Diet Tips in 2012 | BATH PERSONAL TRAINER

Want to change how you eat? "You've got to do it one piece of food at a time" says Personal Trainer in Bath Steve Joynson.

Reducing your waist size doesn't take a miracle. It takes a lot of little steps. Wondering about the foods you should get rid of in order to transform your health and weight through small dietary transformations? Keep reading.

Buttered Toast. It's relatively light tasting and seems innocent, but buttered toast could be adding unnecessary calories to your diet. Wave goodbye to the buttered side of life and welcome in a little honey, jam, or jelly on a piece of whole-wheat toast. It'll burst with flavour - not extra calories.

Chips. Like most every other fried food, Chips are unhealthy by nature. If you've got a hankering for something potato-based, opt for mashed potatoes or a baked potato. To get that French fry flavour, squirt a little ketchup on your baked potato or mashed potatoes and enjoy.

Having trouble trading out all your favourite foods for healthier alternatives? Go for one at a time! It takes lots of little steps to make big progress with your health.

Fried Chicken. It may be finger-licking good, but the grease on your fingers makes it clear that fried chicken doesn't do the body good. Instead of frying your chicken, go for the grill or bake your chicken. Doing this will instantly cut down the amount of calories and fat you consume at dinnertime.

Fudge Sauce. Heated up and dripped on a brownie or a pile of ice cream, fudge sauce is the epitome of delectable dessert topping. Shave off some calories without losing that sought-after chocolate flavor by trading our your beloved fudge sauce for chocolate syrup.

Hamburgers or Cheeseburgers. Don't worry - you don't have to give up the magnificent flavour and savour of burgers. But you will need to change the kind of meat you use to make your burger. Instead of the traditional beef burger, go for a turkey burger or a veggie burger. The meat (or lack of meat) is leaner than beef and has just as much flavour!

Macaroni and Cheese. It tastes amazing, satisfied children of all ages and stages, and only takes a few minutes to make. Unfortunately, macaroni and cheese is not the healthiest option for you or your children. For an equally easy option, cook some pasta and add some light and healthy marinara sauce. You may never want macaroni and cheese again.

Crisps. One of the most commonly criticized snack foods, crisps beg to be substituted with a healthy alternative. In comes popcorn. But not the buttery, fattening stuff you find in movie theaters. Instead, make it low-fat popcorn that is lightly salted. It tastes great and helps you avoid the long-term consequences of crisps.

Traditional Desserts. For the most part, there is nothing wrong with a little cake or ice cream. However, the traditional view of dessert is that more is better. To ward off weight gain from taking this traditional view of dessert, swap out your extra large portion of chocolate cake for a cup of fresh fruit or half a serving of your favorite dessert. Either way, you'll get the sweet you crave without going overboard on calories.

White Bread. No matter what is between the two pieces of bread, a sandwich will never be its healthiest with white bread. An easy way to boost your health on a regular basis is to toss out the white bread and go with healthy, whole-wheat bread. You can also trade out your regular pasta for wheat pasta to get another boost to your good health.

Beetroot - Can this wonder food promote good health in Bath?

Want to boost your stamina or lower your blood pressure? Try some beetroot.

When you were a child, your mother probably had to force-feed you beetroot at dinner. While this dark purple-red vegetable may have a strong flavour that didn't agree with your young taste buds, your mum was on to something. That's because beetroot has been found to have significant health benefits.

Whether you're an endurance athlete; are well over the hill; or if you suffer from respiratory, cardiovascular, or metabolic diseases, beetroot should be of special interest to you. What is it about beetroot that gives it such powerful qualities and how much do you need to consume to get its benefits? Your answers await!

Endurance Enhancement

Beetroot juice contains many essential vitamins and minerals, including potassium, folate, and vitamin C. Often mixed with other juices such as carrot, lemon, or apple to improve its taste, beetroot juice has an uncommonly high nitrate content. Thanks to that nitrate content, beetroot has some serious perks for those who drink it down. Scientists suspect that nitric oxide, the byproduct of nitrate, gives you the ability to exercise with less oxygen and gives you more energy than usual. This is possible because you can exercise for longer periods of time when less oxygen is burned by your muscles during exercise. Green leafy foods such as spinach and lettuce, as well as cabbage and radishes, are also rich in nitrates, but beetroot may be one source you've not tapped into yet. In the past few years, research has shown that juice from the beetroot has the power to increase your stamina, allowing you to exercise up to 16 percent longer than your normal limit. Yes, 16 percent. Starting to thirst for some beetroot juice yet? Then keep reading.

Drinking beetroot juice a few hours before training seems to give athletes a boost in their performance that can't be achieved through additional training. Studies have shown that individuals who drink two cups of beetroot juice daily for a week improve on their race times by one to two percent for a set distance.

While this may seem like a small amount to some, this is very significant for elite athletes for whom every second counts. Not a world-class athlete? Don't leave beetroot juice on the shelf. It may be just what your body needs to make exercising more tolerable or even enjoyable.

Reduce Blood Pressure

If you're looking for a natural, home remedy to lower your blood pressure, look no further than our good friend, beetroot. Because on top of enhancing your athletic performance, the nitrate found in beetroot juice has been found to lower your blood pressure, cutting your risk for stroke or heart attack.

A recent study found that drinking two cups of beetroot juice a day keeps your blood pressure in check for up to 24 hours. While this study was small and did not take place over a long period of time, the results are fascinating and warrant additional research into the relationship between beetroot juice and cardiovascular diseases.

More than Root

If you want to amp up your workout routine or lower your blood pressure, beetroot juice can't be the only weapon in your arsenal. To achieve these goals or overall health, you'll need to go with a healthy, varied diet full of fruits and vegetables, and exercise on a regular basis. Otherwise, all the beetroot juice in the world won't be enough to give you good health.

No Mas, Por Favor.

Beetroot juice is a great addition to your diet. Just be careful. Drinking too much of it can lead to purple urine, abdominal cramps, or diarrhea.

The Top 12 Foods To Strip Away Belly Fat - Weight Loss in Bath

I’m sure you’ve seen lists like this before, but here are my top 12 foods to strip away belly fat. Some of these foods have side-kicks that are also great. Walnuts are a great side-kick to almonds, strawberries are a great side-kick to blueberries, etc.  You’ll find that these foods are similar to the ones recommended in the book called The Abs Diet.

Combine these foods with my 6 Diet Tips To Get Rid Of Fat and your body will turn into a lean, mean fat burning machine.

 1) Almonds

Great for building muscle and fighting off cravings and hunger, almonds are one of your best choices of nut. Almonds are high in protein and monounsaturated fat (which is a good type of fat for your body). And a handful of almonds gets you about half of your daily requirement of vitamin E and even some calcium. Almonds also contain magnesium which is important for muscle building. You can eat about 1-2 handfuls a day which will do a great job at suppressing your appetite.

2) Black Beans

Great for building muscle, burning fat, regulating digestion, controlling hunger. Black beans are a good source of protein, fibre and iron. They are also a rich source of antioxidants. In a recent research study in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, black beans were found to have more antioxidant activity, gram for gram, than any other type of bean.

3) Spinach

These are great for fortifying nutrient stores and fighting obesity. Spinach is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium and several vital antioxidents. It is also a great source of folic acid which helps protect against  heart disease, stroke and colon cancer.

4) Blueberries

Blueberries are loaded with soluble fibre that helps you feel full longer. They are one of the most antioxidant rich foods out there. Blueberries are super fruits, high in antioxidants including vitamins C and A. They also offer 3.5 grams of fibre per cup.

5) Oatmeal

Oatmeal is very low in fat and is a great source of water-soluble fibre, an integral part of a fat loss plan that helps make you feel full over a long period of time. Oatmeal is also free of both sodium and cholesterol and also keeps your blood sugar levels steady.

6) Eggs

Eggs are packed with a variety of nutrients including protein, zinc, iron and vitamins A, D, E and B12. Research has shown that eating eggs helps reduce the loss of lean tissue, promotes the loss of body fat and stabilizes blood glucose levels.

7) Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are one of the most nutritious foods there are. They are rich in dietary fibre, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. The numbers for the nutritional sweet potato speak for themselves: almost twice the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, 42 percent of the recommendation for vitamin C, four times the RDA for beta carotene, and, when eaten with the skin, sweet potatoes have more fibre than oatmeal. All these benefits with only about 130 to 160 calories! Among root vegetables, sweet potatoes offer the lowest glycemic index rating. That’s because the sweet potato digests slowly, causing a gradual rise in blood sugar so you feel satisfied longer.

8. Natural Peanut Butter (almond and cashew butter are also good choices)

Peanut butter is packed with heart healthy monounsaturated fats and helps build muscle while burning fat. It is high in calories, so don’t overeat it. Limit yourself to 2-3 tablespoons daily.

9) Olive Oil and Coconut Oil

Olive oil controls cravings so it helps you eat less. It will help you burn fat while keeping your cholesterol in check. A tablespoon or two on your salads instead of dressing is a great choice! Coconut oil is good to cook with and is a good source of saturated fats. Coconut milk is also good for smoothies.

10) Lean Turkey

Lean turkey helps build muscle and boosts your immune system. Protein takes longer than carbohydrates to digest, so they require more energy and more protein you eat, the more calories you burn. Turkey is packed with niacin and vitamin B6. If you buy ground turkey, make sure it says ground turkey breast on the package. This is the leanest type of ground turkey.

11) Whey Protein

Whey protein is a high quality protein that contains essential amino acids that builds muscle and burns fat. Putting some in with your post-workout smoothie with some non-fat milk, a banana, and some peanut butter will accelerate your fat loss results.

12) Low Fat, Low Sugar Yogurt or Greek Yogurt (I prefer Greek yogurt)

Dairy is great for making your bones stronger and it helps speed up the weight loss process. A recent study in the International Journal of Obesity showed that adding yogurt to your diet may rev up your body’s fat burning engines, speed weight loss and trim your tummy.