Foods can be healing. Anti inflammatory foods should regularly be incorporated into the diet, especially when you're unwell or dealing with chronic pain. Those with Arthritis and Fibromyalgia, for instance, can find a significant difference when eating foods that have anti inflammatory properties.
Here is a short list of some of the foods that fit the bill:
-olive oil, coconut oil, flaxseed oil
-lean protein (chicken and fish)
-dark leafy vegetables
-nuts
-berries
-whole grain foods
-red wine or grapes
-green tea
-spices such as ginger, garlic, oregano and cinnamon
Foods that are pro inflammatory include unhealthy fats, sugar and junk food. It's evident that foods that are generally part of a healthy lifestyle overall can contribute to good health in many different ways.
Beyond pain management, you can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's as well. While you might be someone that needs medication for pain management, you might find that increasing the anti inflammatory foods you consume could lessen the frequency of medication. For others who are getting into health and fitness, eating these types of foods could be very beneficial for you for many reasons including post workout recovery.
Showing posts with label diets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diets. Show all posts
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
WuLong Tea Benefits
I reguarly come across ads for Wulong tea so I decided to look a little closer at it. It turns out it's known as Oolong tea as well and has several significant health benefits. If you are looking to find out the benefits of Oolong or Wulong tea, you can find a wealth of information online as well as a fair bit of hype.
Oolong Tea
Wulong tea is also known as oolong tea and is reported to have many health benefits including that of slimming effects. Wulong tea is in the same family as black and green teas but is reported to have a level of fermentation that provides excellent fat burning potential.
In the quest for eating foods and drinking liquids that increase your metabolism it’s worthwhile to note that some teas also provide significant health benefits such as high antioxidant levels. Green tea, white tea and WuLong or Oolong tea are said to be helpful in many ways. White tea can help with bacteria such as Strep as well as provide aid in preventing dental cavities. Oolong is said to help with the regulation of blood glucose levels and help you have a glowing complexion.
Why do you need antioxidants?
Antioxidants can actually reverse the aging process and fight free radicals or cancer causing agents. You can get antioxidants from many foods and beverages including foods like blueberries, the Goji berry and from green tea, white tea and oolong tea.
In terms of negative effects of Wulong tea, there is a high caffeine content so it might be wise to watch your intake and be sure you pay attention to any symptoms or signs of caffeine excess such as jitters or heart palpitations. Instead of drinking it in addition to your daily coffee, you might want to have your Wu-Long in the morning instead of coffee.
Anything that impacts your metabolism must be carefully considered when taking any medication. Much like the grapefruit diet isn’t recommended for someone on essential medication for heart, blood pressure and other medical issues, because Wulong can impact your metabolic rate you need to talk to your doctor or pharmacist about taking it when you are taking prescription drugs.
Oolong Tea
Wulong tea is also known as oolong tea and is reported to have many health benefits including that of slimming effects. Wulong tea is in the same family as black and green teas but is reported to have a level of fermentation that provides excellent fat burning potential.
In the quest for eating foods and drinking liquids that increase your metabolism it’s worthwhile to note that some teas also provide significant health benefits such as high antioxidant levels. Green tea, white tea and WuLong or Oolong tea are said to be helpful in many ways. White tea can help with bacteria such as Strep as well as provide aid in preventing dental cavities. Oolong is said to help with the regulation of blood glucose levels and help you have a glowing complexion.
Why do you need antioxidants?
Antioxidants can actually reverse the aging process and fight free radicals or cancer causing agents. You can get antioxidants from many foods and beverages including foods like blueberries, the Goji berry and from green tea, white tea and oolong tea.
In terms of negative effects of Wulong tea, there is a high caffeine content so it might be wise to watch your intake and be sure you pay attention to any symptoms or signs of caffeine excess such as jitters or heart palpitations. Instead of drinking it in addition to your daily coffee, you might want to have your Wu-Long in the morning instead of coffee.
Anything that impacts your metabolism must be carefully considered when taking any medication. Much like the grapefruit diet isn’t recommended for someone on essential medication for heart, blood pressure and other medical issues, because Wulong can impact your metabolic rate you need to talk to your doctor or pharmacist about taking it when you are taking prescription drugs.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Cereal Diet Menu Sample
If you are doing a cereal diet (replacing 2 meals a day with cereal) you might want some help deciding what to eat and how to :
-mix it up so you don't get too sick of cereal
-choose snacks to keep you satisfied and full without jeopardizing your diet
-choose what to have for dinner
Have a look at this post on the Cereal Dieter blog for samples of a cereal diet menu.
Should you exercise while doing a calorie reduced diet? Here's some helpful advice from the Sacred Heart Soup Blog...
-mix it up so you don't get too sick of cereal
-choose snacks to keep you satisfied and full without jeopardizing your diet
-choose what to have for dinner
Have a look at this post on the Cereal Dieter blog for samples of a cereal diet menu.
Should you exercise while doing a calorie reduced diet? Here's some helpful advice from the Sacred Heart Soup Blog...
Diet Menu Planning Benefits and Tips
Planning your menu when dieting or doing a healthy lifestyle change is an essential task. If you're trying to lose weight or get healthy the most important advice you can follow is to plan your diet menu. If you set a schedule about what you're going to eat and shop in advance for several days meals you will be less likely to cheat and overeat which will clearly put your eight loss efforts behind. Many people who fail on their diets do so because of lack of planning which leads to cheating and overindulgence. Here are some helpful planning tips:
Shop a few days at a time. This way your food will be fresh and you'll be more likely to eat what you've bought as well as be able to take advantage of sales.
-Make a list when you shop. This way you know what to buy and won't get home and realize you don't have the makings of healthy recipes.
-Don't shop hungry! Eat before you shop and have your list ready.
-Stay OUT of the junk food isle and resist the urge to buy items while in line. Read tabloid mag covers to keep your mind off the candy bars if you must ;)
-Join healthy website recipe sites to help you come up with creative diet menu planning ideas. Surfing for ideas can be a lot of fun.
-Get support! If you aren't planning to diet with a buddy, find an online support group or community forum. Swapping recipes and success stories is a great idea.
-Track your caloric intake and exercise. Fitday.com is a great resource for letting you do both for free.
-Go for variety! Changing your recipe selection a little will make your dieting more adventurous. Diets don't have to be bland. Experience new flavours with spices and be adventurous.
A bit of planning and experimenting can help you increase your chances of losing weight or getting healthier with great eating habits.
The Fat Loss 4 Idiots or, Idiot Proof Diet> includes an online generated menu based on healthy food choices that trick your metabolism, engage fat burning hormones. There's a lifetime membership *here*.
Shop a few days at a time. This way your food will be fresh and you'll be more likely to eat what you've bought as well as be able to take advantage of sales.
-Make a list when you shop. This way you know what to buy and won't get home and realize you don't have the makings of healthy recipes.
-Don't shop hungry! Eat before you shop and have your list ready.
-Stay OUT of the junk food isle and resist the urge to buy items while in line. Read tabloid mag covers to keep your mind off the candy bars if you must ;)
-Join healthy website recipe sites to help you come up with creative diet menu planning ideas. Surfing for ideas can be a lot of fun.
-Get support! If you aren't planning to diet with a buddy, find an online support group or community forum. Swapping recipes and success stories is a great idea.
-Track your caloric intake and exercise. Fitday.com is a great resource for letting you do both for free.
-Go for variety! Changing your recipe selection a little will make your dieting more adventurous. Diets don't have to be bland. Experience new flavours with spices and be adventurous.
A bit of planning and experimenting can help you increase your chances of losing weight or getting healthier with great eating habits.
The Fat Loss 4 Idiots or, Idiot Proof Diet> includes an online generated menu based on healthy food choices that trick your metabolism, engage fat burning hormones. There's a lifetime membership *here*.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Information about the Zig Zag or Calorie Shifting Diet Information
There are many names for the calorie shifting diet. This diet plan can also be referred to as the zig zag diet or the Idiot Proof Diet and is widely marketed under the name, "Fat Loss 4 Idiots". The goal of this diet is to trick your metabolism so that it doesn't adjust to habitual eating.
When we reduce our caloric intake, our bodies burn energy reserves. The trick according to most is to burn more than you consume. There are many ways that fad diets suggest you do this including the Negative Calorie Diet. Our bodies burn a pound for every 3500 calories that we go over our reserves with.
Many people find that when they change their caloric intake, they lose weight rapidly but all of a sudden, they plateau. A zig zag diet plan where calories are shifted around continuously is said to trick your metabolism so it cannot anticipate how much calories are coming and therefore it can remain high. When our metabolism slows down, it's more difficult to achieve weight loss.
Various plans are in existence including through websites, videos and books. You can even join a site with an automatic menu generated to help you plan for your days when you will be taking in high calories versus taking in low calories. One of the benefits to the zig zag or calorie shifting method is that you don't feel deprivation because you are not going for weeks on end without any treats which can lead to falling off the wagon.
The down side to zig zag eating is that you could have a difficult time if you try to go too low on your low cal days. Some dieters get over zealous and try to drop their caloric intake so drastically that they impact their health and well being.
If you're interested, you can learn more about this method of dieting and read success stories and diet reviews of the Fat Loss 4 Idiots program or calorie shifting in general but whatever you choose to do, make informed decisions always about your health. Take care with your hydration and potassium levels. Anyone dieting on a regular basis should take care to monitor their vitamin intake and consider using a food journal to determine if there are any gaps (there's a free one at www.fitday.com in my sidebar) and consider taking a multivitamin.
Interested in learning more about Fat Loss 4 Idiots?
Click Here!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Benefits of Fasting for Health, Spirituality, Vitality and Longevity
There are many reasons to learn about fasting for health, fasting for spirituality and for weight loss. If you’re thinking about doing a fast for your health or any other reason, it’s a great idea to do some research and learn as much as you can about what happens to your body while you are fasting. There are benefits as well as some warnings when it comes to doing a fast for any period of time.
Some look to fasting for weight loss. There is a lot of information available to help you learn all the benefits of fasting with guidelines and safety precaution information or supporting herbs and vitamins.
A Few Warnings About Fasting
First: you need adequate hydration when you go without food. Dehydration is very dangerous and can happen quickly. Some people do nothing but drink water while fasting and others do a pure juice fast which can provide you with plenty of nutrients, hydration and electrolytes while still giving you some detoxifying benefits.
Second, if you have any health concerns or issues with blood sugar you might want to talk to your doctor first. Some people who do fasting for health benefits do it through a supervised medical treatment center although the vast majority do so at home. A fast is sometimes necessary regardless of your health status for a short term period due to the need for a specific medical test but you should find out if there are any precautions you need to take while fasting.
Try to keep it low key while you are not eating. Not only will you want to reserve your energy but you won’t want to be around the sights and smells of food unless absolutely necessary.
Understanding ways to do fasting as well as the best way to break your fast are important. The aim is typically to have the body go into autolysis and use up stores of energy and fat and resume to healthful eating before the body starts to use protein as energy and ease back into food in a healthful and beneficial way.
Benefits Of Fasting
When you fast you can go through a detoxification process. Your body can shed toxins and impurities. It can even help you overcome addiction. Fasting can make a lifestyle transition helpful. Rather than trying to wean your body off unhealthy foods and suffer cravings, fasting can be an excellent way to jump start the process and have a speedy detoxification process which can reduce the cravings.
Fasting can also help your body target all its resources to healing instead of processing food. When the body is in fasting mode this can result in damaged cells becoming healed, unhealthy growths and bacteria or yeasts being starved and the lymphatic system being energized.
In many cultures, fasting is linked to an increased spiritual connection and to longevity or increased life expectancy.
Is Fasting Right For You?
Part of our culture has made us believe that that food equals comfort. Deprivation is very different from fasting. Learning the benefits and learning tips for the first time you fast can be very beneficial and there’s a wealth of information available to help you.
Some look to fasting for weight loss. There is a lot of information available to help you learn all the benefits of fasting with guidelines and safety precaution information or supporting herbs and vitamins.
A Few Warnings About Fasting
First: you need adequate hydration when you go without food. Dehydration is very dangerous and can happen quickly. Some people do nothing but drink water while fasting and others do a pure juice fast which can provide you with plenty of nutrients, hydration and electrolytes while still giving you some detoxifying benefits.
Second, if you have any health concerns or issues with blood sugar you might want to talk to your doctor first. Some people who do fasting for health benefits do it through a supervised medical treatment center although the vast majority do so at home. A fast is sometimes necessary regardless of your health status for a short term period due to the need for a specific medical test but you should find out if there are any precautions you need to take while fasting.
Try to keep it low key while you are not eating. Not only will you want to reserve your energy but you won’t want to be around the sights and smells of food unless absolutely necessary.
Understanding ways to do fasting as well as the best way to break your fast are important. The aim is typically to have the body go into autolysis and use up stores of energy and fat and resume to healthful eating before the body starts to use protein as energy and ease back into food in a healthful and beneficial way.
Benefits Of Fasting
When you fast you can go through a detoxification process. Your body can shed toxins and impurities. It can even help you overcome addiction. Fasting can make a lifestyle transition helpful. Rather than trying to wean your body off unhealthy foods and suffer cravings, fasting can be an excellent way to jump start the process and have a speedy detoxification process which can reduce the cravings.
Fasting can also help your body target all its resources to healing instead of processing food. When the body is in fasting mode this can result in damaged cells becoming healed, unhealthy growths and bacteria or yeasts being starved and the lymphatic system being energized.
In many cultures, fasting is linked to an increased spiritual connection and to longevity or increased life expectancy.
Is Fasting Right For You?
Part of our culture has made us believe that that food equals comfort. Deprivation is very different from fasting. Learning the benefits and learning tips for the first time you fast can be very beneficial and there’s a wealth of information available to help you.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Connections: Candida and Food
What you eat can directly impact your ability to have problems with Candida or yeast infections. Conversely, it can also help you by creating an environment where healthy flora flourish and bad bacteria perish. I wrote about this recently for a friend and business contact.
Our bodies house good bacterium and can have bad bacteria as well. Yeast infections or candida can happen when the bad bacteria levels get high. This can happen for many reasons and can result in unpleasant symptoms in the genital area or the mouth. In order to deal with this, you often need to have treatment that kills off the negative bacteria but the problem with this is that treatment can also kill the healthy flora living in your body.
Candida can happen frequently and it can become a pain. We don’t want to overdo it on antibiotics and risk developing a tolerance to them which makes getting well when we really need antibiotics difficult. We also want the positive bacteria in our bodies to thrive as they can help us in many ways. Candida doesn’t just cause yeast infections, oral thrush and diaper rash. It can impact your health in many ways including headaches, mood swings, and sinus problems and is reported as suspected of being linked to other problems as well.
There are foods you can eat to encourage healthy bacteria to flourish in your body and to keep unhealthy levels of yeast from rising. There are probiotic foods which encourage the healthy bacteria to grow and antibiotics which are intended to kill off harmful bacterium. The problem is that when we need to take antibiotics, the antibiotics cannot tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys so they wipe out everything in sight! If your body has a tendency to produce too much yeast and you are prone to yeast infections, you should be cautious about what you eat and drink to help prevent the overgrowth of that yeast. In fact, your diet alone could be the culprit.
There are many types of flora living in our bodies and the culprits for the yeast infection occur when there’s a proliferation of albican yeast growth. Prevent albican yeast growth by eating healthful unprocessed foods. Probiotic yogurt and cheese can be very helpful. Eating junk food and refined carbohydrates is not helpful as it will feed the bad bacteria. Eliminating sugar and bleached white flour is a very good idea and you should avoid all fermented foods like alcohol, cheese and yeasts and fungi such as mushrooms. Instead, eat plenty of live cultures like yogurt and unsweetened kefir. Organic apple cider vinegar can also be helpful for restoring balance in the digestive system.
Opt for food with fast transit times for your food so that it won’t sit and rot in your intestines creating new bacteria. A special diet is typically used for two to four weeks so that symptoms can subside and people who have recurring problems with yeast may decide to stay on this diet as a regular rule. Use oils for cooking such as virgin coconut oil offers great antifungal properties.. Garlic, clove oil, oregano oil and spices like cinnamon, curry and cayenne can also be very beneficial.
If you want bread during your candida diet, opt for whole grain bread that isn’t leavened with yeast. Probiotic or lactose reduced cheese can be taken in lieu of regular cheese. Albican yeast free cookbooks or resource sites exist which help you find more recipes that incorporate great foods without harmful yeast.
Eating well, exercise and good digestive health are all factors for treating and preventing candida yeast infections.
This article was written for my colleague and friend Matthew Bredel. Matt owns the helpful website Candida Solutions.
Resource:
Yeast-Free Cookbook
Our bodies house good bacterium and can have bad bacteria as well. Yeast infections or candida can happen when the bad bacteria levels get high. This can happen for many reasons and can result in unpleasant symptoms in the genital area or the mouth. In order to deal with this, you often need to have treatment that kills off the negative bacteria but the problem with this is that treatment can also kill the healthy flora living in your body.
Candida can happen frequently and it can become a pain. We don’t want to overdo it on antibiotics and risk developing a tolerance to them which makes getting well when we really need antibiotics difficult. We also want the positive bacteria in our bodies to thrive as they can help us in many ways. Candida doesn’t just cause yeast infections, oral thrush and diaper rash. It can impact your health in many ways including headaches, mood swings, and sinus problems and is reported as suspected of being linked to other problems as well.
There are foods you can eat to encourage healthy bacteria to flourish in your body and to keep unhealthy levels of yeast from rising. There are probiotic foods which encourage the healthy bacteria to grow and antibiotics which are intended to kill off harmful bacterium. The problem is that when we need to take antibiotics, the antibiotics cannot tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys so they wipe out everything in sight! If your body has a tendency to produce too much yeast and you are prone to yeast infections, you should be cautious about what you eat and drink to help prevent the overgrowth of that yeast. In fact, your diet alone could be the culprit.
There are many types of flora living in our bodies and the culprits for the yeast infection occur when there’s a proliferation of albican yeast growth. Prevent albican yeast growth by eating healthful unprocessed foods. Probiotic yogurt and cheese can be very helpful. Eating junk food and refined carbohydrates is not helpful as it will feed the bad bacteria. Eliminating sugar and bleached white flour is a very good idea and you should avoid all fermented foods like alcohol, cheese and yeasts and fungi such as mushrooms. Instead, eat plenty of live cultures like yogurt and unsweetened kefir. Organic apple cider vinegar can also be helpful for restoring balance in the digestive system.
Opt for food with fast transit times for your food so that it won’t sit and rot in your intestines creating new bacteria. A special diet is typically used for two to four weeks so that symptoms can subside and people who have recurring problems with yeast may decide to stay on this diet as a regular rule. Use oils for cooking such as virgin coconut oil offers great antifungal properties.. Garlic, clove oil, oregano oil and spices like cinnamon, curry and cayenne can also be very beneficial.
If you want bread during your candida diet, opt for whole grain bread that isn’t leavened with yeast. Probiotic or lactose reduced cheese can be taken in lieu of regular cheese. Albican yeast free cookbooks or resource sites exist which help you find more recipes that incorporate great foods without harmful yeast.
Eating well, exercise and good digestive health are all factors for treating and preventing candida yeast infections.
This article was written for my colleague and friend Matthew Bredel. Matt owns the helpful website Candida Solutions.
Resource:
Yeast-Free Cookbook
Monday, August 20, 2007
How To Take Off The Baby Weight
So you've had a baby and you're ready to get your body back. Don't beat yourself up for not fitting into your skinny jeans six weeks after baby; it can take a lot longer to take weight off than it can to put it on! Start slow and follow some common sense rules to help your body get back in shape slowly. Here are some facts and tips to help:
-Many women hold onto some reserve weight for six months to ensure they have fuel to make milk for the baby. A lot of women feel like the weight starts to melt off at around the point baby begins the transition to solid food
-Breastfeeding burns about 500 calories a day. Many women find that if they breastfeed past the six month mark, they accelerate their weight loss. Do you know how much exercise you'd have to do to burn 500 calories a day? Another reason to breastfeed!
-Count your calories. Use a calorie counter and after you've stopped lactating, try to scale back to 1500 calories a day. Try something to jump start you like the special K diet or the sacred heart that can help you accelerate weight loss (these are quick fix diets though and shouldn't be used long term!)
-Pilates and Yoga. These are low impact sculpting exercises. They can really help you tighten your abs again and get rid of the junk in your trunk.
-Baby exercise classes. Many gyms are now doing strollercize and exercises where you use your baby's weight for resistance training. it's bonding, it's an outing and can help you get tone and trim again.
-drink water! Stay away from the soda pop, switch to skim milk or 1% and drink lots of water. You might be surprised at how many empty calories come from what you are drinking!
Most of all, persevere. Little changes like reducing your meat and potatoes and increasing your vegetables on the plate will give the illusion of loads of food but cut your caloric intake while increasing your nutrient intake. Many vegetables and fruits are actually negative calorie foods that can help you lose weight. Taking off the baby weight can be a lengthy process but you can do it for your health and your body image.
*****
Buy direct from the manufacturer and Save Big on Home Exercise Equipment today at ProForm.com
-Many women hold onto some reserve weight for six months to ensure they have fuel to make milk for the baby. A lot of women feel like the weight starts to melt off at around the point baby begins the transition to solid food
-Breastfeeding burns about 500 calories a day. Many women find that if they breastfeed past the six month mark, they accelerate their weight loss. Do you know how much exercise you'd have to do to burn 500 calories a day? Another reason to breastfeed!
-Count your calories. Use a calorie counter and after you've stopped lactating, try to scale back to 1500 calories a day. Try something to jump start you like the special K diet or the sacred heart that can help you accelerate weight loss (these are quick fix diets though and shouldn't be used long term!)
-Pilates and Yoga. These are low impact sculpting exercises. They can really help you tighten your abs again and get rid of the junk in your trunk.
-Baby exercise classes. Many gyms are now doing strollercize and exercises where you use your baby's weight for resistance training. it's bonding, it's an outing and can help you get tone and trim again.
-drink water! Stay away from the soda pop, switch to skim milk or 1% and drink lots of water. You might be surprised at how many empty calories come from what you are drinking!
Most of all, persevere. Little changes like reducing your meat and potatoes and increasing your vegetables on the plate will give the illusion of loads of food but cut your caloric intake while increasing your nutrient intake. Many vegetables and fruits are actually negative calorie foods that can help you lose weight. Taking off the baby weight can be a lengthy process but you can do it for your health and your body image.
*****
Buy direct from the manufacturer and Save Big on Home Exercise Equipment today at ProForm.com
Saturday, August 11, 2007
The 100 Mile Diet, Eating For Change
The One Hundred Mile Diet encourages you to eat locally. The slogan of the 100 mile diet of " Eating Local for Global Change" makes a heckuva lot of sense. The premise of eating local helps your local economy, your local hard working farmer, means you get fresh food and are minimizing the impact on the environment of the need to move mass amounts of food by pollution causing transportation methods.
This isn't a restrictive calorically managed diet or something where you are not allowed to eat red meat on tuesdays or must drink four servings of cranberry juice a day...it's just about eating food that's come from a 100 mile radius from your home.
The website, www.100milediet.org offers a great resource for information and downloadable tools and resources for you to spread the word. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
-Discover your local farmers market
-Plant a garden
-Shop at your local organic supermarket
-Explore local supermarkets with local produce and local meat or butcher shops
The result of the 100 mile Diet will be that you'll not only be impacting the global environment and the local economy but you'll be eating healthier, tastier food that hasn't had to sit on a truck, boat, plane or train to ripen and you'll be eating more produce and less preservatives and processed food.
This isn't a restrictive calorically managed diet or something where you are not allowed to eat red meat on tuesdays or must drink four servings of cranberry juice a day...it's just about eating food that's come from a 100 mile radius from your home.
The website, www.100milediet.org offers a great resource for information and downloadable tools and resources for you to spread the word. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
-Discover your local farmers market
-Plant a garden
-Shop at your local organic supermarket
-Explore local supermarkets with local produce and local meat or butcher shops
The result of the 100 mile Diet will be that you'll not only be impacting the global environment and the local economy but you'll be eating healthier, tastier food that hasn't had to sit on a truck, boat, plane or train to ripen and you'll be eating more produce and less preservatives and processed food.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Today's Find, Refrigerator Raider
Today I had a visit on my writing blog from someone who authors a blog I just had to tell you about. The blog is similar to this one in that it aims to help people learn about health and wellness. I do believe that you are what you eat. Last night in a moment of peer pressure induced weakness I ate fast food at 11:30 at night. I feel like a greasy hamburger today because of it...
Anyway, I digress..
The blog I'm anxious to point you to is the Refrigerator Raider blog. What a great resource for health information!
Stop by and have a read and consider reading the blogger's personal story as well for some great inspiration. Midnight raider stopped the midnight raids and learned about health and is sharing the info with readers.
Cheers,
Dana
Anyway, I digress..
The blog I'm anxious to point you to is the Refrigerator Raider blog. What a great resource for health information!
Stop by and have a read and consider reading the blogger's personal story as well for some great inspiration. Midnight raider stopped the midnight raids and learned about health and is sharing the info with readers.
Cheers,
Dana
Monday, July 2, 2007
Gaining Weight The Healthy Way
Not everyone wants to shed body weight. Some people look for healthy ways to gain weight for various reasons, namely for body building efforts or because they’ve always been just too skinny. Here are some ideas to help you gain weight a healthy way. By simply over eating or eating really fattening foods, you could find yourself with more than you bargained for. Not only will you gain excess weight but you could affect your cholesterol levels, your blood pressure or have a negative impact on your digestive system.
Here are some good ideas to help you gain weight with healthy, high caloric foods.
-Gradually increase your caloric intake. Use a calorie counter like the free one at fitday.com and track what you eat. Adding an extra 500 calories a day will require a bit of effort but can result in a pound or so per week of weight gain.
-Eat nuts! Peanut butter, almonds, trail mixes with lots of nuts are high calorie but also filled with healthy fats and protein which are great for muscle building
-Heavy breads and bagels. Pumpernickel and rye have whole grain wheat and are dense, heavy, tasty breads. Having a slice of bread with each meal can add plenty of calories to your diet.
-Flax seeds. Flax is not only good for you but are high in calories. Adding ground flax to your oatmeal or a smoothie can add lots of good calories and be good for your overall health
-Shakes! Shakes or smoothies can be filled with lots of extra calories with flax, whole milk, peanut butter, protein powder and even by adding skim milk powder to thicken it and give yourself extra calcium
-Milk powder can go into your cereal, shakes, mashed potatoes and other dishes for extra health and calories
-Avocados. Avocados contain lots of calories and lots of healthy fat so are a great vegetable choice
-Cheese. Shred it on stuff, eat it plain, eat lots of it!! Your bones and teeth will thank you too.
-Boost or ensure shakes. These are like the opposite of Slim Fast but used the same way. High calorie shakes can be filled with vitamins, minerals and calories
Lots of good healthy foods can be added to your diet instead of fried foods and can result in a healthier, heavier you.
Here are some good ideas to help you gain weight with healthy, high caloric foods.
-Gradually increase your caloric intake. Use a calorie counter like the free one at fitday.com and track what you eat. Adding an extra 500 calories a day will require a bit of effort but can result in a pound or so per week of weight gain.
-Eat nuts! Peanut butter, almonds, trail mixes with lots of nuts are high calorie but also filled with healthy fats and protein which are great for muscle building
-Heavy breads and bagels. Pumpernickel and rye have whole grain wheat and are dense, heavy, tasty breads. Having a slice of bread with each meal can add plenty of calories to your diet.
-Flax seeds. Flax is not only good for you but are high in calories. Adding ground flax to your oatmeal or a smoothie can add lots of good calories and be good for your overall health
-Shakes! Shakes or smoothies can be filled with lots of extra calories with flax, whole milk, peanut butter, protein powder and even by adding skim milk powder to thicken it and give yourself extra calcium
-Milk powder can go into your cereal, shakes, mashed potatoes and other dishes for extra health and calories
-Avocados. Avocados contain lots of calories and lots of healthy fat so are a great vegetable choice
-Cheese. Shred it on stuff, eat it plain, eat lots of it!! Your bones and teeth will thank you too.
-Boost or ensure shakes. These are like the opposite of Slim Fast but used the same way. High calorie shakes can be filled with vitamins, minerals and calories
Lots of good healthy foods can be added to your diet instead of fried foods and can result in a healthier, heavier you.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Block Fat With Alli
Have you heard about the new drug Alli? It apparently blocks 1/4 of the fat that you eat by stopping your body from digesting it. The result of Alli is supposedly safe.
Alli doesn't impact your carbs, your proteins and doesn't stop you from absorbing vitamins and minerals but is said to be effective in taking a portion of the fat you eat and dumping it without it being absorbed.
I've read about many natural health products that block fat or carbs and don't know how Alli differs from those. It also boasts fewer side effects than many other drugs because of the way your body metabolizes it.
One thing to be aware of is the potential treatment effects of this drug by GlaxoSmithKline. You could have negative impact like oily flatulence that could result in leaks. This doesn't sound very pleasant. The whole reason I decided to blog about this drug was the mention of this in a monologue on the Tonight Show.
There are guidelines about how much fat you're allowed to eat in a day with this drug so taking Alli does not entitle you to eat extra fat. This is perplexing...To me, if you are able to manage your fat intake in this way, it would stand to reason that you might be wiser to count your fat grams per day and minimize them instead of needing a drug to block them. Maybe that's just me. I think the alternative of needing to carry a change of clothing and running to the restroom in sheer terror if I feel a fart coming on would be a dealbreaker.
Do you feel the same?
Alli doesn't impact your carbs, your proteins and doesn't stop you from absorbing vitamins and minerals but is said to be effective in taking a portion of the fat you eat and dumping it without it being absorbed.
I've read about many natural health products that block fat or carbs and don't know how Alli differs from those. It also boasts fewer side effects than many other drugs because of the way your body metabolizes it.
One thing to be aware of is the potential treatment effects of this drug by GlaxoSmithKline. You could have negative impact like oily flatulence that could result in leaks. This doesn't sound very pleasant. The whole reason I decided to blog about this drug was the mention of this in a monologue on the Tonight Show.
There are guidelines about how much fat you're allowed to eat in a day with this drug so taking Alli does not entitle you to eat extra fat. This is perplexing...To me, if you are able to manage your fat intake in this way, it would stand to reason that you might be wiser to count your fat grams per day and minimize them instead of needing a drug to block them. Maybe that's just me. I think the alternative of needing to carry a change of clothing and running to the restroom in sheer terror if I feel a fart coming on would be a dealbreaker.
Do you feel the same?
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The Cookie Diet, A Dieter's Dream?
Who wants to do the cookie diet? To lose weight by eating cookies sounds like a dieter's dream! Even if you're not dieting, it sure sounds like a great way to stay trim and fit while enjoying some yummy baked goods.
What's this diet all about? The cookie diet allows you one lean meal a day and cookies that help suppress your appetite. These tasty cookies are eaten throughout the day and the evening meal is pretty structured but it sure sounds tasty, doesn't it?
There's guidance on how many cookies you eat and there's a list of other rules such as the need to drink at least 8 glasses of liquid a day.
Are you always looking for the latest craze diet? Do you find that you've become a subject matter expert? It might be time to change your thinking on a more long term basis.
A quick fix diet can be a great way to shed some holiday weight or trim up for the summer bikini or speedo (lol) season but in all honesty isn't a great long term solution or something that someone who is morbidly obese would necessarily benefit from.
There are loads of diets out there to try so if you're a serial dieter, the Cookie Diet might just be the new thing to try :)
In all seriousness, if you are a serial dieter, it might be time to look at a lifestyle overhaul. If you try to change how you view food and understand the mechanics of what food does to your body, it makes you a much more conscientious eater. And, exercise can be addictive--in a good way :)
What's this diet all about? The cookie diet allows you one lean meal a day and cookies that help suppress your appetite. These tasty cookies are eaten throughout the day and the evening meal is pretty structured but it sure sounds tasty, doesn't it?
There's guidance on how many cookies you eat and there's a list of other rules such as the need to drink at least 8 glasses of liquid a day.
Are you always looking for the latest craze diet? Do you find that you've become a subject matter expert? It might be time to change your thinking on a more long term basis.
A quick fix diet can be a great way to shed some holiday weight or trim up for the summer bikini or speedo (lol) season but in all honesty isn't a great long term solution or something that someone who is morbidly obese would necessarily benefit from.
There are loads of diets out there to try so if you're a serial dieter, the Cookie Diet might just be the new thing to try :)
In all seriousness, if you are a serial dieter, it might be time to look at a lifestyle overhaul. If you try to change how you view food and understand the mechanics of what food does to your body, it makes you a much more conscientious eater. And, exercise can be addictive--in a good way :)
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Spend More Calories Than You Eat Without Trying
Is there such thing as a negative calorie food?
3500 calories equals a pound so if you eat 3500 calories that your body does not burn, you obviously gain a pound. What if you ate 3500 calories and lost a half a pound?
According to those who believe in the negative calorie diet, you can lose weight from eating certain foods. Foods that fall under this diet are healthy food that make your body work extra hard to process them and therefore they can result in a caloric deficit.
Everything we eat is worth a specific amount of calories but everything we do from walking to eating to sneezing to blinking causes us to spend calories. Our bodies go through a complex and strenuous set of activities to process the food that we eat so if that food causes our bodies to work harder, it results in a calorie loss.
You need a specific number of calories every day to do basic functions. Everything you eat above that is either burned off during exercise or activity or it is stored as excess.
For example, if a particular fruit is listed as being a 100 calorie food but takes your body 110 calories worth of effort to process it, you've just lost ten calories.
Judging by the list of foods, they're all easy to eat too. By replacing some of your snacks with these foods and eating them whenever you can, you'll not only have the potential to lose weight but you'll be pretty healthy too.
You can find a full list of negative calorie or catabolic foods but here's a few from the list:
apples, cantaloupe, garlic, strawberries, cauliflower, tangerines, zuchini...
Click Here! for more details.
3500 calories equals a pound so if you eat 3500 calories that your body does not burn, you obviously gain a pound. What if you ate 3500 calories and lost a half a pound?
According to those who believe in the negative calorie diet, you can lose weight from eating certain foods. Foods that fall under this diet are healthy food that make your body work extra hard to process them and therefore they can result in a caloric deficit.
Everything we eat is worth a specific amount of calories but everything we do from walking to eating to sneezing to blinking causes us to spend calories. Our bodies go through a complex and strenuous set of activities to process the food that we eat so if that food causes our bodies to work harder, it results in a calorie loss.
You need a specific number of calories every day to do basic functions. Everything you eat above that is either burned off during exercise or activity or it is stored as excess.
For example, if a particular fruit is listed as being a 100 calorie food but takes your body 110 calories worth of effort to process it, you've just lost ten calories.
Judging by the list of foods, they're all easy to eat too. By replacing some of your snacks with these foods and eating them whenever you can, you'll not only have the potential to lose weight but you'll be pretty healthy too.
You can find a full list of negative calorie or catabolic foods but here's a few from the list:
apples, cantaloupe, garlic, strawberries, cauliflower, tangerines, zuchini...
Click Here! for more details.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Free Resource for dieters
A blogging friend, Jason Parker who owns goldenprose.com which houses my mirrored HealthNiche blog and one of my freelance writing blogs has started a new community that looks like it will provide great help and support to those who are dieting.
If you are dieting, look at it when you get a chance for great conversation, support and a place where you can blog about your thoughts and success while dieting.
It's called www.hotdiets.net
Enjoy.
If you are dieting, look at it when you get a chance for great conversation, support and a place where you can blog about your thoughts and success while dieting.
It's called www.hotdiets.net
Enjoy.
Friday, May 25, 2007
The Grapefruit Diet, Revisited
If you haven't heard of the grapefruit diet, I'd be surprised.The Grapefruit diet is one of the original fad diets but there's some proven truth that The Grapefruit Diet works. The Grapefruit diet dates back to the 1970's in terms of popularity and has been making a great comeback as a food that can help you burn more calories. There are differing variations of the diet out there but the premise is that by adding grapefruit or grapefruit juice to your diet, you can increase your metabolism and burn more calories. Studies have been shown that people who drink grapefruit juice or eat grapefruit over a long period of time compared to people who did not, had several pounds of weight loss.
Grapefruit is even indicated as a negative calorie food according to many who believe that some foods take more energy to process in your body than they hold in terms of caloric value which results in weight loss.
There are different schools of thought on the theory of grapefruit diets but grapefruit may be responsible as well for helping with your blood sugar levels.
There is a caution that grapefruit can be contraindicated with many drugs because it can cause your body to metabolize the drug too quickly or in a manner that delivers more into your bloodstream in the case of timed-release medicines than is safe so always err on the side of caution when taking grapefruit with any other prescription or over the counter medication and even when taking herbal supplements.
When you consider that it has a great amount of fiber and that it is chocked full of vitamin C, so long as you aren't taking it against doctor's advice or with contraindicated drugs, you can't go wrong.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
The Special K Diet Info
The Special K diet is a diet where you replace 2 meals a day with a serving of special K cereal. You can eat what you like for the 3rd meal and snacks are either fruit, vegetables or Special K cereal bars.
Following this diet for 2 weeks can expect a weight loss of up to 6lbs.
Me?
I had 5lbs to lose and lost 4 pounds in 1.5 weeks but couldn't go on.
I was just 'done' with cereal.
I highly recommend this for a 'quick fix' diet where you need to lose just a few pounds.
To keep myself from feeling deprived, I'd mix a different type of fruit in with each bowl. Sometimes I'd even chop up a cereal bar and add that for variety. Loads of different vegetables and fruits for snacks really helped too.
I do suggest having a slice of whole grain bread with dinner though because your fibre intake drastically reduces with this diet so you may end up constipated if you are not careful.
I'm a carb-aholic so this diet was not a big stretch for me and I love fresh fruit and vegetables so for the first several days I didn't feel any deprivation.
The Vanilla almond Special K was my favourite and sometimes I'd mix a few flavours of Special K together with more than one fruit to keep it as interesting as possible.
I tracked my eating habits on an online calorie counter called www.fitday.com while I did this and I was averaging only about 1200-1400 calories a day on this diet and my fat ratio was very low.
Ofcourse your carbohydrate count is the majority of what you're eating so you have plenty of energy but on a long term basis, I'm sure this is not the best solution for significant weight loss.
I may do this diet one more time a little closer to bikini season.
But just because it's bikini season, don't expect me to wear a bikini!
Following this diet for 2 weeks can expect a weight loss of up to 6lbs.
Me?
I had 5lbs to lose and lost 4 pounds in 1.5 weeks but couldn't go on.
I was just 'done' with cereal.
I highly recommend this for a 'quick fix' diet where you need to lose just a few pounds.
To keep myself from feeling deprived, I'd mix a different type of fruit in with each bowl. Sometimes I'd even chop up a cereal bar and add that for variety. Loads of different vegetables and fruits for snacks really helped too.
I do suggest having a slice of whole grain bread with dinner though because your fibre intake drastically reduces with this diet so you may end up constipated if you are not careful.
I'm a carb-aholic so this diet was not a big stretch for me and I love fresh fruit and vegetables so for the first several days I didn't feel any deprivation.
The Vanilla almond Special K was my favourite and sometimes I'd mix a few flavours of Special K together with more than one fruit to keep it as interesting as possible.
I tracked my eating habits on an online calorie counter called www.fitday.com while I did this and I was averaging only about 1200-1400 calories a day on this diet and my fat ratio was very low.
Ofcourse your carbohydrate count is the majority of what you're eating so you have plenty of energy but on a long term basis, I'm sure this is not the best solution for significant weight loss.
I may do this diet one more time a little closer to bikini season.
But just because it's bikini season, don't expect me to wear a bikini!
Get Thin By Breastfeeding
We already know how great breastfeeding is for our babies, but now we know it's also good for us...cutting down health risks like breast cancer and other health problems.
There's something else too, burning calories.
I weaned my child at a year old and got back to my pre-pregnant weight by that time but shortly after weaning him (in the last year) I have put back on 5lbs.
A little part of me wishes I'd nursed until he was two!
For one thing, breastfeeding burns 500 calories a day. Do you know how much free chocolate that is? Do you know how much running, pilates, aerobics you'd have to do to burn 500 calories?
I saw on Desperate Housewives a while back, that episode where the mother was nursing her 5 year old and briefly missed it because I could eat like a madwoman (and believe me, I did!) and the weight was falling off me and I had a rack to be proud off (although it was off limits to anyone but the baby :)
Now that I'm smoke-free for three years, I don't have the metabolism I once did.
Probably now being in my 30's hasn't helped that matter either.
If I take the plunge one more time, would there be anything wrong with breastfeeding for a very extended period of time?
LOL.
Bring on the donuts!
~~~
There's something else too, burning calories.
I weaned my child at a year old and got back to my pre-pregnant weight by that time but shortly after weaning him (in the last year) I have put back on 5lbs.
A little part of me wishes I'd nursed until he was two!
For one thing, breastfeeding burns 500 calories a day. Do you know how much free chocolate that is? Do you know how much running, pilates, aerobics you'd have to do to burn 500 calories?
I saw on Desperate Housewives a while back, that episode where the mother was nursing her 5 year old and briefly missed it because I could eat like a madwoman (and believe me, I did!) and the weight was falling off me and I had a rack to be proud off (although it was off limits to anyone but the baby :)
Now that I'm smoke-free for three years, I don't have the metabolism I once did.
Probably now being in my 30's hasn't helped that matter either.
If I take the plunge one more time, would there be anything wrong with breastfeeding for a very extended period of time?
LOL.
Bring on the donuts!
~~~
Sacred Heart Diet Info
I'm told that the Sacred Heart Diet is a great way to lose up to 10 lbs in a week and to help cleanse your body of toxins. While I don't need to lose ten pounds, I have heard that cleansing diets can do great things for your overall health and vitality. It's also known as the Cabbage Soup Diet and the Mayo Clinic Diet. Supposedly, the diet came from a Sacred Heart Hospital or Mayo Clinic but both institutions deny this claim.
Many websites explain the diet in great detail and I've even found helpful discussion forums that talk about it and users share their experience. One thing mentioned across many of the sources I've looked at is that this diet doesn't leave you hungry because there's an unlimited amount of food required and it promises you'll lose the weight as long as you eat the foods on your list each day.
It's also been said that a colon cleansing is a great way to get your body in better condition and rid yourself of toxins. I've heard many good things about Oxy-Powder by GHC. Many people claim that a dirty colon can be accounted for the vast majority of today's disease.
The Sacred Heart Diet has also been called the Cabbage Soup Diet and you live on an unlimited amount of vegetable soup for the week while adding in different foods on a daily basis. It sounds like a very regimented diet but one where you will not go hungry on.
I'm very interested in natural health and living a healthier life. I'd love to hear any other experiences on soup diets and colon cleansing or body cleanses.
Thanks for stopping by :)
Many websites explain the diet in great detail and I've even found helpful discussion forums that talk about it and users share their experience. One thing mentioned across many of the sources I've looked at is that this diet doesn't leave you hungry because there's an unlimited amount of food required and it promises you'll lose the weight as long as you eat the foods on your list each day.
It's also been said that a colon cleansing is a great way to get your body in better condition and rid yourself of toxins. I've heard many good things about Oxy-Powder by GHC. Many people claim that a dirty colon can be accounted for the vast majority of today's disease.
The Sacred Heart Diet has also been called the Cabbage Soup Diet and you live on an unlimited amount of vegetable soup for the week while adding in different foods on a daily basis. It sounds like a very regimented diet but one where you will not go hungry on.
I'm very interested in natural health and living a healthier life. I'd love to hear any other experiences on soup diets and colon cleansing or body cleanses.
Thanks for stopping by :)
Master Cleanse Diet Info
If you're looking for info about fad diets, the Master Cleanse diet is one of the latest crazes. Known also as the Beyonce Knowles Diet, the Maple Syrup Diet and The Lemonade Diet, this is a diet that is an organized fast designed to help rid your body of toxins.
The intention of the diet is to cleanse the body of toxins but the side effect is that you can lose up to twenty pounds. The weight loss should be considered short-lived though, because it is more than 50% water weight loss and you will most likely regain that weight shortly after stopping the diet.
This cleansing fast / diet was created in the 1940's to help cleanse the body of toxins. By eliminating food for the 10 days and drinking a special liquid consisting of lemon juice, water, organic maple syrup and cayenne pepper and taking a laxative, you can expect to see some dramatic results.
While this isn't a good long-term goal for dieting, the fasting can help you with dramatic results in terms of body cleansing such as with your colon as well as be used as a springboard for healthier lifestyle habits. Many people who see quick results find it easier to persevere with exercise and healthier eating.
There's oodles of information sources online about the master cleanse but you should consider talking to your doctor about the safety of fasting for a period of ten days and how it could impact your specific health.
The intention of the diet is to cleanse the body of toxins but the side effect is that you can lose up to twenty pounds. The weight loss should be considered short-lived though, because it is more than 50% water weight loss and you will most likely regain that weight shortly after stopping the diet.
This cleansing fast / diet was created in the 1940's to help cleanse the body of toxins. By eliminating food for the 10 days and drinking a special liquid consisting of lemon juice, water, organic maple syrup and cayenne pepper and taking a laxative, you can expect to see some dramatic results.
While this isn't a good long-term goal for dieting, the fasting can help you with dramatic results in terms of body cleansing such as with your colon as well as be used as a springboard for healthier lifestyle habits. Many people who see quick results find it easier to persevere with exercise and healthier eating.
There's oodles of information sources online about the master cleanse but you should consider talking to your doctor about the safety of fasting for a period of ten days and how it could impact your specific health.
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