The wisdom “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away” fit people’s lifestyle just right two thousand years ago when the air was still clean and crisp, and pollution and industrialization had not entered the minds of people; the earth was rich and fertile, and chemicals had not been invented. An apple back then supported healing.

In today’s environment, we would have to eat a basket of apples a day to get the nutritional value our ancestors once got from one apple. Would you enjoy eating a grocery bag of apples every day? If there just would be a potent vitamin pill that grows on a tree, is easy to eat and tastes good? Luckily, modern science found such a super food! Here are the findings:

1. The new super food is called Chinese Wolfberry. It looks indeed like a little red vitamin pill that grows on a tree. The longest lived people on earth eat Chinese Wolfberries every day.

2. These berries literally reverse the aging process. The Chinese wolfberry is the ONLY substance in the world “documented” by scientists to reverse the aging process due to its high levels of antioxidants.

3. Eating Wolfberries lets Ningxia people live virtually disease-free well past the age of 100. Antioxidants fight free radicals. Free radicals are a common denominator to all degenerative disease and aging. Dr. Bruce Ames of the University of California at Berkeley says that the DNA in each of our cells is attacked by free radicals over 10,000 times a day. Disease-free “feels” like this 141-year-old Ningxia woman milking the cows at 4 a.m. She only sleeps 4 hours because she feels, she’d “miss out on life”.

4. Imported from a remote area of central China near Inner Mongolia, NingXia wolfberries are especially antioxidant-rich. According to an independent laboratory test known as ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) developed by USDA researchers at Tufts University, original NingXia wolfberries supersede all other goji berries sold today.

5. NingXia Wolfberries excel as a doctor-recommended choice for antioxidant supplementation.”Antioxidants are vital for optimum health and the promotion of longevity. This delicious elixir provides a rich additional source of vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients - safe and perfect for all ages.” Dr. Ronald Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D., former member of the UCLA School of Medicine, and England’s Royal London Homeopathic Hospital

6. Lab tests show that one ounce of Wolfberry juice a day slows the normal aging process and boosts the immune function by 81%. Research studies by Sue Chao (July 2002) reveal: The juice “increased spleenic phagocyte cell counts (immune cells) by 81%.”

“Young and middle-aged people may be able to [slow the normal aging process] simply by adding high-ORAC foods to their diets.” Floyd P. Horn, Administrator of the Agricultural Research Service

7. At last, an apple a day - or should I say - a serving of Chinese Wolfberry in the form of a delicious berry juice still holds power to promote long life and good health.

“It is never too late to get started on the road to good health, because life is ageless.” Robert Delmonteque, Senior Editor of Muscle and Fitness Magazine, and Advisory Board Member of the Journal of Longevity

8. Today’s “vitamin pill in the bottle” is priceless. It is a gift of health as well as a gift for the wallet when considering disease prevention rather than a sickly, painful and costly retirement.

To your health!

Taking responsibility for one’s own health and wellbeing is a key focus in the online http://www.aroma-essence.com Wellness Guide. Visit our website today for more insights, tips and wellness tools.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maria_Schasteen

When searching for health drinks, all natural foods or hard to find alkaline foods it just doesn’t pay to shop in traditional stores any longer. Famous actors, world-class athletes, and millions of other healthy people around the world use superior products that you simply can’t find in the usual places. This is their secret to perfect health, and when you read this you will know the secret, too.

Health is Wealth Many of us baby boomers now realize that we have to take care of our bodies for financial reasons and to enjoy a long, healthy life. When you focus on better habits, eating all natural foods, guzzling health drinks instead of sodas, or researching things like alkaline foods, the advantages are profound. Among the benefits are that we get to keep our youthful hearts and minds for as long as possible.

When you take control of your health and fitness you make conscious choices that really do improve your overall well being.

• Your self-esteem grows each time you give your body the most nutritious alkaline foods or health drinks.
• You wake up with a smile, feeling alive, alert, awake and enthusiastic.
• You find the energy to exercise.
• Your joints, bones and muscles begin to feel more supple and strong.
• You hear friends saying, “Wow, you look great, what are you doing?”
• You become part of something bigger by consuming all natural foods and using products that are better for the planet.

Here are 5 steps you can take today to be in control of your health:1. Eat more alkaline foods-Experts recommend a balance of 80% alkaline foods to only 20% acid forming foods for optimal health. Do you know how your diet weighs in on the pH balance scale? Take the Alkaline Food Test at an online health food store to find out.

2. Drink natural health drinks-Avoid sugar, artificial sweeteners and caffeine. Load up on antioxidants, live enzymes, real flavor and nutrition. There is a beverage mix used by world-class athletes, celebrities and millions of other healthy people. This all-natural formula was recently named to a list of Top 100 Health Products in the World. However, not that many people in America are familiar with it, yet.

3. Use environmentally friendly household products-You can’t get them in stores, but on the Internet you have access to all natural soaps, shampoos, laundry detergent, multi-purpose cleaners and natural toothpaste without harmful chemicals. Look for an online health food store instead of shopping for the usual mass produced items at a grocery store.

4. Keep your diet closer to nature-All natural foods are considered to be minimally processed and do not contain artificial ingredients. They are not “enriched” with man made, isolated vitamins and minerals. All natural foods do not include ingredients such as refined sugars, refined flours, milled grains, hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, artificial food colors, or artificial flavorings. Proponents of natural-food diets argue that refined ingredients promote obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

5. Buy from responsible manufacturers-Stop giving your money to corporations that are making products filled with trans fats, hydrogenated oils, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, too much sugar, genetically altered ingredients or toxic chemicals. Shop differently from a company that uses all natural ingredients and environmentally responsible manufacturing processes. Again, you won’t find them locally, but you can easily find an online health food store that carries products made by responsible manufacturers.

If you’re like me, you are not waiting for the next president to fix health care in America. Instead, you are taking responsibility for your own health by first and foremost, taking care of yourself physically and financially. Just remember, shopping in the same old places for nutritional products will give you the same old results. Instead, do some searching for an online health food store. You will discover excellent choices for all natural foods, alkaline foods and health drinks that the average consumer has not yet stumbled upon.

Cliff Smith is the owner of an online health food store with all natural foods and health drinks not sold in other stores. Discover alkaline foods and check the balance of your diet with the alkaline food test at BestHealthFoodStore.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cliff_Smith

Health Counselors Have Cravings Too

People often ask me “do you ever crave sugar?”

Of course I do!

In fact, I love cookies, cake and chocolate so much that before becoming a nutrition counselor I ate them professionally!

Sounds like a neat job, doesn’t it?
I was actually getting paid to eat cookies. But I didn’t feel so good, I started gaining weight, had less energy, and I was constantly on the mood swing roller coaster. Guess what I’d crave when I was in a slump? More sugar! Sugar is convenient, it’s everywhere, and it gave me a quick burst of energy and pleasure, but soon I’d crash, perpetuating the negative cycle. What I didn’t know then , but I do now, was how to listen to my cravings so I could answer them properly. In this issue of Nourishing News I want to share with you some essential tips for dealing with cravings.

WHAT IS A CRAVING?

Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself.
- Cicero

The body is an amazing source of intelligence. It is always there for you, pumping blood, never skipping a heartbeat, digesting whatever food you put in it, and maintaining homeostasis. Is this reliable, intelligent bio-computer making a mistake by craving ice cream or a hamburger or chocolate? Are cravings due to lack of will-power or discipline?

A craving is not a weakness.
Actually, a craving is a critical piece of information that tells you what your body needs.

The important thing is to understand why you crave what you crave. Perhaps your diet is too strict, devoid of essential nutrients. Perhaps you are living a lifestyle that is too boring or stressful. Your body tries to correct the imbalance by sending you a message: a craving. A craving for something sweet could mean you need more protein, more exercise, more water, or more love (sweetness) in your life. The key to stopping the sugar craving is to understand what your body really needs.

Your body knows best and is always trying to create balance. However, products like refined foods, sugar, caffeine, alcohol and drugs, which have little or no nutritional value, are confusing to the body. They throw it off balance and can create serious cravings, as your body tries to get what it needs to restore internal harmony. The more your food is whole and healthy, the easier it is for your body to stay in balance, giving you a happier, healthier life.

No book or theory can tell you what to eat, only awareness of your body and its needs. Of all the relationships in our life, the one with our body is most essential, and it takes communication, love, and time to cultivate. As you learn to decipher and respond to your body’s cravings, you will create a deep lasting level of health and balance.

The next time you have a craving, treat it as a loving message from your body instead of as a weakness.

ANSWERING YOUR CRAVINGS

“Does being healthy mean I have to give up ice cream and potato chips forever?”

So many people come to me fearing they will have to be deprived of their favorite foods or demonstrate extraordinary willpower to “beat” their cravings. Not true! In fact, when we hear “don’t”, the little kid in all of us wants to rebel. Sound familiar? This is why diets don’t work. Tuning in to your cravings is NOT about depriving you of the pleasure you seek from food, it’s about gaining a better understanding of our bodies so we can answer our cravings properly. What I’d like to suggest is that a craving is not the enemy to be defeated, but instead more like a misunderstood friend.

The lesson is to look for the foods, deficits and behaviours in your life that the underlying cause of your cravings. This may require a radical shift in perspective because many people view cravings as a weakness where in reality they are important messages meant to assist you in maintaining balance. When you are experiencing cravings, deconstruct them by asking yourself, What is my body wanting? Why is it wanting that?

Try these steps to respond to your body:

* First have a glass of water and wait ten minutes. Sometimes we have a craving when we are actually just thirsty.
* Eat a healthier version of what you crave. For example, if you crave sweets, try eating more fruit and sweet vegetables such as yams, squash, & beets.
* What is out of balance in you life? Is there something you need to express, something being repressed? What happened in your life just before you had this craving?
* When you eat the food you are craving, enjoy it, taste it, savor it; notice its affects. Then you can be more aware and free to decide if you really want it next time.

Want to learn more about how to de-construct cravings?
Check my teleclass page to attend a workshop by phone. I highly recommend the Kick Sugar Teleclass!
http://www.fivepointwellness.com/holistic-health-counseling/programs/teleclasses/

Stacey Morgenstern is a certified health expert, chef, and co-owner of Rainbow Grocery Cooperative in San Francisco. She specializes in optimal health, cravings, kicking the sugar habit, and integrating healthy habits into behaviors that last. For more information or to schedule a phone consultation contact stacey@fivepointwellness.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stacey_Morgenstern

Vitamins are essential nutrients that contribute to a healthy life and essential for the normal growth and development of a multi cellular organism. They are distributed quite differently among the various foods and food products we consume.

Vitamins are responsible for keeping cells strong, binding tissues, fighting infections, energy metabolism, function of the central nervous system, production of hemoglobin, immune function, antioxidant function, and bone metabolism.

Vitamins have diverse biochemical functions, including function as hormones and acting as coenzymes to carry chemical groups between enzymes. Few of us understand the importance of enzymes, yet enzymes are vital to every biochemical process in the body. Without enzymes you couldn’t breathe, your heart wouldn’t beat, you couldn’t move your muscles or digest foods. In fact digestive problems such as constipation, gas, heart burn bloating, and stomach cramps are often the first signs that you maybe deficient in enzymes. They are involved in many processes that enable your body to use carbohydrates, fats and proteins for energy and repair.

Dietary supplements, often containing vitamins, are used to ensure that adequate amounts of nutrients are obtained on a daily basis, if optimal amounts of the nutrients cannot be obtained through a varied diet. Your body prefers to extract the vitamins and minerals from whole foods and excretes excess vitamins and minerals from supplements via in urine or feces.

foods over 120 degrees Fahrenheit destroys health properties, enzymes, vitamins, etc. The modern diet consisting of fast foods, over refined sugars and grains and heavily processed and preserved foods. The foods you eat are stripped of nutrients through refining and processing. Many people don’t receive all of the nutrients they need from their diet because they either can’t or don’t eat enough, or they can’t or don’t eat a variety of healthy foods. While food is the preferred source of vitamins and minerals, we live in such busy times-restricting calories for weight loss, eating more processed foods, skimping on fruits and vegetables-that it’s almost impossible to meet our daily nutritional needs from food alone.

Studies performed at Rutgers University by a research group has revealed an alarming decline in the mineral content of commercially grown foods. Free Radicals are everywhere-they are molecules in our air, food, water that damage our bodies at the cellular level making us more susceptible to illness and infections and degenerative diseases. The best way to get enough vitamins is to eat a balanced diet with a variety of foods. But even balance diets are dangerously lacking essential nutrients. Over 90 percent of the North American population is deficient in some nutrient. Gradually, even minor deficiency can cause a range of problems, including hair loss, white spots on fingernails, oily or dry skin, fatigue and mood swings.

Common types of vitamins used in supplements :
Crystalline: Means it had a natural food as its original source but was treated with various high powered chemicals, solvents, heat and distillations to reduce it down to one specific pure crystalline vitamin or amino acid and hence is no longer natural. It no longer has its synergistic components that is, its enzymes, coenzymes, minerals, mineral activators and co-vitamin helpers. It has been reduced to a pure crystalline powder with one definite simple chemical structure. In this form it is but one simple phase of complete Vitamin Complex.

Synthetic: Means that in the laboratory the scientist has reconstructed the exact structure of the crystalline molecule by “putting together or chemically combining the same molecules from other sources. On the label for either synthetic or crystalline vitamins only the chemical name of the single vitamin is usually given. Legally it is not necessary to give the sources from which the synthetic chemical is derived.

Natural: Natural means vitamins as found untampered with in anyway that might change their molecular, their biological or biochemical combinations, or their action. This usually means that only the fiber and moisture are removed. The natural vitamins and other nutrients are still intact as nature intended. All labels of truly natural food concentrates should indicate the exact food source from which the vitamin is obtained. Naturals are much more expensive because they are perishable and every precaution must be taken to preserve their life and integrity. Synthetics are inert, cheaper and present much less expensive handling problems. As with any inert-material greater mass production creates cheaper bargain prices.

Labels on vitamins and other dietary supplements now include nutrient information and list all ingredients, including identifying parts of plants from which ingredients may be taken. Unlike the labels for drugs, however, labels for vitamins and supplements may not claim to prevent or treat any specific disease or illness.

In choosing Vitamins look for natural whole food vitamins that use the names of foods you can recognize such as green pepper, wheat grass, brewer’s yeast, soybean, alfalfa, or acerola cherry.

Here are more facts about whole food vitamins;

•Whole food vitamins are essential to the creation of energy and overall health.
•Amino acid chelated minerals needed to promote stronger bones, healthy hair, skin and nails, and help maintain firm muscle tone.
•Super antioxidants that help protect you from the serious health risks of free radical damage caused by pollution, toxins and stress.
•Enzymes for proper digestion and to receive maximum nutrition and energy from your food.
•Friendly flora to strengthen your body’s immune system and support your overall health.

Today, more and more people are turning to natural health products globally. The more natural health products people use, the fewer drugs they buy.

Fermented foods and beverages have played an important role in human diets in many different cultures throughout the world for generations. First and foremost it was used as a food preservation tool before the advent of modern-day cold storage methods.

Recently, within the last decade, modern nutritional research science is revealing just how important these type of foods, and their active related bacterial ingredients, really are to human digestive health. As with nearly anything else, and despite what food manufacturers will try to conveniently mass market, mainly for taste, homemade is nearly always best. And, homemade fermented food and beverages are no exception. From yogurt to kefir, sauerkraut, and many possible others, you will surely find a type of fermented food that suits your taste. Besides, learning how to make your own at home is not hard, time consuming, or expensive at all, and it can really be quite fun in keeping an old food preservation method alive. Involve your whole family, even kids love learning something new.

Our knowledge of these health enhancing germs, which are present in fermented foods and beverages, is definitely increasing. Most everyone already knows that frequently eating a popular dairy food product, yogurt, can provide the digestive tract with extra beneficial bacterial flora. As mentioned earlier, you will have to look beyond supermarket store varieties. Most, if not all, are sweetened with sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Questionable too, is how much bacterial nutrition remains after pasteurization kills off, if not all, lactic acid producing bacteria.

Researchers are now discovering that a healthy population of good bacteria in the gut may also enhance nutrient absorption. Another study revealed that this type of nutrition increases blood levels of several B vitamins. And yet, two other investigations, one using only lactobacillis, the other using lactobacillis and bifidobacterium (both of which are found in yogurt) are associated with higher blood consentration levels of antioxidants.

What these last two investigations seem to suggest, is that adding a combination of probiotics (such as lactobacillis, bifidobacterium, and several others) with prebiotics may help lower the risks, or improve outcomes, of already established oxidative stress diseases like hardening of the arteries, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, liver disease, and other diseases associated with inflammation.

Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) are classified as prebiotics. They are short and medium chains of fructose, a commonly occurring form of natural sugar found in most unprocessed plant foods like garlic, onions, bananas, nuts, and honey. They have the ability to selectively promote the growth of healthy intestinal bacteria flora by feeding its survival.

Another added benefit of prebiotics are they also enhance the absorption of calcium, possibly magnesium as well, by lowering the risk of osteoporosis, suppresses the activity of cancer causing enzymes in the large bowel lowering the risk of colon cancer, and lowers blood triglyceride levels by regulating blood sugar spikes. Plus, cultivating healthy bacteria in the intestinal tract like bifidobacterium, which produces lactic acids, helps inhibit the over growth of pathogenic bacterial germs that can cause illnesses.

Fortunately, we do not live in a sterile environment. In modern medicine’s quest, and enthusiasm, to eliminate harmful pathogens that causes sickness, we have inadvertently harmed ourselves in the run. Those same bacteria killing drugs also destroy good bacteria colonies essential to our survival. Therefore, it is especially important to re-establish friendly germs back into the intestinal tract after a round of antibiotic use, or after a severe bout with diarrhea or vomiting.

Weekly, or daily, replenishment is recommended for added protection, in the avoidance of future communicative illnesses like the common cold, flu, or infections. If you think daily consumption may be a bit obsessive, consider this. If you by meat at a local retail outlet, or eat out a lot, it is a safe bet that you are ingesting antibiotics, as this is common in commercially produced livestock. It is avoidable if you choose a cleaner meat product in buying organic, or know the farm from which it came.

In conclusion then, it would seem like a rather wise, and obvious, idea to add fermented foods, with their wide variety of beneficial bacteria, to an already healthy food diet plan, along with bacterial growth stimulating whole plant food sugar substances. Combine them with any daily added vitamin/mineral supplements. Why not get as much bang for your buck as you possibly can, by putting in a little extra nutritional effort that will help your body better assimilate the investment you may be making in buying quality nutritional food supplements?

Increasing water consumption, as to be three-fourths of what to be drinking everyday, tremendously helps transport the prebiotics nutrients to help feed the probiotic bacteria. Water also carries away toxic residues away and out of the digestive system. Water is the ultimate energizing fluid fuel the body needs.

Brenda Skidmore has spent over the last five years actively researching natural health care alternatives. She can attest to the many positive results natural practical cures and preventive strategies bring to human health. Along with the many medical professionals whose published works she has studied, it is her sincere desire to empower others by sharing this important information. To improve your life visit: http://www.mywater4life.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brenda_Skidmore

An Oxygen Radical Absorbency Capacity, or ORAC, score is derived from an analysis of any given food and reflects the level of antioxidants in that food. The higher the score, the more powerful the food is as an antioxidant. High ORAC foods are critical for your health, as they help eliminate free radicals that contribute to or cause cancer, aging, heart disease, and other diseases and conditions.

Free radicals, or oxygen radicals, are chemicals formed by natural cellular energy processing, and most are carried away as waste by your body and either excreted or recycled. Exercise creates free radicals; sunlight, pollution, and even digestion also create free radicals. These chemicals are highly reactive, and recent studies indicate that they can damage DNA or cellular structures, causing disease as well as the sort of damage that results in cancer. Normally, these free radicals are eliminated by normal processes in the body. But if you’ve had a lot of free radical activity, your body may not be able to eliminate all of them. In cases like this, it’s a good idea to ramp up your consumption of high ORAC foods.

For most people, eating a diet that adheres to the USDA food pyramid will get you an adequate supply of high ORAC foods, especially if you focus on eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables and especially the dark-colored ones. But if you work out a lot, or if you’ve had a lot of sun or have been sick, boosting your ORAC is probably a good idea.

Ideally, you should have a minimum of 1,750 ORAC units daily.

A big handful of blueberries will give you about 6000 ORAC units, while a serving of watermelon only has about 60. By eating a diet with a minimum of 5000 ORAC units per day, you can increase your blood plasma level of antioxidants by more than 25%. (Because this area of nutrition is a developing science, the most ORAC you should eat daily is not yet known - but because you do need some free radicals in your body, it may be possible to overdose. Use good judgment.)

Some foods with high ORAC scores include dark colored fruits and vegetables like eggplant and blueberry, and other foods like ground cinnamon, pecans, and black beans. Dark chocolate is also extremely good; baking cocoa has an ORAC of 1032 units.

Possibly the highest ORAC found in nature is the acai berry, which grows wild in Brazil. This berry has an ORAC of 3800 per gram, which is many times as high as a blueberry. But the acai is only grown in Brazil, which limits the quantity and availability of the berry.

Manufacturers of many supplements have found that the acai pulp, when processed immediately after picking, will form a powder that retains most of the ORAC value, and they’ve been using these berries in high ORAC health supplements. This is a good idea when it is carried out properly. To properly take advantage of the acai’s properties, you’ll need to find a supplement with at least a gram of acai per dose.

Because the ORAC value is a new concept in health, foods advertising high ORAC are not monitored or independently tested. Organizations and government agencies are working on ways to create a seal of approval for claimed high ORAC content, but so far this is still in process.

Michael Rupkalvis operates the LifeFormulas website, which offers a unique blog about his day-to-day activities with ITV Ventures and their many health-related products. One of the products sold through that business is Figo Juice, which is a powerful acai berry based juice that boasts a very high ORAC score, includes a high amount of antioxidants and offers numerous other nutrients.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Rupkalvis

One gram of protein or of carbohydrate yields 4 calories. One gram of fat gives 9 calories-more than twice as much. Since proteins and carbohydrates in equal amounts yield equal calories, you might think them interchangeable in the diet. Far from it!

Temperament counts! The new knowledge of nutrition gives proteins an increasingly important role, especially in reducing diets.

It is well worth your while, if you yearn to become a high-stepping, high-protein girl or a gentleman of vigor, to see what the scientists have to say about the role of these energetic food elements in giving you a slim figure.

During the World War, thousands of Europeans became overweight from under-nourishment.

They weren’t really fat. They were waterlogged. Their tissues held fluids in such abnormal amounts that when a fingertip was pressed into the flesh, a pit-like depression remained for some time. They also suffered an emotional depression. No steam, no zest for life, no come-hitherness or even any interest in it.

Later, when well-balanced diets became available, this torpidity vanished. The fat, puffy bodies became normally slender and once again the Europeans whistled while they worked. No doubt they also whistled once more at the pretty girl passing by across the street. The water retention from which they had suffered is called edema, and their particular brand of it, caused by inadequate diet, is called “hunger edema.”

What element was it in the new and better diets that drove out this surplus water? To a large extent, protein! Experiment has repeatedly proved that adequate protein helps to keep the liquid balance of your body at normal levels. Since 70% of your weight is represented by water in one form or another, you can see what a difference protein can make on your bathroom scales.

A protein calorie is a busy, energetic little fellow running a high temperature. It is unequalled in what nutritionists call specific dynamic action. All you have to remember of this technical term is the exciting word “dynamic”. It is an apt description of proteins.

Suppose that every bite of food you ate contained within itself some property that stimulated your body to dispose of every single calorie in the food.

After using what you needed for heat and energy, the surplus calories would be disposed of by your body’s chemical activities and none would remain to be stored as fat. Happy days!

Food does have this property of stimulating the body to increased output of energy. That is one reason why you can eat a little bit more than your theoretical needs and not gain an ounce of weight. Eat 100 calories of fat and the food itself stimulates you to burn up an additional 4.1 calories of energy, or a total of 104.1. A like quantity of pure carbohydrate causes an increased energy consumption of about 6 calories.

But suppose you eat 100 calories of protein. Miracle of miracles, it causes an energy output of 130 to 140 calories under ideal conditions!

The beauty of it is that you don’t have to exercise or do any voluntary work whatever to dispose of this 30 to 40 calorie bonus-it’s all done for you by the action of protein in whipping up your metabolism. In a way, it makes your body exercise internally while you loaf. Calories flutter away from you in the form of body heat.

These 30-odd calories could just as well be stored in your body as fat if proteins didn’t make them go to work. As slave-driver calories, proteins are six to eight times as efficient as fats and carbohydrates.

For more information on picking a diet and workout plan for yourself you can visit my Green Tea weight loss info or my turbulence training review.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Nadraszky

You may or may not be aware that your metabolism plays a significant role in the amount of body fat you carry. The faster your metabolism, the more fat you burn. The slower your metabolism, the more fat you lug around with you each day. Although there are several effective methods you can use to increase metabolism, right now we are going to focus on foods that speed up your metabolism.

How can the food you eat affect how much fat you burn?

Any food you eat requires energy to be digested. The act of digesting foods causes calories to be burned. The difference being, that some foods require more energy than others to be digested. Most people consume meals that contain many more calories than are required by the body to digest and be used. This is the primary reason for weight gain.

However, it’s just as easy to turn this around and begin to burn more calories than you consume, which will result in weight loss. So, how does this work? In order to reverse this energy inequality that most of overweight people struggle with, you must eat foods that speed up your metabolism.

So which foods should you eat?

Foods that speed up your metabolism can’t contain many calories but must require a greater amount of calories to digest. These foods include complex carbohydrates and clean sources of protein. Here are a few suggestions to get you going.

Fruits - Grapefruit, oranges, lemons, apples, and pears are all good fruit choices.

Vegetables - Chilies, potatoes (plain and sweet), cabbage, celery, spinach and broccoli are great vegetables that are high in nutrition and low in caloric value.

Protein - Egg whites, skinless chicken breast, salmon and whey protein powder are the cleanest sources of protein you can choose.

Other foods - Fat free, plain yogurt, steel cut oats and broth based soups are also foods that speed up your metabolism.

Water and green tea should also be on your list. They are not foods, but they will assist your body in digesting your food properly and help get the nutrients to the cells of your body.

This is just a partial list of the foods that speed up your metabolism. The key is not to add fat or sugar to these foods. Breading, deep frying or sugar coating any of these foods will destroy the metabolism boosting properties they contain and make them worthless for you weight loss efforts.

Want to lose weight at warp speed? Grab the complete list of foods that speed up your metabolism before you go to the grocery store and never count calories again!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Heather_Lockshorn

What is your strategy when you “fall off track?”

I just came back from a mini-tour with my band Her Grace The Duchess. It is so challenging to stay on track on the road. I thrive on green food. When I don’t have my green veggies I start to feel like I am wilting, can anyone relate?

Today I want to introduce you to my hero: Wheatgrass!

This is the one thing that saved me this trip. I even got my band mates on the wheatgrass train and they loved it!

The Magic Power of Wheatgrass

Wheatgrass is liquid sunshine! A true Super Medicine. Wheatgrass makes me feel like I just washed my face from the inside out. Heehee.

Check out just a few of it’s unique, powerful benefits:

1. Wheatgrass can pick up more than ninety minerals out of the estimated 102 found in rich soil.

2. It is abundant in all 8 essential amino acids. Essential amino acids are called essential because they cannot be synthesized by the body, they must be obtained through diet. They function to transmit nerve cells to the brain.

3. Cleanses the body of toxins and purifies the liver

4. Alkalizing-due to alkalizing minerals-mag, potassium, calcium. Some nutritionists call potassium the youth mineral because it has been known to firm skin and improve muscle tone.

5. Helps those with slow digestion or gastro-intestinal inflammation.

6. Regulates blood sugar levels. It is a stable energy.

Convinced yet? If so, then you are probably wondering where to get some of this potent, youthenizing Superhero. Here are three options:

* Local juice bar such as Jamba Juice (go for the double shot~approximately 2oz.)

* Buy a flat at your health food store or sprout your own wheatgrass from wheatberries.

* Buy the frozen cubes from Evergreen. Place 2-3 cubes in a blender with a splash of tangerie or orange juice. Blend until smooth.

Curious about other Superfoods? Visit me at http:http://www.fivepointwellness.com

Stacey Morgenstern is a certified health expert, chef, and co-owner of Rainbow Grocery Cooperative in San Francisco. She specializes in optimal health, cravings, kicking the sugar habit, and integrating healthy habits into behaviors that last. For more information contact stacey@fivepointwellness.com

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Fat is one of our three main sources of calories (in addition to carbohydrate and protein), and provides nine calories per gram. That means if a product contains 10 grams of fat, it would provide 90 calories from fat (9 calories per gram x 10 gm of fat). Carbohydrate and protein each provide four calories per gram. Notice that fat provides more calories than carbohydrates and proteins combined, which means that fat is the richest source of calories in our diet. This is why it’s important to watch your fat intake if you’re trying to lose weight. If you currently have a high-fat diet, then limiting your fat intake is one of the quickest ways to cut calories.

Be assured, however, that fats are a necessary part of a healthy diet. You need fat in your diet in order for your body to function properly as fats provide “essential fatty acids” (EFA). EFA’s are essential because our body does not produce them on its own, therefore we must consume them. One EFA you may have heard of is omega-3 fatty acid. This one has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, which is believed to help reduce the risk of heart disease. Fats are also a good source of vitamin E and have many functions, such as brain development in babies and toddlers, hormone production, nervous system function, the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) and healthy skin and hair, just to name a few.

Examples of good fats include oil, trans-fat free margarines, nuts, seeds, olives, salad dressings, etc. Good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include fish, especially salmon and tuna; shellfish; flaxseed; and walnuts.

So, how much fat do you need? Well, first you need to know how many calories your body needs daily because your diet should be comprised of about 25-30% fat. That means 25-30% of your calories should come from fat. If you’re not sure how many calories you need, you can easily find a calorie calculator online or you can search for the article I wrote about how to calculate your calorie needs. If you are overweight or underweight, be sure to use your ideal body weight or goal weight in the equation and not your current weight. Once you know how many calories your body needs, then you can complete the following equation to determine how much fat you need.

Here’s a sample calculation for an individual who needs 2000 calories per day:

2000 calories x 30% (0.30) = 600 calories
600 calories per day / 9 calories per gram = 67 grams per day

2000 calories x 25% (0.25) = 500 calories
500 calories per day / 9 calories per gram = 56 grams per day

Therefore, this individual needs about 56-67 grams of fat per day.

As I’ve said in other articles, I don’t think it’s necessary to count anything for the rest of your life in order to lose weight and keep it off, whether it’s calories, fat grams, carbs, points, etc. I hope that you will simply use this equation to determine how much fat you need and then compare that to what you are consuming on average. (Just count your fat intake for a few typical days). Then, you can adjust your diet accordingly. If you find that you are way under-consuming fat, then give yourself some more leniency. However, if you find that you are over-consuming fat, then try and cut back a bit more until you are in a healthy range.

April Adams
http://www.AntiFadDiet.com

I am a Registered Dietitian and author with years of experience in weight loss counseling. If you are tired of wasting your time on fad diets and are ready to learn how to eat healthier and lose weight in the most practical, painless way possible, please visit my website. I have recently written a book entitled Back to Basics: A Practical Guide to Healthier Eating and Weight Loss that provides my no non-sense tips to help you cut unnecessary calories from your diet and better meet your body’s nutrient needs.

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