Showing posts with label Heart health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heart health. Show all posts

Thursday, 15 December 2011

Top 5 Negative Calories Food to Reduce your Weight


The niche of Negative Calorie Foods is still developing and many people are still unaware about it.
Before reading about the best of ‘Negative Calorie Foods’, it is vital to understand what is meant by this term. There are calories in nearly every kind of food we eat. However, some foods are a bit difficult to digest and their overall effect is such that the body has to exert a lot of effort to metabolize them. The total amount of calories gained from Negative Calorie Foods is less than the total number of calories spent to digest them. As a result, the body is left with a Negative Calorie Value or deficit. These foods are considered ideal for being integrated with our daily food to ensure that the total number of calories consumed in the day is restricted. Merely eating Negative Calorie Foods can lead to nutritional deficiency but smartly combining them in the diet regimen can help us to lose weight. The most recommended of Negative Calorie Foods that provide little calories but significant health benefits and nutrition include:

1. Onions: Might Make You Teary But Are Worthy Food Ingredients

Onions are among the most valued of herbs, known for their culinary and medicinal value. Onions are rich in water and fiber and nearly devoid of any calories. Further, they tend to raise the metabolism of the body. This is why onions are recommended for preventing cardiovascular disease, i.e. by raising the metabolic rate onions reduce the risk of developing blood clots. A faster metabolism means that more calories are being burned to fuel the body’s energy demands. The more pungent the onion, greater are the chances of finding high concentrations of immunity-promoting phytochemicals apart from immunity-boosters like sulfides.

2. Lettuce: Your Perfect Daily, Calorie-busting Companion

Perhaps, the easiest of Negative Calorie Foods to be consumed daily, lettuce has a very low calorie count. It is primarily composed of inedible fiber and water. This kind of fiberis very difficult to be digested and is eventually directed towards the large intestine to be expelled. The fiber content exerts pressure on impacted stools, helping the body to get rid of toxins. Besides this, lettuce is loaded with Vitamin K and chlorophyll, apart from vitamins B2, C, A, B1 and folic acid and minerals like manganese and chromium.

3. Cucumber: No Calories In This Cool Customer

Cucumbers contain a high concentration of caffeic and ascorbic acids. These agents fasten the overall metabolism and prevent water retention. Being primarily composed of water and fiber, cucumbers offer negligible amount of calories. However, they are enriched with nutrients like folic acid, vitamins A and C. The skin of cucumber is a good source of molybdenum, magnesium, silica and potassium apart from trace minerals like silica.

4. Cauliflower: Calorie Buster to the Core

One-cup of cauliflower contains nearly two grams each of fiber and protein and only 26 calories! Cauliflower doesn’t contain any kind of fat and its fiber content ensures that the body burns a lot of calories to digest it. Cauliflower is recommended because of itshigh concentrations of calcium, folate, selenium and potassium. It is among the few vegetables suspected to have a notable anti-cancer effect due to the presence of a substance called indole-3-carbinol.

5. Watermelon: Tastiest of Negative Calorie Foods

Watermelon is among the best-tasting foods in this list, being refreshing and fulfilling, that can easily take care of your hunger pangs without contributing many calories. Watermelon is among the richest sources of lycopene in the natural world. This compound utilizes the body’s natural fat content to be fully metabolized.

Alcohol Effects on Your Sex Life


Alcohol remains a dicey part of our lives, attracting many of us with the surreal sense of happiness
it can create and making us apprehensive with the wide range of health problems it can induce. However, most health/medical experts believe that the real issue is not whether alcohol is beneficial or detrimental for your health. The real issue is how you handle your alcohol consumption. Perhaps, the best way of explaining this is reading the following, which explains Alcohol Effects on Your Sex Life:

When Alcohol Can Catalyze Your Sex Life

It is often said that anything when consumed in moderation is less prone to harm you. This concept couldn’t be truer for alcohol consumption. It is a well-researched fact that when used in moderation, alcohol can become a handy aid for spicing-up your sex life. Probably, this is the reason why many ancient cultures, including the mighty Romans, referred to wine as a powerful aphrodisiac Positive effects of consuming alcohol in a restricted manner have been acknowledged by many medical fraternities too. This includes lowering symptoms of cardiovascular diseases and depression!

Fueling Your Sex Drive With Alcohol

This might not be surprising to even those who have merely sipped or experimented minimally with alcohol. Even when consumed in the slightest amounts, alcohol tends to lower the overall anxiety levels. This is particularly helpful for those struggling with stressful work conditions or continuously bothered by issues at home. For some duration, the mind enters a more relaxed and appeasing state which is likely to increase the overall degree of confidence and help you overcome your shyness. This might work to the extent of diluting the inhibitions related to approaching women.

Using Alcohol To Conquer Sexual Apprehensions

Stress sustained over a period and the fear of not performing well in bed can seriously impact the bedroom performance. Here, nervousness and unwanted concerns take over—factors that often cause temporary bouts of failed erection. These psychological barriers can be alleviated to some extent with alcohol. The idea is to limit the intake so that the consciousness and overall sensibilities are not impaired but the uneasiness is conquered.

When Alcohol Can Derail Your Sex Life

Once you exceed the minimal amount of alcohol that can contribute towards improving your sexual life, its detrimental effects take over. Please understand that you don’t have to be a chronic drinker or an alcoholic past redemption to fall in this category. These harmful effects can surface even if alcohol consumption is exceeded occasionally.

Alcohol & Reduced Libido

Regularly consuming alcohol can impair the body’s internal processes that are involved in sexual stimulation, including the manner in which the blood rushes to the penile tissues when the mind is engaged with erotic notions. Further, the body is unable to maintain the required vital capacity that is required to support the increased oxygen uptake required during sex—these symptoms constitute reduced libido levels.

Alcohol & Unsympathetic Performance

While limited amounts of alcohol are a sexual aid, excessive amounts are just the opposite. With your overall degree of perception clouded with alcohol-induced drowsiness, the sexual response can be highly curbed. You might create the impression of merely going through the motions on your partner. You can be devoid of the usual expressions and bodily reactions that underline your level of enjoyment from the act. Most men, when drunk, find it hard to maintain their erection for a reasonable period that can cause extreme dissatisfaction in your partner. 

Natural remedies for Diabetes


Natural Remedies for DiabetesDiabetes is among the most debilitating of lifestyle diseases, often the precursor to many other types of health disorders such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases and chronic illnesses of the eye. Mostdiabetics tend to depend upon taking medications, many of which include hormone supplementation injections and drugs for controlling the sugar levels. Though these aids are often critical for managing cases where diabetes seems to have turned into an incurable condition, it is always better to seek natural cures. These natural remedies don’t put forth the kind of side-effects associated with stronger medications and can be resourced from our everyday supplies.


Using Methi Seeds
Natural Remedies for Diabetes
Fenugreek or Methi seeds are considered the most effective of natural cures that can help alleviate typical symptoms of diabetesMethi seeds should be soaked in water overnight. The water concentrated with the seeds’ juices should be consumed early in the morning on an empty stomach. For making this natural concoction stronger, you can crush the seeds and sieve them through a cloth or filter paper.


Using Natural Juices

Natural Remedies for Diabetes
Some juices have been found to be effective in controlling high sugar levels that can prove fatal for diabetics. These are juices of fruits and vegetables that are further enriched with antioxidants and many rare micronutrients. The most recommended variety here is the Bitter Gourd or Karela juice. Other options include grape juice or the juice-like extract made from boiling mango leaves in water.



Aloe Gel Remedy

Natural Remedies for Diabetes
An effective, natural concoction for diabetes can be prepared by adding a few teaspoons of ground Bay Leaf (Tejpatra) with one teaspoon of turmeric. This mixture should be mixed with an equal amount of aloe vera gel and consumed daily, before
lunch and dinner.


Using Chapattis to Your Advantage

Another useful way of managing diabetes is increasing the daily intake of fiber in the natural form. This includes increasing the fiber content in chappatis that tend to be eaten with regularity in Indian homes. The refined flour should be mixed with a combination of flours procured from different cereals, particularly those high in soluble fiber. This includes flours of barley and lentils like Chana Dal and soya bean.


Using Jarul or Banaba

Natural Remedies for Diabetes
Diabetics can use Banaba or Jarul plant extract. Banaba is among the lesser known of herbal plants in India. Along with India, it is grown in only a handful of other nations. The herbal powder of Banaba extract can be used to make herbal tea. This plant contains high concentrations of contains Corosolic acid—the most potent of biochemical compounds that stimulate faster glucose metabolism and help to regulate blood sugar and insulin levels that is very useful for combating diabetes.


Easy Natural Remedies for Diabetes

Jamun is one of the rarest plants where nearly each part, the leaves, berry and seeds are known to help in controlling blood sugar levels. Neem leaves are useful in a similar manner. Amla or the Indian goose Berry is similarly effective in managing sugar levels. Instead of using only Neem leaves, you can also add leaves of Tulsi and Bel Patra. All these leaves can be boiled together for increasing the potency of the filtered extract.

Tuesday, 13 December 2011

Wild Purple & Yellow Breakfast



  
Today I woke up with the thought of making breakfast. Initial thought was eggs, but I needed more oomph to the dish. Not having an idea as to what's in the fridge, I opened it to notice some boiled beets, & boiled quinoa.  I felt like I needed more ingredients, so I opened the vegetable drawer to find some yams and orange bell peppers.  All ingredients out of the fridge, now I needed to figure out what to make.



Ingredient List:

Eggs - Quinoa - Beets - Wild Rice - Flax Seed - Raw Almonds - Yam - Orange Bell Peppers - Garlic - Cayenne - Black Pepper - Olive Oil    AND    Blackberries 


Wild Purple Quinoa  
I decided to mix the quinoa with the beets and add some fibre to it. I boiled some wild rice, and also ground flax seed and ground raw almond nuts. 

Yam & Pepper Medley 
For this, I chopped the yam and peppers, (boiled the yams) and then quickly stir fried the with some cayenne and black pepper & garlic. I had accidentally made too much wild rice for the quinoa, so I used the rest here.

Egg
Simple easy sunny side up egg, with a sprinkle of cayenne, blackpepper and salt.

Blackberry Beet juice
to top this all off I made a juice to drink later on as a mini snack. I say snack, because along with the beets and blackberries & orange juice, I added ground flax seed and ground raw almonds. These provide you with the nutrients, without altering the taste of the juice. Please note NO SUGAR was added. Blackberries alone give the sweet taste, and Beets are usually a source of sugar.. so don't add the sugar if you don't need it.

Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar


Apple Cider Vinegar


It's probably the last thing one might think of regarding a healthy diet; but apple cider vinegar goes a long way in helping us to sustain our bodies. It's a great aid for weight loss, it improves heart health, eliminate heartburn or acid reflux and, even helps your liver.




Digestion, Weight-loss & ACV: 
  • Apple cider vinegar helps control cravings by reducing ghrelin (the 'hunger' hormone that's produced due to an empty stomach). 
  • Keeps you feeling full for longer. By having the ability to delay the gastric emptying time, ACV allows you not to get hungry as quickly.  
  • ACV can also improve nutrient absorption - helps specific digestive enzymes and beneficial bacteria.
  • Helps in breaking down fat.
  • Fixes your pH balance.
Cardiovascular 'Heart' Health:
  • Helps in reducing the hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis)
  • Also helps in reducing high cholesterol and hypertension, without any side effects.
  • It has also been reported that a daily dose of apple cider vinegar in water has high blood pressure under control in two weeks! 
Gatorade be Gone.. Electrolyte Boost
  •  Apple Cider vinegar has the same effects as all those thirst quenching drinks. Its full of electrolytes.  
Sore Throat? :
  • Gargle with two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and a quarter cup (pre-boiled) lukewarm water. It kills what you don't want. Try it and notice the difference.
 Diabetic? Perhaps Apple Cider Vinegar can help:

  • Helps in lowering body's need for insulin. By slowing the release of sugar from your food into the bloodstream, ACV can aid in controlling & stabilizing blood glucose levels, in turn affecting insulin production and taking stress off your pancreas. 
  • When your blood sugar is balanced, you are less likely to crave carbohydrates.
Protect thy Liver... you need it!! 
  • The acetic acid present in apple cider vinegar may have the ability to protect our liver cells.
Nausea, Heartburn, Indigestion, Upset Stomach..... oooh
  • Apple Cider Vinegar is almost always an immediate relief for all the above. The upside to ACV (as compared to the tums and pink fluids) is that it helps treat and potentially cure long term. While most heartburn relief medications are a cover up that mask the problem, this vinegar also improves nutrient absorption. helps specific digestive enzymes and beneficial bacteria (pro-biotic).
External Use - Cleanse your body:
  • Use apple cider vinegar for acne, or even to cleanse your face.
  • Soak in a tub of water and some apple cider vinegar to balance your body's pH.
  • Can help in reducing dandruff
Be Clean & Green - Household Cleaner:
  • With it's anti-viral properties both inside and outside the body - ACV has also proved itself worthy on counter tops too. Replace chemical cleaners (that can be fatal to our hormones) for apple cider vinegar and water to kill bacteria and viruses that can linger on surfaces. Sometimes it may shock you, but these natural product cleaners can sometimes outdo the chemical cleaners. Give it a try!
Although I usually like to write short and sweet, it's a shame not to include all the other known benefits of apple cider vinegar. So here what else it can benefit you with:  cures for allergies (including pet, food and environmental), sinus infections, acne, high cholesterol, flu, chronic fatigue, candida, acid reflux, sore throats, contact dermatitis, arthritis, enhances appearance of complexion, eczema, and gout.

 HOW TO: 

Salad Dressings, Marinades, Sauces, Dips, Juice, or take it as a shot of alcohol (with water).

DRINKS
Recipe 1: My top recipe is a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a cup of water
Recipe 2: Variation of recipe one is to do my D'tox drink: full lemon squeezed in cup of water with 2tbsp acv.
                   (you could add honey to taste, but it's better without - opt for natural sweeteners like stevia )
Recipe 3: ACV Cocktail - 1 tbsp  apple cider vinegar + 1 cup Sparkling water + ½tsp maple syrup





SALAD DRESSINGS

Recipe 1:  Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette
1 tbsp minced shallot
1 teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon dry granulated garlic
¼ cup raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil (more or less depending on how thick you make the vinaigrette)
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 

Recipe 2:  Pizzeria Style Vinaigrette
¼ cup raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
½ teaspoon dry granulated garlic
½ teaspoon dry mustard
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil – more or less as you like it
sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste


Recipe 3: Sun Dried Tomato dressing
11/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar 
1/2 lemon - juice
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp honey
1 tsp mustard (powder or liquid)
2 tbsp mixed fresh or dried herbs (choose from basil, rosemary, dill, chives, dried onion bits, thyme, sage, parsley)
2 - 3 cloves fresh garlic chopped
5-6 drops of hot red pepper sauce (or to taste)
2 tbsp. sun dried tomatoes.
Optional:  add 2 tbsp. capers
 

Don't take Apple Cider Vinegar on it's own, the acid can be too harsh on the throat. Mixing & diluting it with a little bit of water is all you need.


Remember Apple Cider Vinegar has a strong taste, if you're not used to it yet, you could always start with a lower dosage, and work your way up.  If you can't go without adding some type of sweetener then opt for something natural. Please avoid the artificial sweeteners at all costs and if possible least for the white sugar last.