Six Tips to Healthy Eating

By Denchi Minh

Healthy eating is essential to having a fit body because everything that we ingest becomes part of our system. Health experts all concur that the fundamentals of the said practice can be generalized into three namely balance, variety, and moderation. Balance is all about eating meals that provide just the right amounts of the essential nutrients our body needs. Too little consumption of certain nutrients can lead to malnutrition. Overconsumption on the other hand may lead to a variety of health problems. Variety on the other hand is all about consuming different kinds of foods. A representative from each food group should as much as possible be present in each meal. Lastly, moderation is all about restraint when it comes to eating food items that contain undesirable substances. Given below are six basic tips towards Eating Healthy.

1. Wide Variety of Nutrient Rich Foods

Our body requires numerous nutrients in order to function well. There is no one food item that can supply all of these so our meals should be made up of different items that offer different nutrients. You can refer to the food pyramid for guidance about what nutrients each item contains.

2. Fruits, Vegetables, and Whole Grain

These food items are known to contain the highest amounts of nutrients per serving while at the same time also having the lowest amounts of undesirable nutrients per serving. See to it that you incorporate at least one of them in every meal.

3. Healthy Body Weight

The ideal body weight is dependent of numerous factors such as height, age, sex, and many others. You should go see your doctor or fitness expert to help you identify the right weight for you and then try to achieve and then maintain it. Being overweight means there are excess fat buildups in your body. These unwanted fats make your body more susceptible to various kinds of diseases.

4. Moderate Portions

Another method of Healthy Eating is avoiding the consumption of huge meals because such practice is the best way to gain weight. So unless you are underweight you should practice eating moderate sized meals. You can refer to the food pyramid or recipe books for the ideal serving sizes.

5. Regular Meals

Consumption of food at regular intervals is essential to keeping stability within the body. Skipping meals will also cause intense hunger that is difficult to satisfy and hence may lead to overeating on the next meal.

6. Organic Foods

Switching to Organic Foods is the newest method of Healthy Eating. These items are free of synthetic substances and are also more nutritious.

You are what you eat. If you want to live healthy go organic! Visit us at Organic Food Zen and get free tips about healthy eating, and learn more about organic food, benefits of organic food and where to buy organic food.

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Healthy Eating Guidelines for First-Timers

By Kate Trillin

If you have never dieted before, or ever even considered changing your eating habits, this article is for you. You see, when you are young and active, you can basically eat anything you want, and stay within healthy eating guidelines without even trying. Remember when you could eat and eat and never think twice? Now everything has changed. You may have gained weight through pregnancy, or just a sedentary lifestyle. Whatever the reason, you find the numbers on the scale just keep going up. Don't despair. You can get back to where you used to be by following the guidelines to lose weight, and increase your activity level. It won't be easy, but it you stick to these healthy eating guidelines, you will be able to lose weight, feel better and reduce your risk for heart attack, stroke and other health issues. There is no time like the present to implement these changes.

Cut out the fats, sweets and salty snacks for a start. Snacking is a terrible habit, easy to get into, but difficult to break. You can still snack within the guidelines but the foods you snack on will have to change. Instead of baked goods, ice cream, candy or salty chips and pretzels choose whole fruits and keep a supply of crunchy veggie slices to munch on when you feel the urge to snack. Your healthy eating guidelines can allow for a little flexibility but keep in mind the fat and sugar content of your food choices. Fresh fruit is the best option because it gives you sweetness for taste and fiber and vitamins for good nutrition. Cultivate a taste for fresh fruit in season. You can eat canned or frozen fruit but make sure there is no added sugar in the canning process.

Stop the Frying

Cutting out fats also means preparing foods a bit differently. You want to stop frying foods in animal fat, butter and lard. Use cold-pressed oils like corn, canola, olive and sunflowers oils instead. This small change to your food preparation adheres to healthy eating guidelines and will actually help lower cholesterol and reduce your calories through fat.

Rethink Your Beverages

You may not realize how many calories come from sodas, beer, and other processed beverages. Sweet sodas and teas are full of calories from sugar. Switch to flavored waters and diet sodas. Drinking extra servings of water are recommended by the guidelines for weight loss and good health.

Taking some basic and relatively simple steps to follow healthy eating guidelines will make a huge difference in your diet and overall health. These tips are just a few suggestions to get you on your way to a healthier way of eating. Follow healthy eating guidelines for weight loss, better eating habits and reduce your health risk at the same time.

Kate Trillin is a freelance writer who specializes in proper nutrition, healthy eating guidelines, and healthy living. She has been an avid health enthusiast for the past 5 years, and has recently ventured into the world of online publishing in an effort to reach a wider audience. Her writing focuses on providing tips and useful information on the importance of healthy eating guidelines.

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Your Mother Was Right About Vegetables</title>

By Kyle Aviance

Have you been looking after your health? Let us rephrase this question in another way. Have you been looking after your diet? We ask this question because your diet has a lot to do with your health. In fact, it is the most important aspect of a weight loss program.

As we all know, not eating well can lead to a variety of health problems. Obesity has been the cause of heart diseases, stroke and joint problems. If you don't watch what you eat, you may also be malnourished and your bones may become weaker. You may suffer from osteoarthritis prematurely. Your muscles will also weaken due to lack of nutrition.

On the flip side, if you eat well, you will enjoy more vitality, and you will feel a lot healthier. You will have more energy for social activities, work, and for your family. In other words, you get to enjoy life a lot more when you are healthy. Your quality of life improves tremendously.

Of course, if your career depended on your physical attributes, then you must take extra care to ensure that you remain fit. For instance, let's say you aspire to be a male model. This is an industry that is highly competitive and many male models are lean and have six pack abs to show to their clients. To be successful in the industry, you should try to achieve a similar physique. This is often easier said than done.

Your nutrition plan has to completely change. One way to get lean quick is to adopt a plant based diet. There are many health benefits associated with a plant based diet. Here are some of them.

1) Low or non-fat. Plants mean your foods come from fruits or vegetables. Vegetables are highly recommended because they contain less sugar when compared to fruits. Mostly, they contain almost zero fat, which makes it easier for you to become leaner and healthier.

2) Minerals and nutrients that are not found in meat. Vegetables contain lots of vitamins and minerals that are not usually found abundantly in meat and animal products. The wide variety of vegetables available also means that you get a wider spectrum of vitamin diversity in your diet.

3) Lower cholesterol level. When you don't eat meat, you don't have to be watching your cholesterol level all the time. When your cholesterol level goes through the roof, you may suffer from heart diseases or stroke. Having a predominantly plant based diet can lower your cholesterol levels dramatically.

4) Lower calories consumption. Vegetables like broccoli, long beans and celery fill you up so that you don't feel hungry all the time. This leads to lower calorie consumption for the entire day. A few weeks later, you will find that you have lost a lot of weight - most of which is fat.

5) Rich sources of protein. Plant foods also contain rich sources of protein which are important for muscle growth and recovery. You want your six pack abs to be visible quickly? Then grow your muscles fast by consuming plant based foods that are hyper rich in protein.

More fitness and health tips from Bleep Models.

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Importance of Probiotics for Everyone

By Dr Kevin Lau D.C.

Probiotics as described by FAO/WHO are: "Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host." Of all the micro-organisms identified in the world so far, lactic acid bacteria and (LAB) and bifidobacteria are the most common type of bacteria that are being used as probiotics, not excluding the use of yeasts and bacilli from time immemorial without any knowledge on food and industrial microbiology. Probiotics are usually added as additives in the making of fermented foods in excess as a treatment methodology by helping to replace the pathogenic bacteria in the body using the trick of competition for substrates. One would know how important the role of Probiotics is, only when you know how useful these are in the treatment of various common diseases.

Various types of probiotic food supplements:

Besides being available as medicinal supplements commercially being approved by FDA and other regulations, fermented foods seemed to contain micro-organisms that are in general good for our health and are available in the food that we usually relish, which includes miso, yoghurt, fermented and unfermented milk, juices and soymilk.

Diarrhoea:

The role of probiotics in alleviating the symptoms of diarrhoea, especially those triggered during antibiotic treatment is a very common treatment and many research are being conducted to provide sound scientific backing.

Yeasts and urinary tract infections:

Probiotics are being used to treat to help in the treatment of yeast infections like vaginitis and oral thrush, and urinary tract infections. Despite no sound scientific backing has been provided to date, expect for observation of alleviation of the symptomatic conditions, these have been considered as best supplements to the regular antibiotic therapy and has been found also to reduce the occurrence of antibiotic resistance.

Probiotics are known to reduce the occurrence of cancer:

The presence of good bacteria in the gut and their ability to scavenge the free radicals has been proven to reduce the occurrence of a number of cancers like stomach cancer, colon cancer, mouth cancer, etc.

Probiotics are known to reduce allergy:

Probiotics has been useful in reducing the hypersensitivity of the immune system. One such condition for which the probiotic treatment has been well established is lactose intolerance. The presence of lactose sugars in the milk could not be digested by some of the children and causes allergy while drinking milk, and are therefore treated with acidophilus milk, which has the end product of digested lactose sugar, lactic acid, and are therefore are not deprived of the nutrition from milk. Recent studies showed their positive effect in children against the hypersensitivity reactions like eczema and asthma. Similarly, in adults probiotics have been known to treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which is usually an allergic reaction resulting in diarrhoea, while the consumption of probiotic milk aids in alleviating the symptoms instantly.

Probiotics for a healthy immune system:

Medical practitioners, these days are encouraging the inclusion of probiotics in their daily diet that they find to their support a recent study in clinical nutrition that the inclusion of probiotics in the daily diet boosts the immune system. Of the 479 adults who have subjected to probiotic diet, between the age group of 18 to 67, the use of probiotics compensated for the daily dietary intake of vitamins and minerals which otherwise is missing from the daily food along with the additional vitamin and mineral supplements. This they found to increase the presence of total T-cell count and the occurrence of some of the common seasonal diseases like common cold were reduced and even if this occurs, the severity of the disease was much reduced and the symptoms got alleviated in a fewer number of days.

Probiotics for general wellness:

The best example of probiotic for general wellness is a recent research conducted by a group of scientists in Sweden who found that the group of employees who took probiotic had reduced number of leave in their record, in contrast to the employees who did not take probiotic food. The probiotic that they were taking into consideration included Lactobacilli reuteri as the common complaint that the workers were facing were respiratory or gastrointestinal illnesses. How probiotics have been helping them is not much known, but the possible logical conclusion is that this boosted the immunity and encouraged healthiness in them.

Probiotics supplementing alternative medicines:

The beneficial role of probiotics for supplementing the effectiveness of alternative medicines has been widely known. A few examples to be cited here are as follows:

The first example is the use of American physicians who stated in the Journal of American Academy of Asthma and Immunology, came to conclusion on observation that the use of probiotics along with Chinese medicinal herbs like Gan Cao, Ku Shen and Linh Zhi had some positive role in the treatment of asthma.

Yet another good example for the same is the role of probiotics again for Chinese medicine by TCM practitioners who found the use herb Dong Quai with probiotics including the microbes like Lacotbacillus acidophilus, Lactobaacillus delbreukii, Saccharomyces boulardii and Saccharmyces cerevisiae is an effective tonic against the digestive distress that this herb usually causes. The role of this herb is to relieve PMS, menopausal symptoms and hormonal imbalances in women and support fertility and prostrate health in men.

Probiotics for Treatment of Colicky Infants:

Recently Nestle Nutrition Institute has released a press release stating about a medical breakthrough in the treatment of colic in children by Dr. Flavio Indrio. His group found that colicky infants are a condition that is not very often easily recognized, when the healthy baby keeps crying causing distress to the parents and the doctors. They not only standardized the diagnosis of finding out whether the infant is colicky or not, they also found out how effective is the use of the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri. This non-profit independent organization, found that 96 % of the infants reduced their crying time by 50 percent while under the treatment with this probiotic, which was not the case of other infants. This probiotic is available only in Singapore to date and could be administered to the infants via easy to use droppers as prescribed by the doctors. They are now looking for a scientific backing as to how this helps in reducing the condition of colicky, but this can happen only when more knowledge is obtained on how and what are the root causes for colicky condition by itself?

Probiotics for Treatment of Osteoporosis and Scolosis:

This has been one of the latest topics and an upcoming field of scientific discussions that probiootics can aid in the treatment of bone related diseases like osteoporosis and scolosis. One of the main culprits that has been identified in causing the above two diseases is the happy chemical "serotonin", which in excess amounts has been the root cause for these two diseases. Keeping this in mind, Dr. Kevin Lau, in his book "Your plan for natural Scoliosis prevention and treatment" has highlighted how maintaining a healthy gut can cure scoliosis. This he finds to be a well-known fact that the much renounced medical practitioner of the earlier days, Hippocrates said, "All diseases begins in the gut". He recommends in his book traditional fermented food to be included regularly in your daily diet, which seemed to help in the treatment of this disease along with a well-planned exercise routine. Some of the common traditional fermented foods that are not found in the shelves of supermarket or a medical shop, which he finds very highly helpful for his method of treatment practice, involve the use of kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi and natto. In his book, he details on how these foods are being prepared as a short note and focuses on how and why they are very helpful for his practice in treating scoliosis and relieving and alleviating the symptomatic conditions of this disease.

Dr Kevin Lau DC is the founder of Health In Your Hands, a series of tools for Scoliosis prevention and treatment. The set includes his book Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment, a companion Scoliosis Exercises for Prevention and Correction DVD and the innovative new iPhone application ScolioTrack.

Dr Kevin Lau D.C. is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health in USA.

In 2006 I was awarded the "Best Health-care Provider Awards" by the largest Newspaper publication in Singapore on October 18 2006 as well as being interviewed on Primetime Channel News Asia as well as other TV and Radio. For more information on Dr Kevin Lau, watch his interviews or get a free sneak peek of his book, go to: Health In Your Hands website.

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3 Steps to Lose Calories

By Darragh Holland

Learning how to lose calories and weight can be a daunting task and for many people, it is a continuous struggle. Although you may think that the process of how to burn calories is a complicated one, it is quite simple. If you eat fewer calories and do more exercise the numbers will add up, and you will lose weight.

You do not need to starve or deprive yourself of the foods that you enjoy; you simply need to understand what you are eating. There are some very simple steps that you can take that will help you to learn how to lose calories. Learning about portion control and what foods can be snacked on is essential. The more that you know and understand about the food you are consuming the better it is for your overall health.

Step #1 - Eating out of smaller bowls and using smaller sized plates will ensure that you are eating fewer calories. Some people feel the need to finish everything on their plates no matter how big it is and whether they are full or not. No matter what food is put in front of them, they will clean the whole plate. Although this always seems great, it is not the ideal thing when looking to burn calories.

People are often in fact unaware of the quantity of food they are consuming, and predict how full they are by the meals on their plates and bowls they are using. Therefore, by using smaller plates and bowls you can ensure that you are learning how to lose calories without even trying. You will simply need to serve less food, therefore, eating less food and needing less exercise to burn off the calories.

Step #2 - Although we have been brought up to believe that three meals a day is ideal, in fact eating five or six smaller meals throughout the day is the right way to eat. Breakfast is still the most important meal of the day, followed by small, healthy snacks throughout the day. Eating protein, fruits and vegetables in small meals throughout the day will help you to learn how to lose calories.

Step #3 - Eating slowly is also another ideal way to ensure that you learn when you are full and when to stop eating. Far too many people eat too quickly, and this can cause you to consume too many calories and overeat. Learning how to burn the calories is a great idea; however, not putting the calories in your body in the first place also helps. Chewing your food slowly and taking the time to digest every fork full of food that you place into your body is recommended.

Learning how to lose calories will not happen overnight; however, with very simple steps you can begin to change your bad habits. By ensuring that you have a healthy lifestyle, eating fewer calories and doing exercise, you will guarantee that the weight will fall off you. You will burn calories without even realizing that you are doing so. This is a pleasant surprise when you have worked so hard in the past and got nowhere.

Darragh Holland is a Cavan Personal Trainer and also runs his own Bootcamps.

He has helped people to lose weight and get toned so be sure to check out his Cavan personal training studio.

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Xylitol a Diabetic Friendly Sweetener

By Jim Nikou

Xylitol is an all-natural sweetener that is used as a substitute for sugar. The fibers of various fruits & vegetables contain Xylitol. It is made from fruits like pears, strawberries and plums, as well as cornhusks or birch bark. It tastes more similar to sugar than any of the other substitutes that are available today.

Xylitol was discovered in the latter part of the 19th century. It became popular in Europe as a sweetener that was safe for people suffering from diabetes because it did not affect their insulin levels.

A diabetic individual is generally advised to lower their simple carbohydrates and sugar intake. The majority of the experts agree that a small amount of sugar can be included in a diabetic diet. However, replacing sugar with a sweetener can help a diabetic to manage their glucose levels. This is especially useful for people with a 'sweet' tooth. Xylitol is a great substitute for sugar. One of the greatest qualities is it can take the place of sugar cup by cup. One teaspoon of xylitol only has 10 calories and a GI of 7. Measuring the same as sugar conversion to this sweetener is extremely easy.

The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food causes blood glucose levels to rise. A food that has a high glycemic index causes glucose levels to rise more rapidly. White sugar has a GI of 68; while xylitol's GI is only 7. This means that consuming xylitol will not cause an individual's blood glucose level to spike.

Here is a list of sweeteners and their Glycemic Index measurements:

• High Fructose Corn Syrup-100
• White Sugar-68
• Honey-62
• Blackstrap Molasses-55
• Maple Syrup-54
• Barley Malt Syrup-42
• Agave Nectar-15
• Xylitol-7
• Erythritol-0

Since xylitol is not a carbohydrate its glycemic load (GL) is zero. It is metabolized separately from insulin. The formula GL= (The amount of carbohydrate available x GI)/100 is used to calculate the glycemic load. It measures the quantity and quality of carbohydrates.

Sugar has 40% more calories than xylitol. By using xylitol instead of sugar, a diabetic can reduce their calorie intake to lose weight or control their weight. This is an essential element in managing diabetes. Besides being a sugar substitute for diabetics, it has many other benefits as well.

Benefits of Xylitol

• No horrible aftertaste
• 1/3 less calories than white sugar
• Helps reduce the formation of plaque
• Delightfully sweet taste
• Helps increase the flow of saliva aiding in the restoration of damaged enamel on the teeth
• Helps with the reduction of dental cavity development
• Fantastic sugar alternative for people with diabetes

Today, obtaining xylitol products is becoming easier than ever. There are candies, ketchups, honeys and jams. This is just a sampling of the products available. Whether you are diabetic, or just looking to eat healthier without giving up your sweet tooth, xylitol may be just what you need.

Jim Nikou writes about health and nutrition and is especially interested in xylitol and xylitol benefits. He became interested in xylitol, since he read about the Turku studies that were the first to identify the dental benefits of xylitol.

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What's Wrong With The Food We Are Eating?

By Carolyn Hansen

Some of us have trouble with our eating and keep on wanting food when we know we have eaten enough already. That feeling that we are missing something and we keep feeling hungry often when we have just eaten. How can this be we may wonder?

To get to the bottom of first we need to take a look at the human body which has a range of balance mechanisms in place such as body temperature, hormonal, chemical and appetite regulation among many others which are constantly adjusted to keep our body within predetermined safe levels.

Our hormones should tell us how much food we need

For example when our energy levels are low our hunger hormones kick in and signal the body to eat more food so the blood sugar levels are topped up to supply more energy to the working muscles that move us around. When you have eaten enough your appetite regulation hormones tell us that we have had enough. Your body is back in balance.

In other words, eating food should blunt your appetite so you do not want any more food.

If you should gain excess fat weight the body would kick in its hunger regulation hormones, adjust physical activity levels and energy output so that you go back to your body's set-point weight.

The wrong types of food and too much of them

But in today's world we have a problem - we eat too much food and we get fat. And not only do we get fat we continue to gain body fat until we become obese. This is a major global health crisis and two thirds of us fall into the overweight and beyond category. How can this be possible, why is our body's natural balance mechanism not working with our weight like every other system in our body?

The answer to that question is right in front of us even though we fail to notice it most of the time. It is right there in the food we eat. Our modern day diet is so far away from the natural unprocessed unrefined whole foods that we should be eating.

Now our everyday food items are refined, processed and stripped of their goodness. Man-made fats, sugars and starches, hormone laden meats, and pesticide contaminated vegetables and the one thing these edible food like substances do not lack is calories, they have plenty of those.

We now have ninety thousand chemicals approved for use in our world today and many of them end up in the production of our food. Not only are they toxic and do harm to our body's organs, tissues and cells they lack the nutrition our body's need.

When you are being short changed with nutrients your body will tell you and keep telling you that you are still hungry. It will drive you to eat food in the hope that you will supply to it the nutrients it so desperately needs to do the 'repairs and maintenance' to keep itself healthy.

You will be on a roller coaster of uncontrollable food cravings that will have you craving carbohydrates and sugars that will keep your blood sugar levels fluctuating wildly creating further rounds of food cravings.

If this situation continues for any length of time, diabetes is pretty much a certainty which can chop off 15-20 years off your life-span after years of health problems. You can blame all this on the grains and starches we all have been sold over the last 50 odd years.

They have done damage to your body and changed it so that it overrides the natural balance mechanism as it struggles to survive. The only way to reverse this 'hormonal hunger' is to remove these empty-calorie food like items from your diet and your life. Replace them with nutrient-dense natural whole foods that you cook from scratch.

Add to this a proper exercise program made up of strength training exercise to rebuild and re-tone your muscular system so you can boost your metabolism and burn up excess body fat. This twin approach will get your body back to balanced hormones, stable blood sugar levels, fat loss and better health in the quickest possible timeframe.

If you would like to know the real reasons you have been unsuccessful in your attempts to lose weight, come grab my free report on the Best Way To Lose Weight at http://noexcusesbodymakeover.com/

I guarantee you'll find it to be a real eye-opener.

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Eating Clean Food List

By Kelli Shepherd

Eating clean is unheard of 'til recently. Eating clean is now becoming a household word just like going green or eco-friendly.

So what is eating clean and how will that contribute to being healthy? Eating healthy is not the same as eating clean. There is a possibility that you can eat healthily without eating clean. But you can never eat clean without eating healthy!

Eating clean has to do with the products that you're buying from the grocery and wherever place else you're buying your food. It means that the more the food is untouched by machineries and chemicals, the "cleaner" it is. We all know that processed food contains chemicals that help the food to retain its "freshness" but can be harmful to our body. That is why the less process a food is, the better it is for our health.

And for this article today, we'll be listing some of the CLEAN food that can make a healthier you.

1. Fresh fruits and vegetables.

These are the best way to get your nutrients from. Mix the colors of the vegetables for better nutrient absorption. Studies show that the more colors you have in your meal, the better it is for your health. One of the famous vegetables is the broccoli. This popular green vegetable is high in calcium and contains more vitamin C than a glass of orange juice. Much more, broccoli contains about seven grams of fiber.

Studies also show that the best fruits to consume are berries, in varying colors. Berries are known for their antioxidants and are also great sources of vitamins A and C, calcium, iron and fiber. Adding these tiny goodies into your meal is easy! Try adding berries to your morning oats and you'll be able to taste and see the difference of mixing things up a bit.

2. Lessen processed food.

Most dairy products are processed; it has lots of chemicals in it to prevent bacteria infesting it, therefore you need to lessen eating this type of food. Another type of processed foods are the foods in vacuum-sealed packages. Canned goods are another candidate.

3. Substitute Red Meat

For meat eaters, there are other ways to eating clean when in comes to choosing red meat. Instead of going for beef or port, try venison or bison. These two are rich in protein but less in fats.

4. Omega 3-rich foods

Omega 3 is one of the essential fatty acids that our body needs. Salmons are known to be rich in Omega 3 fatty acids known as EFA. You'll know more about Omega 3 fatty acids in article entitle "eating healthy fats".

5. Drink plenty of water

Water is a natural cleaning agent for our digestive system. You can never go clean unless water is part of your daily routine. The recommended water intake is 8 glasses of water daily. Try increasing it slowly until you reached 12. When you've reached that amount, you'll be able to see the great changes water can do for you.

Try changing your old habits with these new ones. It might not be easy, but it's very rewarding. You might not be able to see the benefits now, but later on, when we start to age, you'll be thankful that you've started "going green" and eating healthy! So don't wait until illness has stricken your or age has caught up. Start now while you still can! Eat Healthy, Be Healthy always!

If you're interested in learning more about the value of eating clean food list and dramatically improving your health, visit my website, where I share what foods I personally recommend.

Visit my website at: http://www.fooduciary.com/

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Organic Foods - Back in Time for Healthier Living

By Denchi Minh

Organic Foods are described to be primitive by some skeptics because they are refusing the advancements brought to the world by industrialization. Supporters however argue that certain advancements are not necessarily for the better. Industrial farming has revolutionized the way farmers do with their business. It has introduced various synthetic substances that improved the yield rates and reduced the planting to harvest cycle significantly. The profits of farmers and increased exponentially and the food supply flourished which led to the reduction of the prices of conventional foods. All the benefits caused by the industrialization of agriculture have however come with a price, various and previously hidden negative impacts.

Industrial agriculture has led to the creation of fake or dirty food. The produce of industrial crops is tainted with numerous chemical residues, most of which are toxic. Imagine eating fruits and vegetables that contain the same substance farmers use to kill pests and weeds. It is like you are ingesting poison. The very food that you consume to keep you alive is actually slowly killing you. You are actually putting poison in your meals a little each day. Organic Foods will help prevent this from happening and keep you away from the toxins.

Organic Foods are also considered today as clean or real food. This is because they contain no synthetic substances. They are produced using only natural means and processes. Organic farms do not use pesticides. Instead, in order to fight pests, they use different techniques to facilitate the increase in the population of their natural predators. The increase in the population of predators also leads to improved biodiversity. They also do not use synthetic fertilizers. Instead, they use compost and crop rotation to provide the crops with enough nutrition. They also do not use herbicides. Instead they practice mechanical weeding.

Organic Foods are produced without detriment to the environment. They protect the consumers and the environment. Consumers are kept safe from the dangers of chemical residues that can cause numerous health problems. Increased toxicity of the body can lead to diseases in various organs. It can also cause cells to grow abnormally and become malignant, thus forming the foundations of cancer. The chemicals also disrupt the environment. They desolate the soil by worsening erosion and killing beneficial microorganisms. They also hamper biodiversity because of the practice of monoculture. Monoculture is the practice of planting only one kind of plant during harvest cycle to harvest cycle.

You are what you eat. If you want to live healthy go organic! Visit us at Organic Food Zen and get free tips about healthy eating, and learn more about organic food, benefits of organic food and where to buy organic food.

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Fat Loss From Food Not Dieting

By Carolyn Hansen

Dieting not only drains you while you are busy cutting calories, but it drains your metabolism too. Dieting is - and always has been - a weakness in the human race, especially for women. We are always focused on losing weight, getting into smaller jeans, and trying to look like the latest runway models. The problem with low calorie dieting is that it actually has the opposite of the desired effect; rather than weight loss it is time to focus on fat loss to achieve the right results.

Sit back and think for a minute; think about the way these diets are advertised. They are intentionally done in a way that touches towards the sensitive and emotional side of brains; they are definitely not targeted towards logic. "Lose 10 pounds in a week"; is that really healthy?

First off, no it is not. Secondly, that is a lot of weight in a short period of time; you know why, because it is water and muscle weight. Neither of these weight loss solutions is permanent; if you want permanent results you need to focus on fat loss. Fat loss is not attained by starving your body of the nutrients that it needs to thrive.

Dieting is not only good for you but it is very discouraging as well. How many of you have dieted only to gain the weight back? Does this make you want to keep trying? Often times we keep trying just because we are determined to lose weight, but are not motivated at all. If you live a lifestyle that focuses on fat loss, rather than weight loss, you will see a great difference in - not only your appearance - but your overall energy and confidence levels too.

Dieting does not help with fat loss

Dieting, first off, lowers your metabolism. Metabolism is essential when it comes to fat loss. Your metabolism uses the calories you eat and turns them into energy. The slower it is, the more it will store rather than use; the faster it is the more it will use than store. Dieting - in the sense of cutting calories - confuses this process forcing your metabolism to come to a near halt.

Eating to successful fat loss

In order to change this, you need to inform your body that you are no, in fact, starving. To do this you need to eat every 2-3 hours. Eating, in this manner, will help boost your metabolism which will help with fat loss. It will also help to keep your blood sugar levels balanced and insulin production leveled - a key aspect to good health.

In eating this frequently you will not see fat loss if you continue to eat large portions or processed foods. Therefore, you need to change how much you are eating; you should focus on about 200-400 calories a meal, or 1500-1800 a day depending on gender and body type. As you start experiencing fat loss, and paying attention to your body, you will know where you need to be.

To ensure fat loss you also need to eat the right foods; focus on carbohydrates, proteins, and fats; yes your body actually needs fat. For some people this is not a clear enough plan for them to follow. If that is you then stick with fruits, veggies, low-fat dairy products like yogurt, nuts & whole grains, and meats. If you stick within these food groups, along with portion and appetite control, you will be well on your way to successful fat loss.

Fat loss is yours to keep

Implementing these changes, in your life, today rather than tomorrow will make a difference. The longer you wait the harder it will be. These changes will require a bit of work and dedication on your part but, in turn, you will enjoy fat loss, healthier living, and longevity. Stop dieting - stop killing yourself - do something good for yourself and treat your body to a lifestyle change that will change your life.

If you would like to know the real reasons you have been unsuccessful in your attempts to lose weight, come grab my free report on the Best Way To Lose Weight at http://noexcusesbodymakeover.com/

I guarantee you'll find it to be a real eye-opener.

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Wellness Coaching - Benefits of a Gluten-Free Diet

By Jason Lincoln Jeffers

The Serbian tennis player, Novak Djokovic is on fire. After winning 43 straight matches, including 41 in 2011-- something that hasn't been done since 1984 -- he plowed through the quarter finals then the semi-finals at Wimbledon this year. Even hadn't won Wimbledon, his winning streak would have rewarded him with enough points to put him in the top spot, ranking him as the #1 men's tennis player in the world. But, of course, he did win.

So what did Djokovic do to initiate such a dramatic energy boost? A gluten-free diet has been credited for the recent success, according to the Wall Street Journal. As recent as last year, his on-court struggles were evident when closing out matches. His serve became sloppy and his movement lacked the energy to hit closing shots. The shift to a gluten-free, low starch diet has left Djokovic feeling energized throughout his entire matches. As a result, he is not only sharper physically but, more importantly, mentally.

Even if you are not gluten sensitive, when you eliminate starch-based, refined and processed non-foods such as pizza, bread, pretzels, chips, pasta, potatoes, legumes, rice, and other high carb foods, you allow the body to reboot itself metabolically. As a result, it stops drawing it source of fuel from sugar (all starchy carbs are converted to sugar in the bloodstream), and begins to extract its source of fuel from ketones, the energy units found in healthy fats. The body (especially the brain) operates much more efficiently on ketones -- so much so -- that your energy levels tend to skyrocket after you make the dietary shift. It takes time, however, usually about four to six weeks before the carb (sugar) cravings subside, but when it happens, don't be surprised if you'll feel as if you've transformed into a superhero.

If you are gluten sensitive then you'll not only want to eliminate all foods containing gluten (such as all wheat-based products), but it would be wise to eliminate "cross-reactive" foods to gluten as well. Cross-reactivity is the reaction to substances that are either genetically or structurally similar to gluten because your immune system tends to associate them with gluten. Some of the most common cross-reactive substances are: casein (found in milk and cheese), oats, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, yeast products, coffee, and milk chocolate.

Other common food sensitivities can result from foods that people usually substitute for the wheat-based gluten products such as: corn, buckwheat, sesame, quinoa, sorghum, millet, tapioca, amaranth, rice, and potatoes. And of course, they are also starchy foods that turn into glucose after ingestion. Sugar is always sugar no matter what it looks like before you eat it. All starchy foods such as grains and legumes will be metabolized by the body as glucose.

Here's the bottom line. When we return to the diet of our paleo ancestors, the diet that we, as a homo sapiens species followed consistently, day after day, for over 250,000 years, our body's metabolism will become more compatible with our genetic physiology. It's all about the genes folks. The human body is simply not designed for this type of onslaught. No wonder see the epidemic proportions of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. And not surprisingly, the United Health Organization ranks the U.S. a pathetic 39th out of the top 50 healthiest countries on Earth.

Jason Lincoln Jeffers is a Wellness Coach, Online Life Coach and the founder of The Art of Transformation, a company dedicated to teaching Spiritual Enlightenment to the world. His Online Life Coaching practice uniquely combines spiritual wisdom with ego transcendence, holistic wellness, life path astrology, heart-based intention, the power of presence, and the law of attraction.

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6 Basic Rules of Nutrition

By Angela S Sladen

This is not a comprehensive list of all the rules of good nutrition, but it is a very good foundational place to start. If you want to successfully change your nutrition habits and have it stick, perhaps try incorporating one new rule per week. That's only 6 weeks to a new you!!

1. Eat a healthy breakfast. This is also the number one rule to help one lose weight. Why? Because your body requires fuel to operate optimally. If you choose not to eat breakfast, you choose to stall your metabolism. Eating breakfast jump starts your metabolism (fat burning capabilities) for the day.

2. Eat six times a day. Why? Because your body can only digest and assimilate so much at one time. To get the full advantage of the food you eat, you need to eat more frequent smaller meals. It is true that "we are what we eat" but it is equally true, if not more so, that "we are what we assimilate". AND, please do not follow the popular train of thought that you should not eat in the evening. It is perfectly OK, and also necessary to keep your body in fully metabolic state, to eat in the evening, but not closer than an hour before bed, if possible.

3. Eat God's fast food and stay away from fast and/or convenience foods (canned, frozen, bagged, packaged or "instant" foods). Eat plenty of raw fruits and raw and lightly steamed (so they are still a little crunchy) vegetables every day. Easy to clean, easy to pack and easy to eat! Try adding a few nuts or seeds and you have a wonderful snack perfect for work or school.

4. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day; more if you are physically active. Your body is about 60 - 70% water so it requires water to function properly. Once you start drinking more water you will notice you can think better, you are not as hungry, your joints are not as sore, you have more energy, you feel better overall. If you are not in the habit of drinking water, once you start you will notice that you are thirsty more often. This is a good sign! I have a confession to make; I am not a big fan of plain water. I drink plain water because it is good for me (and my fiance insists!), but I do drink a lot of herbal tea during the day. Not caffeinated tea, just herbal tea.

5. Variety is the spice of life! There is not one particular food that provides everything your body needs but every good food provides something your body needs. It is the combination of all those individual foods and their particular bodily benefits that we are seeking to incorporate into our daily/weekly diet. It is unrealistic to think we can or will incorporate every good food into our diet in one day but we can layer the benefits of the good foods we eat throughout the week by eating a variety throughout the week.

6. Fight the white; Go to town with brown! You will need to stay away from, as much as possible, white sugar, white flour and hard animal fats (except butter). These foods have been labeled "robbers" because they don't contain enough vitamins and minerals for their own digestion.

Written by Angela Sladen, RSNA, CNC

Hi, my name is Angela Sladen and I am a fitness/nutrition/health fanatic! I've studied all three for over 26 years now and am still learning! I am asked over and over again, "What are your secrets to great health?", so I decided to start http://www.totalhealthmethod.com as a way to share what I've learned, lived and love! Be sure to check back on a weekly basis as I am adding a minimum of three new articles every week.

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Body Basics and FAQ

By Angela S Sladen

Our bodies are built from the foods we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. Imagine your body as fire. It is mainly built from proteins (in muscles, cells, hormones and enzymes), fats (in and outside cells), minerals (in bones and teeth), and small amounts of carbohydrates (in cells and in the "glue" of the cell). The fuels for your body fire are carbohydrates, fats and proteins. The kindling is essential fatty acids and iodine. Vitamins are the catalysts. They keep the fire burning effectively. The sparks that escape the fire, free radicals, need to be kept under control by antioxidants. The best fuel for your body is natural foods; raw, fresh fruits and vegetables; sprouted foods; moderate amounts of whole grains and legumes; yogurt; raw nuts and seeds; eggs, milk and oils; preferably, all organic. Eating natural foods and regular movement will ward off most health issues and dis-ease. Eating unnatural foods will cause constipation and other digestive problems. Constipation is a major cause of dis-ease. Food matter held in the bowel for too long will accumulate toxins which are then absorbed through the bowel wall into the blood stream and lymphatic system. This created a toxic body which leads to all kind of health issues.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. Why don't doctors talk more about nutrition if it is so important?

A. There is little or nutritional education in medical training. There are several reasons for this. First of all, the health care reimbursement system does not cover nutritional counseling; the medical field is by and large dictated through malpractice rulings, which nutrition has no place in and finally; the medical field is largely supported by pharmaceutical companies, again, of which nutrition and preventative measures do not support drug companies, they are seen as direct competition and opponents. So until the government views nutrition and preventative measures as an important part of our health care system, we must be responsible for our own health by reading and studying on our own. The irony is, if the government supported natural health measures, the cost of our health care would go down dramatically, our quality of life would go up significantly and the economy would respond in kind.

Q. Aren't my health issues are inherited and therefore I can't do anything about them?

A. It is true that you may be "prone" or "pre-disposed" to a certain illness or ailment, but the real truth is that you have more control over your health than any other thing. It is known that the environment (which also includes the way we feed out body) plays a much bigger part in our health than our genes. If we get the proper "fuel" for our body we won't lose our hair and we have a MUCH lesser chance of getting cancer. Everyone has different nutritional needs, based on their genetics. This is where personal responsibility comes in; we need to read, study and live health!

Q. Doesn't stress play the biggest role in my health?

A. Only when stress becomes distress; a negative factor in our life, does it affect our overall health. Everyone is confronted with stress. A kiss causes stress. Exercise causes stress. The plan is not to avoid stress, but to supply the proper tools for our body to handle stress.Stress is particularly hard on our adrenal glands. The adrenal glands produce the hormones designed to deal with stress. If we do not feed our adrenal glands the nutrition they need to properly respond to stress, they fatigue, build up scar tissue and finally wither. This is when stress can no longer be handled properly by the body and we respond with sickness and dis-ease.

Q. Why do I have to take supplements if I am eating properly?

A. Unless you are eating perfectly organic and home food grown in fertile soil, drinking pure water and breathing perfectly clean air, you are not getting all the nutrients your body needs for optimal health and a body that fights dis-ease most effectively. Most food we eat has lost a large portion of their nutrients during processing, packaging and shipping. Also, it is now recognized by top nutritionist that the RDA for vitamins and minerals are generally far too low.

Written by Angela Sladen, RSNA, CNC

Angela Sladen has been educating and working in the fitness/nutrition industry for over 20 years. She's owned her own women's fitness/nutrition centre, personal trained and nutritionally consulted hundreds of women, writes articles on a regular basis for health magazines and blogs and own several businesses.
She is also mom to 10, grandma to 3.
To find out more, please check out http://www.totalhealthmethod.com.

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How To Naturally Reduce Cholesterol - 7 Essential Foods

By Joseph E. Smith

If you are looking for an answer to the question 'How to naturally reduce cholesterol?', you need to consider these six foods that are known for their ability to reduce cholesterol fast! Lowering cholesterol naturally is significantly easier for those who follow a healthy diet and this is also the healthiest way to fight cholesterol. Workouts can also help you to reduce cholesterol naturally but they are not very effective if your body is still consuming food high in cholesterol. There are also foods that work against cholesterol by lowering your bad cholesterol (LDL) and increasing your good cholesterol (HDL). A combination of a healthy diet incorporating these foods together with targeted workouts would be ideal. Many high cholesterol substances in your diet can also be substituted for a more cholesterol-friendly alternative. Here are 7 foods that will prove to be very beneficial to cholesterol levels simply by including them in your diet:

1. Oats - Now, it's time for you to give a break to your regular egg or cheese based breakfast, and try on something like Oats because they are known for their ability to reduce LDL cholesterol by at least 5% in a span of six weeks. Oats contain beta-glucan which absorbs LDL and flushes it out from your body.




2. Red Wine - According to the Department of Metabolism And Nutrition in Spain, red wine has a dramatic effect on LDL cholesterol. A study conducted by them revealed that red wine can reduce LDL by at least 9% in the span of a few weeks.




3. Meat or Fish - Meat can do serious damage to people who are suffering from cholesterol and if you can't avoid meat completely, try to consume low-fat meat. If you use chicken, go for light meat and avoid skin completely. However, the best way to stay healthy is to use oily fishes like salmon in your diet. They are known for their ability to increase good cholesterol in your body and replace saturated fats. Include fish-based meals and stay away from meat to stay healthy.




4. Beans - Beans are known to have a lot of health benefits and for cholesterol patients, the advantages are even more enormous. They can reduce LDL by 8% and the high fibre content in them keeps your body detoxified. Beans are also a natural source of proteins, so they provide you with the necessary nutrients too.




5. Spinach - Apart from their extensive supply of vitamins, spinach is also known for its lutein content that fights muscle degeneration and reduces the chances of a heart attack. This is interlinked with cholesterol issues so can use steamed spinach as a part of your meal and fight cholesterol.




6. Garlic - Garlic has many health benefits such as preventing blood clots, reducing blood pressure and fighting against infections. They are also known to keep cholesterol particles away from your artery walls, preventing a build up of cholesterol in your bloodstream.




7. Olive oil - Olive oil is a cholesterol-friendly replacement for the usual sunflower cooking oil. It should be used in low flame cooking and they are really good as a part of your salad dressing or on mashed potatoes.

If you want to reduce cholesterol fast, make sure you include these healthy foods in your diet and you will be surprised by their significance. They can do a very good job in fighting the bad cholesterol levels in your body, thus reducing the chances of cardiovascular diseases. If you add 3 or 4 days of cardiovascular workouts with this diet, you will be amazed with your results. Cholesterol is often an overlooked health issue with disastrous consequences so take action now!

Want to learn more about how to naturally reduce cholesterol? Visit my website at http://www.lowercholesterolmadeeasy.com for helpful tips and information on reducing cholesterol.

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Is Emotional Eating Impacting Your Weight Loss Program?

By Steve Caldwell

Oddly enough, most people have some level of awareness on what foods are good for them and what are not. If losing weight was simply a matter of awareness and knowledge about the right foods to eat, then we would not have an obesity epidemic. Unfortunately, no matter how much we know about proper eating, nutrition and exercise, it is not enough to keep us on track in achieving our target weight and other health goals. One of the major contributes that impact our ability to achieve a healthy weight is emotional eating. In order to understand whether this is a factor, you should ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you eat more when you are at work and have stresses or deadlines placed on you?

• Do you eat when you are bored?

• Do you eat when you just want something that "tastes good"?

• Do you eat while working, watching TV, or doing other tasks?

• Do you eat when you are sad or depressed?

   

If the answer to any of these questions are yes, then you are likely an "emotional eater" and should consider tactics to offset these behaviors. Below are a few tips that could help

1. Try relaxation methods to reduce stress While we cannot always change our life situation, there are several techniques for reducing stress. Yoga or simple breathing control techniques are probably the easiest and less expensive option. You may also consider taking food supplements that target stress reduction. Supplements like 5-HTP, GABA, and some propriety blends can usually be helpful. As always, be sure to do your homework and/or consult a physician when considering the best food supplements for your situation.

2. Eat food only when at the dinner table. Often we eat unconsciously while doing other tasks. By eating only at the dinner table (with TV off), you are more aware of what you are eating and in tune with body knowing when you should stop eating. Try also to slow down when eating as it often can take up to 20 minutes for your body to get the signal that your are no longer hungry.

3. If bored, seek out physical activity. Physical activity not only burns calories but if it is something you enjoy, will reduce your boredom or depression. It doesn't have to be strenuous. Just get up and move. Even a few short walks each day can both improve your emotional disposition including boredom.

4. Enjoy Life! It is OK to "occasionally" eat something just because it "tastes good". The trick here is to manage portion control. Make sure you take a reasonable serving size then move away from the food source before eating. Going back for seconds is OK for foods with low caloric density high bulk, however should not be a tactic for foods such as ice cream or other high calorie density low bulk foods (usually highly processed)

    

Finally, understand that you will likely periodically have lapses in judgement. The best thing here is to realize what happened, determine what you can do to recover and then move on. No reason to beat yourself up about the occasional mistake as the net result would probably increase your stress level which is the opposite effect that you want.

For more information on health related articles like this one, please feel free to visit us at Enhanced Life Options and have a healthy and happy life.

What's All the Fuss About Organic Food These Days?

By Susan Guzman

The buzz is all about organic food these days. Everyone is concerned about the importance of eating only organic, or at least to eat organic whenever possible. The highest nutritional value in our foods comes from organic foods. Wherever we turn we are seeing ads for detoxing our body. "Rid your body of toxins and feel 20 years younger are the claims being made about eating organically. So what exactly does organic mean, and how does eating organic improve our health?

Organic foods are grown with no poisons. They are natural foods that have been grown with more conscious care for the health of the soil, the plants, and the people who will eat them. Over 100 studies have found that the nutritional quality of organic foods far surpasses that of conventional product. Why take a chance and risk exposing yourself, and your children to chemicals that could destroy their health? Choose organic, choose natural, and you choose health. Scientist have proven in many studies that organic food choices have far superior nutritional quality than conventional food choices. They have also proven that foods grown with pesticides are definitely linked with disease and deaths for humans and animals.

Danish researchers who conducted a study investigating the effects of mixtures of several pesticides on the sex organs of male rats, found some very disturbing evidence of impact on the formation of sexual organs. They noted that the chemicals, including phthalates (di(2-ethylhexyl) or DEHP), which is commonly used in products such as IV bags, carpets, and wallpaper caused reproductive deformities. Each month dozens of new pesticides, cleaners, fertilizers etc...show up in local supermarkets and other retail stores. These products, advertised heavily are purchased and used and thus the destruction of the earth continues. Virtually all fruits and vegetables have been genetically modified by man to become more disease resistant. A food manufacturer, or for that matter a farmer, is in business and has to sell more of his product and produce that product at a lower cost to make money. He has to find a way to produce the most of the product in the shortest amount of time at the lowest cost to make the highest profit. The answer to his question is to mess with mother nature and change these natural fruits and vegetables with some man-made concoction that came out of a laboratory so that they grow bigger and faster totally against the natural course of things, and are resistant to disease. So through genetic modification, your all natural carrot let's say is no longer all natural, it is really a man made product. Jack LaLanne said it best. Jack LaLane is an incredible human being. He is in his nineties; he is vibrant, healthy and strong. He doesn't get sick. He is a dynamic, healthy individual. Jack says: "If man made it, don't eat it." That's the bottom line. What you put in your mouth should be as close to as nature intended as possible.

Virtually everything that you put in your mouth has pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, growth hormone, genetically altered material, or chemical food addictives. Even when you eat an apple you are taking in all the deadly chemicals that were used in the growing and harvesting of that apple. All of our fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds are grown with highly poisonous chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Many have been genetically modified, turning them into poisonous material. Even when you consume fresh fruits and vegetables, you are ingesting small amounts of poisons. The same applies in the meat industry, dairy farmers, and even fish which was always deemed as a healthy protein is very high in toxin chemicals to make the fish grow unnaturally fast and larger.

The addictives being put in the food are unnatural, toxic chemicals. They adversely affect the body, they suppress your immune system making it more susceptible to disease, they make you age quicker, and they turn your body from the natural alkaline pH state to the acid pH state, which means you can easily be prone to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, allergies, etc.,etc.,etc. Not only are these chemical addictives toxic, when they are put into the food the processing of the food strips away much of the nutritional value. There are over 15,000 toxic chemicals that are allowed to be added to food without being listed on the label. Many of the diseases that people have today can be attributed to the toxins we are innocently putting into our bodies daily. Although the FDA says it is not harmful to ingest these toxins in small amounts, they don't take into consideration what these small amount of toxins do to us as we ingest them daily and they begin to accumulate in our cells and we are not eliminating them as rapidly as we are ingesting them.

So what can we do to eliminate some of the toxins we are putting in our body? How can we maintain vibrant health and live a longer fuller life? Well you don't need to radically change your entire lifestyle, or give up enjoying the pleasures of eating out with friends. Even just the slightest adjustments to your diet can radically improve some of your major health concerns and you can drastically heal some of your illnesses with minor changes to your diet. Let's see how this all works.

When you eat organic foods, you provide your body with vitamins, minerals, filtered water, and much more. These provide us with vital foundations for health. Most food sold in stores is grown with pesticides and toxins. Organic foods are grown with no poisons. They are natural foods that have been grown with more conscious care for the health of the soil, the plants, and the people who will eat them. Over 100 studies have found that the nutritional quality of organic foods far surpasses that of conventional produce.

Organic food is now more readily available, and it is becoming more affordable. While buying and eating organic food helps our bodies, its consumption may help our planet even more. Organic farmers use less energy, less water resources, and NO pesticides.

Eating organic is one opportunity to choose a path of optimum health, lowering our risk of heart disease and cancer that seem so rampant these days. The number of Americans who buy organic food "has grown at a rate of about 20% a year over the past 12 years" says Katherine DiMatteo, Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association, which represents the organic industry in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Research shows that organically produced fruits and vegetables have higher levels of minerals and healthy cancer-fighting phytochemicals and antioxidants than their conventionally grown counterparts. The increased levels of antioxidants and phytochemicals make for more flavorful food. Organic produce has a lower water content than conventionally grown, making the flavors more true and concentrated. Many varieties of organic produce are grown specifically with flavor in mind. Taste is more often an afterthought in industrially farmed produce, with considerations like shelf life, ease of shipment, and uniform appearance taking precedence. Eating organic foods also lowers the risk of toxic chemicals in the human body. Because of the widespread use of agricultural chemicals in food production, people are constantly exposed to levels of pesticides residues through their diet. Many people seem unaware that when eating industrially produced meat, and or dairy products, they are also ingesting unwanted antibiotics, hormones, and other food additives. Eating industrially prepared meat and dairy products can compromise your ability to fight off sickness and disease.

Keep all of this information in your mind when shopping in your local supermarket. Look for and buy organic whenever possible and available. Just recently, Michelle Obama began digging up a patch of the South Lawn of the White House to plant an organic vegetable garden to provide food for the first family and, more important, to educate children about healthy, locally grown fruits and vegetables at a time when obesity and diabetes have become national concerns. Michelle Obama gives us the advice when she says to begin in your own cupboard, by eliminating processed food, and try to cook a meal a little more often, trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables. This is excellent advice that everyone should follow.

If you are unsure if you can make these changes, then start small. Eat one organic apple everyday. Notice if any symptoms you are experiencing begin to fade. Buy organic lettuce and tomatoes and make a salad every evening. Keep adding additional organic vegetables to your salads. Choose meats and chicken that are not raised conventionally with use of hormones and antibiotics. Notice how much better your feel after eating a meal with no toxins that wreak havoc on your health. Little by little incorporate small changes in your diet until it becomes second nature. If it comes in a box, bag, can or package, don't eat it. Or if that is not always possible, then look on the label to see if it is 100% organic. Read the labels, and if you cannot pronounce the ingredients then put it back. Be conscious, be healthy and live a longer and fuller life with greater health, energy and vitality.

For more information about good health, proper nutrition, weight loss and exercise programs please visit my blogs at http://www.forallyourhealthneeds.blogspot.com

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Extra Protein for Weight Gain OR Weight Loss

By Jason Horsley

Almost anyone who exercises regularly knows the importance of protein intake in order to allow for muscle recovery and growth. Unfortunately however, the majority of the general public doesn't know that they also could use the extra protein in order to shed those unwanted pounds and extra body fat.

Protein for Weight Gain

When it comes to protein usage within the body, the muscles themselves, are usually dead last to benefit from the dietary protein. First in line are the intestines. Next up is the brain. Then your heart, liver, lungs and other internal organs. Last, but certainly not least, your muscle tissue gets whatever available protein is left over.

If you think that sounds bad, that's nothing compared to when you don't make enough protein available through your diet to begin with. When this happens, the body actually begins to feed of your existing muscle in order to provide for those important organs. This is known as catabolism and is exactly the scenario you want to work hard to eliminate.

You can probably quickly see how this would not be good for anyone looking to increase lean muscle mass, a goal EVERYONE should have by the way, but many will be confused as to how this plays a role for those trying to lose some weight, so let's take a second to explain.

Protein for Weight Loss

The most common problem associated with most "diets" floating around out there today....not enough calories! Simply put, limiting your caloric intake too much will cause the exact opposite reaction you desire if fat burning is your goal. Will severe calorie restriction cause weight loss on a scale? Almost always! Unfortunately, this is not, or should not be the goal.

When caloric intake is too low, the body's metabolism tends to stall, thus slowing your fat burning ability. Additionally, when calories are too limited, protein intake is also typically limited, and this leads to the same scenario described above, catabolism.

This fatal mistake often made when someone wants to shed weight is actually bad, times two. They slow their metabolism with a limited caloric intake and they tend to lose existing muscle, from a lack of protein, thus minimizing their fat burning even further.

Body composition actually worsens more often than not in these cases. Sure, some weight can be lost on the scale, but the body fat percentages typically increases. Not the result you should be seeking, no matter what your starting point.

Protein Needs

So how much protein do you actually need? As a general rule of thumb, if you're trying to burn body fat, eat twice as much protein as you do carbohydrates.

If you are trying to gain lean muscle mass, eat equal portions of proteins and carbohydrates. Keep it simple to start and adjust as your body does. Irrelevant of what any book says, there is no single formula that will work for everyone.

As you should now see, whether you're trying to gain muscle mass or shed unwanted body fat, maintaining a proper protein intake will do wonders for your goals.

If you are the looking for proven solutions for healthier, safer weight loss, natural energy or general wellness, we strongly recommend you take a close look at these products, as they have been fueling our elite athletes for the past 18+ years and are approved for use by the International Olympic Committee, the NCAA, the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WPS and even Nascar.

This company, in our opinion, truly does things differently and the comfort that provides us with cannot be understated. If you are looking for safe, effective nutritional solutions that have been tested, you need to do your homework and compare. The results speak for themselves!

While you're at it, if you are serious about losing some unwanted weight, make sure you check out their 24 Day Challenge! It provides diet, exercise and supplementation coaching throughout, as well as, breakfast, 30 snacks and everything you need to clean out the gunk and kick-start the fat burning! The testimonials tell the story!

Jason Horsley is the President, Elite Lifestyle Solutions and a fitness fanatic! With nearly 20 years in and around the industry, his combination of knowledge and passion are without equal. If you have any desire at all to better the way you look, feel or perform, take a moment to stop by www.TheAdvoCareLifestyle.com to learn more about how they are Building Champions and Changing Lives Daily or the 24 Day Challenge itself! The wealth of information alone will make it well worth your while and if you have any questions at all, drop Jason an email while you are there. Each one is answered by him personally!

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I Want to Lose Weight But I Love Food - Is There a Solution?

By Diyan Dimitrov

I want to lose weight but I love food. If you are trying to convince yourself that this is really a problem, then it will be indeed. But if you try to look at this problem from another point of view, then you will find that there is a solution and it can be simple enough. Simple, on the other hand does not necessary mean that it will be easy, but we have to admit that fruitful results do not come without giving enough effort.

If you accept the fact that we all are tempted by sweets or other "not so healthy", but delicious foods and still lots of people manage to lose, and control their weight, then it is obvious that there is a solution. On the other hand you probably have heard, how models or professional athletes are saying in their interviews how they eat what they like, but manage to stay in shape with lots of regular exercises.

Regarding the principles of proper nutrition, the best diet of all is a healthy, balanced and varied eating plan. One of the key factors for a good diet is the balance, which means that it has to supply the full-scale of the important for the body nutrients, vitamins and minerals. But from another perspective it has to supply us with a given calorie intake. To lose or maintain a current weight you have to learn what is the recommended calorie intake for this weight. In other words, no matter what kind of food you will eat throughout the day, if you manage to keep closely to a given daily amount of calories, you should not gain or lose weight. But then comes the healthy aspect of a proper nutrition, according to which you will need to make healthier food choices, but healthy foods often tend to be low in calories, so it appears to be possible for a chocolate bar, or some chips, to take place in your diet as long as it is considered with your overall daily calorie intake.

Why You Can Lose Weight without Giving Up from Your Favorite Foods

• Longing for your favorite fatty meal can increases the chance, that you can break the rules of your diet. Constantly restricting yourself from eating certain foods will lead only to negative emotions, instead of enjoying your meals.




• Improve your eating habits and you can enjoy your favorite meals without feeling guilty. If you begin to make smarter and healthier food choices, you will manage to supply your body with the life important vitamins and minerals, and the proper nutrients (healthy fats, proteins and complex carbohydrates). At the same time you will decrease your daily calorie intake, as natural and whole foods except for their high nutritional properties, are also lower in calories. In such way you can control your diet and adding your favorite treats from time to time, will not make any significant change to the overall daily amount of calories.




• You can enjoy eating your favorite foods, knowing that with more exercise you will stay in shape and burn more calories, which will allow you to have time for treats. You can define a happy hour, as a reward for achieving a given diet or fitness goal. Thus you will enjoy eating a delicious dessert, knowing that because you've worked so hard, this little "treat time" will not leave any mark on your body and shape.

So losing weight, while allowing yourself the foods you love is possible, just try not to overdo it. Furthermore you can experiment with recipes and spices to make your healthy meals more tasty, and gradually reach to the point where you will no longer need foods which are not allowed by your healthy diet.

Diyan Dimitrov specializes in health and fitness, diet and nutrition, urging and motivating people to start leading healthy lifestyle and lose weight naturally. It is not a matter of how much you know about dieting and exercising, but how much of your knowledge you implement into your life.

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Easy Ways to Cut Calories

By Jonathan Dunsky

We all know that weight loss depends on one main thing: calories. It is the balance of calories that determines whether you lose weight or gain it. If you eat more calories than you burn as energy, you will gain weight. If it's the other way around, you will lose it.

So, to lose weight, one of the best things that you can do is reduce the number of calories that you eat. Now, this is only true if you are eating too much. You need to make sure that you're still giving your body the nutrients it requires to function properly. If this is the case, then you can use the following tips to moderately reduce the amount of calories that you eat.

4 Ways to Cut Calories

1. Eat from smaller plates - Over the past few decades the average size of plates has increased. So has the amount of calories that many of us consume each day. Are the two connected? I believe so. I think that people tend to fill up their plates and they tend to eat everything that's on them. This is why I recommend using small plates. When you do you will find that you are eating less calories. You will still fill your plate but it will be a smaller amount of food.

2. Watch what you drink - One of the sources of many calories in your diet may come from your drinks. Many people don't even consider just how many calories their beverages may contain but it may be thousands. One way to cut calories is to stick to low calorie, simple drinks. Water is best. Plain coffee and tea are also good.

3. Eat more often - This may be a personal thing but I find that when I eat small meals and snacks frequently through the day I get less hungry. As a result, all my meals are very small, I never get that uncomfortable stuffed feeling and I end up eating less on a daily basis.

4. Avoid sauces - Why are potatoes considered fattening? It's not because they are, it's because they're offered covered in cream. The same is true for many other foods. They, by themselves, are not high in calories. Their sauces are. So, you want to keep your food plain and avoid heavy sauces.

I hope that you found these 4 tips useful and that they will help you lose or maintain your weight.

For more tips on calorie reduction visit Tips To Eat Less Calories.

For a new nutrition plan that helps you to lose weight visit Customized Fat Loss.
Jonathan Dunsky lost over 30 pounds years ago and has kept them off since.

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The Simple Truth Behind Carbohydrates

By Karen Smythe

A carb is not just a carb, the distinction needs to be made between so-called good carbs and bad carbs and how they have an effect on our inner workings. Processed or refined carbs are foods that have been in some way altered by man or machine and in the process lose much of their dietary value, nutrients and natural fiber. These foods are what is known as "empty calories" and are not easily processed by our bodies, these simple carbohydrates are converted into energy very rapidly and leave you feeling flat, lethargic and hungry and as a result these empty calories can have a significant effect on the accumulation of extra body-fat. These foods can also produce an imbalance within our natural hormone levels and insulin production. Bad carb foods include, products containing white flour such as white bread, muffins, bagels as well as white rice, sugar, cakes, biscuits, soft drinks, alcohol and so on.

Good or complex carbohydrates on the other hand differ in the fact that they remain as close to their natural state as possible therefore retaining a high nutritional value and are easily processed by the body but break down a lot slower and give a prolonged release of energy throughout the day. Complex carbohydrates include whole-grains (such as wholegrain bread and cereal) fruit and vegetables, nuts, legumes and beans.

What we are ultimately trying to achieve by consuming good carbs is to give the body a slow acting food source that continues working for hours giving sustained energy while keeping blood sugar levels low and delivering vital nutrients. The flip-side of this is when we eat bad processed carbohydrates our blood sugar levels shoot through the roof because of increased glucose production and in turn cause a raft of problems including decreased energy, dehydration, headaches, blurry vision and general fatigue. Bad carbs have the effect of giving a short term boost but offer only "empty calories" and therefore energy levels drop very rapidly leaving you feeling even hungrier and susceptible to more over-eating.

Of course common sense has a huge part to play when talking about the types of foods we eat, and I personally disagree with cutting out specific food groups altogether and feel the real key to healthy eating is finding a harmonious balance.

Maybe the term "bad" carbs should be changed to "unhelpful" carbs so while that slice of birthday cake or bottle of full strength beer isn't really helping much (when talking about weight loss) it's probably not going to kill you. I also firmly believe red meat, dairy, seafood and eggs should also have a place within ones diet to retain a nutritional balance but set within definite boundaries e.g. lean/no-fat cuts of meat and low/no fat dairy and of course eaten in moderation using sensible portion control. It's only when these types of unhelpful foods are consumed in excess, consistently, without following some sort of exercise routine that health and weight issues arise.

If you practise common sense and balance within your diet there's no reason why you can't enjoy a complete range of food types whilst still maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

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