Natural Good Health And Wellness

Lose Belly Fat By Eating Whole Grains

May 30th, 2008 -- Posted in Weight Loss and Diets | No Comments »

CAme across this post today and just thought I had to share it.

A diet rich in whole grains may help fight your belly bulge while lowering the risk of heart disease.

A new study shows people who followed a weight loss program incorporating whole-grain breads, cereals, and other foods lost more body fat from the abdominal area than those who ate only refined grains like white bread and rice.

In addition, those on the whole-grain diet experienced a 38% drop in C-reactive protein (CRP), an indicator of inflammation in the body linked to heart disease.

Researchers say the results suggest that incorporating whole grains into weight loss plans may help burn fat as well as reduce the risk of heart disease.

The results appear in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Whole Grains vs. Refined Grains
In the study, Heather I. Katcher of Pennsylvania State University and colleagues divided 50 obese adults with metabolic syndrome into two groups. Metabolic syndrome is a collection of risk factors that increase risk for heart disease and diabetes.

Both groups were instructed to cut calories for 12 weeks. But one group was told to eat only whole-grain products while the other group was asked not to eat any whole-grain foods.

By the end of the study, both groups had lost weight, an average of 8 pounds among the whole-grain group and 11 pounds in the refined-grain group.

Both groups experienced a decrease in body fat, but the whole-grain group lost significantly more body fat from the abdominal region than the refined-grain group. Excessive fat around the midsection is linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

The whole-grain group experienced other benefits. For example, CRP levels dropped by 38% among those who followed a whole-grain diet. No decrease was found among the refined-grain group.

Those in the whole-grain group also increased their intake of dietary fiber and magnesium.

Sources of Whole Grain

Looking for food that is a good source of whole grain? Here are some examples of whole grains:

Whole wheat
Whole oats/oatmeal
Whole-grain corn
Popcorn
Brown rice
Whole rye
Whole-grain barley
Wild rice
Buckwheat
Triticale
Bulgur (cracked wheat)
Millet
Quinoa
Sorghum
You can add whole grains at meals and snacks:

Snack on ready-to-eat, whole-grain cereals such as toasted oat cereal.
Add whole-grain flour or oatmeal when making cookies or other baked treats.
Try a whole-grain snack chip, such as baked tortilla chips.
Popcorn, a whole grain, can be a healthy snack with little or no added salt and butter.
Whole Grains on Food Labels
When trying to select foods with whole grains, choose foods that name one of the following whole-grain ingredients first on the label’s ingredient list:

Brown rice
Bulgur
Oatmeal
Whole-grain corn
Whole oats
Whole rye
Whole wheat
Wild rice
Foods labeled with the words “multi-grain,” “stone-ground,” “100% wheat,” “cracked wheat,” “seven-grain,” or “bran” are usually not whole-grain products.

Color is not an indication of a whole grain. Bread can be brown because of molasses or other added ingredients. Read the ingredient list to see if it is a whole grain. Use the Nutrition Facts label and choose products with a higher % Daily Value (%DV) for fiber. The “%DV” for fiber is a good clue to the amount of whole grain in the product.

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5 Tips To Lose Weight Fast(er)

May 19th, 2008 -- Posted in Weight Loss and Diets | No Comments »

Summer is almost here, and with it comes the chance to show off your body a bit more as we get rid of the overcoats and jumpers we have worn all through winter.

For some people this is a good thing, but for others it is a nightmare time as they once again come to struggle with being overweight and too embarrassed to go to the beach or even wearing skimpier clothing.

The net result of this is that people can tend to crash diet to fix this and hopefully get the shape they want, and there are a lot of weight loss companies out there who for a few dollars more will happily let you use their products to achieve this goal. But, is it wise to lose weight fast.

I think most people would generally agree that it isn’t, I’m sure you know of people maybe yourself included that have lost weight fast but have been unable to maintain it and then put it back on, and more. Also, and this is just my personal opinion, but I think that this kind of dieting messes around with your health too much and causes longer term problems, especially on the thyroid gland in women, but that is just my opinion. But, when you are overweight a lot of logical reasoning goes out of the window to be replaced by emotions which drive you to get rid of this excess weight quickly by whatever means, so with that in mind lets look at some ways you can lose weight quicker but without risking your health.

1. Ok you will know this one but I’m going to say it anyway, you have to produce a calorie deficit which means eat less and exercise more. But I do not mean starve yourself and then exercise like a lunatic but keep it simple by exercising for at least 10 minutes three times a week and watching that you do not go over the 2000/2500 calories per day depending on your sex.

2. In your exercise routine include strength training. Now for the girls please stay with me on this one because you are not all of a sudden going to turn into some muscle bound amazon warrior. The fact is that increasing your lean muscle tissue raises your metabolism and this in turn burns more energy which helps you to lose weight faster. So this plus some light cardio is really going to help you get the shape your are after.

3. Eat more protein. Protein is not only essential for the body but it also helps to create a sense of fullness as it is digested slowly by the body, unlike some carbs (and notice I said some and not all carbs) which burn up very quickly and then leave you feeling hungry again. But just because you are increasing your protein it doesn’t mean you have to start eating all red meat and suchlike. There are other proteins such as soy protein which do the same job for you and are good for your overall health. The Japanese diet is high in soy protein and they have one of the lowest obesity rates in the world.

4. Drink more water. You need to be getting at least 2 litres of water a day, and one of the best times to drink your water is about 10 minutes before having a meal as it will fill you up and then you will eat less.

5.Get plenty of fibre. Fibre is another food that is slowly digested and again leaves you feeling full so you don’t get the urge to snack in between your meals, and if you struggle to get enough fibre into your diet there are loads of supplements and drinks you can take to increase your intake.

So there you go 5 tips to help you lose weight in time for the summer, now you just need to make sure you don’t get sunburnt!