Weight Loss - Antioxidant Foods

Antioxidants help the body to fight the free radicals and neutralise them. The free radicals are useful in small amounts, but in large amounts they can cause cancer, heart disease, cataracts, infertility, alzheimer. Free radicals are created in the body as a by product of energy released by the cells. The amount of free radicals in the body are dramatically increased through smoking, pollution and high intensity exercise.

What foods contain Antioxidant?

Antioxidants are mainly contained in fruits and vegetables. There are a number of fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants, these are:

Dates
Gram for gram, Dates have the highest amount of antioxidants.
Banana
Another fruit that is VERY high in antioxidant
Carrots and Broccoli
Carrots are high in betacarotene
Oranges and Strawberries
Citrus fruits such as Oranges and Strawberries are rich in vitamin C
Nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds are rich in vitamin E
Fish and Brazil Nuts
A single average size Brazil Nut contains the recommended daily amount of Selenium.
Spinach
Spinach contains Lutein.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a good source of lycopene
Chili
Chili is a good source of Capsicum

Its important that people eat as fresh a fruit and vegetables as possible, and ideally organic, as they contain more antioxidants.

Children & Obesity

In simple terms, obesity is caused when the body stores excessive calories. Obesity in civilized countries is reaching epidemic proportions. What is worrying is that the children too are now more obese than ever before in the history of man kind!

Child Obesity and Weight Loss

Calories and Weight Loss

Weight loss depends on the amount of calorie intake. Calories are used by the body to perform its day-to-day functions. However, when the calories taken in is greater than the energy burnt, then the excess calories are stored as fat. The most common reasons for excessive consumption of calories are:

Psychological
Emotional
Lack of knowledge
Habit

calories and weight loss

Weight loss plans

There are a number of VERY dangerous diet plans used to target weight loss. A dangerous, or misleading, diet is one which provides "rapid" result. Remember, in order for a diet to be effective and safe, your body needs time to adjust to the change in your lifestyle. This is because rapid dieting will almost always have health consequences, and in fact research has also shown that as soon as your body adjusts to the diet, you will start to put on weight at even a higher rate than before.

Weight loss diet

Weight Loss plans to be avoided

For legal reasons we are unable to actually name dangerous or misleading weight loss diets, however, the following is a list which should help you identify these diets for yourself.

Any diet that cuts out any essential food groups (Specially carbohydrates!)
Any diet that promises or guarantees fast result
Any diet that involves you drinking only liquid food.
Any diet that involves you buying processed and ready made "food substitutes".

Weight loss diets

Diet

The food you eat is the single most important factor in your weight loss program. Weight loss is only achieved through a healthy diet.

Weight loss diet and health

Exercise

Exercise is vital not only to a safe weight loss plan, but, is also crucial to the general operation and well being of the human body.

Weight loss exercise

Measuring Body Fat

Measuring the Body Fat is a much more accurate way of measuring how your weight loss program is going than using a bathroom scale. The bathroom scales are highly misleading!

Measure Body Fat

Swimming

Swimming is a VERY effective and safe way of burning calories. Its one of the safest ways of exercising as you do not put any excessive force on the joints.

Swimming

Walking

Walking is one of the safest form of exercise as you burn those calories without excessive wear and tear on the joints.

Walking

Pilates and Yoga

Pilates and Yoga are important to any weight loss program as they both encourage good body posture and alignment.

Pilates