A fruit and vegetable juice is a liquid into which all nutrients from the fibre have been extracted making the juice highly nutritious and easily absorbed into your bloodstream. Your body does not have to expend all its energy into digestion but instead use it to maximise the nutrients instead.
Most of us eat the same salads or vegetables every day. Juicing opens you to a wider range of fruits and vegetables which we are not likely to consume if eaten whole. Consuming a variety of foods is the key and only way in getting all the necessary nutrients your body needs to be in optimum health. Juicing helps you achieve this naturally without having to resort to artificially produced vitamins and minerals as supplements.
It’s very hard to cover the daily recommended portions of fruit and vegetables especially if you dislike green vegetables. Juicing takes the pain out of that. It’s an easy way to get your daily recommended intake because vegetable juice when combined with a sweet fruit or a squeeze of lemon or lime juice neutralizes the bitterness and makes it very palatable.
However, the most crucial point of drinking fresh juices for hard-core raw food advocates would be that food is eaten in its raw form. Cooking at high temperatures destroys enzymes and heat sensitive vitamins. That destruction is reduced to a large degree by juicing.
The contentious issue that arises when raw food consumption is discussed is whether or not plant enzymes have a role to play in preserving our body’s supply of enzymes. Those who argue otherwise say that our body has its own enzymes, that it will not have any use of enzymes from plants and that it will continue to produce enzymes for as long as we live.
The reason enzymes have become such a ‘hot’ topic among advocates of raw food is because enzymes are catalysts that speed up chemical reactions in the body. Enzymes equal life. Without enzymes all biological processes vital to life would slow down. All vitamins and minerals that we consume become useless. Toxic substances will build up to dangerous levels without being flushed out. Our body’s ability to heal and absorb nutrients will slow down. Enzymes help the body to correctly digest food and also to provide instruction on how to utilize the various nutrients in the food source. Enzymes regulate tens of thousands of biochemical functions that take place in our body every day. Even thinking involves enzymes. Without enzymes our bodies will fail to function and life will eventually cease to exist.
Enzymes are destroyed by heat when food is cooked and also by the application of additives and preservatives in highly processed food. Whether or not the enzyme theory put forward by raw food advocates is true will continue to be proven or disproved by many.
Putting that aside, the benefits of juicing is hard to dispute. It nourishes you, it opens up to you a natural supply of vitamin and mineral supplements, it can aid you in weight loss and will help detoxify and cleanse your body simply through the nourishment it provides. It will improve your health if you have been on a lifelong diet of highly processed food, overeating and never having met the requirements of the daily recommended intake of fruits and vegetables.
The debate of whether or not your body has a lifelong supply of enzymes or whether or not we need the benefit of enzymes from raw food is not a reason to dismiss juicing as just another fad because the drawbacks of highly processed food is just too much to bear. Why anyone would not want to juice baffles me.

We grab we can on the go that is quick, easy, and yummy, and then we continue on with our day. Of course, with how busy we are, we certainly don’t have time to put in the exercise we need to burn off the calories we ate in your quick and easy, but oh-so unhealthy meals. If only there was a way to enjoy quick, easy weight loss!

Given how people normally eat when they aren’t dieting, it’s not a surprise that most people fail at their attempts at dieting. The fact is that many diets are designed to work, but they are far too complicated and time consuming to follow each and every day. Or if they are easy to follow, they don’t give you the energy you need to actually make it through your day, and inevitably you feel the intense urge to snack just for the sake of having energy! The key to finding success with your efforts at shedding those unwanted pounds is to find a quick easy weight loss solution.

Ideally, you will look for a strategy that includes the ability to eat foods that you already normally eat or otherwise that gives you the ability to enjoy easy meal preparation. After all, you no first hand just how busy and hectic your life can be, and so you need a quick easy weight loss solution that you can easily incorporate into your life. Trying to bend your life around a diet isn’t as solid of a solution as trying to find a diet that works within how you live.

Most people do look for a diet plan based on how fast it can drop pounds from your body, and they often given little thought into how living with a diet on a regular, daily basis will be for them. As you explore the options for quick easy weight loss, be sure to fully consider how much energy the diet will provide you with, and how much time and effort it will take for you to stick with it. It is far better to find a diet plan that is both effective and easy to follow if you are looking for a plan that will help you achieve your ideal body weight!

The Atkins’ diet has been a craze for a couple of decades. Here’s how you can gain from it.

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All of you who are reading this article right now have definitely been on a diet at some point or the other of your lives. The battle of the bulge is an ongoing problem and we are always on the lookout for various means to win this war.

Along with exercise, our diet and nutrition also plays an important role in reducing our weight. Hence, this obsession persists in all of us to undertake some form of dieting. But going on a diet is definitely not an easy thing. What to eat and what to stay away from is always a perennial problem.

One of my friends told me that she ate the normal menu which she cooked for the family, but her weight loss recipe is “portion control.” This is a really simple diet plan. In this plan, you cut down on the portion of food you consume. For example, if you usually have two pieces of toast for breakfast, you should eat only one piece. If you normally eat two cups of rice for lunch, cut it down to one cup. In this way, you are automatically reducing your calorie intake by half.

Another popular method of dieting is to stop all intake of fatty foods and sugar. In this diet, you cut down on your oil, butter and ghee intake which automatically reduces your fat deposits.

While I was leafing through a magazine, I read about one of our Hollywood celebrities following the Atkins’ diet. This immediately aroused my curiosity about the diet. Though I have heard about the diet many times, I had no inside knowledge about it. So, I immediately set to work on it and found out certain basic facts’ about the Atkins diet which I want to share with my readers.

The Atkins’ diet made its first appearance in 1972 and was invented by its namesake, Dr Atkins. According to him, this method enables us to lose weight by inducing a change in metabolism. Our body burns both fat and carbohydrates to provide energy. If we reduce the intake of carbohydrates significantly, our body starts burning only fat to provide energy. This method is called “lipolysis”, which in turn induces ketosis. In ketosis, our body burns fat as fuel. Atkins also felt that ketosis will affect insulin production which will result in less fat being formed. And, once your body enters ketosis, your cravings for carbohydrates will reduce significantly which, in turn, will reduce your body weight.

The major difference between Atkins’ diet and other types of diet is that, while most diets restrict calorie, intake, the Atkins’ plan encourages us to eat more. While most of the diets recommend low fat, high carbohydrate intake, Atkins’ does just the opposite. Instead of carbohydrate and sugar, this diet wants us to consume plenty of fat and protein.

The core principle of the Atkins’ diet is that, by limiting carbohydrates, our body is forced to burn its stored fat, rather than carbs for fuel.

The Atkins’ diet has a four carbohydrates stage plan induction, ongoing weight loss, pre-maintenance and lifetime maintenance. With the help of these four stages, you can reduce as well as maintain your weight throughout your life.

Induction – phase 1: This phase lasts for two weeks, by the end of which you can obtain significant results. Another point is that, in this diet plan you can begin at any of the phase. But it is recommended to start with induction. As you cut back on your carbohydrates significantly in this phase, you will jump start your weight loss programme. In this phase, only 20 gm of carbohydrates are allowed and hence your weight loss is significant. As you drastically cut down on carbohydrates your body shifts into high gear and starts burning fat. This takes about 48 hours to occur and you may feel hungry and irritated for the first three-four days. But don’t worry, as soon as your fat starts getting converted to fuel, you will feel fit as a fiddle. Induction will strengthen your immune system and also improve our long-term health.

Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL) phase 2: In this phase, the weight loss pace slows down as you add nutrient-rich carbohydrates to your diet. During this period, you will boost your body’s ability to burn fats as well as understand your body better. You will find the right amount of carbohydrates which you can consume and still lose weight. Your body will also prepare itself for permanent weight management. The amount of carbohydrates which you can eat is increased to 25 gm per day for the first week and increased in five gm instalment for the next few weeks. If your weight loss is significant, you can increase your carbohydrate intake. A person has to be on OWL till he or she is within three-five kg of their goal weight.

Pre-maintenance – (phase 3): Pre-maintenance is a practice run for lifetime maintenance. In this phase, you are fast approaching your target. As long as you continue to lose weight, you can increase your weekly allotment of carbohydrates by another 10 gm. You will be in this phase till you reach your goal and stay on it for one month. The ultimate goal here is to achieve a state of balance called Atkins’ Carbohydrate Equilibrium (ACE). The ACE is your individual level of carbohydrate intake wherein you neither gain nor lose weight.

Lifetime maintenance phase 4: In this phase, you have to focus on your individual ACE and strive to stay within two kg of your ideal weight for the rest of your life. By following a sensible eating plan, you gain energy, better health and confidence in yourself.

By following these four phases, you not only achieve your dream weight but are also able to maintain it throughout your life. You can learn more about this diet by reading the book, Dr Atkins’ New Diet Revolution. But, as with any other diet, this plan also has its pros and cons. The good point is that this diet recommends exercise as a vital part of the weight loss programme. Another point to be noted is that you cannot start on carbohydrates after you lose weight as this will result in your gaining back all that you have lost.

Medical experts advise that people who have gout, kidney problems, diabetes or are pregnant women should not follow this diet plan. As this diet is very stringent, do consult your doctor/dietician for proper advice.

Your dietician will provide you with a proper menu chart as to what should be eaten, in what quantities, etc, based on your eating habits and general lifestyle.

Happy dieting and hoping to see slimmer and fitter readers.