Vitamin Information Center

Acai Berry if currently one of the best selling weight loss supplements. Ever since Oprah Winfrey had a show on Acia Berry, anxious dieters naturally decided on trying it for themselves. But is acai berry really some miracle weight loss aid? Of course not. You can’t expect to lose weight, even with acai berry supplements, unless you also watch your caloric consumption and exercise more.

Losing weight is actually a very simple process. If you consume less calories than you expend, you’ll lose weight. If you consume more calories than you burn, you store the excess weight as body fat. If you want to cut your body fat, you begin by cutting the calories you take in and by increasing the calories you burn off through exercise. If you run a calorie deficit daily over a period of time, you’ll start to see dramatic weight loss results.

Can taking Acai berry as a supplement help you lose weight? Some anecdotal evidence suggests it might. There are no clinical trials proving it works.

One thing is certain, you have to be very careful about falling prey to any acai berry scams. A number of companies have gotten in trouble with people ordering acai berry products from them, and then the company automatically sent refills out to customers.

In order to avoid refill sending scams like the above, you’re better off buying acai berry products from trusted online e-tailers like Amazon. They currently offer Natrol acai berry caps for $5.61. That way you can see the results without spending an arm and a leg.

Nowadays many people are asking themselves the same question, if the Acai Berries really help them lose weight or not.
Though there are a lot of uses of Acai Berries, the first and most known feature is that it helps you to cleans your intestines. It not only clears you intestines but if you eat it regularly it also enlivens your body and gives it high energy levels because it acts like an anti-toxidant in that it kills all the harmful substances within your body, such as small viruses and bad cells.
If you are looking for the fruit with the most antioxidants then most people would say blueberries since they are full of antioxidants. But with Acai Berries, the amount of anti-toxidants is far more numerous. In addition to that, thanks to the nutrients the Acai Berries include, consuming acai berry is a natural shield against many kinds of illnesses and disorders, from blood clotting to diabetes.
It is as well another known fact that acai helps those people who want to lose weight thanks to its attribute in helping fat burning happen more effectively. As a result of its composition which contains fatty acids, fiber, phytsterols and amino acids, it is a lot easier to get rid of your excessive fats.
The last but not the least of the features of Acai Berries are that, provided you consume a worthwhile amount, it helps you to develop muscles and turns your digestion into a far more regular process. And both of these processes are necessary in order to lose weight. Due to the fiber and fatty acids in the acai berry you feel full longer and your body accelerates the metabolism, and so burns calories far quicker. Lastly, thanks to phytsterols, your digestion becomes stronger and supplies your body more nutrients from each food item you consume.

You can get Acai berry pills on a free trial. Dont pay full price before trying, Viva Caps Acai offer a 100% free trial to see if this product is for you. You can access and order free acai pills through the Natural Cures blog

If you have been watching the news at all lately, you have probably seen something about the new acai berry diet. It has been promoted on Oprah, Rachael Ray, and all over local news stations. Here are 3 of the biggest benefits of acai berry.

It is a calorie burner. Just like diet pills or other weight loss supplements, acai berry can help you burn off extra calories without any work from you. Obviously, mixing acai berry with a good workout plan will only boost the effects, but it is not necessary. The small particles contained in the seeds of the acai berry throw your body into a thermal state. This is the same state you go into when you run or workout.

It can improve mental clarity. Acai berry does not contain any caffeine like most pills people take for concentration, so their is no crash after it wears off. The ginseng and guarana it contains are much higher then most energy drinks. Studies have shown it can improve clarity for hours at a time. For this reason, it has become big among college students, which is a much safer alternative then dangerous pills.

The final reason is that it boosts the ability to fight cancer. This is more of a recent discovery by scientists, but quite possibly one of the most important discoveries in recent years. Certain gene receptors in the body are actually ceased by the berry. Cancer is still a very advanced disease and can morph and still form, but this is the most progress on an all-natural supplement in years!

As you can see, their are many benefits of acai berry, but these are three extremely important ones!

(CBS) Some women get so obsessed with keeping their weight in check while pregnant that they go overboard on dieting and exercise and put their baby’s health at some risk, experts say.

And some of those women may get started on the path to “pregorexia” by images of celebrities who look thin while pregnant and immediately after giving birth, observers agree.

On The Early Show Monday, Dr. Holly Phillips said women cross the line into pregorexia “when they start to change their behaviors and really focus only on that number on the scale, only on their weight. That’s when it gets dangerous. … Everything you do during pregnancy, including your diet and exercise, should be for your health not for your weight.”

Phillips noted that, “Calorie restriction is linked with growth retardation (and) birth defects, and (with) vitamin deficiencies, both for the mother and baby. What’s interesting about vitamin deficiencies is, say, for instance, with calcium deficiency: The baby will probably get what he or she needs, but that’ll be at the expense of the mother’s bones. So, you really have to be careful with that” and take in more calories overall than you ordinarily would.

Mother’s of average weight are advised to gain 25-35 pounds during pregnancy, Phillips adds. If you’re overweight, you should aim for the lower end of that range, and if you’re underweight before pregnancy you, should gain between 28-40 pounds. Moms of twins my gain 45 or more.

Exercise can also become a matter of too much of a good thing for expectant mothers.

There are many benefits of exercise during pregnancy, Phillips pointed out, “from the mother’s mental and physical health to better deliveries, better postpartum recoveries, even a higher I.Q. for the baby.

“But, you don’t want to overdo it. You never want to exercise to the point where … you’re not getting enough oxygen, because that’s linked with neurological defects in the baby.

“You shouldn’t exercise to the point of exhaustion. If you need to throw yourself on the couch afterwards just to rejuvenate, you’ve done too much. You should feel invigorated after your workout, not exhausted.”

The right amount of exercise should be determined by you and your doctor’s office, Phillips says, and should be based on your pre-pregnancy level of cardiovascular conditioning. Specifically, if you were a tri-athlete before becoming pregnant, your pregnancy workout will naturally be more vigorous than the mom who may have been more prone to being a couch potato pre-pregnancy.

But 30 minutes of moderate cardiovascular activity four days-a-week is the minimum.

Asked by co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez whether pregorexia may be spurred, at least in part, by images of slim, pregnant celebrities, just as many teen sufferers of the eating disorder anorexia are influenced by images of skinny celebrities, Phillips replied, “I think we’ve never before been more kind of obsessed with celebrity culture, and with celebrity pregnancies, as well. It’s not unusual to see pictures of these celebrities the day before and the day after birth and they’re looking super-humanly fit. They’re really incredible.

“But you also have to remember a lot of these celebrities are just genetically blessed. … They have the best dieticians, nutritionists, (trainers), etc. They certainly have an advantage.”

What’s more, Phillips continues, it’s wonderful that pregnant women now have designer styles to choose from, especially those that celebrate and compliment the pregnant shape. It only becomes a problem when women become unhealthily fixated on remaining a specific size.

By Charles Stuart Platkin

When you’re thinking about what to eat, you need to ask yourself, “Will it keep me satisfied, or will I be hungry again in 30 minutes?” “Am I getting the vitamins and minerals I need, or am I just entertaining my mouth (and mind)?” The best food choices are the most nutrient-dense — foods that contain a large number of nutrients (e.g., vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc.) for relatively few calories. Here are a few food comparisons that will help you focus a bit more on the total profile of the foods you eat, instead of just the calories.

McDonald’s Hamburger vs. Premium Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken

The burger (at 100 grams) is only 250 calories, but it isn’t as filling as the Premium Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken (311 grams) at 220 calories. Pair the salad with Newman’s Own Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette and you have a total of 260 calories. Now keep in mind, this is really not a Caesar salad because you’re using a different dressing, but it’s a good choice. You get more than three times the volume for only 10 extra calories. And, believe it or not, the salad packs more protein: It has 30 grams versus only 12 grams for the burger — wow. The salad also offers 130 percent of the daily recommended value for vitamin A (0 for the burger), 50 percent for vitamin C (2 percent for the burger), and 20 percent of your recommended calcium allowance (compared with 10 percent for the burger). Plus, a burger typically comes with other unhealthy friends, such as fries and a soda. The only problem with the salad and the dressing is the sodium — it’s off the charts. The burger is also high, but the salad and dressing have more than twice as much.

Post Shredded Wheat vs. Wheaties

Post Shredded Wheat is 170 calories for one serving (1.75 ounces), and it’s just plain whole-grain wheat — nothing else. One serving of Wheaties (about an ounce) is 100 calories; however, it has only 3 grams of fiber, compared with 6 grams in Shredded Wheat. The Shredded Wheat also has twice the protein (6 grams), and the Wheaties has 4 grams of added sugar. Keep in mind, if you compare the cereals gram for gram, they are similar in calories (in one serving you get ¾ of an ounce more of the Shredded Wheat). However, if you look at the ingredients, the Shredded Wheat is much “cleaner.” Wheaties’ ingredients: whole wheat, sugar, salt, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, brown sugar syrup, natural flavor, trisodium phosphate — not exactly a wholesome cereal when compared with the Shredded Wheat.

Hummus vs. Kraft French Onion Dip

One tablespoon of the French Onion dip is about 30 calories, whereas hummus — a Middle Eastern spread made from chickpeas, tahini (ground sesame seeds), roasted garlic and olive oil — has about 35 calories per tablespoon (1/2 ounce). However, the chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are high in fiber, folate, manganese (a trace mineral that helps energy production from proteins) and protein. Chickpeas also have phosphorous, vitamin C and iron.

If you want to make your own hummus, here is a great recipe that yields 10 ounces:

1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon tahini

Juice of 1 large lemon

¼ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth, and you’re done.

1 tablespoon = 34.2 calories, 1.3g fat, 4.5g carbs, 1g fiber, 1.5g protein.

Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar vs. Wish-Bone Fat Free Italian Salad Dressing

The Wish-Bone Fat Free dressing is only 20 calories for 2 tablespoons. If you were to use 2 teaspoons of olive oil (however, try using a salad mister, not a spoon) that would be 80 calories, plus 14 more calories for a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar for 94 calories total. So, yes, it’s more, but you also get the benefits of the oil’s monounsaturated fats, which (in limited quantities) have been shown to help reduce your risk of heart disease. Plus, take a look at all the added ingredients and sugar in the low-fat dressing: water, high-fructose corn syrup, distilled vinegar, salt, garlic, soybean oil, onion, xanthan gum, red peppers, (ascorbic acid, sodium benzoate, calcium disodium EDTA), spices, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), lemon juice concentrate, caramel color.

Brown Rice vs. White Rice

I’ve seen brown rice that is slightly higher in calories than white rice, but for the most part they’re close. For instance, 1 cup of cooked long-grain brown rice is about 216 calories, whereas 1 cup of cooked long-grain white rice is 205. However, that’s where the similarities end. The best place to start is the fiber: The brown rice has 3.5 grams of dietary fiber (14 percent of the recommended daily value) versus only 0.6 percent for the white rice. Fiber is helpful in a number of ways, but one key benefit is that it slows the digestion of food and prevents insulin spikes. Brown rice also has 87 micrograms or 22 percent of your recommended daily value for folic acid and 84 milligrams or 21 percent of your daily value for magnesium, which is helpful for energy and muscle relaxation. Finally, the brown rice has nearly double the amount of natural selenium (19.1 micrograms versus 11.8 micrograms), which research has shown to be helpful for those who are at high risk for prostate cancer or heart disease.

100 Percent Whole-Grain Bread vs. White Bread

Unless you’ve totally ignored the news, you already know that whole grains are better. But I’ve noticed that when people are at the market comparing food labels, they’re shocked that the whole-grain breads are often higher in calories. For instance, one slice of Pepperidge Farm 100% Natural 100% Whole Wheat Bread is 100 calories, whereas Pepperidge Farm Original White Bread is only 70 calories per slice. However, the whole-grain bread has more than triple the fiber, more iron, more calcium and double the protein. Also, keep in mind (just in case you have been a bit out of touch) that when grains are refined, other nutrients, such as vitamin E, vitamin B6 and magnesium, are removed. As a very important side note, make sure you buy only 100 percent whole-grain breads with no added ingredients. Many whole-grain breads have added sugars and other ingredients that you can certainly live without. As an example, look at Arnold Natural 100% Whole Wheat. I’m not sure what the “natural” means here, because even though all the ingredients — including added sugar, soybean oil, calcium sulfate, salt, yeast, cultured wheat starch, sugar cane fiber, molasses, etc. — are “natural” as opposed to “fake,” that doesn’t mean they ought to be in bread. And, yes, it’s only 90 calories per slice, and 100 percent whole grain, but it’s still not what you should be looking for.

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CHARLES STUART PLATKIN is a nutrition and public health advocate, founder and editor of DietDetective.com, the health and fitness network and author of The Diet Detective’s Calorie Bargain Bible (Simon & Schuster, 2007). Copyright 2008 by Charles Stuart Platkin. All rights reserved. Sign up for the free Diet Detective newsletter and iTunes podcast at www.DietDetective.com.

If you are looking to develop great abs then there are some important questions you must answer. How do I need to eat for great abs and what are the diet rules I need to follow? Those can be hard questions to answer. After all we see hundreds of advertisements answering those questions in hundreds of different ways.

Once you know how to train your abdominal muscles in the gym. Once you know how to burn the fat off of your stomach by raising your metabolic rate. You can really increase your success rate to six pack abs with the proper diet.

One of the key things to remember is that you don’t have to follow any of the so called fad diets. One program tells you to go low carb, one tells you to go low fat, one says to go high in protein. If you want to see your abs underneath that layer of fat surrounding your belly then don’t try to make it difficult. Don’t sway with this and that fad diet that all your friends are trying out. I like fitness expert Mike Geary’s advice. Keep it simple with the key being on balance and eating foods that are high in nutrients that have not been damaged through food processing.

Eating a proper diet is not as easy as getting your daily allowance of fruits and vegetables. The way our foods are grown, and made have made it difficult to eat right. Foods have been chemically altered for taste, shelf life, and growth. That has left us with potential adverse health effects which are still unfolding. You are much better off sticking with unprocessed nutrient rich foods.

A good ab diet can be had by following these four dieting keys.

* Consume quality protein in large amounts. You will burn more calories by the simple act of consuming protein. Foods rich in protein require more work to digest. In addition the protein builds muscle which also need energy to maintain and grow. As this energy is used calories are being burnt. If you have ever heard that eating 6 small meals a day is good for you its true. Your energy level is maintained throughout the day, you don’t crave junk food, and you burn more calories through the process of digestion.

* Take in food high in fiber. Try and take in your carbs from high fiber sources. Foods that are rich in fiber will satisfy your hunger. Natural fiber from unrefined grains, fruits, and vegetables are a much better choice than fiber supplements. It’s a good idea to stay away from foods such as sugars and fruit juice. The fiber has been removed from them to make digestion easier. A key cause of body fat struggles is refined grains and sugars. Two to three grams of fiber per ten grams of carbs is a good rule of thumb when comparing food choices.

* Some fat is good. Fat free diets can be damaging to the human body. Here are some good sources of fat. Organic meats, fish, nuts, olive oil, egg yolks, and seeds. Remember that fat gives us many of the vitamins and minerals that our body needs to function. Get rid of all fat and you create vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

* Stay away from these two enemies of the lean body. If you can stay away from processed foods you will avoid these enemies. The first is high fructose corn syrup. Unfortunately most food items that have been sweetened are high in fructose corn syrup. The second is artificial trans fats. Trans fats are neither required nor beneficial to the human body. They increase the chance of coronary heart disease among other ill effects. Most trans fats are industrially created to increase the shelf life of food. These trans fats come in the form of margarines, hydrogenated oils and shortening.

Mike Geary (fitness expert) says you will gain control of your hormone levels, blood sugar levels, and appetite by following these 4 keys. Don’t do everything right in the gym and then fail in your diet. If you really want your ab muscles to show then follow these diet tips to success.

For every problem there is always a solution. It just depends on how much you have or are willing to dedicate to the same. Weight loss is also one such issue, but in this case, most people want instant results and want to shed those extra pounds within the shortest span on time. Today, in the market, if you were to scan the shelves you will notice there are more than enough products to reduce weight quickly. But, they might have some adverse side effects or other harmful chemicals in them which is how you lose all that extra weight so quick. So, be aware and be wary of such products, and do not take them unless you get a green signal from your doctor.

Putting on weight happens over a period of time, it is not like you went to bed skinny and woke up overweight. Similarly, you must be ready to invest time in losing weight, to remain healthy and to be able to maintain the weight you have achieved. There are some who suffer from joint pain and legs aching all the time, or shortness of breath. This is due to the fact that their body is not able to bear their body weight. They can try out some of the quick weight loss pills and control their eating habits as well. Adopting a better eating pattern, including more vegetables, low calorie products and avoiding fatty food items, one can accomplish their goals in no time.

Cooking healthy food, which is filled with the required amount of nutrients and vitamins will help the body stay fit and not put on weight. If you eat out a lot, or are into junk food, the fat in the food will get accumulated in your body and that is what adds to the pounds. Fast weight loss will happen if you stick to your diet, and start working out regularly. Our body needs some physical activity to help burn the calories into energy and to increase our metabolism. This will keep our system working well, and burn the excess weight gradually. At the end of a month of such a weight loss program, you will notice you have not only lost weight, but also inches. This in itself is a feel good factor that will motivate you to continue with the weight loss pills and regime.

The ideal amount of weight to lose in a week would be between 1- 2 pounds and if you notice that you lose more than this, you need to check with your doctor. What would happen is along with losing weight, you will grow weaker, which is unhealthy. Taking weight loss pills like Hoodia and others will definitely help in keeping body weight in control, but you should read up before following any medication. If you do not see any weight loss after a month, do not worry, at times our body composition is such that it takes longer to break down the fat.
by Smartress Chikwendu

More and more people today now prefer to prepare food for their dogs instead of relying on commercial dog foods. Some do because they are concerned about what ingredients are contained within these commercial dog foods, whilst others want to have more control over just what it is their dog is eating. But many prefer to make their own homemade dog food as this ensures that their dog’s meals are not only nutritious but well balanced and healthy as well.
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Chocolate making has a recipe that when applied people can make fantastic delicious Milk, cocoa, candy and lollipop chocolates. Health conscious recipes, quick and delicious easy to use which are mouth watering in the comfort of your home are available in this report. These recipes can help you prepare bake and serve gourmet chocolate recipes from the scratch fast and easy.
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The low carb diet is basically a diet that relies on protein and fat intake. These two will give you the energy you need and the fat will be burnt and your muscles will build up. If you reduce the amount of carbs that you eat, your body will need energy and it will start burning the fat tissue, which is what you want.
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