It is believed that certain foods and spices can help you boost your metabolism which in turn makes you into a fat burning machine. Of course exercise and proper diet is encouraged but if you can throw a little punch into your efficiency to burn fat then why not utilize some of nature’s edibles and enhance your work toward those fat burning goals. Of course many of these such as celery or grapefruit have not been scientifically proven to increase metabolism yet are still believed to help by natural practice. Apple cider vinegar is a favorite for many purposes but one of them being fat burning.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is said to have a fat burning quality so by adding citrus fruits to your diet you are benefiting yourself in many other ways as well as the boost. Choices such as lemons, oranges, grapefruit and limes are excellent on their own or added to your foods. There are many recipes which utilize these items and the taste is a bonus. Don’t forget tomatoes which are also a fruit high in vitamin C.

Pectin is also a nutrient found in fruits such as apples and berries. Like the lecithin discussed below, this nutrient will help against fat absorption into the cells.

It is true that when bodybuilders are going through extreme leaning stages they eliminate fruits from their diets to some extent but many still eat fruits during the earlier stages of dieting and some will still have grapefruit right up to contest time. Do not over do the amounts you eat per day and you should be fine! 1 -2 pc of fruit per day is encouraged, filling the other 8-9 servings with vegetables for a total of 8-10 servings of fruits and veggies per day as per suggested by the government guidelines.

Soybeans

Soybeans and soy in general have been controversial in the media but soybeans are a source of lecithin which many people go out and buy in capsules at your local vitamin or health food store yet by eating soybeans you get some of this nutrient naturally. Lecithin is believed to help in the break down of fats in your system and block the cells from fat deposits.

Garlic

Garlic is a blood thinner but also seems to have the ability to break down fat. Most people can take it or leave it but by adding garlic to your diet, even in amounts you cannot detect, will help you in your fat burning goals and get a number of other benefits. Garlic is also a diuretic.

Essential Fatty Acids

Essential Fatty Acids are fats which ironically aid in fat burning and weight control. Products such as Omega oils (Udos), flax meal and flax seed oil, most nuts and seeds actually contain this (hemp, pumpkin, sunflower, primrose, olive, borage, pistachio, avocados and almonds) and are essential when you are trying to burn fat because the elimination of fat completely is unhealthy. You replace the bad fats with good ones!

Natural Diuretics

Natural diuretics can also help if you are the type to hold high amounts of water causing bloat. Dandelion is one plant which can be taken by capsule but many ethnic groups such as Europeans and Asians will eat the leaves of this plant steamed, boiled or with other foods which is very healthy. Green Tea is another wonder herb which is much more than tea and does many other things but additionally it helps boost the metabolism and is said to increase energy.

Kelp can be taken by capsule or consumed in its real form. Japanese use this in their foods and soups but in dry, cold and shredded form. Kelp is excellent in aiding in water loss.
Onions, pearl onions, shallots and leaks are a related food which are great natural diuretics and help make your food tastier. Cabbage, brussel sprouts asparagus, carrots, celery, beets, cucumber, radishes and lettuce are also said to aid in fat elimination by the minerals they individually carry which vary between them (magnesium, iodine, sulphur, asparagine, carotene, calcium, and iron).

Peppers

Peppers such as chilies, Cheyenne, and horseradish are also said to help aid in metabolism boost. All these items listed in this article have cleansing effects making them all ideal additions to your daily menu.

To assure good health, you should committ yourself to reducing your exposure to toxins. Some of these are strategies that you’re familiar with, but they’re definitely worth a reminder, while others will almost certainly surprise you:

Reduce Your Chemical Exposures

• Don’t wear your outside shoes indoors. Along with the dirt and dust from outdoors comes residue from diesel auto exhaust, lead, pesticides and other toxins.
• For floors, choose wood, tile and stone, which are less likely to harbor and generate toxins than carpets.
• Keep your house clean, minimizing dust-collecting knickknacks so environmental toxins don’t have the chance to accumulate.
• Filter, filter, filter. Filters should be changed every six weeks in homes with a central forced-air heating/cooling system. If you have a different type, consider installing a portable air-filter system. Filter your tap water, too.
• Minimize use of products that contain harmful chemicals. Buy unscented, eco-friendly cleaners and laundry detergents. Drink and serve food from glass containers, many plastic ones are made with toxic chemicals that can leach into your food.

Don’t Eat Toxins

• Organic fruits, vegetables and meats contain the fewest toxins. It’s especially important to buy organic apples, bell peppers, blueberries, celery, cherries, imported grapes, kale, collard greens, nectarines, peaches, potatoes, spinach and strawberries; these fruits and vegetables, in nonorganic form, are most likely to be drenched in pesticides.
• Generally less toxic produce (meaning it’s not as important to buy organic) includes asparagus, avocado, cabbage, cantaloupe, eggplant, grapefruit, honeydew melon, kiwi, mango, onions, pineapple, sweet corn, peas, sweet potato and watermelon.
• Be picky about fish. Farmed fish can contain significant levels of toxic PCBs, chemicals that can wreak havoc with your health, so eat only wild salmon and other varieties. (This rules out most of what’s sold in restaurants and supermarkets.) Avoid fish with a high mercury content, including swordfish, shark, tuna and orange roughy — check this list to see what’s safe to eat and what’s not.
• Buy organic butter. Nonorganic butter can be high in PCBs!

By minimizing exposure to toxins and supporting your body’s innate healing processes, you can gradually take control of toxins and restore your health. In just weeks, expect increased energy, less brain fog and fewer allergy symptoms such as congestion. Over time, if you keep up the good work, it will only get better.

Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
Boardroom Inc.
281 Tresser Blvd., 8th Floor
Stamford, CT 06901
www.BottomLineSecrets.com

Yawning is something we mostly stifle.  Some people find it offensive and rude, as if the yawner is announcing, “I’m bored with you and/or this activity.”  That’s a shame.  Because researchers have discovered that the humble yawn is a major contributor to mental alertness.  Yawning keeps our brains properly cooled and helps us to shift from one activity to another, even to adjust from one time zone to another. They recommend using yawning consciously as a tool to make life better. For example, yawn soon after awakening to rev up your brain for the day or at night to help calm yourself and promote sleep.

The Science of the Yawn

Most people believe that we yawn to bring oxygen from the air into the body, but that’s wrong, says psychotherapist Patt Lind-Kyle, MA, the author of Heal Your Mind, Rewire Your Brain. She calls yawning an “exercise for the brain” based on the growing number of studies that have found that it facilitates mental efficiency. Yawning does its magic by literally forcing extra blood directly to the brain. Yawning causes the facial muscles to broadly contract and then relax; this action pushes oxygen-rich blood into the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which is the location of the “executive function” that covers planning, organization, decision-making, personality expression and many other crucial activities.

The yawn also sends blood to stimulate an area called the precuneus, which is involved in consciousness along with memory and motor coordination. As far as serving to cool the brain, a 2007 study at State University of New York-Albany found that performing difficult mental tasks, such as processing lots of information, actually increases brain temperature. Though we’re all familiar with the way ongoing mental labor can trigger yawning, it’s not because it is tiring. Again, the yawn sends blood to the brain to curtail its rising temperature, which is how it helps to promote mental efficiency. Interestingly, both yawning and body thermoregulation seem to be controlled by the same area of the brain, the hypothalamus.

Putting Your Yawns to Work

Just decide to yawn and then do it — and I mean do a real face-stretcher!  Here are some situations in which Lind-Kyle suggests adding a yawn:

To stimulate better thinking- When you are preparing for an exam, a presentation or an important conversation, you can enhance your performance by yawning several times first. During an exam, don’t be shy about yawning when you find yourself losing focus or starting to stumble in your thoughts — it will help.

To reduce jet lag and reset energy levels- At 20 weeks gestation, fetuses start to develop a wake/sleep pattern and as part of the process, they yawn… a lot. Lind-Kyle says that we can consciously use yawning to help reset our wake/sleep patterns, including when suffering jet lag. To start, yawn five times or so as soon as you get off the airplane. When you’ve experienced how well this refreshes you, Lind-Kyle says you may soon begin to do it intuitively — you’ll find yourself yawning whenever you feel yourself starting to drag. She says that yawning can be used in this manner to help you acclimate to high altitudes and to reset your energy level as you switch from one activity to another, such as from sleep to wakefulness.

To improve your mood-and, possibly even your relationships.  Yawning is associated with increased levels of dopamine, the neurotransmitter released from the hypothalamus that is associated with pleasure, motivation and sociability. Lind-Kyle says that when two people yawn together, it can help diminish tension in the relationship… and fortunately, yawning is highly contagious, so it’s easy for both of you to get in on the act. If nothing else, a shared yawning session should make for a few ice-breaking laughs.

For relaxation- Curiously, although yawning serves to stimulate the brain, a deep yawn and wide stretch can also relax the body. Lind-Kyle, who leads meditation classes, always starts with a healthy yawn, which she says gets people relaxed quickly. She said that bringing on a few deep yawns at bedtime may help you get to sleep.

How to Bring on a Yawn

We think of yawns as automatic, but it’s surprisingly easy to make yourself yawn:

-Focus thoughts on yawning. Yawns are not only contagious from person to person — even thinking about a yawn can help trigger one, says Lind-Kyle…(I guarantee you’ve yawned at least once while reading this lovely article about yawning!) Close your eyes and picture a yawn, or say the word “yawn” repeatedly to encourage one.

-Fake a yawn… or two… or three until a real one sets in. Lind-Kyle says she generally gets a real yawn after one or two fakes, but however long it takes, stick with it — it will happen.

-Consciously slow your breathing. The decreased oxygen may help trigger a yawn.  Flaring your nostrils as you breathe in may make this happen faster.

-And finally, the best yawn is one you fully experience, Lind-Kyle says. So go all the way — open your mouth wide, scrunch your face fully, and take a deep, full breath. Just be ready to explain yourself if you’re in company!

Source(s):

Patt Lind-Kyle, MA, psychotherapist based in Nevada City, California, and author of Heal Your Mind, Rewire Your Brain (Energy Psychology Press).

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Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
Boardroom Inc.
281 Tresser Blvd., 8th Floor
Stamford, CT 06901
www.BottomLineSecrets.com

For thousands of years, countless cultures and spiritual traditions have promoted rituals of cleansing and detoxification to purify body, mind and spirit; but with the advent of food production as big business, our current culture has been largely drawn away from these simple practices. Now a growing number of health conscious leaders and holistic health practitioners have begun to study the destructive effects of our poor quality food and soil. They also are speaking out about the excessive eating habits of our industrialized society and advocating a return to these simple cleansing rituals.

Improve your body and soul

Simple cleansing practices can be very helpful for almost anyone! If you have any of these symptoms: skin breakouts, frequent colds, allergies, muddled thinking, weight gain, exhaustion, constipation or difficulty digesting food, a body cleanse can especially benefit you.

Or if you are just tired of being dependent on sugar or caffeine to energize you and you want to tap into the infinite power source of your soul then you should consider trying one.  Here are some personal reasons why I suggest them:

1. A cleanse can be a profound turning point in your relationship with food (it was for me). When you break from foods that you know do not support you for a period of time, it can loosen their negative grip on you. This results in feeling more powerful and confident in your body.

You can let go of unhealthy food cravings and bad habits and never crave them again. I know this is true because every time I cleanse I have intense cravings for particular foods. For example, during one of my first cleanses, I had been eating processed protein bars every day. During the cleanse I stopped eating them. I craved them like crazy, then once the cleanse was over I had one and was disgusted by the artificial-ness of it.

Taking a break from unhealthy food you know doesn’t support your body and spirit can break you free from the power of unhealthy habits and cravings and give you the confidence and trust in your body to not eat them anymore.

2. Cleansing can add years to your life by restoring your internal organs and moving toxins out of your body.  The time you spend cleansing will rest your digestive system so that your liver, kidneys and lymphatic system can move the toxins and accumulated waste out of your body. This process enables the body to rid itself of excess weight, prevent disease and bring overall balance to the body.

3. My favorite part about cleansing is the spiritual awakening that may occur in the absence of using food to stuff emotions or habitual food cravings; going without can make you realize how much you really don’t need many of the things you think you do.

While breaking from unhealthy and habitual foods, the body may have cellular memories of past emotions and experiences.  When you rid the body of these old memories and emotions, space for new intentions, dreams and visions is created. It clears the space so that your Spirit can talk to you. While cleansing it’s possible to feel an intense high, unbounded energy, clarity and radiance.

Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
Boardroom Inc.
281 Tresser Blvd., 8th Floor
Stamford, CT 06901
www.BottomLineSecrets.com