How Can Hoodia Help You Lose Weight?

Hoodia is a cactus-like succulent. I have seen it described as an ugly cactus, but as cacti go, I would say it is about average in the looks department. 

Not that its looks really matter; you will not be going up to it and giving it a loving hug. You might, however, want to give it a little bite, whether out of curiosity, or because you have heard it can help you lose weight. 

The hoodia plant that has recently been associated with weight loss potential is hoodia gordonii, one of a large group of succulent plants called Asclepiadaceae. 

How Can Hoodia Help You Lose Weight? 

Hoodia Gordonii grows in the Kalahari desert in Africa, and has done for thousands of years. It clearly thrives in very high temperatures, but it also takes many years to mature. 

Also living in the same region are the San Tribesmen, or Bushmen. The San are amongst the world’s  oldest and most primitive tribes. 

The San have been eating hoodia plants for thousands of years. Now, I am sure your vision of an African desert tribe would not be anything like obese Americans or Europeans, for whom hoodia has been mooted as a possible weight loss aid. 

In fact, you probably imagine quite the opposite, a lithe and slender people struggling to survive on desert morsels. You would be right. How, then, can the San's inclusion of hoodia in their diet have anything to do with weight loss aids? 

The answer is in the reason they have, for all those generations, been eating the hoodia cactus. Their quest for food in the shifting sands of the Kalahari Desert has always meant going on long hunting expeditions. 

Instant gratification for hunger pangs was not usually on the menu, so with their hunting trips lasting for days, they ate hoodia gordonii because it suppressed those hunger pangs for long periods. 

No hunger pangs meant no overwhelming desire to eat. That made the whole hunting process that much more bearable. 

You are probably now beginning to see how hoodia might come to the aid of the obese and overweight. Those who have trouble controlling their eating urges may have a close ally in Hoodia Gordonii. 

If a dose of the plant can suppress their desire to eat, to stop them feeling hungry at meal times, then surely they will find it easier to cut back on calorie intake? 

That was the theory that sparked scientific studies of Hoodia Gordonii. 

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Who among us can truly say that they are as lean and toned as they ever want to be?

Who among us can truly say that they are as lean and toned as they ever want to be? Most people, even the fitness buffs, are in a constant fluctuation between their ideal body and a body that is not quite ideal. So how do we sway this struggle in our favor? Quite often the difference between the body that you have today and the body that you wish you had is made up of simple daily decisions. Read on for simple fitness and weight loss pointers that could very well turn the body you have today into a masterpiece tomorrow! 

• Eating small meals every 2-3 waking hours will increase your metabolism and reduce fat storage. Make sure that these are healthy meals containing protein, carbohydrates and fat. 
• The easiest way to effortlessly lose weight is to not eat three hours before bed. It has been proven that not eating three hours before bed reduces fat storage throughout the night. 
• Eating a balanced diet is key in maintaining a healthy body weight. The American Council on Exercise suggests that this balance break down into 12-20% protein, 55-65% carbohydrates, and 25-30% fat. 
• The average Venti sized Frappuccino weighs in at 530 calories. This staggering number equals 2.5 bagels, or one third of the recommended daily calories for an average woman. Beverages such as this contain high amounts of sugar should be consumed rarely since the extra calories they contain are readily stored as fat. 
• Desserts should be eaten sparingly at an average of no more than two each week. If you have an insatiable sweet tooth, try munching on unsweetened dried fruit, or sugar free Jell-O. 
• Eat a small meal and wait 20 minutes before deciding if you need more food. This will give your stomach and brain time to communicate. If have eaten enough food, your brain will alert your body and you will find that you don't desire anything more. If you are still hungry after this period, eat a small amount more and wait another 20 minutes. 
• Fat free foods, when eaten in excess, will still be stored as fat! Fat free cookies and crackers are made up of a whole lot of SUGAR! Yep, the secret is out! Sugar is just as fattening of a substance than fat itself, when eaten in excess. 

Take the time to incorporate these tips into your daily lifestyle, and you will be pleasantly surprised with your results! Remember that healthy weight loss takes time, so be patient! Make an effort towards your goal everyday and don’t get discouraged!

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An educated dieter is a successful dieter

Reading Labels is an essential part of any weight loss program. Being able to clearly identify key components of a food item is vital to the success of your diet. You have to be careful when you read the label and be extremely thorough. Labels are placed on food items because it is required by law. Marketers are forced to display this information but it does not keep them being tricky about it. 

Lets take a look at a sample label. 

See here we have the Serving Size of the food item. First we have the Serving Size which is 1 oz. or 28 grams. Then there is the Servings Per Container which is 16. This is where you have to be careful. On small items like a bag of chips or cookies, people tend to skip this part of the label and go straight to the Amount Per Serving Section. This where you will kill yourself. Most small items have a Servings per container with more then 1. They usually have 2 or even 2 1/2 servings per container. Not being aware of this, people do not correctly calcuate the Nutrition Facts for that item. When they think they are eating 200 calories in reality they are eating 400 or even 500 calories. 

Next thing to look at is Calories and Calories from fat. Most people only look at the total calories. Here we see that this item has 190 calories. Not alot of calories. But here is the killer. Calories from fat is a whopping 150. Making this item over 80% fat. A big misconception of people who read labels is, there is not a lot of saturated fat because the lablel says only 2grams of saturated fat. Wrong, there is another 15 grams of fat. Where does this come from? My best guess is that about another 10 -13 grams of fat are trans fat which is the fat responsible for obesisty. 

Next we see the % Daily Value. This is recommended daily allowance set by the FDA. This item has a total of 25% fat inregards to your recommened dailiy aloowance. That means that is you eat 4 of these food items, your fat intake would have to be cut off for the rest of the day. 

Another item we should look @ is Total Carboydrates. This is the evil demon among low-carb dieters. The FDA's recommended daily allowance for carb intake is around 330 grams per day. There are good carbs and bad carbs. The bad carbs would be considered Sugars. In this case there is only 1g of sugar and 3 g of Dietary Fiber. In regards to carb intake this is a good product. 

Then there is the protein. The more the better. Remember this fact. 1 gram of protein and carbs are the equvalient to 4 calories. 1 gram of fat is the equivalent to 9 calories. I hope this article has cleared up some issues in regards to reading labels. An educated dieter is a successful dieter.

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All the side effects of fish oil are avoidable

Side Effects of Fish Oil. Fish oil is oil derived from the tissues of fatty acids. Fish oil is recommended as source of Omega 3 fatty acids. Fish oil products are becoming increasingly popular due to the many health benefits. However, there are some side effects of fish oil.

If you take large doses of supplements which contain high level of vitamins (especially vitamin D) in addition to Omega 3 fatty acids, the significant risk is possibility of vitamin poisoning. Vitamin poisoning is a condition which can lead to toxic symptoms. For this reason, you should take fish body oil instead of fish liver based oil.

Another side effect of fish oil is heavy metal poisoning. Many fish contain heavy metal (mercury, lead, nickel, arsenic and cadmium) and other contaminants (PCB's, furans, dioxins). If you eat fish, avoid fish species which contain toxin mercury and contaminants, including Largemouth Bass, Sturgeon, and others such as Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, and Tilefish.

OK, I hear you ask: should you give up fish oil? All the side effects of fish oil are avoidable. If you are concern about the side effects, you should take fish oil supplements as your source of Omega 3 fatty acids. In fact, only fish oil contains the form of DHA that can be used by your body. In addition, fish oil helps to protect you against wide spectrum of diseases and promote overall health. Specifically, fish oil is beneficial to:

• Cardiovascular health

• Skin health and skin disorder, like eczema, psoriasis and rosacea

• Visual function

• Brain function

• Neurological health

• Immune system

• Diabetes

• Gout and arthritis

So,how to avoid the side effects of fish oil? The best source of Omega 3 fatty acids is fish oil supplements. These tips would help you to choose pure and quality fish oil supplements, to ensure you are safe from the above mentioned side effects:

• Choose supplements that are manufacture under strict GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) compliance.

• Choose the supplements that contain high potency of DHA

• The fish oil should be in ester form

• The fish oil should be free from contaminants

• Choose the supplements that are processed with molecular distillation

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Here are five tips to help you find only the best in aromatherapy products

Walking into an aromatherapy supply store can feel like walking into a slice of heaven. The sweet scent of aromatic skin care solutions excite the soul while the tantalizing aromas coming from scented candles steal the show. However, the aromatherapy connoisseur knows that not every scented oil and sweet smelling candle on the shelf contains healing power. Here are five tips to help you find only the best in aromatherapy products.

Tip #1: Check the bottle. 

If your aromatherapy essential oil is in a clear bottle or a plastic bottle, then you should not get it. Light has a damaging effect on oil and truly essential aromatherapy oils can be contaminated when stored in plastic bottles.

Tip #2: Check the label. 

Keywords such as “perfume” or “fragrance oil” are a big sign that the oils contained within the bottle are not pure essential aromatherapy oils. Even though the bottle may have the term aromatherapy printed on it, if you see natural identical oil or fragrance oil on the label, then your aromatherapy oil more than likely contains unwanted perfumery chemicals.

Tip #3: Check for dust. 

If you see an aromatherapy product on the shelf that has dust on its cap or around its container, then avoid getting it. Dust generally means that your aromatherapy product is old. Like many other types of oil and solutions, as aromatherapy products age, they lose their healing powers and aromatic scent.

Tip #4: Check the price. 

Different types of aromatherapy oils demand different prices. Pure therapeutic oils that are exotic cost more than aromatherapy oils that are more common. If every bottle of aromatherapy oil is the same price, you may want to reconsider.

Tip #5: Do your research. Each type of aromatherapy oil has a different therapeutic quality. 

The scent of aromatic essential oils such as cypress is good for treating coughs and asthma. However, the scent of Patchouli is used for anxiety, depression, and healing skin conditions.

Don’t let the sweet talk of the salesman override the natural therapeutic power of pure essential aromatherapy oils. Whether you are purchasing your aromatherapy supplies from one of the many great online retailers or from the local establishment at the shopping center down the road, by following these five tips you can avoid the pitfalls and start enjoying the healing power of aromatherapy.

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Herbal supplements have rapidly gained popularity among users over the past decade

Revitalize Your Health With Herbal Supplements - There is a reason why comfort foods like homemade soups and aromatic herbal dishes seem to have a healing effect on the body. It is because many of the fresh herbs and spices used to create these tantalizing dishes have tons of healing supplemental vitamins and nutrients packed into them. However, you don’t have to be a chef de jour to take advantage of the healing power of herbs. Just go online to a health food store and order your favorite herbal supplement.

Herbal supplements have rapidly gained popularity among users over the past decade. Although eastern cultures have known about the healing effects of herbs for hundreds of years, the power of herbal nutrition supplements are just now beginning to be discovered by western civilization.

The timing of our new “discovery” couldn’t be better. It seems like every month there is a new initiative launched to try and wing Americans off of their dependency on over-the-counter drugs and prescription medicines. Oftentimes, people have been using these medicines so long that their immune systems have adapted to them and they are no longer effective in treating and curing the underlying illness.

However, with healing herbal supplements, your body can begin to heal itself naturally, safely, and effectively. It really doesn’t matter what type of illness or discomfort you are experiencing. There is a natural herbal supplement available to treat just about every ailment, ache, and pain that you may have.

If you are struggling with weight issues, there are safe and natural herbal dietary supplements that can help you conquer the battle with weight loss. If you are having problems with high cholesterol and are becoming a candidate for heart disease and cancer, herbal nutrition supplements such as garlic, ginkgo biloba, and turmeric have been shown to help reduce these risks and stimulate the immune system and healthy blood flow.

Herbal supplements are a natural and effective alternative method of revitalizing and reinvigorating your health. They are safe, affordable, and just flat out work. But don’t take my word for it. Ask the millions of people worldwide who have benefited from the natural healing power of herbal supplements. As always, talk to your doctor before taking on any new medical treatment.

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