7 Breakfast Foods to Swap In, Not Out

Is breakfast really the "most important" meal of the day? Maybe, at least that's what they told us in health class.

So if breakfast is the first meal of the day and you're trying to lose weight, it's probably a smart idea to make your first meal a good one.

And since most dieters judge food by two simple factors: fat and calories. Here are seven foods you should ditch and seven foods you should switch to if you're looking for a better breakfast.

English Muffin or Bagel?

Sorry, but a bagel with a schmear of cream cheese just isn't Kosher - at least not for dieting. You're better off switching to toasted nooks and crannies dripping with melted butter.

*English Muffin, with butter
5.8g total fat
189 calories

Bagel, with cream cheese
8g total fat
436 calories

Apple or Banana?

Let's face it, both apples and bananas are awesome - probably the healthiest foods on this list - but, if you're looking to cut calories, go with the apple.

*Apple
0.17g total fat
50 calories

Banana
0.33g total fat
100 calories

Blueberry Yogurt or Oatmeal?

Even without the "probiotics," eating a light yogurt is smarter than a bowl of old fashioned oatmeal.

*Dannon Light'n Fit Blueberry Yogurt (6oz)
0g total fat
80 calories

Old Fashioned Quaker Oats, with water (1/2 cup)
3g total fat
150 calories

Coffee with Skim Milk or 2% Milk?

For most people, missing their morning coffee is grounds for murder. So please, drink up! But make sure you stick with non-fat milk, not 2%

*Starbucks Coffee, with non-fat milk (short)
0g total fat
35 calories

Starbucks Coffee, with 2% milk (short)
2g total fat
50 calories

Wheaties or Raisin Bran?

One cereal uses professional athletes to push product. Another is peddled by the sun. The sports stars win, go with a bowl of Wheaties.

*Wheaties (1 cup)
1g total fat
110 calories

Raisin Bran (1 cup)
1.3g total fat
190 calories

Turkey Bacon or Pork?

It isn't real bacon - it might not even taste like it - but the fat and calories don't lie. Spare a pig, eat a turkey!

*Butterball Bacon-Style Turkey (1 slice, 18g)
3g total fat
40 calories

Pork Bacon (3 slices, 19g)
7.9g total fat
103 calories

Grapefruit Juice or Orange Juice?

Grapefruit juice might not taste as sweet, but choke it down. It's better than orange juice. And when you drink grapefruit juice, it's less likely to squirt in your eye.

*Tropicana Grapefruit Juice (8 fl oz)
0g total fat
90 calories

Tropicana Orange Juice (8 fl oz)
0g total fat
110 calories

7 Lunch Foods to Swap In, Not Out

Whether you're sitting in an office, putting up sheetrock, stocking shelves, seeing patients, whatever - everyone can't wait for their lunch break!

Lunch is an important meal. Breakfast gets you started, but then dinner is so far, far way. But you got to be careful, you can't use boredom or a bad day as an excuse to eat badly. Not smart.

So if you're jonesing for lunch, but are also trying to lose weight, here are seven foods you should ditch and seven foods you should switch too.

Big Mac or Veggie Delight?

In this mini-battle of fast food giants, McDonald's fails miserably. The smart move is the Veggie Delight; throw the Big Mac in the trash.

*Subway Veggie Delight (6 in)
2.5g total fat
230 calories

McDonald's Big Mac
37.7g total fat
704 calories

BLT or Pizza?

Both aren't stellar options; melted cheese versus greasey bacon - not exactly health food! But surprisingly pizza isn't the worst thing you can eat.

*Cheese pizza (1 slice)
3.2g total fat
140 calories

Bacon, lettuce, tomato sandwich
(5 strips of bacon, 2 tbsp of mayo)
34g total fat
550 calories

Tuna or Egg Salad Sandwich?

What looks good to you, mashed up eggs or mashed up tuna fish? Go with the tuna, it just narrowly edges out the eggs and mayo.

*Tuna fish sandwich
31g total fat
530 calories

Egg salad sandwich
32.8g total fat
555 total calories

Orange or Baby Carrots?

Okay, carrots and oranges are both winners, but if you want to get picky about it, a handful of baby carrots is a little better.

*Baby carrots (10)
0g total fat
50 calories

Orange
0.2g total fat
63 calories

Ham Sandwich or Chicken Soup?

Two American classics, sometimes served together, but if you're looking to lose weight, go with the low-sodium soup.

*Campbell's Light Chicken Soup
(low-sodium, one can)
4.5g total fat
130 calories

Ham and cheese sandwich
15.5g total fat
352 calories

Sushi or Caesar Salad?

California rolls and Caesar salads are chic lunch options for a high-power business meeting, but sushi is the better choice.

*California Roll (4 pieces)
4g total fat
150 calories

Panera Caesar Salad (5oz)
16g total fat
220 calories

Power Bar or Clif Bar?

Need energy on the go? Both a Power Bar and a Clif Bar will give it to you, but we're talking diet here! So try a Power Bar.

*Chocolate Power Bar
2g total fat
230 calories

Clif Chocolate Brownie Bar
4.5g total fat
240 calories

Data source: Subway, CalorieKing, Calorie Count

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Blame Your Mom For Your Caffeine Addiction

Caffeine is the most commonly used psychoactive substance in the world and used by roughly 9 out of 10 adults.

If you happen to be one of the many who can't live without a daily dose of caffeine in your diet, then you probably inherited two specific genes from your parents that are now understood to be the reason behind a person's caffeine cravings.

The results of a recent study were just published in the journal, PLoS Genetics, where researchers isolated two genes in the liver (CYP1A2 and AHR) that are responsible for the breakdown of certain chemicals including caffeine. Of the 47,341 American men and women involved in the study, those with the highest caffeine consumption were most likely to have the two genes present.

Scientists have long thought that caffeine addiction may have an inherited genetic component, but until now they were unable to isolate the genes responsible for some people's ability and desire to consume large doses of caffeine daily. In a recent interview with ABC News Dr. Neil Caporaso, a senior investigator in the study, said;

"Genetic studies have identified many associations with diseases, but very few for diet agents. It turns out that your liver, more than your brain, determines daily caffeine intake."

People who crave and consume the most caffeine do so because their bodies are able to process caffeine more efficiently. If you would like to see how much caffeine you consume daily, you can figure out your daily consumption using this extensive caffeine content database. If you consume over 300mg of caffeine a day, you most likely have inherited the two genes. It looks like we have yet another thing to blame our parents for.

Are you a caffeine addict? How much do you consume daily?

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Eating Meat is Child Abuse says Ad

PETA has caused a stir of sorts with a very blatant billboard advertisement in Merthyr, Wales.

The poster - depicting an overweight boy indulging in a burger with the tagline; "Feeding kids meat is child abuse - fight the fat - go veg."

PETA says it is trying to make people in the town aware of the burgeoning obesity rates.

Spokesperson Mimi Bekhechi told BBC Wales:

We are seeing diabetes in very young children which is typically an adult disease. We are seeing children as young as three or four with arterial clogging".

She adds;

We know that a vegetarian diet is much healthier."

Needless to say, Meat Promotion Wales didn't take kindly to the confrontational ad, stating:

Peta's agenda is to force everyone to pursue a vegetarian lifestyle and they are willing to exploit the suffering experienced by genuine child abuse victims to further their own agenda".

They go on to say

Red meat is an essential part of a healthy diet and we will be making a fresh complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about this poster."

Interesting sound bites - both are dead accurate in their first statements and then go on to make misleading and inaccurate conclusion. To wit;

PETA:

"Kids are getting unhealthy and fat": True
"We all know a vegetarian diet is much healthier": Untrue/at the very least needs qualification

Meat Promotion Wales

"PETA has an agenda and is exploiting and trivializing the very real and scary issue of child abuse." True
"Red meat is an essential part of a healthy diet". Untrue/at the very least needs qualification

I wish I could say I didn't expect this from PETA but in my opinion it is typical practice for them to distort facts and use shock tactics in the name of promoting their agenda.

A council spokeswoman isn't terribly enamored with the advert either, stating (quite accurately, I believe)

Unfortunately, the message conveyed in this advert is portrayed as stereotypically offensive and is blatantly inaccurate. From a children's services point of view, this advert is at the very least ill-conceived - and at worst may cause distress to an already vulnerable group of children, young people and their families".

In short, these kinds of fear-mongering tactics serve only to deflect from the true culprits and solutions to combating childhood obesity.

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Fat Boys Have Higher Heart Risks Later in Life

Overweight teenage boys may have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease later in life, suggests a new study, even if they lose weight as adults.

Men who were obese as teens were seven times more likely to develop heart disease in their mid-30s, compared to men who were thinner as adolescents.

Childhood obesity is a growing problem in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that between 2007 to 2008, 17% kids ages 2 to 19 years old were obese.

Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study included more than 37,000 Israeli soldiers. Soldiers were drafted at age 17 and remained in the military as a career; 90% of the men worked at desk jobs. The participants were followed for 17 years; on average soldiers gained 33 pounds.

In order to closely monitor body mass index (BMI), the scientists controlled for cholesterol levels, exercise, smoking, blood pressure, weight changes, and family history of cardiovascular disease.

At the end of the study, when the majority of the study participants were in their mid-30s, 0.9% of the men were diagnosed with heart disease. And men who were obese as teenagers had a 1.8% higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Additionally these men had a 3% higher risk of diabetes. The researchers say the effects in women are unclear.

Researchers used an angiogram to determine heart risk; a coronary artery narrowed by 50% classified as having heart disease.

According to the American Heart Association, today one in three children in the U.S. are overweight or obese; triple the rate in 1963. The causes of obesity are obvious: poor diet, including over-consumption of junk food and insufficient intake of fruits and vegetables; and lack of exercise.

Image: stop-childhood-obesity

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Just Stop Eating So Much!

Just Stop Eating So Much! is a weight loss plan written by former "Fat Funny Kid", Gregg McBride.

Gregg created his plan after he successfully lost 275lbs and kept the weight off for 10 years. He tried many "fad" diets, support groups, and expensive weight loss programs, but in the end the only thing that worked for him was learning how to very simply "Just Stop Eating So Much" and get moving.

Gregg McBride once weighed 450+ pounds (his scale wouldn't go any higher) and says that he was winded just by talking on the phone. When he was finally able to "release the weight" (as he puts it) by eating less and moving more, his life changed.

In the book, the author shares his personal struggles with being overweight including the discrimination, the embarrassment of flying on an airplane, and the inability to connect with anyone romantically. After being asked by people for 10 years how he was able to remarkably lose the weight, he decided to outline his plan and publish Just Stop Eating So Much! .

The title of Gregg McBride's book came from the advice he was given by a muscular workmate when then, 450 pound Gregg, asked him how he could lose weight. At first Gregg said he was disappointed with such simple advice, but the more he thought about it, the more it made perfect sense.

Just Stop Eating So Much! first takes a look at the eating habits of thin people and compares them with the eating habits of fat people. Gregg then outlines how fat people can start incorporating the eating habits of a thin person.

Dieters are instructed to drink a lot of water, eat 5 times a day, and to avoid all types of processed and packaged food. Just Stop Eating So Much! includes a detailed meal plan and meal options so that the dieter can prepare meals and follow McBride's plan easily. Whole foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, legumes, low fat dairy, coffee, and tea are incorporated into the plan.

Just Stop Eating So Much! also includes a shopping list and a family meal planning guide to make the plan more user friendly for those with busy schedules and families. Mcbride includes many other eating tips and recommends that dieters get at least 7.5 hours of sleep while on his program.

Exercise is an important component of Just Stop Eating so Much! and dieters are advised to start small by doing exercises that are suitable for their body types as well activities they find enjoyable. Walking is highly recommended as a good starting point and McBride also gives other recommendations like muscle training and yoga. He says exercising 3 to 4 times a week is essential for the greatest amount of success on his program.

McBride includes in his plan many tips and suggestions to assist the dieter in being successful including food diaries, ways to track success, online resources, dealing with stress, and how to deal with temptation. McBride, in addition to being a weight loss success story, is a professional writer and this book is an easy and enjoyable read.

Obesity and weight loss are complex issues and Just Stop Eating So Much! probably simplifies the process somewhat as the methods that worked for McBride probably won't work for everyone. A person has to find a plan that works best according to his/her unique situation and needs.

However, Gregg McBride's plan is based on solid nutrition, calorie restriction, and exercise along with some elements of dealing with emotional reasons for over-eating, so I think many would find success on the Just Stop Eating So Much! plan and will be able to relate to Gregg McBride's story as well as be inspired by his success.

Just Stop Eating so Much! is available on Amazon.

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Vegetarian Diets Reduce Heart Risks

Eating a meat-free diet may lower your risk of developing heart disease, suggests a new study, helping to lessen the likelihood of metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of diseases that contribute to cardiovascular disease, including diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.

Researches found vegetarians had better blood sugar, blood fat, blood pressure, waist size, and body mass measurements than non-vegetarians.

In the study, 23 out of every 100 vegetarians were found to have at least three metabolic syndrome factors, compared with 39 out of every 100 non-vegetarians and 37 out of every 100 semi-vegetarians.

For the study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, scientists analyzed the diet of three different groups of people: vegetarians, non-vegetarians, and semi-vegetarians; in total, more than 700 adults.

The researchers used a questionnaire to obtain information on participants' eating habits. People were classified as vegetarian, eating meat less than once a month; semi-vegetarian, eating meat less than once a week; and non-vegetarians. However, the term "vegetarian" is incorrectly defined; true vegetarians never eat meat.

Results showed vegetarians had an average body mass index (BMI) of 25.7. Unlike non-vegetarians who had an average BMI close to 30. Semi-vegetarians' BMI fell between the vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

A BMI between 25 and 29 is considered overweight and a BMI from 30 and up is obese. Normal weight is between 18.5 and 25.

The findings remained steady when researchers combined all the readings to determine the risk of metabolic syndrome.

In 2008, Vegetarian Times reported that 7.3 million Americans follow a vegetarian diet: 59% are female, 41% are male. As of 2009, the total U.S. population was nearly 308 million.

According to the American Heart Association, a vegetarian diet - with its heavy vegetable consumption and low intake of saturated fat from animal products - has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, heart attack, obesity, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer.

Image credit: lisaclarke

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