WE ARE WHAT WE EAT...

We are what we eat. If the food you put in your body is short on nutrients, then eventually you are going to pay for it. BY ZIG ZIGLAR

8 Weight Loss Secrets from Around the World

1. Stop eating before you're full. The Okinawans, whose average BMI is 21.5 for those who eat a traditional diet, call this hara hachi bu, or eating till you're 80 percent full. Of course, we're not suggesting that you leave the table hungry. But eating until the buttons pop stretches the stomach by about 20 percent each time you do it, so you inevitably need more food to feel satisfied, explains Bradley Willcox, MD, co-author of The Okinawa Diet Plan. He says that putting your fork down "when you feel that first twinge of fullness" gives your brain a chance to realize that you are full before you overdo it.

2. Drizzle on the healthy oils. Healthy fats like olive oil, a staple of the Mediterranean diet, and canola oil, a staple of Okinawans, make vegetables tastier, so you're likely to eat more of them. And, as we know, eating a diet rich in produce is key to maintaining a healthy weight.

3. When you're eating, just eat. No other culture multitasks meals the way Americans do with our TV dinners, fast-food drive-throughs and grab-'n-go food that's designed to fit into a car cup holder and be eaten with one hand. In Japan, it's considered rude to eat while walking. And you'll never catch the French gulping coffee in the car. "In France, there are no car cup holders because you don't drink coffee while driving," explains Will Clower, PhD, author of The Fat Fallacy: The French Diet Secrets to Permanent Weight Loss. "Eating and drinking aren't errands. It's not what you do on the way to something else." Good advice. When you're distracted by work, traffic or the TV, you're apt to overeat without even realizing it, notes Dean Ornish, MD, author of Eat More, Weigh Less. "If you really pay attention to what you're eating, you enjoy it more fully and don't need as much food."

4. Get moving. People in Asian countries, France and the Mediterranean tend to be slim because they're more active. Not that they spend hours at the gym; they simply walk a lot.

5. Enjoy regular meals. One reason French women don't get fat is because French women eat three meals a day. You may think skipping meals cuts calories, but all it does is evoke a primal "fear of hunger response" that causes overeating later, explains Dr. David Katz, MD, author of The Way to Eat. "Throughout most of our history, we had too little to eat. So when you go for long periods without eating, you stir up all that native programming, which says eat like crazy when you can, because all too often you can't." Start with breakfast. Studies show that breakfast-eaters are slimmer than skippers.

6. Dine with others. Eating with family or friends vs. alone in your car, at your desk or on the couch is part and parcel of traditional cultures. Not only does camaraderie make the meal more enjoyable, it's slimming. "Eating with others restrains your own behavior," notes Dr. Katz. "You eat more slowly, which increases the likelihood that you'll register when you're full before you've eaten more than you should.

7. Chow down only when you're hungry. Americans eat for all sorts of reasons besides hunger, especially from boredom, loneliness, stress or fear, a foreign concept in other cultures. "You can't make food the solution to every issue in your life and expect to be thin," says Dr. Katz. "If you eat from boredom, find a hobby. If you eat to relieve stress, learn meditation or yoga."

8. Have a glass of wine. A staple of French and Mediterranean tables, wine adds joy to the meal, and because it contains potent antioxidants, is at least partly responsible for why these cultures traditionally have lower rates of cardiovascular disease and mortality despite their higher-fat diets. And while some studies show that we tend to eat more when we drink, a Finnish study actually found that male drinkers were leaner than abstainers.

See also: More Weight Loss Secrets from Around the World

SOURCE : Reader's Digest Online

Someone's Testimonial @ Bluroze's Weblog

FROM WEBSITE: Bluroze's Weblog

Total… 42 lbs down…

Inches almost 69 and a half…

There are good days and bad days… loosing weight is never easy… putting it on is sooo much easier and alot more fun.

I still go to the gym at least 3 times a week.. still not doing as much as I would prefer.. but it is a long road ahead… so I know i time it will get better. It doesnt help that it is 95 plus degrees outside… makes it hard to go to the gym when it is so hot. I tried going in the morning but oh heck no… something about 430 in the morning just isnt for me. I may appear to be a morning person but not that much morning.

I tried something different today.. I hate the treadmill… it is THE most boring activity. So.. I tried something unusual.. I signed into the gym.. and went outside and walked… around the sidewalk at the middle school field and down the road aways… then turned and went back.. Realised.. there is a reason I dont walk outside… darn people cut grass… and I am allergic.. though I think I got some sun. Then in to work the machines and sit in the sauna. Sat till I was getting dizzy.. not a good thing.. but heck it works.

Well thanks for reading.. if anyone out there is… if not.. that is ok.. at least I write it..

When I told the husband.. I lost 42 lbs.. he was like.. oh ok.. OH so supportive.. gotta love men…

I wish I understood their thinking .. but I dont think I REALLY want to know.. I could not handle not thinking anything.

Have a great week..

TOP 10 BIGGEST BRAIN DAMAGING HABITS and BUTTER VS. MARGARINE

TOP 10 BIGGEST BRAIN DAMAGING HABITS

1. No Breakfast

People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level. This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration.

2. Overeating

It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power.

3. Smoking

It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.

4. High Sugar consumption

Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.

5. Air Pollution

The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.

6. Sleep Deprivation

Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.

7. Head covered while sleeping

Sleeping with the head covered, increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects.

8. Working your brain during illness

Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.

9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts

Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.

10. Talking Rarely

Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain.

The main causes of liver damage are:

1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main cause.

2. Not urinating in the morning.

3. Too much eating.

4. Skipping breakfast.

5. Consuming too much medication.

6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, and artificial sweetener.

7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil use when frying, which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit.

8. Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden of liver.

Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store. We should prevent this without necessarily spending more. We just have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good eating habits and time condition are very important for our bodies to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals according to "schedule."

Because:

Evening at 9 - 11pm: is the time for eliminating unnecessary/toxic chemicals (detoxification) from the antibody system (lymph nodes).This time duration should be spent by relaxing or listening to music. If during this time a housewife is still in an unrelaxed state such as washing the dishes or monitoring children doing their homework, this will have a negative impact on health.

Evening at 11pm - 1am: is the detoxification process in the liver, and ideally should be done in a deep sleep state.

Early morning 1 - 3am: detoxification process in the gall, also ideally done in a deep sleep state.

Early morning 3 - 5am: detoxification in the lungs. Therefore there will sometimes be a severe cough for cough sufferers during this time. Since the detoxification process had reached the respiratory tract, there is no need to take cough medicine so as not to interfere with toxin removal process.

Morning 5 - 7am: detoxification in the colon, you should empty your bowel.

Morning 7 - 9am: absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, you should be having breakfast at this time. Breakfast should be earlier, before 6:30 am, for those who are sick. Breakfast before 7:30 am is very beneficial to those wanting to stay fit. Those who always skip breakfast, they should change their habits, and it is still better to eat breakfast late until 9 - 10am rather than no meal at all.

Sleeping so late and waking up too late will disrupt the process of removing unnecessary chemicals. Aside from that, midnight to 4:00 am is the time when the bone marrow produces blood. Therefore, have a good sleep and don't sleep late.

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BUTTER VS. MARGARINE

Pass The Butter ~ ~ ~ ~ This is interesting . . .

Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back.

It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter.

How do you like it?

They have come out with some clever new flavorings.

DO YOU KNOW...the difference between margarine and butter?

Read on to the end...gets very interesting!

Both have the same amount of calories.

Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.

Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.

Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few only because they are added!

Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods.

Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years.

And now, for Margarine...

Very high in transfatty acids.

Triple risk of coronary heart disease.

Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol)

Increases the risk of cancers up to five fold.

Lowers quality of breast milk.

Decreases immune response.

Decreases insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact....

HERE IS THE PART THAT IS VERY INTERESTING!

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC...

This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

You can try this yourself:

Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area.

Within a couple of days you will note a couple of things:

· No flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)

· It does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value

· Nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weenie microorganisms will not a find a home to grow.

Why?

Because it is nearly plastic.

· Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

Share This With Your Friends..... (If you want to "butter them up")!

Chinese Proverb:

"When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others."

People don't care how much you know...Until they know how much you care!

SOURCE: FROM IBAAN FORUM GROUP

How to Stay Young

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight, and to some, height.
2. Keep learning. Never let brain idle. An idle mind is the devil's workshop.
3. Enjoy simple things.
4. Laugh often, long and loud until you gasp for breath.
5. Tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on.
6. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it is family, pet, keepsake, music, plant, hobby, whatever.
7. Cherish your health.
8. Smile and enjoy life!

The Michael Jackson Diet That Could Have Saved Him from Death by Western Medicine

There's no question that Michael Jackson was killed by western medicine. Autopsies reveal a devastating pattern of drug injections, bone mineral loss (he suffered rib fractures when administered CPR) and hair loss. When he died, his stomach contained not food, but half-digested pharmaceuticals(http://www.s2smagazine.com/node/1206).

As stated in a previous NaturalNews article (http://www.naturalnews.com/026517_M...), I believe Michael Jackson was chemically abused by his handlers in some sort of twisted, pharmaceutically-powered profit motive. But what, if anything, could Jackson have done differently with his health to have avoided this tragic death while pursuing many more decades of healthy songwriting and public performance?

For starters, let's state the obvious: Performing in public is excruciatingly stressful, especially if done on a regular basis. Dancing and singing on stage takes its toll on anyone, and for it to be pursued, it must be accompanied by a serious commitment to a healthy diet.

Here's the diet Michael Jackson could have pursued to keep himself alive and vibrant while continuing to share his musical gifts with the world.

The Michael Jackson diet that could have been
• 90% plants, 10% meats (if desired)

A healthy diet must be based on plants to begin with. I don't know if Michael Jackson was a vegetarian, but he would have done well to pursue a primarily plant-based diet. If he wished to eat meats, adding a small amount of omega-3 rich fish to his diet could have been helpful. At least half of his plant intake should have consisted of raw, living plants (sprouts, for example).

• Fresh raw superfood smoothie every day

To keep up with his performance schedule, Jackson would have needed at least one major infusion each day of high-density nutrients in the form of a superfood smoothie. There are many recipes he could have followed, and here are some elements he could have included in the recipes: Raw avocados, raw cacao powder, high-end superfood powders (like Pure Synergy, Boku Superfood or LivingFuel), organic celery, raw cruciferous vegetables, fresh wheatgrass juice and much more.

• For sustained energy during the day (coupled with healthy sleep at night), Jackson could have consumed bee pollen, cordyceps (and other medicinal mushrooms like Chaga), rhodiola and even raw buckwheat granola with homemade, raw almond milk.

• To increase his bone density and greatly improve his emotional state, Jackson could have pursued a daily dose of sunlight exposure, even in the privacy of a courtyard in his own mansion. The sunlight would have radically improved his bone health while helping eliminate the need for all the dangerous psychiatric medications he had been taking.

• Instead of taking pharmaceuticals to manage his sleep cycles, Jackson could have used sunlight exposure combined with natural dietary supplements to get him on the right track: Chamomile, melatonin or even Kava Kava (once his liver function had improved).

• Jackson should have adamantly refused to consume any sodas or caffeine (due to their bone-wasting effects), and he no doubt needed to greatly increase the alkalinity of his diet through the consumption of greens, spring water and fresh vegetable juices ("Juice Feasting").


SOURCE: Natural News.Com

Eat These Foods And Fight Diabetes

Tricks for Avoiding Diabetes

About 24 million Americans are believed to have diabetes, and nearly 6 million don’t know it. Another 57 million are thought to have prediabetes, a condition that boosts risks for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. What quick tricks can you try to avoid prediabetes and the real thing—or help treat either condition? Scientists have hit on three new techniques.

Get more vitamin C

A European study found that people with the most vitamin C in their bodies had the lowest incidence of diabetes, although the link isn’t clear. Fruits and veggies like oranges, strawberries, and broccoli are the best sources of C.

Sprinkle on the spice

Researchers from the University of Georgia tested 24 common herbs and spices and discovered that their antioxidants could prevent inflammation associated with diabetes. Cloves and cinnamon both got high rankings

Eat some brown rice

A compound that helps the rice grow reduces nerve and blood vessel damage from diabetes, according to Medical College of Georgia experts. Soak the dry rice in water overnight, which awakens the compound.

Source: Health.com