Diet Health

With 66% of Americans now classified as overweight, health problems associated with obesity continue to grow. To maintain health and well-being, it is critical for many of us to lose excess weight. But how? With so many diets, and many choices of diet drinks, foods, and supplements, it's important to know how to achieve healthy weight loss.



What works for healthy weight loss?

A well-balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean protein and healthy fats is the foundation of all healthy weight loss. And there are safe, natural products that can help you achieve your weight loss goal. Natural weight loss supplements that have stood the test of time include hoodia, green tea, white kidney bean extract and garcinia cambogia (hydroxy citric acid). And choosing a diet shake or foods made of healthful soy protein can increase the plant-based proteins in your diet, while helping you reduce harmful animal proteins that are high in cholesterol.



Diet Health & Weight Loss Supplements: what supplements should you take?



Hoodia: a natural appetite suppressant used by African hunters for 30,000 years.

When something has been tested in humans for 30,000 years, you know it must work! Hoodia is a remarkable plant native to the deserts of southern Africa. The most well-known variety is Hoodia gordonii. Since ancient times, Hoodia has been used by bushmen in South Africa to curb hunger and thirst on long hunting trips in the Kalahari desert.



Modern scientists have researched Hoodia since the 1990's and have found that Hoodia works with brain chemicals to stop hunger cravings. They believe that specific molecules in the Hoodia plant called sterol glycosides send a message to the brain that the body is sated, and therefore hunger is suppressed.



Soy Protein: an nutritionally superior component of diet drinks and shakes.

Soy is a naturally low-calorie, low carbohydrate food that is an excellent vegetarian protein source. Soy beans are the only beans considered a complete protein because they contain all eight essential amino acids. Soy contains more protein than milk without the saturated fat or cholesterol. Yet soy is high in fiber and is a low-glycemic index food, which helps regulate blood sugar and insulin fluctuations. This helps keep sugar cravings to a minimum and reduces the chances of binge eating.



Research indicates that soy may stimulate the metabolism and decrease fat storage while increasing muscle mass. With more muscle mass, you burn more calories, even at rest. Soy has also been shown to increase the rate at which your fat cells burn stored fat.



White Kidney Bean Extract: clinically proven to reduce the absorption of starch calories.

White Kidney Bean Extract is the first nutritional ingredient that has been clinically proven to neutralize starch, found in foods like potatoes, bread, pasta, rice, corn and crackers. This safe yet powerful nutritional ingredient actually reduces the absorption of starch calories. How? During the digestive process, your body converts carbohydrates found in starchy foods into sugar (glucose). Your body does this by breaking down the carbohydrate molecule with alpha amylase, an enzyme that is produced in the pancreas. White Kidney Bean Extract "neutralizes" the digestive enzyme alpha amylase before it can convert starch into glucose. This means that less glucose is sent into the system to be converted into fat and stored in the body.



Garcinia Cambogia (Hydroxy Citric Acid): a small purple fruit used for centuries in Asia promotes healthy weight loss.

The Garcinia fruit is consumed in large quantities in coastal communities of South Asia and the rind is rich in hydroxycitric acid, or HCA. This powerful extract HCA boosts the metabolism and suppresses the appetite. It is believed to suppress appetite by increasing serotonin levels, which act as a signal that tells the body it is full.



Green Tea: an ancient ingredient that promotes healthy weight loss.

Green tea is made from the dried leaves of Camellia sinensis, a perennial evergreen shrub. Green tea has been consumed in China for approximately 5,000 years, and more recently in the West. Studies suggest that concentrated green tea extract is beneficial to promote healthy weight loss, and is also a powerful antioxidant. Green Tea catechins - called epigallocatehcins or EGCG, have been shown to reduce blood levels of glucose (sugars), lipids (fats), and cholesterol. Studies have also suggested that use of green tea extract results in an increase in energy use by the body, apparently due to increased fat oxidation and thermogenesis.



Key Diet Health Issues



Achieving your ideal weight is critical to health and longevity

It is important to determine if you need to lose weight, or if you just need to avoid gaining more weight. Consult your physician to determine what your weight goal should be, and to find out if your weight is adversely affecting your health. It is also important to determine if excess weight could be caused by a medical condition such as hypothyroidism or by a medicine you are taking. Your physician can also recommend a weight loss strategy and refer you to reputable weight loss counselors and programs.



Drastic and imbalanced diets can cause other health problems

To determine if a weight loss program is responsible, safe and healthy, start by getting a recommendation from your health care professional. And evaluate any program by looking for the following criteria: promotion of regular physical activity, a balanced and healthy eating plan, and a program that is easy to follow. Avoid programs that forbid specific foods or food groups, emphasize specific foods or groups at the expense of others, and insist that calories do not count.



Excessive, unnecessary, and extremely rapid weight loss can be hazardous to your health

Although it may seem frustrating at first, slow and steady weight loss is the key to long-term success. Experts recommend losing weight at a rate of ½ to 2 pounds per week. Weight loss may be faster at the start of a program. Extremely rapid weight loss can cause stress to vital organs and must be supervised by a physician. Remember, changing your exercise and dietary habits is a long-term process and is the only way to lose weight and keep it off.



Nutritional Support for Weight Loss: what should you eat?

To lose weight, you need to use more calories than you take in. To maintain a healthy weight, you need to balance the calories you use with those you take in. Both of these require careful attention to the kind of calories you take in. It is critically important to get the most nutrition out of your calories. In other words, not to consume "empty calories" with little nutritional value.

Nutritionally dense foods are those which provide a great deal of nutritional value without a lot of calories. These foods tend to be whole, natural foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy products, and soy or other lean proteins. Foods which should be limited include saturated fats, trans fat, cholesterol, salt, and added sugar. The fewer processed, packaged, fried and high calorie foods you eat, the better.

Research suggests that losing ½ to 2 pounds a week by making healthy food choices, eating moderate portions, and building physical activity into your daily life is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. By adopting healthy eating and physical activity habits, you may also lower your risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.



Safe Use of Natural Alternatives for Diet Health and Weight Loss



Precautions in the use of Green Tea and Green Tea Extract

People with known allergy to caffeine or tannin should avoid green tea. Because Green Tea contains the stimulant caffeine, any persons who should avoid caffeine due to conditions such as ulcers, heart disease, diabetes and liver disease should avoid green tea. Caution should be used when combining caffeine with any other drugs, especially other stimulants such as ephedra. The use of caffeine can lead to sleep disturbances or insomnia. Pregnant and nursing mothers should consult their physicians before using any product containing caffeine.



Precautions in the use of Garcinia Cambogia (Hydroxy Citric Acid)

Because Garcinia may lower blood sugar levels, caution is advised if you have diabetes (high blood sugar) or hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), and if you take drugs, herbs or supplements that affect blood sugar.