It’s not hard to guess why so many people jumped on the low-carb bandwagon. Yes, low-carb diets do help you lose weight, but at what cost? The truth is carbohydrates are necessary. Don’t believe it? Do you think that man was simply put on this planet to eat meat? Then you may want to look at the following facts. Here are just a few reasons why your body really does need carbohydrates.

Whole Grains Can Help Lower Cholesterol

Do you know what leads to high cholesterol? The answer is saturated fats. Where are saturated fats found? In meat. Those that load their bodies down with high protein diets risk the build-up of plaque in their arteries due to high LDL cholesterol. If you want to prevent build-up in the arteries, it is recommended that you consume whole grains – AKA carbs. The fiber in these whole grains helps clear your bloodstream and remove the plaque from the arteries.

High-Fiber Foods Help in Digestion

Fiber is nature’s broom and helps keep us regular. Without enough fiber in your diet you may experience constipation, greasy stools and a number of other gastrointestinal issues. In order to get the proper amount of fiber in your diet, you must consume carbohydrates that are high in fiber, such as whole grain bread and oatmeal.

There Are Healthy Carbs

Not all carbohydrates are bad. Yes, white flour and refined sugars are unhealthy, but whole grains, fruits and vegetables are good sources of healthy carbs. Your diet should include these foods at each meal in order for you to stay healthy.

Carbohydrates Offer Energy

Marathon runners often sit down to a large serving of pasta the night before a big race. Why? Carbohydrates offer energy that is quick to obtain. Carbs are easier for the body to breakdown and use immediately or store in the liver for later use.

Complex Carbs May Help Prevent Diabetes

There is a reason some carbs are good and some bad. Bad carbs break down too quickly and cause a spike in blood sugar. Overtime, these spikes can cause glucose intolerance. However, complex carbs take longer to break down due to the presence of fiber. This means that blood sugar levels rise steadily, rather than spiking, thus avoiding glucose intolerance.

It doesn’t matter how much weight you can lose, it isn’t worth your health. Our bodies need carbohydrates in order to function. Carbs aid in digestion, energy and complex carbs may even prevent diabetes.

About the Author: Ernesto Sagoes works as an EKG technician and enjoys studying nutrition in his spare time. He highly recommends speaking to a nutritionist about any type of diet or eating plan you choose to try.

Intestinal cleansing or as more popularly known colon cleansing is a process in which the main goal is to flush out toxins and impurities from within the colon. We have to understand that as food goes through our digestive system there will be left over undigested toxins. The body will not be able to use up all the food we eat, and depending on what we eat and put into our body, the toxins or impurities may be differ in its harmful effects from one colon to the next. So simple enough, the cleansing process could be compared to sweeping dirt out of a hallway, we know how bad it will be if that broom will be none existent, after a week, imagine how that hallway will look like.

So I bet not one of you will be alright with that happening to your colon. Most people will have a hard time knowing when to exactly know when to cleanse so the best thing to do before I say anything else is to advise you to check with you doctor before moving forward. However outside of checking with a doctor, we can look at it this way, everyday in this modern age a lot of us eat processed foods on a daily basis. These foods are artificially flavored and chemically changed in some way but that’s how awesome our body is, we will be able to get away with it for a while but like most good things if abused, it can go to an abrupt end.

Meaning, those foreign compounds that we put in our bodies which will not be absorbed will have to manifest its effects somewhere if we do not get it out of our system real quick because it turns into harmful bacteria. I guess the lesser of 2 evils will come into play here, if we can’t avoid these processed foods the least that we can do for our body is to not let these impurities linger to allow them to create greater damage in the colon and in more severe cases in the body. So some studies advised as a general rule that we need to have bowel movements at least once to twice a day. If it is any less than that, then cleansing options should be strongly considered.

Cleansing and Weight Loss

When getting a cleanse we have to remember and understand that our colon will be completely flushed out. So what does that mean for weight loss, simple, we need to take it slow and be patient and allow our body to recover, why? Flushing in principle is the very thing that will make you lose weight, those impurities and toxins usually are gases, water and mixture of other compounds and that will be weight off and with that, some good bacteria needed in the stomach might also be lost, hence the recovery time. Now that will be for the short term weight loss, for the long term, cleansing will influence weight loss by keeping your colon healthy and allowing it to absorb all the needed nutrients for a healthier you and combine that with a good exercise regimen fit for your current health and lifestyle and that should put you in the fast track to healthy weight loss.

What’s stopping you from starting a cleansing program to lose weight and feel better?

Promote good health with a clean colon.  Let a colon cleanse program help you lose weight and feel better.  -Darrell Miller, VitaNet, LLC

If you are currently suffering from a debilitating fast food addiction, you may now have a reason to be slightly less ashamed of yourself.  Much to the chagrin of the status quo, the findings of an 8 year long study was recently posted in a prestigious medical journal, suggesting that a low-salt diet can actually increase your risk of heart disease. 

The test, published in the May issue of Journal of the American Medical Association, featured over 3,500 European and Russian test subjects, all roughly 40 years old at the time the test began.  The amount of salt excretion was measured in urine samples, which is thought to be the most accurate method of salt intake given the fact that measuring it in the food prior to ingestion would be near impossible.  After 8 years, 84 of the subjects had died from cardiovascular related ailments.  Surprisingly, the top 33% of salt consumers, that ingested around 6 grams of salt a day, suffered only 10 deaths.  The median group, which ingested roughly 4 grams per day, accounted for 24 of the total deaths.  Most shocking of all, the lowest (or what we would normally call the “healthiest”) demographic of salt consumers, made up 50 of the 84 deaths. 

If you’re blinded by the letters B and S flashing in your mind right now, you’re not alone.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has relieved itself of its customarily objective stance on these sorts of issues, claiming that there are simply too many flaws in the study.  Amongst not having enough test subjects, they claimed that a large portion of the 50 subjects who died while on a low-salt diet were also frequent smokers.  They also claimed that the subjects were too young, since a large number of cardiovascular related deaths occur beyond the 50 year old mark.   

However, fast food addicts aren’t the only ones rejoicing… many feel vindicated by these new findings, including (although not surprisingly) the Salt Institute, which lauds salt for its ability to moderate insulin levels and prevent the buildup of a resistance that could lead to diabetes.

Regardless of which side you’re on, both sides seem to agree that limiting your salt intake is not a very good method of preventing heart disease anyway.  Most experts say that exercise and as little as a 5% loss of body fat can considerably reduce your risk of developing hypertension, as well as cutting back on animal fats, sweets, and sugars in your diet. 

So, what do you think?  Do you think that the CDC and all the other opponents of this test are simply reactionaries working to protect the status quo, or are we seeing a legitimate breakthrough in medicine?

Eric Hirota is a personal trainer for LAVA Sport & Fitness in San Diego, CA. He specializes in plyometrics and abdominal workouts. 

Today, the typical American is surrounded by sugary foods.  Sweets are found at the grocery store, gas station and plenty of restaurants—fast food or not.  And for most of you, it’s probably true that you’re surrounded by sugar in your own home.

Because of the negative health affects sugar has on our health, many people choose to go “sugar-free.”  Seeing your favorite treat with those words on it may be music to your ears, or it may scream “stay away” because of the several claims that have been made about the safety of artificial sweeteners.

Sugar free foods have not lost their sweetness because they are sweetened with sugar substitutes.  There are many brands, and they’re all similar to sugar.  Except for the fact that they contain no calories and have little glycemic response.

Artificial sweeteners are FDA approved.  This means that they go through several studies by the Food and Drug Administration to assess their safety.  The FDA also establishes ADIs (Acceptable Daily Intakes) for every artificial sweetener.  They figure out the largest amount of the substance a person would have to ingest before receiving health problems.  Here is an example for aspartame:  To reach the ADI, a 150-pound adult would have to consume 20 cans of diet soda in a single day.  Hopefully, for most of us that’s pretty difficult to do, and it shouldn’t be a problem to avoid.

It has been said that sugar substitutes can play a role in obesity, from both sides.  An overweight individual who replaces high sugar foods with sugar substituted foods may end up losing weight.  However, artificial sweeteners can mess with appetite control.  They make your body think you’re eating sugar, therefore you crave it more which can lead to overeating.  So if you’re going to use artificial sweeteners, do so with caution.  Make sure you’re controlling your appetite with a  healthy diet and regular exercise. 

People who are diabetic may benefit from sugar substitutes because they do not affect blood sugar.  However, always consult with a doctor before significantly changing your diet.  They can help decide what is best for your condition. 

There have been several claims that artificial sweeteners cause health problems such as mood disorders, headaches, multiple schlerosis…even cancer!  Yet there is no proof of any of these claims.  So, if you choose to use artificial sweeteners, don’t be afraid.  Incorporate them into a healthy, balanced diet and you will not have any problems.

Remember that all approved artificial sweeteners, including acesulfame-potassium, aspartame, neotame, saccharin, stevia and sucralose have gone through numerous studies to prove their safety.  If they weren’t safe, the FDA wouldn’t approve them.  They can help with weight loss but also cause the opposite affect if you aren’t paying attention to the rest of your diet and exercise habits.  Artificial sweeteners are beneficial for diabetics, obese and health conscious individuals.  In order for sugar substitutes to cause problems, you would have to consume extremely large amounts of it on a daily basis, something that is nearly impossible for most people.

Brianna Elliott is a third year dietetics student at the University of Wisconsin – Stout.  She also contributes regularly to a health and nutrition website called PSCLife.com.  This site carries a wide variety of health and nutritional supplements including sugar free products like Fiber Choice Sugar Free Chewable Tablets.  She thinks it’s important for people to know the truth about artificial sweeteners because there is so much misinformation in the world about them.

Outside of the civilized world, isolated villages still hold true to the past traditions of diets rich in animal meat, eggs, and milk with very little processed foods and vegetable fats. Yet most doctors and dietitians say that a diet rich in animal fats like those eaten in less civilized cutlures is very unhealthy. They claim it clogs arteries and causes many other health problems common in today’s civilization.

Could Vegetable Fats Be Linked to Modern Health Problems?

Modern civilization currently deals with epidemics of heart disease, cancers, high blood pressure and dental problems. If one were to travel into the isolated villages anywhere in the world, regions where processed foods, sugars, and vegetable fats are non-existent, one would notice a drastic difference with the health of the people who reside there. Dental problems, despite lack of proper dental care, are fewer in number than in a bountiful civilized town. Obesity and all the health problems that go with it is also drastically less common.

Many would argue that replacing a diet of sugars and margarine with eggs and butter would simply raise the heart problems and cholesterol levels. Just the idea that animal fats might be better for human health than vegetable fats causes controversy everywhere you look, despite the agreement that a diet rich in white flour, high fructose corn syrup and processed foods is unhealthy.

Research Concerning Animal Fats

Many studies show that not all fats are harmful to one’s health. In fact, research shows that Omega 3 is quite beneficial to human health. Grass-fed cows raised on small farms have greater levels of omega 3 oils, as do nuts and fish.

It is also clear that those on a low-fat diet are not benefitting from a lower risk of heart disease risk. In fact, a reduction in animal fats over the years has done nothing to slim the American people or make them healthier. More people today suffer from heart disease than when the average person ate eighteen pounds of butter a year.

The Truth about Vegetable Oil

Vegetable oils, such as palm, corn, soybean, sunflower oils, and others can be detrimental to your health. It’s important to understand the distinction between vegetable oils and others. For instance, olive and coconut oils are not harmful. These are fruits, not vegetables. Nut and seed oils are also healthier for the most part.

Free radicals make vegetable oils dangerous. They cause cancer and clog the arteries. Cancer and heart problems are the most common health problems in the United States. The oils break down with heat, releasing large volumes of damaging free radicals into your body.

Vegetable oils should be banned from your kitchen. There are many healthier alternatives to choose from:

• Peanut Oil

• Olive Oil

• Coconut Oil

• Sesame Oil

• Avocado Oil

• Grapeseed Oil

• Walnut Oil

Stick to these healthier alternatives and you’ll benefit from a lower cancer and heart disease risk.

LowFatDietPlan.org offers tips on incorporating the latest nutrition research into your healthy diet plan.

Losing weight has long been regarded to be not just a difficult task but also an expensive one to undertake. True,organic fruits and vegetables are often more costly to purchase than a frozen pizza or meal. But keep in mind that the latter usually contains many calories and fats that will surely end up in your waist line or hips. But do not fear, as there are many ways to lose the extra pounds without breaking your budget. The key is to commit to the fact that a balanced diet and exercise are the key drivers to weight loss. Here are 5 helpful ways to a healthier and  slimmer you that saves money at the same time.

1. Walk it off.

Walking, running or cycling to and from work when plausible is not only a great way to make your heart pumping and burn calories. It can cut down your transportation expense dramatically. You can opt to walk a few blocks instead or park your car  a reasonable distance if the workplace is too far from home. This simple change is a great motivating factor  for you to get you  that cardiovascular lift every morning and after work.

2. Be your own trainer.

You do not have to enroll in a gym or seek costly service of a personal trainer to get your body the work out it needs. Why not purchase an exercise video that you can perform at the comforts of your home instead. That’s savings on petrol and car park fees too as you do not have to go to the gym. Get a friend or your spouse to work with you at home. Motivate each other and make it your couple or family time. Just be sure to stick to a schedule.

3. Shop wisely.

Plan your meals and always go to the grocer with a list at hand and stick to it.  Do this task once a week. As the often you go, the more you expose yourself to purchasing food and things you do not really need. Shop for fruits and vegetables that are in season as they are likely to be cheaper. Avoid impulse buying and your wallet will be happy you did.

4. Pack your own lunch and water bottle.

Controlling the portion and what you eat at work or in school is a great way to control calorie intake. Keeping a bottled water also proves handy not only in terms of avoiding the need to buy high in sugar drinks but also keeps you full. Most people snack in as they think they are hungry when they are actually just thirsty. Making your own meals also proves to be healthy and economical as you avoid eating out at restaurants or fast food whose offerings are not good at all. But if you cannot avoid an invite to dine out, then eat less and bring home leftovers as this can be saved for your next meal. And that’s savings.

5. Do chores.

Why pay a gardener to maintain your lawn when you can do that yourself? Remember that any kind of work burns calories and for someone wanting to lose weight, every calorie counts. So plan your weekends wisely. Give up movie time and tick off  those dreadful home tasks. Do your power walk while waking the dog. Scrub the kitchen and bathroom floors. You will be surprised how fast your muscles build. While at it, why not embark on building projects to improve your backyard or your garden? You can even offer your work service in your neighborhood and get paid. More sweat, more success!

So go ahead and try these positive changes. Sweat it out and save. And soon you’ll find yourself with enough money to shop for smaller-sized outfits.

This is a guest post by Jessy Troy, a new mom dreaming of fitness body and blogging on Define Fitness.

Examining internal organs such as the intestines is not an easy task. Mainly because of all the neighboring organ fluids and all the waste that could be there. When the colon and the large intestines are being examined, a process known as colonoscopy is used. This is the use of fiber optic cameras to check out organs for symptoms of cancer. Colonoscopies are the cameras which can bend and be moved in different ways to allow doctors to examine crevices and grooves in the intestine. So, colonoscopy is the process which involves more of the doctor sticking the camera into the organ. For this procedure to be successful you have to make the necessary preparations.

As a patient, you should be prepared to follow a certain diet that will help you in cleansing the bowels. Most beverages, foods and medications ingested can have an impact on a person’s colon altering the correctness of the procedure. Colon cleansing diet is the best way to prepare for colonoscopy. Homemade cleansing diet is the best to completely clean out the contents in the colon. Patients should focus on taking a lot of water and high fiber food. A lot of water and foods rich in fiber will aid in cleaning out the contents in the colon.

You should drink purified or filtered water. You can also use a water filtration pitcher or system attached to the sink to purify the water. On the other hand, you can also buy bottled water that is already purified, although this could be quite expensive. Eat lots of vegetables especially organic vegetables since non-organic foods may contain toxins such as those from pesticides. I recommend vegetables because they contain fiber, though green dark leafy vegetables have the highest content of fiber. Try squash, lettuce and broccoli. Additionally, choose fruits that have high fiber content and organic fruits are the most preferred options. Berries, oranges and apples have high fiber content. One can also modify the colon cleansing diet and substitute it with whole fresh juice from organic fruits instead of eating fruits.

Patients should follow this diet for at least three days and the regular diet can be gradually incorporated for the body system to adjust and to avoid causing gastrointestinal upsets. The benefits of following a cleansing diet before the colonoscopy procedure is that it allows you to get results that are more accurate form this procedure. Furthermore, you will experience great results from the cleansing diet. For instance you will have a healthier and clearer skin and may experience more energy. You will also be free from aches, pains and constipation and may even undergo some weight loss.

Many people can attest to the fact that colon cleansing is a difficult job. This is mainly due to the fact that they lack the knowledge on intestinal cleansing. An overall consensus in the medical field, shows that plant based diets is the best way to reduce the risk of cancer of the colon. These foods play a major role towards having healthy intestines and a healthy body system. You should include roughage and fiber foods each diet. These foods are not hard to come across and can be found in foods such as juicy fruits, beans, seeds, vegetables, whole grains and nuts.

All the dark leafy green vegetables are essential food components which are not digestible. These type of foods are used to cleanse your colon because they are rich in fibre and due to the fact that they are able to support your digestive system and the intestinal tract through eliminating the toxic and the harmful substances coming from your colon. In addition, such foods are a roughage source which is very essential in the toning and cleaning of your colon. When you are on a diet to cleanse the colon, it is important that you prevent all the foods without fibres since they slow down the rate of metabolism and as a result, delay colon cleansing.

You can also incorporate fresh soups and fruit juices from the dark and leafy green vegetables for cleansing the colon. Such juices and soups will help in hydrating your body system and also assist the body in flushing out all the unwanted and gluey material coming from the intestines and as a result it cleans them. Liquids such as Luke warm water and lemonade also play part in cleansing your colon just as the soluble and insoluble fibre help in cleansing your bowel. The insoluble fibres are used to stop constipation through the elimination of waste material that is hardened and found in your colon. Soluble fibre assists in the increment of body bacteria which is beneficial and plays part in digestion and in keeping your intestines clean.

Flaxseed and Oats are rich in both insoluble and soluble fibre. Some other foods that have a sufficient amount of the fibres include barley, mangoes, cabbages, carrots, peas, brown rice and beets. Foods with a dark green colour such as barley, alfalfa, wheatgrass and spiralling have a high chlorophyll amount which is great for cleansing intestines. Chlorophyll assists in healing damaged digestive tract tissues and draws a substantial oxygen amount to for the body. It also aids in the removal of the colon toxic substances that could be in your body.

Many people inhale different chemicals and toxins through the air they breathe day after day. The body cannot manage to filter all these toxins as well as the chemicals. As a result, they build up in the body cells as fat cells, in the blood, organs and the tissues. The brain, liver and the colon are some of the organs that are highly susceptible to invasion by the toxins as time passes by. The accumulation of these toxins in the organs and other body cells over time can lead to a variety of health complications.

The health complications can include problems such as stomach bloating, IBS, severe gas, constipation, chronic fatigue, weight gain, acid reflux, stomach pains, hair problems, diverticulitis as well as skin problems which are associated with the infection of the colon. To prevent contraction of such health complications, there is need for detoxification which will assist the body in restoration of its natural balance as well as offering it renewed vitality and energy.

The use of fruits as well as vegetables to detoxify the body on a daily basis is among the different ways in which you can cleanse and detoxify the body. If possible, you should have the diet of vegetables and fruits grown naturally and most preferably, the vegetables should be eaten raw. An you can also take them as a whole or just puree them to make some juice. This ensures that they do not lose any minerals making them more efficient in purification of the body.

There are many reasons as to why vegetables and fruits are useful in cleansing the colon and why you should use this diet. They are very efficient in detoxification and cleansing of the colon plus they provide the body with the daily amounts of calories that are needed. They are better as compared to sugar, fat and other foods with low nutrients. When you directly use this routine of vegetables and fruits, it protects you from contracting heart diseases or gaining weight which in turn extends your life.

There are different parasites that thrive in all living things and these parasites have the ability to alter the chemical composition and balance of the body. These parasites together with unhealthy diets plus environmental toxins pose a great danger to human beings. The diet of vegetables and fruits aimed at colon cleansing can be able to reduce this grave risk by a great percentage. The results of such a diet in cleaning of the colon can be slow but the benefits will be great. Nature is the best cure for many of the problems that people have at present; this is a fact that many scientists have proven through research.

Colon cleansing is another form of detoxification that is slowly being incorporated as a common diet in our daily lives. It has various benefits that I can attest to such as promoting an amazingly healthy colon among others. Through this article, you will come across the diets and other essential information that I have researched on when using cabbage as colon cleansing diet.

Cabbage is amongst the earliest dishes used in the historic times since the times of ancient Rome. Cabbage has been named as a prolific “healing food” due to its uniqueness in vitamins which help in alleviating irregularity. If you look at the cabbage, you will notice that its head has a waxy, indigestible material known as roughage. Incorporating roughage into our diets is something that most nutritionist speaks about daily but I think most people do not really understand what it is. Roughage is a term that is alternated to mean dietary fiber, which is used in stimulating your intestines to increase bowel movement.

The connection between good digestive health and cabbage diet is derived from properties of your colon cleansing diet. Cabbage also benefits the internal chemistry by boosting levels of chlorine, iodine and sulfur, which when combined work jointly to form a biological tyrant for an intestinal tract that is clogged. This reaction can occur whether one is consuming cabbage soup, raw cabbage with a pinch of salt or pepper with some lemon juice could provide you with some extra help in combating constipation. If you suffer from constipation, you will almost immediately notice the effects after following a cabbage diet that has low calories. However, cabbage does not only help cleanse the colon but has other major benefits to the body.

Cabbage has been attributed to have a high nutritional value that you should have in mind when consuming it. Not only can cabbage help you go to the rest room once again, but it can also leave dieters lighter with ten pounds less every week. I would recommend any dieter to mostly take the fresh green and leafy cabbage as it will mostly impact your vitamin C concentrations as well as iron. Cabbage also makes this a big treat for pregnant women as well as anyone suffering from anemia. Cabbage also helps reduce stomach ulcers, skin problems and can even be used as an anti-aging property. However, you should not take excessive cabbage as research studies have proven that it could also result to thyroid damage in addition to other ailments.