The Start!

Healthy eating.... It all started when I did lots of research about keeping my dog and cat healthy and hoping to extend their lives. It occured to me that most of  what I read was good for not only cats and dogs but humans too.  I would like to share all the infomation about the different foods which I have found that help to keep us healthy and fit.

Coconut Oil Helps Improve Thyroid Function

Coconut oil and thyroid function -Does eating coconut oil really help thyroid function?

Many people who are looking into coconut oil may be asking does it really work when it comes to coconut oil and thyroid function but there are studies that show that coconut oil helps thyroid function. If you are unsure based on this, take a look at what coconut oil contains and what effect it has on the body. To do this you need to understand what the thyroid effects and what it does. The thyroid is what controls the metabolism of the body. It is what decides how fast energy and food are processed in the body. Healthy thyroid processes equal a metabolism that promotes body health. Environmental factors also have an effect on thyroid function so you need to take this into account as well.

Coconut oil helps to increase metabolism. This means it helps to increase the processed by which food is processed into energy and those things, which are considered waste products, are removed quickly from the body. This promotes over all health and well being. Many people do not have the energy to cook healthy meals and rely on frozen dinners or fast foods to get by. They do not have the energy even if they can find the time for exercise and as a result the functions of the body slow down including the thyroid. By adding coconut oil to the body you can get the benefits of it when it comes to thyroid function. It is true coconut oil helps thyroid function and there is a direct correlation between coconut oil and thyroid effectiveness.

If you could give your body the energy to exercise even after a long day at work, to cook a good healthy meal instead of having to rely on fast food you would surely see an increase in your health and well being and a decrease in the feeling of tiredness and a decrease in your weight. Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the essential things to having energy, feeling young and being able to do the things that you want to do when you want to do it.

The thyroid is an essential for the body to function correctly and the elements that are found within coconut oil, the MCTs or medium chain triglycerides, the omega-3 fatty acids, the various other nutrients creates the perfect balance needed for the body to reach its maximum potential. There are plenty of research studies and various findings that can tell you the mechanics of how the coconut oil chemically affects the body but the best way to tell if something works for you is to try it and talk to others who have tried it and hear first hand how it has helped them in their lives.

As well as see for yourself how coconut oil can help you in your life. You can cook with it, add it to just about any type of food and you can enjoy all the benefits that coconut oil can bring to your life. Luckily coconut oil has recently become readily available over the internet and you can have it shipped right to your door. It is not difficult to add this to your diet and see the benefits for yourself.

How To Lose Weight With Coconut Oil

You can lose weight with coconut oil. It is not hard to do, and it is easy to keep off the weight that you lose.

What if there was a simple change you could make in your diet that would generate sustained weight loss - a change that didn't involve any extra expense, or any extra time, and that had a whole raft of extra health benefits to go with it? Wouldn't that be worth doing?

The fact is, the types of oils and fats we consume can make all the difference to both how we feel, and how fat we become. Different types of oils behave very differently in our bodies, and if we want to look and feel our best, we'd do well to pay attention to the kinds of oils we are consuming.

Just switching from one type of oil to another can be enough for us to enjoy sustained weight loss and better health - and that's how you can lose weight with coconut oil.

When we eat vegetable oils, they are broken down into their component fatty acids and deposited as fat into our tissues. When we need more energy, we burn it for fuel. If we don't need more energy, the fat accumulates in our bodies and we gain weight.

But there are some oils that are not digested like this. Instead, they are routed directly to the liver, where they are converted immediately into energy, in much the same way as carbohydrates are, but without causing a spike in blood sugar.

This difference in how oils are metabolized can open the door to sustained weight loss. Coconut oil is metabolized differently than vegetable oils and that is why it can help you to lose weight easily and for the long-term.

In the past, you may have tried diets to lose weight. They work while you are on them, but mostly, they don't last, and many experts believe that the disruption of our metabolic processes caused by diets can actually result in us gaining weight, instead of losing it. Generally, diets don't work.

But the way our bodies metabolize different types of fat is a constant. It provides an opportunity for us to lose weight, without reducing our calorie consumption.

All we have to do is switch from one type of fat to another. If we keep everything else the same, we will set ourselves on a course to lose weight. Even, if you are currently gaining weight, what this means is that you will gain weight more slowly. Ideally, of course, your weight in now more or less stable, so this change will cause you to lose weight gradually, and over the long haul, without any significant change other than changing the kind of oil that you use.

So what is the change that's needed? It's simple. All you need do is stop cooking with vegetable oils, and start cooking with coconut oil. That's how you lose weight with coconut oil. It's that simple. Here's why...

The chemical structure of coconut oil (it is composed of medium-chain fatty acids) causes it to be metabolized in a completely different way than vegetable oils (they are composed of long-chain fatty acids).

Medium-chain fatty acids promote weight loss because:

* they increase our metabolic rate. Studies have shown that metabolic rate remains elevated even 24 hours after a single meal that contains them. This means that even while we are sleeping, we burn more calories. And that is a truly effective, healthy, and sustainable way to lose weight
* they support sugar metabolism and reduce hypoglycemic symptoms. Many people find they help to control their sugar cravings so they can make other changes they want, without even trying.
* they contain fewer calories per gram than long chain fatty acids
* they support thyroid activity. Long chain fatty acids suppress thyroid activity.

The health benefits of coconut oil extend way beyond weight loss. It is one of the healthiest things you can put into your body. It's the only oil I cook with, and I use it in my skin care products. I recommend to all my clients that they take full advantage of this wonderful beauty food.

Coconut Oil Benefits!

Definitely the best all round food. It not only has so many health benefits but is also great for the skin and hair. I always use virgin coconut oil as it's completely unrefined. I've been using it for about 3 months now and love it. I mainly use it for weight loss, oil pulling, skin and hair. Here is a list of some of the benefits which coconut oil may provide. 

Optimize blood cholesterol levels 

Lower high blood pressure 

Improve blood circulation 

Preventative benefits for stroke and cardiovascular diseases 

Symptomatic reduction of eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis 

Reduce flaking & dryness of skin 

Screen out UV radiation damaging effects which cause wrinkles, age spots and skin sagging Reduce & control dandruff problem 

Prevent premature ageing Protect skin from infections 

Strengthen and beautify the hair 

Makes the skin smoother and soft and looks younger 

Regulates malabsorption syndrome and cystic fibrosis 

Symptomatic relief of stomach ulcers, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease 

Lighten the burden of pancreas and digestive system 

Provide antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antiparasitic effects Eradicate viruses that lead to AIDS, herpes, influenza, measles, hepatitis C and mononuclsosis 

Reduce chronic inflammation 

Terminate a wide spectrum of bacteria which produce illnesses such as food poisoning, meningitis, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, gonorrhea, throat infections and dental cavities 

Eradicate yeast and fungi which are the culprit for ringworm, thrush, disper rach, jock itch, candida and athlete’s foot 

Protect skin from infections 

Get rid of giardia, tapeworms, lice and other parasites prevent bladder infections 

Enable Strong bones and teeth development 

Ward off tooth decay and periodontal disease 

Prevent osteoporosis 

Guard against degenerative diseases, liver disease, kidney disease, gallbladder disease 

Preventive effect on diabetes 

Symptomatic relief for diabetes-related health conditions 

Guard against cancers including colon, AIDS and breast Symptomatic relief for BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia, chronic fatiguw syndrome, pancreatitis 

Effective for hemorrhoids in terms of pain and irritation relief 

 Wow what a list!

Lose Weight by Eating More -- Food that is Virtually Impossible to Store as Body Fat

Lose Weight by Eating More -- Food that is Virtually Impossible to Store as Body Fat
By: Marty Gallagher
Certain foods are extremely difficult for the human body to convert into body fat - not impossible but damned near impossible. By consuming calories derived from these foods, the anabolic margin of error is extended dramatically, which means it will be easier to lose fat and gain muscle, if you choose.
Lean protein, protein devoid of saturated fat, has been the staple, the bedrock nutrient of elite athletes for 50 years. Why? You can eat a mountain of lean protein and not get fat - assuming you train with intensity sufficient enough to trigger muscle growth. Lean protein is difficult for the body to break down and digest. As a direct result of this digestive difficulty, the body kicks the metabolic thermostat upward to break protein down into subcomponent amino acids.
The human body wants to preserve stored body fat as a last line of defense against starvation. If overworked and under-fed, the body will preferentially eat muscle tissue to save precious body fat.
Obese people that go on crash diets, precipitously slashing calories, might lose 100-pounds of body weight, yet still appear fat. Despite losing from say 350-pounds to 250-pounds, they still appear fat because they still are fat. The body has cannibalized muscle tissue and saved the fat. Though they might weigh 100-pounds less, they still possess 25-40% body fat percentile.
Lean protein is the bedrock nutrient in the physical renovation process because it supplies muscle tissue battered by a high intensity weight workout with the amino acids needed to heal, recover and construct new muscle tissue. Lean protein is a bedrock nutrient in the physical renovation process because it causes the basal metabolic rate (BMR) to elevate; the metabolic thermostat, the rate at which our body consumes calories, increases when digesting protein. Lean protein is a bedrock nutrient in the physical renovation process because it is damned near impossible for the body to convert it into body fat.
The other bedrock nutrient in the physical transformation process is fibrous carbohydrates: carrots, broccoli, green beans, bell peppers, spinach, cauliflower, onions, asparagus, cabbage, salad greens, Brussels sprouts and the like. Fibrous carbohydrates, like lean protein, are nearly impossible for the body to convert into body fat. Fibrous carbohydrates require almost as many calories to digest as they contain. A green bean or carrot might contain 10-calories yet is so dense and difficult to break down that the body has to expend nearly as many calories to break down that bean or carrot as the vegetable contains.
Fibrous carbohydrates have a wonderful "Roto-Rooter" effect on the internal plumbing: as they work their way though the digestive passageways they scrape mucus and gunk off intestinal walls and help keep sludge buildup to a minimum. For this reason fibrous carbohydrates are the perfect compliment to a lean protein diet. Too much protein can cause bile buildup: fiber is the Yin to protein's Yang. The two nutrients should be eaten together.
Both protein and fiber have a beneficial dampening effect on insulin secretions. It is no accident that professional bodybuilders, the world's best dieters, capable of reducing body fat percentiles to 5% while maintaining incredible muscle mass, construct their eating regimen around protein and fiber.
The best way to eat is to eat often. If you eat 3,000 calories a day the best way is in five 600-calorie feeding or six 500-calorie feedings instead of a breakfast containing 400-calories, a lunch of 1000-calories and a late dinner of 1,600-calories. Avoid calories easily converted into body fat.
Eat multiple small meals in the 400-600 calorie range comprised exclusively of foods near impossible for the body to convert into body fat. Plus, these foods cause the metabolism, the BMR, the body thermostat to elevate in order to digest them. Optimally you should eat every three hours: in about the time the nutrients from the previous meal have dwindled, been expended and exhausted, in about the time the elevated metabolism is 'settling back down to normal,' eat another small protein/fiber meal. This reestablishes anabolism, kicks the metabolism upward once again and gives the body more practice at assimilating and distributing quality nutrients.
They say practice makes perfect and by eating small, power-packed, tough to digest meals every three hours, the metabolism is kept elevated, anabolism is established and maintained and the individual never feels hungry. A person who is not hungry is far less inclined to binge on sweets and treats, junk and trash then the crash diet/calorie cutters who always feel hungry, deprived, listless and lacking energy.
The small meal/protein/fiber approach has been used successfully by elite athletes for decades and is not some untried dietary abstraction - rather it is the proven method of choice, one that has withstood the test of time, one that has been used for decades and been proven effective time after time.
If a person is able to establish a multiple meal schedule comprised primarily of lean protein and fiber eaten every three hours, then adds to this eating schedule some serious weight training and a cardiovascular regimen, physical transformation is a biological certainty.
Author Bio
Coming soon! "The Obesity Solution" is designed to help overweight men and women physically transform themselves into healthier, thinner, more fit individuals. Designed by Marty Gallagher, a world champion coach and former www.washingtonpost.com fitness columnist, he will take you by the hand to help you achieve permanent fat loss.
For more information, visit www.purposefullyprimitive.com/article.html and get a FREE special report on how to stick to a diet the easy way!
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