This self help site is going to be quick and straight to the point about
all your needs to be able to live a healthy longer life ..
It is said ..you shouldn't need so much exercise if you only
eat a correct diet and after a few tries you should get it all together
so not only will you start losing weight but feel better ..
Maybe with a few herbs , or super foods , and a better diet ..
and you will be proud of yourself , but it takes will ,
and determination to succeed ..
I will not paint a pretty picture for you as most others do ..
everyone's dna and structure is different .. the best way to see is ask
yourself a few questions ..( which we will later discuss in another blog )
but Yes most are beneficial and great for the body .
so ..HERE WE GO !
Key Fact
Water .... yes believe it or not , everyone needs at least 1/2 ounce per pound that you weigh .. so if you weigh 120# you need 60 ounces of water per day.
Your liver and your kidneys will thank you and reward you with great results .
The Top Healthiest Superfoods You NEED to Know About for Extreme Health and Longevity
These are definitely some of the best foods you can eat for your health... Full of antioxidants, chock full of vitamins, minerals and good fats; they help to fix the damage we do every day with diets, environmental stressors, chemical additives and physical stress. If you can include a few servings of these foods in your weekly diet, you will be adding a lot to your good health, and preventing many diseases that could be coming your way otherwise.
The list includes some you may already know about ..
Goji Berry
Goji or wolfberries have long played important roles in Chinese medicine where they are believed to enhance immune system function, improve eyesight, protect the liver, boost sperm production and improve circulation, among other things. They can be eaten raw, consumed as juice or wine, brewed into an herbal tea, or prepared as a tincture. Without a doubt, goji berries are one of the best antioxidant rich foods you can eat.
Almonds, Walnuts and Other Nuts
A high-fat food that's good for your health? You betcha!
Almonds and walnuts sit at the top of the heap for nutrition, but other nuts are healthy, too, including pistachios, pecans, and cashews. Nuts are high in monounsaturated fats, the same type of health-promoting fats as are found in olive oil, which have been associated with reduced risk of heart disease. Five large human epidemiological studies, including the Nurses Health Study, the Iowa Health Study, the Adventist Health Study, and the Physicians Health Study, all found that nut consumption is linked to a lower risk for heart disease.Researchers who studied data from the Nurses Health Study estimated that substituting nuts for an equivalent amount of carbohydrate in an average diet resulted in a 30% reduction in heart disease risk.A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition indicates that when foods independently known to lower cholesterol, such as almonds, are combined in a healthy way of eating, the beneficial effects are additive. In this study of 12 patients with elevated LDL cholesterol levels, a diet containing almonds and other nuts, plant sterols (also found in nuts), and soluble fiber (in high amounts in beans, oats, pears) reduced blood levels of all LDL fractions including small dense LDL (the type that most increases risk for cardiovascular disease) with near maximal reductions seen after only 2 weeks.
Avocados
Avocados contain oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that may help to lower cholesterol. In one study of people with moderately high cholesterol levels, individuals who ate a diet high in avocados showed clear health improvements. After seven days on the diet that included avocados, they had significant decreases in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, along with an 11% increase in health promoting HDL cholesterol.
Avocados are a good source of potassium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure. Adequate intake of potassium can help to guard against circulatory diseases, like high blood pressure, heart disease, or stroke.One cup of avocado has 23% of the Daily Value for folate, a nutrient important for heart health. One study showed that individuals who consume folate-rich diets have a much lower risk of cardiovascular disease or stroke than those who do not consume as much of this vital nutrient.
Garlic, Onions, Leeks and Shallots
- In a study of centenarians (people living over 100 years of age), it was found that high garlic and onion consumption was one of the factors that surveys revealed may have partial involvement in their longevity. Garlic and onions are a couple of the best sources of uniquely powerful antioxidants. Garlic health benefits and medicinal properties have long been known. Garlic has long been considered a herbal "wonder drug", with a reputation in folklore for preventing everything from the common cold and flu to the plague! It has been used extensively in herbal medicine. Raw garlic is used by some to treat the symptoms of acne, and the common cold, and there is some evidence that it can assist in managing high cholesterol levels. It can even be effective as a natural mosquito repellent.A stronger tasting clove of garlic has more sulphur content and hence more medicinal value. Some people prefer to take garlic supplements. These pills and capsules have the advantage of avoiding garlic breath.Modern science has shown that garlic is a powerful antibiotic, albeit broad-spectrum rather than targeted. The body does not appear to build up resistance to the garlic, so its positive health benefits continue over time.
Studies have shown that garlic - especially aged garlic - can have a powerful antioxidant effect.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a rich source of several nutrients. They are well known for their high vitamin C content, but also contain significant amount of vitamin A, B vitamins including niacin and riboflavin, magnesium, phosphorous, and calcium. Tomatoes are also a good source of chromium, folate, and fiber. In recent years a particular nutrient found in abundance in tomatoes, lycopene, has made many headlines for its disease fighting abilities. Lycopene is well known as a preventer of prostate cancer, which makes tomatoes high on the healthy food list for men. Lycopene is not just important for men though. It is a powerful antioxidant and as such helps to protect the cells in our bodies from damage. Studies in humans have shown that lycopene is protective against a variety of cancers including prostate of course, but also colorectal, breast, lung, endometrial, pancreatic, bladder, cervical and skin cancers. Lycopene has also been shown to help prevent heart disease and may slow the development of cataracts and macular degeneration, an age related vision problem that can lead to blindness. The vitamin B6, niacin, potassium, and folate found in abundance in tomatoes are potent protectors against heart disease. Niacin can lower high cholesterol levels and potassium has been shown to lower high blood pressure and to reduce the risk of heart disease. Vitamin B6 and folate also work to convert the homocysteine in our bodies into harmless molecules. High levels of homocysteine are associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
The fiber in tomatoes also helps lower cholesterol levels, helps prevent colon cancer, and helps to keep blood sugars at a low level. Tomatoes are a source of riboflavin, which has been shown to be helpful for migraine sufferers by reducing the frequency of their headaches.
Sprouts
Sprouts are one of the most complete and nutritionally beneficial of all foods. Their nutritional value was discovered by the Chinese thousands of years ago. Recently, in the USA, numerous scientific studies suggest the importance of sprouts in a healthy diet. As an example, a sprouted Mung Bean has the carbohydrate content of a melon, vitamin A of a lemon, thiamin of an avocado, riboflavin of a dry apple, niacin of a banana, and ascorbic acid of a loganberry. Other studies have shown sprouts to be a powerful antioxidant and may assist in preventing some types of cancer. Sprouts are the most reliable year-round source of vitamin C, beta-carotene, and many B vitamins (such as folacin). Sprouting seeds, grains, and legumes greatly increases their content of those vitamins. For example, the vitamin A content (per calorie) of sprouted Mung beans is two-and-a-half times higher than the dry bean, and some beans have more than eight times more vitamin A after being sprouted. Sprouts preserve our body's enzymes, which is extremely important. How do they do this? Sprouted beans, grains, nuts, and seeds are extremely easy to digest. Sprouting essentially pre-digests the food for us by breaking down the concentrated starch into simpler carbohydrates and the protein into free amino acids, so our own enzymes don't have to work so hard. Sprouting also removes anti-nutrients such as enzyme inhibitors, and that makes sprouts even easier to digest, further sparing enzymes. Another anti-nutrient is phytates, which is what stops some people from enjoying grains such as wheat. Many people who can't eat unsprouted wheat find they can eat all the sprouted wheat they want with no problem.
Almost any vegetable or grain can be consumed from sprouts. Broccoli, canola, cauliflower, and mustard greens sprouts are loaded with vitamins, minerals, protein, enzymes, and chlorophyll. In a recent study, 1 oz. of broccoli sprouts had the same cancer-fighting power as over 11⁄2 pounds of fully-grown broccoli.
Grass-Fed Raw Dairy Milk, Cheese, and Butter
Few people are aware that clean, raw milk from grass-fed cows was actually used as a medicine in the early part of the last century. That's right. Milk straight from the udder, the "stem cell" of foods, was used as medicine to treat, and frequently cure some serious chronic diseases. From the time of Hippocrates to until just after World War II, this "white blood" nourished and healed uncounted millions.Clean raw milk, cheeses, and butter from grass-fed cows are a complete and properly balanced food. You could live on it exclusively if you had to. Raw dairy contains a wealth of healthy substances including: amino acids, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats such as CLA.
Amino acids are building blocks for protein. Depending on whom you ask, we need 20-22 of them for this task. Raw dairy products have all 20 of the standard amino acids. About 80% of the proteins in milk are caseins- reasonably heat stable but easy to digest. The remaining 20% or so fall into the class of whey proteins, many of which have important physiological effects (bioactivity). Also easy to digest, but very heat sensitive-and lost in the pasteurization process, these include key enzymes and enzyme inhibitors, immunoglobulins, metal-binding proteins, vitamin binding proteins and several growth factors.
Lactoferrin, an iron-binding protein, has numerous beneficial properties including (as you might guess) improved absorption and assimilation of iron, anti-cancer properties and anti-microbial action against several species of bacteria responsible for dental cavities. Recent studies also reveal that it has powerful antiviral properties as well.
Grass-Fed Meats and Wild-Caught Salmon
Grass-fed beef and wild caught salmon have more beta-carotene, vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids than beef produced using conventional cattle-feeding strategies.
Three ounces of ground beef from cattle fed conventional diets contain about 41 micrograms of beta-carotene and a typical rib eye steak has 36 micrograms. In contrast, meat from cattle fattened predominately on ryegrass has almost double the beta-carotene, 87 micrograms in 3.5 ounces of ground beef and 64 micrograms in a steak.
Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is a critical fat-soluble vitamin that is important for normal vision, bone growth, reproduction, cell division and cell differentiation.
Fermented Foods
Lacto-fermented foods have been around for a very long time. Common in Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and North and Central European cuisine, fermentation has been used to enhance the flavor of food, create food, and help food having a longer shelf life. Fermented foods are delicious and nutritious. These traditional foods are key to our health.
Fermentation allows the bacteria, yeasts and molds to "predigest" and therefore break down the carbohydrates, fats, and proteins to create probiotics which offer friendly bacteria into the digestive tract. This helps keep our immune system strong and supports overall digestive health.
and newly discovered foods in the last few years .. such as:
Chlorella - The World's Greatest Healthy Aging Food!
Chlorella is a single-celled, water-grown algae that contains more health-enhancing chlorophyll per gram than any other plant. It is extremely rich in vitamins, minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids and many other nutrients that are beneficial to your health. Chlorella also has an abundance of nucleic acids, which have powerful rejuvenating properties that regulate the aging process, supports youthful looking and wrinkle-free skin, and helps you have a longer potential lifespan.
Moringa - The "Miracle Tree" of Cell Rejuvenation and The Enemy of Abnormal Cell Growth
The moringa is a genus of trees indigenous to Southern India and Northern Africa, and now cultivated in Central and South America, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and the Philippines. The leaves of the species called moringa oleifera, have become recognized in recent years as being highly beneficial to human health.
Maca - The Sacred Plant More Precious Than Gold!
Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a hearty root vegetable that grows in the high Andean plateaus of Peru. It is full of essential nutrients drawn from the mineral rich soil of the high Andes and the ancient Inca worshipped it as a sacred plant.
Spirulina - The Most Nutrient-
Dense Food on the Planet! Spirulina is a blue green algae, considered to be the most nutrient dense food on the planet.
Because spirulina's nutrient profile is more potent than that of any other food, plant, grain or herb, it is considered a superior whole food alternative to isolated vitamin supplements. In addition to its contribution to the body's nutritional needs, it has been shown to support beneficial outcomes when concerned about:
Cacao - The No. 1 Longevity Food
Cacao comes from raw cacao seeds, the product of a fruit grown on the cacao tree (theobroma cacao), which grow naturally in the shade of tropical rainforests in South America and the West Indies. Cocoa, a component of chocolate, is derived from cacao, which many researchers dub as "one of nature's most fantastic superfoods." Here are just a few of cacao's far-reaching health benefits:
Wheatgrass - The Absolute Best Superfood for the Rejuvenation of Aging Cells ..
Wheatgrass is the young grass of the common wheat plant, triticum aestivum. Its leaves are juiced or dried into powder for human consumption. consuming wheatgrass juice promotes a healthy aging process because it cleanses the blood, thereby helping to rejuvenate aging cells and helping to tighten loose and sagging skin.
Camu-Camu - The Superfruit with 600 Times More Vitamin C Than Oranges!
Camu camu is a bush that grows in the black water rivers of the South American Amazon rainforest. Its purplish red berries are a rich source of antioxidants and powerful phytochemicals that support and enhance health. Camu camu berries contain the highest amount of Vitamin C of any botanical source—30 to 60 times more than a fresh orange. But when they are dried and reduced to powder form (as they are in Mega-Nutrition Organic Superfood blend), they deliver 600 times more Vitamin C than oranges! This amount of Vitamin C provides extraordinary immune system support and enhances mental health. The berries also contain beneficial phytochemicals, such as leucine, serine and valine, as well as significant levels of beta carotene, calcium, iron, potassium, niacin, phosphorus, riboflavin and thiamine—all of which provide these nutritional and therapeutic benefits:
Acai - The Most Antioxidant- Rich Superfood in the World!
The acai berry (Euterpe Oleracea), the fruit of the Acai Palm tree which grows in the flood plains of the Amazon in Brazil, is a small, black-purple berry that is considered by many to be one of the world's most nutritious foods. That's because it's the most antioxidant-rich superfood in the world, with a phenomenally high ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) value. These berries contain a high concentration of beneficial anthocyanins—up to 30 times more anthocyanins than red wine!
Here are some
"food tricks" to help you control calories, cravings, and appetite...
#1. About 20 minutes before every meal, eat one handful of nuts such as almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc...preferrably raw nuts (as this reduces the oxidation of polyunsaturated fats), but any nuts will still do the trick. This is a trick I've used myself and I've used with many of my clients in the past that ALWAYS helps people to control their appetite and get lean FAST!
The reason it works is because the healthy fats, fiber, protein, and density of micronutrients (antioxidants, vitamins, minerals) in nuts help to satisfy a lot of the nutrition needs of your body, thereby greatly reducing your appetite before eating full meals.
We add the handful of nuts about 20 minutes before each meal because this allows enough time for your body to signal to the brain that it received this nutrition and thereby reduce your appetite.
Also, this basically substitutes a healthy super nutrient-dense source of calories into your diet multiple times per day, and increasing your % of your calorie intake from nuts as opposed to other types of foods aids your body in decreasing body fat.
The 2nd "food trick" This is a trick I didn't know about until recently, and it involves food scent.
Smelling food can trick your brain into thinking you've eaten. A recent study found that those who inhaled peppermint in scent form every 2 hours ate (get this) 2700 calories LESS per week than they normally did. Let me put that in perspective: That's a fatloss of more than half a pound a week... from sniffing peppermint!
Vanilla also works. You can keep vanilla-scented drops or even candles around the office and take a wiff every few hours. How easy is that?
**Problem with supplements:
This problem is quite simply this... YOU DON'T NEED THEM for optimal health, IF you're eating right.
The fact is, you don't need supplements as long as you eat a well rounded diet full of unprocessed whole natural foods, lots of variety, high nutrient density, lots of fruits, veggies, whole unrefined grains, eggs, beans, nuts, seeds, organic meats, fish, etc, etc.The problem is that most people don't have time or don't make enough of an effort to eat this type of optimal diet with proper balance and super-high nutrient density.
However ... In this case, I concede that supplementation has a few benefits for people who struggle to eat right all of time and may be missing many essential nutrients.
There are dozens of "minor" things that can all have small, but cumulative effects on your metabolism and fat burning efforts.
Some of these that I've written about are:
*Use of cruciferous veggies to help fight the xenoestrogens your body is exposed to (that can make stomach fat particularly stubborn)
*Use of green/black/white/oolong teas to have very slight increases in fat burning effect
*Use of capsaicin to have a slight thermogenic effect and increase in calorie burning
*Use of cinnamon which is proven to control blood sugar levels, improve insulin sensitivity, and thereby help to control appetite/cravings and burn more fat
*and dozens more simple little "tricks" like this that can all add up.
I've made sure to stress that none of these are "miracles" that will magically transform your body...
I've always tried to stress that the main aspects of your lifestyle, training consistency and strategy, nutritional habits, and mindset are vitally more important than any of these minor "tricks and tips". But, I also honestly think that if you consistently combine many of these minor aspects like spices, teas, food types, etc, etc -- that you can see a legitimate increase in your fat burning results. Although I don't believe in "Fat Burners" per se, I found a great new product that I think can help to maximize your metabolism...
This product contains some of the things I've talked about before... green tea, cinnamon, capsaicin, L-tyrosine, AKG, and a few other goodies.
I don't think it's a "miracle fat burner" or any nonsense like that...but I DO think it can help to give you the edge and increase your metabolism. Based on some of the ingredients, it could help to control blood sugar, control cravings, increase thermogenic caloric burning, etc... check it out:
http://natural.getprograde.com/metabolism-special.html
