What You Don't Know About Acai

By Tina Fullton

If you have been reading any health magazines for a while, you are not likely to miss hearing or reading about acai. The acai berry has been in the news, featured in many TV shows such as in Oprah, featured in best selling books such as those by Dr. Nicholas Perricone and mentioned by many celebrities such as Rachel Ray. Many people have vowed that they will always live by the acai berry to save them from unbearable aches and pains.

What people already know about acai is that it is healthy. They may not know much more but from what they heard, it is very healthy. They have heard that it can potentially cure many diseases and illnesses. People heard that it gives you energy as well as curing any aches and pains. If they have heard of the ORAC value and chart, they might have heard that acai is usually put on top of the chart by many organizations.

Although people have heard of the acai, some of them think that it is some kind of fruit or even vegetable. Some think that is not neither fruit nor vegetable. In fact, the acai that most people refer to is the acai berry, although some may refer to acai pulp or acai juice. An acai berry is a little berry that is the size of a grape.

The tree that the acai berries grow on is the acai palm tree. This type of tree is called Euterpe oleracea. The acai palm tree is large and very tall. If you are standing at the base of an acai palm tree, you will think that it is almost as tall as the sky with branches of acai berries flowing downwards. There are many acai berries on each branch of the acai palm tree.

One of the most exciting fact about the acai berry is that it is very high in antioxidants. When compared to other fruits, acai has many more antioxidants, in both types and amounts! In 2005, a study published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition stated that the acai antioxidants are great against peroxyl radicals and peroxynitrite but not against hydroxyl radicals.

There are many more benefits of the acai berry such as the anticancer benefits. In 2006, the University of Florida published a research finding that shows that the acai berry may be part of a solution to cure cancer. In the lab, the acai berry extract actually destroyed some cancer cells. This is a great hope for scientists trying to find the cure for cancer.

Soon the world will know more about the acai berry. However, from what we already know, adding acai berry extract, juice or powder of some sort to your diet will help you stay healthy. It is accepted even in Scientific circles now that acai contains many things that your body needs to fight diseases and illnesses. Why wouldn't you want to eat some acai every day? - 17268

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Curious enough to learn more about the fantastic Acai berry? Visit us today at the Acai Berry products website to see actual, unbiased reviews of all Acai products available for you to buy, along with facts and research on Acai's history, benefits, and recipes!

Healthy Way Of Losing Weight Fast - 9 Lbs Every 11 Days

By Christine G. Shannon

A special occasion is coming up and you want to know how to lose weight and drop six pounds in a week. Well, besides trying to starve yourself, you can start losing weight fast if you start watching what you eat.

If you are interested in losing weight fast, you need to cut out fried foods, fatty foods, high carbohydrates, sugars and anything fatty. This list includes alcohol which is high in sugar and calories, sodas and juices. You can drink water, unsweetened tea or black coffee instead. If weight loss is your goal, you need to prepare yourself mentally. Visualize the new, thinner you but do not expect this weight loss overnight.

By eating lean meats, vegetables and fruit and watching your portions, pounds may start to drop off and you may be able to drop six pounds in a week. But some people also just lose what is often called "water weight" the first week. Since your body is 90% water, by not eating as much, you may not be taking in as much water through your food, so it is not a permanent weight loss, and will return when you start eating normal or take in more water.

If you want to drop six pounds in a week, you need to lower your calorie intake. It needs to be below what you burn to lose weight, so you might want to take up an activity such as swimming or walking. This will speed up your metabolism and tone your body. Doing such an activity means you should soon be losing weight successfully.

When you are looking to lose weight, you will find that cutting down on the portions that you eat, getting more active and eating more things that are good for you are very important for a start, but what happens when you plateau? You metabolism will adjust to the changes for better or for worse, and you will find that it can be even harder to lose weight.

This is the point at which a very restrictive diet stops working. The metabolism will try to make up for the deficit calorie intake. It will try to work with fewer calories, less sugar and fewer carbohydrates and hold on to fat stores in your cells. It is common at this point to feel like you are depriving yourself, give up the diet and adopt your old eating patterns again. This is the reason why some people end up even bigger than they were when they began dieting.

To learn how to lose weight, you have to balance the types of foods such as fat burning and nutritional, and portion sizes. By eating different types of food, at different intervals and numerous times per day, the metabolism will speed up and burn more calories, without the need for strenuous exercise.

When you are thinking about how burn fat through good nutrition, you will find that it is possible to lose eleven pounds every eleven days as long as you pay attention to the portions that are being used and the foods that you are consuming. - 17268

About the Author:

Christine G. Shannon uses the Effective Weight Loss Diets and she lost 22 lbs in 29 days. Get her free Fat-Fighter newsletter and the Fast Weight Loss Secret.

Cholesterol Blood Test - Why You Need One

By Adrian Fletcher

When you are at your doctors office for the next medical check-up, inquire about getting a cholesterol blood test if it has never been done before. This will help to assess if there are some lifestyle changes you need to make to maintain good health. After you attain a certain age, testing for cholesterol and other medical tests are done at regular intervals to keep you fit and as healthy as possible.

After analyzing your cholesterol blood test results, the doctor can advise you whether your cholesterol levels need to be lowered, or if your present lifestyle is enough to keep the cholesterol down. If it is needed to reduce your cholesterol then the doctor may prescribe some medicine but usually the first step to be done is diet control and a exercise plan.

Your cholesterol levels are significantly affected by your food intake. If you desire to improve or stabilize your cholesterol numbers, eating properly is crucial for this and for your overall health. However, you don't need to give up your favorite foods. It is helpful to seek help from a dietitian who will assist in developing a diet plan for you that will decrease your cholesterol levels and maintain them at healthier ranges. You most cases it is a simple case of portion control and switching certain ingredients.

If you are attempting to lower your cholesterol, there are many tasty foods available to you, and many different ways you can prepare them to maximize their nutritional value; finding healthy ways to eat the foods you love the most will help you stick to your diet and will help you get the best results.

You will be amazed at the vast array of cookbooks, online recipe columns, informative magazines, and heaps more available to you to help you prepare healthy, low cholesterol foods. Good, cholesterol friendly cookbooks will give you extensive lists of foods and just as importantly, teach you how to prepare them. Learning how to plan and prepare heart healthy, low cholesterol meals can be challenging and fun, and learning this new skill will help you incorporate these good habits into your lifestyle.

Getting support from your family members for the new diet changes will make it easier for you to follow it. If you can avoid all unhealthy food from your house with the support of your family, you will not feel tempted to eat such food to ruin your diet. Another plus is that the rest of your family can reap the benefits of eating healthier foods as well.

Within a few months of implementing your new habits, your health care provider will want you to have a new cholesterol blood test. A regular cholesterol blood test is the best way to ensure that your new habits are having the desired effect of lowering your cholesterol levels; if you are not making sufficient progress, you might need to make some additional changes. In addition to the test results, the way you feel will also indicate that you are moving towards a healthier lifestyle. - 17268

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Find out more about getting a cholesterol test and a cholesterol in blood test .

Information of better drug treatment center

By James Peterson

If you have a problem with alcohol or drugs, perhaps it is time to seek help from a drug treatment center or an adult rehabilitation center. An addiction to alcohol, opiates, methamphetamines, narcotics or other substances, whether they are legal or not is very difficult to overcome on your own. Many people become addicted to prescription drugs or OTC drugs, and do not believe it is a problem because they are legal.

It is advisable to go to a drug treatment center for an evaluation of your dependency. After the evaluation has been completed the treatment center can assess what your individual needs for detoxification is. Detoxification is the process your body goes through to cleanse itself of drugs or alcohol.

The detox process for alcoholics and drug users can be very uncomfortable and possibly medically dangerous. Depending on what substance you are addicted to the drug treatment center may find it necessary to gradually taper down your use until you are at a zero dose. The medical staff may prescribe other medication to ease the discomfort while closely monitoring your medical condition. It is not advised to just quit cold turkey. The time needed for detoxification can vary from patient to patient. It depends greatly on the substance that you have been using and the severity of your addiction.

Once you have been safely detoxed, the drug treatment center will likely begin behavioral therapy, counseling, group activities and even occupational therapy. They will teach you how to live your life outside of the adult rehabilitation center without using substances to cope with situations. They will teach you skills that you will need in order to stay clean and sober for the rest of your life. You will be taught to build a support network that will help you prevent relapse, and what to do in the event you do relapse.

When selecting an adult rehabilitation center, find a treatment center that offers aftercare sessions. Aftercare attendance is as important as the intensive treatment. Patients very often do extremely well while secluded in the safe haven of the treatment center. It is more difficult to remain sober when you are out in the real world again. The follow-up or aftercare sessions will help you transition and will reinforce your new skills. Many drug treatment centers will include family and loved ones in the follow up sessions.

When you think of being admitted to a drug treatment center or an adult rehabilitation center, you may worry about the cost of such a program. There are many drug treatment centers located all over the world. Most state governments operate treatment centers for people that do not have insurance or have be ordered by the courts to attend treatment. Almost all insurance plans will cover most of, if not all of the cost of a drug treatment center. Do not let the cost get in the way of entering an adult rehabilitation center; your life may depend on it. - 17268

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Get the best detailed information about drug treatment centers, Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center, Physical Rehabilitation Centers, Wilmington Treatment Center, Betty Ford Center etc.