Change your Diet in 7-Days

Small changes in your diet can lead to big results! Practice just one easy tip a day and be on your way to better health and a slimmer waistline.

Plan it! Planning goes a long ways by helping you eat healthier. Sit down every Sunday (or the best day for you) and plan out your meals then hit the grocery store and stock your cupboards. Try to plan in two or more vegetarian based meals for the week.

You bite it you write it! Tracking what and how much you eat is an effective and important part of weight control. All you need is a pen and paper! Don’t forget to pay attention to how mood affects your food intake.

Start your engine! Breakfast is an important part of weight management, in fact studies show people who eat breakfast regularly weigh less. You’ll stay on track and avoid extreme hunger later on!

Sip Smart! Grab a water bottle and re-fill often during the day. Thirst can actually be mistaken for hunger and water helps fight fatigue. Skip sugary beverages such as sodas and fruit drinks which are full of empty calories that do not satiate. And, research shows that we don’t compensate for calories from beverages by eating less later on.

Downsize! Use a smaller plate or bowl for your meals for instant portion control. Stock your home with portion controlled treats to avoid overindulging and resist supersizing your fast food order.

Snack Smart! Do add snacks to your day, especially if you go long periods without eating. Try a carbohydrate and protein combo to get your hunger at bay.
Brown bag it! Make it goal to bring a lunch to work or school most days of the week. You’ll have control over your food choices and save calories and money.

Red Wine - Healthy Heart Benefits and MORE!

Ever wonder why the average French person is slimmer and healthier than the average North American? That question seems to be the mystery behind this “French paradox.” While the French diet is extremely high in saturated fats North Americans are the ones who suffer from an extremely high rate of coronary heart disease.

Could the explanation of the French paradox lie in their heavy consumption of red wine?

A study done at the Northwestern University Medical School has found a chemical in red wine that contains a whole slew of health benefits. Called RESVERATROL, this substance is derived from the skin of red grapes and is one of the primary ingredients in red wine. Research shows that a moderate consumption of red wine greatly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Although one of the functions of Resveratrol is to protect the grape against fungal infections, the benefits that the compound offers to humans are causing quite a stir in the health world. Research shows that drinking a cup a day of red wine will provide your body with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer effects. Antioxidants are a type of substance that protects your cells from damage by molecules known as free radicals. These free radicals can wreck havoc on your body, causing injury to your DNA, cell membranes, and proteins, which can lead to certain types of cancers. Resveratrol has actually been shown to decrease the damage caused by the free radicals, thereby reducing the body’s risk of contracting cancer.

The antioxidants found in Resveratrol are particularly exciting to scientists because of all the benefits that they offer to the heart. Red wine helps reduce cardiovascular disease in these ways:

· Reducing the production of LDL (the “bad”) cholesterol in the body
· Increasing levels of HDL (the “good”) cholesterol
· Reducing the amount of blood clotting in the arteries

These antioxidants are also responsible for one of the best benefits of drinking red wine—Resveratrol may offset the effects of obesity. Research shows that although the substance has little impact on your actual weight, it can help to lower glucose levels, strengthen your liver, and improve your heart. In a Harvard Medical School study on obese rats, the rats that were given diets enriched with Resveratrol became considerably healthier than their counterparts who were fed normal diets.

If you’re looking for more reasons to drink wine, here’s another one: Resveratrol may have age-defying properties and have the capacity to increase longevity. Research shows that red wine could slow the onset of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s because Resveratrol helps to prolong the lifespan of cells. However, like all good things, red wine should be consumed in moderation, but it is especially gratifying to know that this little indulgence can be so good for your body!

Resveratrol is one of the primary ingredients in Resvino-A™, the new red wine product by Curb Your Cravings™. Resvino-A™ is the only red-wine antioxidant product in the market that gives you the health benefits of nearly 5 glasses of red wine in one convenient pill. The antioxidants that are found in a single pill have been shown in studies to be even more powerful than both Vitamin C and Vitamin E. Completely natural, Resvino-A™ will provide your body with all of the benefits of red wine without the calories. Helping you to live better, stronger, and healthier, Resveratrol is believed by many scientists to be the new “fountain of youth” that is found naturally in grapes.


Source for study: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1997/12/971219062019.htm

Go Nuts Over Health Almonds

If you love nuts but avoid them because you’ve heard they are high in fat, you will be happy hear the good news about almonds. The fat in almonds is monounsaturated, which means that, like olive oil, they can reduce your risk of heart disease. In fact, studies show that when you substitute nuts for an equivalent amount of carbohydrate in an average diet, you get a 30% reduction in heart disease risk. Even better, you can get a 45% risk reduction if you substitute nuts for saturated fats such as are found in meat and dairy products.

In addition, almonds are rich in vitamin E and therefore act as antioxidants in the body. And when you combine the twenty powerful flavonoids found in the skin of the almond with the nut, you get double the antioxidant power than if you ate nut and skin separately. Plus almonds are also a good source of manganese, riboflavin (vitamin B2), magnesium, copper and phosphorous.

But that is not all! Almonds are also a good source of fibre and protein. In fact, a ¼ cup contains 7.62 grams of protein, more protein than is provided by one average-size egg (5.54 grams of protein).

Worried about weight gain? Put your mind at ease. A recent study showed that people who consumed an almond-enriched low calorie diet with 39% of their calories in the form of fat (25% from monounsaturated fat) lost more weight and body fat than those who ate a low caloric, high carbohydrate diet. In addition, almonds may actually improve the effects that weight loss has on blood pressure and blood lipids.

So go ahead! Eat some almonds and enjoy better health.

Ways to Use Almonds:
· Add some chopped almonds and dried fruit to plain yogurt.
· Enhance a healthy sauté of curried vegetables with sliced almonds.
· Add some almond butter to a breakfast shake to boost its taste and protein content.
· Almonds and apple slices make a wonderfully simple, on-the-go power snack.
· Make a delightful cold rice salad with almonds, fresh garden peas and currants.
· Add sliced almonds to Oriental Chicken Salad.
whfoods.org

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The PROS of Probiotics

Bacteria – much like the visiting in-laws – is often thought of negatively. Often, we think of our body’s “bad” bacterium which, of course, causes sickness. “Good” bacterium also exists however – this fights to keeps us well. Creating a personal bacteria balance is vital.

The good news is that “good” bacteria (or probiotics) can be found in common foods (most notably, yogurt and other fermented milk products) in addition to supplement form of capsules, liquid and/or tablets. Taking probiotics, therefore, is easy and, with doing so, you can – and will – improve your health, most notably in these ways:

* Strengthening your immune system
* Reducing growth of disease-causing bacteria
* Lowering your risk of allergies
* Boosting your body’s availability of nutrients

Remember, when it comes to bacteria, it is important to understand and differentiate between the two types as being unwanted and friendly. By all means, welcome the friendly bacteria!

The Colon365 System contains healthy probiotics to boost your healthy digestive bacteria for optimal health.

Garlic - good for you - good tasting, too!

Ah, garlic. You either love it or you don’t. Garlic has been reported to have enormous health benefits such as lowering blood pressure, helping lower LDL cholesterol levels, acting as a natural antibiotic, helping to prevent cancer, acting as powerful anti-oxidant and source of selenium and more. So what do you do with it? Peel it and eat it raw? Sure, if you want your eyes to water and people to run away from your breath! Here are some ways to get garlic into your diet, without overpowering your family.


Roasted Garlic

When you roast garlic you actually take away the peppery bitterness taste. What you end up with is a sweet, smoky garlic flavor that everyone loves! Simply peel away as much of the loose papery skin from a whole head of garlic. Slice off the top of the garlic, about ½ an inch down, so that the tops of the cloves can be seen. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top of the cloves, sprinkle with a little black pepper and wrap the entire head in tinfoil. You can wrap two or three heads of garlic at once if you want. Place on a pan and bake at 350 F for one hour. If you buy a little terra-cotta garlic baker you may find you will have to cook your garlic longer. Remove the garlic from the oven at the end of the hour and unwrap. The cloves will be a dark honey brown and soft. Remove the individual cloves by using a fork to gently pop the cloves out or squeeze the clove out with your fingers.

This makes an amazing appetizer when spread on French bread with soft cheese.

Fat-Free Roasted Garlic Caesar Dressing

Looking for a way to perk up a salad without adding calories? Check this out!

1 cup fat-free yogurt
3 roasted garlic cloves
2 teaspoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Mix together in a blender until smooth. This is great on Romaine lettuce and served as your own special secret dressing!

Garlic Butter

It is a good idea to limit the amount of butter you eat, but when you do have to have a little butter with your dinner, why not make it worth it! Try adding three or more cloves of fresh garlic, minced very very fine, into half a cup of butter. Add in one teaspoon of fresh parsley and mix well. With a spoon dump the garlic onto a sheet of plastic wrap and roll to form a log and then refrigerate. This will make the garlic butter easy to cut and serve with your next meal. You can freeze garlic butter logs for future entertaining as well. This is excellent on broiled steak, or on vegetables. Try it on mashed potatoes! Remember, a little butter goes a long way!


Whatever you end up making, remember that garlic may have a smelly reputation, but its reputation for good health is worth it!

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