Diet | Beauty and Fashion Tech

Mar 27, 2012

Understanding the Health Benefits of Green Tea

March 27, 2012 By Carleenp Leave a Comment

Green tea has become more and more popular over the years. While people may have been attracted to green tea's ability to boost metabolism and burn fat, there are a number of reasons why green tea should be part of your diet. Let's take a closer look at the health benefits of green tea.

Metabolism Booster

There have been studies that have shown the weight loss effects that green tea offers. While it was once believed to simply be a by-product of the caffeine, even those that drank a decaffeinated version lost weight. While there are supplements that contain green tea extract, health professionals recommend drinking the tea instead. You should also avoid sweeteners, which could override the health benefits.

High in Antioxidants

Why are antioxidants important? Antioxidants do a number of things for the body depending on what type they are. In the case of green tea, the antioxidants work to protect the DNA and protect the body from cancer and blood clots.

Fights Cancer and Heart Disease

There are a number of reasons why green tea helps the body fight against cancer and heart disease. First of all, green tea is high in antioxidants. Second, green tea aids in weight loss and lowers cholesterol, which can both lead to heart disease. Green tea can also improve the flexibility of the blood vessels, which makes blood clots less likely.

Possible Prevention of Diabetes, Strokes and Dementia

As mentioned above, green tea's ability to aid in weight loss may help the fight against diabetes. Green tea can also be a great prevention against strokes. While studies have shown that green tea can prevent strokes, no one has figured out why. Last, but not least, green tea may be able to ward off dementia. As the tea is digested, chemicals are produced that protect the body against dementia.

While it is uncertain how much green tea should be drank each day, it is certain that there are health benefits to this beverage. It doesn't matter if you need to lose weight or not. It's easy to see that green tea can act as protection against many common diseases including heart disease, diabetes, dementia and even high cholesterol. Best of all, green tea is safe. The only thing you should watch out for is consuming too much. Drinking too much green tea can cause insomnia due to the high level of caffeine.

About the Author: Isabell Arms is an avid tea drinker who enjoys a nice mug of green tea each morning. She also enjoys sipping Oolong Tea and white tea and recommends goldenmoontea.com to anyone who wants to try a new blend of quality tea.

Disclosures: Beauty and Fashion Tech at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page

Filed Under: Detox, Diet and Fitness Tagged With: Diet, Tea

Feb 15, 2012

Fitness and Nutrition Tips from Dancers

February 15, 2012 By Carleenp Leave a Comment

In popular TV shows and music videos, hip-hop and b-boy dancers can be seen popping, locking, flipping and grooving. In theater, there are ballet dancers who do arabesques, lifts and plies. There are also jazz dancers who do splits and leaps.

Their hectic routines require strength, athleticism, flexibility and cardio-respiratory endurance, which are all the elements of physical fitness. The added pep and enjoyment of what they do gives them the edge over anyone else who is trying to lose weight and keep fit. Whether it is free style or choreographed, their performances are work outs that are fun and creative. So what do they do for nutrition and fitness?

First, one must choose a dance that he or she enjoys. This usually depends on a person’s musical tastes and preferences. Is it rock n’ roll? Or Latin music? Perhaps grooving to an R and B song at a club seems more appealing.

Apart from music, one must also think about which aspect of his or her health to improve one. Each dance has its focus and strengths. Ballroom dancing helps people with back problems as it strengthens their spinal posture and stance. Dances like Swing and Boogie increase one’s flexibility. Belly dancing originated in the Middle East and improves on a person’s abdominal and core muscles. Hip hop dances and its variations focus on one’s limbs and how they can be isolated or used to lift the whole body for tosses and flips.

Medical experts and personal trainers recommend that people exercise at least thirty minutes a day. A song usually lasts three to five minutes. In this sense, a busy person can divide his or her exercise into three mini dance sessions of two songs a day.

Two things dancers always do are warm up and cool down. Before doing their routines, they will stretch and flex to prepare their bodies. And after, they relax by lying or sitting down. Some of them even bath in ice to ease their muscle pains. These two things help them avoid injuries while dancing. Another thing dancers do to maintain a healthy lifestyle is to take routines slowly. Aiming to get stunts and choreography right all of a sudden is close to impossible. And missteps and falls are often the main causes of injuries.

The same principle can be applied to weight loss and starting one’s own fitness boot camp. Start light and slow and increase your pace and intensity as the days and weeks go along.

On their off days, dancers relax their muscles by doing pilates or yoga. These two exercises focus on muscle control and breathing.
When it comes to snacking, dancers need sugars, vitamins and carbohydrates for energy. They get these from fruits, vegetables and wheat foods like bread and cereals. To develop their muscles, they eat proteins like fish and chicken. They also get proteins from nuts and beans, which are good to nibble on. They also drink lots of water to refresh them after sweating through their performances.

FitFarms, the longest established fitness and weight loss camp in UK have been awarded No. 1 Weight Loss Camp by Virgin.

Filed Under: Diet and Fitness Tagged With: Dance, Diet, Fitness

Feb 14, 2012

Top 10 Healthiest Fruits

February 14, 2012 By Carleenp Leave a Comment

Although it is common knowledge the world over that fruits are super healthy, it is surprising to know that people still are to a large extent ignorant to the health benefits they offer. Considered here are the top ten healthiest fruits, judged by virtue of their vitamin C and anti-oxidant capacity:

Apples - it appears the old age saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is very much true, but in today’s world should be expanded to “a top ten fruit a day keeps the doctor away”. Apples are extremely nutritious and healthy, from the skin all the way down to the core. The skin is rich in pectin, a healthy dose of fiber in addition to a high amount of bioflavonoids and anti-oxidants. In addition the fiber content in apples has been shown to provide a modest improvement in cholesterol levels, as well as keeping constipation at bay and reducing risk of heart attacks. In addition to these numerous health benefits apples may suppress appetite, while being very calorie light. Feeling to have one? Go ahead, do yourself a favor!
Apricots - another super-fruit is the apricot, which provides a whopping dose of vitamins A, C and E, in addition to iron and carotenoids (compounds similar to Vit A) which may aid in warding off heart disease. They are also rich in lycopene, a compound that prevents growth of the prostate in the susceptible male population. They are also very low calorie, one fruit being only about 20 calories.
Bananas - these fruits are extremely rich in potassium, a mineral important in regulating muscular contractility and also possessing a role in control of blood pressure. They are rich in carbohydrates and soluble fiber, making them as sweet as they are healthy for you. The only slight drawback to this fruit is that they are calorie dense; so portion control is a must.
Various berries - berries offer a super dense source of anti-oxidants, Vitamin C and the important phytonutrient class of compounds. They are touted as being able to ward off cancer, heart disease and a host of other ailments. Among the berry family are blueberries; referred to as the big boy of the group, said to be able to delay onset/ prevent Alzheimer’s disease and reducing high blood pressure. Other notable mentions go out to strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Blueberries are used to treat night blindness.
Cantaloupe fruit - rich in potassium, carotenoids and Vitamin C, they boost the immune system, reduce inflammation and may prevent certain types of cancer. They are rich in fiber, but be wary; they are also rich in calories.
Cherries - rich in vitamins C, E, Iron, folic acid and flavonoids, they are effective in reducing inflammation, improving bad LDL levels and may offer you enhanced cardio protective effects (heart protecting).
Citrus - most renowned for their Vitamin C content, these are probably also the best tasting fruits out there. Also, similar to other fruits, they provide a decent amount of fiber and may delay/ prevent certain types of cancer. The most commonly consumed citrus fruits are oranges, tangerines, lemons, pink grapefruits and limes. Citrus fruits are often used in alternative medicine.
Kiwi - a comparison conducted based on weight shows these fruits are more than 200% more vitamin c dense that oranges. The bioflavonoids contained in kiwis also have demonstrated a role in prevention of asthma attacks in pediatric patients. They also deliver an excellent amount of Vitamin E, magnesium and potassium.
Paw-paw (papaya) - rich in vitamins C, E carotenoids and a rare group of compounds; digestive enzymes, which help promote complete absorption of proteins and carbohydrates from the diet. They are very tasty and yield modest calories per serving size.
Grapes - while all grapes offer health benefits, red grapes offer the most profound benefits. They are rich in iron, potassium, fiber and abundant anti-oxidants. Red grapes also contain one of the most highly publicized anti-oxidants; resveratrol proven to decrease incidence of heart disease and cancer.