Category Archives: Nutrition

losing weight

Lose Weight by Keeping a Food Journal

Send to Kindle

Guest Blogger: Drew Stegman losing weight

I’m sure you’ve heard before that you should always track the food you’re eating. While I agree with this 100%, a recent study done by the American Journal of Preventitve Medicine shows that keeping a food diary can double your weight loss results.

Researchers from Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research kept logs on over 1,500 overweight men and women, who had an average weight of about 220 pounds. The researchers made the test subjects reduce their calorie intake to the point they were losing weight and told 750 of them to track their calorie intake as well.
After 20 weeks, the average weight loss per person was about 13 pounds. But the researchers also discovered something else: the 750 test subjects who tracked what they ate each day lost twice as much weight. Test subjects who did not keep a food journal lost about 9 pounds over the course of the study, while the test subjects who recorded what they ate each day lost an average of about 18 pounds.
Isn’t it amazing how much some simple tracking can do? If it can double your weight loss, you’d be a fool not to start tracking what you eat each day in a food journal. Make sure you not only track the type of food you’re eating, but also the amount. In addition to this, it would be wise to read your nutrition labels and always put down the amount of protein, fats, and carbohydrates in each food you eat.

Although the research is still out as to why keeping a food journal can help you lose additional weight, I think I’ve come to the somewhat obvious conclusion. See, when you’re constantly monitoring what you’re doing in life, you’re going to hold yourself accountable to it. When it comes to weight loss, things are no different. If you’re constantly monitoring what you’re eating and how much you’re eating in a food journal, you’re going to see what mistakes you’re making and will more than likely make changes to improve your diet, resulting in greater weight loss. You can flip back several weeks and see what you did back then, to see how you can improve for the future.

That’s another thing I want to bring up – always write down the date and time that you ate the food! If you don’t, you’ll look back on certain days of your nutrition and have no idea how long ago it was or when it took place. And if you don’t even know when you ate your meals, how can you make positive changes for the future? You can’t.

Hopefully this article has given you a better understanding about the power a food journal can have on your physique. It’s simply amazing how much a single choice can have such a profound effect on your weight loss success and a food journal can do just that. It’s not my opinion; it’s backed by science as well! I’m sure this isn’t the only study which suggests this and if you want to learn about more studies then Google is your friend. Anyway, stay ripped and lean.

About the Author  

Drew Stegman has been lifting weights and building muscle for an incredibly long time. Throughout this time period, she has collected a wealth of information on anything fitness and health related, and she loves sharing her knowledge with anybody and everybody.

Green Coffee Beans

What Makes This Green Coffee Bean Extract Good for Your Health?

Send to Kindle

Guest Blogger:  Jessica MillerGreen Coffee Beans

The amazing health benefits of unroasted green coffee bean extracts seem to be quite amazing for your overall health and well-being, and also in reducing weight. Dr. Lindsey Duncan, a Naturopathic Doctor and a Celebrity Nutritionist, has stated that the powerful effects of green beans even amaze him. With them, a person seems to drop pounds without any change in diet or exercising.
His conclusions are based on a recent research on Green Coffee Beans that was published in 2009 in the Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, & Obesity journal. In this study, a group of 19 adults used the green coffee beans extract for a period of 14 weeks. Over the course of this study, which was conducted by University of Scranton, it was revealed that all subjects lost about 15 pounds each, which means that this supplement worked and helped them in reducing their body fat.

How green coffee beans cause weight loss?

The green coffee beans have very high chlorogenic acid content, which is important for boosting body’s metabolism and can singlehandedly induce weight loss in humans. However, during the processing of coffee, this acid is lost; so you cannot get weight loss by drinking a cup of coffee!

Chlorogenic acid is there only in unroasted coffee beans, but once they are roasted at high temperature for making coffee, it is lost forever. It works by slowing down the release of glucose from liver into the bloodstream and also raises metabolism speed. When the release of glucose in the blood stream is slowed down, then instead of sugar, body starts using fat cells to get energy, so when fat cells start burning to provide energy, you will experience rapid weight loss.

Various studies done on Green Bean Coffee Extracts have opened doors to their unbound health potential. If these extracts are used along with the right combination of exercises and proper intake of food, the results can be far greater. When taken in a proper way, you could expect a weight loss of around 6-9 pounds in 3-4 weeks, not a bad score considering that you are not on a diet, or exercises. So it’s been proved beyond doubt that supplements indeed works as per manufactures claims. If you are taking capsules of Green Bean Coffee Extracts, you should choose one with at least 50 percent chlorogenic acid. This is really a big factor for your weight loss plans.

Aside from inducing weight loss, there are several other benefits of Green Coffee Bean Extracts. Let’s have a close look at few of them:

  • Aside from inducing weight loss, Green Coffee Beans also help in reducing high blood pressure in all those who are suffering from hypertension. This is great for all those who are looking for natural alternatives to reduce their blood pressure. Reduction in blood pressure means low risk of cardiovascular diseases.
  • This extract also increases the effects of various pain medications, especially in case of migraine sufferers. This helps them in getting relief with even a less dosage, and with time they can even reduce or eliminate their dosage.
  • It has been recognized that Green Coffee Bean Extracts also help in alleviating or diminishing the mild depression symptoms by boosting energy levels. This supplement also has many anti-oxidant properties, which can keep your skin wrinkle-free and moisturized without any need for expensive creams. Best of all, it does all this naturally without any synthetic ingredients.
  • Chlorogenic acid found in the Green Coffee Beans Extract is actually a polyphenol that neutralizes several carcinogenic compounds before they can actually cause cancer.
  • Regular intake of Green Coffee Beans supplement also helps in reducing blood sugar levels.
  • It also acts as a potent appetite suppressant that acts fast. This means you will experience less food carvings, which will not only help in stabilizing your weight, but also your sugar level.

So the benefits of unroasted Green Coffee Beans extract are many, including rapid weight loss without exercises or any special diet, boosting your metabolism, reduced chances of cancer, and healthy blood sugar levels. You can get this extract in supplement form from many online stores. Best thing about these online stores is that you get fresh stocks at attractive prices because they have very low overheads and pass the benefits to their customers. So do your research, and order your supplement today and start availing all the health benefits from today itself.

This will ensure a healthier, happier you!

About the Author

Jessica miller is the owner of Greencoffeebeanextractpure.net, where you can find more information regarding Green Coffee Bean Extract.

Green tea

Does Green Tea Have the Power to Help You Lose Weight?

Send to Kindle

Guest Blogger: Sergio Neuroice Green tea

The number one drink out on the market today when it comes to losing weight is protein shakes. After that and rising in popularity as each day goes by is green tea.

Green tea has seen a rapid increase in popularity over the last few years so much so that more and more products are coming out that are being flavored with green tea. There is even green tea flavored ice cream!

But I guess you’re wondering whether or not it will help you lose weight?

While this drink is popular, be glad to know that it is for the right reasons. Unlike many of the popular fad diets out there, green tea does actually have health benefits that can help you lose fat really quickly.

Where On Earth Does Green Tea Come From?

Green tea actually begins life on a plant that goes by the name of Camellia Sinesis. You’d be surprised to know that this is the exact plant where black tea also starts life.

While both of these teas start from the same place the end result could not be more different. Green tea is a lot more beneficial to your long term health than black tea is. The factor that makes green tea that much more beneficial is the fact that it is barely processed.

Is It Worth Drinking Green Tea Regularly?

Green tea is hardly processed from the moment it is picked to the time it gets to your cup at home. This is why many of the health benefits that are associated with it remain unchanged.

Hence why drinking green tea is the best form that you can take it in. You should avoid all those processed products that claim to have green tea in them because they will never be as good as just drinking the tea straight from the leaves.

What Does Green Tea Do For You?

There are many wonderful things that green tea will help you achieve if you drink it on a regular basis.

The most beneficial thing about green tea is in its ability to help a person to relieve a lot of the stress that they may be going through. This stress relief will help to encourage the body to let go of some of the excess fat that it has been holding onto due to stress.

Another really great benefit is that green tea has small amounts of caffeine in it. This will help you to remain alert and energetic. This means that you can put down those fattening cups of energy drinks and coffee and instead start gulping up cups of green tea. Not only are you going to experience the same benefits in terms of energy but you will avoid experiencing the crash that is so common from drinking too much coffee or energy drinks.

It is highly likely that if you are overweight even by a small amount then your chances of getting blood pressure and high cholesterol are highly increased.

Those people that are able to drink green tea on a regular basis will find that their chances of getting illnesses such as blood pressure and high cholesterol will be significantly reduced. This will ultimately help their bodies to focus on losing the excess fat that they are carrying.

There have also been countless research studies which have shown that green tea prevents your body from producing any more fat cells and instead helps to convert a lot of the fat that you have on your person into energy that you can use to get through the day.

This ability that green tea has to help a person burn fat is the reason why so many people drink it on a regular basis.

How Much Should a Person Consume?

Those that really want to see the benefits of drinking green tea should aim to drink at least three cups of it a day.

But you need to take your time and implement it into your lifestyle slowly, one step at a time. This is the only way that you are going to maintain it as a solid part of your diet.

To really see the best results you are going to want to make sure that you are on a solid diet that is full of healthy and nutritious foods such as vegetables and lean, organic meat. At the same time, you need to be working out on a regular basis. When you get these fundamentals perfect then you will find that the green tea you drink will give you that added boost. You will get into the best shape of your life that much faster.

There is nothing more to it, and so all you need to do is get out there and take action.

About the Author

Sergio Neuroice has a passion for a passion for writing about health and would like readers to learn more about interesting topics, such as the fat loss factor and how to lose belly fat in a week, then do visit neuroice.org where you will be able to get all the health answers you want.

slow cooker

Why Slow Cookers is a Must-Have for Healthy Eating

Send to Kindle

Guest Blogger: Roxy Peters

A healthy and balanced diet can safeguard us from a lot of health problems. There is no problem inmunching those yummy fries and fast foods once in a while; but if you are addicted to them, then you are actually inviting a lot of trouble for yourself.

Therefore, it is important for you to strike a balance between the healthy food and the fried snacks to avoid troubles like high cholesterol, diabetes, heart problems, and other problems. So why choose a slow cookers? Here are some of the most interesting reasons:

Balance between work and personal life

Immense work pressure often leads us to ignore our diet and we end up in eating a lot of snacks, fast foods, fries, as well as ready to eat food. After reaching home, finishing the whole day’s ordeals, we are least enthusiastic about preparing food and prefer indulging in the junk foods. But have you ever pondered about an appliance which will take care of preparing a delicious, awesome, and warm meal while you are away. Well, here comes the role of a slow cooker that can prepare a food on your behalf while you are working in your office and welcome you home with its luscious tang when you are back.

Healthier choice

A slow cooker is the magical kitchen appliance that can prepare a meal for you easily and the best part is that you need not spend hours in front of the oven. Just cut the fresh vegetable, meat, or any other ingredient that you want to cook inside it and set the timer. The appliance will prepare the food on its own and once it is ready to eat, the appliance will involuntarily switch over to the simmer mode to keep the dish warm. Once home, you will be lured to the kitchen by the delicious aroma. With slow cooker, you would no longer regard cooking as an ordeal but would rather enjoy cooking. A warm, healthy, freshly cooked and nutritious meal will be waiting for you at home each and every day.

Consumption of less oil

Oily foods are considered as an absolute no no by the doctors. Though it might taste delicious and melt in your mouth, its after effects are really harmful. Fried foods contain a lot of fat which is very difficult to burn out. Even if you are cooking food in the oven, you would definitely use a lot of cheese and butter to make it tastier. But slow cooker allows you to prepare dishes with the least amount of oil. So slow cooker is a much better, healthier option in comparison to other methods of preparing food.

Retaining the nutritional values

The method of preparing food using Slow Cooker is much scientific as well. Nutritionists are of the opinion that in the process of frying, boiling, or preparing food by any other traditional methods, a lot of nutritional values of the fish, meat, or vegetable are lost. However, the method of preparing food using slow cooker is very scientific and the least amount of nutritional value will be lost during preparation. Vapor is primarily used for preparing food in a slow cooker; the food remains covered with a lid and minimal amount of heat is applied; these things work in favor of retaining the dietetic value of the food and making it a healthier choice.

Thus a slow cooker is the ideal appliance with the help of which you will strike a perfect equilibrium between your work and personal life by indulging a balanced and healthy diet. Nutritious food is a basic requirement for leading an active and healthy life. So investing on a slow cooker will be a great choice for you and your family.

About the Author

The above article is written by Roxy Peters who specializes in writing articles related to homes and family.

baby

Early Childcare: Keeping It Simple

Send to Kindle

Guest Blogger: Tom Clark

New parents may feel quite awkward with the whole routine of their infant’s care. Here are some helpful tips that will make the early stages of childcare less complicated.

Tips on Breastfeeding

It’s important for a nursing mother to eat a healthy, balanced diet and avoid foods with additives or those lacking in nutrients. In the early stages, newborns need to be fed about every two to three hours. To prevent sleep disruptions, it may be more convenient to keep your baby in your bedroom for a while when doing night feedings. As you may have already discovered, feeding a baby can be a messy job; so keep dozens of absorbent bibs handy and also drape your shoulder with a wide, absorbent towel when holding your baby. Babies often get distracted while feeding, and will often yank, scratch, and pull on their mothers. A few things that you can use to protect an active baby from scratching itself and you while feeding include:

Wearing a breastfeeding necklace
Clipping your baby’s nails
Purchasing baby mittens

Calming a Crying Baby with Swaddling and Other Methods

Swaddling has been shown to calm a baby considerably. As an alternative, you can use a sleep sac to keep your baby snug and secure. Some other steps to prevent excessive baby crying include:

Putting them in a quieter room
Playing soothing music
Humming or reading books
Keeping the baby’s room airy and cool

Suggested Remedies for Colic

Your doctor may diagnose your baby with colic based on frequency of their crying and discomfort they experience within a month. Treatment varies with each child, so experiment with a few of these suggestions:

Herbal gripe water
Switching formulas from cow to soy-based milk
Special formulas made with smaller molecules that digest easier
Tea made of chamomile and lemon balm
Using a bottle with a tilted teat
Massages after feedings
Nursing mothers should avoid members of the onion and cabbage families
Don’t rush feedings
Practice consistent burping

Safety Tips When Putting a Child to Bed

Sadly, the root cause of SIDS is still unknown. However, preventative measures can help keep your baby safer. It is recommended by many researchers that babies need to be placed in their cribs on their backs. In addition, a baby monitor can allow parents to monitor a baby’s movement if they need to reposition them during the night. Parents should also avoid placing bedding and toys that are too soft or squishy, as this could cause suffocation.

Hearing Tests

If deafness runs in your family, a hearing test is crucial to adjust to the challenges ahead of caring for a child with a hearing impairment. The sooner this is done, hearing aids, surgery, training or other forms of assistance can be implemented.

Cradle Cap

Cradle cap is a natural condition that will eventually wane in occurrence over time. Prevention may involve frequently shampooing your child’s hair to curb excess oil accumulation on the scalp. If the condition is severe, your doctor may recommend a special medicated baby shampoo containing salicylic acid or sulfur or hydrocortisone cream to treat the redness and rash.

 

About the Author

Tom Clark is a freelance writer, professional blogger, and social media enthusiast. His blog Nannyinterviewquestions.com focuses on job interview. You can follow him on Google+.