Author: lindasdd

Ever Feel Addicted to Carbs?

Have you ever tried to start a low carb diet only to discover that you have a hard time letting go of some of the high carb foods you love? You are not alone. While it may seem like you simply have low willpower, there may actually be more to it. Many people feel as though they are addicted to bread and other high-carbohydrate foods, making it difficult to begin a low carb diet. Read on to learn why this is, and to learn a few tricks to conquering those cravings and achieving a healthier lifestyle with less carbs. 

Feel-good chemicals –

The same feel-good chemicals that are released by exercise and chocolate can also be released when you take in high carbohydrate foods. Although you may not be conscious of feeling better when you eat bread, that slight increase in chemicals will subside soon, resulting in a craving for more bread or other carbs. 

Energy-

Although the carbohydrates in bread will increase energy for only a short time, it does increase energy. When that wears off, you likely crave more bread or other high sugar/carbohydrate foods to achieve that energy level again. 

Comfort – 

Breads and other high carb foods such as potatoes often represent the meals from childhood, when high carb meals were common. Eating these foods now will often provide comfort, making it difficult to avoid them. 
These are just a few of the reasons that you may have a hard time cutting bread and other carbohydrates out of your diet. There are ways to combat these cravings, however, including the following:
Exercise-
When you cut out carbs and lose the high level of feel-good chemicals, such as serotonin, you can achieve them again through exercise. If every time you crave bread you go for a brisk walk instead, you may find yourself quickly overcoming those cravings. Not only that, but increasing exercise will also leave you feeling more energetic, eliminating another trigger for carbohydrate cravings.
Substitution-
Although it can be difficult to find a good substitution for your traditional comfort foods, it is possible. Test out different low carb breads and other foods until you find one that is similar to your favorite in flavor and consistency. Eventually, you will find one that will become your go-to comfort food.
 

Thanks for reading our blog! Are you ready to start shopping for some great low carb breads and other foods to include in your healthy lifestyle? Visit us at Linda’s Diet Delites to find everything you need today!

 

Three Tips for Sticking to Your Healthy Eating Plan

When you make lifestyle changes that will enhance your health and potentially help you live longer, they become easy over time – the norm. But in the beginning, there may be temptations that are hard to overcome, causing days when you simply can’t seem to stick to your new healthy way of eating. As you embark on this journey, and until it does become easy for you, keep the following tips in mind to help you stick to your new healthy eating plan. 

Remind yourself of your goal – 

Whether you are beginning a low carb lifestyle to lose weight, you are starting a gluten free diet to keep Celiac disease under control, or you are starting any other healthy diet for any reason, you do have a reason. Remind yourself of this every time temptation arises. Keeping a note on your refrigerator with your goal written down, write your goal at the top of your next shopping list, set a reminder in your phone for meal times to go off and remind you of why you should make healthy decisions. Since it is easy for temptation to overpower our will in some cases, keeping your main goal at the forefront of your mind can help you stay focused and have the power you need to stick to your low carb or other lifestyle. 

Out of sight, out of mind – 

While this isn’t always the case, and you may very well have an evening where you are craving an eliminated food so much that you are willing to drive to the store and purchase it right that minute. But the majority of the time, those cravings appear because you know the bad-for-you food is in the cabinet or the refrigerator just waiting to be savored. If you don’t have easy access to it, it’s likely that you won’t crave it near as often. Substitute foods you typically have on hand for those that are similar but adhere to your diet, such as gluten free sweets or low carb crackers.

Budgeting can be the hardest part – 

If you have ever tried to live a healthier lifestyle, you likely know firsthand that those foods that are bad for you cost much less than foods that are good for you. Any low carb tortilla will cost much more than the traditional flour tortilla. The same is true for all low carb foods, sugar free foods, and gluten free foods in most cases. It is understandable that the healthier foods cost more for consumers – they cost more to manufacture. However, your local grocery store can often charge a much higher price for their health food options because they buy in smaller quantities. If you shop at a store that specializes in healthy foods, whether a physical location or an online store, you are sure to find low carb foods and other healthy foods at a lower cost. This can help you maintain your grocery budget (or close) while still allowing you to change your lifestyle for the better.

Thanks for reading our blog! Visit us at Linda’s Diet Delites to find a wide selection of healthy food items that can help you stick to your healthier lifestyle!

 

Choosing the Best Healthy Diet for You and Your Family

Eating healthy is one of the best decisions you can make, but it can be difficult to decide the best route to take. Changing a lifestyle and the types of food you eat will often affect not only every day in the future for you, but it typically impacts your family and those closest to you as well (particularly if you are the one who prepares the majority of meals at your home). Before you make this big decision, you will want to make sure you are picking something you can stick with. Read on for some thoughts to help you make the decision of which type of diet will work best for you. 

Try to stay away from diets that eliminate foods you love – 

With so many types of healthy lifestyles to choose from, you are sure to find one that will still allow you to eat some of your favorite foods. If you love eating meat, for example, deciding to become a vegetarian might not be the best route to take. By considering the types of foods you and your family eat most, and tailoring a healthy diet plan accordingly, you will have a greater opportunity for success. 

Try different substitutions before making a full commitment – 

For almost any type of diet, there are a variety of substitutions available that can make the change easier on everyone. However, it can often be through trial and error that you find substitutions that everyone likes. You may try three or four different types of low carb breads, for example, before finally settling on a brand that everyone agrees tastes good. By testing out different food substitutions in advance of making the complete dietary change, it will make it much easier to stick to the new plan. 

Determine the diet by considering your reasons – 

Although you will want to consider healthy diets that will be easier to stick to, and you want to pick one that allows you great-tasting healthy substitutions, there is another consideration that must be made as well – the goals you want to achieve. If you are just trying to obtain better overall health, the diet possibilities are almost endless. But if you have a specific goal in mind, such as lessening sugar and carb intake to avoid diabetes because it runs in your family, choosing a low carb, low sugar diet is obviously the best bet. 

Thanks for reading our blog! Once you have determined the best healthy diet for you and your family, you will want to stock up on great food options to help you stick with your plan. Visit us at Linda’s Diet Delites to find everything you need!

 

Stick to Your Resolutions in 2013

As the new year approaches, you may be thinking about making changes. It is a common practice every year that people make resolutions to change something about their lifestyle on the first of a new year, and typically the top of this list for the majority of people is body-related. Whether you are resolving to get in better physical condition through exercise or diet, read on to learn why we make New Year’s resolutions and how you can achieve success with yours. 

Why make a change this New Year?

Studies have shown that any time a person tries to make a change in their habits or lifestyle, their success rate can be higher depending on when they begin. It’s the reason many diets begin on Mondays (the beginning of a new work week) and it’s also the reason so many people make new year’s resolutions each year. You are likely to have better success in changing your diet to a healthier low carb or other lifestyle if you begin on January 1 than if you were to begin on January 12. 

Are you making a resolution you make every year?

If you are making a resolution that seems faintly familiar, it is possible it’s the same resolution you made last year but were not as successful as you had hoped. Maybe you started out strong in the beginning, but faltered as the year went on. If that’s the case, you want to prepare yourself in order to achieve your goals for the year. 

Enlist a buddy – 

We all know someone that is setting the same goal as us, and enlisting them as a buddy can be a great way to achieve success with your new year’s resolution. If you are resolving to eat a low carb diet, for example, contact anyone you know that has the same resolution (or a friend that already maintains this type of lifestyle will work too). Staying in contact with this person on a regular basis can help keep you (and them) on track all year. 

Prepare yourself in advance – 

Even the best intentions can fail if you aren’t prepared. For example, making a resolution that you will eat less sugar sounds easy enough when you make it. However, the very first trip to the grocery store, you may be shocked to learn the cost and limited variety of sugar free foods. By studying labels on foods in advance and finding great low sugar foods to purchase, you will be better prepared to tackle your new lifestyle.

Don’t give up – 

It is easy to do anything for a short amount of time, which is why so many people manage to stick to their new year’s resolutions for a few weeks or even a few months. But then it’s easy to slide back into old habits and not even think about it. The newness of the year has worn off and we go back to our old ways. To help keep yourself on track, go through your calendar (whether you use electronic, paper or both) and mark down notes to yourself reminding yourself to stick with your new plan. Do this at three-week intervals, one-month intervals, or whatever you think will help you stick with it.

 

Thanks for reading our blog! Are you ready for 2013 to be the year you finally stick to your resolutions to eat healthier? Order your low-carb, low-sugar and other great foods from Linda’s Diet Delites today to begin your new healthy lifestyle!

 

Christmas Dinner the Healthy Way

Christmas is right around the corner, and it is sneaking up fast! You have likely already finished decorating your house, and you may already have all your presents bought, wrapped, and placed perfectly under the tree. But have you planned out the dinner yet? If so, have you thought about incorporating some healthy options this year to allow you to stay on your low carb or other special diet? If not, read on for some tips on getting through this last major holiday of the year without completely ruining your diet. 

Sweets, sweets and more sweets – Fudge, cookies and pies, oh my! During the Christmas season, you will likely be inundated with a variety of store-bought and homemade sweet treats that can be hard to resist. If you have a hard time turning down these great-tasting, but unhealthy foods, consider making your own to take to parties and family gatherings. You can easily find a variety of recipes online for healthy Christmas sweets, or you can take a traditional recipe and simply substitute certain parts of it. For example, you can use honey in the place of sugar in recipes to sweeten it in a more healthy way. You can also use artificial sweeteners to keep the glucose levels low and still provide great-tasting sweets for the holiday. Substituting ground oatmeal in the place of some of the flour in almost any recipe can allow for a great-tasting, more healthy option. There are also many ready-made pies and other sweets that can be purchased in advance of the get-together, allowing you at least one healthy sweet to indulge in on the holiday. 

Dinner foods – Whether your weakness is bread, casseroles, or the glazed ham, this day doesn’t have to mean a diet disaster. Find great recipes here that can allow you to make healthy versions of dips, vegetables, meats and more. Not only will you find great recipes that can allow you some indulgence on the upcoming holiday and enable you to eat healthy at Christmas, but you can save these recipes to use for any special occasion in the future.

Thanks for reading our blog! Order your low-carb healthy ingredients and pre-made foods from Linda’s Diet Delites today to get ready for Christmas! 


Trickery May Be Necessary to Live a Low Carb Lifestyle

Adhering to a low carb diet provides many benefits, but when you first begin this lifestyle, it can sometimes be difficult to adjust to the change. This is particularly true if other members of your household aren’t interested in pursuing this same diet. For most people, making two different meals each time the family eats is not an option, and it can be frustrating trying to feed everyone the foods they want while maintaining your own low carb diet. Read on to learn a few tips for incorporating low carb foods into meals in a way that won’t leave your family feeling as though they have been placed on an unwanted diet. 

Disguise the low carb foods – One of the seemingly most noticeable types of low carb foods is pasta. It can be difficult to disguise low carb noodles as traditional noodles, so it is best to only use them in foods you don’t typically make. Instead of making a common dinner your family is accustomed to (and will likely notice when it’s changed), only use low carb noodles in foods they have never eaten before. Since the entire dish is new, they will be less likely to notice any difference in consistency or taste of the pasta because there is nothing to compare it to. Another great way to disguise low carb foods is to place them in traditional containers. There are great-tasting low carb breads, for example, that may be more likely to get eaten if they are placed in the empty bag of your normal bread brand. 

Mix traditional with low carb – This is another great option when cooking with pasta. If your family is accustomed to traditional noodles, they may immediately notice the difference if you switch to all low carb. Instead, begin mixing both types together. You will be eliminating many of the carbs while leaving a lot of their expected flavor and texture. This can also be done with any type of cooking sauce or dressings. You can begin by mixing just a little of the low carb sauce in with your normal brand, and slowly increase the amount of the low carb version each time you make the meal. Before long, you will be serving the full low carb variety without anyone noticing the change. 

Shop without family members – many times, unless someone sees the label of a food, they would never know that they are eating low carb. By shopping for low carb items without family members, you limit the possibility of them hating the food before they ever taste it. One of the easiest ways to do this is to shop online for low carb foods, then you can do your other grocery shopping as you normally would. 

Thanks for reading our blog! If you are ready to begin feeding your family in a healthier way without them even realizing it, visit us today at Linda’s Diet Delites and get all your online low-carb shopping done! 


Exercise is Important for Optimal Health

There are many reasons people begin eating on a healthy diet plan. It may be due to a health condition, such as Diabetes or Celiac Disease, or you may have chosen to eat healthy to lose weight. If you are eating in a healthy way so that you can lose weight, you likely already know the benefits and added success of exercising as well as eating right. But even people who aren’t trying to lose weight can benefit from regular activity. Read on to learn just a few of the many health benefits that can be achieved by increasing physical activity levels.

Weight loss – if you are trying to eat healthy to lose weight, there is no better boost than to exercise. Even if you aren’t trying to lose weight, however, excess weight around the middle is often a factor in heart disease and other conditions developing over time. So if you begin walking daily or getting another form of exercise and lose a couple of pounds, it will help to keep you on the healthy track. 

Cardiovascular health – No matter how strictly you stick to your low carb diet or gluten free diet, your heart needs some sort of physical activity to stay healthy. By getting your heart rate up for at least 20 minutes a few times a week, you can increase your heart’s strength and lessen the risk for heart disease and other conditions that can occur later in life. 

Increase bone strength – Studies have shown that with a combination of proper diet and weight training, you can decrease your risk for osteoporosis in the future. This doesn’t have to mean a trip to the gym or purchasing a weight bench, however. By using your own body weight for push-ups or lunges, you can increase the strength of your bones and they will better be able to fend off deterioration in the future. 

Keep lungs healthy – when performing cardiovascular activities you breathe harder, and every deep breath helps to strengthen the lungs. 

Build stamina – Not only will you experience long-term health effects by combining exercise with healthy foods, but you will experience immediate results as well. One of these benefits is that you will slowly build up your stamina which can ultimately make everything easier on a daily basis – taking walks, climbing a flight of stairs, playing with children, and more. 

Mood boost – When exercising, endorphins are released and immediately create a better mood. Feeling happy leads to many health benefits including lowered stress levels.

 

Thanks for reading our blog! Visit us today at Linda’s Diet Delites to stock up on great healthy foods that taste great!

 

Low Carb Diets Offer Many Benefits

There are many reasons people choose to begin a low carb diet such as the Atkins diet. For some, the new lifestyle is begun due to strict doctor’s orders to counter negative health. For others, it is a diet that is begun for weight loss. Some choose to start a low carb diet as a prevention method – to aid in achieving optimal health and help prevent the onset of illnesses such as diabetes. Whatever your reasons for changing your lifestyle, there are many benefits that will be achieved when you begin following a low carb diet. Read on to learn just a few of these great benefits.

Weight loss is a top benefit of low carb dieting – the majority of people will experience weight loss when they begin a low carb diet. Not only is this weight loss typically long term, but it begins to happen quickly. Because weight loss results can be seen soon when on a low carb diet, it makes sticking with the plan much easier than some other long-term diets. The weight loss is often significant, too, as in the case of Drew Carey and many others. 

One benefit of a low carb diet is regulated blood sugar – Because carbohydrates essentially turn into sugars within the body, they impact the body’s blood sugar level when consumed in massive amounts. When these carbs are limited the body is able to process them more quickly and stay regulated at a healthier level. Ultimately, this means that low carb dieters are typically less likely to develop diabetes later in life, and in some cases it can reverse diabetes. 

Low carb diets can assist in the prevention of illnesses – Diabetes is the most commonly known illness that can often be prevented by a proper diet, but it isn’t the only one. Some studies have shown reductions in the onset of heart disease, high cholesterol, and even Alzheimer’s Disease when a low carb diet is followed for many years. 

Low carb diets are helpful in reducing inflammation – Following a low carb diet offers the reduction of inflammation that can often cause aches and pains within joints and other parts of the body. This is thought to be due to the weight loss that accompanies a low carb diet.

 

Thanks for reading our blog! Visit us today at Linda’s Diet Delites to stock up on great-tasting low carb foods! 


Thanksgiving Dinner Low Carb Style

There is no other day of the year that contains as many carbohydrates at one table as Thanksgiving Day does. For those living a low carb lifestyle, this can be detrimental to their normal diet. There are many ways to prevent overdoing the sugar and carb intake on Thanksgiving (many of which we discussed in last week’s blog), but willpower on this annual day isn’t always the strongest. In many cases, the best way to avoid massive carb consumption on this day is to make traditional Thanksgiving foods that are lower in carbs than the traditional versions. Read on for a list of low carb Thanksgiving Day recipe resources and additional tips for making your low carb Thanksgiving dinner a success. 

Turkey – Luckily for low carb dieters, Thanksgiving Day centers around a large turkey baked in the oven. Without extra seasonings, turkey is one of the safest low carb foods on Thanksgiving Day. 

Stuffing – There are many recipes available for low carb stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner, and these offer varied tastes. If you want a more traditional style of stuffing, but you want lower carbs, the best thing to do is to use your traditional recipe and substitute a few of the key ingredients for lower carb versions. Simply using low carb bread can lessen the amount of carbohydrates in each serving of stuffing.

Desserts – Desserts are one of the most pleasurable parts of Thanksgiving dinner each year, and there are many that are simply too high in carbohydrates to enjoy. You can either make a homemade low carb dessert, or you can purchase a pre-made low carb pie or other dessert to provide for your holiday dinner. 

Side Dishes – There are so many variations on traditional side dishes possible that it is feasible to create a wonderful-tasting low carb dish in the place of every one of your favorites. Using mashed cauliflower in the place of mashed potatoes is one great option, as well as making low carb varieties of other favorites such as green bean casserole and deviled eggs. 

Breads – We all know that bread is one of the biggest offenders of containing a high carb content, but at the same time rolls are a staple of Thanksgiving Day meals. By opting for low carb rolls, you will be able to indulge in the bread you love with your dinner, but you will be limiting your carb intake at the same time.  

Thanks for reading our blog! Visit us today at Linda’s Diet Delites to stock up on everything you need to keep your Thanksgiving Dinner low carb!  hanksgiving Day dessert choice! 


Avoiding the Temptation of the Girl Scout Cookies

It’s that time of year again. In the past, this temptation could be avoided until January, when our willpower is still holding strong after New Year’s resolutions. Unfortunately, the system has been revamped and we are now being tempted in late October/early November, a time during which the holiday stresses may have already begun and our willpower is possibly at its weakest point. What is this yearly temptation? Girl Scout cookies. The cute little girls in their cute little uniforms looking so innocent and sweet and trying to win a bike or some other award for selling the most cookies can be quite tempting. The cookies themselves, with the mint chocolate and other varieties, are a temptation all on their own. Read on to garner some strength to prevent this fundraiser from ruining your low carb or other diet. 


If Possible, Avoid Ordering
The easiest way to avoid binging on these great-tasting cookies is to not order them at all. But for those without daughters, nieces, granddaughters, or other young female family members, this may be easier to accomplish. In the past, even for those with young relatives, it was much easier to skip ordering them, since orders would be taken well in advance of receiving the cookies. Now, however, they have changed things up for us, and the cookies are available in a very short time – this is great for those who don’t count carbs, but for those of us who do, it makes the temptation that much greater to order. Limit the Amount Ordered, Or Choose a Variety You Don’t Enjoy

For those who do have young family members selling Girl Scout cookies, you can limit yourself to purchasing only one box, or only a variety you don’t like. It may seem like a waste to order a type of cookie you won’t eat, but this way you can help your young relative reach her goal without being so tempted to ravenously ingest all the calories that come with a box of Girl Scout cookies you love and ruining your low carb or sugar free diet. Plus, you will have a nice treat on hand to offer guests. 

Provide Yourself a Replacement
If it seems impossible for you to skip buying Girl Scout cookies, and it looks as though your low carb diet may truly be ruined by the temptation that is the once-a-year cookie offering, you will want to have replacements on hand. We all know that there is no actual substitute for the real Girl Scout cookie, but if you order versions you don’t really love, and you also have a low carb version in your cabinets, you will be less likely to give in to temptation. 
Are you ready to stock up on great low carb or sugar-free cookies to help you withstand the temptation of Girl Scout Cookies? Visit us at Linda’s Diet Delites to find a replacement cookie that will taste great and give you the willpower you need!