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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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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Weight Loss for Better Health

Weight Loss for Better Health
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Most people understand that exercising and eating properly are needed to obtain weight loss for better health or improved fitness, but don't have a good idea of what proper nutrition or the minimum exercise requirements. There are very simple approaches that you can use to do your daily exercise and to eat a healthier and balanced diet but you have to understand a few key concepts first. Using these concepts will allow you to have a better understanding of the risks and rewards of exercising and eating properly and hopefully you will be so inclined to work at improving your weight loss for better health or weight maintenance for increased longevity.

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Exercise for Weight Loss
“To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first.” - William Shakespeare

Exercise has been found to be the most beneficial single aspect that you can add to improve a person's health. There are countless studies that have been completed and continue to be done linking regular exercise with reduced stress, reduced incidence of illness and disease, better mood, more productive, and increases in quality of life. People often, after learning about all of the benefits, get put-off by the idea of strenuous activity as it seems too hard or too big of a change. The greatest aspect of the research is that the exercise doesn't have to be really intense and even moderate exercise that is consistent has been shown to provide the similar weight loss for health that is desired.

The recommendation is 30 minutes for adults and 60 minutes for children a day of moderate to intense daily exercise. Some of the examples are brisk walking, swimming, cardio classes, and generally anything that gets your heart rate up for that 30 or 60 minutes. The best exercise out of anything is the one that you will consistently perform over time. The best results come from consistent exercise and the intensity only has to be moderate. Finding some form of exercise that you enjoy doing is the best bet and with so many options from home video fitness classes, to classes at a gym, and even running around with a dog at the dog park. Find something that works and then work it.

There are a few exercise types and workouts that can give you a highly efficient workout that will give you comparable results in less time. Although these exercises are really intense the duration is much shorter and some research has shown that they provide comparable results concerning weight loss for better health. Some of the training styles are referred to as high intensity interval training (HIIT) or CrossFit classes. Basically the concept is to go as hard as you possibly can for 30 seconds and then take 10-15 seconds at a low intensity, repeating the cycle for 10-20 minutes. Using this method you can effectively hit your weight loss for better health goals in less time and feel great in the process.

Human beings are social in nature and a great way to combine the social aspect with the exercise requirement is to create or join a workout group. This will provide the fun, support, and external motivation that will allow you to enjoy and maintain your physical activity for longer and hopefully develop a lifelong appreciation of exercise. Losing weight takes sweat and time to accomplish and some social support can make this journey more enjoyable.

Nutrition for Weight Loss

“Don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork.”  - English Proverb

Nutrition is usually something that a lot of people are confused about especially regarding the crash diets that people through themselves on for weight loss. Taking the time to understand what everyone should eat and the emotions that play into the act of eating you can understand how to eat and begin to alter what you need.

There have been several recommendations over the years that either stem from health agencies or the latest diet trends that have muddled our knowledge of nutrition because they weren't based on science. A lot of the pushes to have people eat grains and carbohydrates as their main source of calories had to do with ensuring that there was enough food for everyone to consume and building storage of food that could prevent starvation from a natural disaster. The problem is that most grains are nutritionally deficient and can cause weight gain from spikes in the blood sugar. Now that we are out of the dark ages, sort of, it is time that our nutrition knowledge was advanced.

A simple way to look at and transition to optimal nutrition is to first understand what it is and then work on substituting and adding the healthier choices instead of eliminating the foods that we enjoy. The cornerstone to all healthy nutrition is the consumption of as many servings of vegetables as possible, 5 or more per day. Eating a colorful variety will help to naturally balance the nutrition and give you most of the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that you require. Once you have the vegetable consumption on the increase eating lean meats, or beans to provide your body with the protein that is recommended. Adding fruits and nuts and fermented foods will also help to balance all of your nutrient needs. Basically, basing your nutrition on fresh living green plants will give you all of the fuel that your body needs to perform the exercise that will help with your journey of weight loss for better health.

One of the best things that you can do right away to curb your cravings for unhealthy foods is to reduce the amount of sugar that you are consuming. Sugar, especially the refined white sugar causes a spike in blood sugar that can result in fat storage and subsequent weight gain. Paying attention to the amount of sugar that you are drinking on a daily basis could be the easiest way to alter your nutrition to lose weight.

Losing weight for better health starts and ends with what you put in your mouth and how much you move around. There is no healthier way to lose weight and feel great than to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day and eat more vegetables. It will take time to transition if you are having trouble achieving these, but consistent action will prevail over time. Lose weight, feel great, and live the life that you've always imagined.

Christine
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Getting the Best Weight Loss Results by M. Lewis

When it comes to losing weight by changing your eating habits, eating more fruits and vegetables and reduce fat intake is not always enough.

The best diet to incorporate a healthy balance of diet and exercise that work together to effectively help your body to burn fat, increase metabolism and feel fuller longer.

However, one of the biggest mistakes many people make when it comes to losing weight is eating too little - thus not giving your body enough calories to support the functionality of your body - or too little exercise.

Top 3 Weight Loss Tips

To experience the best results in weight loss, you need to do a number of changes to both your diet and exercise regimen. However, there are also a number of other techniques that you can easily incorporate to help experience the weight loss results you want.

1. Eat a healthy diet of carbohydrates, protein, fiber, vitamins and fats

Despite many misconceptions, eliminating fat completely from your diet can help you lose weight fast, but eating no fat at all, can have the opposite effect on your body. Without fat in your body, you can not function properly. Why? Because our body needs fat for energy!

It's essential that you maintain a moderate amount of fat in your diet. The most effective diets to create a balance between a high protein diet low in fat, however, it is important that you also make sure to keep a healthy balance of fiber, carbohydrates and vitamins as well.

Many programs recommend dividing weight loss diet at 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein and 30% fat.

2. Regular exercise

A common mistake many people do is focusing only on one area of their body or just following one exercise routine.

Weight training, in particular, is often overlooked in weight loss plans because of its implications of body building, but building more muscle in your body is one of the most effective ways to increase fat burning.

Research has found the more muscle you have, the more fat burn you will experience because excess amounts of energy are needed to rebuild muscle after weight training.

But weight training is not enough. It is also essential to incorporate cardiovascular exercise and aerobics in your weight loss program since as these will work other essential jobs in the muscles of your body.

One of the best weight control programs is recommended:

* 20-30 minutes of weight training 3 times a week


* Two sessions of 45 minutes of cardio a week, alternate with two sessions of aerobic exercise 45 minutes

3. Slimming Pills

If it is difficult to change your eating habits, diet pills can offer the weight loss support you are looking for.

Giving your body's metabolism an instant jump start, there are numerous of diet pills on the market you can try:

* Appetite suppressants - designed to handle the production of hormones in your body, appetite suppressants trick your mind to believing you are full when you are not.

* Fat Burners - are recognized by the acceleration of metabolic processes in the body, the faster your metabolic rate, the faster your burn fat.

* The Carbohydrate Blockers - to prevent the degradation of starch into glucose, carbohydrate blockers stop the digestive enzyme alpha amylase to complete their jobs.

* Fat Blockers - made of soluble and insoluble fiber complex, fat blockers bind to fat molecules to form a viscous solution that is too thick to be digested by the body.

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