Rapid Fat Loss Diets

Monday, August 17, 2009

Maintaining Your Health - Get A Good Night's Sleep

By Jose Bautista

Many individuals do not get enough sleep, but what they do not know is that they are risking their health. In order to keep your body healthy you need to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night. Most people do not get enough sleep and when they are tired during the day they turn to caffeine.

In order to stay alert during the day people will turn to caffeine and sugary products for energy. This coupled with the lack of sleep does even more damage to your system. New scientific studies have concluded that consuming too much caffeine and sugar can have detrimental effects on your health.

While sugary foods may give you a short boost of energy this alertness does not last for long. Once the sugar has worn off you will feel even worse than when you got up. Your reaction time will be much slower and you will feel even more tired. Instead you should eat a combination of carbohydrates and protein. A great snack is a combination of apples and peanut butter.

In order to stop feeling sleepy most individuals will turn to consuming coffee. Coffee has a lot of caffeine which is the point to drinking coffee. The caffeine from the coffee actually stays in your system much longer. So it will still be in your system after the affects of the coffee has worn off. If you can't fall asleep at night then you may want to cut back on the coffee. If you feel you still need some caffeine then you should try soda and chocolate, as they still have caffeine just not as much.

Even those that drink decaffeinated coffee are not safe because this type of coffee still has caffeine in it. The caffeine in decaffeinated coffee is equivalent to drinking a 12 ox coke. Decaffeinated coffee is a good option for individuals that are not sensitive to caffeine.

So to be healthy you need to try to cut the caffeine and get a full night's sleep. If you have trouble falling asleep then exercise can help make you tired. Additionally try cutting down your coffee consumption and get a good night's rest. - 17273

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Side Step Nutrition Scams and Frauds; Eat Broccoli

By Isaac Toussie

Its been said by people, food scams are important to watch out for, and fraud could also exist on food labeling. I, Isaac Toussie, pardon the thought, think that these days, when so many people are concerned about matters like housing and work place discrimination, fashion, entertainment, real estate, mortgages, vacations and so on and so forth, things like food quality and food awareness may become inadvertently sidestepped. I, Isaac Toussie, think that Broccoli is a great resource in terms of nutrition.

A cruciferous vegetable that originally came from southern Europe, in the regions by the Mediterranean Sea, broccoli can be traced back to ancient Rome, where it was developed from wild broccoli that resembled collard greens. The name "broccoli" comes from the Latin word brachium, or branch. Broccoli is a very popular vegetable and it is a staple of healthy diets around the world, especially in the United States. It is often called a super-food because scientific research continues to discover nutritional benefit after nutritional benefit. First, broccoli contains one of the highest concentrations of health promoting sulfur compounds like sulforaphane and isothiocyanates, increasing the livers power to make enzymes that neutralize potentially toxic substances in the body. Broccoli is also rich in the powerful phytonutrient antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which are carotenoids concentrated in the lens of our eyes. Furthermore, broccoli provides Vitamins A and C along with folic acid for a healthy heart. Broccoli that is dark green contains more chlorophyll, beta-carotene, and Vitamin C, while those with more purplish heads contain more flavanoids.

Being from the cruciferous family places broccoli among the ranks of cauliflower, kale, collard greens, cabbages, mustard greens, and Brussels Sprouts. Some varieties of broccoli are green broccoli, broccolini, broccoflower, broccoli raab, and broccoli sprouts.

Green broccoli, my (Isaac Toussie) personal favorite, sometimes called sprouting broccoli but also known as Italian Green or Calabrese Broccoli, is the most popular kind of broccoli, and the most commonly found in supermarkets today. Its named after the famous geographical area of Italy where its reputed to have been first grown. It has light green stalks topped with clusters of dark green, often purplish florets. Broccolini is, as its Italian diminutive would suggest, baby broccoli, but its actually a cross between green broccoli and kale. This is the best kind of broccoli to serve raw. Broccoflower is a cross between broccoli and cauliflower, and more like cauliflower than broccoli. Broccoli raab is intensely flavorful, with a pleasant slightly bitter taste. It has more leaves and a longer stem than common green broccoli, and though its stem is tender enough and needs no peeling, the bottom last inch or two should be discarded as it is wood-like and tough. Broccoli raab is otherwise similar enough to regular broccoli to serve as a substitute for the latter in most recipes. Finally, broccoli sprouts are just sprouts from broccoli seeds, and have become popular for their high concentrations of healthy phytonutrients.

This writing has been posted by Isaac Toussie, strictly for information and human interest purposes only, not for medical or advisory purposes and does not necessarily constitute the opinions or conclusions of the provider. The reader should not rely upon the validity of any of the information contained herein. The reader should consult a doctor, nutritionist, and other medical professionals when seeking advice about food, nutrition, diet, and physiology. - 17273

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Nine Insights for Fast Weight Loss

By Curt Joel

The biggest problem with fast weight loss is that if you lose it fast, it will come back fast. Dieting slows metabolism, among other things. Therefore, to lose weight and keep it off forever, it is important that you keep some things in mind. First of all, realize that permanent weight loss requires a permanent shift in your attitudes, habits, and lifestyle. The best place to start with some small changes. The first change? Reduce your fat intake. If you just consume 500 fewer calories everyday you will reduce your body weight by 1 pounds in 1-week. One pound of fat is 3,500 calories (7 days X 500 calories per day = 3,500 calories = 1 pound of fat).

1. Just look at the difference in fat if you made an omelet using whole eggs (with the yolk) instead of egg whites. Egg yolks are nearly 100% pure fat while egg white is essentially zero fat. Make this simple change and you will reduce your calorie intake significantly.

2. Or look at the percentage of fat you get when you eat that snack cake or cookie. Why do you like the taste of butter or margarine on your foods, or do you have the idea that skim milk tastes like cloudy water? Well, that could be your biggest problem. If you're over weight, you most likely got that way because of consistent, tiny daily actions. It was your life-style that did it to you. And part of your lifestyle is the foods you currently enjoy eating.

3. It is not that hard to learn to enjoy new types of food. Just realize that it's part of the process of body transformation. It's a necessary process. Also realize this, if you do make the change, your transformation will become inevitable. If you don't make the change - nothing changes. Easy choice, right?

3. To lose body fat successfully, that is, to rid the body of fat and keep it off, you must change what you enjoy eating. This is an integral part of the commitment to changing your life-style. If you don't do this, you will never rid the body of unwanted fat. Consider this, if you simply ate five hundred fewer fat calories per day (that's five tablespoons of butter or margarine), you could probably lose one pound per week of fat (and probably more than one pound per week of total weight).

4. Now consider cheese and nuts. These foods, popular as snacks and condiments, provide huge fat-calorie load. Many health advocates recommend both nuts and cheese as "health" foods. Unfortunately, if fat loss is your goal, the high fat content of nearly all cheese, even those that advertise themselves as part-skim, makes cheese an unwise choice for most people who are interested in ridding their bodies of excess fat.

The very high fat cheeses get more than 70-90% of their calories from fat. They can be eaten in moderation as part of your diet but only if you're starving to death. If you're reading this you're not starving to death. So stay away from cheese. Very high fat makes cheese a bad choice for people concerned about their weight loss.

6. Portion size is also a big consideration. How much fat you eat per day is cumulative. In other words, if you eat small portions of something containing fat throughout the day, although the fat count may be low, the total fat consumed adds to your daily total. One big step in losing body fat the easy way is finding the low/no-fat item that replaces the high fat one and keeping the total fat in your diet to a minimum. - 17273

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Acai Berry Pulp: Where to Buy Frozen Acai Pulp

By Travis Van Slooten

In the absence of freshly picked acai, the next best thing that you can have is frozen acai berry pulp. As you know by now, fresh acai is impossible to come by unless you live in certain areas in Brazil because it easily spoils due to its fat content. It has practically all the nutrition and taste of the real thing but only in frozen form. Since most Americans will never have the chance to try acai berry in its raw form, finding the best frozen pulp is essential.

How do acai supplements differ?

There are many different kinds of acai berry products and supplements currently available. Most companies offer the standard capsule form, but some have a few more options as well. Many companies sell acai drinks in different forms. Some are energy drinks which may contain sugars or caffeine that you may not want. You may also be able to find premade smoothies or shakes available from some companies. While these can be a delicious way to get your acai, they may also contain dairy or additives you may want to avoid.

What Makes Frozen Acai Berry Pulp Better?

The pulp is actually the only edible part of the acai. When this pulp is subjected to the freeze-drying technique and shipped to other parts of the world as frozen acai pulp, you can pretty much try it in a variety of ways. Acai Roots is one of the most reliable companies that process and sell frozen pulp. When you try their different supplements, you are assured of a high-quality and organic product, that is dairy-free, and contains the highest level of antioxidants.

How do I find the best acai products?

Discovering the best place to get acai berry products may be the biggest challenge for anyone looking to buy supplements. There are many places selling acai products, but finding a reliable and trustworthy company can be a headache. As you assess companies, look for those that use wild-harvested, organic acai in their products. It's also a good idea to buy from companies that give something back to the natives of the Amazon rainforests of Brazil where acai comes from. A select few companies will give a portion of their profits to these communities and will protect the acai palm trees from deforestation.

If you are ready to try acai pulp, you won't have any difficulty finding it as it's sold by many companies. However, for optimal health and nutrition, look for companies that meet the criteria outlined in this article. You'll be assured to find the highest-quality products sold by honest and ethical companies. - 17273

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Some Body Building Tips to Think About

By Robert Johnson

Body building is a phrase that conjures a thousand pictures in people minds, but what exactly is it? This is done for the purposes of competition or merely to look their best. The result of these intensive training and dietary programs is visible in the form of strong and toned muscles, which creates a very attractive and sexy appeal for those professional and amateur body builders. Bodybuilding is certainly a wonderful sport, but is there a way to ensure that all criteria will be fulfilled using only the best methodology to get into shape? There are basically two steps to an effective body building program, the first is weight training and second through the use of proper nutrition.

The first step to an effective body building program is weight lifting. It is important to possess physical strength and endurance to perform weight lifting exercises, which often involve the use of machines and equipments that are specially designed to stimulate the necessary body parts. Today, not everyone that performs rigorous weight lifting exercises are doing it for competition or sports, some are only interested to develop a great physique. There are tremendous benefits of weight lifting for the entire body, plus it is also useful in assisting the body to recover from a serious injury. If strict observations can be exercised, weight lifting may be useful to assist those who are recovering from illnesses or introduced as part of a rehabilitation program.

A good diet and nutrition is essential to ensure that you get the best out of your body building program. Ideally the suggested best ratio of protein, carbohydrate and fat would be 2:2:1. Complex carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body. Select food that is rich in carbohydrates for that fast energy such as brown rice, sweet potato and oatmeal. It is important to consume a lot of fiber in your diet to assist digestion and metabolism during your body building program.

Your body needs ample supply of water to avoid any damage to the existing muscles. Start a healthy habit by drinking plenty of water just before you embark in a vigorous routine at the gym and pamper yourself by indulging in more refreshing water after a tiring session. You can even drink between exercises!

The training instructor can show you how to perform weight lifting and what you need to do to stimulate the proper body parts when performing vigorous routine in the gym. - 17273

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Best Abs Workout Routines: Super Fast Method to Six Pack Abs

By Lynn Howard

I would like to start by dispelling a huge myth about building six pack abs. You cant simply burn fat off your midsection to expose your abs. You can do sit ups, crunches, V-ups all day and develop a strong midsection but you wont be able to see them. With all the misleading advertisements for ab building machines its no surprise that people still think you can simply burn away the fat around your midsection by doing ab exercises. The following are the components you'll need to develop the best abdominal workout.

NUTRITION PHASE: Your diet may be the most important part of your fitness plan to develop six pack abs. Forgetting to focus on proper nutrition is like trying to drive your car with 3 tires you wont ever reach your destination. Some nutritional components you must consider.

High Metabolism: Consider your metabolism a burning fire. If you'd like to keep that fire burning hot you must constantly put dry firewood in it often. The same is true for your metabolism. Eating 5 -6 smaller meals a day will keep your metabolism burning hot AND burning calories. Many of us are guilty of the worst nutritional sin, skipping breakfast. Breakfast is actually the most important meal for the day. Its like lighting the fire that will keep you warm the rest of the night, if you don't get that right nothing else matters that much.

Lean Protein: Eating lean protein is vital to any fitness diet because it has so many beneficial effects. For fat burning and ab building lean protein takes a long time to digest so you wont have blood sugar spikes like when you eat straight carbohydrates. You may know that when your blood sugar peaks and then drops you feel the cravings to consume starchy carbohydrates and over eat.

Lots of Water: We need water to survive and flush out all the toxins in the body. Keeping well hydrated is also essential to being consistent with your workouts. Drink 8 cups a day for optimal health.

Fiber: Think of fiber as lubricant to your digestive tract. Keeping high amounts of fiber in your stomach keeps food moving quickly through your digestive and intestinal tract which will keep you in overall good health.

WORKOUT PHASE: Cardiovascular exercise is very important to any fat burning and ab building routine. Keeping your workouts short and intense is the best way to rev your metabolism into high gear and burn fat off your body. Most people mistakenly think long hours on the treadmill are the best way to burn fat off your body. Actually, its the best way to stop any good exercise plan from succeeding because you cant keep that up for long. So keep it short and intense.

Weights - Lifting heavy is probably the best kept secret when it comes to fat burning. Because muscle burns much more calories at rest than fat, increasing your lean muscle mass is the best way to melt the fat off your body. This will also begin to give you the tone look that goes hand in hand with a nice set of six pack abs. - 17273

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Basics of Knee Arthroscopy

By Dr. Richard Edelson

Arthroscopy: Latin: arthro - joint, scopy - view. To use arthroscopy is literally, to view the interior of a joint. Using this technique, an orthopedic surgeon can get a clear view of the interior of a damaged or diseased joint and determine what needs to be done and how to do it. This tool greatly simplifies and improves the options for treatment of damaged and diseased knees.

Modern arthroscopes and high resolution cameras make arthroscopy a very effective procedure for accurate diagnosis and correct treatment of knee disorders.

The Parts of the Knee

The femur, tibia, and patella are the three bones that comprise the knee. The point at which these bones meet is cushioned with articular cartilage. This lets them move with comfort and ease.

Synovial membrane is a thin, smooth membrane that coats the interior surfaces of the knee. In a healthy knee, the synovial membrane produces a lubricant that allows the knee to function comfortably and smoothly.

The three bones that make up the largest joint in the body are the shin bone (tibia), thigh bone (femur) and knee cap (patella). The entire structure is held together by ligaments that run between the tibia and femur. The patella moves along a groove in the end of the femur. The strong muscle of the thigh provides support and stability.

Click here for more on knee arthroscopy .

Knee Complications

When everything is functioning properly, the parts of the knee work together smoothly. However, the knee gets a lot of use, and everyday wear and tear can cause problems. Sports, work, injury, weakened tissues, arthritis, and aging all take a toll on the knee. Over the course of time, these things can cause a lot of pain and reduce the ability of the knee to do its job.

With arthroscopy, a number of conditions can be diagnosed and treated:

Chondromalacia, which is the softening of articular cartilage and/or damage to joint surfaces.

Crystalline arthropathy: Gouty arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflamed synovial membranes.

Patellar instability and misalignment.

Problems with the knee joint can be seen using arthroscopy.

Damaged meniscal cartilage.

Loose and fragmented cartilage and bone.

Posterior and anterior damaged cruciate ligaments can be diagnosed.

Using arthroscopy, these problems can be located and assessed. This tool is extremely helpful to orthopedic surgeons. Using arthroscopy, diagnosis becomes more accurate and easier. This, in turn, makes treatment more effective and efficient. - 17273

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Natural Bodybuilding Secrets

By Ricardo d Argence

When performance enhancing drugs like anabolic steroids or HGH are not used to help build muscles, it is called Natural Bodybuilding. The correct way to gain muscle mass is through a natural bodybuilding regimen.

Natural bodybuilding helps you to look and feel great without the harmful side effects of excessive use of supplements. Not only will you get more reliable and consistent results this way, you will have a sense of pride in what you have accomplished, as opposed to relying on monthly bills to keep your physique.

It is vital that you be steadfast as you undertake the natural body-building program; while you may not notice instant results, they will occur and not just for the short term. It is important to have patience when building natural muscle mass, the process can take a long time.

Along with patience it is very necessary to set up some clear and specific goals. If you are not sure about your goals, you will not be able to see desirable results in your body. So setting reasonable goals for yourself helps you in achieving natural body building targets.

Having a consistent and well planned routine is the best way to get results in bodybuilding. Developing a routine is worth your time because you won't have to worry about unnecessary exercises, injuries, or lack of motivation. Make a plan and stick to it.

Nutrition is another important part. Eat a diet rich in lean protein, fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. In general it is recommended to eat 12-13 calories per pound of your body weight or to loose 17-18 calories per pound of your body weight. It is an imperative to keep a track on what your are eating. 30% of your calories should come from protein, 20% from healthy fats like olive oils, flaxseed oils ,and the rest 50% of calories intake should come out from natural carbohydrates.

Sugary and processed foods should be avoided as they usually result in fat gain and not muscle gain. Protein is a very important dietary component for hard core muscle building regimes that break down muscle fibers. The protein is needed to rebuild and strengthen those fibers.

There will be many hurdles to overcome, shortcuts do not exist. However ultimately when you reach your goal you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you accomplished it naturally, not with steroids which can even be fatal. - 17273

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Sore Joints - The Different Possible Causes

By Mitchell Tyrell

The body's joints bear more stress than any other part of the human body. It is not surprising then that sore joints is a chief complaint. Joint soreness can be caused by a variety of factors. The most common cause of joint pain is osteoarthritis. However, overuse and other illnesses also have an effect on joint health.

The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis. Most people over the age of 70 are afflicted with severity ranging from mild to severe. However, after the age of 55, the illness affects more women than men. Osteoarthritis is the erosion of the cushion between the bones. The cushion is a layer of cartilage - the same tissue that makes up the bridge of your nose. Age and normal use causes some of the wear. However, with osteoarthritis the cartilage completely disappears, which leaves the exposed bones to rub against each other. Painful outgrowths of bone, called spurs, can also occur.

Tendons, ligament and bones can all be affected by overuse. Tendons connect muscle to bone. Repetitive motion can cause tendons to swell and the joints to become sore. This phenomenon is called tendonitis. One of the most common forms of tendonitis is carpal tunnel syndrome. Ligaments connect bone to bone within a joint.

Ligament strains are caused by overextension of the ligament. The overextension causes the ligament to tear and swell, thus causing soreness in the joint. A ligament sprain occurs when the joint is moved in an unnatural way. Ankles are a common location for ligament sprains. Bones are also affected by overuse. Runners often get stress fractures in the weight bearing bones, such as in the feet, shins, and hips.

Other illnesses that can affect joint health are other forms of arthritis besides osteoarthritis. Just a couple of these other forms of arthritis are rheumatoid and septic arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis has unknown causes but it is believed to be hereditary. It is an autoimmune disease that causes painful swelling in the joints. Septic arthritis is caused by a bacterial infection that enters the joint through the blood stream. - 17273

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Your Anti Gout Diet Tips

By Rashel Dan

Looking for anti gout diet means preventing gout for life. This is not such an impossible task. Diet does play a large role in controlling and preventing gout, so depending on your daily intake, you can either increase or reduce your risk of gout.

A person can suffer from gout if he is born with it, it is present in his family or he is obese. It is also more prevalent among men and those who are 40 to 60 years of age. If you can relate to any of these then you may want to focus on preventive measures.

Primarily, anti gout diet consists of low-purine foods.

Purines are mostly found in foods which are high in protein and fat content. Vegetable oils, greasy burgers and fatty fish are all high in purines, so you should avoid fried foods and naturally fatty produce. Basically, high purine content is found in almost all kinds of food: pork, beef, chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, oysters, scallops, creams, eggs, peas and beans. But there are ways to have a low-purine diet and are illustrated below:

Incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet.

Many fruits and vegetables are rich in potassium. Potassium regulates electrolytes in the body and has the ability to get rid of uric acid crystals from the blood. Potassium-rich fruits are bananas, avocados, apricots and cantaloupe. High-potassium vegetables include spinach, potatoes, asparagus, beets and pumpkin.

Start an anti gout diet now.

Start with a low-fat protein food for breakfast. For example, drink low-fat milk and utilize only egg whites when cooking. Add onions and garlic for taste and use low-fat butter or margarine. High-protein foods that are low in fat have been found to be safe. Quench your thirst with vegetable juice or concentrated blackberry juice.

For lunch, prepare a cleansing lemon juice. Lemon juice is filled with vitamin C and antioxidants to help flush your body from unwanted uric acids. Couple the drink with a hearty salad and meal using tofu to replace red meat or chicken, finely chopped fresh garlic and extra virgin olive oil.

Grilled or baked lean meat, wrapped foil to retain moisture, is ideal for dinner. Pair with potatoes and steamed spinach. After dinners make sure to have a bowl of cherries, berries or grapes on the side.

Other tips for your anti gout diet:

Watch your weight. Gout has been linked with health problems such as diabetes and obesity. Slowly restrict calories by introducing more of the gout preventing foods mentioned earlier. Avoid crash diets as these can actually trigger gout flare-ups. A good anti gout diet is always a balanced diet.

Drink several glasses of water everyday. 8-10 glasses daily is ideal. Water dilutes uric acid (a cause of gout) and rids them from the body. Cloudy urine means you have high acid content in your body and this is not a healthy sign. Clear urine suggests that you are properly hydrated and well on your way to good health. - 17273

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Your Personal Hair and Skin Products Made Easy

By Art Gib

When thinking about your skin, you don't usually think about it being an organ. But, it is. It is actually the largest organ our body has. Organs are essentially a system of cells that make up a collection of tissues and function as a whole.

Our skin performs a multitude of functions for our frail human bodies. Of course, the obvious one is covering our bones, muscles, and other organs. We'd likely be pretty ugly, not to mention very vulnerable to all the elements.

You don't even have to go to the store or your beautician to get the newest makeover. Although those are nice to have. Getting that personal attention is nice, but most of the time, the person giving you that attention doesn't have all the facts when it comes to your individual problems and genetic makeup.

Our skin has its own set of bacterias that make up the good guys protecting our bodies from the bad guys. These are essential for not only the health of our bodies, but the health of our skin as well. People believe that bathing or showering is good, and for the most part, they're right. But too much cleansing can be a bad thing because you essentially start eliminating the good guys and those bad guys can get the upper hand.

Your skin also absorbs what's around it and applied to it. Because it breathes, it can be affected by pollution and unhealthy air. Because it absorbs, it will take in whatever chemicals you put on it through your lotions, moisturizers, creams, perfumes, powders, and the like. If you put too much of these things on your skin, you can essentially smother it.

They make recommendations based on your answers and you can choose the products based on their advice. Who better than the manufacturers will know their products better and what they can do to help you? They've invested all kinds of money for their scientists to address the plethora of skin and hair types, climate concerns, as well as common and uncommon problems.

They can take all this information and plug in certain variables to produce these handy quizzes for you to take online. Through their research, tests, and information, they can give you recommendations that are going to be close to the mark for your individual needs, if not hit the nail on the head. - 17273

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