5 Foods That Help You Lose Weight by Melanie Haiken, Caring.com

Don’t get sucked into the idea that food is your enemy when you’re trying to lose weight. In fact, it’s just the opposite: Befriend the right foods, and the pounds are much more likely to peel off than if you just try to cut calories across the board. Here, five foods known by nutritionists to boost your body’s fat-burning potential
1. Oats
Wait a minute; aren’t oats a carb? Yes and no. Oats are a whole grain, and they’re high on what nutritionists call the “satiety index,” meaning oats have tremendous power to make you feel full. Not only that, they’re also high in soluble fiber, so they cut cholesterol and blood fat. Oats digest slowly, so they don’t raise your blood sugar, and they keep you feeling filled up well into the late morning. Old-fashioned steel-cut and rolled oats, with up to 5 grams of fiber per serving, are best, but even instant oatmeal has 3 to 4 grams of fiber per serving.
2. Apples
To keep the pounds at bay, eat an apple–or two–a day. Numerous studies have found that eating an apple a half hour to an hour before a meal has the result of cutting the calories of the meal. Why? The fiber in the apple makes you feel full, so you eat less. Recent research suggests eating apples has other benefits, too; the antioxidants in apples appear to prevent metabolic syndrome, the combination of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and prediabetes that tends to accompany thickening around the waist. Also, apples are high in pectin, which binds with water and limits the amount of fat your cells can absorb
3. Eggs
Nutritionists have been trying for some years to restore the reputation of the lowly egg. No longer thought to be a cholesterol-booster (eggs contain a different type of cholesterol than that in humans), eggs are a concentrated form of animal protein without the added fat that comes with meat. Dietary studies have repeatedly found that when people eat an egg every morning in addition to (or instead of) toast or cereal, they lose twice as much weight as those who eat a breakfast that’s dominated by carbs.
4. Cinnamon
This simple spice appears to have the power to help your body metabolize sugar, according to surprising data that came out of a USDA study involving diabetics. Eating as little as 1/4 to 2 teaspoons of cinnamon a day was found to reduce blood sugar levels and cut cholesterol from 10 to 25 percent. So add cinnamon to smoothies, sprinkle it on your cereal, or flavor your coffee with it.
5. Almonds and Almond Butter
Another counter intuitive choice; aren’t nuts and nut butters supposed to be incredibly fattening? Well, almonds are calorie-dense, but they also pack a huge nutritional punch–and they’re particularly effective in counteracting cholesterol and triglycerides. One study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating almonds was as effective as taking a statin. Spreading almond butter on your morning toast gives you a nice protein boost while preventing the carbs in the toast from spiking your blood sugar

Coffee blocks breast cancer!

Until recently, women were told to cut way back on caffeinated coffee to breasts being lumpy - and even benign lumps, it was thought could turn into cancer over time. Not so! “There is no link between benign breast lumps and caffeine,” declares Dixie J. Mills, M.D., Clinical research director for the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation in Santa Monica, CA. What’s more Swedish scientists just discovered that caffeine in coffee hampers the growth of abnormal cells. Even Better: Downing two to three cups a day may delay – even prevent-breast cancer in some women, thanks to compounds in coffee that effect estrogen levels, reducing your risk of developing the more common form of the disease, estrogen-dependent cancer. Bonus: “coffee’s antioxidants help lower your risk of type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease,” says Dave Grotto, R.D.,.D.N., author of 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life. Article from Women’s World 7/21/08
For information of Gano enriched coffee and the benefits of Ganoderma Lucidum go to The 24_7 Shop.
Additional research pertaining to cancer can be found at The 24-7 Shop Healthy Practices (112407)

Why cut Sodium

You don’t have to overhaul your diet to lower your blood pressure – setting down the salt shaker may be enough. Scientists at Shiarz University in L\Iran asked 60 adults with high blood pressure levels to refrain from salting their foods and eating obviously salted snacks, such as potato chips and salted peanuts. The result: After 6 weeks, their systolic blood pressure decreased by 8% a drop researchers say cuts stroke risk by 33% and heart failure by 25%. If going cold turkey is hard, fill your salt shaker with half salt and half pepper alternating layers. This will allow you to gradually cut salt to zero.

Prevention Mag pg 74 May 2008.

For more information that will allow you to improve your health through educated life style choices, go to The 24-7 Shop Healthy Practices (112407)

Minerals – Magnesium

What it is:

An essential mineral found in dark green vegetables, seeds, legumes, nuts, and whole grains.

Benefits:

Boots immunity, keeps bones strong, regulates blood sugar levels, and promotes normal blood pressure. Also assists the absorption of calcium

Provide by Tiffany Plate in Deliciousliving annual guide.

For more research on nutrition, minerals and health go to Advanced Scientific Health website -- www.ashnow.com/112407

Watermelon - The Health Benefits

Watermelon - The Health Benefits

Younger-looking skin

Enjoying as little 2 cups of watermelon a day slashes a women ( or persons) risk of suffering from sun-related skin cancer by 40 percent, according to research in The Journal of Nutrition. That’s because watermelon is nature’s richest source of lycopene, an antioxidant that scavenges the UV-induced free radicals that cause sunburn and wrinkling. Note: lycopene also support prostrate health for men.

Sound Slumber

Eating a few slices of the fruit after dinner can extend deep stages of sleep by 27 percent, say scientists at the National Institutes of Health. The item that provides this push is the watermelon’s polysaccharide carbohydrates rev the body’s output of serotonin. When levels of this neurotransmitter rise at night, the brain is less sensitive to disruptive stimuli (like noise) during sleep.

Boundless Pep

A daily serving of watermelon has been shown to hoist energy levels by up to 23 percent. Part of the credit goes to the fruit’s vitamin B₆, which the body uses to synthesize feel-good dopamine. Plus, watermelon’s magnesium assists in the body’s formation of adenosine triphosphate. Like a rechargeable battery, this nucleotide fuels cellular function for all-day zip.

Rapid Healing

Consuming watermelon ensures quick recovery from summertime scrapes. The fruit is packed with amino acid citrulline, which the body converts to arginine. Arginine speeds the delivery of white blood cells to injury sites, plus spurs the growth of new skin tissue. Research shows that these processes can help heal three times faster.

Article in Aug 11, 2008 “First” magazine by text persons Lorraine Sullivan and Carey Yorio.

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Advantages of Organic Produce

A short article in the June 2008 Prevention Magazine (pg 79) stated that the percentage increase of antioxidant activity conventional apples increased from 9 to 34 percent for organic apples. WOW!!! How can you find organic produce to take advantage of this increase. When you shop the produce section of your grocery store look for the sticker that id's the item. If it has a four digit number it is conventional, HOWEVER if the number starts with a 9 and is 5 digits long it’s Organic, Check to see if you can find items starting with 9 that are your favorites. The local stores here in lower central Michigan are carrying several items of produce. Ask the produce manger for help if you can not find them. They are very willing to help and will order if enough requests are received.
Eating Better -- Clare