1) When starting a new diet plan, it is an excellent idea to keep a "food diary" to keep track of everything you are putting into your mouth. Make sure you write down everything you eat, including that handful of M&M's you stole off of your co-workers desk. Everything you eat contains calories which will affect your physique. If you often find yourself getting hungry between meals, a Zero Carb Protein Shake is a healthy choice to keep you satisfied! Writing down what you eat will help you to see exactly what you have eaten and to get a better understanding of what does and does not work for you. Remember, everybody is different and what works well for one person, may not be the best thing for another. Make sure to write down how you felt while eating these foods as well. You may not realize how much emotion is involved in eating. Learning these things may help you to avoid making those same mistakes again and again!
2) Pay attention to the nutrition panel! It may sound very basic, but consider this: one "White Chocolate Mocha" from Starbucks packs a whopping 510 calories and 55 grams of sugar. As a rule of thumb, running burns about 12 calories per minute; therefore it would take you approximately 42.5 minutes of continuous running to burn this sinful indulgence off. You are basically drinking your calories, and they are all empty! Try opting for a "Skinny Café Latte" with a shot of sugar-free vanilla syrup (no whipped cream). This beverage will only set you back 160 calories and absolutely no sugar without compromising taste! To burn this one off you would only have to run for ~13 minutes, you make the choice!
3) Worried about bad cholesterol from eggs? Don’t! In a recent study at the University of Connecticut, scientists looked into dietary cholesterol from eggs. They wanted to know whether or not dietary cholesterol from eggs increases plasma HDL cholesterol in overweight men consuming a carbohydrate-restricted diet. Despite the fact that a carbohydrate restricted diet will ultimately decrease body fat and independently improve triglyceride levels and HDL cholesterol levels in the blood, would increasing the intake of dietary cholesterol from eggs do the same?
The answer: YES! The results of the study suggest that including eggs in a carbohydrate restricted diet will result in an increase in HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) while decreasing the risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome.
If you have high cholesterol and love eggs, there is no reason to cut them out, as this study proves the cholesterol found in eggs will actually HELP to increase good cholesterol. So....EAT EGGS FOR YOUR HEALTH!!! Plus, they are delicious!
