How Fibre Can Help You Lose Weight

NDTV Cooks, Modified: November 21, 2014 12:58 IST                   

                                 


















Fibre forms an essential part of our daily diet. Not only is fibre good for our digestive system, it has also been linked to reduced risk of he risk of colon cancer and type 2 diabetes. Health experts will tell you that foods with high fibre make one feel full and satiated for long which is why they easily fit in your weight-loss strategies. A latest scientific study agrees with this notion.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a fibre-rich diet can help in shedding those extra kilos. Polydextrose and soluble corn fibre may cause a shift towards beneficial bacteria in the gut and assist in weight loss when made part of a long-term, daily diet. "These two fibres look like they could be beneficial when included in a balanced diet along with whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes," Hannah Holscher from the University of Illinois, US.

Researchers used whole-genome sequencing to explore the full range of bacterial genomic information in the gut after fibre supplementation. It was found that using fibre supplements resulted in significant shifts in the gut bacterial population. Interestingly, when the supplements were stopped the bacterial population went back to where they were before.

The team was surprised to see a shift in the Bacteroidetes:Firmicutes ratio. It was found that fibre supplements had caused a shift towards Bacteroidetes which are considered as good gut bacteria. Both Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes belong to the bacteria domain. Firmicutes are often associated with obesity in mice modules as well as in humans, hence this shift was seen as a positive one.

"This was of particular interest to us because other research works have shown that having more Bacteroidetes may be beneficial because the higher that proportion is, the individual tends to be leaner. With higher Firmicutes, an individual tends to be more obese," Holscher said.

Another study conducted earlier this year at Imperial College in London states that dietary fibre contains a chemical called acetate which is released when plants and vegetables are digested by the colon bacteria. This chemcial sends signals to the brain to stop eating. Foods loaded with fibre include whole-grains, cereals, leafy vegetables, beans, mushrooms and more.
 http://cooks.ndtv.com/article/show/how-fibre-can-help-you-lose-weight-623522

Top 4 Ways To Improve Liver Function

Wednesday, November 12, 2014 by: Derek Henry

(NaturalNews) Living in a world that has toxins at every turn has left our liver function in a hot mess. Everyday touches with toxins in our food, air, water, personal care, and household products has slowly but surely created a burden on this hard working organ that has compromised our ability to detoxify properly on a day-to-day basis.

In order to reverse those consequences and optimize your liver function going forward, keep these 4 factors in mind.

Incorporate proper foods and eating habits

To safely begin detoxifying the liver, you don't want to run out and get the ingredients for the master cleanse or buy a potent herbal liver detoxification kit. Rather, you want to focus first on your diet and proper eating habits first.

You need to rest your digestive tract by eating smaller and lighter meals that are nutrient dense and easily assimilated and always stopping when you feel around 80% full. Some good options that fit this bill are low sugar smoothies, juices, salads, soups, and fermented foods like sauerkraut and coconut kefir. Stay as raw and low sugar as possible so as to rest your liver function and provide it with the necessary enzymes to properly do its job of detoxification.

Eliminate foods, products, and daily habits that hurt your liver

On the flip side, you need to eliminate or largely avoid foods and habits that will slow down or compromise liver function. This includes eating fats from animal meat, butter, dairy, and vegetable oils. Refined flour products, sugar, alcohol, and caffeine will also weaken the liver, primarily due to digestive distress and excessive sugar/starch handling that is required. Avoiding any foods that are GMO is also incredibly important.

Also, do your best to avoid chemicals in your food supply by making cleaner choices, and purify your water and air appropriately. Take note of personal care and household products that contain unrecognizable ingredients and substitute them with natural products.

Finally, realize that any prescriptions or medications are especially damaging to the liver and will always compromise its function. Lack of sleep and negative thoughts also contribute to its decline, so improving your sleep patterns and mindset are a must.

Consume liver detoxifying foods and herbs

To crank up your liver detoxification a bit more, focus on foods and herbs that are noted as being especially cleansing to the liver, including:

• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Beets
• Garlic
• Onions
• Walnuts
• Avocados
• Apples
• Grapefruit
• Leafy green vegetables
• Sauerkraut
• Coconut kefir

Popular herbs that are well known to clean up liver function include:

• Milk thistle
• Dandelion
• Burdock root
• Artichoke
• Turmeric

Consuming these foods and herbs on a consistent basis will help support, detoxify, and nourish your liver so that it can become healthy again and remove toxins on a day-to-day basis.

Improve your digestion

The gastrointestinal tract serves as the first line of defense once toxins have entered the body. If it becomes compromised, it allows disease causing agents to take root, often to the point that they break through the intestinal membrane and get into the bloodstream.

Once the bowels have become toxic, the rest of the body will soon follow. If the intestines keep on letting toxins through, the liver will bear most of the burden of eliminating these toxins by filtering and rendering these substances harmless and excreting them out of the body through the urine and stool. This is why improving your digestion is critical, to ensure there is not an excessive and consistent stream of toxins for your liver to deal with, or it will eventually become severely compromised.

If you're looking for an easy detox plan, see the first source below. To learn more about the extent of your liver damage, visit Signs of Liver Damage. To clean up your digestive system, check out Top 5 Plant Based Foods That Improve Digestion.

Sources:

http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com

http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.comhttp://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.healingthebody.cahttp://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.healingthebody.ca

http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com

http://truthwiki.org/Turmeric

http://truthwiki.org/Garlic

http://truthwiki.org/ginger

http://truthwiki.org/Vitamin_D

http://truthwiki.org/Oregano

About the author:
Derek Henry, B.Kin, is a highly revered holistic health coach and world renowned natural health blogger and educator who created Healing the Body to help people understand the fundamental principles to exceptional health so they can overcome their own health challenges.

In this pursuit he created proven protocols and guides in the Ultimate Reset personal coaching program, the THRIVE online holistic health program, and his very popular Wellness Transformation

E-Guide.http://www.naturalnews.com/047612_liver_detox_detoxifying_foods_gastrointestinal_tract.html?utm_content=buffer44996&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Extreme Weight Loss Diets That Work - Is Preparation Necessary?

First of all, who is in charge? You or your food? Decide now how committed you are going to be in trying an extreme diet. The more committed and consistent you are, the faster and better results you'll have.

There are necessary changes in your food choices that need to place. Make your decision now to go full out without looking back. Move forward while being in control of your habits and completely focused on your meal planning and preparation.

Set yourself up for weight loss success by limiting your involvement in other areas of your life. A good time to start is when your life is in balance. Choosing to switch to a new way of eating right before a wedding, in the middle of a move, or at the start of new job, probably are not the best times to change your food regime. It will be easier to keep organized if your life is at an even state without major life changes.

3 Things to know before you learn about extreme weight loss diets that work

1. Meal plan. Plan meals and snacks at least 2 weeks in advance. Planning will enable you to buy the necessary food for your meals.

2. Shopping list. Organize a shopping list for all of the foods, herbs, and spices you will need. Make sure your list is complete. If you are missing some items, it is easy to slip back into old habits because you were not prepared to eat what you had planned.

3. Prepare. Prep snacks and other meal items in advance. Cook double and save the rest for another day. Chop up fruits and veggies and place in easy to go bags or containers. Make a weeks worth of snacks.

3 Extreme Weight Loss Diets That Work

1. Sugar free. Sugar is an excellent food for fat cells. They love it and thrive on it. As soon as sugar is gone, the fat cells stop producing and the old ones melt away. Once off of sugar for at least 2 weeks, you will stop craving it as much. Check food labels for sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Beware of sugar filled beverages.

2. Raw food. A raw food diet eliminates sugar as well. Consuming mostly fruits and vegetables, you will gain energy while speeding up your metabolism.

3. Cleanse. A cleansing diet works quickly. This type only lasts for a week or so, it is not a lifestyle change. Although participating in a cleansing diet several times a year is very beneficial to your digestive tract. You will notice that bloating is significantly reduced.


http://ezinearticles.com/?Extreme-Weight-Loss-Diets-That-Work---Is-Preparation-Necessary?&id=8750360

Another Trail-blazer in the field of Digestive Vitality

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in proper diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease." Thomas A. Edison

Following is an exert from Mysterious Causes & Cures of Illness by Dr John Matsen.

He says..."Our poor digestive systems! From morning till night, from childhood to death, we put into our mouths more or less whatever we feel like having, whenever we feel like it. Whatever is within arm's reach may be consumed: Foods, liquids, stimulants, relaxants, chemicals, drugs...We expect our system to somehow magically grind it all up, sort it out, use the good, eliminate the bad, all without noise or complaint, and still leave us with lots of energy. That the human system can withstand the abuse it does has to be one of the miracles of life. In fact, treating the digestive system like a [garbage] may be harmful to your health."

He also says "since most of us have such overloaded digestive systems, we do little in the way of housecleaning over the years, which is the equivalent of living in a house for many years without vacuuming it. It's bound to get a little dusty in the corners eventually...Our ancestors did internal housecleaning whether they wanted to or not, because a hundred years or more ago they were mainly a bunch of starving peasants. They had certain natural advantages over us. Their food was wholesome and natural, their intestinal flora were most likely healthy, and most important, they ran out of food often. In other words they got hungry. When you're hungry your digestive energy goes out into the blood looking for fuel...it begins to digest a lot of the old debris lying around. So being a little bit hungry actually worked to their advantage by allowing the digestive energy to do a little housecleaning."

"Thousands of years ago one of those peasants must have realised that he or she felt a lot better during one of those hungry periods, and even when food became abundant again he went without eating occasionally to recapture that good feeling. Thus fasting was discovered."

"Fasting became an important part of every culture. Since people tended to not only become more physically healthy as they detoxified but they also felt better mentally, emotionally and spiritually during fasting, it was built into the rituals and traditions of all the religions."

"Most people today are so toxic that fasting stirs old toxins up far faster than their already-overloaded elimination organs can handle. Feeling worse is often the result. Once the fast is over, they're also still stuck with the same old run-down digestive system that's going to just go on dumping more and more fresh toxins into the system."

"The good news is that you can now get all of the benefits of fasting WHILE YOU'RE STILL EATING...with the understanding you will get from this book you will be able to get all the benefits of fasting while you're still eating...Getting the stomach working again is an important step towards health."

Dr John Matsen, N.D., "Mysterious Causes & Cures of Illness: How to overcome every disease from constipation to cancer without any drugs or surgery", (1995), Fischer Publishing Corporation