Archive for the 'Nutrition Resources' Category

Lemon Detox and Fasting for Weight Loss: a Few Warnings

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

Juice fasting has emerged as a new, hip weight loss technique. In southern California, one of the dieting capitals of the world, a bran-new approach to weight loss is making the rounds, partly to conceal the fact that the dieter is indeed dieting. Fasting, particularly the lemon detox diet has become a new favorite for fast and comparatively easy weight loss. When done right and for the right intent, fasting is an effective method of body detox and cleansing. When followed for weeks or months at a time, fasting for the purpose of weight loss can be a very life-threatening undertaking.

For centuries, fasting has been used with great success in addressing various health problems and cleansing the body of built-up toxins. Weight loss is a normal side effect of a fasting regimen, in light of the fact that that no solid foods need to be metabolized by the body and overall calorie intake is very low. Weight is lost because 1) water retention goes down, 2) trapped gas in the digestive track is expelled, and 3) toxins that are stored in our body fat are purged. It’s interesting to note that we don’t necessarily burn fat on a fasting program, rather, we are purging our fat cells of stored toxins, so our overall store of fat cells become smaller.

The chic set in southern Cal have learned about this, and detoxing has become the new dieting. And while the results are quite definitely desirable (in addition to weight loss, cleansing gives you all the other benefits of purifying your body — more energy, clearer skin, better concentration, a feeling of well being, and a reduction in various symptoms ranging from body aches to constipation), fasting for prolonged periods will do much more harm than good.

What our bodies need so much is nutrition, not starvation. Most of us already experience unknown nutritional deficiencies. Our bodies need a steady supply of nutrients to function and maintain health. Starvation or severe calorie reduction will ultimately cause imbalances in the body that will, at best, launch an assault of food cravings, the dieter’s worst nightmare.

The promise of quick weight loss can be very alluring, but weight loss at any cost is utterly dangerous. There are a few healthy ways in which to achieve rapid weight loss, and there are healthy, sensible long term approaches to eating that will, if you stick to it, shed the pounds and keep them off.

The Popcorn Factory: a Quick Tour

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

Shops sold more than 1.000.000.000 pounds of unprepared kernels and exported more than two hundred and forty five million pounds in the year 2000, meaning it’s no surprise that popcorn is one of America’s favorite treats. You can buy yours from the biggest in the market — dispatching upwards of a million pounds each year to fans of popcorn favors. Whatever your favorite flavor or size, they can provide all the popcorn you want. Just as they have for thirty years. To guarantee perfection they first choose the finest grain from America. When you use corn oil, that taste’s maintained while you pop the kernels, meaning you can add other flavorings easily. They then pack it up and ship it out without delay — while it’s still fresh. Do you want a 6 gallon tin, full of popcorn? The Factory can help. So if you have a company event to cater for — or simply want to stock up enough to last through movie night for a few weeks — you know what to order. You can order them in natural and buttered as well as numerous different flavors such as banana cream pie.

But if that’s not your thing, they offer other possibilities; most popularly the beautiful smaller tins. Designed to reflect the season, any special occasion, or to send a message, they’re tailor made to be presents. Do none of those work for you? You might consider having the container personalized with a personal image, apt note, or just your name. Plenty of shoppers prefer a particular flavor and purchase one large package. Those with broader interests might opt for the assortments on offer. Should you want to buy more than just a small measure of several kinds, you should hear about towers. Comprising several boxes built up on top of each other and secured, you may order them as premade combinations or instead pick and mix your favorites.

The Popcorn Factory offers an astonishing variety of popcorn in nearly any flavor you might want. Their customizable and beautiful containers are sure to put a smile on their recipient’s face. You’ll find no more effective way to spread a little cheer anywhere in the U.S.

Kona Berry

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

Kona Fruit is flooded with phenolic acids and healthful plant nutrients. These phenolic acids are rich antioxidants. Kona Coffee Berry begins it?s substantial goodness along the sides of high altitude mountain side with rich organic soil. Nourished by mineral-rich soil and warmed by intense tropical sunlight, coffee plants produce a profusion of wonderful bright red fruit, known as Kona Coffee Berry.
Kona Coffee Berryis so exceptionally rich in anti oxidants because it grows in high altitude, low-latitude regions where the sun?s rays are strongest. As the plants mature, they develop these powerful antioxidants to protect them from damage caused by high doses of the sun?s radiation and the natural byproducts of photosynthesis.
You might be asking what the difference is between a Coffee Berry and a Kona Bean. Kona berries are the outer layer of the coffee fruit and are a rich source of antioxidants. Research reports that 400 mg of concentrate has a radical scavenging activity equal to 9.6 grams of fresh blueberries, 6.2 grams of strawberries, or 4.9 grams of raspberries.
This potent anti-radical power has not been commercially available previously because the fruit rapidly perishes, which is why only the bitter seed has been commercially exploited.
“We have discovered a means of growing, harvesting and processing the whole coffee fruit so that we arrest the development of mycotoxins and thereby render the coffee fruit for human consumption.
Because no one until now has figured out how to do this in a cost effective manner, whole coffee fruit has simply not been available.”
Kona Coffee Berry contains five of eight rare and essential sugars called monosaccharides, with research indicating that these are essential for the proper functioning of various biological systems.
Almost half of the dry weight of the concentrate is made up of polysaccharides, such as mannans and arabinoglactan. Conventional roasting destroys these nutrients, so they are not found in traditional brewed coffee.

Coffee Berry is now available in a new energy drink called XOWii Energy.

Really Great Hog Roasts

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

If you too like me detest obtaining a caterer and hate making sure that what they are cooking is exactly what you require, then there is another simpler and more stunning way of catering. It’s not a fresh way in fact it’s over five hundred years old and in my judgement is the easiest way to feed hundreds of hungry individuals. Having a hog roast. Hog roasts have been the favourite way of catering for parties or big events in England for a really long time. Hog roasts are a lot less formal than a lot of other catering techniques and therefore is a wonderful option, not only this but it is comparatively cheap considering what you are getting. The matters you will require for a hog roast include all the cooking equipment and a chef for the day, the creature you want to roast and all the obligatory side dishes and sauces, commonly a hog roasting company will be able to offer you this complete service. I discovered the company that I used on the internet and they were really honest, they turned up at my house in more than enough time to cook the hog ready for when I wanted to eat, they made sure I had everything I could perhaps want and were really good at carving the meat and serving my invitees. I hope that the next time you have a party or event that you will think of having a hog roast.

Vitamins and Minerals – The Role

Thursday, July 3rd, 2008

These important nutrients are essential to good health since they help the body use the energy stored in food. If you eat a balanced, varied diet, vitamin and mineral supplements are probably unnecessary.

A surprising number of people take vitamin or mineral supplements each day as a kind of nutritional insurance – usually without understanding how they work and what they do. Nutrients such as riboflavin, vitamin C, zinc, and many others are essential to good health, but they are no substitute for food. In fact, vitamins and minerals are facilitators that enable the body to make use of the energy stored in food. These nutrients in and of themselves are of little value of the body. Simply taking vitamin and mineral supplements without eating food is like sending in bricklayers to build a wall, but neglecting to supply the bricks.

What vitamins do which is crucial to the normal maintenance of healthy cells, is perform an extraordinary range of functions in the human body. They not only help convert food into useable energy, but they also assist in the manufacture of blood cells, hormones, and the chemicals of the nervous system.

Vitamins are divided into two categories, which are water-soluble and fat-soluble. The four fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K, are absorbed into body fat and may be stored for later use. If taken in excess, however, some fat-soluble vitamins can accumulate in toxic amounts. Vitamin C and the eight B vitamins are all water-soluble meaning that they dissolve in body fluid, and most of the excess is eliminated through sweat or urine. As a result, there is little concern about toxic overdoses although excessive doses of B6 can be toxic.

Minerals play a part in the maintenance of immune cells, in blood coagulation, in the synthesis of oxygen in the blood, in bone formation, and in numerous other functions. Some, such as calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, are necessary in fairly large amounts. The need for others, known as trace minerals, is much smaller. In fact, although they are present in human tissue, a few of these trace elements play such dubious roles that they are considered nonessential. The essential trace minerals include iron, zinc, fluoride, and copper. Any of these minerals, whether essential or nonessential, is toxic if ingested in sufficient amounts for long enough periods.

How necessary are supplements? For years, controversy has raged between those who believe supplements are necessary and those who say that they are at best a waste of money and, at worst, a hazard to health. With few exceptions (notably vitamins D and K), the human body cannot make its own vitamins or minerals, so they must be obtained from foods. The traditional view holds that a balanced diet will supply all the vitamins and minerals that are necessary to maintain a good health.

The opposing argument for supplements is that many modern diets lack balance. In fact, they are so loaded with processed and refined foods that they cannot provide adequate amounts of essential vitamins and minerals. Furthermore, because many people skip regular meals and instead rely on fast foods, and nutritionally vacuous snacks, supplements may be a necessity. Other proponents of supplements claim that the chronic stress bought on by fast-paced lives can increase our need for these important nutrients.

Michael Russell - EzineArticles Expert Author

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Supplements