Fighting Fat With Ayurveda: Part 1
29 Jan 2011 Leave a Comment
in Fitness and Health Tags: cleanse, Dr.Oz, energy, fat, health, tea, wellness
Fighting Fat With Ayurveda: Part 1
One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is to lose weight, and for good reason. Excess weight gain is linked to multiple medical conditions including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. The extra pounds can also make you feel more tired and mentally cloudy. There are many ways to lose weight, but the methods that give you lasting results are the ones that change your daily habits, one step at a time.
Over the next several weeks, I will be sharing some of the most powerful ayurvedic secrets for removing ama from your body and helping you achieve your weight loss resolution. Join me as I coach you through the fastest way to shrink your waistline and bring balance into your life in 2011!
Ayurveda offers a unique perspective on weight loss with the concept of ama, or toxins. Ama results from the accumulation of impurities in our bodies as a result of improper diet, chronic stress and impurities from the environment. Some of these toxins are water soluble, making them easier to remove from the body. But other toxins are fat soluble, meaning that they become sequestered into fat cells. The fat cells expand as they accumulate these toxins, making it more difficult to lose weight. This leads to those hard-to-remove pockets of fat around the stomach, hips and thighs.
Ama clogs the channels of the body and over time it becomes even more difficult to remove these impurities from fat cells. That is why as we grow older, it can be challenging to lose fat through dieting and exercise alone. To help with the removal of ama, and therefore assist with weight loss, ayurveda recommends simple detoxification programs that can be performed on a daily basis. Many of these programs are simple regimens that you can do at home.
The first step is to determine if you have an excessive amount of toxins in your body. If you answer “yes” to the majority of the statements below, you have an excessive accumulation of ama:
1. I tend to feel obstruction/blockages in my body—constipation, congestion/heaviness in the head area, blocked nose, or a general feeling of non-clarity.
2. When I wake up in the morning, I do not feel clear; it takes me quite some time to feel really awake.
3. I tend to feel tired or exhausted mentally and physically.
4. I get common colds or similar ailments several times a year.
5. I tend to feel heaviness in the body.
6. I tend to feel that something is not functioning properly in the body – breathing, digestion, elimination or other.
7. I tend to feel lazy (i.e., the capacity to work is there, but there is no inclination).
8. I often suffer from indigestion.
9. I tend to spit repeatedly or have a bad taste in my mouth.
10. Often, I have no taste for food and no real appetite.
11. My tongue is often coated with a thick film, especially in the morning.
Once you recognize that you have an accumulation of ama in your body, then it is time to take action to reduce these toxins. The New Year is the perfect time to start these changes. It represents a time of hope for improving your daily routine. It is also the perfect time to prep your body for the upcoming season in which your body naturally goes through a detoxification – springtime.
The first ayurvedic secret is the Detox Tea. This tea is one of my favorite tools for fighting fat. The combination of ingredients helps to improve digestion, break down fat, and “unclog” the channels in our body by removing ama. The key is to make the tea fresh every morning, place it in a thermos, and take small sips of it throughout the day. It is best to drink it warm or hot.
Detox Tea:
Boil 4-5 cups of water in the morning.
Add ½ tsp of the following seeds to the water and continue to let it boil for about 5 minutes with the lid on.
- Whole cumin seeds
- Whole coriander seeds
- Whole fennel seeds
Strain out the seeds and pour the liquid into a thermos. If the tea is too strong or if you experience some initial discomfort, reduce the amount of seeds to ¼ tsp for 2 weeks, and then increase it back to ½ tsp.
In a couple of weeks you will have your next fat-fighting tip from the ancient healing tradition of ayurveda …
**information from the DR.OZ show website**
Foods that Starve Cancer
27 Jan 2011 Leave a Comment
in Fitness and Health Tags: cancer, Dr.Oz, food, health, wellness
Disturbing new research suggests that microscopic cancer, small cancer cells that can only been seen under a microscope, is widely prevalent. A recent study of women in their 40s indicated that 40% of them had microscopic breast cancer. Even more shocking, almost 100% of people in their 70s will have microscopic cancer in their thyroid glands.
A microscopic tumor can grow up to 16,000 times its original size in as little as 2 weeks. But new groundbreaking research from The Angiogenesis Foundation proposes that you can stop cancer before it begins to grow. This new preventive approach is called anti-angiogenesis. To learn more about anti-angiogenesis and the groundbreaking research at The Angiogenesis Foundation, click here. Anti-angiogenesis encourages that, by changing the way you eat, you can change your “internal environment,” thereby depriving cancer cells the opportunity to grow and multiply.
Certain foods, eaten in the correct portions and frequency, can provide cancer-starving benefits. Below are 5 foods to eat that can prevent cancer growth:
- Bok Choy This type of Chinese cabbage contains brassinin; a powerful cancer-fighter, also found in broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Bok Choy should be eaten 3 times a week, in 1/2 cup servings to obtain its full benefits.
- Cooked Tomatoes have more cancer-fighting properties than raw tomatoes. Both contain the molecule lycopene, but heating the tomato changes its chemical structure and makes the benefits more readily available to your body. You should eat 2-3 (1/2 cup) servings of cooked tomatoes a week.
- Flounder This fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and low in mercury. Three 6-ounce servings a week is ideal.
- Strawberries The antioxidants in this berry help fight cancers. You should eat 1 cup a day, including the juice.
- Artichokes contain 3 different cancer-fighting molecules. Enjoy ¼ cup of hearts per day.
**info from the Dr.Oz Show website**
5 Diets that don’t work
25 Jan 2011 2 Comments
in Fitness and Health Tags: cleanse, diets, fitness, foods, healthy, south beach, supplements, weightloss
5 diets that don’t work
From South Beach to the Master Cleanse, diets that help you drop pounds in a hurry may seem appealing—but will set you up for failure. Here are five quick-fix diets that don’t work
For anyone who has ever struggled with their weight, there is always a new diet readily available, offering quick results. But what many don’t realize is that these fad diets are often just quick fixes that don’t set the dieter up for long-term success. Thus begins the wicked pendulum swing of yo-yo dieting. “Diets that don’t target an individual’s eating habits and behaviour and give them the tools to change, that by definition is an unfair approach and an unfair diet,” says Dr. David Macklin, a family physician as well as the founder and president of Weightcare, a company that tailors weight-loss programs for clients using a multi-disciplinary approach.
One commonality many of these fad diets share is that they don’t focus on long-term change. “People want a quick fix and easy strategies for weight loss, and worry about changing their habits later,” says Toronto-based registered dietitian Stefanie Senior.
As you start to delve into diets both new and old, most fall into one of five categories: very low-calories diets (VLCDs), low-carb diets, cleanses, delivery diets and supplements. Here’s a breakdown of each of these diets to help you understand why they don’t work.
1. Very-low-calorie diets (VLCDs)
VLCDs are diets that only let you consume 500 to 800 calories a day. According to Macklin, they take advantage of a unique mechanism built into humans that is based upon a million years of evolution. This mechanism allows us to shed muscle and fat and turn down the amount of energy we’re using to survive an upcoming famine.
Why they don’t work: The weight may come off quickly, but the problem is our metabolism is driven down by not eating enough food and thus our eating habits are made stronger. Instead of regaining muscle and fat, you just regain the fat. “A lot of these fad diets set you up for failure,” says Senior. “As a dietitian, there are certain elements that you recognize there is no way anybody could stick to,” she says.
Examples of VLCDs: The Cabbage Soup Diet, the Grapefruit Diet, the Cookie Diet
2. Low-carb diets
Low-carbohydrate diets restrict foods high in digestible carbs, such as breads and pasta. As Macklin explains, low-carb diets put the body into a state called ketosis, which is how our body breaks down muscle and protein and uses it as fuel. The reason people lose is weight is that entering into ketosis is a strong appetite suppressant and food choices are very restricted—you also lose a large amount of water weight in those first days. “A healthy rate of weight loss would be one to two pounds per week,” says Senior.
Why they don’t work: Low-carb and low-calorie diets are pretty similar as they both deny the body the same types of food. It’s a hook that’s meant to give an initial rush of excitement that is based on water loss, says Macklin.
Examples of low-carb diets: The Atkins Diet, the South Beach diet
3. Cleanses
We’ve all heard about how Beyonce used the Master Cleanse to shed pounds quickly while filming Dream Girls. But most cleanses are comprised of liquid-based diets that were created to detoxify the body—not to be quick weight-loss solutions.
Why they don’t work: This is another quick fix that doesn’t set you up for long-term success. Weight loss is a process and people should be encouraged to make small, achievable goals instead of drastic changes, warns Senior.
Examples of cleanses: The Master Cleanse/The Lemonade Diet, The Martha’s Vineyard Diet Detox
4. Delivery diets
Diets that preach portion control and that have a service in place to deliver your meals—or that sell special foods—are initially successful because they take away choice, which, as Macklin explains, is a habit-based process. “If you take away choice, it’s a very powerful and effective method of creating temporary weight loss.”
Why they don’t work: The danger here is that when the food stops being provided, the dieter has not developed the skills necessary to prevent weight loss over the long term. As the saying goes, “old habits die hard,” and the dieter may simply return to their previous, unhealthy eating habits.
Examples of delivery diets: Jenny Craig, NutriSystem
5. Supplement-based diets
While many people use natural supplements to boost vitamin or mineral deficiencies, there are supplement-based diets that provide pills which are meant to boost your metabolism or suppress your appetite. “There’s a very strong case to be said about supplements being provided to people under the guise of helping them to lose weight,” warns Macklin.
Why they don’t work: Because health claims can be made in Canada with unsubstantiated medical evidence, Canadians will be subject to health supplements that haven’t gone through a level of rigourous testing for safety and effectiveness, says Macklin. “I can’t recommend that type of approach.”
Examples of supplement-based diets: Herbal Magic, Hydroxycut
So, how should you lose the weight?
The main thread that ties all these different types of diets together is the fact that while they may provide quick, rapid weight loss, they are only short-term solutions. “Studies have shown when people lose weight very fast, they’re more likely to put it back on fast,” says Senior, who is the clinical dietitian educator and coordinator of the Steps to Less program at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. This is what creates that inevitable yo-yo of feeling success and then failure.
Senior’s program brings together the services of a registered dietitian, a psychotherapist, a certified yoga instructor, a certified fitness consultant and an executive chef. “Our whole philosophy is we take a step-by-step approach to weight loss,” she says. Over 12 weeks, these professionals help clients tailor and develop a weight loss plan that works for them. “The people who are willing to put in the work and put in long-term behaviour changes are successful,” says Senior.
Macklin’s company also assembles healthcare professionals to help clients set reasonable goals and support those changes over time. This is the future of weight loss, he says.
One of the biggest challenges people have when dealing with weight loss is breaking bad habits, says Macklin, who likens sugar and fat dependency to heroin and cocaine addiction. “One reason people have difficulty breaking unhealthy eating habits is because it’s really difficult to do—they’ve been taking it in all their lives.” This makes the habit very powerful and rewarding, but difficult to change, he says.
Both Senior and Macklin emphasize the three keys to weight loss are eating a healthy, balanced diet, getting a decent amount of exercise and focusing on identifying and changing negative eating patterns, step by step.
**information from Besthealth magazine website**
No Regrets…random thought
20 Jan 2011 Leave a Comment
in Random thoughts Tags: life, positive, regret
do you ever sit there and think to yourself, i wish i would have done this and i wish i would have done that and i wish i didn’t do that and that i could go back in time, ever have that feeling of regret? I know I have, and used to alot until a couple of years ago i slowly started to change the way i thought about myself and my choices. i realize life is too short, one second you are here and the next you just might not be. today i try to lead a life of no regrets. i say things happen for a reason and that i will always make the best decision for me and my family and not look back and wish i would have done things differently.
I feel there is no point in living life in the past anyways. you can always change the way you do something the next time, live and learn is what i say……
so the next time you are making a decision think about how it might make you feel after…and never regret anything…our choices make us who we are.
