Over half the citizens of the United States are considered overweight. With this weight problem, over 12 million Americans are diagnosed with some form of Heart Disease each year. These are some pretty heartening facts, and they may scare some of you who read this, but there are several ways to fix the first problem, which will ultimately reduce the second. The main source of obesity is caused by the intake of too much Saturated fat, Trans Fat, and Cholesterol.

Diet: Doctors and Dietitians recommend lowering the amounts of “Bad” Fats and Cholesterol by changing your diet to consist mainly of low fat proteins, more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and reducing your salt intake. Some examples of heart healthy foods are:

Whole wheat flour, whole grain breads, brown rice, and oatmeal as good sources of whole grains.

Of course the list above is only an abbreviated list, there are several others not listed. The most important thing to remember when choosing the right heart healthy foods is to read the label. Most food labels give you all the information you will need to make the right decision. We must also remember moderation in all things. Too much of any foods can cause weight gain.

Exercise: Experts now recommend that for good heart health, all adults accumulate at least 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity aerobic exercises on most, preferably all, days of the week. This doesn’t mean, however, that you need to jog or swim 30 minutes a day. You also benefit from several shorter periods of physical activity throughout the day. If you don’t have the time or are not ready to go the full 30 minutes all at once, try starting out by walking for 10 minutes a few times a day. Walking is probably the easiest activity to accomplish, without a lot of thought, or equipment.

Heart healthy living doesn’t have to be difficult, and everybody will slip now and then. We just have to remember, if you replace the unhealthy foods with a more heart conscious diet, not only will your body start to show it, but your heart will thank you too.

It seems that everyone is concerned with healthy living these days. This is a good thing; it is important to be concerned with your health and to look for better strategies to improve your life. On the other hand, it also seems like everyone has a quick solution for healthy living, for a hefty fee of course. It seems at times that you can’t turn on the television or open a magazine without seeing a celebrity or doctor trying to get you to buy their new book detailing the latest miracle diet that will change your life, whether it is fresh ground wheat grass or a daily tin of Brazil nuts. The reality is that these diets are unnecessary. Healthy living is available to everyone, and does not depend on buying the latest diet book or the most expensive vitamins. All that you need to do is to start making healthy decisions.
How to eat healthy
The most important facet of your life that you need to change as you move towards healthy living is to start eating nutritious foods. Do not try to follow a trendy diet, just eat a balanced diet of nutritious foods. When you eat well, you lower your risk of many health problems such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain kinds of cancer and osteoporosis. You will also give yourself more energy, allowing you to enjoy life again.
The most important group of foods, and the one that is most often the cause of poor diets, is fruit and vegetables. There is nothing particularly innovative about this advice; everyone knows that you need to eat your fruit and vegetables. The main problem is that so few people actually consume the seven to ten daily servings of fruits and vegetables they are supposed to have each day. And when they do eat fruit and vegetables, it is in forms that include added sugar, salt or fat.
The food group that we all eat too much of is meat. Try to limit your meat intake, and emphasize meat alternatives for your protein needs. While you definitely need meat or an alternative for the protein, most people eat far too much from this food group. You will be surprised at how little is actually required to get you through the day.
Get active
Once you have started eating well, it is time to go out and get some physical activity! Now, this does not mean that you have to incorporate a rigorous physical workout into your daily routine. Just including small amounts of physical activity in your life will make a difference. So take the stairs instead of the escalator, or walk to the corner store instead of driving four blocks. Start slowly and incorporate more physical activity into your life, and you will be amazed at how quickly the results will add up.
Have fun
The final component of healthy living is to have a healthy mind. Build up a strong peer group who will give you the social support you need to be truly happy. This will reduce your stress, which will only lead to a healthier body.

Many of us would like to lose some weight. We would look and feel better, and it’s well documented that being the optimum weight has significant health benefits. The problem is, it’s not easy, either to lose the weight or to maintain the loss. But there are measures that can help. The key is organisation and understanding the processes involved.

Chiva-Som’s approach to weight management involves a multi-faceted programme designed to achieve positive changes to body shape with lasting results.

You can only lose weight by eating fewer calories, burning more calories, or, best of all, through a combination of the two. Because each person is different, the first step is a personal consultation with our naturopaths, who assess your individual dietary profile. They will determine your optimum calorie intake and can recommend appropriate supplements or complementary herbal formulas.

We then establish your body composition and degree of flexibility, strength, and cardio-endurance. This comprehensive physical analysis and fitness assessment ascertains which exercises will benefit you most as an individual.

Healthy, long term weight loss is achieved by losing body fat and gaining muscle tissue through exercise. Because muscle is very metabolically active, it burns calories throughout the day. This combination means your total weight drops considerably and you’re also protected from regaining it in the future.

Additional issues such as stress, food craving and emotional eating can also be a barrier to long term weight management. Chiva-Som’s custom-made programmes can help you overcome these through annexed treatments like EFT, acupuncture or hypnotherapy.

It sounds easy. And it can be, if you have the right weight management structure in place to help you. It’s certainly worth the effort: your body will re-shape, becoming toned and tight, and your health will improve – two things that significantly increase levels of happiness and self-esteem.

For more information please visit Chiva-Som’s weight management site.

Dating back more than 4,000 years, Chinese green tea diet has been long revered as a tasty drink that can ward off diseases and improve one’s well-being. There are only a few herbs that can surpass its impressive history.
Since its first recorded use during the time of Emperor Shen Nung, the link between Chinese green tea diet and good health has never been severed. Today, further studies are made to test the benefits of the remarkable health elixir.
Traditional Health Benefits of the Diet
According to tradition, this diet could cure anything from headaches, body aches, and pains to constipation and depression. Over the centuries, more health claims are made on account of the Chinese green tea diet.
It detoxifies the body. The presence of polyphenols, a naturally occurring antioxidant in this particular tea, is said to combat harmful free radicals and help keep the body free from diseases. In this regard, Chinese green tea helps maintain the overall well-being of the body. It fights against the anti-aging process because the antioxidants can boost immunity, preserve young-looking skin, and brighten the eyes.
Additional health benefits of the green tea is it increases the blood flow throughout the body. Because it contains a little caffeine, ingesting this drink stimulates the heart and allows the blood to flow more freely through the blood vessels. For the same reason that tea stimulates blood flow, it also stimulates mental clarity.
For many years, men of science remained skeptical about the health claims made by Chinese green tea diet enthusiasts because the health benefits are truly vast in number. Their doubt was changed to a more positive reception when subsequent researchers proved its disease-preventing attributes and confirmed most of the health claims.
The Heart
Study after study has shown that drinking green tea and eating polyphenol-rich foods reduces the risk of any heart complications. It helps strengthen the blood vessels that provide oxygen and valuable nutrients to the heart and brain. It has also been researched that men who use the diet have a 75 percent less possibility of having a stroke than those who don’t use the diet.
The green tea diet helps lower total cholesterol levels and improve the ratio between LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol. Study shows that men who drink nine or more cups of Chinese green tea daily have lower cholesterol levels than those who drink fewer than two cups. While nine cups may seem a lot, break it up through out the day and you’ll realize it’s not that difficult to drink that many cups. You could have one during and after each meal and during your breaks.
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Longevity
The role of the ‘Chinese diet’ in promoting longevity has been investigated upon by many researchers. They found the premise of their study on observing Japanese women who are greater-than-average green tea drinkers; have lower mortality rates compared to others. This led the researchers to believe that the diet has “a protective factor against premature death.”
The polyphenols found in the diet may be held accountable. With its high amount of polyphenols, it seems to have a stimulating effect on the immune system. A stronger immune system as a result of drinking the green tea helps reduce risks of obtaining many illnesses.
If these health benefits of doing the Chinese green tea diet don’t motivate you to start drinking this miracle in a cup, chances are you’ll never become motivated to loose weight. So start today and drink up. The health benefits go well beyond weight loss!