What is the Healthiest Oil to Use for Cooking?

The healthiest oil to cook with is one that is composed primarily of monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fats help to reduce unhealthy LDL cholesterol and boost healthy HDL cholesterol. Compared to other oils, canola and olive oils are most rich in these monounsaturated fats. But new research suggests that virgin and extra-virgin olive oils contain something even better: antioxidants called polyphenols. Polyphenols are found in olives, red wine, and green tea and they diminish free radicals before they can oxidize LDL. Oxidation makes LDL even more damaging to arteries.

Virgin olive oil also has a fairly high cooking temperature and its great flavor is a nice additive to savory dishes. Virgin olive oil works great in soups and salads and the top choice in restaurants for dipping bread. Virgin olive oil doesn't just taste better than most other oils, it's also better for you! When looking for the healthiest oil, one should look for oils that are minimally processed. Frequently, the more processed the oil, the less healthy it is. Again, virgin or extra virgin olive oil has an advantage over the others because it is produced purely by mechanically pressing the oil from olives- no chemical processing.

There are two downsides to virgin olive oil. One is its cost. Virgin olive oil tends to be more expensive so if cost is a concern, go ahead and use refined olive oil or canola in cooking and save the virgin oil for cases that call for a high-impact fruity flavor. Secondly, it may not be equally favored in sweeter baked goods because its flavor is relatively strong. Canola oil may be the healthiest oil and best choice for baked, sweet goods because it has minimal flavor.

Remember that even the healthiest oil can contain a lot of calories so moderation is key. In general, use non-stick pans and very little oil. The healthiest oil used to deep-fry will still be highly caloric so instead of deep-frying, try stir-frying, grilling or baking. These methods are healthier, since oil requirements in such dishes are much lower.

For additional healthy tips, please visit Dieting Library, the home of the internet's most extensive list of today's popular diets.

Skinny Bitch

Once in a decade, a book comes along that you just want to share with the world! Skinny Bitch is a "no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous!" The enlightening book is written by two non-strangers to the topic, Kim Barnouin, a former model, and Rory Freedman, a former agent for Ford Models. This book is not your typical boring diet book, this is a tart-tongued, no-holds-barred wakeup call to all women who want to be thin. Unlike standard diet books, it actually makes the reader laugh out loud with its truthful, smart-mouthed revelations.

Behind all the attitude, however, there's solid guidance. Skinny Bitch espouses a healthful lifestyle that promotes whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and encourages women to get excited about feeling "clean and pure and energized." The authors also include a whole list of acceptable junk foods such as cookies and ice-cream, keeping the diet advice realistic to those of us who wouldn't want to go on if we were deprived of it.

The authors explain that dieters should not feel like they are giving up foods, instead they are replacing them with other better foods. Although Kim Barnouin and Rory Freedman are in the modeling industry, they do embody a quality we can all relate to- they love to eat! They refer to themselves as "total pigs who love eating all day long." They explain that they didn't become healthy eaters overnight-it took years to get rid of old, bad habits. Their knowledge was their best defense, "It’s hard to enjoy unhealthy food once you learn exactly how bad it is for you."

If you want to start feeling like a goddess, treat your body like a temple. You will not only look better on the outside, you will feel a newly found energy on the inside. Start your diet with this hilarious read that reminds you- the best time to start making changes is now!

MAGIC DIET PILL?

As consumers, we eat too much fat, too many carbs, and too many processed foods that slow our metabolism. We lead fast-paced, stressful lives that make our systems unbalanced and turn our bodies into fat storing blobs of low energy. Most of us have little time to exercise off our high calorie intakes and end the day in front of a tv, just to start off the same the next day. We redundantly complain about our love handles, giggly underarms, and ever growing gluteus maximus. So is a magic diet pill going to undo these effects and turn mush into a six pack?

NO! The highly advertised diet pills will not melt away fat, boost lean muscle, increase energy levels or help you lose weight. The only thing they will do is give you a false sense of hope and waste your time and money. The reality is losing weight won’t happen overnight. One needs a carefully planned weight loss program, new eating habits, and exercise to make permanent changes.

Making changes starts with a healthy diet. This means eating lots of fruits and veggies plus moderate amounts of good fats, healthy carbs, and lean proteins. And to think you wanted to replace all of this with a tasteless pill. You don’t have to give up eating to get a great figure- it’s just about what you eat and when that makes the difference between overweight and ideal weight.

Diet pills also don't cause your body to burn a considerable amount of calories and most importantly they don't build fat burning muscle. They may elevate your heart rate but this doesn't cause your body to burn the number of calories necessary to lose weight. Real exercise is needed to burn calories and keep the weight off. There is no trick way around it! Unlike diet pills, exercise also helps you deal with stressors that cause you to overeat carbs and sugars- this is the only long term solution to achieving and maintaining your ideal weight.

If you want to be in control of your weight, you have to take the reigns and make changes to your diet and exercise routine. For many, finding the right diet track for them is a challenge and that’s where diet programs come into help. Check out our array of weight loss programs at Dieting Library and find the one that's perfect for you!

H2O Can Save Your Skin!

Raise your glass and drink to this! Drinking water not only cures the hiccups, it also helps cure acne! A simple acne home remedy is to drink water. Your body's organs need plenty of water to survive - and so does your skin! Drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water a day to keep your skin hydrated is not only good for your overall health, but it is also a great way to heal and prevent acne breakouts! Water helps transmit waste material out of your body and keeps toxins from building up and escaping through your skin pores, therefore, preventing acne breakouts. Just as important as the water you put inside your body is the water you put on the outside of your body. In conjunction with drinking water, include a skin care regime that contains hydrating products to use on top of your skin to keep it nourished.

Everyone has a blemish-free home remedy that they swear by. Every acne home remedy is all natural and easy to use. These home remedies for acne, aided by vitamin and mineral supplementation, can help treat acne swelling and flare-ups.

Exercise - Exercising will help keep your skin looking healthy by bringing oxygen to your cells

Toothpaste - Putting toothpaste on a blemish before bed can help reduce swelling overnight

Maintain a healthy diet with at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily

Grind orange peels with water into a paste and apply to acne

Apply Aloe Vera juice twice a day to acne to speed up the healing process

Combine ground nutmeg and milk and apply on acne

To refresh your skin, apply a cucumber mask to your face by blending cucumber into a paste and leave it on for a half hour before rinsing

These acne home remedies will not provide miracles and are not made to take the place of acne treatments recommended by a doctor, however, they are great alternative solutions to try at home. After all, however crazy home remedies for acne may sound, if they provide some relief, then they're worth a try!