Top Ten Thermogenic Foods..Burn Calories While You Eat These!

Themogenic foods essentially take more energy to process/digest than what they provide, so they help raise your metabolism and burn body fat. Here is a list of the top ten thermogenic fruits and vegetables:

1. Cruciferous Vegetables (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage)


2. Asparagus


3. Leafy Greens (lettuce, spinach, kale, ect.)


4. Celery


5. Mushrooms


6. Chili peppers


7. Apples


8. Berries


9. Apricots/Peaches


10. Pears

3 cups Broccoli = 3 french fries = 7 jellybeans = 7 cups of mushrooms = 1 marshmallow= 14 cups of lettuce

Lakeshore Wellness Center

http://www.lakeshorewellnesscenter.com

10 Ways to Improve Your Diet

1. ELIMINATE ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS

If one is looking for a healthy way of eating, eliminating all artificial sweeteners is a great place to start. There's not enough safety information on some sweeteners and too much clear and scary info on others.http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-information.html

2. ELIMINATE PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OILS

A process to lengthen shelf life can shorten your life! Trans Fatty Acids created by hydrogenation have been linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Don't risk it! http://my.webmd.com/content/article/70/81100.htmhttp://www.recoverymedicine.com/hydrogenated_oils.htm

3. ELIMINATE CORN SYRUPS and HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUPS (HFCS)

Linked to obesity and now so very prevalent in just about every food category; tomato sauces, sodas, baked goods, even natural foods. They are also genetically modified. It's cheap, easy to manufacture and it's making us fat and unhealthy.

4. LIMIT PACKAGED FOODS and EAT FOOD IN ITS MOST NATURAL STATE

Ultimately, food in packages has more chance of having additives and chemicals. Unnecessary ingredients that can burden your body and decrease your health. You don't need the chemicals, extra salt, sugar and saturated fat that are prevalent in packaged foods. Today, labeling is very complex. There are many ingredients that are used in processing and manufacturing that are not required to be on the label. You truly do not know what you are getting in some packages. So save the bags, boxes, cans and make your food from scratch. Eating foods in their most natural state is best. Fresh broccoli (raw and cooked) will get you the most benefit nutritionally but if you can't get fresh, frozen is your best bet. Though be diligent about label reading as some brands again add unnecessary chemicals.

5. ELIMINATE FOOD ADDITIVES; MSG, CHEMICALS IN GENERAL, DYES

Chemicals in our foods are not doing us much good. Dyes are made from coal tar (carcinogen). MSG sensitivities are well known. Our bodies are not meant to process a multitude of chemicals. We need to fuel our bodies with proper nutrition and foods that are wholesome and healthy.

6. ELIMINATE WHITE REFINED PROCESSED FOODS (white flour, white rice, white bread,

white pasta) and INCREASE WHOLE GRAINS

These refined foods are devoid of nutrition. Empty calories. White flour has only a small percentage of the nutrition of whole grain flour. http://www.naturalnews.com/000441.html Whole grains on the other hand contain the oils, the bran, and all the vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber nature intended. Whole grains are a fabulous source of fiber which has been shown to reduce colon cancer. Some rich sources are; brown rice, whole wheat, bulghur, millet, buckwheat, rye, barley, spelt, oats, quinoa.

7. EAT AT LEAST ONE SALAD and FRUIT EVERYDAY

We should be eating at least 5 servings of fruit everyday. The vitamins, minerals, phytonutritients help protect us from disease. I've found that by just trying to eat one salad each day that it's enough to keep me eating well. I sometimes will have more but if I follow this one salad rule, it seems to help us eat healthy all day.

8. CHOOSE ORGANIC

I read once that the average American eats a pound of pesticides per year. Yuck! Can you imagine the toll that takes on the body (combined with all the other toxins from the environment)? The vitamin and mineral content of organic foods is said to be higher than the conventional counterparts. http://www.ewg.org/reports/ops/risk.htmlhttp://www.sdearthtimes.com/et0996/et0996s5.html

9. EAT HIGH QUALITY FATS

Fats contained in fish, nuts and seeds pack a whollup! Essential fatty acids are "essential" to optimum health. If you're not taking an EFA supplement be sure to sprinkle freshly ground flax seeds on salads, oatmeal, in smoothies, etc. One tablespoon of ground flaxseeds a day can and will improve your health. A handful of walnuts is a great source as well. http://www.pcrm.org/health/prevmed/ess_fat_acid... http://borntoexplore.org/omega.htm

10. EAT 90% FOR NOURISHMENT AND 10% FOR FUN

I read this somewhere recently and I thought it really hit home. If you maintain a healthy foundation, you CAN stray and have fun eating those foods that might not be considered so healthy.

Written by Lauren McGinley, copyright 2005

Posted by Lakeshore Wellness Center

http://www.lakeshorewellnesscenter.com/

Acupuncture Treatment of IBS

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common disorders seen by physicians today. As many as one in five American adults has IBS and yet it goes unspoken because of the seemingly embarrassing nature of the symptoms.

Diagnosis is usually a process of elimination because there are no physical signs that can definitively diagnose IBS. According to the diagnostic criteria developed by researchers, the Rome criteria, you must have certain signs and symptoms before a physician can diagnose you with IBS:

• Abdominal pain and discomfort lasting at least 12 weeks, though the weeks don't have to occur consecutively. You also need to have at least two of the following:


• A change in the frequency or consistency of your stool. For example, you may change from having one normal, formed stool every day to three or more loose stools daily. Or you may have only one hard stool every three to four days.


• Straining, urgency or a feeling that you can't empty your bowels completely.


• Mucus in your stool.


• Bloating or abdominal distension.
  

Symptoms are almost always aggravated by stress. Episodes may also be aggravated by eating, and are frequently relieved after a bowel movement.

IBS according to Chinese Medicine

While other patterns may be present, IBS is almost always considered a disharmony between the liver and the spleen in traditional Chinese medicine. The liver is responsible for the smooth flow of substances throughout the body. This flow can be upset by emotions or stress, causing stagnation of Qi (energy) or blood. Traditional Chinese medicine views the spleen as being associated with the function of digestion and transforming food into energy (Qi and blood). The spleen can be weakened by a number of factors, including overeating unhealthy foods, overwork, too much worry, fatigue, and lack of exercise. When the spleen is weak and the liver is not moving smoothly, the liver overacts on the spleen and can manifest as symptoms of IBS.
To support the spleen and the liver common supplements include Chinese herbal formulas along with digestive enzymes and even probiotics. Acupuncture on a weekly or bi-weekly basis helps to rebalance the body and can correct the liver/spleen disharmony and thereby correct the symptoms caused IBS.

Finally, diet and lifestyle cannot be overlooked and must be addressed. Here are some general guidelines that can be used to balance IBS and liver/spleen disharmony:

• Diet should include good protein and good fats, with moderate complex carbohydrates that emphasize vegetables. Good protein sources are wild and low-mercury risk fish or free range chicken, grass fed beef and lamb free of growth hormones and steroids. Other good sources of protein are nuts, seeds, beans, and free-range eggs.


• Vegetables that are especially alkaline and contain a good amount of water and fiber. They will help to cleanse the body and support the liver. Eat vegetables steamed or sautéed, it helps to support the spleen and digestion. Raw, cold vegetables should be avoided.


• Squashes, pumpkins, sweet potatoes/yams are especially nutritive to the digestion and spleen.


• Whole grain brown rice supports spleen Qi as well.


• Stocks, broths and soups should be a staple in the diet as a great spleen Qi tonic.


• Do not consume water or beverages with meals as to not dilute gastric juices and natural digestive enzymes.


• Avoid common food triggers: caffeine, alcohol, dairy, greasy/fatty foods.


• Getting adequate exercise and practicing stress-relieving measures such as yoga. breathing exercises and meditation regularly.


• Getting adequate sleep to minimize the effects of stress on your body and digestive system.