Drilling For Oil: The New Science of Dietary Fat
Things have certainly changed when it comes to what we believe about fat calories. It wasn’t all that long ago that fats were considered the primary cause of all our weight problems and heart risks. But things have changed. Not only have some fats received a free pass to get out of the dietary doghouse, some have gone from bad guy to hero on the nutritional landscape. In the effort to create a faster, more efficient metabolism, one needs to navigate this nutritional landscape with a good map and a strong commitment, because nutrition and exercise are equally important to the process. And eating the right carbohyd-rates and fats is more important than skipping them altogether.
The kind of fats we get from normal foods (you have to go out on a bit of a limb, or at least to the health food section, to find the flaxseed and fish oils that deliver the omega family) have been grouped into two categories, one of them very bad, the other tolerable if you don’t overdo things: saturated fats derived from animal sources (primarily meat and dairy) are the ones that clog our arteries, and must be watched closely. Its fine to consume them in moderation, but trouble awaits those who enjoy too many steaks per week. The other category is the unsaturated fats, those from nuts, avocados and canola oil, which are less likely to be absorbed by the body and can be consumed more liberally. Both categories deliver 9 calories per gram (as opposed to only 4 calories per gram of protein and carbohydrates), so regardless of artery issues they need to be managed to keep the calorie count in check.
Saturated fats should comprise no more than seven percent of your daily calories, and the closer you can come to zero percent, the better. The darker the meat, the higher the saturated fat content – that’s why you never hear a diet comprised of chicken legs, it’s always chicken breasts.
And then there’s the issue of the omega oils (also known as poly-unsaturated oils). These are truly the “essential oils” referred to these days, as they cannot be stored in the body as fat, and they deliver nutrients that help the heart stay healthy and the entire bio-chemistry of the body remain balanced. The primary source of omega-3 acids are fish oils and flaxseed oils, which means that unless you’re dining on salmon regularly (a great source of omega-3s), you’ll need to stock up on supplements. Important cousins of the omega-3 acid include the omega-6 (which delivers more linolenic acid) and omega-9 (found primarily in olive oil), which is not official an “essential” fatty acid because this one can be produced by the body using raw material from the presence of the other fatty acids.
We now know that an accelerated metabolism is the key to optimizing your bio-chemistry, while serving other healthy functions. A slow metabolism is caused by bio-chemistry that results in the inefficient burning of calories to create fuel, but this can be changed through proper diet and exercise. Remember, the purpose of increasing your metabolism is so that your body will burn more calories and burn them fast, both while exercising and being active, and while at rest. This evolution – from a slow metabolism to a fast one – is the one single thing that differentiates lean people from heavy people, and it is the most powerful thing you can do to become leaner and healthier.
Jim Robertson is a passionate author & health/fitness guru here to help YOU lose weight and get fit! Claim your FREE copy of Jim’s audio book about metabolism!!
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The Benefits of Natural Colon-Cleansing Foods
Colon cleansing is often a question of what is in your daily diet. Specifically, what kinds of food you are regularly eating and what foods you are skipping.
Colon cleansing methods
There are three main ways that you can cleanse your colon:
1. The first method involves a change in your diet, to literally “eat your way” to a healthier and cleaner colon.
2. The second method involves the use of chemicals to induce frequent elimination of feces. Synthetic and organic laxatives fall into this particular category.
3. The third method involves the use of manual douches or computerized hydrotherapy machines to draw out waste from the colon.
While laxatives and hydrotherapy are viable options, the first method is effective as well. For people who do not have enough time to go to salons or colonic clinics, a change in diet will work just as well.
The changes in your daily diet will involve both the addition of certain food types and the elimination of some bad ones.
Dangers of an un-cleansed colon
In many instances, colons that have remained impacted with waste through the decades are more prone to cancer and polyps.
Physiological maladies are also connected to toxic colons that have remained acidic for decades. Colon cleansing restores the balance in the human colon and allows for probiotic diets and supplements to work more efficiently when introduced to the digestive tract.
Bowel movement is also subdued when the colon has problems. Blockages are common. While most of these blockages are benign or are simply due to indigestible material, they still inhibit normal elimination.
The steps to a healthier colon
1. The first step is to consume increased amounts of water. Water is absolutely vital to every body process. Digestion and distribution of nutrients are just two of the most important. Blood volume and skin suppleness are also dependent on the amount of water you consume.
2. If you can, consume only organic vegetables and fruits. These might be more expensive, but at least you are not consuming the chemical residues like fertilizers and herbicides.
3. Sugars and heavy animal fats should be eliminated altogether. Other healthier energy sources are widely available. Switch your corn chips with boiled potatoes and see the difference.
4. If you like cooking, use aromatic herbs. Aromatic herbs allow you to season minus the salt. Certain herbs help cleans the colon as well. Basil for example, has been known to help improve digestion. Parsley has a high vitamin C content, which improves blood circulation and protects the lungs too.
5. Unfortunately, alcoholic beverages and coffee products should be eliminated as well. This is in line with detoxifying the body and giving the liver some rest.
6. Animal products, both land-based and aquatic should be minimized if you are detoxifying for a particular period of time. For some reason the human body has to work extra hard to digest animal proteins.
A fruit monodiet would be a great way to give all your organs some much-deserved rest. But remember, it is harmful to eat just one type of fruit for more than three days.
Wong Darren is an online medical researcher and webmaster of Colon Cleanse. Visit site for more useful articles: “3 Benefits of Colon Cleansing” and “6 Tips to Overcome Colon Cleansing Side Effects“.
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