It’s official, a low-carb diet is better at burning fat than just cutting calories.

American scientists who were working to find out how diet affects the operation of the liver put 14 overweight people on either a low carbohydrate or low calorie diet.

They found those eating fewer carbs lost almost double the weight over two weeks, and several changes in liver function were identified as part of the reason why.

“Energy production is expensive for the liver,” says Dr Jeffrey Browning, assistant professor at the UT Southwestern Medical Centre, in Dallas, Texas.

“It appears that for the people on a low-carbohydrate diet, in order to meet that expense, their livers have to burn excess fat.”

The average weight loss for the low-calorie dieters was about 2.2kg, while the low-carb dieters lost about 4.3kg on average.

Technorati Tags: diet, weight loss

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Women find it harder to suppress their hunger and hence have difficulty LOSING WEIGHT, according to new research that may help explain their higher obesity rates.

US researchers quizzed 13 men and women about their favourite foods - which ranged from pizza to cinnamon buns and chocolate cake - and they were then asked to fast overnight.

The next day the hungry test subjects underwent brain scans while being presented with their favourite foods.

They also used a technique called cognitive inhibition, which they had been taught, in a bid to suppress thoughts of hunger and eating.

While both men and women said the technique decreased their hunger, the scans showed only the men’s brain activity actually decreased.

“Even though the women said they were less hungry when trying to inhibit their response to the food, their brains were still firing away in the regions that control the drive to eat,” says Gene-Jack Wang of Brookhaven National Laboratory.

“There is something going on in the female … the signal is so much different.”
This could explain why women do not find it easy to lose weight. There are no easy one-off solutions like fad diets, best diet pills and liposuction to weight loss. Having said that, there are simple and scientific approaches to fast, easy weight loss. However, one still needs to be disciplined and take a holistic approach to Weight Loss.

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A scientist has revealed how people could extend their lives by as much as 30 years in his extraordinary new book, The Anti-Ageing Protocol - a formula that is set to radically change our views - and experiences - of old age.

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This simple and delicious black bean tahini dip is abundant in calcium, folate (folic acid), manganese, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, and vitamin B1.

This dip is also rich in healthy protein, including an amino acid called tryptophan. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that is helpful for promoting restful sleep and good nervous system health.

Ingredients:

1 can black beans (about 2 cups), drained and rinsed
1/4 cup sesame tahini
3 cloves garlic, roughly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon or lime juice
1/2 cup water
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine black beans, tahini, garlic, lemon or lime juice, and water in a food processor or a strong blender and puree until smooth. Season with sea salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve as a dip with fresh vegetables and/or pita bread.

Technorati Tags: health

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Vegetarian Chili Recipe
Makes about 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 can kidney beans
1/2 cup lentils, cooked
1/2 cup bulgur wheat
1 large can (about 28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
2 cups yellow or red onion, finely chopped
1 cup bell pepper, finely chopped
1 cup diced carrots
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup vegetable broth
Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. In a large pot, saute onion, bell pepper, carrots, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until onions are translucent. Don’t burn the onions (about 5 minutes).

2. Add chili powder, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

3. Season with sea salt and pepper, to taste.

4. Add vegetable broth, kidney beans, bulgur wheat, lentils, and crushed tomatoes. Allow all ingredients to get close to boiling, then reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes, or until bulgur wheat is tender.

Serve when hot with fresh green salad and whole wheat bread. Freeze leftovers…it’s even better a day or two later.

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