12wk Health Blitz Challenge - Week 4

Grease Lightning! No Deep Fried Foods

Deep Fried foods would have to be the biggest enemy to anyone wanting to eat a healthy balanced diet.

Eating these foods on a regular basis can lead to serious   cardiovascular diseases such as Hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol and clogged arteries which can lead to strokes and heart attacks.   Not only can fried foods cause heart disease but can also lead to Type II diabetes as well.

The reason why fried foods lead to these serious cardiovascular diseases is that they are commonly fried in oils such as vegetables oils that are high in trans fats which increase the LDL Cholesterol in  our blood stream (bad cholesterol) and reduces the HDL (good cholesterol).

The good news is that there are alternatives to eating deep-frying food:

Oven baking.. This can be done by using a small amount of cooking oil. Roll the food in a thin layer of cooking oil and coat it with whatever seasoning you would like. Then, simply stick the food in the oven

Cooking foods using other cooking methods such as poaching, steaming, stir-frying and steaming.

Order grilled fish and seafood when out at restaurants instead of deep fried.

Make careful menu selections – Pay attention to the description on the menu. Dishes labeled deep fried, pan fried, basted, batter-dipped, breaded, creamy, crispy, scalloped, alfredo, au gratin or cream sauce are usually high in calories, unhealthy fats or sodium. Order items with more vegetables and choose leaner meats.

Metabolism is the key

Fact 1: You continue to burn calories for 12 to 48 hours after you've finished working out depending on the intensity

Fact 2: Exercising in the morning raises your metabolism for the whole day

Fact 3: According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,

Green tea helps you burn 35 to 43% more calories a day

Healthy Eating Tip: Instead of eating three medium to large-sized meals per day, you should be eating five smaller meals

Motivational Tip: Learn to recognise hunger. We eat automatically most of the time, governed by the clock or our environment so if you find yourself looking for food 20 minutes after eating a meal – STOP and ask “Am I hungry”