Get Flat Six Pack Abs

Archive for July, 2009

How leptin is related to obesity?

Losing weight sounds a problem? But you can achieve it if you know the hormonal factor behind it.  So you’ll be interested in leptin, a chemical that could be the master hormone  for your appetite. 

Produced in the body’s fat cells, leptin travels to brain after a meal to suppress the hunger.  As the meal is digested, leptin level falls and appetite is rebuilds. But this exquisite system can be easily disrupted. A major culprit?  Elevated triglycerides in the blood, which prevents leptin from reaching the brain, allowing hunger feelings to persist. 

Fortunately you can take the following steps to bathe your brain and leptin and quell appetite naturally. This will help you to lose weight naturally.

• Eat food low in triglycerides: Be wary of foods high  in dairy fat (like full-cream milk and ice cream), which is 98% triglycerides
• Get hooked on fish oil:  It may lower triglycerides and also facilitate leptin’s passage to the brain.
• Sleep about 8 hours :  Anything less is associated with lower levels of leptin in the blood and brain.
• Exercise often: Regular activity lowers triglycerides and helps the brain absorb more leptin.
• An additional bonus to maintain the robust levels of leptin in the brain: A flatter belly. When appetite (and thus, food intake) is suppressed by leptin, body first turns to its readily available source of body fat, which is stored around the belly for fuel. Thus, leptin can help you in achieving weight loss as well as getting a flat belly.

Technorati Tags: leptin, lose weight, flatter belly, weight loss, flat belly

While having your favorite healthy foods do you consider its calorie content - called Calorie Quotient  in scientific terms?  Probably, the answer is  ’no’,  because most of the time we assume that good looking healthy foods do not contain any calories.  In reality, all these healthy foods are not completely free of calorie. 

Like for example, Pizza with veggies will have the same calories as a donut unless you skip the high calorie  cheese and olive oil toppings.

Salad with vinaigrette dressing will have same calories as Caesar salad even though that contains cheese, as olive oil is used in it.  One teaspoon of olive oil has 45 calorie.  So it is better to have a raw salad with herbs and lemons.

Veggie soups are picked by people at eateries as they are low in calories but the cream and croutons take up their calories count.  Opt for clear soups.

Cheese sandwich has the same calories as a chicken sandwich because of the (high-cal) cheese content.

Chicken Sandwich, on the other hand, would have more calories than a cheese burger because of the mayonnaise in it.

As you know fast foods are high on fats and low on nutrient value so prior to its consumption always look up for fast food nutrients facts.

When you want something sweet, all those fat-free, sugar-free options seem like a smart idea.  But researches prove that overweight people who choose low-fat versions of snack foods rather than the regular kinds consume on an average twice as many calories.  “The terms fat free or sugar-free can create a green light effect, triggering people to eat more”. But many low fat foods have about the same number of calories (or more) as their full fat counterparts.  Sugar-free nut ice creams, for instance, like the ones with roasted almonds, are often higher in calories than a normal free strawberry ice-cream.  This is because nuts make higher calorie count even though the sugar has been cancelled.

If you adore ice cream, have it, in small portions though.  “Remove your favorites from diet, and you will suffer from acute craving and distress, and eventually crack up and binge.  So moderation in diet is key for healthy diet”.

Technorati Tags: healthy foods, calorie content, Calorie Quotient, calories, food nutrients, low fat foods, healthy diet

Everyday, we are bombarded with commercial ads about health supplements and vitamins - in newspapers and on TV.  Are these health supplements and vitamins really essential for maintaining a healthy body?

Well, you may be surprised to know, but routine use of vitamin preparations, calcium and ‘healthy supplements’ (whatever they mean) are neither required nor recommended.  Nature has provided micronutrients, in appropriate doses, that can be available to us through our normal diet. 

For example, the required amount of Vitamin C is present in citrus fruits; cereals and egg contain Vitamin E;  milk products are full of calcium; and Vitamin A is plentiful in carrots, dark green leafy vegetables and dairy products.  Driven by commercial interest, many companies are claming, without any scientific evidence that even healthy people require dietary supplements. Vitamins and calcium supplements on sale contain excessive quantities of ingredients. For example the daily requirement of vitamin C is under 70mg for women, while the commercial preparation contains at least 500mg.

Chronic overuse of vitamins and minerals can cause a disorder called hypervitaminosis.  For example Vitamin A can result in dry and itching skin, cracked lips, aching bones, disturbed hair growth and symptoms similar to those of brain tumour. Unnecessary intake of Vitamin C or calcium can lead to kidney stones.  If you are healthy, you need not take healthy supplements.  However, if there is specific condition that you are suffering or recovering from, your doctor will tell you the right dose and time to take it.

Technorati Tags: health supplements, diet, calcium, dietary supplements