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Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Want To Lose Weight? Then Stay Away From....


The foods you must STOP EATING RIGHT NOW when trying to lose weight are...

* You need to stop drinking regular & diet sodas. Quick fact: If you replaced a 20oz bottle of soda with water daily... You would easily lose up to 35 pounds in one year so if you're addicted to soda - go here to see how to stop drinking soda and...

* Replace coffee with a natural fat burner like Green Tea because coffee increases stress & stress leads to fat gain and... Coffee increases your cravings making you eat more causing you to gain fat but...

* You can drink the natural Green Tea fat burner, lose more weight, and still get your caffeine fix for the day and...

* Cut down on or try to stop drinking alcohol. Quick fact: Alcohol is basically the refined juice of natural foods which makes it a drink of pure concentrated sugar that will make you gain fat easily and...

* AVOID the grocery store snack aisle - Stop eating potato chips, popcorn, cookies, candy, ice cream, cakes, etc. The ingredients in these foods make you want to eat more and the companies who make these snack foods know you'll stay addicted to them (even after you gained lots of weight eating their snacks) but...

The companies don't care if you gain weight because of their snack products as long as they make their money off YOU and if you're addicted to snacks - Read 30+ ways to curb your cravings for snacks, salt & sugar

* You need to make a strong effort to cut down on your salt & sugar intake because too much salt & sugar causes you to gain water weight making you look fatter than you already are and...

* Avoid processed foods as much as possible because the processing of these foods removes all the stuff that helps you lose weight and replaces it with stuff like sugar, corn syrup and hydrogenated oils to make you fatter so...

* Read food labels and avoid anything that has sugar as it's main source of carbs or has corn syrup & hydrogenated oils as ingredients and...

* Don't be fooled by the term "Multigrain" since it's just a fancy word for processed carbs and choose "Whole Grain" products only and...


Here's a bigger list of Foods NOT to eat when trying to lose weight...

1. Fried foods
2. Hamburgers & French fries
3. Table sugar
4. Plain Jam
5. salted nuts
6. smoked nuts
7. refried beans
8. Baked Beans
9. Chocolate Fudge
10. Candy
11. Toffee
12. Gums
13. Boiled sweets
14. Mint Sweets
15. Liquorice
16. Honey - Honey has minimal nutritional value & has the same calorie content as sugar.
17. Soft drinks
18. Tinned fruits
19. Chutney
20. Pickle
21. bacon
22. sausage
23. cured meats
24. ham
25. fatty cuts of steak like T-bone & rib-eye
26. Puddings
27. Corn syrup
28. Fruit juice - It's better to eat raw fruit instead of fruit juice because fruits contain more fiber and the juice will always contain more sugar than the actual fruit.
29. Cake
30. Bread made with white flour
31. Soda pop, such as Coke®, Pepsi®, Mountain Dew®, etc.
32. All baked goods made with white flour
33. Coffee
34. Biscuits
35. Fast foods
36. Pasta made with white flour
37. Canned fruits w/added sugar
38. Most packaged cereals
39. Alcohol can slow your metabolism down by 73%
40. Potato chips
41. Popcorn
42. Cookies
43. Ice cream
44. Cakes
45. Pies
46. All deserts
47. Artificial sweeteners
48. Most bottled green teas have more ingredients in it to help you gain weight than the actual green tea itself to help you lose weight.


Source: www.nowloss.com

Monday, August 1, 2011

Tempeh EH?


What are the health benefits of tempeh? (Recipe Below)

The health benefits of tempeh are numerous. As opposed to many other soyfoods tempeh is made from whole soybeans, and possesses all the health benefits of soybeans. Also the tempeh fermentation changes the properties of the soybeans.


High fiber

One serving of tempeh contains more fiber than most peoples consume in one day. Fiber is essential for a healthy digestive tract as well as preventing many chronic diseases.


Tempeh is easy to digest


Tempeh is a great choice for people who have difficulty digesting plant-based high-protein foods like beans and legumes or soy foods such as tofu. The process of fermentation makes the soybeans softer, since enzymes produced by the mould predigests a large portion of the basic nutrients.


The Rhizopus moulds produce an enzyme phytase which breaks down phytates, thereby increasing the absorption of minerals such as zinc, iron and calcium. The fermentation process greatly reduces the oligosaccharides that make beans hard to digest for some people. Studies have shown tempeh to be essentially non-flatulent and producing no more gas than non-legume food.


Ideal for people on low sodium diets

Unlike other fermented soy products, like miso which is very salty, tempeh is extremely low in sodium.


Contains natural antibiotics

Rhizopus moulds produce natural, heat-stable antibiotic agents against some disease-causing organisms. Indonesians who eat tempeh as a regular part of their diet recognize it as a medicine for dysentery and rarely fall victim to the intestinal diseases to which they are constantly exposed.
Good for diabetic patients


The protein in tempeh is excellent for diabetic patients, who tend to have problems with animal sources of protein. The protein and fiber in tempeh can also prevent high blood sugar levels and help in keeping blood sugar levels under control.


Source: www.tempeh.info


Greek Tempeh Pitas


Ingredients:

Servings: 4



* 1 (8 ounce) package tempeh
* olive oil
* soy sauce
* 3 -4 crushed garlic cloves
* 1 tablespoon dried oregano
* 1 lemon, juice of
* greek pocketless pita
* tzatziki
* 2 tomatoes, diced
* 1/2 cucumber, diced
* 2 crushed garlic cloves
* 1/2 onion, diced
* balsamic vinegar
* olive oil


Directions:

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

1. 1 Slice tempeh medium thin.
2. 2 Marinate in olive oil, soy sauce, crushed garlic, dried oregano and lemon juice. After 1 hour (or longer) saute in frying pan until crispy.
3. 3 Meanwhile mix diced tomatoes, cucumber, onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of oil in a small bowl.
4. 4 Heat pita on each side in frying pan.
5. 5 To assemble, place pita on a plate, lay tempeh over pita, spoon on tomato and cucumber mixture and top with tzatziki.


Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/greek-tempeh-pitas-56655#ixzz1TpoZoXuc

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Health benefits of caraway seeds


■ In addition to its use as medicinal values, caraway indeed has many health benefiting nutrients, minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants.

■ Caraway seeds are rich source of dietary fiber. 100 g seeds provide 38 g of fiber. They increase bulk of the food and helps prevent constipation by speeding up movement of food through the gut. In fact, gastro-intestinal transit time of food is greatly decreased.

■ Fiber also binds to toxins in the food and helps protect the colon mucus membrane from cancers. In addition, dietary fibers bind to bile salts (produced from cholesterol) and decrease their re-absorption in colon, thus help lower serum LDL cholesterol levels.

■ Caraway has many health benefiting essential oils. Principle volatile compounds are carvone, limonene, carveol, pinen, cumuninic aldehyde, furfurol,and thujone. These active principles in the caraway seeds are known to have antioxidant, digestive, carminative and anti-flatulent properties.

■ Caraway has many many health benefiting flavonoid anti-oxidnats such as lutein, carotene, crypto-xanthin and zeaxanthin. These compounds are indeed function as powerful anti-oxidants by removing harmful free radicals from the body thus protect from cancers, infection, aging and degenerative neurological diseases.

■ Caraway spice is an excellent source of minerals like iron, copper, calcium, potassium, manganese, selenium, zinc and magnesium. Copper is required in the production of red blood cells. Iron is required for red blood cell formation. zinc is a co-factor in many enzymes that regulate growth and development, sperm generation, digestion and nucleic acid synthesis. Potassium in an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the powerful anti-oxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase.

■ The seeds indeed are storehouse for many vital vitamins. Vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C as well as many B-complex vitamins like thiamin, pyridoxine, riboflavin and niacin particularly are concentrated in the caraway seeds.


Source: nutrition-and-you.com

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Calorie Needs to lose weight



There are approximately 3500 calories in a pound of stored body fat. So, if you create a 3500-calorie deficit through diet, exercise or a combination of both, you will lose one pound of body weight. (On average 75% of this is fat, 25% lean tissue) If you create a 7000 calorie deficit you will lose two pounds and so on. The calorie deficit can be achieved either by calorie-restriction alone, or by a combination of fewer calories in (diet) and more calories out (exercise). This combination of diet and exercise is best for lasting weight loss. Indeed, sustained weight loss is difficult or impossible without increased regular exercise.

If you want to lose fat, a useful guideline for lowering your calorie intake is to reduce your calories by at least 500, but not more than 1000 below your maintenance level. For people with only a small amount of weight to lose, 1000 calories will be too much of a deficit. As a guide to minimum calorie intake, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that calorie levels never drop below 1200 calories per day for women or 1800 calories per day for men. Even these calorie levels are quite low.

An alternative way of calculating a safe minimum calorie-intake level is by reference to your body weight or current body weight. Reducing calories by 15-20% below your daily calorie maintenance needs is a useful start. You may increase this depending on your weight loss goals.


Source: bmi-calculator.net

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Preventing The Top Ten Injuries In Sport




Most of the injuries here are classified as "overuse injuries". These tend to have chronic symptoms of pain which build up over periods of time. Here are some tips to give you a better chance of avoiding overuse injuries:

1 Instead of cutting down on your exercise, create a plan which includes rest days between each specific workout. Rest days don't have to be complete rest from exercise or sport. For example, a rest day from jogging can be spent swimming or cycling. Although I do recommend including at least 2 days of complete rest in each week.

This "cross-training" aspect will work all areas of your body in the long term, and allow each specific part (e.g. knees or shoulders etc.) enough time to recover. That will keep any repetitive stress on any one muscle or joint to a minimum.

2 Specific stretching in your cool down is crucial. Research about stretching is never ending, and rightly so when it comes to injury. You should never stretch cold muscles, this may actually cause injury. General stretching should be included at the end of your warm up. But the biggest factor in preventing injury is specific stretching after your workout, in your cool down. Specific stretching means focusing thoroughly on the muscles used in your workout.

3 Include specific strength training exercises in your workout plan. No matter what your main exercise or sport is, you need to keep the most used muscles strong. This specific strength will reduce the affects of repetitive stress on your bones, muscles and joints. Ease into new activities to allow your specific strength to build up.

4 If you have an injury, no matter how great or small, you need to recover properly. Don't view it as something that will go away in a couple weeks. That attitude will invite more injury. An injury needs time only to heal. But healing isn't recovery. You need to take more time to re-build specific strength and flexibility. Then you can start to ease back into your exercise or sport.

5 Have the correct footwear or equipment for your activity. Think about the size, comfort and fit.



Source: better-exercise-fitness-for-life.com

Thursday, July 21, 2011

What Is Traumeel?



Trigosamine is a holistic medication used for joint pain. It comes in a daily use tablet. Clinical studies by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) have allowed the medication to be sold to the public. Trigosamine is not a drug, but a supplemental medication since it contains all natural ingredients. On the surface, Trigosamine has no side effects of its own. But looking at the ingredients brings different information to the potential user. You should be aware of the ingredients and the possible reactions to them before taking this medication.


Ingredients

The three active ingredients in Trigosamine are Glucosamine, Chondroitin and Hyaluronic acid. The drug is allowed to claim there are no overall side effects because the combination of these ingredients does not cause adverse reactions. While the combination of these ingredients does not cause any known side effects, two of the individual ingredients, Glucosamine and Chondroitin, do have side effects reported in their use.

Glucosamine

Glucosamine can have side effects including stomach upset, headaches, sensitivity to the sunlight, skin reactions and insomnia. Rare side effects include nausea, heartburn, abnormal pain, a loss of appetite and constipation.

Chondroitin

The side effects of Chondroitin, while reported, are rare. Some of the signs to look for include sensitivity to light, hair loss, difficulties breathing, hives or rashes, tightness in the throat or chest, chest pain, stomach pain, nausea, constipation and diarrhea. There is also a possible increased risk of bleeding. An unknown sense of euphoria indicates the need to cut back on the use of Chondroitin as well.


Considerations


According to the Mayo Clinic persons with prostate cancer or a risk of cancer should avoid using medication with Chondroitin. Trigosamine has proven to cause allergic reactions in people who have asthma or have allergies to shellfish. This is caused by the Glucosamine supplement which can cause a serious reaction to people with a hypersensitivity to shellfish such as shrimp, clams, or lobster. Consult a physician if you are unsure of the possible effects.


Source: ehow.com

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Benefits of "Raw" Honey




What is Raw Honey?

If you haven’t heard of raw honey, the term might seem a bit strange to you. When we refer to something as being raw, we’re usually thinking of a food that is normally cooked before it’s eaten, such as meat or eggs.

But when we eat foods such as raw apples or bananas, for example, we don’t usually think of them as being raw, because it’s common to eat them uncooked.

If you tell someone you just ate an apple, they will assume it was raw. Likewise, if you tell someone you just ate a hamburger patty, they will assume it was cooked (and would probably be considerably repulsed to learn otherwise!). The difference between raw and cooked hamburger is very obvious. And a raw apple differs greatly from a cooked apple.

With honey, though, the distinction between raw and cooked is less clear, and that’s why the term ‘raw honey’ is a bit misleading, and perhaps confusing to some. Just as milk can be heated (pasteurized) before being bottled without greatly altering its taste and consistency, so can honey. In fact, honey that has not been heated is sometimes called ‘unpastuerized honey.’

Raw honey is simply honey that has not been heated and filtered, but instead has been strained to remove debris before bottling.


Why is Honey Processed?

With the exception of comb honey, any honey you purchase will have been processed to some degree. But for the most part, honey that you might purchase in a supermarket – especially honey produced by a large supplier – will have been highly processed.

Why?

For two reasons: to improve the shelf life of the honey, and to improve its appearance.

Most large-scale honey producers heat and pressure-filter their honey.

The purpose of heating the honey is to melt any tiny crystals of granulation that may be present in the honey, and to destroy any yeast spores. Granulated crystals act as catalysts in causing the entire jar of honey to granulate (sometimes called ‘going to sugar’), and removing them ensures that the honey will remain in a liquid state. Destroying yeast spores prevents the possibility of fermentation.

The pressure filtering removes all sediment from the honey, including tiny bits of wax and pollen grains.

The result is a very attractive product with a very long shelf life.

But there is a price to be paid for converting raw honey into the pretty, sparkling, processed honey sold by most supermarkets. Some of the raw honey health benefits may be discarded in the process.


Many of the Raw Honey Health Benefits May be Lost

As with most processed foods, much is lost when honey is processed.

Though processed honey tastes much as it did in its raw, natural state, it’s still just not quite the same. The processing procedure unquestionably alters the natural flavor of the honey, even if only by little. Whether the taste of raw honey is better than processed honey is a matter of personal opinion, but most who are accustomed to eating honey in its natural state seem to prefer it that way.

Perhaps more important than alterations to the flavor, though, are some of the raw honey health benefits that may be lost when honey is heated and filtered.

Honey is a highly nutritious food, containing many minerals, enzymes, and antioxidants.

The process of heating honey destroys some of these valuable nutrients. And though there is some disagreement among experts about how much of these nutrients are destroyed, there’s no doubt that at least some damage is done to honey’s nutritional and healing properties during the process of heating it.

And the filtering process removes most of the pollen grains suspended in raw honey. This eliminates any value the honey may have had in helping to reduce allergy symptoms, and also removes the nutritional and healthful benefits of the bee pollen itself.


Raw Honey Health Benefits May Be Greater, But is it Safe?

To return to our earlier analogies, eating raw hamburger could be deadly dangerous, and drinking unpasteurized milk could also be risky.

So is raw honey safe to eat?

Perfectly – with one possible exception: Though rare, there have been cases of people having an allergic reaction when eating raw honey containing pollen spores to which they were sensitive. (You can read more about honey and allergies here.)

Remember, the purpose of processing honey is to increase shelf life and improve appearance, not to make it ‘safer.’

Virtually any type of raw honey will eventually begin to crystallize. When this happens, the honey can be re-liquefied simply by allowing it to sit in a pan of hot (not scalding) water until it’s liquid again. And when honey is harvested fully ripe, it’s rare for it to ferment until after it has completely granulated.

NOTE: It’s important that honey not be given to infants under 1 year of age due to concerns about infant botulism. This applies to ALL honey, whether raw or highly processed.


Nothing Wrong With ‘Supermarket Honey’

As long as it’s pure honey. There are some producers who sell a ‘honey product’ that contains honey mixed with another sweetener, such as corn syrup. So wherever you buy your honey, carefully read the label to be sure you’re getting what you expect.

But if you’re buying pure, unadulterated honey, it’s a perfectly fine product, and will offer most of the health benefits of honey, at least to a degree.

Just be aware that you might not be getting quite the full range of flavor and raw honey health benefits that you’d get from eating honey in its natural state, just as the bees made it.

Source: bees-and-beekeeping.com