Wednesday, 27 March 2013

15 Powerful Super Foods for Weight Loss

Super Foods are also known as “nutritional powerhouses” that keep our ideas and bodies sharp. For years, researchers have been able to web link super foods to the maintenance of our bones, improved eyesight, the ability to keep our minds sharp, and the prevention of various chronic diseases. In more latest studies, research and evidence now indicates that foods which fall into the “super food” classification can also help you get slim and stay slim!

In this content we are going to evaluate some of the top super foods that promote weight loss, and show you just how simple it is to integrate them into yourself. Better yet, most of them are also delicious!


Black Beans

One cup of black beans contains as much as 15 grams of protein and yet cuts corners from the saturated fats found in protein sources such as red meat. Try swapping out red meat for black beans every now and then.

Oats

Resistant food made of starch is a healthy carbohydrate and can be found in oatmeal. This healthy carbohydrate is accountable for improving metabolic capacity  and burning fat. Since oats are quite rich on fiber, you will feel noticeably fuller for long and surely this feeling of fullness will eliminate any need for snacking throughout the day.

Avocados

Not all fats are bad fats. Avocados contain the compound oleic acid, which are healthy mono unsaturated fats. These fats have the ability to induce your body to eliminate hunger cravings. A regular dose of avocado will help get rid of undesirable fat, and also offers loads of healthy fiber and protein.

Salmon

Salmon is a amazing source of lean protein and is also loaded with monounsaturated fats. Past research has shown that those who eat a rich monounsaturated fat diet lost 9 pounds on average. So stock up on these excellent fats and start enjoying seafood again!

Broccoli

With cancer preventing powers, loads of fibre, and just 30 calories per serving, this green veggie serves as a staple side dish or salad booster, and is bound to help you in the weight department!

Pears

Did you know that just one pear contains your daily recommended serving of fibre? Treat yourself to a pear a day, and you will most certainly keep the doctor away. Remember, the majority of fiber can be found in the outer layer, so refrain from peeling this delicious fruit.

Wine

Wine contains a efficient antioxidant known as resveratrol. This antioxidant can be found in the skin of grapes and has been verified to stop the storage of fats in the body. By drinking wine moderately, you can burn steady calories for up to 90 minutes after drinking a glass.

Grapefruit

Grapefruit contains a compound that has the ability to lower insulin levels (a fat storage hormone), which will in turn cause to weight loss. Not only does grapefruit act as a fat reducer, it is also a great source of protein, and will fill you up leaving you eating less (grapefruit is 90percent water). Eating half a grapefruit before meals can help you lose up to one pound of body fat per week!

Green Tea

Green tea contains powerful antioxidants which aid in fat and calorie burn. This hot beverage actually hydrates the body just like water, which will give you with a feeling of fullness for longer, allowing your body to drop excess weight. Research have verified that drinking 5 cups of green tea daily will help you lose double the weight mainly off of your stomach.

Bananas

Snack on a slightly green banana and fill yourself up with just 12.5 grams of resistant starch. Bananas also double as great metabolism boosters!

Dark chocolate

Since sweets has been proven to slow down digestion, you will be left feeling fuller for longer. Small portions of dark chocolate for desert will tie you over until your next meal. Since dark chocolate is loaded with monounsaturated fats, having a little now and then will turbocharge your metabolism and burn more fat and calories. In addition to these wonderful benefits, dark chocolate will also curb various other cravings for fatty, salty, and sweet foods.

Oranges

Oranges are a great day time snack because they are loaded with fiber, yet contain only 59 calories. The fiber will keep you feeling fuller longer, and eating less throughout the day!

Pine nuts

Pine nuts are another guilt free snack packed with healthy fatty acids that you can enjoy while burning off belly fat. Pine nuts contain only 95 calories for approximately 80 nuts.

Cheese

Swap out your regular old cheese for fresh goat or feta cheese. These cheeses contain a specific fatty acid that helps you feel full for longer, and will help burn more fat than other types of cheese. When purchasing either of these, go for a “grass-fed” brand since those will contain higher amounts of healthy fats.

Plantains

Cooked plantains serve as a great snack! Half a cup of plantains contain approximately 4 grams of resistant starch which will help burn fat and boost your metabolism.

With such a wide variety of super foods available, you are bound to find a few that will satisfy your cravings. Swap in a few of these delicious super foods in exchange for some of your “go to” bad foods, and you will be able to not only feel but also see the positive impact they have on your body in no time.


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Tuesday, 26 March 2013

How To Change Your Life Through The Body By Vi Challenge

An alarming amount of people who are obese is an inclination of having an unhealthy diet especially nowadays. And some of us are perhaps thinking - is it still possible to improve your health and combat obesity? If so, then HOW?
Proudly making a positive impact on Life, Health and Prosperity is the ViSalus Sciences. It is perfectly positioned to bridge the gap and help people get fit and healthy, while at the same time making money for those who pursue promoting Body By Vi challenge. 

ViSalus is a vibrant community for the young and young at heart to come together on a mission to make the world a healthier place, and celebrate every victory along the way.

The ViSalus 90 Day Challenge program is based on nutrition that helps you burn fat and keeps lean muscle, boosts metabolism and helps control hunger while enjoying delicious nutritional ViSalus Shake. It covers everything for over all health which makes a true lifestyle change possible. So from weight loss, to body sculpting, to nutritional balance, to support and motivation, ViSalus Weight loss covers it all.
The body by Vi kit arrive conveniently packed with powerful wellness products and patented ingredients and formulas to help you lose weight, get in shape and achieve fitness goals. Included in the program are nutrition guides, fitness tips and plans as well as downloadable tracking tools.

How your life can be changed while starting
the challenge?

Once you join the ViSalus Body by Vi Challenge, you instantly become a part of a community of thousands of people like you who are either just embarking on the Challenge or have already completed it. Don't you find how such a better way it is to get support from your peers and encouragement from those who have had success? It includes an online Health Membership to give you an access to a variety of online tools helping you achieve success. Isn't it amazing to have a customized plan to better health and challenge that fits the reality of your life?

How your life can be changed when the
challenge is ON?

When you join the challenge, you have an access to thousands of recipes that is easy to customize to use only foods you like, multiple exercises videos, reminders, tools to track your success and more.

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Metabolism Boosters


BATTLE FAT WITH THESE SIMPLE TRICKS AND NATURAL SOLUTIONS

Metabolism is one of those hype words when it comes to weight loss and the supplement industry on the whole, however to this day not many of us know how it actually works or how we can enhance it. Metabolic process manages the body’s ability to obtain and lose undesirable weight and if you have been trying to lose weight and have failed, you may need to renew your metabolism.

What is metabolism and why must it be in tip top shape?

Simply put, metabolism is a process within your body that transforms food into energy. When your metabolism is missing in function, you may begin to see weight gain. If your metabolism is not working effectively, fat may begin to store itself in different parts of the body rather than being used as fuel for your everyday activities.

If you are having problems enhancing your metabolism, you may want to read further to unveil some major metabolism boosters. Available in the form of beverage, supplement, and food, we will reveal three ways to turbocharge your metabolism.

Metabolism Booster #1: Natural Energy source  for the Body
Begin your day with a big bang! You will need to simply add two new things into your daily routine in order to do just that. Begin by mixing 2 tablespoons of tomato juice with a half-teaspoon of horseradish. Keep in thoughts  that both of these ingredients are loaded with powerful antioxidants which aid in removing stomach fat. Top off this morning belly shot with a sprint of hot sauce and a squeeze of lime which are both rich in metabolism-boosters, as well as vitamin C, and you are ready to go.

Are you longing for a proper and balanced beverage to pair with your lunch? 
Try adding a kombucha wonder drink, in contrast to a traditional glucose filled
beverage to your mid-day routine.

Kombuchla is made using ancient Japanese methods, and can be found at most wellness supermarkets for a very affordable price. This fizzy power boosting beverage is made from fermented tea, and has a very delicious sour taste. Looking at the health aspects of the kombucha wonder drink you come to find it is USDA certified natural, sweetened with organic cane juice, and is infused with oolong tea benefits. The big benefit here is that Oolong tea has been known to help protect your liver so it can focus on metabolizing fat. 
Research has shown that by changing synthetically sweetened beverages in favor of kombucha, you will in turn lose approximately 7 pounds in one year!

Lastly, let’s uncover a metabolism aid that will keep your motor going throughout the night while you are sleeping.

The “spicy red icy” is a mixture of spicy red wine, ice chips, and a touch of mint. The wine will relax your body, and increase your metabolism for up to 
95 minutes after drinking, the addition of ice chips will force your body your body to get rid of fat as it must use its own energy to warm the liquid to body temperature. Mint is not only added to give the shot a little additional kick, but its fragrance has also been proven to control those late night food cravings.

Metabolism Booster #2: Confuse the Fat into Melting Away 
Alternating between a high calorie diet and a low calorie diet can really kick start your metabolism. High calorie days should equal 2000 calories with a dessert, and low calorie days should equal 1200 calories spread over 4 small meals.

How does this alternation between foods, and calories work with metabolism?

It’s easy, when you consume more calories, you force nutrients into cells, convert muscular building and speeding up metabolism. When you cut calories, you are turning your body into a fat burning machine!

Metabolism Booster #3: Spice Up Your Life with Spurilina and Spices 
Spirulina also known as another wonder of the sea and is a great snack
for pumping up your metabolism. Spirulina is made from dehydrated blue-green algae and is loaded with protein and all of the essential amino acids your body needs in order to keep your metabolism going strong. Spirulina is available in many different forms, therefore very convenient for anyone. You can eat Spirulina as a snack, add Spirulina powder to your shake, or take it in supplement format.

Metabolism boosting spices can also be included to any meal as a quick and easy flavor topper! Metabolism boosting spices such as: black pepper, dill seeds, and parsley are rich in vanadium which is a nutrient that helps control spikes in blood sugar as well as boosts muscle mass to burn calories.

One Minute Metabolism-Boosting Strategies

Here are 5 fun tips to help you get rid of fat faster and charge up your
metabolism even more.

Reminder Water Bands

Out of sight, out of mind. This seems to be the common denominator when it comes to effectively hydrating your body with water. We all know we should be consuming a specific amount of water daily, but many of us struggle to remember to do so. A trick to make sure you are drinking the proper amount of water daily is to wear 5 rubber bands on your wrist. Each rubber band is a 16-ounce glass of water. Each time you drink a glass, you can remove one band. Now that you are responsible for drinking each one of those bands away, the water is no longer out of sight, and out of mind.

Just drinking a lot of water can help you shed up to 5
extra pounds per year!

Gargling Spices 



The spice wash is a mixtures of spices that when gargled trigger nerve receptors in your mouth, which stimulate the supportive nervous system and raise your metabolism. To make the swish, you will need half a teaspoon of turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger. Add the spices to a glass of water, swish and spit. That’s it and you don’t even have to swallow this concoction.

Fidgeting is Best

Did you know that you can burn 100 calories a day just by fidgeting? 
Tapping on your desk, tapping your feet, standing up and sitting down are all
examples of “non-exercise activity thermogenesis.”

Power Up with Emergency Snacks
If you are a snack person, and cannot survive without something extra during the day, you may want to trade in the unwanted refined sugars and saturated fats for a metabolism booster snack. Spicy wasabi peas and cacao nibs are both great snacks to get your metabolism running while on the go. The heat from the wasabi peas stimulates your body’s metabolic engine, while the fibre helps keep you feeling full for longer periods of time.

Cacao nibs, also known as the unsweetened, raw material that chocolate is made from, are loaded with healthy, anti-inflammatory compounds. The compounds work to zap away stomach fat without the unwanted love hate relationship from the consumption of candy bars and other sweetened snacks.

Super Power Stretch

Yes there is such a thing as a power stretch that uses every muscle in your body while stimulating internal organs and aiding in digestion. This stretch takes 40 seconds in total, and will get your blood pumping, burning calories, and sending wakening signals to your adrenal glands to give your metabolism one big boost.

First, stand with your feet and legs together, then bend your knees like you’re sitting in a chair. Holding your posture, twist to your right, and rest your left elbow on your right knee as an anchor. Hold this stance for 20 seconds, then twist to the other side.

And that’s it.

These simple tricks, tasty snacks, and tiny lifestyle changes can dramatically improve your metabolism and potentially turn your body into a fat-burning machine. Remember, losing weight doesn't have to be a long, drawn-out, miserable process.

You too can look and feel better, with just a few simple changes and some good old-fashioned will power!


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The 3 Day Diet

By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD
WebMD Expert Review


The 3 Day Diet touts quick weight loss, cleansing, lower cholesterol, and more energy.

It's a strict plan that must be followed exactly for three days. If you still want to lose more weight, you're supposed to eat normally for at least four or five days before starting over.

The 3 Day Diet promises up to 10 pounds of weight loss in three days.
But most of that weight is likely to be fluid, not fat, so the results aren't likely to last.

What You Can Eat

The 3 Day Diet is very specific about portion size and the foods it includes.

The combination of the suggested foods supposedly creates a unique metabolic reaction that boosts fat burning. But there is no explanation of how that happens or proof that backs up those claims. The plan also calls for dieters to drink 4 cups of water or no-calorie drinks daily.

Experts' Views

You're likely to lose weight on this plan, but it's not likely to last.

The calories are very low, notes Cindy Moore, former director of nutrition therapy at The Cleveland Clinic (which is not associated with the diet).

"The plan yields about 1,000 calories a day, which has the ability to lower metabolism so when you revert back to normal eating, you regain weight
even quicker," Moore says.

The diet is also monotonous and doesn't help you build better eating habits
for the long run. "What good is it to go back to the old habits that caused the weight gain, without resolving weight issues?" Moore says. "Hands down, the 3 Day Diet is not conducive to changing habits or encouraging a healthier lifestyle, which are fundamental to weight control."

Bottom line: Choose a well-balanced weight loss plan that controls calories every day, includes exercise, and lets you enjoy a wide variety of healthy foods. To lose weight and keep it off, it is simply not enough to eat a prescribed diet for three days without addressing eating habits that cause weight gain.

Source: http://www.webmd.com
Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, LD,
Dir. of nutrition for WebMD.

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Monday, 25 March 2013

10 Healthiest Foods on the Planet


These 10 superfoods are proven, expert-beloved disease fighters and energy
boosters. Add them to your meals and get on the fast track to a super healthy body.



Lemons
Why They're Healthy:
-- Just one lemon has more than 100 percent of your daily intake of
vitamin C, which may help increase "good" HDL cholesterol levels and strengthen bones.
-- Citrus flavonoids found in lemons may help inhibit the growth of cancer cells act as an
anti-inflammatory.






Broccoli

Why it's healthy:
One medium stalk of broccoli contains more than 100 percent of your daily vitamin K requirement and almost 200 percent of your recommended daily dose of vitamin C
-- two essential bone-building nutrients.
-- The same serving also helps stave off numerous cancers.


Zap it! Preserve up to 90 percent of broccoli's vitamin C by
microwaving. (Steaming or boiling holds on to just 66 percent of the nutrient.)



Apple

Why it's healthy:
Excellent source of anitoxidants, which combat free radicals, damaging substances generated in the body that cause undesirable changes and are involve in the aging process and some diseases.

Another study found that adult females who regularly ate apples
had a 13% to 22% lower risk of developing heart disease.




Almonds

Why it's healthy:

Rich in nutrients, including iron, calcium, vitamin E, fiber, riboflavin, and magnesium.
The fatty acid profile of almonds, which is made up of 91-94% unsaturated fatty acids, may partly explain why it helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Almonds also have the highest fiber content of any tree nut.



Blueberries
Why it's healthy:
Rich in phytonutrients, antioxidants and fiber. Regular blueberry consumption can reduce the risk of suffering from hypertension (high blood pressure) by 10%, because of the berry's bioactive compounds, anthocyanins, scientists from East Anglia University, England, and Harvard University, USA reported in the American Journal of Nutrition.

Blueberry consumption has also been associated with a lower risk
of artery hardening, and/or intestinal diseases. The fruit has also been
linked to stronger bones in animal studies.


Oily Fish

Examples of oily fish include salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, sardines
and anchovies. These types of fish have oil in their tissues and around the gut. Their lean fillets contain up to 30% oil, specifically, omega-3 fatty acids. These oils are known to provide
benefits for the heart, as well as the nervous system. Oily fish are also known to provide benefits for patients with inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis.

Oily fish also contain vitamins A and D. 



Leafy Green Vegetable
High intake of dark-leafy vegetables, such as spinach or cabbage may significantly lower a person's risk of developing diabetes type 2. Spinach, for example, is very rich in antioxidants, especially when uncooked, steamed or very lightly boiled. It is a good source of vitamins A, B6, C, E and K, as well as selenium, niacin, zinc, phosphorus, copper, folic acid, potassium, calcium, manganese, betaine, and iron.




Sweet Potatoes
Rich in dietary fiber, beta carotene, complex carbohydrates, vitamin C, 
vitamin B6, as well as carotene (the pink, yellow ones).

The sweet potato ranked number one, when vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, protein and complex carbohydrates were considered.
Wheat germ
Wheat germ is the part of wheat that germinates to grow into a plant - the embryo of the seed. Germ, along with bran, is commonly a by-product of the milling; when cereals
are refined, the germ and bran are often milled out.

High in several vital nutrients, such as vitamin E, folic acid (folate), thiamin, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, as well as fatty alcohols and essential fatty acids.

Wheat germ is also a good source of fiber.

Avocados
Rich in B vitamins, as well as vitamin K and vitamin E. Avocados also have a very high fiber content of 25% soluble and 75% insoluble fiber.
Studies have shown that regular avocado consumption lowers blood cholesterol
levels.
Oatmeals
Oatmeal is meal made from rolled or ground oats, or porridge made from ground or rolled oats. Studies have shown that if you eat a bowl of oatmeal everyday your blood cholesterol levels,  especially if they are too high, will drop, because of the cereal's soluble fiber content.

Oatmeal porridge is very rich in B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, folate,
and potassium.


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The Truth About Saturated Fats

For years you've been told that the saturated fat you eat is public enemy No. 1 in the battle against obesity and heart disease. Turns out, it may actually be -- gasp! -- good for you.

Good Fats Versus Bad Fats


I was a card-carrying skinny-latte-drinking low-fat girl. I ordered frozen yogurt instead of ice cream, grilled chicken instead of steak, and I snacked on low-fat cheese and reduced-fat crackers. With a family history of high cholesterol, I figured that limiting saturated fat was smart.

But in the past couple of years I've made some changes. Inspired by the movement to eat locally, I started shopping at my farmers' market: I bought a quarter of a grass-fed cow and stocked my basement freezer with the beef, which I ate once a week. I also splurged on local bacon sometimes. When my store was out of skim milk, I discovered I preferred creamier 1 percent. I began eating dark chocolate daily. At the same time, I bought fewer packaged crackers, granola bars, and other snacks.

At a recent checkup, I was shocked: Even though I was eating foods rich in saturated fat and a seemingly more indulgent diet, my total cholesterol was down 10 points, my "bad" LDL cholesterol was stellar, and my "good" HDL was the highest it's ever been. And bonus: I hadn't gained any weight! How was that possible? Actually, the health benefits I experienced may be surprisingly common, a growing number of experts say.

What We're Told
Since the epic fail of the fat-free craze of the '80s and '90s, we've learned a lot. The hope was that by cutting fat from our diets, we would trim inches from our figures. Instead, the exact opposite happened: Because fat-free cookies, cheese, chips, and crackers were missing the critical fat that makes us feel full, we ate double -- sometimes triple -- the usual portion. 

And because manufacturers dumped extra sugar into these foods to make them taste better, we took in just as many calories and often many more. "The low-fat message backfired," says Frank Hu, MD, PhD, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. "It led to a proliferation of products that were loaded with sugar, refined carbohydrates, and calories."

These days, advice about fat has shifted away from "Eat less fat" to "Eat the right fats." Fats are now labeled "good" and "bad." The good guys are unsaturated fats: monounsaturateds (MUFAs), found in foods like olive oil and avocados, and polyunsaturateds (PUFAs), found in sunflower and corn oils, among others, and in the omega-3s in salmon and walnuts. Both types earned gold stars because they've been shown to lower blood cholesterol and the risk for heart disease.

The villain, we've long been told, is saturated fat. The conventional wisdom, which dates to the 1950s, is that saturated fat, which is present in meat, dairy, and some plant products, increases our total cholesterol and chance for heart disease and stroke. Trans fat, a relative newcomer that dominated packaged goods and fast food, is another bad guy: It not only ups our LDL cholesterol but also lowers our HDL cholesterol (the kind that helps sweep bad cholesterol out of the body). 

The American Heart Association recommends limiting your intake of saturated fat to less than 7 percent of your total calories (if you eat 2,000 calories a day, that's 16 grams, roughly the amount in a chocolate milk shake) and of trans fats to no more than two grams a day.

Saturated Fat Is Wrongfully Accused
After decades of bashing saturated fat, the medical community was stunned by a 2010 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In a research analysis, scientists discovered that there wasn't enough proof to link saturated fat to either heart disease or stroke. It wasn't the first time this fat had been vindicated: Four years earlier the Women's Health Initiative study found that eating less saturated fat didn't result in lower rates of heart disease or stroke. 

The 2010 analysis, however, was so big and so thorough -- involving 21 studies and nearly 350,000 people -- that it grabbed experts' attention. "Everyone had just assumed that the evidence against saturated fat was strong," says study author Ronald Krauss, MD, a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, who was surprised by the finding and the controversy it created. "We had to work hard to get our study published. There was an intrinsic mistrust of this kind of result."
Researchers say there were even earlier clues that saturated fat didn't deserve its reputation as top dietary villain.

 The decades-old "diet-heart hypothesis" -- the idea that saturated fat is bad for the heart -- was mostly based on animal studies and short-term trials that looked only at people's cholesterol levels, not at whether they actually had heart attacks. "Those studies are great for making hypotheses but not for making widespread recommendations," says Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Harvard Medical School and a researcher of diet and heart health. "When we started getting evidence from longer trials and observations, we realized that the truth is more nuanced than we thought."

What researchers discovered was that cutting out saturated fat didn't make much difference, until you considered what people ate in place of it. Swapping animal fats for vegetable oils -- for instance, using soybean oil instead of butter -- appeared to lower LDL cholesterol levels and disease risk. But trading your a.m. bacon for a bagel didn't do the trick. "When you replace saturated fats with refined carbs, your triglycerides can go up and your good HDL cholesterol can go down," explains Alice H. Lichtenstein, the director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at Tufts University. High triglycerides and low HDL are risk factors for cardiovascular disease and criteria of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of health problems linked to diabetes and heart disease.

Eating less saturated fat doesn't seem to help your weight, either. A study in The New England Journal of Medicine found that people on a low-carb diet shed pounds faster and had better cholesterol levels than those on a low-fat diet, even though the low-carb group was taking in relatively more saturated fat. This may be because people eating fewer carbs release less insulin, which may reduce fat storage, control hunger, and influence metabolism in a way that helps keep cholesterol in check.