Fruits: The Guide To Good Health

10 Steps for Weight Loss  

Are your eating habits healthy?

Where are all the fat Japanese?

Fruits: The Guide To Good Health   by Kevin Pederson

These objectives might stimulate you towards a fruit diet, weight loss, healthy diet, natural cure for obesity and weight control, healthy lifestyle, body cleansing! What more would you ask for? Why else would you have 5 to 9 fresh slices a day, organically grown as far as possible? Lets consider some facts:

1. Fruit mostly consists of water just like the human body does; 2. Fruit is one hundred percent cholesterol free; 3. Fruit leads to better memory; 4. Fruit has miraculous healing effects 5. Fruit has plenty of fiber 6. Fruit makes you feel better, naturally 7. Fruit is the most natural and tasty food

More often than not, fruit consists of water just like the human body. Just like 80% of our body is water is 80% of fruit. Come to think of it, it's logical for the human body to have foods that contain as much water as the body.

The nutrition that meets our requirements is fruit, hence there is no other food than fruit that contains on average 80% water. No doubt, vegetables contain a lot of water too and are therefore second best on our list.

Fruit is 100% bad-cholesterol free and there is no argument about this. Too much of cholesterol is bad for our bodies and fruit doesn't contain one bit cholesterol. On the other hand, animal products such as meat and dairy contain a lot of bad-cholesterol.

Besides, it is now proven that fruit stimulates the memory In case you did not know tit yet, fruit is the ultimate brain fuel. The way it works has yet to be discovered and a number of scientists are looking into it. But, we do know that if you have lots of fruit, your brains will be able to recall information faster and more easily.

The miraculous healing effects of fruit are doing the rounds nowadays. In fact, spectacular stories about folks that got cured from incurable diseases just abiding by a strict diet of raw fruits and/or vegetables are well known.

Then how about fibers? We all know now that a diet with lots of fibers helps against obesity, hypertension, and other things that increase the chance for a heart disease and cancers. The amount of fibers consumed could be an even more important factor than the amount of fat that people consume.

Finally, fruit is the most natural food. When you see a piece of fruit dangling from the branch of a tree it is telling you something: "Eat my fruits and help me spread my seeds." That is how nature works, humans eat fruits and vegetables and subsequently help plants spread.

Human beings use animals to work the land to grow the plants and trees that produce these vegetables and fruits. No wonder, fruit is the best human diet A healthy diet should comprise a lot of freshly squeezed fruit juices, raw fruits and vegetables. Here are some tips:

1. It is a good start to eat and drink more fresh fruits; 2. It is very simple, before you know it you will be feeling so much better; 3. Always remember to eat fruit on an empty stomach, not after meals

About the Author

Kevin Pederson manages websites on nutrition, diet and health. A nutritious and well balanced diet ensures well being and reduces the chance of numerous debilitating diseases such as cancer, diabetes, stroke, etc.

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10 Steps for Weight Loss   by Russell Davies

2) Initially deduct 10%(to a maximum of 500Kcal)off the total maintenance calories. Drastically reducing your calories will result in muscle and water loss - not fat loss.

3)Divide you calories over 5 or 6 meals rather then 2 or 3. You should aim to eat every 3-4 hours.

4)Cut out all simple carbohydrates (except straight after exercise, eat whole grain, high fiber foods.)

5) Exercise at least 3 times a week, doing 30 minutes of cardio to a reasonable level of intensity. This will help to create the calorie deficit and encourage your body to lose fat.  

6)Make simple replacements in your diet, Sweetener in place of sugar, diet drinks in place of full sugar drinks, use leaner cuts of meat etc. At first these changes may be difficult but you will get used to them and make vital calorie savings every day.

7) Drink plenty of water - at least 2 liters of water every day - if you are dehydrated you body will be less efficient and will make fat loss more difficult.

8) Try to eat low carb (complex only!), low fat and moderate protein. From my experience the South Beach Diet is excellent.

9)Keep a food diary to monitor how many calories you are consuming - it is very easy to over eat.

10) Supplementing you diet can make fat loss easier. A diet high in protein can help preserve muscle (more muscle means an increase in metabolism). There are also some fat loss supplements available which help boost your metabolism, this is useful as your metabolism may slow during extended periods of dieting.

This article is written from my own experiences. I have lost 20lbs of fat and gained 20lbs of muscle. My body fat is 11%. Please consult a doctor for proper medical advice

About the Author

I am a fitness enthusiast and write about my experience of fat loss and exercise. I have recently opened my own supplement website. http://www.thesupplementsite.co.uk

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Are your eating habits healthy?   by John Gibb

Healthy eating is one of those things that everyone wants to do, but no-one is quite sure how to. Food companies all want you to believe that all you have to do to be healthy is buy whatever you're selling, and people will pay high prices for 'health in a bottle' type products. The reality of healthy eating, however, is much more complicated than that.

The key to healthy eating is one little word: balance. You need to balance all the different food groups in your diet (that's diet as in things you eat, not diet as in weight loss). That means carbohydrates, fats and proteins should all feature equally in each meal you eat. Start paying attention to the backs of labels, where it should be clearly marked how much of each nutrient your food contains, and steer clear of foods that are very high in any one thing unless you are planning to mix them with something else to make a meal.

Apart from carbohydrates, proteins and fats, the other things you need to worry about are vitamins. Most vitamins are necessary in at least small quantities for your body to function properly. While it might seem tempting to just take vitamin pills, it is pointlessly expensive when you could just as easily eat fruit and vegetables and get all your vitamins that way. Also, don't skip breakfast, as most cereals have many vitamins added and can be a good way to make sure you get enough.

About the Author

John Gibb is the owner of Healthy Eating Guides, For more information on healthy eating check out http://www.healthy-eating-guides.info

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Where are all the fat Japanese?   by Bronwen E. Roberts

I have a theory that there are no fat Japanese people. This is because I've never seen one (except for Sumo wrestlers and they do it on purpose). Although, as modern Japan embraces McDonalds, Burger King and the like I'm sure the blimps will start appearing on the radar screen. You are what you eat and that's a fact.

Japanese Diet: Eat for Life
Japanese who eat in the traditional manner have the highest life expectancy in the world, and their longevity has much to do with their low fat diet (especially low in saturated fat). They also eat twice as much fish as meat. Westerners, by comparison, have on average 47 times more meat than fish! Vegetables play a primary role; aubergine, bamboo shoots, various mushrooms, sweet potato and Chinese cabbage. No unnatural additives are added; flavor is added in the form of herbs, spices and natural condiments such as ginger, lemon, sesame seed and mustard.

High Food Variety
A recent Japanese survey of the diets of 200 elderly women revealed they consumed a variety of over 100 biologically different foods per week. By contrast, in most western countries the recommended minimum is only 30. Research shows that the higher the variety, the less risk of many diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and many cancers. A low fat intake and a high intake of soy (with protective phyto-oestrogens), antioxidants and fiber, plus high food variety all keep the Japanese slim and trim and at a low risk for illness. A low intake of meat is a major factor in the low bowel cancer rate in Japan . People in the West need to recognize the benefits of a high food variety, with more fish, less meat, and especially more fruit, vegetables and grains with minimal saturated fat.

The Western World: How we eat today
Experts believe that many of the ills we suffer from in modern industrialized western societies are the result, in part at least, of the way we live. In particular, they point the finger at two main aspects: diet and lack of physical activity.

The Fat War
We are killing ourselves with monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, saturated fats, hydrogenated fats and now trans fats. Earlier this month, McDonald's paid out $8.5m (£4.5m) to settle a law suit in San Francisco over using trans fats in its cooking. And health experts now warn that these "killer" fats are the most dangerous foodstuffs we might consume. Trans fats are found in their highest quantities in processed foods that contain large quantities of hydrogenated oils, such as ready-made cakes, chips, pastries, pies, chocolates, sweets and ice cream.

A little goes a long way
Modern day technology has taken us places but before this, exercise was not something you planned and fitted into your schedule when you could, but an unavoidable part of everyday life. Now, we don't have time to do the very thing that would ensure healthy, stress and disease free bodies. We need to protect ourselves from the physical consequences of ageing and make physical activity a routine part of life.

Exercise that won't kill you...
If this news only disheartens you, the following tips will help you to build exercise into your life at a gradual pace - you need to enjoy it and keep it up, not just throw yourself at it for a while until you get bored.

Exercise is fundamental for our immune systems, regulation of cholesterol, blood pressure, heart function, mental function, management of stress hormones - to name just a few! Here are some helpful tips to get you started.

Get Moving
Build up at your own pace. Energy makes more energy. Just making the effort to start means you will suddenly find yourself able to do more. Then you can surprise yourself and move outside your "comfort zone", which is when the real benefits start. You might actually enjoy it!

Stay Safe
Check with your doctor. Always be safe, especially if you have a heart condition, smoke or tend to be prone to dizziness or fainting. Remember, exercise is also the best thing for your health, so these are not necessarily excuses!

Enjoy It
Find something you enjoy. If you're not a gym person don't set yourself up for failure by paying for something you won't use. There are lots of activities that raise your pulse above resting rate, which means you are doing exercise! Try cycling, dancing, swimming, tennis, climbing stairs, badminton, ice skating - just get moving!!

Stay Committed
Commit to regular activity. Aim to exercise for twenty minutes to an hour at least three times a week. Do it with a friend or your partner if possible. It should become just a normal part of your life, like watching TV or reading a magazine.

Walk it Off
Walking is the best exercise. You are built for it and your circulatory system relies on this movement. It should be regular, in short doses throughout the day, so take the stairs, get off the tube or bus one stop earlier, get a dog, make walking a regular before or after work activity, don't drive when you could walk - it all adds up.

Warm Up
Always stretch before and after exercising. Gentle stretching improves flexibility and mobility. It is crucial to avoiding injuries. It is a great way to warm up your body before exercising and relax your body afterwards.

Find Encouragement
Surround yourself with supportive people. Decide what kind of support you need. Do you want them to remind you to exercise? Ask about your progress? Participate with you regularly or occasionally? Talk to people who will give you constant encouragement.

Follow the Pro
Enlist the help of a professional. If you join a gym, go for an induction to set you at the right pace with the exercises most suitable for you. Go to classes at your level, so you can be instructed to make the best progress - even pay for lessons, often not as expensive as you'd think!

You can do it
Stay motivated. Anyone can get bored with anything they do at any time, so it's always fine to skip the odd class or week, just to keep your interest up. Variety can always counter boredom, so have different options available.

Set Goals
Take it seriously! You will get better, be able to enjoy and look forward to exercising more - millions do, so why not you! Set yourself realistic goals. Promise yourself rewards when you achieve them. Write down your progress if it motivates you.

About the Author

There is no doubt that You Are What You Eat has tapped into society's growing awareness and interest in eating habits and lifestyles, and how they really affect our bodies. Presenter Gillian McKeith is finding Britain 's worst food offenders and helping them transform their lives with revolutionary new diet advice. This website is your step-by-step guide towards a healthier lifestyle. 

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