Tag: fruit

The Purpose Of A Diet Cleanse

Diet cleansing programs are constructed for many different purposes and the principles and advantages vary accordingly. Some physicians recommend a diet cleanse to those who need to rid their bodies of toxins or medication or simply to act as a catalyst for losing weight. The type of diet cleanse you will undertake very much depends on the reason for cleansing, as such the plan will be tailored to suit.

A diet rich in soy and whey protein, found in products such as soy milk and low-fat yogurt, has been shown to reduce breast cancer incidence in rats. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In order to understand your cleansing program you will need to read through the plan carefully. If there are any points that you are unsure of then ask your dietician or physician to clarify the situation. The vast majority of cleansing programs exclude sugar, wheat flour, caffeine, alcohol and dairy products. You will be encouraged to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, whole-grain, olives certain spices and seed and nut oils.

Many embark on a diet cleanse feeling it is like a punishment but you can enjoy eating a host of healthy foods and whole-grain. Those who wish to free their bodies from toxins may try a diet cleansing program, quite often this type of eating program can help to find out if a person has any food intolerance or allergies. Diet cleansing programs have one major thing in common, they tend to cut out or restrict certain types of food.  Common cleansing diets include the abstinence of fast foods, fried foods, processed food and sugars. Other programs may veto common allergens like dairy, wheat flour and soy based products. Anyone who wishes to start a diet cleansing program should proceed with care; it is always advisable to seek the opinions of a physician before going ahead.

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Is Juicing Good for You?

So many things have been said about juicing. Some people say juicing has a lot of benefits for the body. However, there is also a group of people who say that juicing is not all that good, that it also has harmful effects to the body. So, which of the two groups is telling the truth? Well, both groups are correct in some aspects. Juicing can both be a good and a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. The answer is a bit more complicated than most people think.

Juicing can give you a lot of health benefits. A lot of people are aware that medical experts highly recommend eating fresh fruits and vegetables. The fact is, not all fresh fruits and vegetables are palatable. Some just have a taste which is just too strong for some people. With juicing, you will be able to have a wide range of vegetables and fruits included in your diet. You can add ingredients like lemons, limes and cranberries to make them more palatable and more flavorful.

Fruits and vegetables contain high levels of ingredients which help fight disease. They also have high levels of antioxidants. They can help make you look younger and help flush out the toxins from your body. Vegetable fruit juices are especially helpful for people who are trying to lose weight. All these things should be enough to convince you buy juicer now.

However, when you juice, you lose fiber from the fruits and vegetables. Fiber is needed because it aids digestion. Fiber is a great help to your digestive health which you cannot get from any other source. Fruit juices tend to be high in calories so people trying to lose weight are better off drinking vegetable juices.  People who consume a lot of fruit juices will have a rapid rise in blood sugar.

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Getting to Know the General Motors Diet

Have you been to the grocery store lately? What did you notice? Perhaps you saw a recently added aisle displaying organic fruits and vegetables. Did you ever wonder why that aisle is there? Why wasn’t it there years ago?

According to recent studies, obesity is one of the top two killer conditions in America today (next to diabetes). Obesity leads to other serious health problems, such as heart failures and cancer. One way to avoid obesity is to engage in regular exercise and to eat a balanced meal. This is the reason why grocery stores nowadays have special sections for all natural products, including fruits and vegetables.

Without a balanced diet, regular exercise will not be as effective as you would have hoped. But then again, with all the diet plans and programs followed by people these days, how do you know if one is effective? How do you choose diets that work?

The GM Diet Plan

There is one way to tell if a diet program is effective or not, and that is its longevity. If a one diet program was able to carry its name for several years, it means a lot of people has tried it and that it has worked for them. There are only a few health programs that pass this criteria, and one of them is the GM diet plan.

The GM diet plan or the General Motors diet is perhaps one of the oldest diet programs in the world. Initiated by the General Motors company for their employees, this diet plan has already helped thousands of people all over the world for several years.

Basically, the GM diet requires eating fruits and vegetables for one full week or for seven days straight. There are specific instructions and portion advisory from day one to day seven, but the entire diet program aims to cut between 10 to 17 pounds from your original weight.

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Health Foods: Simple Ways to Eat more Fruits and Vegetables

Everyone is told to eat fruits and vegetables, beginning at a young age.  The up to date dietary guidelines recommend Americans to get at least  five cups of fruits and veggies today.  Many people are surprised by this because an astonishing amount of them don’t even get half of that.  Because of today’s fast and processed foods, they usually take priority over health foods in some households.  It can be hard to incorporate fruits and vegetables into your diet if you’ve never done it before.  There are plenty of ways you can “sneak” them into your diet and after getting used to it, you won’t ever crave processed foods again!

Fruits and vegetables are essential for our bodies to function.  They provide us with fiber, keeping our digestive tract healthy and preventing digestive illnesses.  They are anti-oxidant rich and will possibly prevent cancer and other chronic diseases such as heart disease.  Fruits and veggies are filled with vitamins and minerals that our bodies need to function.  If you eat them regularly along with other healthy foods, you are likely to maintain your weight throughout your lifetime.  All of these are great reasons to learn to incorporate them into your diet.

At breakfast, you can add fruit to your regular piece of toast, or eat it separately.  Add berries to your oatmeal or cereal.  Chopping vegetables and adding them to scrambled eggs is a great way to get an early morning energy burst.  Make a fresh smoothie with your own ingredients such as: fresh fruit, skim milk or yogurt.  You can even add vegetables to the mix by blending them along with the fruit.  Limit juice but if you must have it, make sure it’s 100% instead of sugary.

Incorporate a handful of fruits and veggies to what you eat for lunch.  If you’re a sandwich eater, load it with fresh vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, sprouts, onions or peppers.  If you crave unhealthy, crunchy snack foods this is a great way to get rid of that habit.  Salads are already a healthy, veggie filled lunch food (if you eat it without croutons and tons of fattening dressing) but you can make it even healthier by adding fresh fruits.  Fresh fruits that go well with salad include: grapes, apples, oranges or pears.

Make ½ of your plate full of fruits and veggies at dinner.  Add them to recipes by chopping or slicing them.  Experiment with different ways of cooking vegetables like steaming, roasting or stir-frying.  Add side salads to your dinners.  Eat veggie pizza instead of plain cheese pizza.  Mashed potatoes, rice and other dishes taste great with vegetables mixed in.  Instead of eating dessert after dinner, make it a priority to eat a piece of fruit.

Fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, water and several nutrients.  Because of their make-up, they keep us full for a longer time.  You will become accustomed to eating healthy and will eventually not crave unhealthy food as often.  If you substitute fruit for sugary snacks, it is likely that your sugar cravings will subside.  Try the ideas listed above to integrate fruits and vegetables into your diet and decide which ones you like best.  If you enjoy the healthy food you eat, you will stick to it.

Brianna Elliott is a third year dietetics student.  She had grown a passion for nutrition in her years of studying.  She loves fruits and vegetables and thinks the amount of people who don’t get enough of them is devastating because of the good they do for your body.  Brianna also writes blog for PSCLife.com – a health & nutrition e-commerce store which carries Tyme Zyme enzyme supplement and Nutamax’s Cosamin ASU for sore joints and achey muscles.

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Fruit Detoxing for Weight Loss

If you feel overweight, bloated, or constipated, it may be a sign you need a fruit detox diet. Detoxing the body is a great way to get rid of fat and improve your digestive system simultaneously. However, crash dieting can be dangerous, especially if it does not give your body enough nutrients to function properly. If you follow a moderate detox diet, it will be easier to keep your healthy eating habits once the diet is over.

Many of the best acne face wash products contain fruit vitamins and extracts. These cleansers are also essential if you detoxify the body, since they help to kill bacteria in your digestive system and process wastes though your body. A fruit detox diet contains enough nutrients to give your body energy to go about its day-to-day tasks. For extreme diets like the water detox, patients will need to rest for most of the day to conserve energy.

During a fruit detox, it is important to drink plenty of water to increase blood flow and encourage regular elimination. Drinking extra water will also help your stomach to feel full and reduce the hunger craving effects of the diet. Whenever you start to feel hungry, just drink a 1 or 2 cups of water.

Fruit is healthy and full of nutrients, but it often is not enough to fill up the stomach. Diets that last for more than one week often use small quantities of protein or carbohydrate sources to fill the stomach. Boiled chicken breasts are a good example of a protein source with very low fat, so it will not hamper the success of your diet. If you follow a detox diet all the way through, you can lose several pounds in a short period of time. People have reported excellent weight loss results after 3-7 days of detoxing.

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Uses of the Acai Palm from South America

Uses of the Acai Palm from South America

Many have heard about the antioxidant value of the Acai Berry from South America, but there are additional uses for the Acai Palm beyond the berry. The stem is consumed by many for the same reason as the berry. And commercial purposes have been created for the leaves and the wood of the trunk.

Acai Palm Stem

The part of the Acai Palm tree that is growing at the tip of the tree is used in salads and is referred to as the heart of the palm.

The Fruit of the Acai

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Uses of the Acai Palm from South America

OMG! this was the BEST!!! (Photo credit: CRASH:candy)

Many have heard about the antioxidant value of the Acai Berry from South America, but there are additional uses for the Acai Palm beyond the berry. The stem is consumed by many for the same reason as the berry. And commercial purposes have been created for the leaves and the wood of the trunk.

Acai Palm Stem

The part of the Acai Palm tree that is growing at the tip of the tree is used in salads and is referred to as the heart of the palm.

The Fruit of the Acai Palm

Somewhere near 800 berries grow together on the branches of the Acai Palm twice a year. The fruit contains an amazing large seed consisting of 80% of the berry itself. Within the Amazon, the berries represent a large portion of the population’s diet. Many beverages have been created from the juice of the berries which is consumed within the region. Farther north within Brazil, the berry is consumed more often as a fruit instead of a juice. Other unique uses within Brazil include ice cream and liqueur.

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