Posts Tagged ‘nutrition’

Acai Berry The Latest Nutritional Surprise!

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
by Sheila Bearsky

The acai berry is very dark purple, grows on a tree, the size of a grape, and is sweeping the globe in a huge way. Its spelled A-C-A-I and often mispronounced. For the record its pronounced ah-sigh-ee. Say it with me, ah-sigh-ee, feels like taking a deep breath doesnt it?

This dark purple wonder grows on very tall palm trees in the Amazon Rainforest and at the tallest point of the branch you will find clusters of leafy green branches and thats where the acai berry actually grows. In order to climb the 25 m high tree and cut the branch off with a long blade, one must be relatively quick & courageous.

The purple berries are a great food item. Twice a year you have the harvest. They have lot of natural vitamins and important antioxidants. Despite its very small size, the berries are packed with vitamins and antioxidants.

In addition, the acai berry contains omega fatty acids (healthy fats), amino acids, fiber and iron, along with many other vitamins and minerals. This purple wonder has a very unusual but pleasant tropical fruit taste, and the traditional Amazonian recipe mixes the acai fruit pulp and natural guarana seeds.

When used together, there give a huge level of nutritional benefits to your health including more energy and mental improvement. Its the natural guarana seed, in part, that gives you the energy boost similar to caffeine like effect but without the jitters.

The acai berry has been marketed as a highly useful food increment, but now it can be sold in a different type of goods; pills, fruit juice and smoothies, immediate drink powders, and complete fruit.

Some advertisers suggest that the acai berry increases energy levels, helps with indigestion, and enhances sexual activity. The little purple berry has good detoxification characteristics and also has a high fiber content which is really helpful. Its claimed to improve skin appearance, the health of your heart, and make you sleep better. An awful lot of pressure for such a tiny berry, no?

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Do You Know These 5 Dieting Myths

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
by Cracky McMerlot

There are numerous dieting myths flying around the internet and in the magazines. Everybody seems to have a different opinion when it comes to losing weight and dieting. Many unhealthy diets are talented at disguising themselves as good for you. Here are only some dieting myths you should avoid:

1) Sugar has more calories than honey: it is a wide spread belief that you should replace sugar with honey because it has fewer calories. But the fact is that honey contains more calories than sugar. One spoon of honey contains 65 calories while one spoon of sugar contains 15 calories. But still it is far healthier to eat honey instead of sugar because the sweetening force of honey is far greater than that of sugar which means you need to use less to obtain the same sweet taste.

2)From all the meats you can consume fish is the less fatty choice:I don’t know how it happened but countless people think that fish contain fewer fats than any other type of meat, including low fat meat like chicken meat. The truth is that 100 grams of turkey meat contains only 3 grams of fat while 100 grams of tuna contains 13 grams of fats. You ought to still eat fish even if it is fattier and contains extra calories because the fats it contains are good nourishing fats. Fish contain omega 3 fats which help you prevent cardiovascular diseases.

3)You get obese because of fat: Salt doesn’t make you fatter it just help your body hold more water which makes you look fatter. On average you are eating about 10 grams of salt every day but your body only needs only 4 grams of salt per day. Just 2 grams of the 10 come from the salt you personally add in your cooking. countless foods you eat contain heaps of salt in them. Now you don’t need to stop eating anything salty. Your body needs salt to function properly and it has its own means of getting rid of all the excess salt you give it. If you eat salty foods you feel the need to drink lots of water. All that water helps you eliminate the excess salt found in your body without making you fatter. So salt is nonfattening.

4) If you eat less food your tummy will get smaller in time:this dieting myth is as naive as untrue it is. You can starve yourself for 1 week and you won’t get a smaller stomach. All you succeed in doing is starve your body which is always bad. Your stomach is a muscular and elastic container. Your stomach expands when your eat food and regains its initial size after the digestive process is over. Regardless of how much you starve yourself your stomach won’t become smaller. But you will harm it because all that gastric acid will start eating your stomach and you will suffer form stomach problems in time. Plus hunger is very painful. So don’t do it.

5) Butter has more calories than margarine:while dieting you should stay away from both of them if you want to lose weight.The truth is that 100 grams of butter or margarine both have about 360 calories. There is almost no difference when it comes to the amount of calories. The difference is the quality of the fats they contain. Butter contains saturated fatty acids while margarine contains vegetable unsaturated fats. Saturated fats are more easily assimilated by your body. If you like margarine you can still eat it because it has the same number of calories as butter.

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10 Killer Weight Loss Tips

Monday, October 5th, 2009
by Duncan Cheng

1)You should first eat all the low calorie foods from your plate first and work your way up to the ones that contain lots of calories. That way when you get to the foods rich in calories you will eat far less of them because you are already full.

2)Always drink low fat milk, especially the one that contains just 1% fat. If you drink one glass of milk per day by making this switch you will be able to lose 5 pounds in 1 year.

3)Juice and sodas contain a lot of calories. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that they aren’t food. You should drink at most 1 glass of juice per day. If you can avoid drinking juice at all the better.

4)Always eat with a purpose. Regardless of what you are eating, how few calories it contains, you should always concentrate on the act of eating. Mindless eating leads to surprisingly fast weight gain and a super fat body.

5)Stop drinking alcoholic beverages if you ever what to lose weight. If you cannot renounce drinking alcohol because of peer pressure limit your alcohol consumption to weekends. Alcohol contains lots of calories. Just read the label and you will be convinced.

6)Instead of drinking diet sodas try drinking vegetable juices and even fruit juices. A tomato juice can replace a diet Coke anytime of the day.

7)Mayo is super fattening and you should never eat it. To add that extra taste to your foods try using mustard. It contains fewer calories which makes it a much better choice than mayo.

8)When you are dining out with your significant other share the dessert. It’s much more romantic and friendlier with your figure.

9)Dinner plates are much more bigger than salad plates and make you eat more food. From now on you should eat all your meals form a salad plate.

10)You should eat more sweet potatoes instead of potatoes. They are much more good for your figure.

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See Weight Loss News Today

Monday, October 5th, 2009
by Gloria M Cook

Many folks want to drop weight these days. Obesity and being overweight has reached widespread proportions. There are many visual reasons why folks want to lose weight as they would like to look good and fit into their jeans but the most critical basis to lose weight is for health reasons.

Dissimilar bodies store up fat in a different way. A person who stores all of the surplus fat in their thighs and butt has distinct problems than a person who stores all of their surplus fat in the center or the abdominal section. When you carry your fat in your thighs and butt you are shaped like a pear and when you carry your excess fat in your abdominal region you are shaped like an apple. The way that you carry your fat has a great effect on your health.

The pear-shaped women, who hold all of their excess weight in their butt and thighs, are at a health advantage over the apple shaped women. While they may have more difficulty finding “jeans that fit” and they may fight with body image just as much as the apple-shaped woman, they do not have the same health issues to contend with. The fat they carry on their butts and thighs is not necessarily damaging to their wellbeing.

On the other hand the fat that accumulates around the mid section puts the person at risk for such things as heart disease, diabetes and other health risks. The predicament is that the fat in the middle collects around the internal organs. This prevents their organs and their bodies from optimal function. Pear-shaped individuals do not have this same problem because none of the internal organs are found in the butt and thighs.

To find out is you are an apple-shape or a pear-shape you will need to compute the ratio of your waist to hips. Divide your waist measurement in inches by your hip measurement in inches. If the resultant ratio is 0.8 or more you are shaped like an apple, but if it is more than 0.8 or less then you are shaped like a pear. An instance would be a 28-inch waist divided by a 38-inch hip gives a ratio of 0.73 or a pear-shape while that same hip measurement combined with a 32-inch waist is a 0.84 or an apple shape.

Both shapes may have body image issues but the reality is that the pear-shapes are not really facing grave health risks. If you are shaped like an apple it is imperative that you do what you can to release the excess fat. Step up your cardio exercise and make sure that you are eating a fiber-rich diet consisting of more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes and include lean protein sources like fish and skinless chicken.

When it comes to weight loss an apple shaped individual does have an benefit because weight that accumulates in the abdominal region comes off faster than the fat that accumulates in the butt and thighs. Butt and thigh fat is quite stubborn and it will take much more struggle to get it to finally come off.

The type of body that you have is not something that you can control but you can do whatever is needed to lose the excess fat or even better, of course, is to not gain it in the first place.

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The Pineapple Diet for Weight Loss

Monday, October 5th, 2009
by Monty Dayton

The pineapple diet, which is also sometimes called the Metzger Pineapple Diet, is a hard eating plan to nail down because there are many imitations online that call themselves the same, but are unfounded plans. While this fad diet might seem really restrictive, there is no denying that there is a lot of interest around this particular weight loss plan.

While some versions may differ, every form of this eating plan in some way or another involves eating a lot of pineapple. Some say all pineapple and ice water for a few days in a row, others add in tuna every day. Many have a combination ” where there’s a day or two of nothing but pineapple and water, but tuna on the rest of the days to go with the pineapple.

The pineapple diet is definitely a fad diet and should be undergone carefully. That said, does this eating plan help people lose weight? For many people, the answer will be yes.

The pineapple & tuna version of this idea tends to especially be effective because tuna is a great lean meat high in Omega-3s, protein, and low in calories. This is a great balance to the pineapple, which delivers a great amount of energy for a fruit. This combination, along with ice water, can help to guarantee a diet low in both fat and salt. There are several concerns with this diet, however.

First, one of the largest concerns is sugar. Pineapple is a fruit that has a very high fructose (sugar) content. For diabetics who have to watch their insulin, this could become a major issue. Pineapple is also a very acidic fruit, which could make it unappealing for many different individuals.

A common second concern with the pineapple diet is lack of nutritional balance. While pineapple and tuna are both very healthy foods, you’re not going to get 100% of your daily vitamins from eating just that. A daily multi-vitamin is a very good idea.

Third, not all claims made about this weight loss plan have been proven. As with many fad diets, there’s the claim from diet proponents, and then many of them simply aren’t tested to be proved or disproved. This can be an issue for some people.

The pineapple diet might not be for everyone. But as far as fad diets go, this one actually does help dieters lose the weight they’re seeking to cut.

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Can Acai Berries Absolutely Be The Miracle Fruit?

Monday, October 5th, 2009
by Pamela K Baker

The amazing little acai berry from the rain forests of Brazil has been touted as a cure and a miracle for a multitude of conditions. It has been touted as one of the greatest nutritional finds ever and a miracle cure for a variety of afflictions from cancer to obesity.

Well, the acai berry is quite a miraculous nutritional discovery. It is loaded with vitamins and minerals, Omega fatty acids and a host of important antioxidants. However, it is not really that much more amazing than many other more common superfoods. There are many exceptionally healthy super foods such as blueberries, tomatoes, spinach, oranges, walnuts, salmon, green tea and the list goes on and on. The acai berry is just a more recent find.

A healthy diet consists of an array of healthy foods. We all need a healthy combination of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats. Antioxidants help protect our bodies from free radical damage which can be a factor in excessive aging, damage to our arteries and yes, even disease. When we improve our diets we improve our health and our longevity. But one fruit, not even the astonishing acai berry can do it all. We must include a wholesome variety of healthy foods in our diet.

Your weight loss program will probably benefit from the addition of acai berry products but only because of the excellent nutrition you are giving your body not because the acai berry is a magical fruit. However, if you want to lose weight you will also need to lower your calorie intake and exercise more.

Nature has provided humans with outstanding nutrition in the form of many healthy foods. We were designed to indulge in these healthy foods and when we do our bodies benefit greatly. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains can be the basis for our diets but we do not necessarily need to be vegetarians as many meat eaters can have a healthy diet. There are some animal products and meats that are more nutritious than others and it may be wise to be aware of where your food is coming from but that would include the fruits, vegetables and whole grains that you eat too.

The foods that we need to avoid are the unnatural and manmade things. If your food will not deteriorate on its own within a short period of time it probably is not very nutritious to eat. If bacteria won’t consume the food then humans probably shouldn’t either! The acai berry starts to lose its nutritional value as soon as 24 hours after it is picked from the palm tree it grows on so it needs to be freeze-dried or frozen almost immediately.

The acai berry can be an amazing addition to your nutritious diet. It can support you in your weight loss efforts and it can help protect your body from damage from free radicals and the oxygen damage caused from everyday living. This can help prevent diseases and other problems.

But the acai berry is not a miracle cure for anything. Improve your diet all around by adding in all kinds of nutritious foods like blueberries, spinach, broccoli, salmon, walnuts, green tea, tomatoes and more. Healthy foods come from everywhere and are grown all over the world. To get the highest benefit from acai berry products improve the quality of your diet all around. Your body will thank you.

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The Best Exercise to Lose Belly Fat – If you think it’s crunches, you’re Dead Wrong.

Monday, October 5th, 2009
by Ryan M Hall

If you’re trying to lose belly fat, you may be surprised to find that the best exercise to lose belly fat is actually not crunches. Despite what late night TV infomercials would have you believe, crunches actually have very little effect on your belly fat. If you want to get rid of your stomach, the first thing you need to do is start reducing your total body fat. There are some specific things you can do that will make this happen faster.

While most people trying to lose stomach fat will try to do cardiovascular exercise, this isn’t always necessary, in fact, there is a better way. You don’t have to spend hours on a treadmill. Instead, focus on muscle building exercises like resistance training. But How can resistance exercises be better than running?

Resistance exercises are exercise like lifting weights, doing bench press and squats. This is not to say that you need to become a body builder in order to lose belly fat, but building some lean muscle will make your body burn belly fat much faster and for much longer than just running on a treadmill. In fact, building muscle can actually burn fat for up to 72 hours after a workout, something that running on a treadmill can’t do.

So, what exercises are best for fast fat burning? You will get the best results if you focus on compound exercises like squats, rows and bench press. This is because these exercises build muscle in several areas of your body and the more muscle you build, the more fat you will be burning. If you use isolation exercises, like curls, to build muscle, it will take you much longer to build total body muscle, which will slow down your fat burning.

If you’re looking for the best exercise to lose belly fat, I hope you understand that doing cardio or crunches just isn’t going to cut it. If you build muscle with compound exercises, your body will burn fat and your stomach will start getting smaller almost immediately.

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Shedding The Pounds With Exercise: A Number Of Really Effective Pointers

Monday, October 5th, 2009
by April Kerr

In the event that you are looking for the right weight loss work out program and you have yet to find something that really works, look at the types of programs that you have been using. Because your body is different and will react to exercise differently, you may need to focus on one sort of exercise plan over another. Resistance training is frequently a really useful system to help burn off those extra calories and develop the core muscles you’re looking for.

Most of us work long hours and have a lot of things to do on our lists. However, when we look at weight loss exercise programs we tend to feel that it is solely one more duty waiting for attention. If you can find a program that is fun to do and gives you a chance to feel good then it is much more feasible that you will engage in it often.

Your body is different from the bodies of everyone else about you. What may be an effectual losing weight exercise program for your best friend or your sister may or may not be an efficient system to burn off some of your own weight. There are those bodies that respond really well to aerobic exercise while there are others that are much more responsive to resistance based exercises.

Nearly all people go for the aerobic work out because it appears it is more fun. You can just stick in a DVD or download some streaming video so that you can get in a good workout. With some bubbly personalities running the show, a cardio based DVD can appear like a good plan.

In a number of cases it can be enough. Though, when you are able to develop additional muscle thanks to resistance plans you are able to increase the number of calories that you burn on a daily basis.

As you begin to lose weight you may find that you need to make more changes in your exercise program. Every now and then a simple plateau can be disappointing and hard to deal with. Although, this merely means that your body is beginning to react differently and consequently you need to make incremental changes along the way.

If you have been focusing on cardio for your weight loss exercise and you haven’t lost additional weight regardless of your commitment to your own fun way of getting in a work out, you may need to add more resistance training to your daily routine. You normally only need to work out about four times per week so that you can develop a strong response within your body.

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Losing Weight With Exercise: Several Truly Helpful Tips

Monday, October 5th, 2009
by April Kerr

If you are searching for the ideal weight loss fitness program and you have yet to come across something that really works, look at the types of programs that you have been utilizing. Because your body is different and will react to exercise differently, you may need to focus on one kind of exercise plan over another. Resistance training is over and over again a really effectual method to help burn off those extra calories and build up the core muscles you’re looking for.

The majority of us work long hours and have a lot of things to do on our lists. Although, when we look at losing weight exercise programs we tend to feel that it is merely a further job waiting for attention. If you can find a program that is enjoyable to do and gives you a chance to feel good then it is much more probable that you will engage in it on a regular basis.

You will wish to skip your workout less often and you will notice results much sooner since you are devoted to the process. You only need about one session every other day in order to develop the slimming that you wish.

Most individuals go for the aerobic work out since it appears it is more fun. You can just pop in a DVD or download some streaming video in order to get in a good workout. With some bubbly personalities running the show, a cardio based DVD can appear like a good plan.

A number of individuals start off their weight loss exercise program as though it is one more job in their life. Nevertheless, after around one week they understand that they are having enjoyment. The feeling that most persons have right after a workout is often a form of fun. The way you feel for the rest of the day is also part of the fun. As you start to tone up, you’ll discover that other physical exertion is also a kind of fun.

As you begin to lose weight you possibly will discover that you need to make more adjustments in your work out program. Now and then a simple plateau can be discouraging and not easy to deal with. Although, this just means that your body is starting to respond differently and as a result you need to make incremental changes along the way.

For any plan that gives you a variety of weight loss exercises, you may want to alter it to the way your body begins to react. In the event that you see excellent results from the cardio you might want to fine tune how frequently you do the cardio vs. the weight or resistance training. Most people discover that the results that they are truly searching for come from the weight or resistance training, but your body is unique and you need to find what works best for you.

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Acai Supplements or Fat Loss Supplements: Which Is Best?

Monday, October 5th, 2009
by Travis Van Slooten

Companies that market acai berry as a fat loss supplement are tapping into the weight loss market, and unfortunately it can be misleading. Acai berry isn’t a cure-all for obesity, nor should it be marketed as a weight loss pill, and yet many companies are doing it simply to get a share of the billion dollar weight loss industry. Many times, this can mislead consumers in search of a supplement for everyday life and they may be missing out on the benefits of acai simply because they have been led into thinking that it is primarily an aid to weight loss. Acai berry pills are unique, and with the health benefits that come with it, acai berry is a top-notch choice in comparison to other fat loss supplements.

Easy Weight Loss

A very effective way of selling weight loss pills is by promising fast and easy results, and not just a few companies have taken this route. Of course they don’t warn the consumer is that this is an unhealthy way of losing weight. Weight issues should be faced by addressing diet and lifestyle deficiencies rather than resorting to quick but harmful weight loss schemes.

Acai berry pills offer a healthy way to change your lifestyle, not just burn off a few pounds. Weight loss supplements are a quick fix of the outlying issues, but they will not solve anyone’s problems with being overweight. Acai berry offers you a way to become healthier overall and lose weight the natural way.

Safe Weight Loss

Those who are considering taking the shortcut to weight loss should know that this is not only unhealthy ? it could even be downright fatal. Studies have shown most fat loss pills contain an ingredient called ephedrine, which a US government agency has deemed to be harmful and possibly led to a few deaths. Supplements that give you the assurance of fast weight loss work your body overtime, robbing it of needed liquids that drops your weight but causes dehydration.

Acai Berry is found in nature, and doesn’t contain lab created chemicals. In comparison to other methods that are quick and easy, Acai Berry doesn’t quickly cure weight woes. It is intended to be used as a supplement to a healthy lifestyle. Used in this combination, the body will naturally drop unwanted pounds without any harm.

The Cost

Pills that are formulated for fat loss rarely keep the weight off for long. This is because the supplements only got rid of the excess pounds but not the factors that caused one to gain weight in the first place. Plus, it’s also a strategy for companies to keep the consumers coming back for more pills. You are therefore continually buying supplements (and costly ones at that) which have no actual health value.

Truthfully, Acai Berry won’t tackle weight loss issues overnight, but if it is used as a supplement with a new and different lifestyle, it can bring many rewards. Tackling weight issues should be a planned goal and using trendy pills isn’t the answer. Acai Berry isn’t a fat loss supplement but a great addition to a healthy lifestyle.

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