Thursday, September 6, 2007
You've heard all about the wonders of hoodia gordonii and how it could help you finally reach your weight loss goals. The current popularity of this powerful and natural appetite suppressant can be traced back to a BBC documentary and a 60 minutes report that aired in the early 2000's. Ever since then, dieters across the globe have been using it to stave off hunger and to help them with their weight loss.
Should these dieters be concerned about any hoodia gordonii side effects? At the time of this writing, the answer is no. There have been no reported side effects from taking hoodia diet pills. However, there are still a few precautions to keep in mind.
The San Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert have been eating this cactus-like plant for centuries to stave off hunger during long hunting trips without any known hoodia side effects. However, they use it sparingly. Scientists and researchers don't know what the long term side effects are of daily use.
Although hoodia gordonii is very familiar to the Bushmen, it is relatively new to the rest of the world. And unlike other natural weight loss supplements that have been around for a while, it doesn't have a lengthy track record so the potential dangers over the long-term are unknown.
While there are currently no known hoodia side effects, daily use of hoodia diet pills may prove to be dangerous over the long term as we learn more about them and their effects on dieters. If you recall, when ephedra was first introduced it was considered completely safe until adverse side effects were discovered and it was ultimately banned. Granted, hoodia is much different than ephedra as ephedra is a stimulant. The point is it could prove to be harmful in the future. Today that seems unlikely, but hoodia supplements haven't been around long enough to say that they are completely safe for long-term use.
Hoodia gordonii side effects on women who are pregnant or nursing have not been determined. If you are pregnant or nursing, you should probably avoid taking any products that contain it. If you insist on trying any hoodia products, you should exercise extreme caution and consult your doctor first.
There are really only two potential hoodia side effects at this time: loss of money and starvation. Authentic hoodia gordonii diet pills cost about $60 per bottle and will only last two to three weeks if taken regularly. You could easily spend up to $120 for a one-month supply and it doesn't seem likely the prices will come down anytime soon.
When I talk about starvation, I don't mean literally starve, but rather eating so little food that your body goes into starvation mode. Hoodia appetite suppressants can be very effective if used properly. If you over do it, your appetite could be so severly suppressed that you don't eat as much as you should. Most dieters make the mistake of believing that less food (less calories) is the key to weight loss. Nothing could be further from the truth.
When you deprive your body of calories, it goes into starvation mode to protect itself. It slows down its metabolism to conserve what little calories you give it. The result is you burn less calories and what little calories you consume are stored as fat. It's important you continue to eat a regular, healthy diet while taking hoodia diet pills so that your body gets the calories it needs to keep your metabolism burning.
Other than taking a hit in the wallet and running the slight risk of not eating enough, these are currently the only known hoodia gordonii side effects.
Now you know the potential hoodia side effects, but do you know what to look for when you are ready to buy hoodia? Visit Travis Van Slooten's website, http://www.hoodiaandweightloss.com, where he has written extensively on hoodia and provides tips on what to look for when buying hoodia products.
The Perfect SuperFood - A South American Grain for Health
Was a staple of the ancient Incas, who called it "the mother grain". It remains an important staple in South America cuisine, as it contains more protein than most other grains. Its delicious flavor makes it a great alternative to rice or couscous as a side dish, and can also be added to vegetables and meat as a main dish.
Quinoa cooks to a light fluffy texture, with a bit of a crunch from the grain's external germ, making this a wonderfully unique grain. Truly versatile, it can be used in soups, salads, breads, puddings or as a breakfast cereal. Most Quinoa today is produced and exported directly from the Bolivia, the smallest in population of all the South American countries.
Quinoa contains more protein than any other grain; an average of 16.2 percent, compared with 7.5 percent for rice, 9.9 percent for millet, and 14 percent for wheat. Some varieties of quinoa are more than 20 percent protein. Quinoa's protein is of an unusually high quality. It is a complete protein, with an essential amino acid balance close to the ideal ... similar to milk! Quinoa's protein is high in lysine, methionine and cystine.
This makes it an excellent food to combine with, and boost the protein value of, other grains (which are low in lysine), or soy (which is low in methionine and cystine). Rich & Balanced Source of Nutrients Besides its unique protein, quinoa also provides starch, sugars, oil (high in essential linoleic acid), fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Easy on the Stomach Quinoa is light, tasty, and easy to digest. It is not sticky or heavy like most other grains, and it has a delicious flavor all its own.
Quick and Simple to Prepare A whole-grain dish of quinoa takes just 15 minutes. Versatile Quinoa can be substituted for almost any grain in almost any recipe. It looks and tastes great on its own, or in any dish from soup to salad.
Perfect for Summertime Many people eat grains only during the colder months, but quinoa's lightness combined with its versatility in cold dishes like salads and desserts makes it an ideal source of good summertime nutrition.
Quinoa is 35 on the *Glycemic Index: A good source for people with wheat and gluten related food allergies as well as senior and diabetic diets. *(Taken from the Glycemic Index in the book ?Eat Yourself Slim' by Michel Montignac).
1. It's a VEGETARIAN solution, a balanced-amino-acid source of high quality protein.
2. It's a SENIOR solution, a high-iron food that raises the hematocrit, delivers more oxygen to the brain, fights senility.
3. It's a DIABETIC and Health Food solution, a very low-glycemic-index cereal type food. Great served with Fresh fruit and splenda and a little cinnamon as replacement to oatmeal.
4. It's a TASTE SOLUTION, quite delicious. It can be made into pilaf and cooked just like rice. In fact one way to add more flavor to the quinoa is to roast or toast the quinoa first in a fry pan with no oil and it makes it add a nut like taste to the grain itself.
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Robert Adams is a Nationally Recognized Personal Trainer as well as the Head Fitness Expert at: http://www.MyHomePersonalTrainer.com
Robert also provides outstanding resource content with his Online Personal Trainer website: http://www.body-perfect-fitness.com
Exercise and Stress
It is no secret that people who exercise regularly feel better, more energetic, and less stressed. . There is plenty of evidence to show that exercise provides stress-relieving benefits. Essentially, there are four ways exercise controls stress.
Exercise can help you relax. Although the actual exercise bout might be strenuous and difficult to execute, actual benefits such as stress reduction, body toning etc. actually occur after the session is over. The immediate post-exercise period helps flush out carbon dioxide and waste products from the various systems. Following a session of exercise, clinicians have measured a decrease in electrical activity of tensed muscles. People feel less jittery and hyperactive after an exercise session.
Exercise can help raise your mood. A good and well-supervised exercise session helps you relax for the next 90 to 120 minutes. This is called post-exercise euphoria or endorphin response, and these 'feel good' chemicals improve your mood and leave you relaxed.
Exercise can make you feel better about yourself. Think about those times when you were physically active. Did you not better about yourself? That feeling of self-worth contributes to stress relief. Physical fitness is a buffer against stress and fit subjects experience less stress than unfit subjects.
Exercise can make you eat better. People who exercise regularly tend to eat more nutritious food and stick to healthy eating habits; this helps your body manage stress better.
To help you get started, here are three types of activities you can choose from. A combination of all 3 is ideal for best results.
1. Aerobic activity. All it takes is 20 minutes' worth, six to seven days a week. Twenty minutes won't carve a big chunk out of your day, but it will improve your ability to control stress significantly. These are good aerobic studios in almost every town. Look for information in local newspapers for spring specials and other discounts.
2. Yoga. In yoga or yoga-type activities, your mind relaxes progressively as your body increases its amount of muscular work. Recent studies have shown that when large muscle groups repeatedly contract and relax, the brain receives a signal to release specific neurotransmitters, which in turn make you feel relaxed and more alert.
3. Recreational sports. Play cricket, football tennis, or badminton on weekends. Cycling and swimming also work well. These games require the kind of vigorous activity that rids your body of stress-causing adrenaline and other hormones.
In addition to the above 'long term solutions', you can also try several techniques to 'calm down' when you feel overly stressed. The following 'short cut stress busters' should be very helpful.
If you are sitting in one position for a prolonged period of time, stand up from the desk and stretch your arms and legs at regular intervals. Shut your eyes and take 20 slow deep breaths.
Listen to soothing music.
Squeeze and release a towel or a rubber ball a few times.
Visualize yourself petting your children, sitting by the balcony watching the sunset, spending the weekend relaxing with family, walking on grass etc
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For more information about these exercises and to get free full color exercise routines, diet plans and grocery lists, visit Best Weight Loss Programs and Toning For Women. You can train with Nitin at the Phone Fitness Trainer website
