msgbartop
A great place to share your resources.
msgbarbottom

23 Jul 09 Eating To Increase Your Metabolism

The key to burning fat and losing weight is increasing your metabolism, as your metabolic rate determines how quickly you burn off the calories that you intake on a daily basis, as well as how quickly your body will use up the fat stored you’ve stored to even out a calorie deficit.  Therefore the higher your metabolism, the more fat you are going to burn more quickly.  Losing weight is all about taking caloric deficiencies so that your body will use your own fat stores as energy, eliminating body fat.  So metabolism is your chief concern, and here are a few foods that will fit with your diet, and keep your engine burning as quickly as possible.

Eating healthy is the best way to keep your metabolism up, which means concentrating on vegetables, lean protein, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains.  Some of the best vegetables to look for include spinach, carrots, cabbage, asparagus, leafy greens like lettuce, and beans.  All of these are low calorie, and loaded with the energy, vitamins, and minerals you need to keep yourself going.  They also are foods that your body will process quickly, because they don’t contain preservatives or other unnatural chemicals, so your body can begin to digest the food immediately.

Fruits you want to look to include, berries, tomatoes, kiwi, and citrus although really any fresh food is good for you.  As a rule you want to stay away from sugar when you’re trying to lose weight, as sugar does nothing for you but turn into fat when sugar is stored in your system.  But the natural sugar found in fruits is actually good for you, providing energy with a lower calorie count, and the right stuff to boost your metabolism.  Remember, kiwi is one of the most healthy fruits in the world, as it’s loaded with antioxidants, and vitamins unlike any other fruit.  So eating kiwi is positive for making you look and feel younger, and for boosting that metabolic rate.

When it comes to lean protein you want to stay away from the red meats, in favor of healthy lean proteins like chicken.  Chicken is low in fat, but also packs that protein punch you need to build muscle, which also boosts your metabolism and helps increase your fat burn.

As far as whole grains are concerned, remember not to cut carbohydrates out of your diet.  Not eating carbs to lose weight is actually for the most part a myth, as cutting out carbs is something you would have to do for your entire life to yield positive results.  Whereas eating the right sort of complex carbohydrates levels out your blood sugar, helping you feel full and healthy more often, decreasing the chances you’ll have the temptation to eat something you shouldn’t.  Also complex carbs give you the healthy energy you need to keep moving, and exercising, building up that muscle and increasing your metabolism.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

28 Apr 09 Is Chocolate Good For You?

A very good question, especially considering how much most of us do love the occasional chocolate bar, wouldn’t it be great if you weren’t doing damage to your health but actually something positive with your cravings?  Well as the facts point out, chocolate actually is good for you, cocoa itself that is, but not all chocolate is good for you.  Dark chocolate in particular is the stuff that has high health benefits, and few to no negative side effects.

This is because cocoa is rich in flavanols, which are extraordinarily good for you because they are proven to increase blood vessel function and blood flow, reduce blood pressure, reduce the tendency of your blood to form clots, and increase blood flow to the brain.  All of which fantastic things, and all of which offered by the flavanols found in cocoa.  However that’s not to say you should run out and buy as much chocolate as you want, as that would just hurt you in the long run.

To receive the full health benefits from chocolate that you could,  you want to concentrate on dark chocolate which is low in fats and sugars, whereas milk chocolate is loaded with fat, sugar, and cholesterol, all of which completely erase any benefits from cocoa’s flavanols.  Also you have to factor in how much you’re eating and adjust your diet accordingly, as you have to reduce calories elsewhere to allow yourself room for chocolate calories.  Otherwise you’re eating extra calories which is going to lead to weight gain.

You want to measure out your chocolate intake, have a little dark chocolate every once and a while as a treat, and then you allow yourself the health benefits without having to worry about any negative side effects.  Although it’s also good to note that fruits and vegetables are still the best way to go for antioxidants and beneficial vitamins and minerals.

Like kiwi which has the highest concentration of antioxidants, vitamin c, and numerous other beneficial minerals for your cardiovascular system.  Chocolate will never, nor should ever, be a substitute for something as ridiculously healthy as a kiwi.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,