Tag Living Well | resveralife

April 20, 2017 by Victoria Santalesa

Pump Up the Fiber In Your Diet

Fiber is necessary for a person’s well being. It increases the immune system in the gut, keeps the digestive lining healthy, supports the good probiotic bacteria, and absorbs excess cholesterol, fat, and toxins from our bodies. Here are some ways of increasing the fiber in your diet.

Cereal
Eating whole grain, unsweetened cereal with 4 grams of fiber is the ideal, but some studies show that just any old cereal might do the trick. According to research done by the University of California, cereal eaters eat less fat and more fiber than those who make other breakfast choices.

Two Apples A Day
Keep two doctors away? Apples are a source of pectin. Pectin is a soluble fiber that digests slowly and helps to keep you full. One study showed that just 5 grams of the stuff left people feeling satisfied for four hours.

yogurt parfait

Yogurt Parfait
Here’s a great breakfast idea that’s packed with fiber. Mix one small container of yogurt with 1/3 cup all-bran cereal, 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed, and 5 diced strawberries. Not only will you get a delicious breakfast, you’ll also get 12.2 grams of fiber, which is almost half your daily allowance.

Carrots and Broccoli in Low -Fat Ranch
Each cup of veggies will give you five grams of fiber. Snack on this three times a week.

Oatmeal
If a bowl of the stuff is not your style, you can use oatmeal instead of bread crumbs on your meatballs and meatloaf, sprinkle it on your ice cream, or bake it into cookies and muffins.

Trail mix
Mix raisins, peanuts, chocolate-covered soy nuts, and high fiber cereal for a great munchie mix. One handful makes for great high fiber between- meals snack.

whole grain crackers

Whole Grain Crackers
A little cracker can go a long way. One whole wheat cracker has 1/2 gram of fiber; do the math and that translates to 5 grams in ten crackers. Next time your looking for something to spread your peanut butter on, look for some whole grain crackers instead of bread.

Kidney Beans and Chickpeas
Lisa Andrews, RD, and nutritionist at the VA Medical Center in Cincinnati, says that you can get an additional 5 grams of fiber by adding a quarter cup of chickpeas and kidney beans to your next salad.

Switch From White to a Brown Foods
Rice is a great example. You can also switch regular pasta to whole wheat along with your corn burritos, white bread and cous cous. Working these into your diet gradually can increase your daily fiber intake by an easy ten grams without making a radical change to your diet.

What are you doing to pump up the fiber in your diet? Let us know!

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April 4, 2017 by Victoria Santalesa

Secrets To Pumping Up Your Metabolism

“Oh, I just have a fast metabolism.” Heard that one before? To many of us, a fast metabolism is some kind of body double that lives inside a select few people exercising and burning calories while their perfect outer shells sit and pig out on the couch. Well, that’s not far from the truth. Metabolism does work on its own to burn calories and shed fat, and the faster it runs the more calories you burn. However, it’s not only a select few that can reap the benefits. The truth is that you have a huge amount of control over the rate of your metabolism. And to prove it, here are some things that you too can sit back and let your fast metabolism do the work.

Green Tea
Tammy Lakatos Shames, RD, calls green tea “the closest thing to a metabolism potion.” Green tea contains a fat burning plant compound called ECGC. One study showed that people who consumed three to five cups a day of the brew for 12 weeks showed a 4.6 decrease in body weight; other studies suggest that consuming two to four cups of the tea can burn an extra fifty calories daily – five pounds a year, if you do the math.

Dairy
Did you spend last night binge watching “Empire” with an open bag of chips on hand? You can redeem yourself with an eight-ounce glass of milk or a six-ounce container of low-fat yogurt. Calcium boosts metabolism by increasing the rate at which your body disposes of waste, says a University of Copenhagen study. Supplements will not do the job, so let’s hope you like milk.

Iron
Women lose iron when they ovulate, a loss which does not bode well for your metabolic speed. Iron carries oxygen to your muscles. When there is a deficiency of oxygen, your energy levels tank and your metabolism hits the brakes. Shames advises stocking up on iron with beans, dark leafy greens, and fortified cereal.

Working Out

Woman working out

Interval training
If you want a quick metabolism boost, and to save some time in the process, increase the intensity of your workout. One Australian study pitted two group of female stationary bicyclists against each other. One group rode for 40 minutes at a moderate pace, and one group rode for 20-minute intervals, alternating 8-second sprints with 12 seconds of low-impact pedaling. After 15 weeks, the interval trainers lost three times as much body weight as the other group. Lead researcher, Ethlyn Gail Trapp, PhD, suggests that whatever method of exercise you choose, your should start with an 8-second sprint followed by 12 seconds of easy exercise. Aim to work up to 10 sprints in 20 minutes.

Fish Oil
According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, popping fish oil supplements when you exercise can stimulate your fat burning enzymes. Volunteers who took six grams of fish oil daily and worked out three times per week reported an average loss of 3.4 pounds over 12 weeks, while non-pill poppers saw minimal effects. Take two pills containing 300 mg EPA and 200 mg DHA per capsule two hours before you workout for best results.

Woman and child making salad

Diet
According to the National Institutes of Health, fatty fish like tuna, salmon, and sardines send “I’m full triggers to your brain, eliminating cravings. Another word to the wise, skip the cocktails. Two mixed drinks can slow down the calorie burn by 73 percent. Researchers from the University of Berkeley say that this is because the liver converts alcohol to acetate and uses that as fuel instead of your stores of fat. Another word of advice? Sleep well. It will help you regulate hormones that regulate energy use.

Got it? Now get out there and speed up that metabolism! Let us know how it goes for you. We love to get your stories!

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Bottle of Chainti with glass of it poured out and grapes

February 5, 2015 by Resveralife

Resveralife Live Well: Health Benefits of Chianti Wine

Authentic Chianti wine is wine that has been produced in the Chianti region of Tuscany, Italy. Chianti wine has a rich and interesting history that dates back to as early as the thirteenth century. The first reference to the Chianti region of wine dates back to 1716 and referred to the area around the villages of Gaiole, Castellina and Radda. Most people associate Chianti wine as a red, though it was not always so. Some of the initial mentions of Chianti wine, in 1398, reported that Chianti was a locally produced white wine. In the 1970s, the percentage of white grapes used in the production of Chianti wine dropped significantly.

Currently, there are seven Chianti zones: Chianti Classico, Chianti Montalbano, Chianti Collo Fiorentini, Chianti Rufini, Colli Sensei, Colli Pisne and Colli Aretini. Chianti wine has flavors and notes of cherry, strawberry, plum, almonds, vanilla, spice, tobacco and coffee. Made from primarily Sangiovese grapes, Chianti wine is a decadent delight. The benefits of Chianti do not stop with it’s taste. Keep reading to learn some of the interesting health and beauty benefits of Chianti wine.

Body

Red wines, such as Chianti, contain polyphenol. Polyphenol helps to strengthen your gums and teeth as you sip your glass of wine. Additionally, reservatrol is an ingredient found in red wine that is currently being studied for it’s long-term health benefits. Reservatrol is thought to reduce cancer growth and to aid the body by stimulating the release of insulin.

Skin

Red wines such as Chianti contain a number of ingredients that have skincare benefits. The reservatrol found in Chianti wine helps slow the growth of bacteria. Alpha hydroxy acids are also found in red wines, like Chianti, and these are very beneficial to your skin. AHAs are both a natural antiseptic and and anti-inflammatory. Some enthusiasts of Chianti and red wine suggest applying a bit to the face as a mask to help fight acne, clean out pores and help prevent future breakouts. Antioxidants in red wines, such as flavanoids and tannins, fight free radicals in the atmosphere. These antioxidants help stimulate the production of collagen, which gives a boost to sagging skin as it smooths out fine lines. Also found in red wines are an abundance of amino acids. Amino acids benefit your skin by forming a barrier to the skin that helps to reduce the damage done to your skin by harmful UV rays.

Hair

Once again reservatrol is responsible for a health and beauty benefit of Chianti wine, this time it it is your tresses that reap the rewards. Reservatrol fights inflammation and cell death, which means that hair loss is reduced. Drinking Chitanti wine stimulates circulation, which strengthens the blood vessels of the scalp and reduces dandruff and flakiness of the scalp.

Chianti is a complex, luxurious tasting wine hailing from the Chianti region Italy. Consumed in moderation, it produces a number of health and beauty benefits that range from slowing the growth of cancer cells to keeping your hair on your head. Most experts agree that ½ to 1 glass of red wine daily is sufficient to provide health benefits without being damaging to your body.

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Living Well

Pump Up the Fiber In Your Diet

Secrets To Pumping Up Your Metabolism

Resveralife Live Well: Health Benefits of Chianti Wine

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