Health

A person who wants to lose weight finds it hard to fight hunger – the main enemy of people who want to trim down extra body fat. The strategy of losing weight by limiting the frequency of eating (say 2 times a day instead of 6) is pretty hard when your stomach is growling and the brain is constantly telling you that it’s time to eat even if you don’t want yet. When you’re hungry, you began to crave for certain foods, and it’s very hard for you to resist the feeling until you give in. And when you give in, you tend to overeat forgetting your initial plan to lose weight. Very disappointing, isn’t it? Here is a good question to ask: wouldn’t be great to be able to stop hunger at will, whenever it happened? The answer is YES with chia seeds. Eating chia seeds is an easy, cheap, and safe way to lose weight. So how to lose weight with chia seeds? Read the information below to find out.

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Chia seeds keep you feel full

Eating chia seeds help you lose weight by keeping you feel full which suppresses your appetite. When chia seed is exposed to water (hydrated), its size increases ten times its original size. It grew that size because the soluble fibers (too small to see with the naked eye) outside the chia seed have trapped or absorbed water. Hydrated chia seeds look like colloids or watery, gelatinous, glue-like substances. A teaspoon of chia seeds can make a bowl of gelatinous chia seeds. Your stomach will treat it as a big meal (you feel full as a result) even if it is only composed of a teaspoon chia seeds and lots of water. The gelatinous seeds also slow down the digestive process, so you will feel full for longer hours. Now, compare a bowl of hydrated chia seeds with that a bowl of rice or pasta, what will make you gain weight and what will help you lose weight?………….. Exactly!

Therefore, instead of eating foods high in calories when you feel hunger, eat chia seeds. You can also mix chia seeds with your favorite juice drink, yogurt, cereals, and the like. Chia seeds will not affect the flavor of these foods because chia seeds are generally flavorless. Chia seeds do not also dilute food flavor but instead distribute it.

Chia seeds improve digestion – an important part of weight loss

Besides from soluble fibers, chia seeds also contain insoluble fibers that are made up of cellulose which humans cannot digest. Like the soluble fibers which absorb water, insoluble fibers in the stomach also give you the feeling of being full so your appetite is suppressed. Insoluble fibers improve digestion by acting as roughage, keeping digested food moving along smoothly.

Chia seeds curb food craving by supplying your body with minerals.

When your body is deficient with a particular mineral, calcium for example, your brain reacts by inducing you to crave for cheese, milk, ice cream, or any food rich in calcium. Eating these foods rich in fats and carbohydrates will drive up your calorie count resulting to weight gain. Chia seeds contain adequate amount of minerals to fight deficiency conditions leading to food craving. The minerals found in chia seeds include calcium, potassium, boron, magnesium, iron and the like.

Chia seeds simply have omega-3 fatty acid.

Like flax and sesame seeds, chia seeds contain adequate amount of healthy oils like omega-3 fatty acid, the type of fatty acid that promotes the health of the cardiovascular system. Omega-3 has the ability to lower the level of bad cholesterol in the blood. Bad cholesterols are deposited in the inner linings of the arteries creating plaques that could obstruct blood flow resulting to heart attack and stroke.

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Further reading:

• Chia Seed Health Benefits
• Chia Seed Side Effects
• Chia Seed Nutritional Value
• Buy Chia Seeds Online
• Chia Seed Allergy Symptoms
• Chia Seed Recipes
• Salba  Seed Side Effects
  

Niacin or Vitamin B3 is one of the most important vitamins in the B complex family. It is needed for the proper metabolism of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. It is required in turning food to energy through complex biochemical reactions taking place in cells. It is also used in DNA repair and in the production of hormones. The nervous system uses niacin to function properly. Niacin has the ability to lower the concentration of bad cholesterol (low-density lipoproteins) in the blood. Bad cholesterol is deposited in the inner linings of arteries producing plaque that obstructs blood flow. Obstruction of blood flow in coronary arteries causes heart attack and obstruction of blood flow in arteries going to the brain causes stroke.

Pellagra is a disease caused by niacin deficiency. To avoid this disease, a person should take the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of niacin. The RDA is 2-12 mg/day for children, 1 mg/day for women and 18 mg/day for pregnant or breast-feeding women. It is necessary to follow the RDA since side effects of too much niacin have been reported.

Combat niacin deficiency by eating foods high in niacin. There are many types of food that contain adequate amount of niacin to meet the RDA. If you are suffering from niacin deficiency right now, your physician may have prescribed you niacin supplements.  Besides from taking those supplements, it would be great to design your diet to include foods high in niacin. It’s a natural way to treat vitamin B3 deficiency.  Below is the list of food groups that contain niacin, just choose among them.

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What are the Foods High in Niacin?

Meat

-Beef, poultry, pork, and seafood are foods high in niacin. Animal organs such as the liver and kidney contain adequate amount of niacin to meet the RDA.

Vegetables

-There are many vegetables that contain large amounts of niacin. Choose green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale; the greener the vegetable is, the higher the niacin it is likely to provide. Other vegetables that contain niacin include celery, broccoli, and asparagus. Fungi like mushrooms and  yeast also provides niacin.

Eggs and Dairy Products

-Egg is a good dietary source of niacin. Niacin can also be obtained in the milk of cow, goat, and ewes. Breast milk is the best source of niacin for babies; breastfeeding mothers need to consume foods high in niacin or take niacin supplements to ensure that their babies are getting the RDA.  Milk products such as cheese, buttermilk, butter, and yogurt contain good amount of niacin.

Legumes

-Almost all types of edible legumes contain niacin. Examples of legumes that you can consume to meet the RDA are lentils, lima beans, peas, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, edamame, peanuts, and chick beans. Adequate amount of niacin can be obtained in soybean and soybean products such as soybean milk and oil.

Grains and seeds

Grains such as rice and wheat contain niacin. You can add to your diet cooked rice and wheat foods such as bread and cereals. Niacin can also be obtained in sunflower and pumpkin seeds as well as almonds.

Foods fortified with niacin

There are laws that require food manufacturers to put vitamins (including niacin) to their products for the health of their consumers. Fortified foods have packaged labels that they are fortified with vitamins and other nutrients.[ad#afterpost]

Acai berry is the fruit of a palm tree growing in the Amazon, South America. It looks like purple grapes but with distinctive taste. It is rich in antioxidants, fibers, and minerals that are beneficial to the human body. It is claimed to have weight reducing ability, making it very popular to people who wants to lose weight. However, the weight loss effect of acai still needs scientific proofs.

The best health benefit of acai is the presence of antioxidants in it. Antioxidants detoxify the body from harmful free radicals. Removal of free radicals promotes cell regeneration and inhibits cell aging.

Acai berry is now processed into different products such as acai pills, acai juice, acai powder, acai smoothies, and the like. Freeze-dried acai berries are also marketed. These acai products are widely marketed in the internet. If you google “where to buy acai”, you would likely find hundreds of marketers selling different acai products. You can buy acai from them using your credit card.

Free trials of acai berry products are offered by online marketers. They will ask their customers to fill an order form and give their credit card information. Since they are offering free trials, they should not supposedly charge their customers; although, many customers complain that they have been charged. Even if customers already cancelled their order by phone or online, the marketers still continue sending them with their products monthly and charging them with hundreds of dollars. The only way consumers do to stop the marketers from charging them is to cancel their credit cards.

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There are lots of customer complaints about acai berry free trials online. Many of them are very angry because they do not know on how to get their money back. There are also consumers who are very disappointed because acai products don’t work in reducing their weights. They feel that they spent their money for something that doesn’t work.

Now that you know that there are acai free trial scams out there, be extra careful when you order a free trial that requires your credit card info. Look at legitimate sites with good customer service and excellent feedback from customers.

Don’t be lured with the promises of some marketers that you will lose weight consuming acai fast. It would not likely happen because regular exercise and a healthy diet are still the best ways to lose weight, and it takes time. You can hardly lose weight taking pills or anything without exercise. Take acai for the antioxidants contained in it.

Acai (Euterpe oleracea) is a native palm tree species found in Central and South America. Its dark, purple fruits called acai berries are rich in polyphenols and flavonoids that act as antioxidants that help our body get rid off free radicals and super oxides that damages our cells. Many people claim that the acai berry is a “miracle fruit” because of the health benefits that it provides. However, there are only few research papers available that investigates acai health benefits to humans. This article provides brief summaries of published scientific researches on acai berry health benefits with links to which you can read the whole scientific article.

What are Available and Published Acai Researches?

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Pozo-Insfran et al. found out that the polyphenols (e.g. anthocyanin) in acai have the ability to induce apoptosis or cell death in leukemia cells. They also found out that the polyphenols are able to suppress the proliferation or multiplication of leukemia cells. This research shows that acai has therapeutic potential against leukemia. (Read the whole article.)

Schauss et al. tested the antioxidant capacity of freeze-dried acai berry. They found out that the antioxidants in acai have superoxide and peroxyl scavenging activities. The ability of antioxidants to get rid off reactive superoxides and peroxyl compounds protects our body from developing diseases like cancer. (Read the whole article.)

Jensen et al. studied the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities of acai berry juice blend. The researchers found out that the phytochemicals (e.g. anthocyanins) in acai act as antioxidants to protect cells from oxidative damage. Oxidative damage in cells causes tissue inflammation; hence, antioxidants in acai berry can protect our body from developing inflammatory diseases. (Read the whole article.)

Rocha et al. studied the ability of acai extract in blood vessel dilation in mice. They found out that the polyphenols in acai extract has a vasodilator effect. They concluded that acai has potential to be an effective medicinal fruit for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. (Read the whole article.)

Acai (Euterpe oleracea) is a species of palm tree found in Central and SouthAmerica. It is widely cultivated for its edible fruits commonly called acai berries. The fruit has a similar appearance to grapes (Vitis sp.) but with less pulp. Acai berries are widely eaten by South American natives. The natives consider the acai berries as a major component of their diet. In Brazil, acai is a popular flavoring for beverages and ice cream. Some western countries are also starting to use acai as flavoring for various foods mainly for the health benefits that the fruit provide. Marketers are also selling acai food supplements because acai has been found to contain important minerals and substances that have health benefits to humans.

Note: Some of the acai health benefits that acai marketers claim do not have scientific proofs; these claims are misleading and exaggerated.

Health Benefits of Taking Acai

[ad#co-1]Acai contains powerful antioxidants: flavonoids and anthocyanins. These antioxidants are responsible for the purple coloration of the acai berries just like grapes. Antioxidants in acai help our body get rid off free radicals that can damage our cells. Free radicals are by-products of biochemical reactions taking place in our cells. In other words, they are the cell’s waste and should be eliminated before they cause cellular damage. If they are not eliminated, cell abnormalities that could lead to various diseases (e.g. cancer) would occur.

You might have read more acai health benefits in other websites but these health benefits are not yet proven scientifically. The antioxidant effect of acai is still the best health benefit that you can get from consuming acai products. Other acai health benefits were just presented by acai marketers to boost their sales.

Acai Controversy: Take Note of Acai Scams

There are claims saying acai has weight-loss effects. After Oprah Winfrey featured a segment on the Acai Berry, her name was used in an endorsement for supplements, resulting in a lawsuit. Consumers have reported scams involving trial offers for the acai supplements with refunds for canceled and returned products not being processed. Buyers should be cautious and read all details before agreeing to trial offers.

References

Mayo Clinic

WebMD

Disclaimer

The information in this article is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please seek advice from your doctor before taking any action suggested on this article.

Açaí is a palm tree species with the scientific name Euterpe oleracea. This palm tree is cultivated for its purple, edible, juicy, and grape-shaped fruit. It is native to  South America. People harvests acai berries for food; in fact, South American natives consider acai berries as important component of their diet. There is a high demand for açaí berries because their juice and pulp are used as flavorings or blends for various beverages and ice cream. Açaí berries are also marketed as dietary supplements in the form of smoothies, juice, tablets, drink powders, or simply as a fruit.

Açaí products are promoted as dietary supplements because marketers say that they have antioxidant properties, weight loss effect, and other health benefits. These claims of the beneficial effects of açaí still need scientific backing.

Consumers have some worries that açaí products may have side effects to their body. Marketers argue that açaí products are safe because they are 100% natural. However, açaí products, especially those sold in pills may not be safe if manufacturers mix synthetic drugs or diet medications to these pills. These synthetic chemicals and diet medications may cause adverse side effects to the body.

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Açaí side effects that have been reported may be due to the “appetite suppressant” effect of açaí. Açaí suppresses your appetite because it contains fibers that make you feel “full” even if you are not. Suppressing your appetite by consuming too much açaí may not be good because you are depriving your body with the essential nutrients and vitamins found in other foods. If this is the case, you may experience the following side effects, which you will mistakenly describe as açaí side effects:

• Fainting
• Weakness and fatigue
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Stomachaches
• Malnutrition
• Headaches

If you experience these conditions, you better seek medical attention. For people with diseases like anemia, diabetes and the like, get your doctors’ advice before you consume acaí products to avoid any serious complications with your diseases.

Disclaimer

The information provided in this article is not a substitute for professional medical advice.