Posts Tagged ‘diet’

It is not news that the cuisine of America and the cuisine of Mexico are quite different things. Mexican food recipes, for example are certainly not all that similar to those found in America. Strangely enough, Canadian food is rather similar to our own, as is often the case with neighboring countries – so why is the culinary tradition of our southern neighbor so different than ours? Mexican recipes use different ingredients than we commonly see in the average grocery store and create flavors, which seem exotic to American palates.

History

There is a historical reason for the difference, which is in large part responsible for this difference. As everyone knows, Mexico was formerly a Spanish colony until winning their independence. However, as you probably also know, parts of the United States were also once Spanish territories! As it happens though, these regions (largely in the southwest) do bear a distinct influence from the Spanish colonial period, though not to the extent seen in Mexico since they have long been part of the US.

By contrast, what is now the United States was largely colonized by immigrants from Northern Europe, especially the English, Dutch and Germans, with French settlers in some areas and later on, immigrants from eastern Europe and Scandinavia – and to a lesser extent, literally every other part of the globe.

European settlers arriving in Mexico came largely from Spain for a long time, having a much larger influence on the diet of the country than any single immigrant group in the United States ever did. In fact, many traditional Mexican recipes are directly from Spain or are adaptations of Spanish classics using local ingredients where the ingredients used in Europe were unavailable locally. The predominant influence of this one cuisine led to a mixture of Spanish and native cuisines, which evolved into what, we now know as Mexican food.

Mexico has also seen a large number of immigrants arrive from the Levant (especially Syria and Lebanon), adding a few dishes which are now classic Mexican food recipes in their own right such as al pastor. This dish is essentially a Mexican take on the middle eastern shawarma.

While the US has had many immigrants from many different parts of the world, the diversity of the US population as compared to Mexico’s has meant that the cuisine of Mexico has remained more distinct than that of its northern neighbor. This by no means, means that Mexico is a place where foods from other countries is not enjoyed and adapted to local tastes either.

Different Ingredients

The second reason for the difference between Mexican and American cooking has to do with geography. Just as the first European colonists in America learned to use the local produce as well as importing their own, early settlers in Mexico adapted to local ingredients and the native and Spanish cuisines melded into something all its own. Since the country has a warmer climate, different ingredients are easily available, with corn, chili peppers, pumpkins, and other crops, which have been cultivated there for millennia and imported crops, which grow easily in the country.

This blend of native ingredients and recipes with those brought over by the Spanish is what made Mexican food what it is today and many of the most famous Mexican food recipes clearly show this marriage of old world and new world cuisines. From tacos to soups to Mexican casserole recipes, this is one very successful – and very popular type of fusion cuisine.

What do you get if you combine the freshest produce with the best fish, meat or poultry and a clever combination of herbs and spices? The answer is Mexican food and if you have never tasted authentic Mexican recipes you have not lived! Most Mexican recipes are easy enough to cook at home too.

Have you ever thought that you and your husband should be on a different weight loss program? It often happens that the woman challenges the man on a Weight Loss Speed Contest. What happens then? They follow the same diet, but for some reason the man, more often than not, lose more weight than the women. Could there be an easy explanation why this happens? Take a moment to understand some of the reasons why men are “luckier” than women when it comes to losing weight.

They Don’t Crave for the Same Food

You probably know that women are more obsessed with having a packet of chips when they’re in desperate need of a snack. Men tend to wait for dinner, because they’ve been waiting for that roast beef all day long. Meat is full of proteins and things such as chips are full of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates have the tendency to change into fat if you don’t have a good workout in the gym. Protein does not have that effect of your body.

Men Have Bigger Biceps

The fact is obvious that in general men are more muscular than women. They have more testosterone in their bodies which helps in muscle growth. It also helps with burning fat faster to keep the balance between fat and muscle. Women can however change their body fat percentage by doing weight lifting.

Why do women think that aerobics and spinning are the only exercises they should do? Men are not the only ones who have access to the weight training section. Most women don’t know that having a good set of weight training exercises in their workout will increase the fat burning process.

It’s Time for the Husband to Help Out in the Kitchen

You might think that in these modern times men have started to cook for there families. Men usually get home from a hard day’s work and just want to relax. His wife is the one who prepares the food in the kitchen. She is completely surrounded by all of nature’s temptations.

What happens when she takes care of the family by giving them a proper meal? She’s more likely to have a bite here and there just to make sure the food is ready to serve. When the food is done, the man puts down his newspaper and enjoys the meal his wife prepared. The woman is unaware that all of her tasting is interfering with the diet.

What is the Conclusion Then?

Men and women don’t need a separate weight loss program. The chances are good that you’ll never keep up a healthy diet when you have to prepare two sets of dishes. It’s simply too time consuming and too expensive. The best way is that both husband and wife should decide which weight loss program they’re going to follow together.

When both of you have set your minds on a specific diet, the next step would be to find an ideal fitness plan that will boost the fat burning process. You have to stick to one another and keep your goals in mind all the time. At first you might think that a specific program for women or men is the right choice, but it isn’t. Your program should focus on eating the right foods at the right times and spend enough time in the gym.

Learn more about Peter W.L. Owen’s recommended weight loss plan. It has completely changed the way we all think about diet. Otherwise you’re welcome to try a weight loss program for men.

Most of us have heard of the Michael Thurmond 6 week makeover diet. It’s never a bad idea to take a look at a number of weight loss programs when you need to lose a few pounds. Michael Thurmond is the guy who says that you can lose between 25 and 35 pounds within 6 weeks. What is this plan really about? Let’s discuss the most important aspects of his diet.

His Metabolism Principle

You might know it better as the 6 week makeover plan by Michael Thurmond. According to his theory, we all have unique metabolisms which cause our bodies to react differently to certain foods. The first step of his plan focuses on determining what your kind of metabolism is and how it reacts to food. You accomplish this by answering a set of questions that relates to your body. This will point out that you should stick with certain types of food and stay away from other. An example might be peanuts. Peanuts might cause your body to burn fat while others will store it as fat.

The Body Sculpting Theory

The Michael Thurmond diet plan explains that you need to focus on your problem areas when you exercise. When you start his program, you need to determine which parts of your body you’re most unsatisfied with. After you pointed out the problem areas of your body, you receive a set of exercises that targets those areas. So many fitness junkies believe that it’s not the ideal way of exercising when you only focus on one part of the body. Is it not common practice that the body needs a complete workout before your problem areas will improve?

His Eat More Principle

A big thumbs up for Michael Thurmond’s diet plan is that he doesn’t want you to lose weight by starving yourself. There are plenty of diet plans out there that forces you to stop eating or do drink cabbage soup all day long. You do lose weight with those programs but only till your body has adapted. Michael Thurmond believes in small portions of food regularly. It is a good principle to base any diet. You teach your metabolism to slow down when you only eat once of twice per day.

What is the Conclusion?

Keeping away from certain foods that don’t go with your metabolism and eating at regular intervals each day does sound promising. I like the way the Michael Thurmond weight loss plan takes time to analyze your body type and provide you with a customized eating and exercise plan. I don’t agree with spending only a few minutes in the gym. I believe that you need to focus on every part of your body even if you’re happy with certain areas. Otherwise I have no problems with it. You do however need to discipline yourself when you decide to take on Michael Thurmond’s 6 week makeover plan.