Nothing can be quite as delicious and satisfying as a great diet shake.
Here are five tried-and-true diet shake recipes. Give them a whirl
in your blender:
Strawberry-Orange-Banana Diet Shake Recipes
• Some orange juice – about 2 cups or so
• Some sliced bananas – 1 or 2
• Some strawberries -- a cup or so
• Some ice – about a cup
• A container of strawberry-banana low fat yogurt
Mandarin-Mango Diet Shake Recipes
• Some mandarin orange pieces – 2 cans or so
• Some cut up mangoes – 2 mangos is about right
• Some ice – about a cup
• Protein supplements from the nutrition store—follow the label directions
• A container of mango-flavored low fat yogurt
Berry Berry Special Diet Shake Recipes
• Some cranberry juice – about half a cup
• Some apple juice -- about half a cup
• Some strawberries
• Some blueberries
• Some raspberries
• A banana
• A container of strawberry or blueberry low fat yogurt
Banana-Chocolate-Vanilla Diet Shake Recipes
• A cut up frozen banana
• A teaspoon of vanilla
• A cup of skim milk
• A teaspoonful of Splenda
• A teaspoonful of cocoa powder
• A container of low fat yogurt—plain or vanilla
Coffee-Mocha Diet Shake Recipes
• One teaspoon instant coffee
• One teaspoon cocoa powder
• One teaspoon of Splenda
• Ice
• A container of vanilla or plain low fat yogurt
• A powder protein supplement if you like
Regardless of which of the diet shake recipes you are making, the procedure is the same. Just pop all the ingredients into your blender and turn it on. Run the blender until the shake is the desired consistency, pour into a beautiful glass, and enjoy your homemade, healthy, nutrient-dense, diet shake recipes. Not only will it help with your weight loss; it taste delicious.Enjoy!
P.S. Anybody have any other healthy shake ideas out there? Please feel
free to share them, thanks.
Showing posts with label healthy drinks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy drinks. Show all posts
Monday, 20 September 2010
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Can Anybody Drink Energy Drinks?
Wait; just before you go get another can of Red Bull, you
need to think about the health consequences of drinking too
many energy drinks in one day, even a healthy energy drink.
While energy drinks are excellent energy boosters and can
give you instant energy, they are supposed to be taken only
as long as you need them. Energy drinks are very common
these days and it is only natural that once you feel a
little low in your energy level, you just go out to get
yourself a can of some kind of energy drink.
This attitude is not good. Energy drinks contain certain
ingredients which when used in accurate quantities can
give you the preferred burst of energy. But it will not last
long and in some cases goes away rapidly and leaves you with
less energy than before.
So when is it better to take energy drinks?
Reports and research have both shown that many people have
the tendency of having energy drinks first thing in the
morning -even before their breakfast. Sadly, because the
side effects are not always immediately noticeable, many
think they can get away with this or just simply believe
that there are no side effects.
It is far better to have an energy drink after you have had
breakfast and require some form of energy boost to get you
by. Therefore, drinking an energy drink first thing in the
morning is certain to get you in the hospital very quickly,
as you will more likely experience repeated bouts of dizziness,
increased pulse rate -also known as tachycardia- continual
headaches, insomnia and restlessness.
Why Are Energy Drinks Capable of Causing Such Side Effects?
The reason for the near instantaneous boost that you get
from taking energy drinks is as a result of the high
content of both sugar and caffeine. While these are sure
components for an amplified energy level, they are not
exactly the quickest way to increase your energy levels on
a consistent basis, nor the healthiest.
The same relates to those who are suffering from diabetes;
the sugar content existing in these drinks is a definite
no-no. So if you have any of these illnesses or related
ailments in spite of how minute or mild they might be, then
energy drinks are not meant for you. As an alternative, you
can build up your water intake and use some other health
remedies.
High Energy drinks are common for body builders and physical
fitness buffs that use them to upsurge their stamina and
develop their performance while they are training. However,
many teenagers take these drinks on a daily basis thus
making it responsible for their hyperactivity and
restlessness.
It is not advisable to have teenagers who are not into high
energy sports activities taking energy drinks, otherwise the
risks involved are that the kids become violent and suffer
what is known as "toxic jock" syndrome as research has
shown.
need to think about the health consequences of drinking too
many energy drinks in one day, even a healthy energy drink.
While energy drinks are excellent energy boosters and can
give you instant energy, they are supposed to be taken only
as long as you need them. Energy drinks are very common
these days and it is only natural that once you feel a
little low in your energy level, you just go out to get
yourself a can of some kind of energy drink.
This attitude is not good. Energy drinks contain certain
ingredients which when used in accurate quantities can
give you the preferred burst of energy. But it will not last
long and in some cases goes away rapidly and leaves you with
less energy than before.
So when is it better to take energy drinks?
Reports and research have both shown that many people have
the tendency of having energy drinks first thing in the
morning -even before their breakfast. Sadly, because the
side effects are not always immediately noticeable, many
think they can get away with this or just simply believe
that there are no side effects.
It is far better to have an energy drink after you have had
breakfast and require some form of energy boost to get you
by. Therefore, drinking an energy drink first thing in the
morning is certain to get you in the hospital very quickly,
as you will more likely experience repeated bouts of dizziness,
increased pulse rate -also known as tachycardia- continual
headaches, insomnia and restlessness.
Why Are Energy Drinks Capable of Causing Such Side Effects?
The reason for the near instantaneous boost that you get
from taking energy drinks is as a result of the high
content of both sugar and caffeine. While these are sure
components for an amplified energy level, they are not
exactly the quickest way to increase your energy levels on
a consistent basis, nor the healthiest.
The same relates to those who are suffering from diabetes;
the sugar content existing in these drinks is a definite
no-no. So if you have any of these illnesses or related
ailments in spite of how minute or mild they might be, then
energy drinks are not meant for you. As an alternative, you
can build up your water intake and use some other health
remedies.
High Energy drinks are common for body builders and physical
fitness buffs that use them to upsurge their stamina and
develop their performance while they are training. However,
many teenagers take these drinks on a daily basis thus
making it responsible for their hyperactivity and
restlessness.
It is not advisable to have teenagers who are not into high
energy sports activities taking energy drinks, otherwise the
risks involved are that the kids become violent and suffer
what is known as "toxic jock" syndrome as research has
shown.
Thursday, 5 February 2009
Water Or Coke?
This I got from a very cool site: thatwasfunny.com As you can fathom
from the title this needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, but I dare say, some of
this is true. What do you think?
from the title this needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, but I dare say, some of
this is true. What do you think?
WATER
1. We all know that water is important but I’ve never seen it written down like this before.
2. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half world population)
3. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
4. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 3%.
5. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a U- Washington study.
6. Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
7. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
8. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
9. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
Are you drinking the amount of water you should every day?
COKE
1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.
2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of coke and it will be gone in two days.
3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the “real thing” sit for one hour, then flush clean The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.
4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a crumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of
Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, Remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.
8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.
For Your Info:
1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its Ph is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.
2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the Hazardous material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.
3. The distributors of coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years!
Now the question is, would you like a glass of WATER
or COKE ?
Once again thanks to thatwasfunny.com
Monday, 19 January 2009
Energy Drinks Are Not Healthy
How can energy drinks be healthy? They are usually full of
artificial caffeine, HFCS (ref:
(http://www.westonaprice.org/modernfood/highfructose.html )
Double Danger of HFCS), Taurine and of course, to somehow
validate everything, synthetically produced vitamins. This
cocktail of chemicals will do more harm than good. It
already has.
More and more people that consume the traditional energy
drink regularly or even daily have already or are destined
to eventually suffer from stomach, kidney, liver or heart
problems. Not to mention the effects these chemical
cocktails can have on one's teeth (premature enamel
degradation) or skin (dehydration related blotching).
An entire new generation is coming into adulthood without
their parents' coffee routine, but with a morning, afternoon
or evening energy drink. Sometimes all three. Many spend
hours online gaming, instead of exercising, which
accentuates the problem with energy drinks, introducing type
2 diabetes and other sedentary diseases.
Why should we be concerned about this new variety of mental
stimulant? A cup or two of coffee every day has never caused
serious health effects. The big difference relates to where
the buzz comes from: natural coffee beans vs. laboratory
produced synthetic caffeine.
Just like with any other product found in nature, the
caffeine in the coffee beans comes with many by-products
which are not easily separated from the pure caffeine
elements. natural caffeine comes with fibers and other
organic substances which reduce the absorption of the
caffeine into the bloodstream.
In most energy drinks, the caffeine is synthetically
produced in a factory. This synthetic caffeine has one
advantage over natural caffeine: it is extremely potent.
All of the natural byproducts that come with natural caffeine
from coffee beans or Guarana are not present with laboratory
caffeine. It is also much cheaper to produce than natural
caffeine, another great thing, from the manufacturer's point
of view. Unfortunately, from a consumer's point of view, this
concentrated caffeine blast is absorbed into the bloodstream
almost as soon as it hits the stomach.
Natural products like the actual coffee from coffee beans,
Guarana seeds or tea leaves, are absorbed more gradually by
the body. They are also not as concentrated and therefore
less toxic than the chemical caffeine in most energy drinks.
Here are some advantages of natural caffeine (whether it be
in coffee, tea or Guarana). Firstly, the increased mental
alertness is longer. Instead of the instant high you get
from most energy drinks and then the subsequent downfall,
you get a sustained feeling of mental clarity for a few
hours and the effect eventually wears off more naturally and
gradually.
Secondly, continuous exposure to synthetic caffeine over
saturates our nervous system. If this excessive exposure
continues, our nerves go haywire. This is Mother Nature's
way of telling us to be careful. Our hands may quiver,
nervous habits develop; our body starts to show signs of
stress not different from those related to anxiety or
depression. Not recommended for anyone.
With guaranine or tea or natural coffee beans, our digestive
and circulatory system can easily eliminate the excess
quantities without unduly affecting the nervous system. But
even with natural stimulants, they must be used carefully
and not in excessive amounts. It is best to stick with one
cup per day; of coffee (not the grande which is really like
6 coffees) or one 12 oz can of a natural energy drink or
unsweetened cold tea.
Organic coffees don't contain any of the chemicals used in
large farming operations. (http://www.wholefoods.com) Whole
Foods Markets has a wide variety of these.
Some natural energy drinks that are recommended :
GURU Energy Drinks and Syzmo. They are both made with
natural caffeine from Guarana and/or coffee. What's good
about GURU is that it is entirely natural, has no
artificial sweeteners or vitamins. Sysmo is made from good
ingredients but is more costly, and is an acquired taste.
Both of these are available on the
respective companies' website and at
(http://www.wholefoods.com) Whole Foods Markets.
With regards to teas; cold, brewed teas will provide the
best combination of anti-oxidants and natural caffeine. A
good brand is ITOEN, from Japan. Itoen Teas seems to be
the purest, unsweetened product out there. The Zen taste
grows on you after a couple of bottles. Another cool brand is
the US based Honest Tea, but they recently sold out to Coke
and now it seems they're selling out to the sweeter American
taste buds.
artificial caffeine, HFCS (ref:
(http://www.westonaprice.org/
Double Danger of HFCS), Taurine and of course, to somehow
validate everything, synthetically produced vitamins. This
cocktail of chemicals will do more harm than good. It
already has.
More and more people that consume the traditional energy
drink regularly or even daily have already or are destined
to eventually suffer from stomach, kidney, liver or heart
problems. Not to mention the effects these chemical
cocktails can have on one's teeth (premature enamel
degradation) or skin (dehydration related blotching).
An entire new generation is coming into adulthood without
their parents' coffee routine, but with a morning, afternoon
or evening energy drink. Sometimes all three. Many spend
hours online gaming, instead of exercising, which
accentuates the problem with energy drinks, introducing type
2 diabetes and other sedentary diseases.
Why should we be concerned about this new variety of mental
stimulant? A cup or two of coffee every day has never caused
serious health effects. The big difference relates to where
the buzz comes from: natural coffee beans vs. laboratory
produced synthetic caffeine.
Just like with any other product found in nature, the
caffeine in the coffee beans comes with many by-products
which are not easily separated from the pure caffeine
elements. natural caffeine comes with fibers and other
organic substances which reduce the absorption of the
caffeine into the bloodstream.
In most energy drinks, the caffeine is synthetically
produced in a factory. This synthetic caffeine has one
advantage over natural caffeine: it is extremely potent.
All of the natural byproducts that come with natural caffeine
from coffee beans or Guarana are not present with laboratory
caffeine. It is also much cheaper to produce than natural
caffeine, another great thing, from the manufacturer's point
of view. Unfortunately, from a consumer's point of view, this
concentrated caffeine blast is absorbed into the bloodstream
almost as soon as it hits the stomach.
Natural products like the actual coffee from coffee beans,
Guarana seeds or tea leaves, are absorbed more gradually by
the body. They are also not as concentrated and therefore
less toxic than the chemical caffeine in most energy drinks.
Here are some advantages of natural caffeine (whether it be
in coffee, tea or Guarana). Firstly, the increased mental
alertness is longer. Instead of the instant high you get
from most energy drinks and then the subsequent downfall,
you get a sustained feeling of mental clarity for a few
hours and the effect eventually wears off more naturally and
gradually.
Secondly, continuous exposure to synthetic caffeine over
saturates our nervous system. If this excessive exposure
continues, our nerves go haywire. This is Mother Nature's
way of telling us to be careful. Our hands may quiver,
nervous habits develop; our body starts to show signs of
stress not different from those related to anxiety or
depression. Not recommended for anyone.
With guaranine or tea or natural coffee beans, our digestive
and circulatory system can easily eliminate the excess
quantities without unduly affecting the nervous system. But
even with natural stimulants, they must be used carefully
and not in excessive amounts. It is best to stick with one
cup per day; of coffee (not the grande which is really like
6 coffees) or one 12 oz can of a natural energy drink or
unsweetened cold tea.
Organic coffees don't contain any of the chemicals used in
large farming operations. (http://www.wholefoods.com) Whole
Foods Markets has a wide variety of these.
Some natural energy drinks that are recommended :
GURU Energy Drinks and Syzmo. They are both made with
natural caffeine from Guarana and/or coffee. What's good
about GURU is that it is entirely natural, has no
artificial sweeteners or vitamins. Sysmo is made from good
ingredients but is more costly, and is an acquired taste.
Both of these are available on the
respective companies' website and at
(http://www.wholefoods.com) Whole Foods Markets.
With regards to teas; cold, brewed teas will provide the
best combination of anti-oxidants and natural caffeine. A
good brand is ITOEN, from Japan. Itoen Teas seems to be
the purest, unsweetened product out there. The Zen taste
grows on you after a couple of bottles. Another cool brand is
the US based Honest Tea, but they recently sold out to Coke
and now it seems they're selling out to the sweeter American
taste buds.
Friday, 26 December 2008
Is There A Link Between Coffee And High Blood Pressure?
It's no surprise to my friends and family that I pride
myself on living a healthy lifestyle. This is why, I
suppose only half-joking, that they refer to my Grande
coffee from Starbucks as my "vice."
A friend recently told me to "watch out," while at Starbucks
the other day as I drank my coffee because her doctor told
her that coffee can contribute to high blood pressure, or
hypertension.
Watch out? My friend was telling me this quite literally,
as she was exhaling cigarette smoke. Did her doctor mention
that this behavior is far more a contributor to high
blood pressure?
Did the doctor actually state that more than anything, my
friend's overindulgence in food, smoking and sometimes
alcohol largely caused her hypertension but she only heard
"coffee?" Hard to know but I was curious, why did the
doctor even list coffee as a contributor?
To date, there is no definitive evidence that coffee leads
to the development of high blood pressure.
Some studies have shown that drinking coffee does raise
one's blood pressure slightly, but only temporarily. In
fact, these same studies have shown that over time, this
slight increase in blood pressure is reduced.
Researchers are starting to notice that the reason coffee is
so often associated with the actual contributors to
hypertension (cigarettes, and obesity) is because many
people tend to combine drinking coffee with these bad
behaviors.
Does this mean that coffee causes hypertention? No - it is
not coffee's fault that some people cannot drink a cup of
coffee without partnering it with cigarettes and/or over
eating.
While I'm always excited to read about amazing results from
people who've given up coffee and reduced their blood
pressure, I'm even more interested in knowing what other bad
behaviors where dropped when these people gave up coffee.
I believe moderation truly is the key as far as coffee (and
well, everything) is concerned. I like my coffee and will
continue to drink my occasional cup until proven otherwise.
myself on living a healthy lifestyle. This is why, I
suppose only half-joking, that they refer to my Grande
coffee from Starbucks as my "vice."
A friend recently told me to "watch out," while at Starbucks
the other day as I drank my coffee because her doctor told
her that coffee can contribute to high blood pressure, or
hypertension.
Watch out? My friend was telling me this quite literally,
as she was exhaling cigarette smoke. Did her doctor mention
that this behavior is far more a contributor to high
blood pressure?
Did the doctor actually state that more than anything, my
friend's overindulgence in food, smoking and sometimes
alcohol largely caused her hypertension but she only heard
"coffee?" Hard to know but I was curious, why did the
doctor even list coffee as a contributor?
To date, there is no definitive evidence that coffee leads
to the development of high blood pressure.
Some studies have shown that drinking coffee does raise
one's blood pressure slightly, but only temporarily. In
fact, these same studies have shown that over time, this
slight increase in blood pressure is reduced.
Researchers are starting to notice that the reason coffee is
so often associated with the actual contributors to
hypertension (cigarettes, and obesity) is because many
people tend to combine drinking coffee with these bad
behaviors.
Does this mean that coffee causes hypertention? No - it is
not coffee's fault that some people cannot drink a cup of
coffee without partnering it with cigarettes and/or over
eating.
While I'm always excited to read about amazing results from
people who've given up coffee and reduced their blood
pressure, I'm even more interested in knowing what other bad
behaviors where dropped when these people gave up coffee.
I believe moderation truly is the key as far as coffee (and
well, everything) is concerned. I like my coffee and will
continue to drink my occasional cup until proven otherwise.
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