Sex: The Forbidden FoodBy Dr. Matthew Anderson Sex. Now that I have your FULL attention, let's talk. Some of what I am about to tell you may sound humorous, but you usually laugh when you talk about sex anyway, right? However, the essence of this article is the truth -- and it really can affect your eating habits. Sex is a big problem in American society, a problem that we are not even close to resolving. We love it. We hate it. We are obsessed with it, yet we often act as if it does not exist. We think it's wonderful, exciting, good, bad, natural, unnatural, clean, dirty, acceptable and forbidden. We think sex education is important, but only because you can die from sex, not because sex is natural, wonderful and a gift from God. But maybe there is a clue here, in the "you can die from it" comment. Think about this. Let's say you are 12 years old and you watch TV after school for a week. At the end of this week you have seen over 100 murders. Right in front of your not-so-innocent eyes, you have watched 100 men, women and children die. Is there a point to this? Yes, there is. Violence, extreme violence, is OK with us. But not sex. Did that child see 100 people making love? No. We are, as a society, more comfortable ending life than creating it. Now you may be mumbling to yourself, "He's wrong about me. I don't like all this violence on TV. I don't let my kids watch it, either." OK, you are the exception to the rule. But keep reading. You may be surprised. I'm sure you will agree that we Americans are pretty confused about the subject of sex. That means that you have been affected in some way by the culture you live in. That sexual confusion has shaped your thinking and feeling at least to some extent. That confusion may actually be affecting your eating habits on a daily or weekly basis. To determine that effect, we have to ask some questions. 1. What is the connection between food and sex? Would you admit that sex is a sensual experience? Yes. Well, what about eating food? Yes, eating is a very sensual experience, particularly if you pay attention when you are doing it. Now, we have two sensual experiences, but one of them is far more socially acceptable than the other. Is it possible that the need for one could be sublimated or acted out in the other? Is it possible that your sexual energy is so unacceptable to you that you eat food instead of embracing your sexual feelings? I think it is entirely possible. 2. What is your sexual history? No, I am not asking you about sexual partners. I am asking a much deeper question. Who taught you about sex? What did they teach you? How comfortable were they in the discussion? What conclusions did you come to about sex? How comfortable are you now when you talk about sex? Do you ever talk about it? To whom and when? The issue here is attitude. Do you have a healthy and comfortable attitude about sex? I am not talking about morality or ethics here. I'm not preaching. I am talking about emotional comfort. If you are uncomfortable about the subject of sex, then you are probably at least as uncomfortable with sexual feelings. So guess what happens when you feel them? You eat. 3. When do you feel sexual? Maybe a better question would be, "Do you know when you feel sexual?" How many times a day do you have sexual feelings? Some of you are thinking, "I'm lucky if I feel that once a week." That's my point. These feelings occur much more frequently than you may realize. For example, how often are you aware of feeling angry or sad or hurt? Everyone has these feelings many times during the course of a week. Surprised? Look again, you will discover that I'm right about this. I'm saying that you have many feelings every day and that you eat to kill the ones that are not acceptable. I am also saying that sexual feelings occur as much as any other feeling. If you are not aware of them, you may be eating instead of experiencing them. 4. How can you tell if you are eating to kill your sexual feelings?
Second, look for the signs. Ask yourself, "Am I feeling sexual? What causes that feeling to arise in me? Is it OK if I feel it?" You will probably discover that your sexual energy becomes much more obvious to you – and more than once a week. Third and finally, decide what you are going to do with it. I am not encouraging you to act out irresponsibly. I am asking you to make adult, appropriate decisions about how you will explore and use this powerful and wonderful energy. Be creative. Have fun. Enjoy. [Ed. Note: Dr. Matthew Anderson is an author (The Prayer Diet), counselor (35 years) and national columnist/expert on weight loss, motivation, self-management and relationships. Find tough-minded, outside-the-box guidance for taking charge of your life and/or your weight, including Eating to Kill, Wake-Up 101 and Weight Loss as a Spiritual Journey. Click here to learn more.]
You have weapons of fat destruction. And you are hiding them--probably unknowingly. This explains why your waist is being defeated by enemy number 1: unsightly belly fat. As a biochemical evildoer, belly fat slowly destroys quality of life. Among men, it yields boobs. It keeps your soldier from standing at attention. Among women, it stores the "junk in the trunk." It smothers sex drive. It zaps life-giving energy. It disrupts mental focus. Are you ready to obliterate it? As a pharmaceutical chemist, I've uncovered four weapons of fat destruction: human growth hormone (HGH), leptin, IGF-1 and testosterone. These hormones not only destroy fat, they are also great for living young, building muscle, obtaining vibrant-looking skin and ensuring that your bedroom energy is rockin'. Unfortunately, if you are sporting belly fat, you probably have very little of them, courtesy of surging insulin levels. Insulin prevents your body from deploying these vital fat destroyers. The only way to get these weapons of fat destruction back on the front lines is to increase insulin sensitivity. Insulin sensitivity is the opposite of insulin resistance (type II diabetes). Sensitivity to insulin means that you won't have much of the fat storing-hormone in your belly. You will live thin and slim. Insensitivity means that your body is resistant to it and therefore does not use it up fast enough. As a result, you get fat. To increase insulin sensitivity, do the following:
[Ed. Note: Shane Ellison is known as "The People's Chemist." He holds a Master's degree in organic chemistry and has first-hand industry experience with drug research, design and synthesis. He is the author of Health Myths Exposed and The Hidden Truth About Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs. Get his FREE Life-Saving Health Briefs by clicking here.]
This famous cold soup is a refreshing summertime treat. And, it's packed with lycopene--a phytonutrient that fights heart disease and helps to guard against several cancers, including prostate cancer. Serves: 8
Ingredients 6 medium organic tomatoes Preparation Wash and prepare the vegetables. Core and finely chop the tomatoes; save the juice. Core, seed and finely chop the peppers, onions and shallots. Peel the cucumbers and slice them into quarters. In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, reserved tomato juice, canned tomato and lemon juice. Place all the ingredients in a nonreactive (nonmetal) bowl. Cover and chill. Serve cold. Nutritional Information 207 calories, 9.9 g total fat, 1.4 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 6.7 g monounsaturated fats, 1.4 g polyunsaturated fats, 0 mg cholesterol, 205 mg sodium, 26 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 7 g sugars, 5 g protein [Ed. Note: Kelley Lunsford is the Founder & CEO of Healing Gourmet, a multimedia company that educates on how foods promote health and protect against disease. She is also the creator of Healing Gourmet's Personalized Nutrition Software and Editor-in-Chief of the Healing Gourmet book series published by McGraw-Hill, including Eat to Fight Cancer, Eat to Beat Diabetes, Eat to Lower Cholesterol and Eat to Boost Fertility. For more information click here to visit her website.]
Say goodbye to long, slow, boring cardio exercises and start incinerating maximum fat in minimum time with killer workouts you can do in the privacy of your own home. Click here for details and to get on board now!
Happiness is a hot topic these days. Over the past couple of years, it has been a headline in virtually every major magazine and newspaper, and it has been the subject of several televisions shows, including Oprah. Yet, the interest in happiness is nothing really new. The ancient philosopher Aristotle claimed that happiness was the goal of human existence. He believed that all human behavior was motivated by the pursuit of happiness. Since then every serious philosopher has agreed. Even our founding fathers referred to the pursuit of happiness as one of the three basic rights. In so doing, they recognized how important happiness is to human beings. In the past, people looked for advice on how to become and remain happy from a number of sources. Some people turned to parents, grandparents and other family members who seemed to have developed some wisdom in this area over the course of a lifetime. Others relied on religion to point the way. For example, within the Jewish tradition it is believed that happiness and emotional well-being are a result of following ideas about how people are supposed to behave, which are found in the Ten Commandments, other sacred writings and the teachings of prominent religious leaders. Christians believe that happiness can be found by following what Jesus had to say about behavior. Even today, billions of people rely on religion for instructions on how to find contentment and satisfaction with life. Why has happiness become a newsworthy topic these days? Within the past 10 to 15 years there has been a concerted effort on the part of a number of psychologists to use science to figure out what happiness is and what factors actually enhance a person's overall level of happiness. The result has been a level of insight into the nature of happiness, which enables us to manage our level of happiness. It is much like a knowledge of how the human body gains and loses fat enables us to manage our body weight. In the coming weeks I will be sharing with you what science has revealed about the nature of happiness and how you can make use of this knowledge to enrich and enhance you life. As you make use of this information you should be able to experience a greater level of emotional well-being, contentment and satisfaction with life. [Ed. Note: Dr. Douglas Ramm is a psychologist, philosopher, author and leading researcher in the field of emotional well-being, contentment and life satisfaction. He has appeared on numerous radio and television talk shows where he shares insights for enhancing quality of life. Discover how to enhance yours at www.theformulaforhappiness.com.]
Traveling is the ultimate excuse for skipping workouts. From insufficient hotel gyms to tight time schedules, it's easy to justify laziness. Not anymore. Here are three kick-butt bodyweight exercises you can do anytime, anywhere to burn fat, stay energized and keep you in the fitness mindset so you'll avoid overeating. Do each exercise 6 to 20 times, depending on your fitness level. Rest as little as possible between exercises. Rest 1 to 2 minutes after completing the entire circuit. Repeat the circuit 2 to 4 times, depending on your fitness level and the amount of time you have for exercise. Take 2 seconds to lower your body and 1 second to return to the start position. 1. Prisoner Squat Push your hips back, as if you were sitting into a chair. (You can even set a chair behind you for guidance.) Lower until your butt reaches seat level, squeeze your butt and stand back up. Keep your elbows back and chest up to exercise your upper back and strengthen muscles weakened by poor posture. 2. Close-Grip Pushups 3. Plank For a once-a-month challenge, do each exercise to failure in your final round through the circuit. [Ed. Note: Craig Ballantyne is an expert consultant for Men's Health magazine. If you're looking to burn fat, build muscle and quickly step into the body you have always wanted with just three workouts each week, check out Craig's fat-loss system, Turbulence Training for Fat Loss.]
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As we age, our bodies change. For some women, these changes include hair loss and/or hair thinning. However, as technology and medical science continue to progress, more and more innovative alternatives have been developed. I have had many successful results treating women with this condition. Hair thinning and hair loss is an ever-growing concern affecting aging women from all ethnic backgrounds. It is estimated that at least 21 million women in the United States suffer from hair thinning or loss. Thinning most often starts around the forehead and the crown of the scalp - a condition that generally develops as women approach the age of 40. While approximately 13 percent of women experience hair thinning before menopause, that percentage reportedly increases to 37 percent after entering menopause. Though it is believed that hair loss is a caused by genetics, stress and poor diet, the most common cause of hair loss is brought on by declining estrogen levels. This is indeed common as women age. The steroid hormone responsible for hair loss is a derivative of testosterone called dihydroxytestosterone or DHT. Once a woman enters menopause, her estrogen levels will decline. With this, more testosterone is bio-available. It is converted to DHT in the root bulb and stem cell regions. This will result in a shorter hair-growth cycle, which will unavoidably lead to finer hair and hair shedding. However, hair shedding and thinning can be stopped and healthy re-growth can occur when the hormones are balanced. This is the solution for hair loss in women. In my practice, I have seen countless numbers of women dramatically reduce hair loss and profoundly improve hair growth using my two-step approach:
[Ed. note: Dr. Blossom Kunnel is an expert in integrative medicine specializing in women's health, hormone replacement, diabetes and hypertension, and is an avid researcher in Ayurvedic medicine and western integration.] |