Plus, five recipes that’ll help you work more of it into your meals Continue reading
javahut healthy feed
The Secret Ingredient for a Healthier Diet
Reply
Tag Archives: Secret
The Secret Ingredient for Healthier Skin
No, it’s not a miracle cream—in fact, it won’t cost you a thing Continue reading
javahut healthy feed
Could THIS be the Secret to Burning More Fat?
Short, frequent workouts blast fat… but is it a realistic—or doable—routine? Continue reading
javahut healthy feed
Could THIS Be the Secret to a Happier Relationship?
A whole bunch of love stories have one thing in common this wedding season: The couples met on the Internet. And here’s some great news for those newlyweds: Married couples who first connected online have a slight edge when it comes to relationship longevity and marital satisfaction, according to a new study out of the University of Chicago.
The results are based on a survey of more than 19,000 people who tied the knot between 2005 and 2012. (Full disclosure: eHarmony.com commissioned the survey, but before the data was analyzed they agreed to publish the results no matter what, and independent statisticians oversaw the analysis.) Turns out, more than one-third of the now-married couples met online. And while you may think that the survey’s results are due to the fact that people who meet their spouses online tend to be older, that’s not the case: The researchers controlled for age, the year the couple was married, and more.
So what accounts for the added bliss? The researchers didn’t study the “why” factor, but lead study author John Cacioppo, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Chicago and a scientific advisor to eHarmony.com, has some ideas: For one, it follows that people who feel ready for marriage—who aren’t commitment-phobes—are typically the ones who go looking for it online.
Then, of course, there is the sheer number of options you have on the Internet, says Cacioppo. In one night, you can see 10 men in a bar—or hundreds of men’s dating profiles.
There’s also a big difference in self-disclosure, says Cacioppo.
Online, you’re learning a lot more about those dudes much faster—a list of interests, values, even their reasons for revving up their dating profile, says Diana Kirschner, PhD, a relationship expert and CEO of LoveIn90Days.com, who was not involved in the study. “You can read that in five minutes,” she says. “You could not get all that information talking to someone at a party for five minutes.”
But even if you prefer meeting dates at parties versus on profiles, there’s something to be learned from all that online disclosure: “Don’t be afraid to share what you enjoy the way you would do in the profile,” says Kirschner. “Talk about what gives you a lot of passion or pleasure or joy.” You’ll set yourself up for a healthy and happy relationship if you find someone who knows about—and is into—the real you from the start.
And just as you’d list your favorite activities in an online profile, stick to those when you’re getting to know someone in person, too. “I think it’s important to suggest activities that you’re really having fun with,” says Kirschner. “Suggest a mini golf outing or a trip to the beach that you’re going to enjoy and be present for.”
Overall: “Be honest and authentic,” she says. That’s great advice for long-lasting love—whether you’re several years into your relationship or are feeling out a new guy.
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
More from Women’s Health:
Online Dating 2.0
10 Secrets of Super Happy Couples
How to Create an Awesome Online Dating Profile
The Secret Ingredient for Weight Loss
If you can part with burgers and meat sauce, slimming down should be a cinch: Replacing red meat with white-button mushrooms can help you lose weight and keep it off, according to a new study conducted at the Weight Management Center at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Participants who ate one cup of mushrooms in place of meat every day for a year consumed an average of 123 fewer calories and 4.25 fewer grams of fat per day. They also lost more weight (an average of seven pounds) and saw a larger drop in body mass index, waist circumference, and total percent body fat compared to participants who didn’t change their diets at all.
Why? Mushrooms are super low-cal—there are just 44 in each cup—especially compared to lean ground meat, which has nearly six times as many calories per volume. But previous research has shown that mushrooms are just as satiating as meat, so you consume way fewer calories without feeling deprived.
In most recipes that call for ground beef—like sauce, chili, or burgers—you can swap in one and a half pounds of chopped, sautéed mushrooms for every pound of ground beef, says JoAnn Brader, manager of the Rodale Test Kitchen, which tests and develops recipes for Women’s Health.
Another option? Fill up on one of these tasty mushroom recipes. You won’t even miss the meat:
Black Bean, Mushroom, and Oat Burgers
Photo: Romulo Yanes
Stuffed Portobello Burgers with Caramelized Onions
Photo: Romolo Yanes
Meat-Free Baked Ziti With Mushrooms
Photo: Mitch Mandel
Photo: Con Poulis
Photo: Kang Kim
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
More from WH:
5 Vegetarian Myths
Meatless FAQs
6 Reasons to Eat Less Meat
The Secret Ingredient to a Flatter Belly
Oil gets a bad rap, but you don’t have to completely banish it from your diet: In fact, eating certain kinds of vegetable oils might reduce abdominal fat and lower your risk for metabolic syndrome, according to a new study presented at the American Heart Association’s EPI/NPAM 2013 Scientific Sessions conference held in New Orleans last month. Metabolic syndrome is a pretty scary group of conditions—increased blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, excess abdominal body fat, and abnormal cholesterol levels—that can boost your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
A team of American and Canadian researchers put 121 participants—all of whom were at risk for metabolic syndrome—on a four-week, 2,000-calorie-per-day diet that included a daily smoothie containing 40 grams of one of five oils: canola oil, high-oleic canola oil, a flax/safflower oil blend, a corn/safflower oil blend, or high-oleic canola oil enriched with omega-3 fatty acids. They then performed a type of X-ray that can measure fat mass in different body regions—once at the beginning of the study, and once at the end of the four-week diet period. What they discovered: Those who consumed the smoothies containing canola or high-oleic canola oils trimmed their belly fat by an average of 1.6 percent more than those who had the flax/safflower oil blend. And those who had either the corn/safflower oil blend or the high-oleic canola oil enriched with omega-3s didn’t see any change in their abdominal fat at all.
Although it’s unclear why eating these oils might help you shed that pesky stomach pooch, researchers say it might come down to the oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid found in both canola oil and high-oleic canola oil. “The oleic acid might just be metabolized differently,” says study author Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, a distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State University. Your body might process it in a way that burns some fat, making less available to be stored in your body, she says.
But this doesn’t mean you should go on a canola oil bender: You’ll want to add a reasonable amount to an otherwise-healthy diet to avoid taking in too many calories, says Kris-Etherton. To see some of the same benefits, she suggests consuming 40 grams (about 2.7 tablespoons) of canola oil or high-oleic canola oil each day as part of a 2,000 calorie, heart-healthy diet. That comes out to less than one tablespoon per meal.
To sneak more canola oil into your diet, try these delicious recipes:
BBQ Pork Tacos *contains 2/3 tsp canola oil per serving
photo: Helen Norman
Spiced Chicken with Dried Fruit *contains 2/3 tsp canola oil per serving
photo: Helen Norman
Apricot Shrimp Skewers *contains ½ tbsp + 2 tsp canola oil per serving
photo: Romulo Yanes
Pumpkin Waffles *contains ¾ tsp canola oil per serving
photo: John Kernick
Giant Mushrooms Stuffed with Greens and Mozzarella *contains ½ tbsp canola oil per serving
photo: John Kernick
top photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
More from WH:
Cut Your Diabetes Risk
5 Steps to a Healthy Heart
The Belly-Flattening Ab Workout
Your Secret Weapon for More Self-Control
Struggling to stay on task at work? Gargle some Gatorade. Swishing a sugary beverage in your mouth can help boost your self-control, says a recent study published in the journal Psychological Science.
Researchers asked 51 students to complete two self-control tasks. In each test, half of the students rinsed their mouths with lemonade and sugar, while the other half rinsed with lemonade and Splenda.
The results: Those who rinsed their mouths with the sugar-infused lemonade responded to the tests faster and showed more self-control than those who rinsed with the artificial sweetener.
Researchers previously thought you needed to actually drink glucose and get it into your system to see its willpower-boosting benefits, but the new study found simply swishing works, too. “Glucose stimulates the simple carbohydrate sensors on your tongue, which then signals the motivational centers of the brain,” says lead study author Matthew Sanders, a doctoral candidate at the University of Georgia. These signals tell your body to pay attention and help you get back on track with your goals, Sanders explains.
The researchers aren’t sure how useful this technique is for longer, harder self-control tasks—like quitting smoking—but Sanders says it should help in the short-term. If you’re waning during a hard workout or logging a late-nighter at the office, a quick swish of Gatorade should help you refocus better than water, he says.
Image: Stockbyte/Thinkstock
More from WH:
Harness the Power of Positive Change
Control Your Sugar Cravings
Boost Your Willpower
The Secret to Making Weight Loss Last
Planning to go on a diet? Prepare yourself—literally. According to a recent study from Stanford University, it’s easier to keep the weight off if you adopt healthy lifestyle habits, like eating mindfully and taking brief walks, before you start your weight-loss plan.
The study, which appears in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, found that women who spent eight weeks mastering weight-maintenance skills before embarking on a weight-loss program shed the same number of pounds as women who started a weight-loss program immediately. More importantly, the results showed that the “maintenance-first” women regained only 3 pounds on average a year later, compared to the average 7-pound gain for the immediate dieters.
“The premise for the ‘before’ idea was that women could have an opportunity to master the maintenance skills before having to worry about losing weight,” says study author Michaela Kiernan, PhD. That way, study participants were able to channel their initial motivation and excitement into maintenance, the usually elusive part of weight-loss management, Kiernan adds.
Make this method work for you. If you’ve struggled to keep off excess pounds, start with these five healthy habits before actively starting to lose weight.
Make a healthy grocery list
“Stocking your pantry with healthy staples will set you up for success,” says Rachel Berman, a registered dietician and director of nutrition for CalorieCount.com. Healthy staples include frozen or fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, nut and nut butters, dried beans, seeds, condiments—like olive oil—low-fat milk, yogurt, and eggs, she adds. Here’s a shopping list you can start with.
Start drinking more water
Drink about 8-10 cups of water per day to keep your energy high and metabolism strong. “Staying hydrated helps you become more in tune with your physical hunger cues so you’re less likely to overeat,” Berman says. Also, ditch sugary drinks like lemonade or soda and instead add fresh fruit flavor to water using an infusion pitcher. If you’re not sure which drinks to ditch, here’s a list of the worst beverages at the supermarket.
Create a support system
Keep your family in the loop about the healthy changes you’re making, without mentioning weight loss as the reason. Even better, try and get them to join in. “Statistics show that people have more success losing weight when they have a support system,” Berman says. Could your friends and family be to blame for your weight? Here’s how to not fail prey to fat peer pressure.
Start a food journal
Track your food with plain old pen and paper or use more interactive logs found online—like CalorieCount.com. “This helps you stay accountable for what you’re eating and recognize where you need to make improvements,” Berman says. “Mindfulness of what you’re eating and drinking is a key ingredient in making changes,” she adds.
Find your favorite exercise
If you dread going to the gym or doing an hour-long boot-camp workout, you won’t stick with it. “Finding an activity you enjoy is important for sustainability and keeps you motivated to create and keep healthy habits,” Berman says. Try going to a dance class or take a stroll for 20 minutes first thing in the morning. Still bored with your routine? Here are 21 ways to make fitness fun!
photo: Photodisc/Thinkstock
More from WH:
Healthy Habits of the Successfully Fit
10 Ways to Get a Flat Stomach
How to Lose Weight Fast
The Secret to Better Sleep
Your muffin top is keeping you up at night. According to a new study from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, losing weight, especially around your midsection, can improve the quality of your sleep.
Researchers asked 77 participants to fill out a form discussing their sleeping problems, including sleep apnea, fatigue, insomnia, restless sleep, excessive sleep and use of sedatives. The study subjects then followed a weight loss plan for 6 months, resulting in an average loss of 15 pounds and 15 percent reduction in belly fat per person. At the end of the study period, participants reported about a 20 percent increase in their overall sleep scores.
“Fat, and particularly belly fat, interferes with lung function,” says Kerry J. Stewart, Ed.D., a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University and one of the study authors. “It becomes harder for the lungs to expand because fat is in the way.” When your lungs can’t expand at full capacity, breathing becomes more difficult. Difficult breathing leads to sleep problems, like sleep apnea. Inversely, the less fat around your belly, the less interference with lung functioning—and the better you’ll sleep.
While a good night’s rest is important for looking and performing your best in daily actives, it also plays a vital role in protecting your heart, Stewart says. Disturbed sleep, from sleep apnea or other disorders, is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. “Sleep apnea is much more common in obese people and also likely causes weight gain, too,” he says. “There is a vicious cycle that needs to be broken.”
To get rid of belly fat for good, try this core-revitalizing workout from The Women’s Health Big Book of Abs. With this workout, you’ll activate more muscle, burn hundreds of calories, and work all of your core muscles with every exercise.
How to do it
Perform this workout three times a week. Alternate between Workout A and Workout B three days a week, resting at least a day between each session. When you see a number with a letter next to it (such as 1A, 1B), that means the exercises are performed as a circuit. For each circuit, do 1 set of each exercise in succession.
top photo: Hemera/Thinkstock; workout photos: Beth Bischoff
More from WH:
50 Ways to Lose Belly Fat
The 12 Best Foods for Your Abs
The Dangers of Belly Fat
Get even more workouts with The Women’s Health Big Book of Abs. Pick up your copy today!
Stop-the-Clock Secret: Remove Eye Makeup The Right Way
What’s your makeup removal routine? At the end of a long day, you probably just want to wipe it all …
javahut healthy feed