Monday, June 25, 2007
Easy Healthy Shrimp Dish
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Lionheart
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3:19 PM
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Labels: Shrimp ' Rice
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Water, Your Metabolism and Weight Loss
Dear Readers,
I hope you will read the following article, written by Donovan Baldwin, with interest, as his subject is relevant to our theme. I invite you to enjoy this well written piece:
Anybody who reads my articles on health and weight loss knows that my number one recommendation is to get more exercise and try to eat healthy.
Most people have long known that eating healthy includes drinking enough water. Most people also understand and would probably agree that they probably don't drink enough water.
What most people don't know is that drinking enough water, staying hydrated, can be an important part of a weight loss program in several ways.
First of all, water helps with almost all the activities of the body at a cellular level including the distribution of nutrients and elimination of waste. Even if we simply accept that if we are healthier we are more likely to do things relative to weight loss, increasing our water consumption is already one step in our favor.
Another factor is that when thirsty, our bodies can send signals that are misinterpreted as hunger. Many a midnight refrigerator raider is actually in need of a glass of water when they eat what's left of the apple pie. Not only are they consuming extra calories and depriving their bodies of the water necessary for health, but they are perpetuating a condition of chronic dehydration.
In fact, it has been estimated that up to 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated and dehydration can SLOW DOWN METABOLISM!
If you add these small items to the facts that remaining properly hydrated can improve mental acuity, lubricate joints, thus easing back and joint pain, and is believed to decrease the risk of certain cancers, you can see why drinking enough water is important.
However, how much IS enough?
Obviously, the actual amount may vary from individual to individual, and you may already be getting a fair share of the total amount you need. Also, such things as activity, climate, and altitude may effect your individual need, Here are a few guidelines:
1. Divide your body weight by two and drink that many ounces per day.
2. When you exercise, or if you live in an arid area, try to get an extra amount each day. Add a pint for dry climates, and eight ounces for each 20 minutes of exercise.
3. Coffee, tea, and sodas actually are diuretics and will contribute to dehydration. If you must drink them, drink an equal amount of water.
4. Do not try to substitute juices for water. While there is nothing basically wrong with juice, and it is in fact normally a healthy drink, it also contains calories. Water doesn't.
5. Unless you are engaged in really intense exercise, stick with water. Sports drinks also contain calories and unless you are a professional athlete or are training for a marathon you will probably not need to replace the electrolytes by means of a calorie and carbohydrate loaded drink. Water will do just fine.
As good and important as water is, as necessary to health as it is, as much as it can help with your weight loss program, it is still only a helper in that aspect. The key ingredients needed to lose weight and increase your metabolic rate will still be exercise and eating healthy.
About the Author
Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, the environment, happiness, self improvement, healthy eating, and weight loss. He has a collection of articles on health, fitness, diet, and weight loss at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/ .
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Lionheart
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10:00 AM
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Labels: Metabolism and Weight Loss, Water is Essential to Good Health
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Start Your Day With a Boost
People need a variety of vitamins and minerals to have the energy and stay healthy. Eating a variety of foods is the best way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need each day, as well as the right balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and calories. Fruits and vegetables have many nutrients that our bodies need to function well. They provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and water. Vitamins commonly found in fruits and vegetables are A, C and E. Also they have a high water content. Water is essential to the human body.
Juice is the expressed liquid from fruits or vegetables. As a highly concentrated source of nutrition, including vitamins, minerals, natural sugars, and healing phytochemicals, juice is an easy way to add more fruits and vegetables to any diet.But the term “juice” can be used loosely, many packaged, processed “juice drinks”or “fruit nectar” are not recommended as they are loaded with artificial ingredients and sugar. As always, we recommend making your own juices and energy boosters at home.
I am a big fan of the following vegetable boost. All you need is a cup of carrot juice mixed with a cup of tomato juice.Pour into a blender or food processor and add 2 red bell peppers seeded and cut into chunks along with 1 tbsp. of lemon juice. Puree, pour into two glasses and add a dash of black pepper to each.
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Lionheart
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8:42 PM
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Labels: Drink your Vegetables
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Add Some Fizz to Your Summer Coolers
8 cups watermelon (peeled, seeded and cut up)
1 cup water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 liter seltzer water or club soda, chilled *Lime slices optional garnish Combine watermelon, water, sugar and lime juice in blender and puree. Pour into large pitcher and refrigerate for about 4 hours. When ready to serve, mix in the club soda and serve over crushed ice in Margarita glasses if desired. Another sparkling drink you may want to try uses:
1/2 gallon orange juice
16 oz. pineapple juice
2 liters Fresca
*Fresh mint and fresh strawberries Combine all ingredients, pour into large pitcher and chill. When ready to serve, you may prepare glasses by adding ice and several slightly crushed mint leaves, pour mixture into prepared glasses and garnish each with a strawberry. What's summer with out lemonade? Or better yet, strawberry lemonade. For this one you'll need: 3 cups strawberries quartered, 1 cup cold water and 1 Tbsp. of sugar. Process these ingredients in your blender to make a puree. Pour into a large pitcher and add 1 16 oz. can of frozen lemonade. Stir together until well blended and add 2 cups sparkling water. Chill and serve over ice. You can make your own smoothies, using your blender to "smooth" the fruit, such as mangoes,watermelons,blueberries,kiwis or a wide variety of fruits containing valuable antioxidants. Just fizz 'em up by adding a little sparkle and zest. No one would ever guess they could be good for you!
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Lionheart
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12:51 PM
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Labels: Keeping Your Cool
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Summer Greens
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Lionheart
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11:45 PM
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Labels: Eat your Vegetables