Almost 108 million Americans were overweight or obese in 1999. Until now, obesity continues to be a serious problem and is predicted to reach epidemic levels by the year 2020.
One way to prevent this scenario is to make people aware of the risks of being overweight or obese.
Here are some diseases that you are putting yourself in risk of if you are carrying a lot of extra pounds:
Losing weight helps to prevent and control these diseases.
The quick weight loss methods which have spread like fire these days do not provide lasting results. More often than not, dieting methods which involve dietary drinks, foods and supplement or pills do not work. If they do, the results are just temporary.
It is better to rely on a healthy weight loss option which will provide lifetime results. You have to set realistic goals and not expect to lose a lot of pounds in a short span of time.
Here are some tips on how you can lose those unwanted pounds the healthy way:
1. Do not starve your self.
The key to a healthier way of losing weight is: Do not diet.
You may seem happy and feel that you are losing those unwanted flabs on your belly and thighs by skipping meals. But remember that this would not last long. Your body cannot tolerate having insufficient food to fuel the energy that you use up everyday.
If you get used to skipping one or two meals a day, your stored calories will be used up instead of the energy that should have been provided by your meals. So if you just eat one huge sandwich in one day, it will end up straight to your problem area (i.e. highs, buttocks, hips).
2. Start your day right.
Mothers always say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Have a healthy meal in the morning to jump-start your metabolism.
Your food intake after you wake up will be used to burn fat all day long.
3. Eat small, healthy meals frequently.
Five small-serving snacks per day is better than three hearty meals. Eating more frequently, and in small servings, can prevent over-eating. This will also increase your metabolism and make calories burn faster.
4. Decide on how much weight you want to lose.
Keep your goals realistic. In the long run, it is virtually impossible for you to lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks. Have a mindset that you want to eat healthy to stay healthy for the rest of your life.
Once you have decided on a weight loss plan or program, stick to it and make sure that you follow your own set of dieting rules.
5. Drink lots of water.
Your body needs sufficient water to burn fat and keep your cells hydrated and healthy.
6. Avoid too much sugar.
Plan your meals around lots of fruits and vegetables, some bread, rice or pasta for that carbo fix that you need, plus lean meat and protein rich-foods. Sweets, sodas and pastries should be once-in-a-while indulgences only.
7. Watch your fat intake.
Fat is not the culprit to being overweight. You need this to keep your weight at the proper level.
There is such a thing as healthy fats. Olive, peanuts and canola oil have them. Tuna, salmon and mackerel have omega-3 fats which is good for the heart.
8. Exercise.
Leave your car if you are only going a few blocks from home, take the stairs instead of the elevator, jog, cycle or skate. Use these activites and other home chores if you are too lazy to go to the gym and take exercise classes. Make sure that you do this regularly and you will not even notice that you are already shedding pounds with these mundane activities.
It does not matter how much weight you plan or need to lose. What is important is that you set realistic goals for yourself.
Go slow. If you have already lost 5 or 6 pounds, give yourself a break then try to lose the next 5 pounds.
Eat healthy, drink lots of water, have enough sleep and exercise. This will give you a higher chance of losing weight and improving your health, which would result to a new, healthier you.
Krill are shrimp-like crustaceans that account for the world’s largest single-species animal biomass. A Canadian company, Neptune Technologies, has the patent for the extraction of oil from krill. Like fish oil,
krill oil is a rich source of omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), but there is a major difference between fish oil and
krill oil: in fish oil, DHA and EPA are present in triglycerides, whereas in
krill oil they are present in phospholipids. So what? Well, the fact is that phospholipids are what cell membranes are made of. This means that the super-beneficial omega-3 fatty acids in
krill oil are more easily absorbed – VERY easily absorbed, in fact: some research has shown that
krill oil supplements can have positive effects on the brain within TWO HOURS of being taken!
Krill oil: health benefits, supplements and research
Krill oil has several health benefits. Ingesting EPA and DHA in phospholipids instead of triglycerides allows the body to absorb them more efficiently and easily. So supplementing your diet with
krill oil results in the more efficient uptake of DHA and EPA.
Krill oil also reduces the risk of heart attacks: it keeps cholesterol at healthy levels, reduces bad cholesterol, and has anti-inflammatory properties that are very beneficial for your cardiovascular system.
Another benefit of
krill oil is that it is extremely rich in antioxidants – chemicals that mop up free radicals. (Free radicals damage DNA and other biological molecules in cells. They cause ageing, cancer and other problems.) Specifically, the EPA part of the phospholipids in
krill oil has an antioxidant known as astaxanthin attached to it. All in all, the antioxidant properties of
krill oil are over 40 times as powerful as those of fish oil. Astaxanthin protects your skin against the harmful effects of UV rays, among other things.
A number of research studies have shown
krill oil to have even greater beneficial effects than fish oil on depression and other mood and personality disorders. In some cases, in experiments comparing fish oil and
krill oil, only
krill oil had beneficial effects on brain function and depression. Scientists* think this might be due to one or both of the following factors:
(1)
krill oil contains a greater proportion of EPA than fish oil, and EPA seems to be the crucial omega-3 fatty acid in brain health – more so than DHA;
(2) as mentioned above, in
krill oil, DHA and EPA occur in phospholipids, not triglycerides, and this makes it much easier for the body to incorporate them into cell membranes.
Other studies have shown
krill oil to have benefits on adult ADHD, pre-menstrual tension (PMS) and dysmenorrhea.
————————- * Sampalis F., Bunea R., Pelland MF., Kowalski O., Duguet N., Dupuis S. Evaluation of the effects of Neptune
Krill Oil on the management of premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea. Altern. Med. Rev. 2003, 8:171-179.
Krill oil vs Fish oil
1.
Krill oil supplies omega-3-unsaturated fatty acids that are much more bioavailable than those in fish oil. This means that
krill oil has much bigger benefits on depression, OCD and other brain disorders.2.
Krill oil contains the powerful antioxidant astaxanthin. Fish oil does not.
3. Fish oil easily goes rancid.
Krill oil does not.
4.
Krill oil contains proportionately more EPA (eicosapentaeneoic acid) than fish oil – this is why it has a stronger effect on depression and other mood disorders.
5.
Krill oil is a little more expensive that fish oil, but unquestionably worth it.
YOU should take krill oil supplements – stay young, live longer!
So it’s pretty simple: you should take
krill oil because it will make you live longer and age more slowly. It also makes you smarter and improves your mood.
The acai berry is about a 1 inch long reddish, purple fruit. It comes from the acai palm tree (a.k.a. the Euterpe Oleracea), which is native to both Central and South America. It is a relative of the blueberry, cranberry, and other dark purple fruit berries.
Recent research on the acai berry has focused on its possible antioxidant activity. So far, the research has shown that taking the berry as a supplement may help prevent diseases caused by oxidative stress such as heart disease and cancer. It has also proven to be an excellent supplement for weight loss.
Are There Benefits of Taking Acai?
Some more recent studies show that the acai fruit pulp has a very high antioxidant capacity with even more antioxidant content than cranberry, raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, or blueberry. Studies are ongoing, though, and the jury has yet to reach a verdict.
People that have taken the berries regularly, have reported weight loss, and others that use the fruits oil as a cosmetic have reported clearer and more healthy skin. Again, don’t take our word for it.
Are There Any Other Benefits That I Should Know About?
The acai berry has also proven to be a very rich source of protein and dietary fiber, in addition to high levels of both omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, which are thought to have a protective effect on the heart and cardiovascular system. The omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids contained in the acai berry may also play an important role in lowering the levels of cholesterol in the blood.
In addition to these important benefits, the acai berry is thought to play a vital role in slowing down the aging process! In health food circles, the acai berry is known as one of the most powerful & natural of the anti-aging superfoods. It is thought that this anti-aging effect is a combination of the high levels of anthocyanins and the strong antioxidant vitamin content that the fruit contains.
