Showing posts with label Diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diet. Show all posts

09 June 2009

Do You Get Enough Fluids In Your Diet?

Orange juice.Image via Wikipedia

By Veronika Plesky

Diets, especially those that concentrate on weight loss, often concentrate on what to eat. But fluids are a major part of any healthy, harmonious diet as well. Runners know this well, but the same rules apply to anyone curious about optimum health.

The human body consists of approx. 60% water. All of the biochemical responses within our body demand water. In other words; water is a must. That probably doesn't come as a surprise, but it might surprise you how easy it is to have a deficit.

Nor is it quite good enough to simply wait until you are thirsty to address your fluid demand. Elevated internal body temperature, high heart rate and poor motor performance set in when your body has experienced only a 3% weight loss from water loss.

Your body can lose about 2-3 liters of water a day, even when you are at rest, and that's in a cool enviroment.





Regrettably many of the so called sport drinks are full of sugar. While not bad in temperance in greater concentration the so called " sport drink " just becomes another soda, albeit without the bubbles.

Fruit juices can be an efficient way of getting required fluid. But keep in mind that drinks with carbs slow the body's rate of absorption of water. Here too, the amount of sugar needs to be monitored.

Caffeine drinks aren't inevitably unhealthy. In fact, in temperance, caffeine has been shown to have definite health benefits. But it's also a diuretic, a substance that increases urine output. Drinking lots of coffee can actually boost dehydration. Studies in which participants drank about 6 cups per day (642 mg/day) experienced a 3% loss of body water.

Similarly, alcohol in moderate amounts is beneficial. Red wine has antioxidants. Even beer is healthy, since some of the health effects are due to alcohol alone and hops are good for you. But they do tend also to dehydrate. They're not a exchange for the total water needed daily.

Your body require several types of nutrients all day long. Water happens to an important part of them. So don't forget about the liquid nutrient.

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29 May 2009

Acai Berry For Weight Loss - Never Diet Again

Several types of common "berries", n...Image via Wikipedia

By Anne Torres

Once you try acai berry for weight loss, you will never diet again. Acai berries are super nutritious berries grown and harvested in the Amazon rain forest. Many wonderful and amazing plants and foods come out of the Amazon, and the acai berry is no exception.

The acai berry is a little berry approximately the size of a blueberry. It is dark purple in color, and when it is harvested, it is freeze dried to lock in the precious antioxidants, nutrients, and vitamins.

Due to consumer demand for acai berry products, many juice blends, powders, and diet supplements can be discovered in health food and grocery stores. Acai berries taste delicious and are very potent with antioxidants that protect our bodies from early aging. They are also filled with essential fatty and amino acids, fiber, and other highly nutritional properties. Dr. Perricone, an expert in health and beauty has included the acai berry among his superfoods that will keep you looking and feeling young and stunning.

There is no hesitation that acai berries are magnificent to add to your breakfast smoothie, or to drink as a snack. The real secret of the acai berry is that it will hold back your appetite without hunger pangs. You will also feel energized and refreshed when using acai berry products. They will give you real natural energy that lasts, and does not make you feel anxious.

A further great thing about the acai berry is that it can help you maintain your weight loss naturally. With so many yo-yo diets you lose weight only to gain it back again with more added pounds. Years of yo-yo dieting can wear on your health, and in the long run they are not good for you physically or mentally. You get pressured and aggravated when you gain back unwanted pounds. It is never fun not to be able to fit into your skinny jeans, and the disgrace is oftentimes worse that the weight gain itself. This is where acai berry products can help you to get off of the diet roller coaster.

Add acai berry juices, powders or supplements to your regular daily life, and you will see a path to start living healthier, without having to be anxious about losing weight and gaining it back. Try acai berry for weight loss and trade in your fat clothes for your skinny jeans.

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08 May 2009

My Experience with the Atkins Diet (part 2)

Day 144/366 - A new low on the scale!Image by size8jeans via Flickr

by Owen Jones.

Some people try make your life miserable, if you let them. Everyone could see that I looked better and felt happier, but some people just have to try to spoil it. I was told: many people have died of kidney or liver failure after being on Atkins I read it in the paper; you will have a heart attack, it's not natural; your cholesterol will shoot up and you will need your legs amputated or you will have a stroke; it will affect your eyesight. All sorts of drivel. So, I went to my doctor, who admitted that he knew nothing about the Atkins diet, but also added that he had heard nothing bad about it either. He sent me for a series of tests, but the results all proved satisfactory. He was very happy that I'd lost 18 lbs and so was I. Six weeks later, I went for another cholesterol check, because of the high fat levels in the diet and, although my cholesterol level was up very slightly, the doctor said there was absolutely no cause for concern.

The Atkins diet book warns that you might develop bad breath (halitosis). I don't know whether I did or not - no-one said anything, but I started brushing my teeth four-five times a day just in case. I guess that's another benefit of following the Atkins diet: increased oral hygiene. It also warns of constipation. I didn't get that either, although I didn't give up black coffee, which has always had a laxative effect on me. But surely you can't suffer from constipation if you're allowed to eat well over 1lb of greens a day? I hadn't been eating that well before the diet! So my two main concerns were nebulous.

After a couple of weeks I was getting bored not going out so much. Not with the diet, but because I'm single and am used to going to the pub (and drinking beer). So, I decided to treat this scientifically. One day, after work, I had three pints of Guinness and felt merry. Before the diet, I would have drunk five or six pints to feel the same. To my delight, the next morning the ketone stick told me that I was still 'on the diet'. Over the following weeks, I really enjoyed finding out what would 'work' and what would not. I discovered that cider had to be avoided at all costs; some beers and some lagers were all right; red and white wine were OK. Consuming alcohol does not knock you off the diet, but it slows down your rate of progress. However, even slow progress is progress, I say. Better than giving up the diet or giving up going out.

Don't let people encourage you to 'just have a little bit'. They don't understand or don't want to understand the trouble they're causing you. One's body can hold two days worth of carbohydrates: one square of chocolate, one slice of bread, a bowl of cornflakes or one sugar in your coffee will cost you TWO days to clear out of your system. Don't let people do it to you. This is not a diet that you can stop and start when you like, in fact I think that it probably could be dangerous to keep allowing your ketone and other levels to fluctuate wildly. There are also the high fat levels in the content of the Atkins diet, which is not dangerous if you keep to it, because you body devours fat and cholesterol in the absence of carbohydrates.

The story ends at this point, with me having got down to under 16 stone and keeping it there, until very recently when I moved to the Far East to live. Once I get used to the food and have my own house and own kitchen, I will get down to 15 stone, I'm sure I will " with very little effort.

Anyway, thank you, Mr. Blackwell, wherever you are, you changed my life and my understanding of food and thank you, Mr. Atkins too.

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Do you want to know more about the Atkins Diet? Visit our site on Atkins dieting at: http://atkins-dieting.the-real-way.com Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service


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23 April 2009

Nothing is Better for Maximum Weight Loss than Healthy Eating

Grain products: rich sources of complex and si...Image via Wikipedia

by Thong M. Dao

These days almost everyone is concerned about their health and how much they weigh. Many folks live an unhealthy lifestyle, making it nearly out of the question to remain fit and thin. We seem to eat out at fast-food and sit-down restaurants a lot.

At home, we often consume poor and sugar-filled snacks rather than healthy foods. To lose weight the natural way and become healthy, we have to break the cycle. It really is possible.

One of the initial things that many people must do whenever they are trying to lose weight is to cast off some of their routines. When you have become used to eating a particular way, this can be exceedingly hard.

Many people are worryingly hooked on bad things like caffeine, aspartame, sugar and bad carbohydrates. It can be really difficult to stop these addictions but it is the very best way for you to really have a hold on your health and fitness. Go cold turkey for several days to get rid of the bad cycle, if you are having a difficult time.

When you free yourself from bad diet choices, you must next replace them with healthy ones. You can indulge in moderation and on occasion, but you need to stay with a nutritious eating program for 30 days at least.

Why? Because it often requires that long for a new habit to establish itself. If you follow a diet that is both nutritious and balanced for one month, it will become your regular way of eating.

Of course, there are other things to consider. Eating the right foods is essential. In order to determine your sugar level, the glycemic index of your foods should be low.

Ensure that you are eating lots of fresh vegetables and fruits everyday. Drinking plenty of water several times a day may be the most fundamental thing of all. It does require your effort but it will pay off as you see your trim figure return.

About the Author:
Thong M. Dao has been actively exercising since 2005. He loves fitness and is experienced in weight management. Visit his website if you want free fat loss guide and quick weight loss tips.


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15 April 2009

People Don't Get Slimmer in A Recession

American cultural icons, apple pie, baseball, ...Image via Wikipedia

by Ryan Parker

Many people know that even if they haven't felt the pinch of the looming recession that they will have to tighten their purse strings if they are going to get through it. The problem is that most people will unknowingly neglect the quality of the foods that they take in simply to get their dollar further. It is alright to save on other unnecessary things but you should never skimp out on the dietary needs of your family.

A recent article in a popular weight loss magazine states that the American society is the most obese in the world and has some of the highest rates of heart disease that can be directly attributed to being obese. This is even before the public knew of the pending recession. Strangely enough, with the looming recession and people cutting back on their spending for food, initial reports have indicated that even more people are graduating to the obese category and more people are suffering from heart disease. This is in sharp contrast to what normally happens to less developed nations. When suffering from financial distress they normally would suffer from malnutrition and instead start losing weight.

The main reason for this is the pricing of foods in the U.S is quite different to the normal pricing structure of foods in less developed countries. Foods that contain protein and fats are actually priced cheaper than greens and common vegetables. In most farming societies and third world countries vegetables and normal carbohydrate foods are much cheaper than proteins from animals. The U.S imbalance of food pricing has stemmed from the industrial farming practices over the many years of access that has led to great savings from the scale increases in farming over the years. Demand for animal protein was so great that somewhere in the 1970s the price of meats became cheaper than the price of vegetables and common stables like bread and potatoes.

The main problem is that Americans who are trying to save on the costs of food are still going about purchasing their food items at the same places they are used too, namely supermarkets. Supermarkets simply do not provide for people who are looking for quality foods at a bargain basement price. The cheaper meats are normally low in digestible protein and high in fat. The cheap carbohydrate products have some of the highest G.Is and the cheap drinks are almost always filled to the brim with sugar to make them taste better. This is a perfect combination for heart disease and diabetes.

This is made even worst with the abundance of fast food restaurants and diners which offer foods at very cheap prices. Although suitably cheap for those in distress the long term affects of eating foods like these are a very sharp deterioration of health and a much higher incidence of heart disease. In addition to the over abundance of animal fats and proteins in their diet they also suffer from a lack of important fresh green vegetables which can provide very important nutrients, vitamins and anti-oxidants.

Although it may seem at first that you have to make the choice between either maintaining your health of keeping your wallet happy, the decision doesnt have to be like that. You can get foods that are good for your health while still keeping your wallet happy. The only down-side is that you have to put extra effort in looking for quality foods. For the best health you should aim for freshness, leanness and fiber in your diet. You can get very fresh vegetables from farmer markets at extremely competitive prices. Cheap cuts of meat that are still lean can be obtained from your small-time butchers at very decent price too. It is all just a matter of looking around and finding foods that are nutritional and not simply relying on what supermarkets are able to provide.

The trick to getting a good diet in even if you are in financial distress is to shop carefully and not simply find easy solutions by choosing food that is of lower quality. You should never look at canned foods as alternatives to properly cooked fresh foods. The problem is that you just have to spend just a bit more time in sourcing for your foods that you can cook yourself.

About the Author:
Resources for weight loss and Slimming Diets better than the fads you are are so used too.


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