The author obviously hasn’t read anything from Mike McInnes – the creator of the Honey and The Hibernation Diet – who is explaining very thoroughly the exact effect of honey over human body: “Honey, prior to bed, optimizes liver glycogen plenitude via fructose and glucose uptake, honey activates sleep via insulin and melatonin, honey promotes optimal recovery (fat burning)…” so in fact honey optimizes liver glycogen plenitude, doesn’t rise it up to the sky like the article’s author claims.

Anyway, I wouldn’t like to make this post written out of anger because some guy somewhere criticizes the honey and cinnamon for weight loss.

I know my regular reader and I know how many of them have actually lost pounds and have improved their health after taking the honey and cinnamon drink. Only a very few have reported minimal or no results. That’s normal of course there is no universal cure to work for everybody and that’s not only for weight loss, that’s a general truth.

Remember my articles about honey and cinnamon explaining why honey is so beneficial and why cinnamon is a true miracle:

Benefits of Honey for Fat Loss

Cinnamon – a Miracle in a Half  Teaspoon

In the comments to the Benefits of Honey for Fat Loss Mike McInnes himself  has explained in short the basic principles of the Hibernation Diet, the numerous benefits of honey, and the ways it could improve our overall health.

First of all you should not panic – that happens every spring to nearly all Americans. Americans gain at least 1 pound every year after the winter holiday season. You’d probably say 1 pound is nothing, and you’d be right 1 pound a year is nothing, but in the long run 1 pound every year can contribute to serious weight and even worse – obesity – problems in the not so distant future.

1 to 5 pounds are not so hard to get rid of. With more exercises and more fresh vegetable and fruits coming up on the market you will shed those 1 to 5 pounds in no time. But that’s not all… if you know which veggies to eat you can lose them even faster.

There are three special veggies from the cruciferous vegetables which fight belly fat quicker and easier than anything you know. And those veggies are: broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts. Kale and cabbage are also great for the purpose.

You might wonder why those veggies exactly… because they contain specific unique phytonutrients (indole-3-carbinol) that fight against estrogenic compounds.
It’s those estrogenic compounds like pesticides, herbicides, and certain petrochemicals from air and water pollution, also household cleaners, cosmetics, etc that can react with your body and make it store excess belly fat.

Unfortunately we can’t avoid those toxins in our everyday routine, but now we can fight them with broccoli, Brussels sprouts or cauliflower salad.

In this article I will focus your attention to garlic, which is not included in the above mentioned article. Everybody knows what garlic is and how it is used, but if you think it is used only in culinary then you will be surprised to find out that it is also used in medicine. Medical and health benefits of garlic are surprisingly too many, but I will try to describe them in short, as well as will emphasize on how it can help you stay healthy during this year’s flu pandemic.

Benefits of garlic

+ Antibacterial, antiviral, antimicrobical, antiseptic and antifungal properties
+ Prevents heart disease (atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure) and even cancer.
+ Early human studies suggest possible cardiovascular benefits
+ Another beneficial property of garlic is preventing and fighting the common cold.

Cold and coughs are in fact the main reasons why I chose to write about garlic during this flu pandemic. This is not a joke, garlic has solid backing during the long years of usage in herbal medicine. It’s the herbal medicine that proves garlic is great for hoarseness and coughs (The Cherokee also used it for coughs).

+ Garlic could regulate blood sugar levels after regular prolonged use of therapeutic amounts of garlic extract, but that doesn’t mean that people on insulin should start taking it right away (even in small amounts) without consulting their physician first.

+ High protein diet combined with garlic could boost testosterone.

To gain any of those benefits you need to actually consume the garlic (except probably for a few cases where you need to crush and rub with garlic – for example for fungal infection (such as thrush) you need to rub the infected area with the garlic clove).

In cases like cold or coughs you can consume the garlic while you eat your regular meals, or you can prepare garlic tea. I myself prefer to eat it with other food. Despite the unpleasant taste and bad breath if leaves, I am sure garlic works to protect me and my family from colds and flu, because we’ve been eating it since the beginning of the flu season this year and we are healthy like never before.

However most of those benefits are not proven scientifically on humans. Most trials are done with animals and do not have the credibility to be recommended for humans. For example the test for testosterone boost is done with rats; the test for lowering cholesterol is done with rabbits and so on…

Possible Side Effects of garlic

- Halitosis is one of the bad side effects of garlic and probably this is one of the most common reasons why people avoid eating it.

You should know that raw garlic is much more potent compared to the cooked one, so if you really want to experience any benefit of eating garlic – eat it raw.

Even if it is rear there are people allergic to plants from the same family where garlic belongs to. It is possible even the tiniest amount of garlic to cause allergic reaction such as diarrhea, nausea, breathing difficulty, irritable bowel.

Garlic Properties

Raw Garlic is rich in vitamins — Vit B1, Vit B2, Vit B3, Vit B6, Vit C; calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium.
All garlic properties are due to its potent compounds:

- Allicin is a strong antibiotic compound in garlic that is released when you crush a clove. It is perfect for strep throat recovery at home.
- Garlic also contains sulfur containing compounds, as well as non-sulfur compounds (such as allixin, which has antioxidant, anti microbial and anti tumor promoting effect).

I searched a lot and found out that Wonderlife offer similar protein powder supplements to the one I used. Judging from their supplement facts they also taste great.

Whey Protein Powder

It offers you two different flavors – chocolate and vanilla. There is no way not to like one of them. Mine is chocolate

Whey protein is one of the best and most valuable proteins for human body. It is isolated from whey and is very easily digested and absorbed. Whey protein powders contain all of the essential amino acids in biologically significant amounts, which make them one of the best and most complete sources of proteins and amino acids you can find.

Whey proteins have three main forms: concentrate, isolate and hydrolysate. Wonderlife Whey Protein Powder contains all of them. Here are its ingredients in short: whey protein concentrate, partially predigested (hydrolyzed) whey protein concentrate, micro-filtered and ion-exchanged whey protein isolate.

Egg Protein Powder

If you love vanilla flavor then this egg protein powder is just for you.

Egg white protein is very high valued and very important for our bodies. It scores 1.0 at PDCAAS (Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score), which is the most relevant measure of the quality of proteins for humans and by the way that is the official rating system used by the World Health Organization.

This egg white protein powder contains 23 g of proteins and 113 calories per serving. No sugar, no cholesterol and completely fat free.

The lower carb alternatives you gonna use should have identical taste as the original high carb foods. You will be very nicely surprised to find out that many of them actually taste better than the original high carb dishes.

Sandwich

You can substitute Chinese and Napa cabbage for bread. This way you eliminate 29 grams of carbs per sandwich.

Use one leaf of the cabbage and roll it up with your favorite filling and if you like you can dip it in low-fat mayo. Delicious.

Pizza

You can substitute Portobello mushroom for pizza crust. This way you eliminate 20 grams of carbs per pizza slice.

Cut the mushroom gills out and place the mushroom on an oiled cookie sheet and bake until it dries out a little. Add you favorite pizza topping (my favorite is tomato sauce, ham and sweet corn). Mmm, I got hungry

Pancakes

You can substitute Oatmeal and cottage cheese for pancake mix. This way you eliminate 45 grams of carbs per pancake.

Mix 2 eggs, ¼ cup of the cottage cheese and ½ cup of the oatmeal. Add vanilla, nutmeg or cinnamon
(you know the benefits of cinnamon). Make the mixture smooth and cook it like you do with the regular pancakes. I am going to try this immediately.

Then I thought… What if you could have your favorite fruit drink or smoothie ready in about 1 to 3 minutes? I’d be great!

This is possible if you use WonderSlim Protein Smoothies and Fruit Diet Drinks and it gets even better for you to know that those protein diet drinks are actually WonderSlim Diet meal replacements.

WonderSlim Diet Smoothies are high in protein, low in fat, and full of essential vitamins and minerals. You can enjoy their rich and creamy taste all year long, anywhere you like. As they are well balanced and nutritious you can take them instead of your regular meals or just as a quick and healthy snack.

These protein diet smoothies are the perfect solution for any busy dieter on the go who doesn’t want to sacrifice taste or nutrition and yet gets everything they need to lose weight healthy way or maintain your lost weight.
They are the ideal supplement to your WonderSlim Diet plan.

Preparation is easy – poor the contents of one packet (100 calories) into a glass, shaker cup or blender. Add 8 ounces of cold water and stir or shake vigorously until dissolved…

…Or you can use both the Berry and Strawberry Smoothies to make a frozen pudding pops like Liz (one of the many happy users of these wonderfully flavored protein diet smoothies):
She combines fresh or frozen fruits, adds plain yogurt and blends. Delicious and nutritious these could be great frozen snacks for the hot summer days.

First of all let’s remind us the number of calories contained in fats, proteins and carbohydrates:

1 gram of fat = 9 kilocalories ~ 37 kilojoules

1 gram of protein = 4 kilocalories ~ 16 kilojoules

1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 kilocalories ~ 16 kilojoules

And some more calorie values:

1 gram of alcohol = 7 kilocalories

1 gram of dietary fiber = 3 kilocalories

Having all these values in mind you can easily calculate the number of calories in food you eat every day. And how much calories you need a day is another question:

How to estimate your daily caloric needs

You can estimate your daily caloric intake with the Harris-Benedict formula. It helps you calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR), i.e. the optimum amount of energy your body needs to function.

Let’s calculate your BMR

To do that you need to use your current weight, height and age in step ONE. It’s easy:

Harris-Benedict formula for Women:

655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)

Harris-Benedict formula for Men:

66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)

Take your daily activities into account in step TWO:

• Add 20% of your BMR to your current BMR if you are sedentary: (0.2*BMR) + BMR

Means you spend all day sitting in a chair: for example working with a computer in a bank, home, office, etc.

• Add 30% of your BMR to your current BMR if you are lightly active: (0.3*BMR) + BMR

For example if you exercise 2-3 times a week.

• Add 40% of your BMR to your current BMR if you are moderately active: (0.4*BMR) + BMR

For example if you exercise 4-5 times a week.

• Add 50% of your BMR to your current BMR if you are very active: (0.5*BMR) + BMR

If you exercise every day of the week or for prolonged periods of time. For example if you are a fitness trainer.

• Add 60% of your BMR to your current BMR if you are extra active: (0.6*BMR) + BMR

If you are a professional athlete or if you work hard labor job.

How knowing your BMR will help you lose weight?

Knowing your BMR means you are aware of how much calories you need a day to keep your current weight. However, if you want to lose weight you need to cut your daily caloric intake (eat fewer calories) or burn the extra calories (through some activities). As a result you should keep your daily calorie intake lower than your BMR. How much lower? That’s the question: But before that you need to know:

Some more nutrition facts from Wikipedia:

Because human adipose (fat) tissue contains about 87% lipids, one kilogram of it stores the caloric energy of roughly 870 grams of pure fat, or 7800 kcal. In principle one has to create a 7800 kcal deficit or surplus between energy intake and use to lose or gain 1 kg of body fat, respectively, or 3500 kcal per pound. However, if one eats 7800 kcal more than the body needs, one won’t necessarily gain 1 kg of fat, since muscle and other tissues may be built. In the same way, if one eats 7800 kcal less than their maintenance level, they may not lose 1 kg of fat, since muscle and sugars may be metabolized to generate energy.

In short and still roughly speaking – in order to lose 1 pound a week you need to eat 500 calories less a day or burn those calories through exercising or other activities. For optimal results you should combine the two methods – eat 250 calories less and burn the rest 250 exercising.

Gradual weight loss is the healthiest way to achieve your desired weight

More than 2 pounds a week is not very healthy and the lost weight is not permanent. 1 to 2 pounds a week is natural weight loss – good for you and your body. You will be loosing weight with a smile on your face and won’t even notice you are dieting, because you will be dieting naturally.

Small calorie (aka gram calorie) is the energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 g (gram) of water by 1 degree Celsius (1.8 Fahrenheit).
1 cal equals to 4.184 joules (cal is the symbol for gram calorie)

Large calorie (aka kilogram calorie) is the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg (kilogram) of water with 1 degree Celsius (1.8 Fahrenheit).
1 kcal equals to 4.184 kilojoules = 4184 joules = 1000 cals (kcal is the symbol for kilogram calorie)

Although not a SI unit kilocalories are still the most common measurements for food energy. Hence the most common misconception that occurs when we talk about calories in food – despite we read calories or cals on food packages, the labeling actually refers to kilocalories when we talk about food.

For example: If a pack of crackers has 400 calories (or cals), it turns out that the calories (or cals) marked on the crackers package are actually kilocalories (or kcals), so it would be correct if written 400 kilocalories (or 400 kcals), but usually it’s not.

Often the word “calorie” (referring to kilocalorie) is capitalized (Calorie) in order to be distinguished from the small (gram) calorie, but this is not effective outside the specific context, so it’s practically useless.

The name “calorie” (referring to kilocalorie) is often used in medical sciences and non-scientific contexts. Whereas, the name “calorie” (referring strictly to the gram calorie) is used in scientific contexts such as chemistry and physics. Here’s why it is needed to be inferred from the context whether the gram calorie or the kilogram calorie is intended.

When we talk about exercises the same rule as in non-scientific context applies.

For example: If you normally burn 100 Calories (or cals) on the treadmill technically that refers to 100 kilocalories (or kcals).

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie

The research was conducted by a team of scientists from Purdue University in USA and was published in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience.

In the experiment were used two groups of rats – each fed with yoghurt. The first group was fed with artificial sweetened yoghurt and the second one with crystal sugar sweetened yoghurt. After that each group was given food – plenty of it. The results were amazing:

The group of rats fed with yoghurt sweetened with artificial sweetener gained more weight and put on more fat compared to the other group.

Imagine if you drink your favorite morning coffee sweetened with saccharin and then eat up a lot of the chocolates and sweets from the local vending machine. Eventually you gain weight, whereas your closest coworker drinks her coffee with sugar and stays the same weight. Sound terrible, but it could be true…

It is all explained by the theory for sweet expectations:

Normally the sweet taste in the mouth primes the metabolism for the arrival of more high caloric or sweet meal. When that meal does not arrive, according to the theory, the body might get confused and have problems to regulate its appetite when other food is present around.

If this theory is true the low-calorie artificial sweeteners could have a similar effect.

My opinion

Do not forget that artificial sweeteners have helped so many people to lose weight when eating foods sweetened with them. This is still a very solid fact and one single (although very interesting) study conducted using rats does not prove for sure anything and cannot overrule the many health benefits of using artificial sweeteners all at once.

I will try this theory myself and see if I feel the same way. Currently I am a sugar lover and I will be happy if all this turns out to be true, so I wouldn’t need to switch to sweeteners in order to lose weight.

Source: BBC News (February 2008)

Cinnamon Oranges

This is a very simple dessert that can be prepared easily any time of the year. Takes only 10 minutes to prepare and serve. As you might be guessing oranges taste best in the winter when they are at their peak, hence the cinnamon orange dessert will have better flavor if prepared in the winter. Lucky you, cause you can try it immediately and it will taste best.

Ingredients:
4 servings

4 navel oranges
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar or (1-2) tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation:

Peel the oranges and remove the white pith from them. Use sharp knife to cut each orange into 5 or 6 slices and arrange them on 4 plates. Mix the orange and lemon juices, add the sugar and cinnamon and whisk. Poor 1 spoon over each orange slice pile and you are ready to serve.

Variation:

Instead of 1 tablespoon of sugar you can use (1-2) tablespoons of honey.

Nutrition Facts:

This dessert is low in calories, sodium, and cholesterol with 86 calories, 2 mg sodium, no cholesterol, no fat, 1 g protein, 3 g fiber, and 258 mg potassium per serving.
Rich in Vitamin C – you get 150% of you daily value. Good for the heart.

Bon Appetit!