Get the Real Skinny on Acai Berries and Belly Fat

Let's take this topic head-on, and instead of talking about all of the false claims about acai berries, we'll just stick to the basic facts. So what can the acai berry really do for you, and what are some facts about the properties of acai berries?

Most people have already heard the claims that acai berries are a super-antioxidant, which can be considered true. The acai berry, according to the ORAC, contains a much higher level of antioxidants than most other fruits.The USDA uses the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, or ORAC method to measure antioxidant capacities of different foods. But according to that same method, the coffee berry ranks as one of the most powerful antioxidants on the foods list. The marketers of acai berry products would have you believe otherwise.

But what are some of the other beneficial properties that acai berries can provide? Acai berries are high in Omega-3 oils and fiber. In combination with each other, these two will provide you with a fuller feeling, which - when eaten before a meal, can lower the amount of food consumed during the meal. This has helped fuel the claims that acai berries will lead to a slimmer waistline. However, along with any dietary supplement, a healthy, well balanced diet and plenty of exercise will do much more than any single "miracle" food. Let's face it, if we eat cookies, cake, ice cream and chips on a daily basis, even fire-roasted acai berries couldn't melt away those pounds. Reducing body fat has a direct correlation to reducing unhealthy doses of dietary fat. Replacing sugary snacks with healthy food choices like acai berries, you will gradually see a reduction in the amount of fat you store on your body.

Acai berries, like many other healthy fruits, should be considered a great source of nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber. While you shouldn't buy into the plethora of claims that surround the acai berry, supplements can be taken with the confidence that you will be receiving a healthy dose of antioxidants, as well as promoting a healthier you. All supplements should be used in addition to a well balanced diet that supports a healthy digestive system, which is key to staying in great shape.

Calming Heart Palpitations with Herbs, Foods, and Herbal Remedies

Heart palpitations can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. They can be uncomfortable and even scary, but are not always an indication of an unhealthy heart condition. Some common triggers can be menopause, anxiety or stress, an overactive thyroid gland, or a reaction to the consumption of alcohol, nicotine, or caffeine.

One of the most important things to do if you are having palpitations is to relax, and reduce stress. Regular exercise and relaxation techniques can help to reduce the amount of stress experienced on a daily basis, and breathing techniques can help you deal with stressful situations.

Replacing sugary and soda drinks with tea and fresh fruit and vegetable drinks can be highly beneficial, especially drinks that are rich in antioxidants, such as green tea, blackberry, cranberry, and many herbal teas. Artichoke leaves boiled in water (much like a tea) are rich in beneficial antioxidants. Fresh garlic is extremely healing, and has been used for centuries as an aid in heart health, and is reported to hault heart palpitations. There is an old folk remedy that calls for apple cider vinegar over a sugar cube or mixed into a tablespoon of honey or a glass of cold water, and is said to stop palpitations.

Other helpful herbs include: green tea, licorice, St. John's wort, lime leaves, orange leaves, basil, melissa, sage, and rose petals. You can also use essence of melissa, chamomile, and rose oil for aromatherapy healing.

If you are able to determine the triggers that cause your heart palpitations, you can learn to avoid them. These triggers can include food, stress, caffeine intake, tobacco, and even spicy foods. Incorporate foods that are high in vitamin E, which helps to reduce the risk of blood clots.

Heart palpitations can be a minor symptom of stress or improper diet, but if you are experiencing them on a regular basis, or are experiencing chest pain, sweating, or fainting, there could be a more serious underlying problem or an existing medical condition, such as thyroid or heart disease, and you may need the advice of a trained medical professional.

Turning Watermelon into Candy

My kids just love watermelon. But they always leave a mess when they eat it, and making melon balls just gave me the opportunity to make my own mess. I wanted a cleaner way to let them eat it, and have a large supply of the fruit available for them to eat. So a few years ago, I decided to try out dehydrating watermelon. I wasn’t sure how well it would work, due to the large water content, but the end result was a treat for the taste buds comparable to candy. Here is how I did it:

Slice watermelon about ¼ inch thick, and place in the dehydrator. Dry the fruit for about 12 hours, then turn it over. At this point, it may be extremely sticky or soggy, but don’t fret – just continue to dehydrate another 12 hours on the other side. Once the melon is dry, pull it off, it may be stuck and similar to the consistency of a fruit roll-up.

I found that dried watermelon was passable as candy when I tested it on a few children in the neighborhood. Not only was it a hit, but the parents asked me where to buy it! They couldn’t believe that it was just dried watermelon – but they were sure impressed.

You can grow your own watermelon in the spring, summer, and fall - dehydrate anything you don't eat, and save it for winter. This is an excellent way to enjoy the flavor and healthy benefits of real watermelon all year long, without worrying about high supermarket prices or seasonal shortages!

How to Make Artichokes - And Eat Them, Too!

One of the local stores in my area had a special on artichokes. Now, we live in a small town, so word spread fast. I got to the store, five artichokes for $5.00. Well, I'm from California (where nearly all U.S. artichokes come from), and it just didn't seem like a bargain to me. But I bought five of them anyway, they did look delicious. I eat mine with an unhealthy dose of mayonnaise, which some Californian's consider to be the "right" way. You can also use lemon juice, eat them plain, or another unhealthy choice - butter. They can be stuffed with just about anything, such as other vegetables, meats, or fish - and then baked. The can also be boiled, grilled, or steamed using a pressure cooker.

They are cooking as I write this, and I just realized that there were people out there who may wish to buy some, but aren't sure how to cook - or eat - an artichoke. They are fun to eat, taste delicious, and one or two is great as a meal in itself. But for those who want some simple instructions, here's a few links to get your artichokes cookin' - so have at it, and enjoy!

• For more step-by-step instructions, visit How to Make Artichokes Using a Pressure Cooker.
• For step-by-step instructions on how to cook artichokes, bright ideas, and entertaining anecdotes about artichokes, as well as instructions on how to eat them, Simply Recipies.
• For some extra, added flare, learn how to stuff them by visiting What's Cooking America.

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Getting the Most Leafy-Green Nutrition Out of Your Salads

Chances are, if you don't know a whole lot about the valuable nutrition of the various types of lettuce, you're buying a bag of pre-mixed lettuce, carrots, and cabbage, dabbing some dressing on it, and calling it a salad. Don't get me wrong, eating a salad of any kind beats a burger in the vita-race hands down. But iceberg lettuce is not the most nutritious lettuce you can offer up in your salads. Iceberg lettuce is mostly water, and does not offer a great deal of nutrition or dietary fiber. However, there are plenty of options to make your salad a gourmet treat, while getting more of the vitamins and fiber your body needs.

There are a great number of colorful varieties of lettuce and leafy greens you can put in your bowl, but some of them offer more vitamins than others. If you want to get the most nutrition out of your salad, try experimenting with the more colorful varieties of lettuce. The general rule of thumb with salad nutrition, is that the more colorful the ingredients in your salad bowl, the more nutrition it will offer. Dark green leafy vegetables offer a great deal of calcium, which is a suitable replacement for the suggested intake of dairy milk.

Romaine lettuce is an emerald green variety that is perfect for a Caesar salad, as well as a great addition to any chicken salads, and tastes great with heavy flavored dressings, such as sesame. You can usually buy Romaine in packages of three oblong heads, and most grocers also offer an alternative organic brand as well. Kale is very dark green, thick, and crisp. It makes an excellent last-minute addition to soups because it holds up well under the heat, and adds a wonderful flavor - great with small pieces of Italian sausage (or vegetarian substitute). Loose-leaf varieties, such as butterleaf, green, and red lettuce, have ruffled edges, and are an excellent lettuce for making dinner salads. Mesclun mixes are available either in pre-mixed bags, or in self-serve bins in the produce section. It usually includes endive, arugula, and chicories, and creates a beautiful mixture of varied greens, reds, and mohagany in your bowl.

For a real treat, try using a combination of lemon juice, sunflower seeds, and raisins instead of salad dressing - it produces a sweet and sour flavor, is low-fat, and compliments the flavor of almost any salad blend. Adding other colorful fruits, vegetables, and natural foods can help pack in the vitamins, protiens, and minerals your body needs to function properly, such as tomatoes, yellow or white corn, kidney beans, avocados, parmesian or cubed cheese, tofu, seeds (sesame and sunflower are delicious!), nuts, sprouts, bell peppers, jalapenos, onions, and garlic are just a few flavorful additions you can add to your creations!

Getting Nutrition When Fresh Fruits and Vegetables are Out of Season

For thousands of years, people have lived and trived in farming communities and eating the food that grew well in each season. This meant that to get certain fruits or vegetables year round, they had to be preserved, jellied, canned, or in some of the colder areas of the world, frozen. In many regions across the globe, people have adopted super fast eating habits and forgotten what it means to really eat healthy.

So what have we gained with this high-technology, super fast paced, eat-on-the-go lifestyle that we've created? Well, not really much of anything. In fact, we are loosing out on some of vital life-giving foods that we were meant to eat. Healthy to some has been reduced to ordering a burger flame broiled instead of fried. It's not that everyone should go so far as becoming lacto-ovo-vegetarians, I mean, you can if you want to, or even vegan for that matter, but everyone can benefit from knowing what foods you can get the most nutrition from in every season. Taking advantage of what is in the store during each season, along with healthy portions of whole grains, protiens, and carbohydrates.

We do have alternatives, some are more nutritious than others. If you have time, you can read the labels on frozen varieties. Not all frozen foods are created equal! Processing can take much of the nutritional value out of foods, and the less the fruits and veggies are processed, the least amount of vitamins and minerals are lost. Canned varieties are also a substitution if necessary, but because most of the products are heated during the canning process, much of the nutritional value is lost. Some of the natural nutrients present in fresh foods are sensitive to heat, and are destroyed when they reach certain temperatures.

For an indepth look into the nutritional content of many of the produce available on the market today, check out Dr. Decuypere's Nutrient Charts. You can learn what produce you may need in your diet to optimize your health. Some people can even get their daily requirements of nutrients by diet alone, without unhealthy chemical vitamin supplements. Keeping brown or whole grain rice and beans, a wide variety of other whole grains and legumes, oats, whole grain flour, and plenty of herbs and spices, you should be able to put together some very healthy meals, and some pretty healthy doses of B vitamins! If you enjoy meat, these ingredients will open up the possibilities of a nutritional meal. Even if you're not a total health nut, and just want to get a little more nutrition out of your diet, your healthy alternatives are limited only by your imagination. Remember this tip when serving up a meal: The more colorful and fresh the food is, the healthier it is. In other words, choose a wide variety of "colors" when selecting produce to get a wide variety of the vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that are needed by your body on a daily basis.