Spices Help Improve Weight and Overall Health - Article by Suzanna Zick

Many of us have made the resolution to eat healthier this year, adding more fruits and vegetables, and less salt and fat, to our diet. But if you really want to spice up health try adding a dash of basil and oregano, or a few cloves of garlic to your diet too.

“Adding herbs and spices can help you maintain a healthy weight. Plus, they can help prevent certain cancers and even lower blood pressure, control blood sugar and improve cardiovascular health,” according to Suzanna Zick, N.D., M.P.H., a naturopathic physician and research investigator at the University of Michigan Health System, Department of Family Medicine.

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Zick offers the following tips for picking the best spices for your overall health.

• Fight aging: Eat rosemary. Rosemary is one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants, says Zick. It’s also thought to help with memory, and research is currently underway to determine rosemary’s potential cancer-prevention properties.
• Basil, oregano and rosemary can help fight colds. Since these three herbs contain strong essential oils, Zick says they potentially can fight against colds and flu. “All three are powerful antioxidants as well,” she notes.
• Treat chronic coughs with thyme. “The health benefits of thyme are unique. It has been traditionally used to treat coughs, even whooping cough,” according to Zick.
• Got back pain? Eat curry. The principle curcuminoid of the Indian curry spice turmeric is curcumin. In addition to its anti-inflammatory properties, research on curcumin has shown it to shrink pre-cancerous lesions known as colon polyps.
• Lower your blood pressure with “warming spices.” These include ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, pepper, cayenne pepper and others. These can make a person feel warm because they bring blood from the center of the body to the skin. This disperses blood throughout the body more evenly, which may decrease blood pressure, according to Zick.
• Soothe your aching tummy with ginger. Ginger contains gingerols, which decrease oxidative products in the digestive tract that cause nausea.
• Use garlic for cardiovascular support. Garlic appears to help lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

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Sufficient sleep is essential to fuel weight loss efforts by John Phillip

(NaturalNews) We all understand the importance of sleeping seven to nine hours each night to allow for adequate cellular housekeeping, as the body metabolizes and synthesizes enzymes and proteins that are critical to our survival. In the past, a sound sleep has been shown to lower incidence of heart disease, diabetes and dementia in direct relationship to the number of hours slept each evening.

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Canadian researchers publishing the Canadian Medical Association Journal have released the result of a study showing that adequate sleep is an important part of a weight loss plan and should be added to the recommended mix of diet and exercise. In addition to lowering caloric intake and increasing physical activity, the research team led by Dr. Jean-Phillippe Chaput of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute in Ottawa has provided sufficient evidence to show that inadequate sleep is an independent risk factor for overweight and obesity.

Scientists determined that lack of sleep increases the stimulus to consume more food and increases appetite-regulating hormones. Dr. Chaput explained "The solution to weight loss is not as simple as eat less, move more, sleep more... however, an accumulating body of evidence suggests that sleeping habits should not be overlooked when prescribing a weight-reduction program to a patient with obesity."

Seven to nine hours of sleep are needed daily to aid weight loss efforts

Many different factors affect body weight including predisposition to handling stress, depression and genetic individuality. Adequate and sound sleep can improve or eliminate each of these risk factors, and can also regulate the hormones leptin and ghrelin to lower food cravings and naturally promote a normal weight range. Naturally, reducing or eliminating insulin-producing processed carbohydrate foods and cutting sugar from the diet are necessary to stimulate weight loss in many people.

The authors of this study did not provide an exact mechanism to explain how adequate sleep assists weight loss, but they did explain that a lack of sleep affects the parts of the brain that control pleasure eating. Further, the scientists indicate that levels of the hormones leptin, ghrelin, cortisol and orexin, all of which are involved in appetite or eating, are affected by lack of sleep.

Dr. Chaput concluded "An accumulating body of evidence suggests that sleeping habits should not be overlooked when prescribing a weight-reduction program to a patient with obesity." Continuing research studies validate the critical importance of a sound night's sleep of between seven and nine hours each night to protect against chronic disease and to aid weight management efforts.

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How do I lose weight and reduce fat around my tummy? (Fitness query of the day)

I am 42 years old and my height is 5 ft 5.5 in but my weight is 78 kg. I mostly have fat around my tummy. I take two or three chapatis with subzi in the morning along with a cup of tea or parantha once or twice in the week . I eat three chapatis with dal and vegetable or rice at times during lunch. I skip lunch twice or thrice in a week. In the evening, I have one cup of tea with some bakery product or a piece of sweet. Dinner is almost same as lunch. I walk (some distance jogging nearly one km) around 5 km four times in week. I also takef Ayur slim produced by Himalaya ayurveda, Banglore. But I am not seeing any results. My weight is increasing day by day. Please suggest the right way to exercise and diet.

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Answered by our expert Naini Setalvad, a well-known nutritionist. 

To have a completely healthy lifestyle, you should begin with cutting out on all unhealthy foods. These include: fried food, chocolates, alcohol, aerated drinks, processed foods, packaged foods (like potato chips, etc.), sherbets, jams, pickles, butter, cheese, sugar, jaggery, ghee, smoking, ice cream, cakes, biscuits – with or without cream, packaged fruit juice.

Switch to whole grains such as jowar, nachani or bajra from wheat rotis. Eat brown rice instead of white rice. Increase your fruit and vegetable intake. Aim for 5-8 servings in a day. Eat a big, raw salad per meal; it will give a lot more satisfaction for a lot less calories. However, ensure that it is oil and mayonnaise-free. Add small amounts of nuts, seeds and dry fruits to your evening, or mid-meal snack, especially California pistachios, Kashmiri walnuts, Iranian almonds, dates, raisins and California prunes. Ensure that you eat according to the season, and eat slowly, till you feel full. Avoid overeating, and you could use these to replace your unhealthy sweet and/or bakery product in the evenings.

Avoid skipping meals, as that causes you to overeat during the next meal.

Involve yourself in some exercise. Do yoga, swimming, or even go for regular walks. Do some form of cardiovascular exercise five days a week, for at least 30 minutes. Cook with minimal oil, no more than 3 tsp per person per day.

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Herbs for weight loss by Anusuya Suresh

We are a nation of paradoxes. While more than half of the nation’s children are malnourished, there’s an increase in the number of people – young and old alike – who are now overweight or obese. According to data from the Obesity Foundation India, more than 3 percent of Indians are clinically obese and a whopping 25 percent are overweight. While healthy eating and regular exercise are the most important steps to lose weight, you can also harness the power of certain natural remedies that have shown beneficial effects in helping with weight loss.

Flaxseed

Also known as Linseed or Alsi in Hindi, flaxseed comes with a mucilage coat surrounding the seed; when it contacts water, it swells, adding to the bulk in your stomach. Therefore, it can make you feel full with lesser volumes of food and this helps with weight loss. Flaxseed is also a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids that are good for your heart. Pregnant women should avoid the use of flaxseed because it has estrogen-like properties and can cause undesirable hormonal fluctuations.

Health.india.com tip: Powder flaxseeds and add a little of the powder into soups, oats, breakfast cereal, juice, chapatti dough, dosa batter, chutneys, curds or butter milk. Since flaxseeds are naturally bland, they will not contribute any flavour to the dish.

Green Tea

Green tea contains several valuable components of which, the catechins are the most valuable because of their antioxidant activity. Research has shown evidence of the metabolism-boosting and fat-burning properties of green tea, making it a wonderful weight loss aid.

Health.india.com tip: Take the green tea leaves in a tea strainer and place it over a cup. Heat water until bubbles just start to form at the bottom of the vessel (around 80 °C) and pout it so as to cover the leaves, and allow them to steep for two minutes; then remove the strainer, and drink the green tea after it has cooled down a little.

 Cinnamon

Cinnamon has been found to activate insulin receptors as well as stimulate important enzyme systems involved in carbohydrate metabolism. Therefore, it can regulate the levels of blood sugar and increase metabolism and this, combined with its ‘bad cholesterol’-reducing action makes it a wonderful weight loss aid.

Health.india.com tip: Include about one teaspoon of cinnamon in your daily diet by sprinkling cinnamon powder on food you eat – breakfast cereal, tea and coffee, fruits such as apples and pears or curds.

Some people also combine cinnamon with honey in the form of a tea by mixing one tablespoon of each in half a cup of hot water. This tea should be drunk about 30 minutes before breakfast every day to see a noticeable weight loss.

Black Pepper

The piperine in black pepper has been known for years as a digestive; recent research shows that it also helps burn fat and through action at genetic level, may help prevent the formation of fat.

Health.india.com tip: Freshly ground black pepper can be added to several regular dishes right from salads to meats. Make sure you add it at towards the end of your cooking because exposure to too much of heat can cause a loss of its flavour and reduce its effectiveness.

Turmeric

Indians have always used turmeric in cooking, religious rituals and as a beauty aid. Researchers all over the world are now finding that it can also help to metabolize fat and reduce the risk of developing diabetes.

Health.india.com tip Besides the traditional way of adding turmeric to vegetable, rice, curry and dals, make a tea of turmeric. Add a teaspoon of turmeric and a pinch of ginger powder into around 4 cups of boiling water; allow to simmer for 10 minutes; strain and drink when cool.

Ginger

Well-known for its digestive properties, ginger also has thermogenic properties – it raises the body temperature by burning fat and this makes it useful for those seeking to lose weight. Research has shown it also has a satiating property which means you tend to eat less, and this contributes to the weight loss. Ginger has blood-thinning properties and it is wise to consult your doctor if you are on blood thinners such as aspirin before consuming it.

Health.india.com tip: Powder ginger and add about half a teaspoon to a cup of hot water, cool and drink. You can also mix a tablespoon each of cinnamon and ginger with water, boil for a minute or two and drink when cool. Adding peeled and grated or chopped fresh ginger into vegetable or rice dishes is yet another way of including it in your diet.

In recent years, being overweight or obese has come to be recognized as a risk factor for several lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes and as people grow more aware of this fact, weight loss is becoming priority number 1 on their ‘to-do’ list. Regular exercise – at least 30 minutes a day for five days in a week – is the best way to prevent weight gain. For effective weight loss, it is vital you combine exercise with the right diet. When you make these herbs a part of your diet, not only do they help with weight loss, they also help you keep lifestyle diseases at bay.

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The Health Benefits of Raw Fruits and Vegetables By Becki Andrus

Most people need to eat more fruits and vegetables. We have all heard that numerous times from TV, the internet, newspapers, magazines, friends, family, and even our doctors. But did you know that there is another important step to this? We need to eat more raw produce. Many of the antioxidants, fiber, and other health benefits in these foods can be lost from cooking. Using more cooked produce in your diet is better than nothing, but do not forget to eat some of it fresh!

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The National Cancer Institute recommends at least 5 servings of vegetables and 3 servings of fruit per day and most Americans get less than one-half of that. These raw fruits and vegetables have disease fighting compounds known as phytochemicals which are thought to prevent cell damage. That means you can look and feel less old as you age and help to prevent cancer and other diseases at the same time.

One of the easiest ways to increase the number of raw vegetables and fruits that you are eating is to not eat them at all. You can drink fresh produce by juicing it. Juicing these foods is an easy way to drink plenty of them to take in enough of these disease fighting enzymes. You can also add these fruits and smoothies into smoothies. Whether you are making green or dairy based smoothies, you can easily consume your minimum daily recommendation of fruits and vegetables while still getting the fiber from vegetables that can be lost from juicing. Drinking these ingredients in smoothies or juices can also be easy ways to detoxify your body and even an easy way to reduce your calorie intake. When having these drinks in place of meals, you can easily reduce the number of calories you eat every day.

Actually eating fruits and vegetables is easy as well. One of the most of obvious ways to eat fresh produce is in salads. Use dark leafy greens, tomatoes, a variety of vegetables that are in season and tasty as the basis for any salad. If you crave something sweet in your salad, try adding a serving of fruit. Apples, pears, oranges, grapes, and cherries can all bring interesting flavors to any salad. Avoid unhealthy, store bought dressing if possible. Especially since it is so easy to buy a bottle of extra virgin olive oil and vinegar and make your own. One great way to limit carbohydrates and fat is to eat salads as dinners rather than just as a side dish or lunch. Add in beans, low fat and natural cheeses, or a little lean meat and you suddenly have a meal that is well-balanced and is full of phytochemicals.

Raw fruits and vegetables make a satisfying and easy to transport snack. Instead of that sugar-rich candy bar, try an apple. There are carrot sticks, celery sticks, broccoli crowns, slices of cucumber and many other snack possibilities from raw fruits and vegetables.

Eating raw produce has many health benefits like preventing cancer. But it can also promote eating healthier in general. Learning to eat more fresh vegetables and fruit can be an easy way to reduce calories while taking in plenty of phytochemicals to prevent diseases or fiber to help promote healthy digestion.

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The Truth About Butter By Mark Moxom

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Before the 1920s heart disease was rare in most of the western world. Yet through the 20s right up until the 70s the incidence of heart disease rose to become one of the most deadly ailments of modern times. In fact some have said that it is actually the West's number one killer.

The strange thing is that during the same time the amount of butter that we consumed dropped by over 25% from which we could all conclude that butter is not a cause of heart disease.

So what is the truth about butter? Why should we eat it and if our conclusion is that butter is actually good for us then why have we been told for so long that it is actually harmful to consume lots of quantities of butter or indeed any animal fat for that matter.

Well firstly let's look at what butter has got in it that's good for us starting with the vitamins. Butter is very high in vitamin A and that's needed to ensure that both our adrenal and thyroid glands function properly and here's where the time that heart disease comes once again in that both of these glands are important for proper functioning of both our hearts and cardiovascular system.

Vitamin E which is also found in butter as well as vitamin A are quite strong antioxidants which again play an important part in keeping the body healthy. Butter also contains lecithin and that's used for ensuring that the cholesterol and other fat constituents in butter are properly assimilated and metabolized.

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Yes I mentioned cholesterol and butter is a good source of dietary cholesterol but did you know that cholesterol is also an antioxidant? In fact cholesterol is a highly potent antioxidant that is quickly released into the blood when our body senses that we have eaten too many foods containing harmful free radicals.

Now here's the strange thing. Would it surprise you to learn the fact that some of the foods which contain the highest levels of these harmful free radicals are actually the very same that had been touted over the last few decades as being healthy for us that is margarine and other highly processed vegetable oils.

Now in this short response I won't go into details but it's worth knowing that butter is beneficial in aiding the immune system for good gastrointestinal health, in the growth and development of children and over the years a number of studies have found that butter consumption is helpful to guard against arthritis, osteoporosis and as it's a good source of iodine as I've mentioned earlier good functioning of the thyroid gland.

Now when you consider the damage that other man made hydrogenated fats have caused mankind over the last few decades it strikes me as odd that intelligent people are still touting the supposed benefits of these types of fats. But there again I suppose some people will say anything if they're paid enough money to do so.

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10 Good Reasons to Use More Olive Oil By Alexa G.

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Every day there seem to be more and more reasons why extra virgin olive oil should be a part of everyone's diet.

Here are 10 good reasons to eat more olive oil:

• Wow! Exquisite taste.

Good extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) is excellent when consumed raw to appreciate its aroma and taste. Its flavour extends from delicate to robust and more people are discovering its interesting taste characteristics.

• It's a great seasoning.

Think of it as essential seasoning. Like salt and pepper, always have oil on your table at mealtimes. One drop can add extra aroma and taste not just to pasta and salads but sauces, soups, stews, fresh and cooked vegetables, grilled fish and roast meat.

• It can help you lose weight.

Lowering calories in your diet and replacing bad saturated fats with monounsaturated, found in EVOO, may help your weight loss. It has been demonstrated that an olive-oil-rich diet leads to greater and longer - lasting weight loss than a low-fat diet.

• You may be healthier and live longer.

Containing a wide variety of valuable antioxidants that are not found in other oils, rich in vitamins and monounsaturated fats, olive oil has been shown to help to control blood pressure, cholesterol level, prevent cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some type of cancer and other illnesses and conditions.

• You will look good.

Including EVOO in your daily diet helps your skin stay healthy and beautiful. It has a large proportion of vitamins A, D, K and E and has a strong antioxidant effect, protecting against cell oxidation and the free radicals. It's a good aid to treat skin disorders such as acne, psoriasis and eczema.

• Your children may be healthier.

EVOO plays a key role in foetal development during pregnancy and a shortage may have pernicious effects on the baby's subsequent development. Studies show that the post-natal development of babies of mothers who consumed olive oil when pregnant is better in terms of height, weight, behaviour and psychomotor reflexes.

• Strengthen your immune system.

Olive oil intake helps the immune system against external attacks from bacteria, infection, micro-organisms and viruses. EVOO is high in polyphenols, chlorophyll, carotenoids and vitamin E - antioxidants key to the immune system strengthening and protection from the damaging effects of free-radicals.

• It may improve your memory.

Studies have shown that olive-oil-rich diets and monounsaturated fats, found in high amounts in olive oil, could help prevent memory loss, associated with ageing and in diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia.

• It can ease aches and pains.

Scientists have revealed that olive oil can act as a natural painkiller. It contains a natural organic compound - oleocanthal - which acts like the anti-inflammatory pain killer ibuprofen.

• It may improve the health of the entire population of the world.

The World Health Organization officially recommends that people across the world adopt the Mediterranean diet for better health and specifically suggests EVOO as the healthiest source of fat on the planet.

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Managing Arthritis Naturally By Sandy K Wilson

Does eating certain foods help to cure arthritis? Conversely, is the elimination of certain foods any help in controlling this debilitating and painful disease? With over 100 different forms of arthritis and not a lot of research into its causes and cures, the debate rages on.

Because the symptoms of arthritis often seem to come and go without warning it's hard to tell whether any sudden relief was due to a new diet or not. It is important for the sufferer to be able to choose a new treatment because it makes him feel to some degree in control of his life and also gives hope, an important consideration.

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Researchers have discovered that a diet including too many calories can actually aggravate RA, while 5% of sufferers in another study showed a flare-up of symptoms after drinking milk. A reduction of fat, dairy and red meat was shown to relieve pain. In 1998, Finnish researchers found that the addition of lactobacillus improved symptoms of RA. This was supported by animal experiments, where mice given lactobacillus were found to be less likely to develop the disease and their immune systems were more able to cope with it if they did.

One thing to remember when following any diet is that the nutrients lost through the elimination of any foods must be replaced by other means. Certain foods or food groups often seem to cause a worsening of arthritis symptoms. In this case, an elimination diet could be helpful. All suspected foods must be completely eliminated from the diet for several weeks, then reinstated one at a time over a period of several days. If the symptoms of pain and inflammation re-occur after each food is eaten again, then it could be a culprit. This should be done at least three times to determine that there were no other factors involved. If an elimination diet is followed, it is wise to keep two diaries. One of the food eaten and at what times and dates, the other of the dates and times of pain flare-ups. When the two are compared, it will be plain to see what was eaten that could have caused pain.

Some of the food groups that are suspected of causing pain are the nightshade group ie, white potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and bell peppers. Others are red meat, lemons, grapefruit, corn, wheat, rye and milk, eggs coffee, sugar and cheese.

One of the main studies done way back in the 1950's has shown that fish oil has a very beneficial affect on arthritis pain. Fish oil supplements are widely taken, but in some cases cause unwelcome side effects like a fishy after-taste, gas and an upset stomach. Some researchers recommend simply adding omega 3's to the diet by eating cold-water fish like mackerel, herring, tuna, salmon, anchovies, bluefish and mullet.

Another study, researched and supported by the University of Manchester, discovered that people with high levels of beta-cryptoxanthin were 40% less likely to develop arthritis. This is classed as a pro-vitamin A carotenoid which can be found in all yellow or orange- fleshed fruits and vegetables. It enhances bone, skin and immune health. Pumpkin, winter squash and peppers are the vegetables with the highest levels of beta-cryptoxanthin, while tangerines, persimmons and papayas are the fruits with the highest levels.

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