Is it true that food could really be a beneficial factor in the weight loss process? To most people, the concept of eating to lose weight is a bit ridiculous, but strangely enough, it is indeed true that it can be done. Simply consuming foods like fruit and vegetables could result in painless weight loss. Since fruit and vegetables are low in calories and high in volume, they are excellent sources of food. Not only will the fruit and vegetables help you to lose weight, but they are full of vitamins and nutrients as well. Why wait to take advantage of this information when achieving weight loss could be as simple as eating vegetables that burn calories or fruit that burn calories?

Below is a list of 19 vegetables that burn calories and fat instantly simply by eating them, aiding you in your weight loss mission.

19 Vegetables that Burn Calories

• Asparagus
• Fennel
• Gourd
• Broccoli
• Leek
• Cabbage
• Lettuce
• Carrots
• Marrow
• Cauliflower
• Peppers
• CeleryRadishes
• Chicory
• Spinach
• Cress
• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Turnips
• Onions

Even if you are looking to eat these vegetables solely for the purpose of losing weight, you will be pleased to find out that your overall health boosts as well. Vegetables are full of vitamins and nutrients like vitamins A, C, E, K, carotene, carotenoids, and much more – depending on the vegetable. Consuming many of these vegetables will effectively make for better quality hair, skin, and nails, while boosting the immune system as well.

Another important result of consuming more fruit and vegetables is the decrease in junk food consumption. While making the change to fruit and veggies, even if only for weight loss, you will ultimately end up consuming less of those foods contributing to weight gain and disease. Many foods today are loaded with sugar and full of harmful ingredients like food coloring, high-fructose corn syrup, and hydrolyzed oils, to name a few. Omitting these more of these health-damaging foods from your diet will result in a profound positive effect on health.

Could food really be our ally in burning calories? To the majority of people, that just doesn’t sound possible. Eating to lose weight? Strangely enough, it is indeed true. There are many foods out there that aren’t only healthy for you, but also aid in weight loss simply by consuming them. Just by eating fruit and vegetables you will notice a huge weight change. The reason for this is because fruit and vegetables are low in calories and high in volume. You will become full faster, and all that fullness will be made up of healthy foods containing vitamins and nutrients. Since it is so easy to just eat fruit that burn calories or vegetables that burn calories for weight loss, why not start immediately?

Below is a list of 17 fruit that burn calories and subsequently unwanted fat simply by eating them. These nutritional powerhouses will not only aid you in your weight loss mission, but in your overall quest for optimum health. Don’t let yourself miss this information; check out the list below.

Simple Weight Loss – 17 Fruit that Burn Calories

• Apricots
• Blackberries
• Cantaloupe
• Blackcurrant
• Peaches
• Plums
• Damsons
• Raspberries
• Grapefruit
• Rhubarb
• Guava
• Strawberries
• Honeydew
• Melon
• Tangerines
• Lemons (try enjoying lemon water daily)
• Watermelon

It is also widely unknown that people are addicted to processed foods and sugar. By shifting your diet so you are consuming an increased amount of raw foods derived from a high quality organic source, you will kick the sugar habit and see a major difference in your body. Once the point is finally reached when there is little desire for the foods you’re so used to eating, everything becomes much easier.

Add these to your dietary regimentation, or snack on them in-between meals. The ultimate weapon against weight gain is proper nutrition, and these 17 fruit can be a great asset in not only preventing weight gain, but also in hastening weight loss. Remember, there are many other fruit that burn calories not listed in the 17 mentioned. Even if you are looking to eat these fruit solely for the purpose of losing weight, you will be pleased to find out that overall health boosts as well.

If you’re looking to boost metabolism levels as a means for speeding up the weight loss process, then look no further. Speeding up metabolism can not only be done with the proper food consumption, but can also be achieved through exercise. Increasing metabolism levels is a matter of practicing the right training strategies over the long haul, so even if you’re suffering from a slow one; you can beat the odds and unstuck yourself from this dreadful limbo. Here are 3 metabolism boosters.

Interval Training

According to many studies, an exercise strategy known as high intensity interval training, or HIIT, is a type of training which boosts metabolism faster and longer than the majority of other training programs. Not only that, interval training sheds more weight, sculpts the body, and improves endurance and performance levels both on the running track or on your job.

An interval workout consists of alternating between high intensity intervals—such as speed running, cycling or jump training, and low intensity periods for recovery and rest. The length of each interval depends largely on the type of workout and your fitness level. Pick the right training approach for you and continue to build on that.

Eat 4-5 small meals

Skipping meals, especially breakfast, and eating larger meals can have a negative effect on your metabolism. If you regularly skip breakfast, or any other meal, then expect a slow metabolism alongside a myriad of other performance and health troubles. Be sure to eat throughout the day. Aim for 4-5 small meals with each meal containing no more than 400 calories, every three to four hours. Doing so will help you keep hunger levels at bay and ensure the constant delivery of energy to your body.

Drink more water

Water is critical for performance and keeping metabolism levels running high throughout the day, and is not there just to soothe you in times of thirst. Water is actually an amazing substance,  with much research revolving around the liquid. To achieve the greatest benefit from water, drink one half of your body weight in ounces daily. If you weigh 128 pounds, you need 64 ounces of charged distilled water daily. That is eight, eight ounce glasses per day.

Your water intake needs will depend, for the most part, on your physical activity level, body type and weather conditions. The more exercise you engage in under hot weather conditions, the more fluid intake you’ll need.

About the author

David Dack is a runner and an established author on weight loss, motivation and fitness.

If you want more free tips from David Dack, then go to http://runnersblueprint.com/weightlossrunning.html and for a limited time you can download his 35-Pages “Weight Loss By Running” eBook for FREE. If you really want to lose weight fast and forever, this is a proven step-by-step technique that can help. Lose up to 5 pounds each week by just following this simple report.

The speed at which you eat has a lot to do with whether you’ll gain weight or not. According to a New Zealand report, middle-aged women who inhale their food are more often than not heavier than those who take it slow at the dinner table.

One of the reasons this is a determining factor in weight gain is because speedy eaters tend to overeat, and fill their stomachs hastily while continuing to gorge. In addition, those who eat quickly don’t chew their food as much as needed. This, in effect, increases the time for them to feel full and also gives their brain less time to respond to what’s happening. When food is not properly broken down in your mouth, it is difficult to get broken in your stomach, and usually will lead to digestive issues as well.

The issue with the study, however, is that it replies on the women’s own assessments. The researchers mailed out a survey to 1,600 New Zealand women ages 40-50. The survey asked for a rating on how fast they ate and also for their height, weight, and other lifestyle and health indicators. About 50% said they ate normally, while 32% fell in the fast or very fast categories. 15% considered themselves slow or very slow.

The women on the low end of the eating speed scale showed the lowest BMI (body mass index), which measures the person’s weight relative to their height. As women ate faster, BMI rose.

If you want to lose weight, try eating slow. Sometimes people do this without even knowing it, and it could really make a difference if it’s changed in terms of weight, and overall feeling. As a general rule, food should be chewed around 25 times before being swallowed. This simple approach alone could help to shed a couple pounds, and make digesting much easier.

Sources:

Reuters

Eating fat won’t make you fat, but any one of these 10 bad eating habits may be contributing to your growing waistline. Many of these you may not even notice you are doing!

Mercola reports:

1. Eating “low-fat”: Low-fat or fat-free foods replace harmless fats with low-performing carbohydrates that digest quickly, causing a sugar rush and, immediately afterward, rebound hunger.

2. Sleeping too little or too much: Dieters who sleep five hours or less put on 2 and a half times more belly fat, while those who sleep more than eight hours pack on only slightly less than that.

3. Drinking soda — even diet soda: Drinking one to two sodas per day increases your chances of being overweight or obese by nearly 33 percent. And diet soda is no better.

4. Eating too quickly: It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that it’s had enough.

5. Watching too much TV: A study found that overweight participants who reduced their TV time by just 50 percent burned an additional 119 calories a day on average.

6. Eating off larger plates: One study found that when given an option, a whopping 98.6 percent of obese individuals opt for larger plates.

7. Taking big bites: Research shows that people who take large bites of food consume 52 percent more calories in one sitting.

8. Not drinking enough water: Adequate water intake is essential for all your body’s functions, and the more you drink, the better your chances of staying thin

9. Eating too late: A recent study found that those who ate after 8 PM took in the most daily calories and had the highest BMIs.

10. Drinking fruity beverages: All juice is high sugar, and the ones that use viscous syrups made mostly from high fructose corn syrup and thickening agents are even worse.

It sounds simple, but do you really chew your food well? According to new research — and common sense — people who chew their food more thoroughly take in less calories on average. To be specific, chewing food 40 times instead of the average 15 led to a 12 percent reduction in calorie consumption.

Reuters reports:

Jie Li and colleagues from Harbin Medical University in China gave a typical breakfast to 14 obese young men and 16 young men of normal weight to see if there were differences in how they chewed their food. The researchers also looked to see whether chewing more would lead subjects to eat less and would affect levels of blood sugar or certain hormones that regulate appetite.

Previous research has explored the connection between obesity and chewing, with mixed results. Several studies have found eating faster and chewing less are associated with obesity, while others have found no such link.

In the current study, the team found a connection between the amount of chewing and levels of several hormones that “tell the brain when to begin to eat and when to stop eating,” said co-author Shuran Wang in an email.

More chewing was associated with lower blood levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite, as well as higher levels of CCK, a hormone believed to reduce appetite.

These hormones may “represent useful targets for future obesity therapies,” Wang told Reuters Health, since regulating their levels may help people control their appetite.

The authors found no difference between the size of bites taken by obese or normal-weight men, and no link between chewing duration and blood sugar or insulin levels in any of the men.

Since the study was small and only included young men, it does not necessarily predict how extended chewing will affect the calorie intake of other people, the authors noted.

The 12 percent reduction in calories eaten by the group who chewed their food 40 times in the study could potentially translate into significant weight loss, however.

If the average person cut their calorie intake by 12 percent, they would lose nearly 25 pounds in one year, said Adam Drewnowski, director of the University of Washington Center for Obesity Research in Seattle.

But since the typical diet includes foods that are not chewed — such as soup and ice cream — the actual amount of weight one is likely to lose by chewing more is much less, he cautioned.

“I suppose that if you chew each bite of food 100 times or more you may end up eating less. However, I am not sure that this is a viable obesity prevention measure,” said Drewnowski, who was not involved in the current study.

Despite the study’s limitations, the authors say the relationship between eating behaviors and obesity is worth studying further, to help slow a growing health problem worldwide.

More than a third of American adults are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Obesity is an important risk factor for a number of health problems, including heart disease and diabetes. A 2010 study from the Brookings Institution estimated the economic cost of obesity in the U.S. to be over $200 billion per year.

SOURCE: bit.ly/mTVbpm American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, online July 20, 2011.

Have you ever wondered why despite feeling full, you continue to reach for the carton of ice cream? The answer may be tied to your emotional state. Oftentimes anxiety, anger, fatigue, and stress can overcome physical hunger due to hard-wired triggers in the brain.

The Huffington Post reports:

After a rough meeting at the office, your day ends with an empty carton of ice cream and then a stomach ache.

At a party where you don’t know anyone, you stand by the buffet table and graze.

The kids have been a handful all day, so you have a second helping of pasta and a big glass of wine (or two) once they’re in bed.

Forget physical hunger — sometimes we reach for food to soothe our emotional cravings. When we’re anxious, angry, fatigued, overwhelmed or otherwise under stress, a seemingly hard-wired desire to overeat can take over.

Emotional eating — if you eat when you’re not hungry, for a variety of reasons — is a very real, and under-recognized problem. It affects many more of us to varying degrees than you might have guessed. The solutions often must go far beyond merely identifying the problem, because many emotional eaters do realize what they are doing and they do it anyway. Beyond identifying the problem and its causes, we must learn to replace the mindless eating with healthier habits. Easier said than done, but when recognizing this behavior, try to replace it with exercise, calling a friend, reading, meditating, drinking some water or making a mindful decision to nurture yourself in another healthy way.

Why do our emotions trigger certain eating habits? Understanding this connection is key to developing a healthy lifestyle — every bit as important as nutritional knowledge or even physical fitness. After all, it’s only by understanding the psychology of overeating that you’ll be able to counteract it and maintain healthy habits permanently, even through periods of stress and adversity.

Do you eat when you’re lonely? Depressed? Afraid? Keeping a food journal helps identify problem emotions and their related food patterns by tracking not only what is eaten, but the emotions and feelings that often initiate this eating. Many experts believe that overeating and emotional eating share a similar pathway in the brain with recreational drugs. Emotional eating may actually lead to chemical changes in the brain that an individual experiences as pleasure, beyond the normal satisfaction one gets from eating when hungry. This kind of overeating provides a short-lived escape from stress, sadness and other negative emotions, but as with other addictions, the high is followed by a low and then the cycle starts all over again.

What are the triggers that cause overeating? Major life changes that are stressful, fearful or anxiety-provoking, such as divorce, losing a job or a sudden financial crisis, as well as everyday stress, such as work, family, traffic and even the weather, can trigger emotional eating. Sometimes our emotions are so tightly connected with eating, that as soon as we feel a strong emotion, we reach for a particular food — it’s like our brains become conditioned to reach for the food as soon as the emotion hits.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself if you’re wondering whether you have a healthy relationship towards food:

• Do I eat when I’m hungry or are my emotions talking to me more often than not?

• Do I overindulge on occasion or do I have a regular routine of binge eating?

• Am I a mindless eater or do I savor my food most of the time?

• Am I obsessed with food? Am I constantly monitoring what I eat? (And do I feel a sense of failure when I “blow it”?)
To develop healthier coping strategies that will work for you, it’s important to learn more about the connections between your brain and your food choices.

• Pay attention to your body’s hunger cues and don’t skip meals.

• Be mindful when eating. Don’t eat in front of the television, in the car or standing up. Pay attention to your meal. Sit down in a comfortable place and enjoy it.

• Drink plenty of water.

• Give yourself encouragement. Think positively.

• Don’t beat yourself up when you slip.

• Try not to ignore your problems and negative feelings. Facing them may be hard, but it’s healthy.

• Use your support system; call a friend to talk through any problems you may be having.

• Write it all down! Keep not just a food log, but a journal describing emotions that trigger overindulgence.

• Get out of the house, exercise, read a book, take a bath — be good to yourself!
If you haven’t been able to help yourself, you may benefit from seeing a therapist or psychologist who specializes in emotional eating. Remember that seeking help is a sign of strength not weakness. When it comes to weight management and issues like emotional eating, psychology can explain the “why” of overeating.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a style that focuses on helping people change their way of thinking which in turn leads to a change in their behavior. Just like a weight loss program, resolving emotional eating is a journey. The first step is awareness and the second is being ready to change. Changing negative, self-defeating thoughts into more positive constructive thoughts is key.

A program which combines interval training and healthy eating practices seems to be perfectly indicated for those suffering from obesity, according to the results of a new study from the Montreal Hearth Institute’s centre for preventive medicine and physical activity (ÉPIC Centre). Results of the study were announced at the National Obesity Summit, currently taking place in Montreal.

Within the framework of this study, researchers analyzed the track record of 62 participants in Kilo-Actif, a 9-month program intended for obesity sufferers that focuses on weight loss and maintenance. The study showed significant improvements in participants’ body mass, waist circumference, body mass index and effort capacity. The results are especially encouraging because on average participants lost 5.5% of their body mass, reduced their waist circumference by 5.15% and increased their effort capacity by 15%. Beyond weight loss, participants also saw a 7% decrease in bad cholesterol (LDL) as well as an 8% increase in good cholesterol (HDL).

Offered at ÉPIC Centre and overseen by physicians, kinesiologists and nutritionists, Kilo-Actif is a program which aims at modifying eating habits and promoting an active lifestyle through education on healthy practices. During the course of the program, participants commit to taking part each week in two or three supervised training sessions of 60 minutes each. Participants are also invited to five face-to-face meetings and two group meetings with a dietitian where the basis of the Mediterranean diet and nutritional rules are explained.

“It has been clearly demonstrated that obesity increases the risk of health problems, particularly of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, hypertension and certain types of cancer,” explains Dr. Martin Juneau, Director of Prevention at the Montreal Heart Institute and Director of ÉPIC Centre. “A program like Kilo-Actif, which combines interval training with healthy eating, is therefore perfectly indicated because we know that a decrease in body mass can lower the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease.”

“Kilo-Actif’s success is largely based on the adoption of an interval training program,” adds Valérie Guilbault, an ÉPIC Centre kinesiologist who oversaw the training of the participants. “It is proven that, compared to moderate-intensity continuous training, interval training is more appreciated by participants. This type of training is also more effective, because alternating between short periods of intense effort and rest periods allows for a longer training time.”

Training as a fun activity

Inactive for several years because of health troubles, Marie-Josée Desjardins had difficulty just carrying out regular everyday activities, like going up stairs or doing her shopping. Determined to take charge of her life, she decided to join the Kilo-Actif program. Two years later and weighing 40 pounds less, she does not want to go back to the way things were because she can’t imagine living without that great sense of well-being she feels today. “Kilo-Actif not only gave me the discipline, but also the taste for training. Now, I can’t last the week without putting in at least three high intensity sessions during that time,” she explains.

Unfortunately, Americans have some of the worst diets in the world, and everyone else knows it. With the average American consuming 24 lbs of artificial sweeteners, 29 lbs of french fries, and over 6000 lbs of dairy per year, the yearly American’s diet is in a state of crisis. The average American diet is heavily responsible for the escalating obesity rates and is ultimately contributing to the development of illness and diseases.

The Average American Diet

According to the below infographic, the average American consumes 1 gallon of soda per week, which equates to more than 18 fluid ounces, or 1.5 sodas per day. These sodas are loaded with sugar, with a 12oz can containing 35-45 grams – an amount that exceeds the recommended daily intake of ~15 grams. What’s more, these sugars are typically in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, one of the cheapest, and most health-hazardous forms of sugar that can be used.

Another concerning number in the average American diet is the amount of artificial sweeteners consumed; this includes substances like aspartame, Splenda, Sweet N’ Low, and Equal. None of these artificial sweeteners are healthful, and are even having a negative impact on your health.

• One study found that 67% of female rats exposed to aspartame developed tumors roughly the size of golf balls or larger.

• Is Splenda safe? This toxic sweetener also has many dangers. Some effects associated with Splenda are shortness of breath, joint pains, eye irritation, swelling of facial muscles, ski breaking out into hives or rashes, and more.

• Saccharin, best known as Sweet ‘N Low has been shown to have carcinogenic links. During the 1960′s, studies on rats indicated saccharin was related to bladder cancer, but the FDA has allowed saccharin to remain as a food additive.

Check out the infographic below for some startling statistics.

Additional sources:

NaturalNews

Eating slowly has been advocated by a multitude of health experts for many years. It has been known for quite some time that eating slowly leads to a better digestive system, but what about its ability to help cut caloric intake? According to research done by the Athens University Medical School and The Journal of the American Dietetic Association, eating slowly can actually help you cut calories.

The studies shed new light on how the pace at which people eat is a factor in weight fluctuation. In one study, scientists served an identical dish of ice cream to a group of subjects. The group that consumed the ice cream in 30 minutes released more hormones that made them feel full. The other group ate the ice cream in 5 minutes and was found to release less of these key hormones.

The scientists also took blood samples of the subjects and measured their hormonal levels as well as their insulin levels. The blood tests were conducted before, during, and after eating. With the group that ate much more slowly, an increase in glucagon-like peptide-1 and peptide YY was found. These two hormones signal the feeling of fullness.

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/028318_obesity_eating.html#ixzz1iAl5DDWU