables: Naturally sweet vegetables add healthy sweetness to your meals and reduce your cravings for other sweets. Some examples of sweet vegetables are corn, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes or yams, winter squash, and onions.
• Fruit: A wide variety of fruit is also vital to a healthy diet. Fruit provides fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. Berries are cancer-fighting, apples provide fiber, oranges and mangos offer vitamin C, and so on.

Don’t forget to shop fresh and local whenever possible

The local farmer’s market, fruit stand or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group are great ways to get access to fresh, local produce. To find local growers, farmer's markets, and CSAs in your area, visit Local Harvest.

Avoid: Fruit juices, which can contain up to 10 teaspoons of sugar per cup; avoid or dilute with water. Canned fruit is often in sugary syrup, and dried fruit, while an excellent source of fiber, can be high in calories. Avoid fried veggies and those with dressings or sauces—too much unhealthy fat and calories.

Water—a vital part of a healthy diet

Water makes up about 75% of our bodies and helps flush our systems of waste products and toxins. Yet many people go through life dehydrated—causing tiredness, low energy and headaches.
Caffeinated beverages, in particular, actually cause the body to lose water. Fresh fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, contain plenty of water and can help with hydration, especially when you are looking for an alternative to your eighth glass of water for the day.

Healthy eating tip 5: Eat more healthy carbs and whole grains

Choose healthy carbohydrates and fiber sources, especially whole grains, for long lasting energy. In addition to being delicious and satisfying, whole grains are rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants, which help to protect against coronary heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes. Studies have shown people who eat more whole grains tend to have a healthier heart.

A quick definition of healthy carbs and unhealthy carbs

Healthy carbs (sometimes known as good carbs) include whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. Healthy carbs are digested slowly, helping you feel full longer and keeping blood sugar and insulin levels stable.
Unhealthy carbs (or bad carbs) are foods such as white flour, refined sugar and white rice that have been stripped of all bran, fiber and nutrients. Unhealthy carbs digest quickly and cause spikes in blood sugar levels and energy.

• Include a variety of whole grains in your healthy diet, including whole wheat, brown rice, millet, quinoa, and barley. Experiment with different grains to find your favorites.
• Make sure you're really getting whole grains. Be aware that the words stone-ground, multi-grain, 100% wheat, or bran, don’t necessarily mean that a product is whole grain. Look for the new Whole Grain Stamp. If there is no stamp look for the words “whole grain” or “100% whole wheat,” and check the ingredients.
• Try mixing grains as a first step to switching to whole grains. If whole grains, like brown rice and whole wheat pasta, don’t sound good at first, start by mixing what you normally use with the whole grains. You can gradually increase the whole grain to 100%.

Avoid: Refined grains such as breads, pastas, and breakfast cereals that are not whole grain.

Fiber: An essential component of a healthy diet

Dietary fiber, found in plant foods (fruit, vegetables and whole grains) is essential for maintaining a healthy digestive system. Fiber helps support a healthy diet by helping you feel full faster and for a longer amount of time, and keeping your blood sugar stable. A healthy diet contains approximately 20-30 grams of fiber a day, but most of us only get about half that amount.
The two types of fiber are soluble and insoluble.

• Soluble fiber can dissolve in water and can also help to lower blood fats and maintain blood sugar. Primary sources are beans, fruit and oat products.
• Insoluble fiber cannot dissolve in water, so it passes directly through the digestive system. It’s found in whole grain products and vegetables.

Healthy eating tip 6: Enjoy healthy fats & avoid unhealthy fats

Good sources of healthy fat are needed to nourish your brain, heart and cells, as well as your hair, skin, and nails.  Foods rich in certain omega-3 fats called EPA and DHA are particularly important and can reduce cardiovascular disease, improve your mood and help prevent dementia.
Add to your healthy diet:

• Monounsaturated fats, from plant oils like canola oil, peanut oil, and olive oil, as well as avocados, nuts (like almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans) and seeds (such as pumpkin, sesame).
• Polyunsaturated fats, including Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, found in fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and some cold water fish oil supplements. Other sources of polyunsaturated fats are unheated sunflower, corn, soybean, and flaxseed oils, and walnuts.

Reduce or eliminate from your diet:

• Saturated fats, found primarily in animal sources including red meat and whole milk dairy products.
• Trans fats, found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, and other processed foods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Healthy eating tip 7: Put protein in perspective

Protein gives us the energy to get up and go—and keep going. Protein in food is broken down into the 20 amino acids that are the body’s basic building blocks for growth and energy, and essential for maintaining cells, tissues and organs. A lack of protein in our diet can slow growth, reduce muscle mass, lower immunity, and weaken the heart and respiratory system. Protein is particularly important for children, whose bodies are growing and changing daily.
Here are some guidelines for including protein in your healthy diet:
Try different types of protein. Whether or not you are a vegetarian, trying different protein sources—such as beans, nuts, seeds, peas, tofu and soy products—will open up new options for healthy mealtimes.

• Beans:  Black beans, navy beans, garbanzos, and lentils are good options.
• Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, pistachios and pecans are great choices.
• Soy products: Try tofu, soy milk, tempeh and veggie burgers for a change.
• Avoid salted or sugary nuts and refried beans.

Downsize your portions of protein. Most people in the U.S. eat too much protein. Try to move away from protein being the center of your meal. Focus on equal servings of protein, whole grains, and vegetables.
Focus on quality sources of protein, like fresh fish, chicken or turkey, tofu, eggs, beans or nuts. When you are having meat, chicken, or turkey, buy meat that is free of hormones and antibiotics.

Complete, incomplete and complementary proteins

• A complete protein source—from animal proteins such as meat, poultry, fish, milk, cheese and eggs—provides all of the essential amino acids.
• An incomplete protein—from vegetable proteins like grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and beans—is low in one or more essential amino acids.
• Complementary proteins are two or more incomplete protein sources that together provide all of the essential amino acids your body needs. For example, rice and dry beans are each incomplete proteins, but together they provide all of the essential amino acids.
• Do complementary proteins need to be eaten in the same meal?  Research shows that your body can combine complementary proteins that are eaten within the same day.
• Why are complete and complementary proteins important? Complete and complementary proteins that provide all of the essential amino acids will fill you up longer than carbohydrates because they break down more slowly in the digestive process.

Healthy eating tip 8: Add calcium & vitamin D for strong bones

Calcium and vitamin D are essential for strong, healthy bones—vitamin D is essential for optimum calcium absorption in the small intestine. Recommended calcium levels are 1000 mg per day, 1200 mg if you are over 50 years old. Take a vitamin D and calcium supplement if you don’t get enough of these nutrients from your diet.
Great sources of calcium include:

• Dairy products, which come already fortified with vitamin D.
• Dark green, leafy vegetables, such as kale and collard greens
• Dried beans and legumes

4 Breakfast Items To Avoid

1. Carrot Cake Muffin
   Perhaps the word "carrot" make it sound like a healthy breakfast item, but most commercial carrot cake muffins are high in fat and calories. One serving of this favorite breakfast muffin from a coffee chain store contains a whopping 680 kilocalories and 40 grams of fat! Indeed, most muffins and scones are high in fat. Scones, in particular, usually contain trans fat as well.
2. DoughnutsDoughnuts are fried breakfast foods. If you do not eat french fries for breakfast, why would you eat fried doughnuts? One piece of glazed doughnut from a doughnut chain store contains 200 kcal of empty calories with precious few nutrients. What is worse is that it contains four grams of trans fat per serving. That is already two times more than the recommended amount of trans fat a day. Doughnuts with fillings contain even higher amounts of calories and trans fat, so stay away from this breakfast treat!
   
3. Frozen Waffles Similar to doughnuts, frozen waffles are another example of empty calories when it comes to breakfast foods. Most store-bought frozen waffles are basically refined grain combined with refined sugar and trans fat, lacking health-promoting vitamins, minerals and fiber. Most people add syrup and margarine on their breakfast waffles, hence adding even more calories and fat. Not a smart choice to start your day!
   
4. McDonald's Deluxe BreakfastWith such breakfast items as scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausages, pancakes and dressing and syrup, this deluxe breakfast contains a shocking 1,120 kcal and 61 grams of fat! With that much fat, it is like swallowing 13 teaspoons of vegetable oil in one setting! What is more shockingis that this breakfast item at McDonald's contains 11 g of trans fat, that is is 5 times more than the daily recommended amount of trans fat!

The recommended daily intake for dairy is three servings a day and whole grains is at least three servings daily. If you do not normally eat these foods for lunch or dinner, it is easier to include these items in breakfast. Hence, choose whole grains such as whole wheat bread, whole grain cereals or oatmeal if possible. In addition, include a serving of dairy such as low-fat milk or low-fat yogurt, which is rich in protein, calcium and potassium. In general, try including at least three food groups in your breakfast so that you do not need to prowl for a mid-morning snack.