Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Simplified Weight Loss and Diet Solution


The greatest ordeal among weight conscious is how to remove the excess baggage of fats on their midsection – the belly. It is unsightly to see bulging and sagging abdominals. It has become a big deal among obese and weight conscious individuals to rid these stubborn fats.

The solution is a simplified fat loss regimen that anyone can easily implement. It must consist of the following programs that will help you reduce the amounts of fats that add up to your weight and unsightly image.

1. Workouts

Must include exercise regimen you are comfortable doing and most likely to sustain for a longer period. It must incorporate eclectic approach of general body conditioning, resistance exercise, and cardiovascular exercise.

2. Make a Reasonable Diet Plan

Exercise workouts are futile without a sound diet. Body fats occur when there are fats and calories more than the body can burn. Crash diet is a big NO since the body has a defense mechanism that activates cravings once you starve yourself to death. This will make you eat more quantities of food more than you intend to consume.

3. Rev Up Your Metabolism

Eating more frequently with small amounts of food will make your metabolism spontaneously active. This will make breaking down of fats more consistent and effective.

Do not be hopeless when you see others enjoying a flatter abs than yours. They are simple genetically blessed with a leaner body structure and faster metabolic rate. Concentrate on your weight loss regimen and make sure to follow diligently each program to obtain your ideal weight and figure.

Glucomannan The Fiber Weight Loss Solution


Becoming popular in the Western countries and some parts of Asia is a fiber entity in the form of Glucomannan that offers a natural solution to weight gain. Taken from the plant, Amorphophallus konjac, its tuber has marked water retention ability, high viscosity, and molecular weight.

Glucomannan can improve bowel movement by enhanced waste excretion and can cause interference with the transport of cholesterol throughout the body with resulting reduced cholesterol and blood sugar levels. A natural appetite suppressant that gives one a full stomach sensation to discourage food cravings, Glucomannan is a perfect solution to obesity.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Drink Less Soda to Cut Down Calories


Researches are becoming numerous in terms of the outcome of their studies that implicate sodas as a main hindrance to losing weight. The higher sweetener and sugar content from sodas contribute to gain weight. Notable are the high caloric content in fruit drinks and sweetened beverages.

Experts imply substituting soda intake with water as a healthier solution to cut down calorie levels from the body. Many studies conclude that sweetened sodas highly contribute to childhood obesity. Sodas are no doubt any child’s favorite. Beyond the sweet tastes of sodas are higher caloric content that are the main culprit for obesity in children.

Experts suggest cutting down soda intake and substitute it with water instead. Studies were conclusive that sweetened sodas contribute to childhood obesity. Children like sweetened drinks and sodas are a favorite. Beyond the knowledge of many, sodas contain high calories and daily intake of sweetened sodas adds up to weight gain.

Water substitutes to sodas will provide significant reduction of the level of calories in the body. Water is a weight loss alternative regimen that can highly prevent obesity among adults and children. Sodas should be given to children as treats or on occasional basis only and it should not always be readily available in your refrigerator for easy access to them.

Recent studies show that a percent drop of calorie from sweetened sodas can substantially equate to about 6.6. percent drop on calorie consumption. This statistics reflects a significant impact to losing weight.

Obesity in both children and adults can pose risk to medical conditions such as diabetes and heart ailments. Sugar laden drinks such as sweetened beverages, sodas, and fruit drinks are a façade of weight obesity.

Taking calorie free beverages will help eliminate about 235 calories from a child or adult’s daily diet and water consumption remains to be the best healthier alternative drinks.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

The Most Dangerous Food Additives In The Market


I am working on my article about aspartame and my research shocked me of its potential health hazard. I am compelled to write this into circulation for the true sense of an educated information since aspartame is contained in the many products we consume everyday: carbonated diet drinks, breath mints, cereals, chewing gum, flavored syrups for coffee, frozen ice creams, fruit spread, gelatin (sugar free), hard and soft candies, ice tea powder/ready to drink, juices, instant cocoa mix, maple syrups, mousse, sugar free cookies, sugar free ketchups, table top sweeteners, vegetable drinks, yogurt and the list may go on and on.

Make a habit of looking at the product labels for this substance as it is also suspected to be addicting. I actually made 10 articles about aspartame but I chose to introduce you to the toxic substances behind this artificial sweetener. Please read on my article.

THE TOXIC SUBSTANCES BEHIND ASPARTAME

Aspartame has gained general public attention because of issues raised against its potential threat to public health. Many people would claim it is the substance aspartame as the culprit for the varying complex symptoms they experienced. Many would be aware of these possible threats of aspartame but not many would understand why such claims were stated. It would be educational to understand the substances that made aspartame a dangerous artificial sweetener.

Because of its benefits such as weight reduction and reducing calories from daily food intake, it is also a friend to our tooth that keeps it away from decay and allows diabetics to eat more choices of foods with artificial sweeteners in lieu of sugar. Because of these benefits, many people are enticed to patronized foods with artificial sweeteners without bothering what substances make up the sugar substitute in their foods.

Aspartame is made up of three substances. The first substance is aspartic acid, an excitatory amino acid that makes up about 40% of aspartame. It acts as a neurotransmitters in the brain that when present in excessive amounts can cause neuronal death. It is often tagged as an excitotoxin as it causes neuronal cell death due to its hyperactivity. It reaches its higher level in the brain shortly after aspartame ingestion. About 75% of neural deaths occur before significant symptoms are manifested.

Long term exposure to this substance is closely related to chronic illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, memory loss, hearing loss, hormonal problems, epilepsy, alzheimer’s disease, parkinson’s disease, hypoglycemia, aids, dementia, brain lesions and neuroendocrine disorders. Under debate are other myriads of reactions due to excessive aspartic acid in the brain including headaches, abdominal pains, nausea, sleeping problems, fatigue, vision impairments, anxiety attacks, depression and asthma. It was also noted to observe precaution on its risks to children, infants, pregnant women and the elderly.

Phenylalanine is the second substance making up 50% of aspartame. Intake of this substance is highly toxic to people with genetic disorder of phenylketonuria (PKU) who cannot metabolize phenylalanine in their system. When taken along with carbohydrates, the phenylalanine level of an individual can shoot up to an excessive level. Excessive presence of this substance decreases the serotonin level in the brain causing emotional disorders such as depression. Studies of reduced serotonin can lead to a violent reaction, depression, emotional imbalance and behavioral changes.

The third and most dangerous substance present in aspartame is methanol, a deadly poison that makes 10% of aspartame. It takes the responsibility of causing blindness and death among alcoholics. It is released when aspartame are heated above 86 Fahrenheit (30 Centigrade) occurring usually when aspartame-containing products are improperly stored or when heated.

Methanol then breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde (a deadly neurotoxin). Methanol poisoning result to a complex of symptoms such as headaches, GI disturbances, ear buzzing, dizziness, nausea, vertigo, weakness, chills, memory lapses, numbness and shooting pain in the extremities, behavioral disturbances, visual problems, birth defects and neuritis.

Behind the beauty of dieting benefits of aspartame lurk dangerous substances deleterious to human health. While legally approved by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States and freely circulated in the market for public consumption world wide, it is every consumer’s awareness to make their own personal judgment whether to consume aspartame-containing products to safeguard their health.

Are Plastic Bottle Safe For Recycled Drinking?


It has been a health concern to the majority on the safety use of plastic bottled water lately. Since the current trend is for people to bring water on a trendy colorful plastic bottles that is convenient to heftily carry around. These bottles are light, durable and come in beautiful or sporty designs. They are perfect for active lifestyle. The irony however, is that health hazard may be caused by the chemicals that make these bottles attractive. Some agencies and research centers however are not united to claim the fact that plastic bottled water gives potential health hazard to the consumers. Here are some facts to base your own educated judgment how safe plastic bottled waters are.

The Chemicals

Lexan polycarbonate resin is plastic polymer used in a variety of products over the last four decades including compact discs and DVDs, bulletproof windows, mobile phones, computers, baby bottles, and water bottles. Lexan is a perfect choice for water and baby bottles as it is durable, doesn't hold flavors or odors nor delivers any taste from the bottle material itself to the fluids it holds. In 1998, it was discovered that polycarbonate resin can leach bisphenol-A (BPA), a potent hormone disruptor. BPA, a chemical found in epoxy resin and polycarbonate plastics, may impair the reproductive organs and have adverse effects on tumors, breast tissue development, and prostate development by reducing sperm count.

BPA can be leached into the water bottles contents through normal wear and tear, exposure to heat and cleaning agents. This include leaving your plastic water bottle in your car during errands, in your back pack during hikes and running it through your dishwasher and using harsh detergents. It was further found that detectable levels of BPA leached into liquids at room temperature. This means just having your plastic water bottle sitting on your desk can be potentially harmful.

It would be assuring to know on the other hand that most plastic containers are made up of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and that with single use, these bottles are perfectly safe. However, the plastics in re-used water bottles break down over time. Bottles that are repeatedly used after rinsing, washing and heating, contain a contaminant that appears regularly in these single-use plastic beverage containers, known as DEHA (di-2-ethyl-hexyl-adipate).

DEHA is a suspected human carcinogen that if consumed in large concentrations has been linked to excessive weight loss as well as reproductive and liver problems. This repeated use causes the plastic to break down and the carcinogens can leach into the water that you are drinking.

People who re-use a PET bottle once or twice to carry drinking water are in possibly no danger from chemicals leaching from the plastic into the water. However, it is known that bottles left out in the heat, say in your car, run the risk of having the plastics break down and bacteria to grow much faster. It is recommended that if a new water bottle is left out in a warm temperature or after being left in a hot car to dispose of the water and recycle the container.

To avoid bacteria build up, wash out your containers with warm water and biodegradable dish soap. Be sure to wipe the mouth of the container and the lids. And most importantly, let the container completely dry before refilling. Keeping any container continually filled with liquid can lead to bacteria growth that can lead to potential illness to occur.

It must be kept in mind that plastic bottles are made to be recycled and not for re-use. As an alternative use stainless steel water bottles which are light, durable and hold both hot and cold liquids well and are suited for active individuals to use.

Although some research institutions relate that the claim on the potential health hazard caused by re-using plastic bottle remains unfounded, it would be wise to keep in mind that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.