Several Healthy Meal Ideas When You Don't Feel Like Cooking

by Lauren Johnson

Although healthy nutrition usually requires quite a lot of preparation in the kitchen, there are several quick and simple meal ideas available for those of us who are trying to lose weight. Given that we don't have the time to cook a delightful dinner each and every day, in this article I will provide several ideas which will help you create a low fat meal in a snap.

• A great meal substitute when you simply don't have time is a smoothie made with fat-free milk, frozen fruit, and wheat germ.
• A quick and nutritious meal can be simple. Try a peanut butter sandwich made with whole wheat bread. Along with that have an apple and a glass of 1% milk.
• Scramble some eggs. Consume them with whole wheat toast and your choice of a green vegetable.
• A bag of frozen veggies topped with 2 tablespoons of Parmesan and some chopped nuts.
• Salad is always a quick and delicious meal. All you need is a pre-bagged salad and canned tuna, tomatoes, and your favorite low fat dressing. You can even use pre cooked chicken strips (as long as they are not fried!).
• Make a quick and delicious sandwich. Be sure that you always have whole wheat bread, sliced turkey meat, reduced fat cheese, mustard, and other low fat condiments.
• Remember that cereal with low fat milk and fruit is a great meal no matter what time of the day it may be!

These are just a few healthy meal ideas for those of us who don't always have time to cook. If you are serious about attaining weight loss you can also try all natural appetite suppressing hoodia, various herbal remedies and delicious whey nutrimelt protein shakes.

Lauren S. Johnson writes health articles about fitness and nutrition.
Some of her favorite passions include studying the medicinal benefits of herbal remedies, diet pills.

Improve Your Mood With Food

by Laura S Johnson

When it comes down to mood, we feel like we can't always control how we feel. Sometimes we would like to feel happy when we are down, but we simply don't know how to attain that change of mood naturally. We tend to approach mood changes with medications rather than with herbal remedies from certain foods. However, the absolute best way to lift our mood is naturally. There are certain foods we can consume which raise the mood lifting chemical known as serotonin. So what are some of these foods and how do they work?

The first step towards improving our mood is the "consumption of protein with every meal." Protein, such as lean poultry and fish, raise our blood levels of tryptophan. This particular chemical eventually turns into serotonin which in turn improves our mood. On top of its mood enhancing abilities, consuming protein with every meal is an excellent way to lose weight.

"Eating a small carbohydrate snack" is the second step towards improving ones mood. Eat a small snack, such as an oatmeal cookie or a slice of whole wheat bread, 3 to 4 hours after your meal and approximately one hour before your next meal. Make sure that your stomach is empty. Eating this small yet significant snack will cause the tryptophan in your blood to enter the brain. Once the chemical has entered the brain it will metabolize into serotonin leaving you with a feeling of happiness in about 20 to 30 minutes. Following this particular pattern of nutrition can also serve as a natural sleep aid. This is due to the fact that your brain metabolizes serotonin into the natural sleep aid known as melatonin. So follow these simple steps and watch your mood improve before your eyes.

Lauren S. Johnson writes health articles about fitness and nutrition. Some of her favorite passions include studying the medicinal benefits of herbal remedies, weight loss products, and hoodia side effects.