11 Ways To Boost Your Metabolism

Most people know that having a fast metabolism is good for overall health, but they aren’t sure how to do it. Fortunately, there are a number of effective ways to boost your metabolism, including proper diet, early exercise, increasing omega-3s, working out, adding protein, boosting activity levels, varying caloric intake and many more!

Boost Your Metabolism
There is a lot of talk about metabolism in health and lifestyle circles these days, as more people are beginning to understand and actively promote a healthy, normal metabolism. By definition, metabolism is a combination of two processes, catabolism and anabolism. The former is the breakdown of various molecules in our diet to create energy, while the latter is the production of all the compounds needed by the cells for normal bodily functions. Both of these elements need to be accounted for in order to have a healthy overall metabolism. As the definition above may suggest, metabolism is closely linked to the nutrition and diet that our body receives, but also in the way that we treat our body throughout the course of each day.

Boosting your metabolism can be done in numerous ways, both through dietary and lifestyle choices, because the body is uniquely flexible. It can adapt to new conditions and improve itself when driven properly. Similarly, it can fail to adapt and react negatively to the way we treat it. Increasing the efficiency or nutrient uptake and improving the rate of fat-burning by the body are two key components of metabolism that must be handled. Many people actually harm their anabolic and catabolic rates through other weight loss or health strategies, such as dieting, but one of the fundamental ways to improve your overall health is to improve your metabolism. Now, let’s take a more in-depth look at some of the best ways to boost your metabolism.

11 Best Ways To Boost Your Metabolism
Adding Protein: Protein is one of the most important elements in any diet, but it is particularly key in the development of lean muscle. That is the type of muscle that is closely associated with a high metabolic rate. Protein is also harder to digest than fat or carbs; this means the body spends more time (and calories) digesting protein than it does many other elements of your diet. In other words, add protein-rich foods like salmon, red meat, cheese, beans, yogurt and seeds if you want to increase your metabolic efficiency.

Vary Caloric Intake: If your body gets into a routine, it can get lazy, so it’s important to keep your digestive system and metabolic system dynamic and on its toes. The best way to do this is to vary your caloric intake between days, ensuring that your body learns to be adaptable and work harder or less depending on your intake. This will increase your metabolic flexibility, and improve your fat-burning and digestive efficiency.

Exercise More: Research has shown that exercise is one of the most basic ways to improve your metabolic pace. If you live a sedentary lifestyle, your metabolism is going to suffer. Exercising 3-5 times a week is an excellent way to shore up your metabolic rate. Also, if you regularly exercise, but still haven’t seen the improvements you’re looking for, try shorter bursts of activity throughout the day, such as three 15-minute chunks of exercise, rather than one session of 45 minutes.

Eat Enough: One of the biggest mistakes that people make when trying to improve their metabolic speed and lose weight is dieting! The foundation of a good metabolism is an appropriate amount of nutrients and calories in the body. If you cut down too far on your calorie intake, your body may start devouring your muscle tissue for energy, because it is lacking in the nutrients it needs. In other words, improving your metabolic rate can be achieved through calorie reduction, but don’t go too far!

Boost Activity: Even if you regularly exercise, more frequent activity can do wonders for your metabolic rate. For example, if you have a workout in the morning, but then sit at a desk all day, you may very well be undoing all the good that you did in the morning! Ensure that you maintain activity within your body; even climbing the stairs a few times a day, rather than taking the elevator, can give your body the type of constant exertion that keeps your metabolic rate high!

Increase Omega-3 Intake: By increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, you not only help to optimize your metabolism, but also protect heart health and reduce inflammation throughout the body. This can help to increase your anabolic and catabolic rates, while also increasing the function of leptin within the body, which is a hormone directly linked to fat-burning!

Iron-Rich Foods: In order to burn fat, the muscles in our body need to be properly oxygenated; that’s also how you are able to increase the duration of your workout and burn as many calories as possible. The only way you can ensure that your body is properly oxygenated is by increasing your intake of iron-rich foods, since that mineral is necessary for the production of red blood cells. Some great iron-rich foods include red meat, seafood, beans and spinach.

Customize Your Diet: While eating enough food and ensuring your body gets enough calories is important, you also need to be conscious of how you’re getting to your calorie and food intake goals. You may be someone who works out occasionally, isn’t particularly diligent about what they eat, and are relatively happy with your weight. However, without optimizing your metabolism through proper food choices, like those high in protein and healthy fats, you’ll never be able to reach your health goals!

Choose Organic Foods: Although much of the research is still out on this issue, there are those who believe that the many chemical compounds that are used in processed foods and GMO fruits and vegetables can actually cause obesity in human beings. Some of these preservatives have been coined obesogens, as they are believed to convert normal cells into fat cells and affect the appetite in ways that are detrimental to the metabolism. To prevent this from happening, choose organic foods, without all those potentially dangerous preservatives!

Drink More Milk: Nicotinamide riboside (NR) may not be a molecule that many people have heard of, but it is becoming a very popular word in health circles. Called the miracle molecule by some, this vitamin, closely related to vitamin B3, has been known to speed up fat-burning and give a much-needed bump to your metabolism. This particular molecule can more efficiently turn fat into energy, which is precisely what you want if you’re trying to improve your overall health.

Bring Back Snacking: Many people see snacking as a bad thing, as it can interrupt your appetite for more planned, healthy meals and can often take the form of junk food. However, grazing throughout the course of the day can be a great way to keep your digestive system active and working, rather than dumping large amounts of calories into your system all at once, which can make you feel sluggish. Slowly giving your body bursts of energy throughout the day can be a great practice for improving your metabolism, provided that you are snacking on healthy foods, like nuts, raw vegetables and fruit.

Carrot Juice for Cancer

Drinking carrot juice is one of the best ways to prevent cancer or fight cancer. According to the "Antioxidant Miracle," carrot juice provides powerful antioxidants that support health and the immune system. Eating raw or cooked carrots are great ways to obtain vitamins, minerals and even fiber, yet it would be difficult to consume enough carrots in your daily routine to meet your body's cancer prevention needs. The juice from 1 lb. of raw carrots makes one glass of juice.

Nutrients
Carrots contain the cartenoid alpha carotene, beta-carotene and potent antioxidants. Recent studies published in the "Antioxidant Miracle," indicate that alpha carotene is a more potent cancer preventative and fighter than even beta-carotene. Carrots contain one of the few cartenoids with pro Vitamin A activity, which means that the body converts the beta-carotene into Vitamin A as needed. In addition, carrots contain calcium pectate, a source of soluble fiber, Vitamin B-complex, C, D, E and K, iron, calcium and phosphorous and manganese.

Preparation
Remove the tops from the carrots. Use organic carrots for juicing to ensure that you do not introduce pesticides into your juice. Wash the organic carrots before juicing, but do not peel them. If you do not use organic carrots, wash them using a vegetable wash solution to remove pesticides and scrape the peel, if desired, before juicing. The authors from "Juicing for Life, recommend preparing carrot juice to work in combinations with other nutrient-filled vegetables, to boost nutrients to fight cancer.

Tips
Serve your juice immediately after juicing. According to "Juicing for Life," that is when the juice is at its peak for flavor and antioxidants. If you cannot drink your juice immediately, cover the glass and refrigerate the juice so that it does not oxidize. Begin and end juicing with the softest vegetables or fruits. For example, to create an apple-carrot cocktail, begin with half of the apple, then add the carrots next and end with the remaining half of the apple.

Prevent Cancer
Since cancer is a complex disease, preventing what causes cancer is equally as complex. From research taken from the "Antioxidant Miracle," one of the best cancer preventative methods is to juice not only raw carrots, but carrots in combination with foods that have equal cancer fighting properties such as ginger root, garlic, apples, celery, green peppers, onion, spinach and parsley. For a cleansing carrot juice drink, add a ¼-inch of fresh ginger, one peeled raw beet and half of an apple.

Fight Cancer
Authors from "Prescription for Cooking," recommend creating carrot juice cocktails that are beneficial as cancer fighters. Add to your carrots juiced collard greens, kale, parsley and spinach for additional sources of cancer fighting beta-carotene. To add more Vitamin C in your diet, add kale, parsley, green pepper or broccoli with two carrots daily. Since juicers do not juice bananas, avoid adding them to the juicer. Carrots blend well with nearly every other fruit and are as delicious as they are refreshing.

15 Foods to Eat and Avoid on an Empty Stomach

It is a well-known fact that breakfast is one of the most important meals. But are you sure what makes an appropriate breakfast?
List of Heart Healthy Foods

Although healthy, some foods should not be eaten on an empty stomach. The following list of foods will help you choose what food to consume and what to avoid for breakfast.

Choose: Oatmeal
Oatmeal will create a protective layer around the stomach lining. This prevents the hydrochloric acid to damage the stomach walls. Oatmeal is also high in soluble fiber, a substance that reduces the levels of cholesterol, improves digestion, metabolizes the vital minerals, carbohydrates and proteins. Also, oatmeal will keep you satiated for longer than for example yogurt.

Avoid: High sugar, fruit juices
They are high in refined sugar that can cause a sharp increase of the blood sugar levels. This will leave you less satiated and you will crave for energy sources throughout the whole day.

Choose: Eggs
This a potent and healthy starter of the day. Boiled, poached or scrambled eggs will provide the needed nutrients and will keep you full for a longer period. Also, they will cut down your daily calorie intake.

Avoid: Tomatoes
If you have problems with stomach ulcers or acid reflux, please avoid consuming tomatoes for breakfast. It’s the tannic acid that increases the acidity in the stomach that makes the reflux symptoms even worse.

Choose: Blueberries
Blueberries belong to the group of the world’s healthiest foods. They are low in calories, improve the blood pressure, memory, circulation and metabolism. Their benefits are even greater when consumed on an empty stomach. You can combine them with oatmeal, salad or just blueberries.

Avoid: Tea or Coffee
Most of the people practice drinking coffee or tea as a morning ritual. However, this is definitely not the best choice. Try to replace this morning caffeine intake with something else because it can increase stomach acidity and worsen the symptoms of gastritis and reflux. Tea, for example, can cause nausea and stomach discomfort.

Choose: Watermelon
For those fruit lovers, watermelon is the ideal solution. It will provide the needed amount of fluid as well as will improve the health of the heart and eyes as a result of the high levels of lycopene.

Avoid: Citrus Fruits
This could not apply to everyone, but the citrus fruits can irritate the inflamed lower esophagus. So, you can limit the intake of these citrus fruits, especially oranges and grapefruits on an empty stomach.

Consume: Nuts
The nuts are rich in  protein and healthy fats that make them an excellent food item for breakfast. If eaten on an empty stomach, they can normalize the pH levels in your stomach and thus improve the digestive health and prevent ulcers and excessive stomach acid.

Avoid: Short Crust/ Puff Pastry
Although croissants and Danishes are delicious and easy breakfast meals, they contain yeast, bacteria that can irritate the stomach lining and cause flatulence. So, think twice before you choose this type of breakfast.

Consume: Papaya
It’s papain, a powerful enzyme from papaya that improves the digestion process and lowers the danger of colon cancer by removing the free radicals from the digestive system. It is rich in vitamin C, E, fiber, healthy properties that are important for healthy digestion.

Consume: Buckwheat
Buckwheat is loaded with iron, protein, vitamins and stimulates digestion. You can add it to pancakes, smoothies, waffles or some buckwheat bars for breakfast.

Avoid: Carbonated Drinks
These types of drinks are one of the greatest causes for obesity in America. Although there are sugar-free varieties, you should not use them on an empty stomach because you can damage the mucous membrane and reduce the blood supply to the stomach. In this way, you can slow down your food digestion thus causing constipation.

Consume: Wheat Germ
Just 2 tsps. of wheat germ a day can give 15% of vitamin E and 10% of folic acid from the recommended daily dose. This will improve the work of your digestive system.

Consume: Whole Grains
These types of grains possess complex carbohydrates that are important for a healthy diet and do not contain yeast. Consume them in the morning so that you burn off those carbohydrates throughout the day. You can combine them in some whole grain waffles or pancakes.

Conclusion
Normal levels of stomach acid will protect your stomach and will absorb the proper nutrients that are needed for the rest of the day and the overall health. This post will definitely help you how to protect your stomach and choose the foods that can help and boost your health.

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This Is the Alkaline Diet Every Cancer Patient Needs to Know (Immediately!)

Healthy lifestyle and diet is crucial for your overall health, and this is especially important when diagnosed with some life-threatening disease. You must change your diet as soon as possible, and in this post you will learn how.

According to numerous studies and researches, the development of diseases like diabetes, arthritis, and cancer is closely related to the consumption of highly processed foods.

How Does an Alkaline Diet Fight Cancer?
An alkaline diet consists of alkaline foods, and excludes all acidic foods. What’s more, some believe that you should cut out all foods which lead to acidic environment from your everyday diet. The concept behind this is the notion that cancer cells can’t thrive in an alkaline environment, ending up dead. Since consuming alkaline foods will naturally make your body’s environment alkaline, these foods help the eradication of cancer cells.

Inflammation is one of the major causes of cancer, and did you know that acidic foods can cause inflammation?

The Battle against Inflammation
The inflammatory process in a healthy person begins when the damaged tissue releases chemicals. This causes white blood cells to produce substances which cause division of cells and trigger their growth to rebuild tissue and repair the damage. This whole process ends when the wound is healed.

The inflammatory process in case of chronic inflammation starts even if there’s no injury, and can last more than is needed. Chronic inflammation can be caused by abnormal reactions to normal tissues, obesity, infections, etc. Sometimes, it can even lead to cancer and DNA damage.

10 Steps towards an Alkaline Diet
We are constantly surrounded by acidic foods which in fact consist most of the modern western diet. With the help of the following 10 steps, you can significantly simplify this process.

1. Eat Your Greens
Latent acidosis is an acidic pH caused by an acidic diet. This environment is perfect for thriving cancer cells, so an alkaline diet will help you restore the normal pH balance and prevent cancerous cells from spreading.

It’s recommended consuming green leafy veggies like cabbage, kale, broccoli, leek, beans, etc. Although the best way to eat them is raw, you can also find out other ways to prepare them. It’s also recommended eating 2 to 3 fruits a day to reduce your acidic level and keep your pH level balanced.

2. Swap Your Protein
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) are caused when meats like beef, fish, pork or muscle, are cooked on high temperature. These substances are mutagenic so they can damage the DNA and cause cancer.

IARC (the International Agency for Research on Cancer) states that lunch (cold) meats raise the risk of colorectal cancer. Therefore, it’s recommended to reduce the consumption of meat and always go for organic, free-range and appropriately fed meat. Good alternatives for protein sources are beans, lentils, peas, nuts, and seeds.

3. Eliminate Sugar
Cancer cells use more sugar (glucose) per unit of time than healthy cells. Also, the metabolism of sugar produces acid, which further contributes to cancer progression.

High intake of sugar causes insulin resistance, since it causes further pressure on the pancreas to produce insulin. This in turn is strongly connected to proliferation of cancer. You should also avoid high fructose corn syrup due to the carcinogenic mercury it contains.

That’s why you should eliminate all forms of sugar from your diet, including high fructose corn syrup, honey, agave, and all other “natural” sugars. This will also prevent lack of magnesium in your organism which is often depleted as a result of metabolizing excess sugars.

4. Eliminate Gluten
Glutinous grains like rye, spelt, and wheat, cause inflammation. What’s more, wheat is loaded with pro-inflammatory pesticides. Therefore, you must avoid baked goods like cookies, cakes, bread, muffins, crackers, pasta, cereals, etc. in order to adopt cancer-suppression diet.

Processed gluten-free foods might be convenient, but they are also packed with unhealthy oils and sugars which destroy their health benefits. Instead of these grains, consume amaranth, millet organic rice, buckwheat, and teff.

5. Stop Eating Dairy
One of the major cancer-causing foods is cow dairy, as stated by Prof. T. Colin Campbell, PhD., Cornell University. The protein casein, which is often added in powdered milk used in the production of yogurt and cheese, causes inflammation and bone deterioration. Swap your dairy foods with almond or coconut milk.

6. Switch to Heart-Healthy Oils
Stop eating processed corn, hydrogenated, safflower, soy, sunflower oil and margarine. The communication of neurons requires fat. Neurons function as a bridge for electrical impulses to travel from one place to another within your nervous system. This communication is vital for survival on a daily basis. This task however, can’t be performed by hydrogenated fats.

When absorbed, they prevent the function of cells, and these inefficient cells compromise the transition of electrical impulses, thus creating electrical dead spots in the body. As a result, those parts of your body won’t receive important messages from neurons, or if they do, they will receive them later. This raises the risk of cancer as the cancer cells don’t respond to these messages, affecting other cells.

Always choose organic, and cold-pressed oils like avocado oil, olive oil, and coconut oil, as they have anti-inflammatory properties and help the communication of neurons within the neuron system.

7. Change Your Drinking Habits
Water should be your first option when it comes to beverages. Make sure you avoid beer, soda, and store-bought juices as they contain preservatives, sugar, and color additives. Besides water, you can drink homemade prepared herbal tea, vegetable juice, and green tea. You should also limit the amounts of caffeine, or swap them with detox shots.

8. Avoid Salt (Sodium) Intake
Salt intake increases the risk of cancer, especially stomach cancer. According to statistics, 12 grams of salt a day is enough to double your chances of stomach cancer. As most of the salt we consume comes from packaged and processed foods like processed meats, sauces, soups, and stock cubes, you should try to limit or completely avoid them. Breads and cereals also contain significant levels of salt.

9. Increase your Fiber Intake
Roughage, or dietary fiber has proven to be powerful cancer fighter. You can obtain it only through consuming plant foods. According to studies, high levels of fiber reduce the chances of colorectal cancer. This might be because of its ability to add bulk to the digestive system, which shortens the time of waste traveling through the colon. Quick elimination of waste is recommended as it often contains carcinogens.

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Turmeric Lemonade That Treats Depression Better Than Prozac! How To Prepare?

Depression is a mood disorder characterized by low mood and a wide range of other possible symptoms, which will vary from person to person. Depression is common, and in its mildest form, most people can lead a healthy and active life with the right treatment and support. When it gets severe, depression can be devastating and even life-threatening, so don’t go through it alone.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION

Some of the signs and symptoms of depression include:

• Sad, anxious, or “empty” feelings
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Feelings of guilt
• Irritability, restlessness
• Fatigue and decreased energy
• Difficulty concentrating and making decisions
• Insomnia or excessive sleeping
• Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts

The good thing is Nature is blessing us with great spices, such as turmeric, that can fight most types of diseases. It helps prevent the breakdown of cells into cancerous cells. It can be beneficial if you have Alzheimer’s. It fights skin cancer, prevents cholesterol oxidation, heals stomach disorders and pains, reduces acidity, arthritis, stops diarrhea, heals liver disorders, jaundice and more.

THE HEALING POWERS OF TURMERIC

Turmeric …

is loaded with antioxidants
has powerful anti-inflammatory benefits
has amazing benefits for your brain
helps in lowering the chances of developing heart disease
helps in fighting depression

HOW DOES TURMERIC FIGHT DEPRESSION?

- There are several methods and drugs to fight depression with one of the most common drug in the market being Prozac. The sad thing is that these drugs have been known to cause severe side effects most notably: difficulty in breathing, suicidal effects and bleeding in the stomach.

- Researches conducted on turmeric and its uses found that the ingredient curcumin present in it is effective against major depressive disorder in the same way as fluoxetine (Prozac). But it doesn’t cause any side effects that come with the medication.

TURMERIC LEMONADE RECIPE

Ingredients

• 4 cups of cold filtered or sparkling water
• 1 teaspoon of freshly grated or powdered turmeric
• 3 tablespoons of 100% maple syrup, honey (or Stevia if you are avoiding sugar)
• Juice of 1 organic lemon or 2 limes
• Juice of 1 or 2 blood oranges or regular oranges.

Directions
Combine all ingredients into a small pitcher, stir and serve with a slice of lemon as a garnish. Add ice cubes for a refreshing drink!