TOP RATED DIETS & Fake Blueberries

 Would rather listen- in than read? You can listen instead just below by clicking the blue button.



Follow my blog with Bloglovin
 It is almost the time of year for New Year’s resolutions. Some people find them helpful, while others have given up after too many unsuccessful attempts.
The problem might not be the resolution but the way in which the goals were set. This year, consider spending the whole year creating a healthier lifestyle. Healthy eating and exercise is not a quick fix but a way of living. What you do to lose weight or lower cholesterol, blood pressure or blood sugar, you need to keep doing to maintain the benefit.
Before setting any goals, take some time to think of a motive or how you want to be living at the end of 2016. Think of this as a healthy vision of yourself. Often people set a weight goal, but if you eat healthier and exercise today, you won’t see a change on the scale today.
As you search for a motive, think about how you would feel different and why you want to make this change. Also consider what would happen if you didn’t make any changes.
Some common motives:

• Have more energy.
• Sleep better.
• Take less medication.
• Keep up with the kids.
• Feel more comfortable in clothing.
• Climb a flight of stairs without feeling winded.
• Lower health risks or resolve health issue.

Making changes means creating a new healthy routine. For this to be successful, it is important to visualize yourself doing the things you want to do. It can be helpful to have your motive(s) posted somewhere as a reminder of why you set your goals.

ARE YOU EATING REAL BLUEBERRIES?

Most of us love blueberries for the taste as well as the rich vitamins and minerals they provide.

 

But do you know that many food products that claim to have blueberries in them may not necessarily contain real blueberries?

 

Rather, the fake blueberries are made of artificial ingredients such as sugar, corn cereal, modified food starch, hydrogenated vegetable oil, and artificial flavors and colorings. 

  There are many food products that contain these fake blueberries for instance muffins, cereals, pop-tarts, bagel, waffles, and many others...

And you can avoid eating these food products when you know how to identify them.
Few foods boast such a delightful indigo hue and a juicy sweetness as blueberries. They grow on perennial bushes that are native to North America. These bushes typically fruit throughout the summer months depending on the region.
Blueberries are a delightful addition to pies, muffins, cobblers, and an array of other sweet, fruity desserts or breakfast foods. They can also be used to make delicious jams and jellies that can be jarred and last long after the blueberry season has passed. Fresh blueberries can easily be frozen and saved to use in smoothies or in any recipe that calls for fresh blueberries. Blueberries are a wonderful, versatile fruit to have in the freezer when a craving for something sweet hits.
 Blueberries, and other fruits and vegetables, contain phytochemicals that protect them from pests, fungus, and diseases.
Therefore, when humans consume these foods their bodies receive the protection that the plant has already cultivated for itself and convert that into antioxidants to fight against the damaging effect of free radicals.  . So, eating blueberries not only satisfies cravings for sweet, juicy fruits, but also provides the immune system with defenses to keep the body functioning well and protecting against disease and aging.
Yet, these benefits are only possible when one is consuming REAL blueberries.
Many of the products claiming to have blueberries as part of their ingredients have ingredients called “blueberry bits” or “blueberry crunchlets”  which are usually a combination of unhealthy and artificial ingredients such as sugar, corn cereal, modified food starch, hydrogenated vegetable oil, and artificial flavors and colorings.
These imitation ingredients mimic the look and sweetness of blueberries but they could not be farther on the nutritional spectrum from real blueberries.   These so called blueberry bits are becoming evident that such highly processed foods are actually contributing to the epidemic of disease and obesity in the U.S.
Many of the most popular foods on the shelves at the grocery store have fake blueberries, such as cereals, pop-tarts, bagels, muffin mixes, and pancake and waffle mixes. Because of deceptive pictures on the fronts of the packages, they appear to have blueberries but there are very few whole blueberries, if any. Quaker blueberries and cream flavored instant oatmeal lists “blueberry flavored fruit pieces” as the blueberry component which is made from dried figs, corn syrup solids dried, food starch modified, other miscellaneous ingredients, and blueberry concentrate for flavor.
Some of the most popular brands that deceptively market their products with blueberries (and other fruit imposters) are Quaker multigrain fiber crisps, Kellogg’s cereals and pop-tarts, General Mills Brand cereals, Aunt Jemima’s blueberry waffles, Jimmy Dean’s pancake on a stick, Jiffy blueberry muffin mix, and Welch’s blueberry fruit n yogurt snacks. Some of these products say on the front label that they are made with artificial or imitation blueberries, but the pictures show real blueberries. People often make decisions on what they purchase at the grocery store based on the picture of the finished product rather than the list of ingredients.In today’s market, this may wreak havoc on their waistlines as well as their health.

Even though many of the organic food producers are using real blueberries, people often avoid organic products because they find them to be too expensive. And yet, the big food companies are charging a higher price for their products and increasing their profit marginbecause they are pretending that their products have real blueberries.
Another important factor is that because of the large amounts of sugar and sugar derivatives in these processed foods, consumers become addicted to them. Through faulty advertising, deceptive marketing, and the use of cheap ingredients that addict and trick people into buying these products, the food industry has fooled people into spending their hard earned money on these fake, unhealthy, and dangerous foods.

What Can You Do to Avoid Fake Blueberries?

  It is important to look for blueberries as an ingredient if you want to enjoy the high antioxidants of this fruit in a cereal or granola. Many organic cereal companies have organic blueberries in their products.
Another option to avoid fake blueberries is to buy fresh blueberries and add them to your cereal, oatmeal, or yogurt. You can also add blueberries into baking recipes to make your own real blueberry muffins, pancakes, or waffles.
Blueberries are available in summer months at farmer’s markets in many  so you can stock up during these months and freeze your blueberries to use later.By having and utilizing this information about blueberries, you can receive the wonderful benefits of this fruit without adding processed fake blueberry bits into your diet.

TOP RATED DIETS

U.S. News evaluated and ranked the 35 diets below with input from a panel of health experts. To be top-rated, a diet had to be relatively easy to follow, nutritious, safe, effective for weight loss and protective against diabetes and heart disease.

DASH Diet recipes | DASH Diet reviews
DASH was developed to fight high blood pressure, not as an all-purpose diet. But it certainly looked like an all-star to our panel of experts, who gave it high marks for its nutritional completeness, safety, ability to prevent or control diabetes, and role in supporting heart health. Though obscure, it beat out a field full of better-known diets.
How the DASH Diet works

TLC Diet recipes | TLC Diet reviews
Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes, or TLC, is a very solid diet plan created by the National Institutes of Health. It has no major weaknesses, and it’s particularly good at promoting cardiovascular health. One expert described it as a “very healthful, complete, safe diet.” But it requires a “do-it-yourself” approach, in contrast to the hand-holding provided by some commercial diets.
How the TLC Diet works

Mayo Clinic Diet recipes | Mayo Clinic Diet reviews
This is the Mayo Clinic’s take on how to make healthy eating a lifelong habit. It earned especially high ratings from our experts for its nutrition and safety and as a tool against diabetes. Experts found it moderately effective for weight loss.
How the Mayo Clinic Diet works

 

Mediterranean Diet recipes | Mediterranean Diet reviews
With its emphasis on fruits and vegetables, olive oil, fish and other healthy fare, the Mediterranean diet is eminently sensible. And experts’ assessments of it were resoundingly positive, giving this diet an edge over many competitors.
How the Mediterranean Diet works

Weight Watchers recipes | Weight Watchers reviews
Weight Watchers is a smart, effective diet. It surpassed other commercial diet plans in multiple areas, including short- and long-term weight loss and how easy it is to follow. It’s also nutritionally sound and safe, according to experts. Among its pluses: An emphasis on group support, lots of fruits and vegetables, and room for occasional indulgences.
How the Weight Watchers Diet works

 

Flexitarian Diet recipes | Flexitarian Diet reviews
The Flexitarian diet, which emphasizes fruits, veggies, whole grains and plant-based protein, is a smart and healthy choice. It outperformed many of its competitors, with particularly high scores in nutritional completeness, easiness to follow and long-term weight loss. One panelist noted that this diet is “a nice approach that could work for the whole family,” and another described it as a “very good” plan.
How the Flexitarian Diet works

 

Volumetrics recipes | Volumetrics reviews
Volumetrics outperformed its competitors in many categories. It earned particularly high marks for being safe and nutritious, and experts said it could have a positive effect on heart health and diabetes. “This is an eating plan that everyone can benefit from,” one expert said.
How the Volumetrics Diet works

Jenny Craig recipes | Jenny Craig reviews
Jenny Craig drew praise from experts for being easy to follow, nutritionally complete and safe, and for offering dieters emotional support. But these experts were lukewarm about its potential to bolster heart health or help diabetics. Experts also noted that Jenny Craig’s cost could be a roadblock for some.
How the Jenny Craig Diet works

 

Biggest Loser Diet recipes | Biggest Loser Diet reviews
The diet received high marks for short-term weight loss, safety and soundness as a regimen for diabetes, and it was rated moderately effective for heart health. But many panelists felt that in a sea of diets, it’s not overly special, and one said it’s merely “capitalizing on the name” of the popular TV show.
How the Biggest Loser Diet works

Ornish Diet recipes | Ornish Diet reviews
The Ornish diet got a mixed reaction from experts. On one hand, it’s nutritionally sound, safe and tremendously heart-healthy. On the other, it’s not easy for dieters to adhere to the severe fat restriction the diet demands.
How the Ornish Diet works
for more on diet go to  http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-overall-diets?int=2dfaf2