Spinach For Help To Lose Weight

Do you eat spinach?  If you don't, and your goal is to lose as much body fat as possible, then you may want to start incorporating more spinach in your diet according to a recent study performed at Sweden's Lund University.

In the study, 38 overweight women consumed either a beverage containing 5g of spinach extract (made up mostly of the cell membranes from spinach stems) or a placebo prior to breakfast each day.  At the end of the 3 month study, the spinach group lost 50% more weight!

Researchers credit the increased weight loss to an overall decrease in calorie intake as a compound in spinach stems known as thylakoids has been shown to reduce hunger, particularly cravings for sweets and fast food, by up to 95%!  Thylakoids work by slowing down the digestion process, giving intestinal hormones time to communicate to the brain that we are satisfied.

Naturally, if you're feeling more satisfied you won't fall victim to regular snacking on all the wrong foods -- and that means increased weight loss and a flatter stomach for you.

Here are some easy ways to get more spinach in your diet (be sure to include the stems):

1. Throw a couple handfuls of spinach in the blender along with your next protein shake.  While it may change the color, it has virtually no taste.

2. If you're into juicing, add spinach to your next juicing recipe.

3. Enjoy a spinach salad or sauteed spinach as part of any meal.

Olive Oil For HelpTo Lose Weight

Research from prestigious Beloit College in Wisconsin reports that consuming just one tablespoon daily of the right olive oil can help you shed a pound per week. That’s 52 pounds in a year!

Perhaps this is why, if you’ve ever visited Italy, you’ve seen for yourself that most Italians are so slim and trim compared with most Americans, even though Italians love their pasta, bread, wine, biscotti, and Nutella.

But how on earth can olive oil — a high calorie fat — help you lose weight?

New research shows that the right olive oil (as described below) helps you lose weight in four ways:

1. Converts into energy three times faster than other fats. Olive oil, a good fat, has been shown to convert itself into energy inside your body three times faster than other fats. So when you use olive oil to replace other fats in your diet—like butter, margarine, trans-fats, etc.—you burn off your fat intake more quickly and efficiently.

2. Boosts your metabolism by 60%. Olive oil stimulates your liver and gall bladder to produce more bile, which breaks down and burns up other fats as well.

Researchers have found that women who had olive oil at breakfast boosted their metabolism by 60% more than women who skipped the oil.

For best results, researchers in the study recommend taking a tablespoon in the morning on an empty stomach. (Of course, if you don’t like it “straight,” you can also drizzle olive oil on salads, fish, meats, whatever you like.)

3. Burns up your stored fat as fuel. Olive oil is rich in a natural compound called oleic acid, which helps you burn up your stubborn stored fat in two ways.

First, it helps your fat tissues to “shut the door” to incoming fat, that is, stop absorbing so much fat. Then it also helps your body’s fat cells secrete your stored fat into your bloodstream so it can be burned off.

4. Signals your brain that you’re full—and keeps you satisfied longer—so you eat less. Studies at universities in Germany and Vienna have also shown that olive oil’s unique properties trigger a sense of “satiety” and fullness more than other fats. This means you feel satisfied longer and don’t have to battle the munchies all day. You naturally feel content eating less, so losing weight becomes much easier for you.

In fact, olive oil is so potent in this regard that another recent study in the American Journal of Nutrition showed that merely inhaling the aroma of the right olive oil from the bottle—not even consuming any—can help you feel more full and satisfied.

Supplements To Take To Help Manage Unhealthy Stress

If you want to reduce unhealthy stress, start by identifying the problems and situations that create stress, then learn to manage them by practicing general techniques of stress protection, such as breathing exercises. As for supplements, consider the following:

1.    B-complex. B vitamins can help balance mood, calm the nervous system, and increase the efficacy of certain prescription antidepressants.

2.    Omega-3 (fish oil) supplement from molecularly distilled fish oil. A deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids has been associated with increased anxiety and depression.

3.    Valerian (Valeriana officinalis). An extract from the root of this flowering perennial contains essential oils that have been shown to help some people more effectively deal with stress.

4.    Calcium and magnesium. Both are involved in many key physiologic processes and may help support healthy sleep, as well as muscle relaxation.

5.    St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum). Extracts of this flowering herb, indigenous to Europe, may help boost mood and maintain a healthy emotional outlook.

6.    L-Theanine. This extract of tea can help promote a sense of calm and relaxation without sedation.

Regular Exercise For Better Sexual Function

Men who exercise have better overall erectile and sexual function, and that holds true regardless of race and ethnicity. A new study from the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute and Department of Surgery in Los Angeles is the first to show that exercise enhances men's sexual function regardless of race. In past studies, researchers said, African-American men had been under-represented. The 295 men who participated in this new study reported on both their activity levels and sexual function, including their ability to have erections, orgasms, the quality and frequency of erections and overall sexual function. Based on the men's self-reports, the researchers classified their activity levels as sedentary, mildly active, moderately active or highly active. Those whose exercise added up to two hours of strenuous exercise, such as running, 3.5 hours of moderate exercise or six hours of light exercise per week had higher sexual function scores than men who exercised less or not at all. The researchers also reported that diabetes, older age, past or current smoking and coronary artery disease were contributors to low sexual function.

Roseroot Extract, A Weapon To Fight Depression

New research suggests an ancient herb may increase your serotonin—the “feel-good” chemical—levels by up to 30%.

Researchers studied people with mild or moderate depression. They were given a placebo, Zoloft, or this herb extract for 12 weeks. Those taking Zoloft were 1.9 times more likely to improve their condition. But this herb wasn’t far behind… Subjects using it had 1.4 times greater odds of beating depression than the placebo group.

So the drug worked slightly better… But there’s a major catch.

In the Zoloft group, more than 60% of subjects reported feeling side effects. These included nausea and sexual dysfunction., That’s about double the amount in the plant group.

That’s huge. Because even IF Big Pharma’s solution can help you feel better, most people will never take it long enough to find out. And with good reason. Depression affects 19 million Americans every year. And 70% of people stop taking SSRIs before they see any benefit.4 You can thank the side effects for that… These include anxiety, hallucinations, and suicidal thoughts. And the bad news doesn’t end there.

The same can’t be said about this resilient plant. It’s almost as powerful as one of Big Pharma’s most-prescribed antidepressants…but without the dangerous risk to benefit ratio.

What is this low-risk alternative for treating depression?

Rhodiola rosea. You might also know it as roseroot.

It’s a cold-weather plant that can survive in the Arctic. It also grows on the mountains and cliffs of Ireland. People have been using this European folk medicine for over 3,000 years. It’s been used to boost endurance, extend lifespan, and reduce fatigue…and more. Now research shows it can help you fight depression.

Look for roseroot extract at your local health food store. You may also see it on the label as Rhodiola. If you can’t find it locally, it’s easy to buy online. All you need is about 50 mg a day. That amounts to just a couple of drops. You’ll hardly notice it if you’re adding it to a hot cup of tea or a green smoothie.