LpVitamins Wellness News

Which is better for weight loss: low fat or low carb? I’m asked this question reguarligy. Well, the answer to this queston neither … and both!

As it turns out, calories are the key. Whether they are from fat or carbohydrate is not as important as the total number of them. To lose weight and keep it off, you adhere to the simple rule of “calories in, calories out.”  It’s than simple. It’s really doesn’t make much difference which diet you’re on.  You only lose weight when you consume fewer calories than you burn.

Be cautious about cravings
Your body is designed to communicate nutrient needs through cravings. You need protein, carbohydrates, fats, fiber and water to be healthy. These are called macro-nutrients because they are large categories of food that contain smaller categories called micronutrients. A micronutrient is something we need in a very small quantity, like salt (sodium). We crave what we need.

Food manufacturers create products to tempt these cravings the way a fisherman uses a lure to catch a fish. We can be induced to buy one food over the other because of added ingredients. Three common additives that tempt our taste buds are:

• Sugar
• Fat
• Salt

Hidden calories
Are you monitoring your calorie intake? Use these tips when looking at labels:

Watch out for added-sugar foods. Recommendations for carbohydrate intake range from 60 to 250 grams daily for the average adult. Get your carbohydrates from whole foods to avoid the “empty calories” of added sugar. If the label lists “sugar” as an ingredient, select another food without the added sugar.

Watch out for added-fat and high-fat foods. Fat contains very few nutrients. While it is a good source of energy, a little goes a long way. Protein and carbs contain four calories per gram, yet fat contains a whopping nine calories per gram. Fat is often added to improve the “mouth-feel” of foods. If a label lists the daily value (DV) at 20% or higher, it is a high-fat food. The DV should be between 2% and 10% for a single serving, and Never eat trans-fats.

Conclusion
Selecting your diet is both a science and an art. Take a little time to learn the science behind food selections and then you can enjoy the endless, artistic variety of foods. Remember, moderation is the key!

Take Charge of Your Health

• Get your nutrients from plant-based foods
  • 5 servings of fruits and vegetables for children
  • 7 servings of fruits and vegetables for women
  • 9 servings of fruits and vegetables for men
• Take Leanology to help curb cravings
• Take VitaDaily AM/PM, Daily Men or Daily Women to fill in nutritional gaps

Each year about 700,000 North American’s die from heart attacks. Blood clots caused by coronary artery disease (CAD) are the most common cause of heart attacks. However, as bad as CAD is, heart attacks from narrow arteries and blood clots are not the only conditions that cause heart disease. Many heart diseases exist and are preventable with only a little care.

Some common conditions are:

High blood pressure
The most common cause of heart disease in North America is high blood pressure; it affects 73 million people in just the United States. High blood pressure may be caused by:

• Disease in the blood vessels causing them to narrow
• Imbalances in the kidneys, lungs and liver
• Cardiomyopathy – a disease of the heart muscle

Helpful measures: Keys to reducing high blood pressure are found in the “10 Essentials”. Some people can reduce their high blood pressure simply by practicing deep breathing. Other techniques include increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables, and increasing fiber and water while reducing sodium.

Coronary artery disease (CAD)
CAD occurs when plaque builds up inside a blood vessel of the heart. It affects over 16 million people in the U.S.  Coronary artery disease leads to angina pectoris – pain caused by poor blood flow to the heart muscles – and is associated with heart attack.

Helpful measures: Coronary artery disease responds well to a low-fat, high-fiber diet of mainly fruits and vegetables. Stress reduction and daily exercise are also effective therapies in combating CAD. Most heart specialists recommend Omega-3 oils such as those in OmegaPrime as effective tools in combating CAD.

Congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure (CHF) and related forms of heart failure may affect more than five million people in North America. CHF is strongly related to diabetes and obesity. Among the most common triggers is obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea builds up blood pressure in an attempt to get oxygen to critical tissues such as the heart and brain.

Helpful measures: Most people with CHF respond to treatment for sleep apnea, treatment with CoEnzyme Q-10 (CoQ-10), and the other suggestions already mentioned.

Some common remedies:

Body weight and blood sugar control
Achieving and maintaining optimum body weight and blood sugar control are two suggestions that always top the list of remedies for all forms of heart disease. The LeanOlogy program can help you meet those objectives. Leanology is much more than a “diet plan” – it helps you make the necessary lifestyle adjustments through nutrition and activity to help you reach and maintain a healthier weight.

Nutrients

• OmegaPrime can help reduce the “stickiness” of blood to protect against clots and may slow down the process of plaque formation. One or two grams are enough to help protect against heart disease, but much more is needed if the heart is already diseased.
• CoQ-10 offers significant benefits to the heart. It should be taken at bedtime to reduce the impact of sleep apnea on the heart and brain.
• Antioxidants such as Vitamin C and resveratrol (found in Super Antioxidant Complex) are also best taken at night, then again in the morning.
• Special proteins found in garlic and other antioxidants such as bilberry (found in VisionGuard) can help improve lipids such as cholesterol while opening the tiniest blood vessels in the legs, hands, eyes, ears and brain.

When we consider all options, many of the problems with heart disease can be guarded against or even solved with the tools we have readily at hand (always follow the advice of your healthcare provider for your personal condition).  Do one’s emotions have an impact on heart health?  Perhaps, the “10 Essentials” can assist us here as well?

Losing weight is a challenge. On that, we can all agree. Every day healthcare professionals argue over the cause(s) of obesity: is it nature or nurture?  If we say that the problem is “nature” (genetics), we may feel like victims and feel there is nothing we can do.  Saying it is “nurture” (behavior) may make us feel even worse, like we are real failures. Let’s try to “lose the labels” and deal with weight loss in a positive and constructive way…

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Toxins or poisons collect in your body over time and can damage your health. They collect in your lymphatic system and this can affect your body’s ability to heal itself.

Toxins can pile up in your lymph nodes where two-thirds of your immune system resides. If the lymph nodes are full of toxins, your body will not respond correctly to new stresses. This includes the changes that occur when you begin a weight loss program.

A process called a “Vitamin C flush” can help your body get rid of this waste and prepare your body to achieve maximum benefit of the weight loss program.

The Vitamin C flush
The Vitamin C flush can help stimulate your lymphatic system and help you calculate the maximum amount of Vitamin C that your body can use every day. Read more…