Usana BiOmega - High Quality Ultra-pure Fish-Oil Supplement

By Angela Giles

Usana BiOmega is a fish oil supplement produced from the laboratories of Usana Health Sciences, a company engaged in providing high quality nutritional care since 1992. Usana BiOmega supplements the body's requirements of omega-3 fatty acids which are important for general health.

There are many varieties of fatty acids both saturated and unsaturated. Unsaturated fatty acids are beneficial for health. Omega-3 is one such family of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Two of its important members are DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). Scientific studies have confirmed that both DHA and EPA play a key role in preventing the onset of heart disease.

More than their benefit to the heart, DHA and EPA stimulate neural development, strengthen the immune system and maintain bone health. Some investigations have also linked them to prevention of psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and Huntington's disease and even certain types of cancer.

DHA has been discovered in dominant quantities in the brain cells of fetuses and infants. They have been proven to help in the neural development both before and after birth. Studies have revealed that they can also improve learning, behavioral and other development related functions in young children.

All oily fish like sardines, mackerel, salmon and herring found in cold sea water are a rich source of fatty acids. But along with the beneficial acids, they also contain traces of nickel, lead, mercury and other heavy metals which can be harmful to the health. Commercial refining processes, in their effort to remove contaminants, also tend to remove the fatty acids.

Usana BiOmega supplement is manufactured using a proprietary refining process known as double molecular distillation. This process performs the dual function of extracting omega-3 fatty acids and totally eliminating the heavy metals and pesticides. EPA and DHA are both maintained in a fresh state using natural preservative agents.

Vitamin-D is a nutrient that is lacking in regular diet but is quite helpful in supporting bone health and lung functionality. Usana BiOmega contains additional dosage of Vitamin D along with the omega-3 acids. The capsules are lemon-flavored to take care of the aftertaste left by fish oil.

Usana BiOmega capsules are made in full accordance with the purity and potency norms of USP. They are superior to other fish-oil supplements in the market in terms of their purity and are recommended for adults and pregnant women alike. - 17268

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Health Secrets of the Acai Berry

By Carter Sinclair

Acai berry supplement is something we've all heard of now. It was featured on Oprah as the #1 superfood and has been all over the internet and news. What is all the hype about this little amazing berry.

The Acai Berry comes from the Amazon Rainforest and has been named the "miraculous fruit". It is a small round shaped berry, much like the blueberry, but a dark dark purple in color. They grow as a bunch, much like bananas.

The Acai berry has been produced and made into energy drinks, granola bars, and even ice creams for those looking to try out its healthy nutrients. Many chefs are even experimenting with its flavor in dishes and in the future you may find yourself ordering it in an exotic restaurant.

Acai berry is a vitamin and nutrient all in one and is great for your health. It is beneficial to your body because of the mass amounts of vitamins and minerals. That is why many fanatics can't get enough of the Acai berry.

Of all the fruits Acai berry has the hightest antioxidant count found in any fruit. Antioxidants work amazingly well for a body cleanser and early research shows Acai is a proven cancer fighter. Antioxidants help to improve your immune system to fight off viruses and colds such as the flu.

While it would be nice to grab a handful of these a day and be done with it, you can't eat them straight off the tree like you would a blackberry off a bush. The Acai Berry needs to be harvested and the acai juices are what is processed and sold in stores. - 17268

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Babies and organic foods

By Karol Wariala

Brought to you by: Dressing Oil. The prepared baby food market has registered a new stage in its evolution with the introduction of organic baby foods. Lots of parents are concerned about the quality of the products they feed their very young siblings on. Organic baby foods are therefore one of the best solutions a parent can have to give a child the first solid food meal in his/her life. There are several organic food brands that enjoy the top preferences of the consumers and plenty of reviews are available to check online. Lots of the items available are refrigerated or frozen, with almost a ban put on canned preservation.

The preference for refrigerated organic baby foods is that the natural flavor and the nutrients remain intact. There are no chemical stimulants, no hormones and zero pesticides used as ingredients for organic baby foods, because the fruit, vegetables, dairy products and meat that make their primary matter come from organic crops and farms. Lots of parents choose to cook organic baby foods at home without paying lots of money on the ready-made ones.

Specialists in fact consider that this is the best chance for the kid to benefit from a a solid rock health and a proper nutrition.

In case you purchase organic baby foods, make sure to stick to the nutrition stage corresponding to the baby's age. Thus, there are usually super-smooth, smooth and even chunky organic baby foods starting from four months of age and up to a year onwards. While for small babies the meals will be rather simpler, toddlers will definitely be in need of more complex meals.

The Internet provides a really comprehensive source of information for organic baby foods and brands that are best sold in a certain part of the world.

Organic baby foods are recommended by pediatricians and researchers all over the world, since regular foods are too treated with chemicals such as fertilizers and hormones that intoxicate a child's body. The consequences of poor food choices count digestive problems with food sensitivities, a low immune function, frequent colds and so on. Even if one cannot avoid using regular food 100%, at least try to create a balanced diet with as many organic baby foods as possible. Although the costs for the latter variant are higher, they are worth every penny if we consider the larger picture! - 17268

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How to Lose Fat Fast by Understanding Leptin: The Most Important Hormone You Never Heard Of

By By Joel Marion, CISSN, NSCA-CPT

LEPTI-WHA??

Its name is Leptin (derived from the Greek word leptos, meaning thin), and its without a doubt the most important hormone you probably never heard of.

You see, leptin was only first discovered just over 10 years ago, and as far as weight loss is concerned, thats extremely recent.

Leptins function? To communicate your nutritional status to your body and brain. Leptin levels are mediated by two things. One is your level of body fat. All else being equal, people with higher levels of body fat will have higher leptin levels than those with lower levels of body fat and vice versa.

Because leptin is secreted by fat cells, it makes sense that under normal conditions there is a direct correlation between leptin levels and the amount of fat you are carrying.

Unfortunately, when youre attempting to lose fat and begin to restrict calories, conditions are anything but normal and the body responds accordingly by lowering leptin levels.

This is because the second mediator of blood leptin levels is your calorie intake. Lower your calorie intake and leptin will fall, independent of body fat.

So, yes, you can be overweight and still suffer from low leptin levels " just go on a diet.

So what happens when leptin levels fall and why the heck does it matter?

Again, under normal conditions leptin levels are normal and the brain gets the signal loud and clear that nutrition intake is adequate. Metabolism is high and the internal environment of the body is one very conducive to fat burning.

Until you start dieting.

Go on a diet and leptin levels quickly plummet (by 50% or more after only one week), sending a signal to the body that youre semi-starved and not consuming enough calories.

This puts the breaks on metabolism and creates a hormonal environment extremely conducive to fat storage. Thyroid hormones (hormones extremely important to metabolism) respond by taking a dive and the abdominal fat-storing stress hormone cortisol skyrockets measurably.

HELLO belly fat.

And if that wasnt bad enough, the appetite stimulating hormones ghrelin, neuropeptide-Y, and anandamide all hop on board to make your life even more miserable.

You dont have to remember any of those names, just remember that when leptin drops, you get seriously hungry.

Despite having a pretty good reason for its reaction, its pretty ironic that our bodies are primed for fat loss at every other time except when we are trying to burn fat.

Wouldnt it be great if we could maintain high leptin levels and a body primed for fat burning while dieting? It would seemingly solve all of our problems.

But in order to do this, wed have to somehow keep leptin levels high as we attempt to lose those extra pounds.

HOW ABOUT SUPPLEMENTING WITH LEPTIN?

A couple of problems here: First, leptin is a protein based hormone, which means that it can not be taken orally (otherwise, it would simply be digested). So that rules out a leptin pill.

This leaves the method of supplemental leptin administration to injection. And leptin injections DO indeed work, reversing the metabolic adaptations to dieting and starvation even while continuing to restrict calories.

In 1996, Ahima et al. used leptin injections to reverse starvation-induced neuroendrocrine adaptations in mice.

Well, thats nice and all, but Im human. Point taken; research with rodents doesnt always correlate to similar findings in humans, however

In 1999, Heymsfield et al. performed a double-blind placebo controlled study analyzing weight loss over a 24-week period in 73 obese humans. Subjects either injected daily with leptin or a placebo (i.e. bogus alternative). At the end of the 24-week period, the leptin group lost significantly more weight than the placebo and a higher percentage of fat vs. muscle.

In 2002, Rosenbaum et al. administered low-dose leptin to subjects (male and female) who had dieted to a 10% decrease in body weight. During the diet period, thyroid hormone levels, 24-hr energy expenditure, and other metabolic markers substantially decreased. The result of the leptin replacement therapy?

All of these endocrine changes were reversedThyroid output and daily calorie burn increased back to pre-diet levels.

In 2003, Fogteloo et al. showed that leptin injections tended to reduce the decline of energy expenditure associated with energy restriction, whereas the tendency of energy intake to increase back to baseline levels in placebo-treated subjects was largely prevented in subjects treated with leptin.

Yeah, thats a mouthful. Let me put in simple terms: not only did the leptin group experience less of a decline in metabolism, but they were also less hungry, allowing them to more easily stick to the prescribed diet.

In 2004, Welt et al. reported that leptin given to a group of women with thyroid disorder immediately raised circulating concentrations of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4.

In 2005, Rosenbaum and company were at it again, again showing that energy expenditure and circulating concentrations of T3 and T4 all returned to pre-weight-loss levels with regular leptin injections.

So, as theorized, keeping leptin levels high during a diet does indeed solve our dilemma by avoiding the negative metabolic (and perhaps behavioral) adaptations that calorie restriction perpetuates.

The problem?

Daily leptin injections are far too expensive, costing thousands and thousands of dollars per week. So, we can pretty much forget about supplemental leptin as a solution (which is probably moot anyway considering that not too many people are going to voluntarily plunge a needle into their skin daily).

A REAL Solution

Now that we know that leptin injections arent going to save us, lets talk about the possibility of manipulating your bodys natural leptin production.

And Ive got good news " this can indeed be done, and without involving needles or thousands of dollars. In fact, well swap the injections and mounds of cash out for two things I can guarantee youre absolutely going to love: more calories and more carbs.

We know that leptin levels decrease by about 50% after only one week of dieting, but fortunately, it doesnt take nearly that long for leptin to bump back up with a substantial increase in caloric intake.

In fact, research has shown that it only takes about 12-24 hours.

So, the answer to the fat loss catch-22? Strategic high-calorie, high-carb CHEATING.

By strategically cheating with high calorie foods (and yes, even stuff like pizza, ice cream, wings, cookies, burgers, fries, etc), you can give leptin and metabolism a major boost mid-diet which sets you up for plenty of subsequent fat loss when you resume your reduced calorie eating regimen.

This means greater net fat loss week after week, and ultimately, a much more realistic, maintainable way to bring you to the body you truly want and deserve.

So whats so special about carbs?

Well, leptin, carbohydrate and insulin have been shown to have very strong ties.

Calories alone dont get the job done, as research shows that overfeeding on protein and fat has little effect on leptin.

In order to get a strong leptin response from overfeeding, there needs to be plenty of carbs in the mix. In fact, the relationship is SO strong that research conducted by Boden et al. at the Temple University School of Medicine shows that leptin levels will not fall even in response to all-out fasting so long as insulin and blood sugar are maintained via IV drip. Thats CRAZY.

Because of this carbohydrate/insulin-leptin relationship, it makes sense that foods combining both carbs and fat (like pizza, burgers, cookies, ice cream, etc) work best for reversing the negative adaptations caused by dieting because of the BIG-TIME insulin response they produce.

THIS is why strategic cheating with your favorite foods is so powerful. THIS is why you truly can use your favorite foods to lose fat faster than you ever could with restrictive dieting. THIS is freedom.

Essentially, its everything typical dieting isnt.

With regular dieting, come week two, youre screwed.

With strategic cheating, you can literally use ANY food you want to *ensure* that you never go a single day without a body primed for fat loss.

The cheat or not to cheat? I think the choice is clear. - 17268

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If you are looking for the best online fat loss program on the internet check out Joel Marion's Cheat Your Way Slim.