Raw Food Diet Weight Loss?

By Paul W Bowman

Raw Food Diet Weight Loss Tips

If you're looking to lose weight in the fastest possible way which is still healthy, try raw food diet weight loss. When you start eating a large amount of raw fruits and vegetables, the benefits are endless.

There are enough natural sugars in fruits and vegetables to keep your brain feeling alert. Some fruits and vegetables have more fats or sugars than others. These include mangoes, watermelon and avocados.

The fats in fruits like mango or vegetables like avocados include omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. These actually "soak up" the unwanted fats like triglycerides and cholesterol from your blood stream and carry them to the liver to be metabolized. In moderation, fats from avocados are actually good for you.

Olive oil and rich nuts like walnuts or cashews act the same way. That's why adding a drizzle of such foods on your salads makes you feel even fuller while helping boost your health.

The fats and oils from fast food is most often too much to be burned after a meal. Because it's easy to consume more fat than we need on a junk food diet, the excess fat is priority mailed straight to the hips and thighs, just in case your body goes into starvation mode some day.

Going on the raw food diet will eliminate unwanted body fat with one fell swoop. By consuming lots of raw, healthy, high nutrient and low calorie foods your body will release excess body fat and water that it has been holding on to in order to deal with processed foods and other toxins.

To make sure you don't actually go into starvation mode, make sure to keep your protein intake up. This high energy source keeps your muscles from wasting away. The more muscles you have, the greater amount of energy your body can burn at any given time, even when you're asleep. It's important to maintain your muscle mass because muscle wasting is the last thing you want if you're interested in maintaining a lean figure. When you start to lose muscle, that means your body is actually starving and you need to increase your protein intake.

Nuts, avocados, spinach, kale, bean sprouts, lentil sprouts and mushrooms are all rich in proteins to keep you healthy. If you're not on a vegan diet, you can also throw in some delicious sushi meals.

Have fun playing raw chef and find endless ways to enjoy your raw food.

Juicing Apples for Health and Well-Being

By Michael Borsos

I love juicing apples - apple juice taste great! Remember the old proverb "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". Maybe our parents knew something after all. Apples are full of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Apples are one of the oldest and most loved fruits on our planet today. They are so delicious!

So why are apples supposed to be so good for your body? Because apples contain good things like - pectin and vitamin C. Apples contain antioxidants too. Many nutritionist believe that pectin has important health benefits. And everyone knows that vitamin C is important and necessary for your body on a daily basis.

Apples come in many varieties. Some are tart. Some are sweet. Almost all apples make great juice. Avoid apples that aren't fresh. However, the type of apple you select for your particular juice depends on your own personal taste. If you desire a really sweet apple juice - than try one these excellent and delectable apples: Red Delicious, Ambrosia or Golden Delicious. They are all excellent apples to for juicing.

I love juicing every type of apple alone or combined with other veggies and fruits.

Do apples mix well with other fruits or veggies? I'm glad you asked that question. Yes they do most of the time. In fact, many people prefer combinations of apple juice. Some of the more popular combinations include: beets, carrots and ginger. Some people even like adding a clove or two of garlic to their juice. It just depends on your own particular taste and preferences. One thing is certain - you will never feel the same way about apples again.

Can you save your apple juice for later? I can't see why not. However, be aware that the juice will rapidly lose its freshness. It will not have as many vitamins after it sits around. It sure will make a refreshing beverage for later though - even without some of its goodness.

What else can I do with apple juice? Why not add it to your smoothies. Apple juice blends really nicely with bananas, etc. It makes an EXCELLENT addition to most smoothies too.

Have I made you thirsty yet? No worries - below I have included some great recipes for delicious and satisfying apple juice. They are simple and taste great.

Apple Carrot Delight

One regular sized Red Delicious Apple and 4 or 5 medium carrots

It doesn't really matter what order you juice the items - just go for it and enjoy. It's not necessary to remove the apple core - your juicer will take care of this. However, it is important to clean you fruits and veggies before you begin juicing them. I find that fresh juice taste great out of a frozen mug or glass. The frozen glass will likely help to preserve the flavor if you drink your juice slowly.

* Your Apple Carrot Delight may be spiced up by adding a single clove of garlic.

Just be aware that it really can make the drink quite spicy - some like it and some don't.

Apple Carrot Celery Delight

One regular Golden Delicious Apple, two stalks of celery and 3 maybe 4 carrots

Beet Goodness 

One regular apple (your choice)

Small piece of ginger (to spice it up and add some flavor)

One large beet cut into manageable pieces (pieces that will easily fit in your juicer)

1/4 of lemon

One stalk of celery - maybe to if the stalks are smaller

Juicing apples is a great way to begin juicing!

Is A Sauna Good For Weight Loss?

Although the word sauna originates from Finland, the very first sauna were used by the Yolngu tribe in Australia. The first saunas in Europe however did originate in Finland, where people used them once a week to clean themselves (bathing was quite rare in those days). They went on to become permanent fixtures in many Scandinavian homes.

How Does A Sauna Work?

A sauna is a room which is designed to reach high temperatures and is used for therapeutic reasons or simply for relaxation. A sauna is essentially a steam room which has a pile of rocks sat on a fire. water is poured on to the rocks to create the steam. The temperatures in a sauna can reach as high as 150 degrees (f). There are also other types of saunas which use electric heat or fires, but what are the benefits of using them?

The Health Benefits Of Using A Sauna

A sauna exposes your body to extreme heat, this makes you sweat a lot which helps to flush toxins from your body. A sauna also lowers your blood pressure and makes your heart beat a little quicker, giving it a gentle cardiovascular workout. The heat of the sauna stimulates increased blood flow in the body, this aids muscle relaxation and increases the flow of oxygen to them. You have to keep yourself hydrated in a sauna (so avoid alcohol) and be careful about how quickly you move and get up in the sauna, as the lowered blood pressure can make you light headed. But amongst all those benefits, can I sauna aid weight loss?

Is A Sauna Good For Weight Loss?

There is good news and bad news when it comes to using a sauna for weight loss. The good news is that you will lose weight when you are in the sauna, but the bad news is that the majority of this weight loss is temporary and will soon return. The reason is that most of the weight is lost through sweating, and therefore lost fluids. This weight will come back when you start drinking to re-hydrate your body. However due to heart beating faster while in the sauna (due to the increased blood flow), you will burn calories in a sauna. This amount will be similar to what you would burn while walking. Using a sauna can also help to reduce stress levels which is good news for your weight, as a lot of people tend to over eat when stressed and turn to unhealthy foods (emotional eating).

So a sauna is good for weight loss, it may not burn as many calories as a cardio exercise workout, but it is an enjoyable and relaxing experience.