6 (New) Ultimate Flat-Belly Summer Foods

It’s summertime—are you in swimsuit shape?

Even if you’ve spent the past months dieting yourself into fit form, a few poor food choices each week can quickly add up to a juggernaut of jiggle well before Labor Day. Don’t believe us? Consider the caloric damage of typical summer activities—weekly backyard BBQs provide pounds of juicy burgers topped with gobs of high-calorie condiments; ice cream dates offer options of double and triple scoops, smothered in sugar-packed and fat-blasted toppings; and seasonal drink choices (the kind you add umbrellas to and sip from faux-coconuts) guarantee you’ll wash it all down with hundreds of extra calories. Not exactly flat-belly fare.

That’s why Eat This Not That! The Best (and Worst )! has developed this list of 6 essential summer foods. The more of these bulge-battlers you eat, the better your chances of keeping those abs flat throughout this skin-baring season.

QUINOA

Per ¼ cup:

• 170 calories
• 2.5 g fat
• 7 g protein
• 3 g fiber

For starters, anytime you choose a whole-grain product over one made from nutrient-stripped white flour, you wage war against belly fat. Penn State researchers found that dieters who ate whole-grains lost twice as much belly fat as those who stuck to white-flour products—even though they’d consumed the same number of calories. What’s more, quinoa contains twice the belly-filling protein as regular cereal grains, fewer glucose-raising carbohydrates, and even a handful of healthy fats. So start your day off with a cup of cooked quinoa combined with a ½ cup of milk and ½ cup of blueberries—microwave for 60 seconds, and you have a delicious (and slimming) alternative to your traditional oatmeal. Bob’s Red Mill Organic Quinoa won “Best Grain” in the Men’s Health 125 Best Foods For Men Awards 2009. See the other Best Foods For Men winners here.

GREEN TEA

• 0 calories

Catechins, the powerful antioxidants found in green tea, are known to increase metabolism. A study by Japanese researchers found that participants who consumed 690 milligrams of catechins from green tea daily had significantly lower body mass indexes and smaller waist measurements than those in a control group. It’s safe to say that green tea is one of the best beverages for your health.

KEFIR

Per cup:

• 174 calories
• 2 g fat
• 14 g protein
• 3 g fiber

Think of kefir as drinkable yogurt, or an extra-thick, protein-packed smoothie. In either case, this delicious dairy product is a belly-blasting essential. Beyond the satiety-inducing protein, the probiotics in kefir may also speed weight loss. British scientists found that these active organisms boosted the breakdown of fat molecules in mice, preventing the rodents from gaining weight. The researchers still need to prove the finding in humans, but there’s no danger in downing probiotic-packed products. We like Lifeway Lowfat Blueberry Kefir—it contains L. casei, the same probiotic used in the study.

AVOCADO

Per avocado:

• 322 calories
• 29 g fat (4 g saturated, 20 g monounsaturated)
• 13 g fiber
• 4 g protein

Never fear this full-fat Mediterranean-diet staple: It’s teeming with healthy monounsaturated fats (also found in olive oil), which have been linked to lowered LDL cholesterol levels and weight-loss. In fact, a recent longitudinal study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that the healthy-fat Mediterranean diet was more effective than a diet that avoided fats altogether—so go ahead and indulge! (The fats you should not indulge in, however, are artery-clogging trans-fats.

EGGS

Per 1 large scrambled egg:

• 102 calories
• 7 g fat (2 g saturated)
• 7 g protein

A British study found that people who increased the percentage of protein-based calories in their diet burned 71 more calories a day (that’s 7.4 pounds a year!). Jump-start your metabolism as soon as you wake up with a protein-rich breakfast of scrambled eggs.

GRAPEFRUIT

Per grapefruit:

• 104 calories
• 4 g fiber
• 2 g protein

A grapefruit a day in addition to your regular meals can speed weight loss. The fruit’s acidity slows digestion, meaning it takes longer to move through your system, and you’ll end up feeling fuller, and more satisfied, for longer. And the vitamin C-packed grapefruit works to lower cholesterol and decrease risk of stroke, heart disease, and some types of cancer.

By Dave Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, Men's Health

Posted: True Health Is True Wealth

Related Resources: More Healthy Eating Advice

• Eat This Not That! The Best (& Worst!) Foods in America!: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution
• America's Healthiest (and unhealthiest) Supermarket Foods

Green Tea Slows Prostate Cancer

Active compounds in green tea may slow the progression of prostate cancer, according to a new study published in Cancer Prevention Research.

The study, which was conducted at Louisiana State University, also showed that green tea might lower the incidence of prostate cancer in the first place.

The study is one of the few green tea trials that evaluated biomarkers in order to predict prostate cancer’s progression, said study leader James A. Cardelli, director of basic and translational research in the Feist-Weiller Cancer Center at LSU University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport.

The biomarkers tracked were PSA (prostate specific antigen), HGF (hepatocyte growth factor), and VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor).

The study, which used compounds of green tea polyphenols in the form of Polyphon E provided by Polyphenon Pharma, involved 26 men ages 41 to 72 who were scheduled for radical prostactectomies. For an average of about 35 days up until the day before surgery, each man took four capsules of Polyphenon E, which was equal to drinking 12 cups of normally brewed green tea.

The researchers found that the green tea compounds significantly reduced serum levels of PSA, HGF, and VEGF, with reductions as great as 30 percent in some patients.

There were few side effects, and other biomarkers were “positively affected,” Cardelli said.

Referring to the LSU study and to a year-long clinical trial in Italy involving green tea polyphenols, Cardelli said, “These studies are just the beginning and a lot of work remains to be done. However, we think that the use of tea polyphenols alone or in combination with other compounds currently used for cancer therapy should be explored as an approach to prevent cancer progression and recurrence.”

-James A. Cardilli - Director of basic and translational research in the Feist-Weiller Cancer Center at LSU University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport

Posted: True Health Is True Wealth

32 Girls Have Died

11,916 adverse events already reported to the CDC… and counting. 

Pain and swelling. Life-threatening muscle weakness. Blood clots in the heart and lungs.

And the deaths of 32 innocent girls and young women.

You might think I'm talking about a deadly new disease or a global epidemic…

I'm not.

Sadly, it's more sinister than that. The health threats listed above have all been linked with Gardasil, the so-called "cervical cancer vaccine." And thanks to Pharma giant Merck, desperate parents and naive young women believe this vaccine saves lives… they couldn't be more wrong.

That's why HSI's Jenny Thompson has released a new video in which she exposes the deception for what it is…and reveals some truly shocking information no one else is talking about.

And you are the very first to see it.

Please, if you have daughters, granddaughters or friends who might be considering this terrible vaccine, you must watch this video. And please forward it to anyone you think would benefit from the vital information it contains.

If you think you know the whole story on Gardasil, I think you'll be shocked by what you're about to see. Just click here to start watching the video. It's just a few minutes long…and those few minutes might just save a young girl's life.

Be sure to checkout: HPV Vaccine Dangers 

Suorce: HSI Code Red

Posted: True Health Is True Wealth

Related Articles:  Why Use Vaccine For HPV When Green Tea Works?

A Drink for a Smaller Waist

There’s an easy way to turn a routine workout into a powerful waist-whittler: Drink green tea. 

That’s right. Ditch the Gatorade and instead sip several mugs of the green stuff throughout the day. Research shows that the wonder duo of green tea and exercise may target belly fat better, so it shrinks more easily than with exercise alone. 

Fat-Busting Brew
In a study, overweight adults who engaged in an exercise program for 12 weeks lost more belly fat if they also drank green tea daily. The green tea seemed to boost overall weight loss and triglyceride control in the study group, too. The magic amount of tea needed for the effect? Enough to get about 625 milligrams of catechins plus a little caffeine every day (roughly 7 cups daily). 

The Power of Green
Researchers think that catechins in green tea might blast tummy fat by acting on enzymes that influence the body’s calorie- and fat-burning mechanisms. And catechins and caffeine together may boost the body’s metabolism. Brew up a pot of tea the next time friends visit and you can all enjoy these extra benefits as well:

• More Energy
  
• Healthier Joints
  
• Stronger Heart
  

Source:  RealAge

Related Articles: Foods That Fight Belly Fat

Why Use Vaccine for HPV When Green Tea Works?

A botanical ointment containing a green tea extract called sinecatechins is an effective treatment for external genital and anal warts, according to the results of a controlled study. Genital and anal warts are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), and there has been a lack of effective, well tolerated treatments. Researchers assigned over 500 adults with 30 warts to either sinecatechins ointment or a placebo. In the sinecatechins groups, warts cleared completely in roughly 57 percent of patients, compared to just 34 percent of subjects in the control group. Sources: Reuters June 6, 2008 Obstetrics and Gynecology, June 2008; 111(6):1371-1379 There are more than 100 types of human papillomaviruses (HPVs). Of them, only 10-30 can cause cervical cancer. The rest can lead to skin infections that cause genital warts or common warts on your hands and feet. Although these are very common viruses, and an estimated 25 million Americans have HPV infections, there’s actually little cause for alarm because, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states, “In 90 percent of cases, your body’s immune system clears the HPV infection naturally within two years.” This is true whether the infection is the type that can cause warts or cancer.   And as you will see, simple alternatives exist in lieu of more dangerous alternatives to battle this common virus. The Many Healing Powers of Green Tea Green tea catechins are a class of polyphenols, which are naturally occurring antioxidants. The health benefits of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) -- the main active component of tea polyphenol's biological activity – are plentiful, including the prevention of: Alzheimer’s disease High blood lipid Arteriosclerosis Cerebral thrombus Prostate cancer Heart attack and stroke Other research has found that you can increase the benefits of drinking green tea by adding vitamin Cas it boosts the amount of catechins available for your body to absorb. In fact, citrus juice increased available catechin levels by more than five times, causing 80 percent of tea's catechins to remain bioavailable. Green tea has even been found to have fat-burning properties, and now we can add topical green tea catechins for the treatment of genital warts to the growing list of its healing and health-inducing properties.  Which is a great thing considering the unacceptable -- to me, and many other natural health experts -- alternative of the HPV vaccine.  Do You Understand the Risks of the HPV Vaccine? The marketers of Merck’s HPV vaccine Gardasil would like you to believe that getting your daughter vaccinated can save her from HPV related illnesses like cervical cancer and genital warts.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  First of all, the Gardasil vaccine contains just four types of HPV out of the more than 100 strains. If you contract one of the 96+ types that aren’t included, you’re out of luck. And, if you’ve already been exposed to one of the four types of virus in the vaccine, it doesn’t work against those either.  So, even if you accept the risks and get vaccinated, your chances of getting some form of HPV arestill very high. Whether or not the HPV virus will lead to genital warts or cervical cancer, however, depends in large part on the state of your immune system. Personally, I don’t see how the mediocre-at-best benefits of Gardasil could possibly outweigh its risks.  As of last October, 3,461 complaints about Gardasil had been filed with the FDA's Vaccine Adverse Event Report System (VAERS), and 11 girls had died after exposure to the vaccine.   I just checked the VAERS database as I sat down to write this article, and it now contains 6,760 adverse event reports, and 16 deaths. The numbers just continue to get worse.  Get a Clue!!   In my neck of the woods they call this increase a giant clue.  So if you haven’t already figured out to avoid this vaccine you will want to do more homework. Another point to consider is that you can’t sue the vaccine manufacturer if your child dies.  These companies have cleverly manipulated the government so they are immune from prosecution and have made the U.S. taxpayers foot the bill for the hundreds of millions of dollars that are paid out to families of children who are harmed or killed every year from vaccines.   Even though it is incredibly difficult -- nearly impossible -- to get one of these payments, there have already been more than $1.5 billion dollars given to affected families. So ponder on these stats if you haven’t already taken a firm position on the vaccine issue.  How Does HPV Vaccine Kill?   The causes of death include blood clots, acute respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, and “sudden death” due to “unknown causes” shortly after receiving the vaccine. Clearly, no one knows the full extent of the biological harm that this vaccine inflicts. But I think most people would agree that teenagers don’t normally drop dead of natural causes. Even more disturbing is the fact that these numbers don’t seem to shock or dismay officials. They’re “consistent with those expected from any vaccine.”  According to the American Cancer Society, some 3,870 women will die from cervical cancer in the U.S. in 2008. Well. We’ve already lost 16 girls, some as young as 12, in the effort to spare them from the possibility of cervical cancer later in life.   Surely I’m not the only one who sees that as morally reprehensible! And how many people have everdied from genital warts?  Cervical Cancer Virtually 100% Avoidable Cervical cancer is well documented to be caused by an infection acquired through sexual contact. So it is behaviorally avoidable. According to a New England Journal of Medicine study, the use of condoms reduces the incidence of HPV by 70 percent, offering FAR better protection than Gardasil. According to the CDC, HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in America. More than 6 million women contract it annually, yet as I already mentioned, less than 3,900 women die from cervical cancer out of those 6 million. Why? Because your immune system is usually strong enough to clear up this kind of infection on its own, and does so in more than 90 percent of all cases. Rather than subjecting your daughter (and now possibly your son!) to this unnecessary and potentially dangerous vaccine, you may want to nip the problem in the bud before it ever starts. Here’s how: Recognize that cervical cancer (or any cancer) is not caused by a “vaccine deficiency.” Talk to your kids about HPV. This infection is sexually transmitted, so it is 100 percent preventable through lifestyle choices. Realize the power of your emotions. An emerging school of thought called German New Medicine (GNM) shows how specific stressful events or “conflict shocks” trigger cancer and other diseases in your body. Dr. Ryke Geerd Hamer, who developed GNM, believes that cancer is a phase that occurs while your body heals itself from this emotional trauma, and that the key to overcoming the disease lies in resolving your emotional conflicts.  Keep your immune system strong. A healthy immune system is better able to handle a heavier emotional and physical stress load. The ideal healthy habits to keep your body and mind strong are detailed in these 12 changes that will cut your cancer risk in half. Dr. Mercola's Comments  32 Girls Have Died