The Food Industry Is Killing Your Diet Before You Even Start

According to one UK study, the average woman will spend up to half of her adult life dieting to lose weight. That's more than 20 years of trying and failing at diets! Add to this fact that Americans spend up to $50 billion dollars each year on diet books, foods, and a host of new gadgets. And yet: Despite the fact that the latest diet craze or piece of exercise equipment once again failed to help them actually attain their ideal weight, they will line up to spend another $50 billion or more the next year. So with so many people trying over and over again to shed their unwanted pounds while investing their hard earned money and precious time:

Then Why Can't Anyone Seem to Create "The Diet" or Exercise Program that Actually Works?

Is it simply a lack of will power or some genetic flaw that prevents 90% of people from actually attaining their weight loss goals? Are we all just "giving up too soon"? Is it perhaps unrealistic to expect to lose unwanted pounds once we get them meaning we are chasing some ideal weight that is completely unrealistic? Or, is there something else going on here to explain why millions upon millions of well-intentioned people continue to fail diet and exercise programs year after year?

In a word: YES.

In short, the food industry has basically clogged our entire food chain with additives, preservatives, and other synthetic ingredients created in laboratories. While these cheaper ingredients may boost profits and the shelf life of products, they come at a high price: Basically, our bodies likely can't absorb or utilize the synthetic ingredients so it considers them to be "toxins" that must be flushed from the body.

What? The food industry is loading our foods and beverages with "toxins"-why haven't we been told and who is doing something about this clear and present health threat? Well according to the food industry, these additives, preservatives, and other synthetic ingredients are either completely harmless or have the exact same chemical properties as the original "all natural" nutrients they are replacing.

Fact: Any nutrient or substance that your body cannot recognize or absorb is considered a toxin that must be eliminated if possible or stored in your skin cells if it cannot.

So those so-called "harmless" additives, preservatives, and artificial flavors are actually toxins. When we get older and can no longer eliminate toxins as fast as we ingest them, they become stored in our skin cells right next to fat cells and fat deposits. And because of our cell structure, your body can NOT burn those fat deposits for energy (or when you diet and exercise) unless the toxins are eliminated first.

And that is why every diet or exercise is doomed to failure: Because without purging those toxins, those fat deposits will NEVER be eliminated!

Now here's the truly sad part: Because many "diet" foods and beverages are also loaded with additives, preservatives, and artificial flavors/ingredients: They could literally be making the problem worse meaning you are starving and depriving yourself of the foods you love and instead eating a "healthy" alternative that may be adding more toxins to your system!

So, at the end of the day it is entirely possible that we have already tried diets and exercise programs that would actually work if we could first purge the stored toxins that are blocking the body from burning its fat deposits. Many of the most successful diet and weight loss systems include a detox component and you should too if you are serious about shedding those unwanted pounds and finally attaining your ideal weight. Specifically, look for a detox program that specifically targets the toxins in skin cells to complement any diet or exercise program.

Jennie Chen-Johnson is a health and wellness expert specializing in skin detoxification and full body detoxification to lose weight and reduce risks for serious health problems.

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How To Stop Craving Junk Food: 5 Surprising Tips

A sudden uncontrollable craving can sabotage even the best-laid healthy eating plans. Even though most cravings don't last more than 20 to 30 minutes, they can be difficult to resist. In fact, the food industry invests a lot into scientifically researching what gets us hooked on food and what keeps us coming back. It can be hard to compete with this with willpower alone. The following five tips will help you understand how to stop craving junk food.

1. Stress. When you are stressed out your body releases the hormone cortisol. This causes you to seek out rewards in the form of junk food cravings. Sugar and fat decrease the effect of this hormone. If you can't wait out cravings when you are stressed then eat something healthy or distract yourself with something that will counteract the stress.


2. Sleep. When you don't sleep enough your body releases various hormones that make you want to eat and increases the chance that you will reach for some junk food. Caffeine can help in the short term (think low cal coffee, not a super caramel mocha latte). Improving your sleep habits is the best solution in the long term.


3. Association. If you regularly eat while doing an activity - say snacking while watching TV - your body will automatically start to crave food when you sit in front of your TV. You can break this association by changing your environment (e.g. re-arrange your TV room or move your TV somewhere else). Replacing these associated food cravings with a more positive healthy self-image will help reprogram your brain and teach it how to stop craving junk food.


4. Going cold turkey. Sometimes completely eliminating something from your diet is easier than cutting down on it. You will need to find a healthy substitute to replace the junk food such as nuts, protein bars or shakes, and healthy meals instead of fast food.


5. Cleansing. Cleansing your body including going a day with drastically reduced calorie intake can reset your system and make you more sensitive to your body's needs. It will also help your body metabolize food more effectively. This can help to reduce cravings as well as help you make better food choices in general.

These five points can help you better understand how to stop craving junk food. Try implementing just one item from the list for a week or two. Given enough time, it will become habit and you can move on to implementing another item from the list. Eventually you can work towards more healthy eating habits and fewer junk food cravings.

If you are considering cleansing I recommend starting with the Isagenix 9 day cleanse. This gentle but effective system produces fast visible results and can address many of the issues mentioned above and more. Click here for more details.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Phillip_Rice

What Are Healthy Good Eating Habits?

We all need good eating habits. We all need a healthy life. It is in our interest to stay fit and healthy, which means being full of energy, we need to sleep well at night, have peace of mind and be disease free. All this will give a sense of well-being. So what is a healthy well-balanced diet?

There are two elements of a well-balanced diet; these are eating the correct amount of food for how active you are, and eating a range of foods.

In order to achieve all or some of the above, we have to practice healthy lifestyle with good food and exercise. To be sluggish is not being healthy. To be healthy we must be both mentally and physically fit.

Good eating habits by eating healthy food can keep you strong and healthy. As the main reason for disease and ill-health is bad food habits, try to avoid processed and refined food.

A simple change of diet can improve your health within a short period.The choice of foods in your diet ought to consist of a sufficient amount of fruit and vegetables, whole grain varieties of bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods.

Some meat, eggs, beans, fish and non dairy sources of protein also some milk and dairy foods. Also keep foods high in fats and sugars to a minimum.

Eating well plays an important part in continuing good health. Here are some tips covering some of the basic that can help make the difference with good eating habits.

• Have your breakfast as it gives you energy to face the day.
• Drink between 6-8 glasses of water a day.
• Do not eat more than 6 grams of salt a day if you are an adult. Use sea salt or cook without salt if you can.
• Eat at least two portions of fish a week including an oily fish such as sardines or mackerel.
• Have fruit and vegetables at least five portions a day.
• You need energy so include starchy foods.
• Cut down on sugar and saturated fat.
• Do not overwork the digestive system eat small meals regularly.
• Have a piece of fruit as a healthy snack between meals to control your energy level.
• Do not get too hungry that you overeat at mealtimes
• Eat slowly - enjoy your food.
• Try to eat one well balance meal with the family to promote good eating habits to the others.
• Avoid white bread, white rice, pastries, sodas and high processes foods.
• Drinking moderately has health benefits although this is not recommended to everyone.
• A daily multivitamin with vitamin D has health benefits.

Developing good eating habits mean you will meet your daily requirements of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. It also reduces the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain forms of cancer.

To improve and maintain good general health, healthy eating is vital to lowering health risks such as obesity, provide water and essential nutrients to the body. The healthy body gives energy when needed, and do not have excessive weight due to too much and inadequate consumption of food.

Theresa Williams is a grandmother with two children and three grandchildren, in her sixth decade plus of life, now retired for full time employment. As she is not the retiring type, she has started on a new course in her life. She lives with her two dogs and a garden that is too large to cope with. As weight control in later years is something we really have to be concerned with, we are living longer and need to maintain good health for ourselves and family. How To Lose One Pound and 60 Ways To Lose Weight

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The Cure for Binging on Comfort Food

Binging, and over-eating are the major causes of gaining weight and becoming overweight. Binging and over-eating are symptoms that you are having problems communicating with your body!

The fact is, thin people rarely binge. That's because there is no food that is "forbidden fruit". If thin people are hungry, or desire something sweet or special, they'll eat it, and not beat themselves up for it! AND, they stop eating when they're full!

But it's different for people who are unhappy with their body. First, they have a negative mindset of

• "I shouldn't"
• "I can't"
• "if I eat that I'm undisciplined and _________"
• some other negative self-talk about themselves and their body

It's hard to say "no" forever to something that you really want!

The reason why is explained in the insightful lyrics of a song from Credence Clearwater Revivial:

"Give me a drink of water, make it against the law; see how good the water tastes because you can't have it anymore".

How do you stop binging forever? EAT what you want! But turn off the TV, stop talking, or "IMing", pay attention to the taste, and ENJOY what you are eating mindfully! See how long you can actually MAINTAIN your focus on the food, just as in meditation!

Your body has very sophisticated feedback systems to keep you at a set weight point. Science has shown that after the first few bites of a food, it will lose the same "intensity", of extremely good taste. That's your signal from your body: "get ready to stop eating"!

When you ignore those signals, that's when you will over-eat and start gaining weight! Your stomach knows when you've had enough, and all you have to do is pay attention. If you are binging, you are not using food to fill an empty stomach; you are using it to fill an emptiness in your heart; or your thoughts.

Eating mindfully is a great stress reliever, and will relieve binging and over-eating. While eating mindfully, you leave behind stressful events going on in your life, and use this time to focus on nurturing yourself with good food, and relaxation. With sustained focus, you will notice that you are full and are not eating as much, but enjoying it more! And your stress will dissipate.

Dieting is unnecessary and it's destructive of the sophisticated system that nature has provided to make certain you eat the right amount food for your immediate needs. When you cut back on calories, your body gets a message that you are under stress and reacts by slowing down your metabolism to keep you alive. That is the number one most important job of your body. It operates to keep you safe, properly fed and stress free.

Dieting destroys your natural balance of hunger and satiation. It puts your body into stress, and 95% guarantees that you will gain back the weight you starved yourself to lose. Don't diet!

Instead, practice eating mindfully, trusting and appreciating your intelligent body that is designed to keep you alive and healthy!

So eat up, enjoy it - Mindfully!

Best selling author, and Coach-sultant, Lianda Ludwig, M.S. works with overwhelmed, stressed out, frustrated dieters who have lost weight and regained it time and again. She explains that losing weight is "not just about what you eat; it's about what's eating you".
Her Mentabolism Mindset Transformation Program creates a successful mindset to eliminate cravings, stop the deprived feeling of a dieter and vanquish the stress, so you can lose weight, and keep it off without naturally, without ever dieting again.
Get her free report: 5 Dirty Secrets the Diet Industry Doesn't Want You To Know. http://www.MakeItSoMindset.com/report

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How to Lose Weight and Have Your Food Too!

Sometimes it all gets too much for us. We look in the mirror and realise it is just not going to happen as we consider ourselves too fat to start on what we call an everyday diet. We love our food and hate exercise. What are the alternatives?

Diet Pills

There are many diet pills on the market today, all claiming to be the best and get quick results. Before reading their claims of losing 50 lbs. in a month, take note of the name of the diet pill and then Google it to find a forum where other overweight people have tried it and their thoughts and results. These people are passing on their knowledge to you and will not gain financially from their review. If the majority say it is working for them, ask them whether they are just taking the diet pill, or have reduced their food intake and started exercising as well. You need to know these facts before proceeding. You would be wise to ask if anyone has had any side effects or allergies from taking the pills. If you are obese, you need to gather all these facts and then visit your doctor and show him your results, as he will know whether these pills may conflict with diabetes or blood pressure medications you may be taking.

Liposuction

This is a common procedure for many obese people. You will need to get a Doctor's referral to a specialist to enable you to have this operation. They will counsel you to make sure you have tried other dietary methods first and whether you will be suitable for this operation. This usually results in a big weight loss.

Gastric Banding

Another operation to consider only if you have tried unsuccessfully with other diets as it is the most drastic of suggestions here. This also requires a specialist to see if you qualify for this operation and to explain what will happen after the operation. This operation reduces the size of your stomach by sectioning off part of it so you will no longer be able to have large meals. For a small time you will only be able to take liquid meals while your stomach adjusts. Consequently a large weight loss will be the result. This option requires a lot of thought.

Diet meals

A much kinder approach to weight loss and very easy, is to have a diet company deliver your meals to you. These meals add up to a specific daily calorie intake. The meals are all nutritionally prepared and labelled for you to enjoy. There is a great variety of choice of meals and plenty to eat. The reviews about this have been very positive and of course no surgery required.

These are some ways to help you on your way to the new slim you. Don't give up as you will find a solution.

This subject is close to my heart as I have been trying different diets for years. I am now well on my way to a healthy lifestyle change and am happy to share my ideas and tips. Please visit http://www.slimeasydiet.com for more motivational ideas and tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_C_Thomas

Can Food Be Addictive?

When we hear the word addiction, what comes to mind, is a picture of someone hooked on heroin or cocaine. We rarely think of food as addictive. Well am here to tell you categorically that food is just as addictive as heroin. If you are serious about finding out the root cause of overweight and obesity, this is where to start.

According to a study published in "Nature Neuroscience", the effects of high-fat, high-calorie fast food on animals, were very similar to those of cocaine or heroin.

From the research, the effects of fast food on the rat's brain, were very similar to what happens to a cocaine addict. After a while, the rats exhibits typical behaviors of an addict, to the point that they had to be fed more and more food for them to feel okay.

The lab rats were divided into three groups. One group was fed healthy food. The other group received a restricted amount of junk food while the last group was allowed to eat high-fat, high-calorie foods, as much as they want, with the result that they became obese.

The most remarkable discovery was that the brain of the obese rats altered physically. The obese rats totally lost the capacity to control their appetites.

They continued eating even when they were filled. Even introducing an obstacle in the form of an electric shock did not deter them from eating. To worsen the matter, when their diets were changed to healthy wholesome foods, they stopped eating and starved for an entire two weeks!

In a different study conducted at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine New York City. It was discovered that rats fed with food high in saturated fats and packed with sugar and calories ( a re-creation of most common fast-food menu ) lowered the rats ability to respond to leptin. Leptin is a hormone that controls appetite. As the rats gained more weight, the amount of leptin in their bodies also kept rising, essentially signaling their brain that they were starving. Therefore the rats continued to overeat and gain more weight.

Highly palatable foods made with high fat, high calorie, sugar... typical make-up for a fast food menu... are absolutely addicting. On the other hand, healthy wholesome food is not addictive. Can you imagine being addicted to vegetable? Vegetable is not addictive, but cookies, chips, or soda can be just as addictive as cocaine. The rats that were addicted in the experiment, continued to eat, despite being given electric shock!

This is exactly why overweight has become an epidemic. We are fighting an addiction without really knowing it. Eating refined carbohydrates like cookies, cakes, candy, pasta, white bread, raises serotonin and endorphins in the brain, creating a happy feel-good, peaceful state. Thus we crave these carbs when we are anxious or stressed.

Eating foods high in sugar and salt, makes us want to eat more foods of the same nature. Fast foods and food manufacturers have mastered the art of making foods that are palatable and thus addictive.

Alcohol, cigarette, heroine are biologically addictive substances, and that is why addicts continue using them despite being fully aware of the terrible consequences on their health and social status. They can't help themselves; their physiology has being wired to crave these substances. That's exactly what happens to a food addict. And unknowingly, that is exactly what is happening to most of us.

This is why obese patients continue to overeat despite full knowledge of the adverse health consequences. They often face physical discomfort and social stigma, including discrimination in their office, yet they keep overeating. It is simply because certain kinds of food are highly addictive, even more addictive than drugs. Many obese patients simply can't help themselves. They are food addicts.

In a different study conducted at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine New York City. It was discovered that rats fed with food high in saturated fats and packed with sugar and calories ( a recreation of most common fast-food menu ) lowered the rats ability to respond to leptin. Leptin is a hormone that controls appetite. As the rats gained more weight, the amount of leptin in their bodies also kept rising, essentially signaling their brain that they were starving. Therefore the rats continued to overeat and gain more weight.

This is an excerpt from the revolutionary weight loss program "M.E.N.D YOUR WEIGHT". If you are serious about permanent weight loss, follow me on http://www.afterhealth.com

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