3 Fabulous Foods for Weight Loss

With holiday mouth watering dinners wreaking havoc to our diet regimen,  we need all the help that we can get to survive.  Browse the internet for weight loss tips and ideas and what have yous that actually make sense.

There’s no one food that can magically transform an overweight body into an ideal figure. Eating plans that consist solely of grapefruit aren’t realistic or effective, nor are plans that promote eating only cabbage soup or special “weight-loss cookies.”

But there are foods that are beneficial to eat on the journey to a slimmer body.

Yogurt

A recent 14-day study was conducted by General Mills, makers of Yoplait yogurt, at the Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition in Minneapolis. The researchers investigated the diets of approximately 3,000 women ages 19 and older, and found that the women who consumed three or more servings of yogurt over the two-week period had a 15 percent lower body mass index (BMI) than those who did not eat any yogurt.

The weight-management potential of yogurt may come from the fact that while it can be high in calories, it’s still a relatively healthy snack food that promotes satiety. The women who ate yogurt regularly were also more like to have higher overall intakes of nutrients including calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B-12, magnesium, and phosphorous.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is packed with fiber, and there are several ways that dietary fiber may reduce the risk of weight gain or obesity. Dietary fiber, for example, slows digestion, prolonging a feeling of fullness, and foods high in fiber are usually low in fat and calories.

Fiber’s weight-loss benefit comes from the feeling of fullness it gives without adding many extra calories. Fiber may also reduce the absorption of fat to some extent. As an added benefit, oatmeal helps to lower “bad” LDL cholesterol.

That said, it’s best to avoid instant oatmeal, which may contain added sugar, and instead go for hearty, steel-cut oats topped with fresh berries or sliced bananas.

Soup

Soups contain a high percentage of water and can help dieters feel full quickly. Some health experts recommend eating a bowl of broth-based soup before a meal in order to curb hunger.

In a 2007 Consumer Reports study of diet plans, the highest marks were awarded to the Volumetrics diet created by U.S. nutritionist Barbara Rolls, which encourages dieters to consume a low-fat soup or salad before a meal to take the edge off their hunger.

Soup can also serve as a low-calorie meal, with added vegetables to increase the nutrient content. And it’s easy to make a large batch once a week and enjoy for several days. But remember, weight-loss benefits only apply to broth-based, low-calorie soups, not heavy, cream-based chowders and stews.

Weight Loss Tip? Science Says It’s Good to Cheat!

Holiday weight gain seems unavoidable, but a little knowledge can keep you from winding up with a jelly belly. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a day of indulgence—a day of big eating (like …Christmas) actually benefits your weight loss:

Splurging keeps you in the game. Desperate people do desperate things, and if you feel like you’re starving, you’re more apt to stray from your diet. A cheat day allows you to eat until you feel full and happy. If you’re working out and eating well, this weekly reward can keep you motivated.

Splurging stops cravings. If you get a taste of the foods you like, you’re less likely to overindulge when you cave. Studies show those who eat a balanced diet without cutting out the foods they love have more weight-loss success.

Splurging stops plateaus. Cheat days shock your body out of a routine—if you get used to eating fewer calories, you’ll stop losing as your body adjusts to the restricted-calorie schedule. Big days stoke your metabolism and save you from plateaus. And an added bonus: You’ll burn more fat at the gym—workouts are effective when you eat.

There’s no better day to cheat than Christmas. Slap on a pair of loose jeans and enjoy your day off. Then get back to business the next day.

Indigo extract effective treatment for psoriasis

Taiwanese investigators report that an ointment made from an extract of Indigo naturalis is effective in treatment-resistant plaque psoriasis — and the treatment appears to be safe.

Indigo naturalis is a plant that is the source of a dark blue dye. The extract has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of psoriasis, the researchers explain in the Archives of Dermatology.

Forty-two patients with recalcitrant plaque psoriasis applied indigo naturalis ointment or vehicle (sham ointment) topically to two symmetrical psoriatic plaque lesions on each side of the body for 12 weeks.

Dr. Yin-Ku Lin of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taoyuan, Taiwan, and colleagues report “significant reductions” in scores of scaling, rash, and induration with indigo naturalis ointment.

The mean sum of these scores was 6.3 with indigo naturalis ointment and 12.8 with the vehicle, and the percentage of the plaque area remaining was 38.5 percent after indigo naturalis treatment compared with 90 percent with the vehicle ointment. Thirty-one of 42 patients (74 percent) experienced clearance or near-clearance of psoriasis lesions with indigo naturalis ointment.

Lin’s group reports that “severity was not a significant factor in predicting treatment success.”

They also point out that “the color and smell of indigo naturalis may affect compliance of the patients and the longer-term durability of the benefit simultaneously. The indigo naturalis ointment slightly stains the skin and clothing, which can be cleaned thoroughly by common detergents. Repeated application has no significant effect on skin color and will not change the skin appearance.”

On the plus side, “Indigo naturalis ointment treatment has neither adverse effects, such as those found with corticosteroid treatment, nor other toxic effects based on our past 5 years of clinical observation. Furthermore, it costs much less in comparison with other topical agents,” Lin and colleagues write. “We anticipate that indigo naturalis ointment can be an alternative or complementary therapy for psoriasis and believe it will be a great benefit to this large patient population.”