Sunday, 27 May 2012

What Can I Eat On A Detox Diet?


What Can I Eat On A Detox Diet?
So you thought you would try a detox diet? Before we look at the foods you can eat let's just find out if a detox is really the right thing for you to do.
A detox diet means you must withdraw all the food you normally eat and stick to a strict regimen of detox foods. In some cases to withdraw certain snacks and fat filled food is a good idea. But remember your body requires a certain amount of nutrition to function normally.
If you don't consume enough calories your body will 'think' food has become scarce and will begin to try to conserve energy using less of its precious energy supply, namely your fat reserves. Your metabolism slows down and you are less likely to remove toxins or lose weight.
You must also consider your health. Certain health conditions may make dieting of any kind unwise. Speak to your doctor before you begin.
Why Should I Detox
Most of us over indulge at one time or another. Too much alcohol or unhealthy food can take its toll on your body. So a detox diet is a good way to stop your unhealthy eating habits and 'reboot' your lifestyle.
A detox diet is often referred to as clearing out the toxins from your body. In fact your body does this all the time. Your liver and kidneys remove toxins from your body on a daily basis. If you eat healthy foods you put far less toxins into your system so your liver and kidneys don't have to work quite so hard. As well as that, healthy foods are better for you so you get far more nutritional value for far less effort.
What Can I Eat On A Detox Diet?
Ok, so now you know what you're letting yourself in for. Let's find out what foods are going to help you detox. As you would expect the best foods to eat are fresh fruit and vegetables. Some diets recommend one or the other but a variety of good food will prevent you from becoming bored and cheating on your diet.
Antioxidants prevent the breakdown of body cells by a reaction known as oxidation. Oxidation is an essential part of your body chemistry but it can lead to irreversible cell damage if it goes unchecked. So eating food high in antioxidants is of great benefit. Here are some foods that contain antioxidants.
  1. Vitamin C is an antioxidant. Citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons are high in vitamin C. Vegetables such as broccoli also contain vitamin C.

  2. Vitamin E. This can be found in seeds and nuts so they should be included in your detox diet. But don't eat too many because they are also rich in fat.

  3. Vitamin B can be found in green vegetables such as broccoli. B6 and B12 in particular are active in the chemical reactions that occur naturally in your body to remove toxins and renew body cells.

  4. Glutathione can be made naturally in your liver but foods containing glutathione give you a head start. Vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, garlic and sprouts are high in glutathione.

  5. Green Tea contains antioxidants known as catechins as well as vitamin C and minerals. Research has shown that green tea can help to reduce heart disease and some cancers.

  6. Oatmeal and rice contain melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that regulated your sleep pattern but it is also an antioxidant.

  7. Ginger, a great ingredient to use when cooking is also an antioxidant. Research has also found ginger to have an influence on the digestive system, aiding recovery from nausea and diarrhoea.
There are many detox diets around, all offering great advice. They can be found online in places such as Amazon or if you prefer try your local book store.
But you don't need to spend massive amounts of money on a diet plan. Just use your common sense. You already know which foods are healthy and if you regularly eat a healthy diet there is no need to put yourself through a detox regime.
To use the old adage 'You are what you eat'. If you eat healthy foods and live a healthy lifestyle then you'll see the benefits in your health and energy levels. But don't take my word for it, try it out for yourself and see how it makes you feel.
Living a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be hard.
For more great advice click here!

Saturday, 19 May 2012

Move For Energy: The 5 Simple Secrets on How to Move


All too often we can go through life stuck in a rut. Everyday ends up looking like the day before and we can barely muster the energy to get up off the couch let alone go out and exercise. But, and this is a big but, if you can shake up your day, if you can break the cycle you're in, exercise can add that energy boost you've been looking for. Here's how:
1. Walk a lot: Sometimes it seems like the world is conspiring against walking. Travelators, lifts, escalators, cars, trains, buses, bicycles etc. All of these are against walking. But if you can choose to walk on a regular basis you will find that you genuinely have more energy. Constant movement at a slower pace (not TOO slow!) can work wonders for you. Aim for a brisk walk where you are puffing but can still maintain a conversation.
2. Sprint a little: Once a week go for a sprint. It doesn't need to be running, you can sprint on a rowing machine or a push bike for those of you who are conscious of your knees. But once a week go out and do 6-8 sprints. Sprinting has been shown to raise hormone levels and improve energy levels, fitness, strength and power. But if you do it too much you will develop high levels of stress hormones which can be bad for your health.
3. Lift heavy stuff: A couple of times per week go out and lift heavy stuff. This can be push ups, pull ups, squats, planks, etc. you don't need equipment and you can do it at your own pace. But heavy lifting increases the right growth hormone which means more energy and more muscles!
4. Pilates: Pilates is a great way to improve core strength. When you have weak core stabilisers your other muscles must work much harder to keep you upright and be able to move. This takes up a lot of unnecessary energy. If you work with well trained Pilates instructors you can improve your core strength and stability which will give you more energy.
5. Get an Adjustment: Getting specific chiropractic adjustments can make a huge difference. Adjustments affect the nervous system; often we are tired or have low energy due to disorganisation of the nervous system or from nervous system interference. Chiropractic adjustments can help your nervous system work at a higher level and give you more energy. It worked wonders for me!
Just follow these 5 simple secrets on how to move for energy and you will find you experience less tiredness, less fatigue and much more energy.
For more great help to reach your weight loss goal click here!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7060182

Saturday, 5 May 2012

9 Healthy Ways To Eat Less


Most of the time, people and children are used to eating everything on their plates and leaving them empty after meals. It is something firmly fixed in our brains as children that we must eat everything we take on our plates. We grew up in this way of thinking without realising that this affects our eating practise. And instead of eating the proper amounts of food needed in the body, we then tend to eat more.
Eat less as often as you can rather than consuming large amounts of food. Cutting up your food intake to a proper balanced diet is best.
Here are important healthy balanced guidelines on how to decrease your eating practise.
9 Healthy guidelines on how to eat less:
  1. Use small plates and glasses. This way it helps you control the portion size and help you minimise your amount of food intake.
  2. Take little bites and chew your food gradually, spending some time to take pleasure from it.
  3. Control your taste. Help yourself turn away from sweets and foods that have a lot of sugar contents and are unhealthy.
  4. Eat fresh veggies before the primary course. Fill yourself up with natural, numerous veggies or some good vegetable soup. By doing this, you'll need less of the heavy meat products to be satisfied.
  5. Slow down! When you eat quickly, you end up taking in more meals before your system has an opportunity to determine that it's full.
  6. Reduce the quantity of bakery, snacks, cookies, and high sodium treats you eat.
  7. Kick out the sugar. If you used to consume sugared carbonated beverages, try as much as possible to substitute them either with fruit juice or water.
  8. Drink more water during the day. This is pretty general, but definitely seems to help and create a big change in your diet.
  9. Don't eat right before going to bed. No more food intake after 9 in the evening. The body slows down in digestion when you go to bed. Your meal would just turn into body fat because you are sleeping and not burning calories.
Additional food intake higher than our needed body requirement is stored in our body system as fat. The fat will then result to excess weight and can lead to other risk factors like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, fatigue and other health issues. While when we eat less, we tend to spend less and cut down our food expenses.
For more help with eating less click here