Low Calorie Salad Recipes - 6 Healthy Salad Recipes For Weight Loss

What is better than snacking on a salad? The answer is snacking on low calorie salad which also supports fat loss! Salads provide us with the required fiber by our body. It is a low calorie food which is tasty too! There are many ways in which you can make healthy salad recipes.

Some of the low calorie salad recipes for fat loss are as stated below:

1. Black Bean Salad with Feta Cheese:

Ingredients: 1 can of drained black beans, 1 chopped red bell pepper, 2 chopped green onions, 1 cup finely chopped cabbage, 2 ounces feta cheese, one-fourth cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, 1 minced garlic clove, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Directions: Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl gently. Cover it and chill for sometime in the fridge. Enjoy this low calorie salad!

2. Corn Salad:

Ingredients: 100 grams fresh corn, 1 chopped onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 2 tablespoons fresh basil, salt and pepper to taste.

Directions: Boil the corn and drain. After the corn has cooled, mix the corn kernels, onions, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper according to taste. Cover and keep in fridge to chill. Put in the fresh basil before you serve this salad. This is a simple to make and a low calorie salad recipe. You can add in green or red bell peppers if you like!

3. Cool Cucumber Salad:

Ingredients: 1 cup diced cucumber, 1 diced onion, half cup of diced bell peppers (red and yellow), 2 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

Directions: Mix all the above ingredients cucumber, onion, bell peppers, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper gently in a large salad bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Eat this healthy salad recipe chilled!

4. Tuna Salad:

Ingredients: 200 grams pasta, half tin of drained tuna, 1 small chopped green bell pepper, 1 chopped tomato, 1 tablespoon vinegar.

Directions: Cook the pasta as per instructions on the packet and drain it. Combine the tuna, tomato, bell pepper and mix well in a large bowl. Add the vinegar and serve! This salad is healthy because tuna is a low fat fish and high in proteins!

5. Beet Salad:

Ingredients: Half cup peeled and shredded beet, 1 cup shredded red cabbage, 1 sliced onions, half grated apple, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, salt and pepper to taste.

Directions: Heat oil in a skillet and stir fry the onions and cabbage till soft. Mix apple, sugar and vinegar together separately and then add this mix to the onions and cabbage in the skillet. Add the shredded beet also. Sprinkle the salt and pepper. Cook for a minute and serve. Another option is to cool and chill in the fridge and then eat.

6. Chicken Salad:

Ingredients: 1 cup cooked bite sized chicken, half cup sliced mushrooms, half cup grated carrots, half cup shredded cabbage, 1 green sliced onion, 1 tablespoon cilantro, 2 tablespoons low fat salad dressing, black pepper.

Directions: Mix all ingredients except green onions in a bowl. Garnish with green onions and pepper. This is a healthy salad recipe.

These low calorie salad recipes for fat loss can be eaten as dinner or lunch or just as a snack. Salads are always healthy, just be careful of what dressing you put on it!


Read more about How to Lose Chest Fat. Also know How to Lose Back Fat.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Filinovich

Fat Loss Diets - Low Fat, Low Carb Or Calorie Shifting Diets

There are always numerous fat loss diets in circulation, many of them with either competing theories or similar except for some slight spin. Here are some of the most common weight loss diet theories that are promoted by various health experts.

Low fat diets

Low fat diets are characterized by a very low level or total absence of fats in a meal. This is done by including more fruits and vegetables in meals. Other components are beans, whole grain cereals (replacing the usual processed sources like white rice and white bread) and fish. Occasionally, you can also enjoy pork, beef and chicken dishes; but nearly all of the fat must be excised before eating any of these meats. But since fat provides much of the flavor to food, low fat diets tend to be low taste diets as well. In other words, they're boring.

Some of the popular low fat diets include the Pritikin Diet, very popular in the 80s and 90s, and diets by Doctor Ornish and John McDougall. The McDougall diet is actually a vegan diet as well and doesn't contain any animal proteins in it at all.

Low Carb diet

A low carb diet is recommended for people who have difficulties losing weight while still eating carbohydrates or who have carbohydrate addictions. Meals have minimal carbohydrates, especially limiting all products from white flour, and include big servings of protein sources like fish, beef and chicken. Some diets even skip carbohydrates overall and focus mostly on proteins and fats, especially during the early phases of the diet, such as the Atkins induction period. Protein can also digested and metabolized by the body to produce energy and it helps accelerates burning up of fats and adds to the tissues in the body.

Because low carb diets allow a fair amount of fat in the eating plan, they do tend to be more flavorful than low fat diets and thus some people find it easier to stick to a low carb plan, but for some of us, the idea of never eating another piece of bread isn't very satisfying.

The best known low carb diet is, of course, the Atkins diet. Virtually all of the other low carb plans, such as South Beach and Protein Power share commonalities with the Atkins plan.

Calorie Shifting Diets

Calorie shifting is a fat loss method that helps to keep the metabolism running efficiently by preventing it from becoming complacent. In calorie shifting, instead of worrying about only eating one type of food, whether it be low fat or low carb or high protein, you eat a variety of foods, but usually will rotate the types of things you eat from day to day. There's also time off the diet built into the eating plan, either weekly or monthly. This is another way of keeping the metabolism from getting into a rut since you are constantly changing the way you eat, so it can't learn a habit.

One calorie shifting plan is the QOD Diet which has you shift your calorie intact every other day. Another calorie shifting diet is Fat Loss 4 Idiots which has you on program for 11 days and lets you take three days off.

So there you have it. These are fat loss diets that would surely enable you to totally eradicate fat problems that may be bogging you down. It's up to you to decide what type of plan will work best for you.


If you're looking for a diet you can stick to for the long term, Fat Loss 4 Idiots makes a lot of sense. Designed as an 11 days on/3 days off eating plan, Fat Loss 4 Idiots rotates your menus from day to day with different calorie types so you're metabolism never becomes complacent and you continue to lose weight.

This fat loss diet is designed to be something you don't have to put a lot of work into. Everything's taken care of by the online diet generator and you don't have to read labels or count calories and grams of carbs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Emma_Martin

Happy Fat Loss - 7 Delicious Very Low Calorie Foods to Enjoy Your Weight Loss

Have you tried to lose weight dieting but your efforts didn't pay off as you found it too boring or limiting? Do you nevertheless still want to continue your diet but also worry about your nutritional intake? Well, a great deal of people on diets also find themselves in this same situation. The solution may lie in consuming more of foods which are both delicious and carry very low caloric content. This report will present you seven foods that fulfill these characteristics and will be invaluable in helping you reach your weight and health objectives.

1. Apples: Apples are among the most popular low calorie foods and well-deservedly so. A typical apple contains roughly 65 calories and is packed with vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamins C and K, and potassium. Furthermore, apples are good sources of fiber while contributing little to your saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium intakes.

2. Broccoli: Widely regarded as a super food, broccoli not only has very low caloric content -around 10 calories per ounce- but is also highly nutritious and will protect you against inflammations and cancer. To optimize the use of its properties, it's best to cook broccoli lightly steamed or boiled.

3. Carrots: A serving size of about 4 ounces of this vegetable will add a mere 50 calories to your daily consumption. Carrots are well known for their beneficial effects to our vision acuity and osseous system, and are also a popular choice for salads and juices, or even as a raw snack.

4. Spinach: With only 7 calories per ounce and an array of nutrients hard to beat in the natural world, spinaches are among your best choices for a balanced weight-loss diet. They are outstanding for preventing the risk of cataracts and other eye-related conditions, heart disease and cancer. As with broccoli, it's best to have your spinaches lightly cooked or raw. Make sure not to overcook them as they will lose most of their vitamins in the process.

5. Strawberry: Another all-time favorite, this fruit will increase your energy count by only 49 calories per 5-ounce portion. Strawberries are also among the most nutritious foods and their positive effects in health are numerous: lower risk of heart disease and stroke, improved memory, better protection against cholesterol, cancer, muscle degeneration, and infections in general.

6. Tomato: This versatile food boasts a low 27 calories per 5-ounce serving. Tomatoes offer a very complete nutritional spectrum, with most of the vitamins and minerals represented -especially Vitamins A, C, and K, and Potassium. Adding tomatoes to your weight-loss diet will shield you against inflammations, diabetes, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer.

7. Watermelon: A top choice of children and adults alike, this delicious fruit will be responsible for only 9 calories per ounce you eat. Its benefits are significant: decreased risk of heart disease, stroke, and blood pressure, and an improved capacity to heal wounds. Watermelon is also a notable source of lycopene, an antioxidant which helps protect from cancer.

Remember to include significant amounts of one or more of these foods in your daily diet and you will be well on your way not only to attain and maintain your weight objectives but also to improve your overall health. Combine them as you wish and have fun, they are delicious!


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Clave

Calories and Fat Loss - Why Low Calorie Diets Don't Work

The first step most will take when starting a new diet program is to drop their calories significantly. In some cases almost to extremely low levels. But did you know that low calorie diets can actually hurt your fat loss efforts? Keep reading this article to learn more about calories and fat loss.

Our body is specifically conditioned to protect itself from any danger. This applies no less to nutrition as well. If you drop your calories way below normal levels your body will actually slow your metabolism because it thinks you are starving.

You see, your body doesn't know you are dieting! It will therefore hold on to the fat and your progress will come to a grinding halt. This often leads to one dropping their calories even further only increasing the problem.

It will work for awhile but progress will start slowing again. It gets to the point where you can't drop your calories any further because of the lack of willpower necessary to deprive yourself. Once you start eating normally again all of the weight will often come back on.

This is a really good way to wreck your metabolism and is the reason why 95% of all conventional diets fail. If you are patient and do a little research you can be greatly rewarded and will be able to lose fat in a safe, natural and permanent way.

Low calorie diets can also cause a loss of lean muscle tissue. This happens because your body is trying to protect the fat that you do have on your body. And muscle actually burns calories so naturally it will turn to muscle for fuel.

This is bad news because you basically end up looking like a smaller version of what you were before. Some equate this with have a "skinny fat person" type of body. It might be okay once your clothes are on but in a bathing suit it is totally different story.

And last, this condition is often not permanent. Yo-yo dieting is very harmful on your body and your mind. It is better to do it the right way the first time and keep the fat off for good!

The problem with society is that most are in a hurry and impatient. If you have a vacation coming up don't wait until the last month if you have 30 pounds to lose. Start preparing a good 90 days before your vacation.

You don't need to starve yourself to lose fat successfully. You only need a slight caloric deficit and you can burn the rest of the fat off with exercise. It is also a lot easier because you will be able to tolerate this approach much easier. It won't take as much willpower!

I hope this article has convinced you that low calorie dieting is not the best way to lose weight! Now that you know more about calories and fat loss you will be ahead of most of the pack. It is simply a matter of taking action.


Get free instant access to fat burning diet tips [http://www.fatburningadvantage.com], secrets and insider information. Visit [http://www.fatburningadvantage.com] now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Randy_McLean

Fat Loss 4 Idiots Review: No More Low Carb, Low Calorie, Low Fat Diet

A caution to readers: this Fats Loss four Idiots overview is a serious matter you should rigorously deal with. In case chances are you'll ask why put such clause at the beginning of this article, here is the explanation: the name of this weight-reduction plan program might appear humorous to people so we thought of warning you that this is real deal. The title is only a connotation to let folks know that this food plan plan might be simply understood and adopted by everyone. This is a very safe and efficient method of losing a few pounds utterly without worrying the fat could come back.

You might have heard from all people and media the spreading and very in merchandise sold out in the market nowadays. These have been informed to have the amazing leads to serving to folks drop a few pounds and obtain lean bodies. Nonetheless, the low carb foods that may be bought could decrease your carb. However unfortunately, these may also give you much less energy to go on with you day by day activities. Another is the low fats merchandise that celebrities even endorse however behind the labels saying it has low to zero grams fats, you could have to look beyond those. As a result of firms are determined to sell their products, they are saying its low fats even thought there so much fat hiding in them which make you acquire weight.

This Fat Loss 4 Idiots evaluate hopes to narrate to you that these low-fat/low-carbs/low-calorie meals that you may think will work, don't truly change a factor about your physique fats. It is as a result of switching to different food decisions like those, which are very synthetic, will just add up to stored fats within the body. Making your physique out of the blue out of the traditional nutrient provide will trigger it to metabolize much less; thus, burning little or no fats at all.

Our metabolism by nature follows a regular rhythm that self-adjusts when necessary. It would slow down in response to your meals consumption and resume its own charge after getting used to your consuming habits. The Fat Loss four Idiots takes benefit of this fact to control your metabolism charge by allowing you to eat sure meals at particular occasions, and altering your diet simply before your metabolism charge can alter to the present meals intake.

This course of is referred to as calorie shifting. The physique is given completely different energy from the conventional meals you eat. However the meals are taken in quantities that will not make you're feeling full. You may be eating at greater than three instances each day in proper meal intervals to confuse the body how much calorie it's taking. Thus, it will likely be forced to burn usually and even faster since the physique is taking in meals at successive times.

An advantage of this food plan plan is that the meals you will eat are the traditional meals you want. You could have the control how a lot you eat and you aren't deprived of the alternatives you need unlike different diets. This Fat Loss four Idiots additionally offer you a food regimen generator that helps you make variations in the food you eat.


Fat Loss 4 Idiots review helps folks know the principles of weight loss plan and why some don't truly work for some people. This can make folks know that the amount and frequency of food consumption is what affects our system.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Edward_Schooley

Weightlifting - Overload Muscles to Trigger Growth

When lifting weights, one thing that drives me bonkers is seeing people - both men and women - religiously sticking to a rep count during training. Stopping at 10 reps because that is what is written in your program, when you are capable of doing 12, is selling yourself short and that should never happen, ever.

Numbers are merely figures and the figure you should be concerned about is that of your body - its shape and body fat percentage.

Too often people have some sort of '3 sets of 10 repetitions' mantra set in their mind and that is what they stick to, as if it were law, even if their muscles are capable of more work. Muscles, however, have their own law, and that is that they must be trained hard to the point of overload in order for them to grow. Only an unusual amount of stress will force your muscles to grow and male or female, muscle growth should be your ultimate goal. When you have more muscle in your body your weight may go up or stay the same, but you turn into a fat burning machine because muscle is alive and needs to be fed (calories). More muscle means a lower body fat percentage, better looking body, increased strength and has you burning more calories even while at rest.

It is my belief that the key to looking good and feeling good is a muscle growth, leading to a lower percentage of body fat. And for muscle to grow it must be forced to work beyond what is considered "normal" for you at this point in time - that is how it adapts to the stress and is forced to grow in preparation for more. Your body gets to "talking" about how this guy is adding all this hard work, heavy weight and stress, so in order to cope we better get together and build more muscle to be able to do what is being asked. Stopping at rep 10 (using 10 as an example, the number of reps varies by program and goals) when you are capable of completing 12 reps with good form is stopping short of the muscle growth stage of your workout, only during the last few reps of a set does the stress occur to force growth. Completing 10 reps is merely putting your body under the same stress and you likely did the previous workout. Without progression to more reps there is no growth.

Once you embrace pushing yourself through this mark, the next step is getting back to 10 reps while overloading the muscles at the same. So if you are capable of nailing down 12 repetitions, the next phase is to add weight, 5-10% more weight is a good starting point as the amount of actual weight you add to a bench press will be more than what you add to bicep curls. When we are able to complete 12 reps again, we repeat the process. Progressing by overloading = muscle growth.

Understand that when working the chest, for example, you may be doing 8-10 sets of total work - such as 3 sets of incline barbell press, 3 sets of flat dumbbell press, 2 sets of decline press. So in this case progressively overloading does not mean that you have to add weight or reps to every single exercise. Perhaps one week you add a rep or two to the bench press, the following week the bench press stays the same as the previous week but you add 5 pounds to the dumbbell press, etc. Some phase of your workout should be progressing every week or so.

One final point, when actually settling down to complete a set of a particular exercise, mentally push the previous number of completed reps out of your head. Too often people remember that last time they completed, say 8 reps with good form, so this week they have that 8 rep number in the back of the head kind of as a mental roadblock to competing more reps. Play the mind game of putting that figure out of you head and do the best you can that day, that exercise, that set.

More muscle translates to a better looking body that becomes more efficient at burning fat, this applies to women as well as men. Too often females avoid weights because they "don't want to get big", but for the ladies it is difficult to get big, unless you are genetically predisposed to packing on muscle and lift "big". A testament is to look at so many natural guys at the gym who would love to be bigger yet struggle to do so - it is not as easy as we think. Overloading muscles is the action which causes them to adapt, and they react by growing.


Brent is a husband, father, fitness fanatic, trainer, music man, dog owner and blogger. He trains 4-5 days a week, eats cleans and either has tried or will try most sensible workout programs and diets in order to bring his experience and acquired expertise to you. The looking good-feeling good-living good connection is unbreakable.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brent_Corobotiuc

Nutrition for Lifting Weights - Daily Calorie Intake

Weightlifting nutrition is an individual pursuit - yes, you burn a lot of calories when lifting weights, but how many calories and what your replacement levels are is dependent on your specific metabolism and your goals. For best results you need to start with a specific program and then modify your daily caloric intake based on your results.


Define Your Overall Goal:
Why are you lifting weights? Are you trying to lose weight? Are you trying to build muscles? Are you just looking to improve your overall fitness? Each of these goals requires a different daily calorie intake, so it's important to know what you're aiming for before you begin.

Start A Food Diary:
If you're like most people, you only have a vague idea, at best, of how many calories you're presently consuming. Why is that important? Because what you're currently eating has brought you to your current weight and your current body composition. You've been giving your body the right number of calories for the muscle you're carrying and for the bodyfat level you currently have, assuming your weight has been fairly stable lately.

Learn About The Different Food Macronutrients:
You don't need to become a nutritionist necessarily, but you DO need to know the difference between carbohydrates, protein and fats. While all three are important to your daily diet, they're not the same. As an example, carbohydrates and protein have 4 calories per gram while fats have 9 calories per gram. Part of figuring out the right number of calories for your daily intake will involve knowing what ratio of macronutrients you should be ingesting. One helpful tool is a book of food counts - numerous exist so you shouldn't have trouble finding a good one in your local bookstore or online.



For simplicity's sake, let's start with your current daily calorie intake. Since you already now the results from that level, you can start making your adjustments from there. Protein level is the first step, since it's mandatory to build muscles and needs to be high enough to protect your muscle level when you're trying to lose bodyfat as well. The most commonly-quoted target level for daily protein intake is.8 to 1.2 grams per pound of bodyweight.

Obviously, if you're looking to lose weight aim for the lower end of that range, and the top of the range if you're looking to build muscle. If you've been lax in tracking your calorie intake to this point, there's a good chance you're not getting enough protein each day, so that's the first thing to fix. There are easy ways to add in more protein - eggs instead of cereal for breakfast, tuna or salmon instead of peanut butter and jam for sandwiches, and always having meat, fowl or chicken with dinner each night. Protein shakes and supplements help too, but remember they're called 'supplements' for a reason - they're to add to your proteins from foods, not to replace them.

Building Muscle Mass
Once you're sure you're getting enough protein each day you can start to modify your overall daily calorie intake based on your goals. If you're looking to build muscle, add in the necessary amount of protein each day to get you to the 1.2 grams per pound of your bodyweight and give your body a week or two to get used to that level of calories. To grow from there, every couple of weeks add in another 200 - 300 calories a day by increasing your complex carbohydrates - sweet potatoes or yams, brown, red or black rice, steel-cut oatmeal, broccoli or brussel sprouts, etc. At first this is easy - simply add a meal with protein & the new carbs an hour before you start lifting weights and/or an hour after your gym session. Keep an eye on your stomach - you can keep increasing your carbs a bit every two weeks or so until you start to see a bit of an increase in belly fat. Once that occurs cut your carbs back that last 200 or 300 calories per day - you've found your current effective daily calorie intake. Remember, though, as you continue lifting weights and eating right you'll be adding new muscle mass, so every month or so add just enough protein and carbs to match your then-current bodyweight.

Losing Body Fat
If you're lifting weights to torch body fat, there are two things you MUST remember up front. First, your goal is NOT weight loss - it's fat loss. Strictly restricting calories from the start will cause you to lose weight - but a goodly-proportion of that weight loss will be muscle loss, and that's not your goal. Many people are very surprised when they start lifting weights to find their clothes getting looser, their waistline shrinking but their weight going UP. This is because muscle is much denser than fat, and therefore heavier for the same size. Don't let that bother you - focus on how your clothes fit or have your bodyfat percentage measured by your doctor or a certified personal trainer.

Second, understand that the calories you eat, and the source of those calories, will determine whether you're losing fat or not. Yes, you're burning extra calories when lifting weights. Yes, you're building muscle and more muscle burns more calories 24/7, even while you're sleeping. But these will NOT be enough extra calories burned to make a big difference - especially when compared to the difference your nutritional choices can make.

As with those trying to build lean mass, start by getting your protein intake into range. If that means you're getting more calories each day from protein, cut back the equal amount in the carbohydrates you're eating daily. You've figured out how many calories you're already eating each day, and 20% of those calories should be coming from healthy fats - especially Omega-3's. Once you subtract that 20%, plus the calories you're going to be ingesting from protein, the remainder come from carbohydrates. Every 2 or so reduce your daily carbohydrate intake by 200 - 300 calories. This won't cause sudden fat loss, but it will slowly force your body to start burning stored energy - body fat - to fuel your daily activities and your weightlifting sessions. Larger or more sudden caloric reductions can trigger your body to slow your metabolism, and that's not what you want, so keep to the slower reduction. Remember NOT to use the scale to judge your progress - base it on body fat measurements or how your clothes fit around the waist.

You can reach your goals, be it reduced body fat or bigger muscles, as long as you use proper nutrition for lifting weights and keep your daily calorie intake in line with your current body composition, your activity levels and your goals. And with improved health, a stronger system and a better-looking body as the side benefits, it's certainly worth the effort you're putting in - see you in the gym!


D. Champigny is well known in the fitness world - he's a published fitness photographer, certified personal trainer, fitness author and publisher of the popular Getting Back In Shape Blog. For more help from Champigny, add him to your circles on Google+ today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=D._Champigny