Food Diet

The superfoods in this article not only have weight loss attributes but supreme health benefits that make them ideal members in any healthy weight loss regime.

Chilli

The active ingredient in chilli called capsaicin is a thermogenic agent which helps to increase metabolism and the burning of calories and fat. This is why capsaicin is found in many natural weight loss formulas. Capsaicin is also believed to be an appetite suppressant. Two studies led by the same Japanese researcher (Yoshioka et al., British Journal of Nutrition; 1998, 1999), revealed the ability of cayenne to increase the metabolism of dietary fats in women as well as demonstrate modest reductions in appetite.

In addition to weight loss properties, capsaicin has been shown to relieve pain, sinusitis, psoriasis, migraines and arthritis, improve circulation and stomach conditions and inhibit the growth of cancer cells.

Bee pollen

Bee Pollen, around 40% protein with a staggering composition of nutrients, enzymes and phytochemicals, is a virtually complete food. As well as a plethora of health benefits, it is said to stimulate the metabolism, speeding up the burning of calories, and its high content of lecithin can help to flush fat from the body.

Bee pollen also functions as an appetite suppressant, containing the amino acid phenylalanine that is known to effect the area of the brain that deals with feelings of hunger and fullness. Unlike the chemical manmade derivative of phenylalanin called phenylpropanolamine used in commercial weight-loss products, phenylalanin is not addictive and has no negative side effects. Bee pollen also satiates the appetite and eliminates cravings because it is so nutrient-dense.

Coconut oil

Dr. Weston A Price, the Darwin of nutrition writes, ‘Replacing the fats you now eat with coconut oil may be the wisest decision you can make to lose excess body fatYou can lose unwanted body fat by eating more saturated fat (in the form of coconut oil) and less polyunsaturated fat (processed vegetable oils). One of the remarkable things about coconut oil is that it can help you lose weight. Yes, there is a dietary fat that can actually help you take off unwanted pounds. Coconut oil can quite literally be called a low-fat fat.’

Coconut oil is unique from animal saturated fats in that it is comprised of medium chain fatty acids which are absorbed directly and used immediately for energy. Raymond Peat MD, author of Coconut Oil and Its Virtues, concludes, ‘The anti-obesity effect of coconut oil is clear in all of the animal studies, and in my friends who eat it regularly.’

Coconut oil has also been found to benefit a myriad of conditions from diabetes, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, digestive disorders, thyroid imbalances, and viral, bacterial and fungal infections.

Nettles

Nettles contain serotonin, a mood enhancing neurotransmitter with a calming influence. Serotonin also plays a role in the feelings of satiation one experiences after eating, hence functions as an appetite suppressant. It is for this reason that serotonin supplements have been designed to tackle food cravings and aid slimming.

Studies have shown a direct link between obesity (due to overeating) and decreased brain levels of serotonin. This is no doubt one reason why nettles have a traditional reputation for improving weight-loss. The late naturalist and wild-food forager Euel Gibbons claims, ’stinging nettle is very efficacious in removing unwanted pounds!’.

Nettles are incredible mineral dense and are cleansing and detoxifying for the body. They are also great for skin, hair and nails as they contain the beautifying mineral sulphur.

Chocolate

Cacao (aka pure chocolate), contains chemicals that increase levels of serotonin in the brain, and as such has appetite suppressing properties. Serotonin levels are raised in part due to the amino acid tryptophan in cacao as well as the action of monoamine oxidase enzyme inhibitors (MAO inhibitors). These decrease our body’s ability to break down serotonin so that more of this neurotransmitter remains in the brain remains, creating feelings of fullness for longer.

Cacao is also exceptionally high in antioxidants, has potent aphrodisiac properties, healthy minerals and mood-boosting compounds such as PEA the ‘love chemical’.

Pure, unrefined chocolate contains none of the detriments of commercial products such as sugar, hydrogenated fats, milk, additives, agro-chemicals and solvents.

Green Tea

A study published in the December 1999 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, led by Dr. Dullo at the University of Geneva, indicates that substances in green tea extract may actually promote weight loss. Men given a combination of both caffeine and green tea extract burned more fat calories than those given caffeine or placebo alone.

The scientists believed that the catechin flavonoids in green tea may alter the body’s use of norepinephrine, a chemical transmitter in the nervous system, to increase the rate of calorie burning. They concluded, ‘Green tea has thermogenic properties and promotes fat oxidation beyond that explained by its caffeine content per se’.

Green tea also lowers cholesterol, reduces the risk of stroke, protects against cancer, prevents teeth cavities and has anti-inflammatory action.

Omega 3 Fish Oil

Omega-3 oils serve numerous bodily processes and are particularly good for the immune system and heart as well as arthritis, skin conditions, pre-menstrual tension, mental function, improving memory and reducing depressive symptoms. Omega 3 oils also play a role in burning fats within the body and as such can aid weight-management.

This is due to its effects on insulin, reducing levels in the body. Insulin promotes the use of fat for storage and reduces the use of fat for fuel, hence lower insulin levels mean greater conversion of fat for energy rather than storage.

The best Omega-3 oil sources are oily fish like sardines, salmon and mackerel. Plant sources include flaxseeds (the richest plant source), walnuts, pumpkin seeds, green leafy vegetables, evening primrose oil, wheat germ and spirulina.

I would also recommend a primarily raw food diet (plant-based) and alkaline diet for healthy weight loss.

Sylvia Riley is an author, writer and researcher in field of natural health and nutrition.
Discover the World’s Ultimate Superfoods:
http://www.miracle-superfoods.com

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Whatever diet you choose to live by, the food you eat has to provide your body with the nourishment to properly balance your body’s chemistry. If you have health challenges, are overweight or obese, chances are you are not in balance at all. The typical North American diet is woefully out of balance. Even what are commonly considered as healthy diets, such as low fat, vegetarien and vegan diets can be improperly balanced.

The good news is you can forget counting … cholesterol, calories, fat grams, carbohydrates, etc, if you eat a properly balanced diet. But, just what does a properly balanced diet consist of?

At this time, it is important to remember a quick lesson in chemistry. Many people know about acids. We used to often hear about acid rain and almost everyone knows that acids are dangerous. The opposite of acids are bases, or alkaloids. These alkaline substances will neutralize acids. In fact, if you mix an acid and a base of equal strength, you will get a new liquid that is close to being neutral. The way of measuring how acidic or alkaline a substance is a scale called pH.

It turns out that the body has a set level of pH that it likes to function in. Just as we all have a normal body temperature, we also have a normal pH for our tissues. Different tissues have different pH levels. One of the most important ones is the pH of your blood. The pH of your blood is slightly alkaline. The body will go to great lengths to keep that pH level fixed. It will do this at the expense of other tissues or systems.

The goal of any healthy eating regimen is to provide the body with the necessary building blocks in the proper pH such that the pH balance can be maintained easily. When this happens, the body will detoxify itself naturally. In addition, weight loss is a side effect of being properly balanced. When one is out of balance, or overly acidic, weight gain, chronic illness, allergies, cancer, heart disease and even diabetes can result. This chronic overacidity of the blood corrodes the tissues of the body. It can also be said that the main cause of all sickness and disease is the disruption of the balance in the body.

With that in mind, how does one get in balance?

In order to get in balance, one needs to consume about 80 percent of your diet as alkaline foods. Green leafy vegetables are a great example of alkaline foods. So are sprouts, broccoli and many other green vegetables. A great way to get started on this new way of life is to pick up a copy of “The pH Miracle” from your local or online bookstore. Inside you will learn how to jumpstart your way into a lifestyle of balanced eating that promotes long term health. In addition you will discover all the foods you should avoid and the ones that you can eat as much as you like. This book is written by Dr. Robert O. Young and his wife Shelley provides recipes in the book too. All in all, an alkaline way of life is both healthy and safe when done properly.

A raw food diet that is rich in alkaline foods is the fastest way to health. We help spread the word of this amazing way of life at our Raw Food Diet web site. There you will find many items related to eating a raw food diet, getting enough antioxidants and even how to pick the best electric juicer.

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1. Food should not be wasted

We have learnt not to leave food even though we don’t really want it. If we cooked it, bought it, served it up on a plate or ordered it in a restaurant it has to be eaten because “it’s a sin to throw away good food”. So we use our bodies as a kind of human waste disposal unit and pile unwanted pounds onto our hips.

We learnt to clean our plates when we were kids, mostly from well-meaning parents who wanted to make sure we got enough nourishment and tried to make us feel guilty about all the starving people in the world. We learnt to eat stuff we didn’t really want or need to please our parents and sometimes we got more food as a reward (”Eat your dinner or you won’t get dessert”).

Now you’re an adult you can take a different approach. Buy less, cook less, serve up less and order less but if it’s still more food than you need, throw it out rather than down your throat. It’s a greater waste to over feed your body than it is to throw out excess food.

2. Food equals love

We learn from birth to link love and comfort from our mother with being fed and that feeling is reinforced throughout childhood. We equate food with being cared for. So it’s often the first thing we turn to when we want to experience those feelings of love and comfort again.

But food is not love. A double-chocolate chip cookie or plateful of fries will never love you back. Only people can do that.

If you need love, you need contact with other living breathing humans. Call up a friend and talk, don’t eat.

3. Slim people can eat as much food as they like

This one is actually true but not in the way we often believe it. Slim people eat as much as they like but they don’t live for food. They like to eat as much as they need and they do. Sometimes they overeat. That’s when you see them eating chocolate cake and pizza and you think they have it made. But other times (more likely when you’re not seeing them on an evening out) they’re satisfied with soup and a salad. It’s a balance thing. If slim people ate too much all the time they would be overweight too!

Even so, you may find that your friend can eat more than you and not get fat. You may put it down to the luck of a fast metabolism but actually the slight variances you find in metabolism make very little difference. Naturally slim people simply move around more during the course of the day even if they don’t take regular exercise. They’re forever on the go. They’re up and down more. And they fidget more. Studies have shown that they use up more calories than others in that way.

If you eat and move like your slim friends you will have little to envy.

4. Healthy food doesn’t make you fat

You can get fat eating anything - although, granted, it would be difficult to overeat lettuce. But some natural foods are high in calories - in particular nuts and seeds - so you can easily take in too many calories with these. And fruit juices, smoothies and shakes can really pile on the pounds. Too many complex carbohydrates, whole grain though they are, will go straight to your hips too. Healthy foods are great but they still have to be eaten in moderation.

Having said that, true healthy natural real foods are not generally the real problem. The main culprit here are those foods which are branded as healthy by food manufacturers - the foods that are “full of goodness” or low in fat or carbs or whatever. They offer so-called healthy options for cookies, cakes and pies that you could do well without eating. They just tempt you to eat more because you think they are healthy or low in calories. Check the labels and give them a miss.

5. Only unhealthy food tastes good

You may have spent years assaulting your taste-buds with fat and sugar confectionary, salty snacks and fried foods and that is what they have learnt to know and love. But actually many foods that you eat have sugar and salt added to give them appeal they wouldn’t otherwise have. Once you start tasting quality natural foods and delicious healthy recipes you will never look back. Become a true gourmet and learn to love good natural food in moderation. Take the time to prepare and enjoy it properly and you will find your taste buds dancing with delight.

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach, slimming club owner and author of “The Diet Exit Plan”, an 8 week coaching program for automatic permanent weight loss. Request her FREE 15 page report “How to lose weight without dieting - 7 secrets the diet industry doesn’t want you to know” at http://www.SimplySlimming.com TODAY!

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