Easy Ways to Control Post Dinner Snacking

Do you eat at midnight ? A research suggests that snacking post dinner increases your weight and drags you towards being fat. Eating after dinner adds extra calories to your body at a time when it is not required. Late night munching is an acquired habit that one gets addicted to after sometime and gets into a cycle of  binging on high calorie food like ice-creams, junk food, chips, chocolates etc post dinner.

Night time is also the time when our bodies are resting and eating food at this time leads to piling up of the calories. For many people midnight munching is a habit Read more

Manage Menopause Weight Gain

Weight gain during menopause is a big concern for women. The menopausal phase triggers changes in body shape resulting on an average weight gain of about  5-10 kg. This weight is primarily  hormone related and has a direct impact on appetite, metabolism, and fat storage.  Therefore controlling weight during this time becomes extremely difficult due to fluctuating estrogen, testosterone, and androgen levels. These added kilos further aggravate depression and anxiety which in turns can bring on the hot flashes and disturbed sleep.

Estrogen plays a big role in menopausal weight gain especially as the estrogen levels decline with age as the body stops ovulating. Due to the decrease in estrogen levels produced by the ovaries, body searches for other sources to substitute the shortage of estrogen in the body. Meanwhile fat cells in our body have the natural capability to produce estrogen, hence the body starts restoring to these cells  to convert calories into fat to increase estrogen levels. Unfortunately fat cells don’t burn calories the way muscle cells do, which causes this unwanted Read more

Calcium for bones, heart & weight loss

400 mg of calcium is the daily requirement for your body. Beyond being important for the development of bones and teeth, calcium is also needed for proper functioning of the heart, nerves and muscles, and research is also showing that because of its calcium content, yogurt promotes belly fat loss.

So it is important to keep blood calcium at a healthy level to sustain life. Calcium supplements have shown to not be as effective as natural sources of calcium. Read on for the most important factor, to help your body absorb calcium.

Also as we age, the body begins to breakdown and reabsorb the bone mass of the skeleton. Women are more susceptible to bone loss, especially before, during and after menopause because during the menopausal years women experience lowered estrogen levels which considerably speeds up the bone loss process and leads to osteoporosis, a condition where the bones have become weak and brittle and break very easily. Research says that one in every four women suffer from the debilitation of osteoporosis, and men are one in eight. Besides this, younger people in their 30′s are developing osteoporosis due to bad lifestyle, eating outside, unhealthy nutrition and not exercising, are a few reasons that are pushing you to the deficiency of calcium.

Consuming the daily requirement of calcium is the best way to build adequate bone mass early in life to reduce the risk of it later in your life. Start consuming foods that are high in calcium and people above 50+ should consume 600 mg. Dairy products  like milk, cottage cheese, buttermilk, curd and cheese are the best source and most recommended for getting calcium which gets easily absorbed by the body. Other sources are breads, fruit juices and soy products, beans, broccoli, oranges and bananas.

Get out and get 10 minutes of sunshine to accelerate the absorption of calcium in your body.

Health News: Tackle stress, Weight Loss, Healthy Living

You must have heard about the immense potential of adding olive to your nutrition. Olive oil helps keep cholesterol levels in check and controls the blood sugar. It is one of the easiest to digest as it is monounsaturated. Read more for how Olive can do wonders to your diet!

Drinking vegetable juice boosts weight loss says a research. This study suggests that it’s not enough to just educate people on the importance of vegetables, you need to show them ways to easily incorporate them into their daily routine, read more for how it works for you.

During times of stress, people often turn to traditional “comfort” foods such as pizza,macaroni and cheese, and ice cream. Ironically, these high-fat foods are usually the worst possible choice which drive up blood pressure and raise serum cholesterol levels, wreaking havoc on arteries and increasing the risk of heart attack. Read how eating right to reduce stress in your life.

Are you making the right choice for taking a good weight loss plan. If not then read for the most annoying weight loss scams of 2010. Thousands of desperate punters shell out serious money hoping for the miracle
solution, but… no authentic success stories are forthcoming. Read here for some real success stories.

Cosmetics merely enhance your body base. Experts say that there are certain food types that must be consumed to look beautiful, naturally. A diet rich in ‘phyto-compounds’ can stimulate DNA repair, read more for beauty foods.

The way your metabolism functions has everything to do with how you feel, and most importantly, how you either burn fat or store fat. So would you like to learn how to put your body in fat burning mode, rather than fat storing mode? Read more to know is your metabolism working for you.

Best Minerals for Weight loss

If losing weight was a child’s play, obesity would never have been an epidemic. Losing weight requires a scientific approach and a planned routine along with proper micro-nutrient supplementation (vitamins and minerals).

In our attempt of losing weight we become obsessed with our carbohydrates, protein, fat and vitamin consumption however nobody really bothers about their mineral intake…..Although it is important but has a very small percentage in our body so without the consultation of your doctor you should not increase the consumption of these important minerals. Moderation and balance is required for healthy living.

You would be surprised to note that body’s weight-related functions – like appetite, hunger, metabolic rate, metabolism of fats and sugars, blood-glucose levels, calorie-burning, and so on – operate more efficiently when we have an optimum intake of minerals.

Therefore it is worth keeping a watch on your minerals. Let’s have a look which minerals are the best for losing weight

Calcium

Recent clinical studies demonstrate a positive relationship between calcium intake and weight-loss. Controlled weight loss studies indicate that increasing calcium intake by the equivalent of two dairy servings per day can reduce the risk of overweight, perhaps by as much as 70 percent. Also, it’s worth remembering that lower-calorie fat-free milk contains the same amount of calcium as full-fat milk. The
same goes for low fat yogurt and reduced fat cheese.

Chromium

Chromium is required for the metabolism of sugar. Without sufficient chromium, insulin is less effective in regulating blood-glucose levels. In this way, chromium helps to control cravings and reduce hunger. Good food sources of chromium include: egg yolks, molasses, beef, hard cheese, liver, fruit juices, and whole grain bread.

Manganese

Manganese helps regulate fat metabolism and blood-glucose. It is needed for a healthy thyroid function which itself is essential to maintain a healthy weight. Good food sources of manganese include: tea, wheat germ, spinach, split peas, nuts, oat germ, oatmeal, pineapple, green leafy vegetables.

Zinc

Zinc helps to regulate appetite. Zinc is also needed for the correct functioning of hormones, like insulin. Zinc deficiency is common among smokers, heavy drinkers, some vegetarians, people with chronic illness and those on non-nutritious or very low calorie diets. Good sources of Zinc include: shellfish, herring, wheat germ, lean beef or lamb, eggs, lentils, Brazil nuts,
almonds, chicken.

Caution: Please discuss with your doctor, before consuming any supplements. Self prescription and over dosage can have serious side effects.

Fire Up Your Metabolism

Firstly we need to understand what metabolism is and then can we have a picture of how metabolism effects weight loss . Metabolism is the amount of energy (calories) your body burns to maintain itself. Whether you are eating, drinking, sleeping, cleaning etc… your body is constantly burning calories to keep you going.

Metabolism is affected by your body composition i.e.  the amount of muscle you have versus the amount of fat. Muscle uses more calories to maintain itself than fat. People who are more muscular… (and have a lower percentage of body fat) are said to have a higher metabolism than others that are less muscular. For example, lets take two people who are the exact same height and weight. One exercises on a regular basis with weights, in addition to aerobic exercise, and has a low percentage of body fat. The other never exercises and has a higher percentage of body fat. The first person who exercises will have a higher metabolism than the second person. The reason is that even when person 1is not exercising his body continues to burn calories because of the muscle to fat ratio difference. Where as person 2 will not have any increase in the metabolic rate. What this basically means is that person 1′s body will use more calories to sustain itself than person 2.

As you begin to age, your metabolism has a natural tendency to start slowing. There are some easy to follow, simple tricks that can help you to eliminate body fat, improve your flab-burning metabolic process, and  start losing weight fast even before you start exercising.

Here are some easy tips that can change you into a fat burning machine

Stop Dieting and Start Exercising

It isn’t about eating less, it’s about eating more nutrition-dense food, to keep you full all day. Restricting food will kill your metabolism or slow it down. It makes our body think, am i starving here. The body responds to it by slowing down the metabolism in order to slowly spend the existing energy packets.
This means that your body starts to consume less calories and store more.

Build some Muscles

Rev up your metabolism by doing some resistance exercises like weightlifting, hand lifting etc. Also you can decrease body fat by doing some aerobic exercises like swimming, cycling, jogging, dancing, walking . Muscle uses more calories to maintain itself than fat thus increasing your metabolism or calorie consumption increases.

Go to Bed Early

A research suggests that people who  slept less and were under more stress had more body fat than people who slept properly.

Eat Protein Rich Food

The faster your metabolism works the more fat you will burn and the slower your metabolism the more fat you will store. Eating protein is a good way to increase metabolism, especially since the body burns more calories to digest protein than it does digesting carbs or sugars.

Go Organic Whenever Possible

The accumulation of toxins in the body slows down the metabolism because the body has to work extra hard to eliminate these toxins on a daily basis. So going on a organic diet leads to less toxins in the body in the form of pesticides. Going the organic way is always a healthier option.

Get Up and Move a Little

Whether you sit or stand at work may play as big a role in your health and your waistline as your fitness routine. Researchers suggest that inactivity for 4 hours or more causes a slowdown in an enzyme that controls fat and cholesterol metabolism. Stand up from your desk and walk around the office, go up and down the stairs a few times. If you use these little bursts of energy throughout the day then your metabolism will stay revved up and you’ll keep burning more calories.

Drink Cold Water

Researchers found that drinking 1 liter of cold water a day can raise resting metabolism by about 50 calories daily. The increase may come from the work it takes to heat the water to body temperature. Start drinking cold water to accelerate your metabolism to up to 30%.

Eat Some Hot Food

Eating hot food can also fire up your metabolism. Eating  red or green chilies boosts your body’s production of heat and the activity of your sympathetic nervous system (responsible for our fight-or-flight response), according to a research. If they’re hot enough they’ll rev your metabolism into high level and you’ll break a sweat!

Dont Skip Breakfast

Eating breakfast jump-starts metabolism and keeps energy high all day. Eat often because that will keep your metabolism pumping all day long, and when you eat many small meals through the day you tend to eat
less at one time, which puts less burden on your digestive system and lets it work more efficiently.

Drink Coffee or Tea

Women metabolize caffeine about 25 percent faster than men. Metabolic rate remains highest during the first three hours following consumption of caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant that increases heart rate and mental acuity. While the blood pumps faster, the metabolic rate increases. While tea can increase your metabolism by 12% according to a research. Researchers believe the antioxidant catechins in tea provide the  boost.

Fight Fat with Fiber

Fiber can raise your fat burn by about 30 percent. Research has found that those who eat the more fiber gain the least weight over time. Aim for about  three servings each of fruits and vegetables  a day. Fiber leads to a less calorie intake which lessens the calorie count.

Eat Iron-Rich Foods

Iron is essential for carrying the oxygen your muscles need to burn fat. Unless you have a consistent diet of this mineral you will have a slow metabolism. Lean meats, beans and spinach are excellent sources. Get this essential mineral in natural doses from real foods.

Drink Milk

There’s some evidence that calcium deficiency may slow metabolism. Research shows that consuming calcium in dairy foods such as fat-free milk and low-fat yogurt may also reduce fat absorption from other
foods.

Dont Get Stressed

Research says that being stressed out  causes high levels of a hormone called cortisol in your body, which leads to belly fat . Relax and let go the extra kilos!

Stay Hydrated

All of our body’s basic reactions, including our metabolism, depend on water. If you are dehydrated, you may be burning lesser calories, according to researchers. In the study, those who drank more glasses of water a day had higher metabolic rates than those who had fewer.

At last eat metabolism boosting foods like Apple, spinach, tomatoes, cabbage, papaya, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, pineapple, grapefruit, lemon, garlic, onions, mangoes, cucumber, cauliflower, carrots and avocados. These  fruits and vegetables belong to the negative calorie list of foods that will help you boost your metabolism.

5 Fruits to Boost your Health

Fruits are a major and natural source of  many vitamins, minerals and other natural substances to protect you from chronic diseases. Fruits are available through out the year and some are seasonal too.

Here is a list of commonly available fruits that you can include in your daily diet to boost immunity to stay away from infections with its anti-oxidation properties to destroy free radicals. Read more

Reading Nutrition claims correctly

Whether you are on diet for weight loss, on a muscle gain plan, managing you diabetes, or just looking for healthy food. To know if food is really healthy, you need to know two things: how to read the nutrition labels, and understand the claims that foods make, like ‘low calorie’ ‘high fiber’ and others. We showed you the first. Now, we’ll tell how to decipher claims that a food product makes.

Nutrient content claim is a claim that describes the level of a nutrient contained in a food. Here are the claims and what they mean:

Fat Free: Read more

Reading Nutrition Labels Correctly

Nutrition labels are supposed to tell us how healthy or unhealthy a food really is. Some of us read them, many don’t. But if you read them, are you reading them correctly? Reading nutrition label can help make wise food choices but knowing how to read the nutrition fact label can be complicated without the right guide. So, let us show step by step how to correctly read the nutrition label:

Step 1- Start with serving size
At the top of the label are the serving size and the number of servings per container.  Serving sizes is the amount of food that is typically eating in one serving indicated by cup or number. Serving sizes differ on each food label and may not equal the serving size you normally eat. If you Read more

Healthy Eating Out Guide

With the festive season, there is a lot of eating out- family gatherings, weddings, parties, friends, the inevitable boxes of cookies at the office water cooler. Its a landmine of unhealthy choices. With our party season food guide, you’ll party and stay healthy.

First of all, don’t repent for wolfing down a heavy platter. Understand that it is human to give into temptations, but be sure to learn from them. We often lose control of our food sensory threshold and overindulge only to feel guilty later.

Here are some easy tips which will never slip off your mind even while you move ahead to place an order with confidence at various eating joints.

Rehearsing a situation in your mind before it happens helps you to arm yourself with strategies, visualize yourself doing them and experience the positive results.

So, let’s start with the healthy food guide for this party season

Order right: Make it a point to always ask for Read more

Eat veggies for weight loss

Along with being among the healthiest sources of nutrition, vegetables are great for weight loss. Let’s show you how:

Calorie Density: Read more

Does Diet Food Helps You Lose Weight?

Most food products today seem to have some kind of a ‘diet version’. Whether it’s low fat version or the sugar free version, the market is flooded with such “diet foods”. What it does is that it lets you indulge in the food, without feeling guilty about it.

Now, clearly most people love to have fat free ice-cream for the fear of eating too many calories or getting fat, but the question is .. does “diet food” really help you lose weight? Studies show that they don’t .. read on to know why..

 

Studies have shown that when weight conscious people were given lower calorie versions of their favorite foods, they consumed larger quantities of them, in effect consuming a larger number of calories.

Since one of the main factors for weight loss or weight gain is your calorie input and output, eating larger amount of calories clearly doesn’t help your weight loss.

 

So, what should you do? If you really want to indulge in a particular food, like Cake -

- If the diet version is a bad substitute of the original, then go for the original. Try the 3 bite rule.

- If you’re consuming the diet version, control your portions. Don’t eat more, than you would, if you were eating the non-diet version of that food.

Similarly, there are many diet foods in the market that are considered healthy. Some of them are, some aren’t. We’ve told you about them before, but here’s the list again.

Know it all common “diet foods”:

- Do you think if orange juice is healthy – Some are, some aren’t- See the healthiest orange juice brand.

- Biscuits are a common diet food, but are biscuits really healthy food?

- Are “Lite biscuits” really light or are wheat biscuits good for you?

- Is brown bread really healthy?

- Do corn flakes help you lose weight?

- Which is the best diet sugar substitute?

Are fruit smoothies low in calories?

We could go on and on about diet foods, but we’ll leave some for the future. Till good, eat healthy, exercise and burn that fat away!

Weight Gain after Rapid Weight Loss

Rapid weight loss sounds like the ideal way to lose weight. But with weight rapid weight loss, comes rapid weight gain. Yes, many of us have seen it, that if you’ve lost a ton of weight, then you would’ve had a hard time also keeping the weight down. Read on to know why your body gains weight after drastic weight loss, and how you lose weight without gaining it back.

To achieve rapid weight loss, you need to take extreme measures like crash dieting, excessive exercising and others. Weight loss efforts like these can result in nutritional deficiencies in the long run, and other long term health effects. Besides all the detrimental  side effects on your health, your body has a strong tendency to gain the weight back. Let’s explain one Read more

Juice Diet- detox & weight loss?

Juice diet is a popular diet that many people try to follow- most people use detox diet for weight loss. The juice diet has many forms: lemon juice diet, orange juice diet, carrot juice diet, vegetable juice diet, and other possibilities of juice diets. We told you about the lemon detox diet. Here, we talk about all juice diets

It is basically a fad diet or crash diet form, involves intake of raw vegetable and fruit juices, and water only. It is an extreme diet form, as no solid food is consumed during the length of the diet. So, is the juice diet good for weight loss? Is the juice diet healthy?

Does the juice diet detox your system? The juice diet is like a mine field. Read on to find out, if you’re going to lose weight, or lose something else…

So, does the juice diet help weight loss? Read more

Sauna Belts – weight loss fad or truth

Call them Sauna Belts, Thermal Belts, Ab Toning Belts, Slimming Belts, Thermal Packs, Slimming thermal blanket, Sauna Blankets, Body Toning Belts … they’re all the same. Essentially something that you wrap around your body, that claims to help you lose weight. Does it really?

We told you about Body Wraps last time. Now, we tell you about Sauna Belts. You’ve heard the ads talking about those weight loss belts that help spot reduction- thermal belts using heat therapy to get the toned waist you’ve always wanted. Think twice before wasting your money on it. Read on to know why..

Sauna belts electronically produce infrared rays which increase Read more

« Previous Page — Next Page »