The Fats You Should Eat to Help You Eat Less

Doctor Oz explains: Why Fats Can Be Our Friends...

The Right Fats.

10 Top Foods to Lose Weight

Let's talk about foods to lose weight. There are certain foods that boost metabolic rate and encourage your body to burn calories and melt away stored fat to leave you slim, healthy and fit.

While you can find a more extensive list of 38 different foods to lose weight on our website, here are some of the 10 top recommendations by many nutritionists and fitness experts.

1. Choose foods which are rich in calories. Eat smaller quantities of dishes like soups, salads and smoothies that help lose weight. They package nutrients densely and the calorie concentration helps weight loss.

2. Include food with a high fiber content. Eat raw vegetables and fruits that not only have nutrients, minerals, vitamins and enzymes but are also rich in fiber. The fiber content slows down absorption of sugar, which in turn influences insulin metabolism and reduces fat deposition.

3. Avoid starch-rich food. Whole grain, pasta and foodstuffs rich in carbs are best avoided if you intend to lose weight. The only exception is when you eat following a weight loss workout, when replenishing calories is important.

4. Limit portion size. Weight loss means eating the right kinds of food to lose weight, but also restricting the quantity of each of them. Small portion sizes naturally ensure that you won't over indulge in the wrong kinds of food. Make it your choice to stop eating well before you feel stuffed.

5. Don't eat too little. This only leaves you hungry and tempts you to indulge in an unhealthy snack in between meals. Tight calorie restriction also pushes your body into starvation mode. It then tends to preserve fat stores, and burns off protein from muscles for energy instead. This is not at all desirable.

6. Add food supplements to your diet. Omega 3 fatty acids, minerals, enzymes and vitamins can supplement your regular meals and boost metabolism while increasing satiety. By suppressing hunger pangs, they can aid weight loss by avoiding snacks.

7. Intermittent fasting is the new kid on the block. Combined with foods to lose weight, the process of not eating for 12 to 16 hours every day can speed up weight loss. Forcing you to cram eating into a 8 to 10 hour window has the added advantage of limiting overall calorie intake.

8. Prefer coffee or tea over soda and sugary drinks. As they have caffeine and polyphenols, these drinks can help raise your metabolic rate and lose weight. They ward off hunger and increase the likelihood that your body will burn fat for energy. Limit yourself to 2-3 cups without added sugar.

9. Lower fat consumption. There is still some controversy over low fat diets, but there's broad consensus that eating less fat helps weight loss. Foods to lose weight are often those with low-fat content anyway. Choosing the right types of food automatically imposes a limit on how much fat you'll consume.

10. Watch out for hidden calories. There are many additives and preservatives in food that you eat every day that is rich in empty calories. Foods to lose weight have almost no concealed calories. Make it a habit to check food labels for any evidence of hidden calories.

There are many more foods to lose weight and also other pitfalls to guard against. If you take a little care to think about what you eat, you'll be able to lose weight in a safe, healthy and lasting way.

In this report on foods to lose weight, you'll learn about items that boost your metabolic rate and indirectly aid weight loss by making your body burn fat for energy needs while building muscle by conserving protein. This leads to weight loss, better fitness and stronger muscles.  Vanessa has been writing about fitness and health for over two decades now. She has written about a wide variety of subjects on these matters and written in depth about them.

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What would happen if you didn’t sleep? - Claudia Aguirre

Are you Sleep Deprived?

We never actually catch-up with sleep, regular sleep deprivation can cause serious bodily harm, let Claudia Aguirre's animation explain.

Sleep Deprivation and Weight Gain

Sleep needs vary across ages and are especially impacted by lifestyle and health. Researchers cannot pinpoint an exact amount of sleep need by people at different ages. However, sleep requirements vary from person to person even in the same age group.

There is a big difference between the amount of sleep one can get by on and the amount one needs to function optimally. For instance, if one is able to operate on six or seven hours of sleep doesn't mean one wouldn't feel a lot better and get more done if one spends an extra hour or two in bed.

The new recommendations of the daily sleep requirements for adults by the National Sleep Foundation include:

• Younger adults (18-25) - Sleep range is 7-9 hours
• Adults (26-64) - Sleep range is 7-9 hours
• Older adults (65+) - Sleep range is 7-8 hours

New born babies, infants, toddlers, children and teenagers have more daily requirements of sleep, which vary depending on their age.

Sleep deprivation occurs when an individual gets less sleep than they need to be attentive and alert. People vary in how little sleep is needed to be considered sleep-deprived. Some people such as older adults seem to be more resistant to the effects of sleep deprivation, while others, especially children and young adults, are more vulnerable.

Science has linked sleep deprivation with all kinds of health problems, from weight gain to a weakened immune system. Observational studies also suggest a link between sleep deprivation and obesity. Similar patterns have also been found in children and adolescents.

The following mechanisms have been found to underlie the link between sleep deprivation and weight gain -

Increase in ghrelin level - 

In a research published in the Journal of Sleep Research in Sep. 2008, it has been found that a single night of sleep deprivation increases ghrelin levels and feelings of hunger in normal weight healthy men, whereas morning serum leptin concentrations remain unaffected. Thus, the results provide further evidence for a disturbing influence of sleep loss on endocrine regulation of energy homeostasis, which in the long run may result in weight gain and obesity.

Ghrelin is a hormone produced in the gut and is often termed the hunger hormone. It sends a signal to the brain to feel hungry. Therefore, it plays a key role in regulating calorie intake and body fat levels.

Interference in carbohydrate metabolism - 

Sleep deprivation interferes with the body's ability to metabolize carbohydrates and causes high blood levels of glucose, which leads to higher insulin levels and greater body-fat storage. In one experiment, scientists disrupted participants sleep just enough to keep them from entering deep sleep but not enough to fully wake them. After these nights of deep-sleep deprivation, the subjects' insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance went down by 25 percent.

Reduction in growth hormone - 

Sleep deprivation reduces levels of growth hormone - a protein that helps regulate the body's proportions of fat and muscle. Experts estimate that as much as 75 percent of human growth hormone is released during sleep. Deep sleep is the most restorative all stages of sleep. During this stage of sleep, growth hormone is released and works to restore and rebuild our body and muscles from the stresses of the day.

Increase in cravings for high-calorie junk food - 

Sleep deprivation even for one night creates pronounced changes in the way our brain responds to high-calorie junk foods. On days, when people don't have proper sleep, fattening foods like potato chips and sweets stimulates stronger responses in a part of the brain that helps govern the motivation to eat. But at the same time, they experience a sharp reduction in activity in the frontal cortex, a higher-level part of the brain, where consequences are weighed and rational decisions are made.

Increase in cortisol - 

Researchers have found that sleep deprivation increases the level of cortisol hormone and other markers of inflammation.

Decrease in resting metabolic rate - 

There is evidence indicating that sleep deprivation may lower the resting metabolic rate of the body. It is the number of calories our body burns when we're completely at rest. It's affected by age, weight, height, sex and muscle mass. This needs further validation but one contributing factor seems to be that poor sleep may cause muscle loss.

The bottom line - 

Besides, eating right and exercising regularly, getting quality sleep is an important part of weight maintenance. Therefore, establishing healthy sleep habits can help our body maintain a healthy weight.

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Three Energy Thieves That May Be Lurking In Your After 50 Diet

"Food For Thought"

Eliminating some foods initially and then re-introducing one time at a time as a process of elimination is a great idea. This way we see if these get us feeling lethargic and zapp our energy, so it's a good plan and certainly "Food For Thought" pardon the pun !

Some Common Energy Zappers

All parts of our body need energy to work, which comes from the food we eat. The human body is powered by the energy produced by the breakdown of one chemical compound, called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is essentially the energy currency of the body. Mitochondria are the main site for ATP synthesis in mammals, although some ATP is also synthesized in the cytoplasm of the cells that don't have mitochondria.

The human body uses the molecules of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates from food that we eat to yield the necessary energy to drive ATP synthesis.

We all know that our energy levels don't remain the same throughout the day. Mostly, our lifestyle habits are to be blamed for our low energy. Many a time, our body could be under siege from a surprising energy zapper. The most surprising energy zappers are as follow:

Physical Inactivity - 

We naturally lose muscle mass as we age. If you have less muscle mass, you have fewer mitochondria and less ATP, which results in low energy. Being sedentary further compounds the problem by weakening and shrinking muscles, which causes them to use energy inefficiently. Therefore, physical activity strengthens muscles, makes them more efficient and conserves ATP. Do the recommended 30 minutes per day, at least five days per week, of moderate-intensity exercise. The 30 minutes can be spread out into several shorter periods. In addition, include strength training at least three times a week.

Unhealthy Diet - 

An unhealthy diet brings down your energy level. So eat a balanced diet that includes a variety of unrefined carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, with an emphasis on vegetables, whole grains, and healthy oils. Limit the refined sugar and white starches to only occasional treats. You may get a quick energy boost but the feeling fades quickly. And it can leave you depleted, craving more sweets. Where low energy is the issue, it's better to eat small meals and snacks every few hours than three large meals a day.

Inadequate sleep - 

Poor sleep quality can make you feel sluggish throughout the day. A peaceful night of sleep can leave you feeling more energized and alert when you wake up. The sleep quality is only part of how sleep affects your energy levels throughout the day. A fresh and clean bedding, low noise levels, and cool temperatures in your bedroom will contribute to giving you a more satisfying sleep experience.

Stress - 

Our body cannot sustain prolonged exposure to mental, emotional, or physical stress for long without consequence. Anxiety may further contribute to over-stimulation of the stress response, elevating nutrient depletions. Long term stress and anxiety can result in higher levels of cortisol, with a negative impact on sleep, further affecting energy levels due to sleep deprivation.

Medications - 

Some medications may cause a lack of energy as a side-effect. If so, tell your doctor so that the medications may be changed if required.

Chronic illnesses - 

Feeling tired once in a way is fine. But if you are living with that feeling always, then it's time to see your doctor to find out if you have any chronic illness. Illnesses like depression, diabetes anemia, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, and sluggish or overactive thyroid can give rise to the lack of energy.

We know that mitochondria are the "energy factory" of our bodies. Mitochondrial diseases are a group of disorders caused by dysfunctional mitochondria. They are chronic and inherited disorders. Mitochondrial diseases can be present at birth, but can also occur at any age. They can affect almost any part of the body.

The secondary mitochondrial dysfunction can affect many diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, muscular dystrophy, Lou Gehrig's disease, diabetes, and cancer. Individuals with secondary mitochondrial dysfunction don't have primary genetic mitochondrial disease.

The Conclusion - 

We all feel fatigued and lack energy at some point in time. However, if you find it hard to perform everyday activities at your normal levels of energy, it needs further investigation. Probably, you could be under siege from a surprising energy zapper.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10342705