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goji berry capsulesVegetable of the Month Club

We should eat more vegetables. But knowing doesn't translate into doing.

So let's keep it simple. How can we get more of those wonderful veggies into our wonderful bodies?

Adopt a vegetable of the week or month. Experts say it take us that long to form a habit.

Start with an easy vegetable, say the carrot.

Consider the carrot's statistics: Carrots are crunchy like potato chips, but without the salt. And you definitely can't "inhale" an entire bag of carrots like you can with chips because carrots fill you up much sooner! That's a good thing, right?

Next time you're at the grocery store, buy a bag of carrots. Try the bite-size baby ones. No prep time!

When you get home, divide the big bag into smaller, sandwich-size bags and put them in the refrigerator. Take one with you to work each day. Need a snack? Reach for a carrot bag.

Then progress to other veggies--cucumbers, spinach, cauliflower.

Sure, you'll have to get creative with some of them. A little dip goes a long way toward making some vegetables more palatable.

Got a salad shooter? Haul it out, dust it off, and run broccoli, zucchini, and spinach through it. Any vegetable will do. A food processor works, too, just put the appliance in a spot where you can use it easily on a regular basis.

Once you've shredded or julienned your vegetables, add a couple spoonfuls of your favorite dressing and you've got a tasty salad. Throw in some mandarin oranges or a diced apple for a little sweetness and zip. Chopped nuts or sunflower seeds add extra flavor.

Be sure not to go overboard with the salad dressing. A couple spoonfuls should coat all of your vegetables.

Eat a vegetable salad every day for a month and see how good you feel!

Try some shredded veggies in a sandwich and decrease the amount of meat.

Do you need to consume the vegetables in their raw state? No, not at all. Cooking enhances the nutrition of many vegetables, including carrots, and often aids digestion.

So why not cook up a delicious, nutritious pot of vegetable soup. Great news for the culinary-challenged: Making delicious vegetable soup doesn't require "Iron Chef" status. Just add the vegetables of your choice, some seasoning, and water, then let it simmer.

Traditional soup vegetables include onions, carrots, and potatoes, but experiment with different, more exotic varieties.

Put the soup in a crock pot or slow cooker in the morning and come home to a delicious supper.

Add a small amount of beef or chicken for flavor if you prefer, maybe an ounce or two.

Leftovers make a quick, nutritious lunch the day next. Pack in a thermos to take with you and skip the cholesterol burger and fat fries.

Start your own Veggie of the Month Club. It'll be a healthy tradition!

Looking for diet and weight loss tips? Kathy Ferneau has created an excellent resource for information on diets, healthy eating, and exercise. Click here: http://www.lose-weight-diets.com

Helpful Hints to Lower Cholesterol

Are there ways you can lower cholesterol levels in my body without drugs? We live in such a drug heavy society that I want to be able to improve my health without taking drugs. Lowering cholesterol levels in our bodies can improve our overall health. It certainly isn�t that the drugs don�t work, they really will lower cholesterol in most cases, but there is that risk of long term or short term side effects from them.

One of the best ways to lower cholesterol levels is through diet. It sounds like a simple and straightforward solution to the problem, but it really is one of the best things you can do. By eating a low fat and low cholesterol diet, you can actually lower your cholesterol in addition to improving your overall health. The two go hand in hand and will help you feel better and put a smile on your face when those cholesterol level tests come back.

Another lifestyle change you can make to lower cholesterol is to exercise. One of the best steps you can take to lower your cholesterol is to improve your overall cardiovascular health through exercise. The exercise is actually not even what will lower your cholesterol. The exercise will strengthen your heart and your circulatory system to reverse the effects of high cholesterol.

This may seem obvious to some, but if you are a smoker, quit smoking. In smokers, the build of the plaque that high cholesterol builds in the arteries is accelerated. As the plaque builds up, your heart has to work harder and harder to push blood through the arteries. This harder work can cause a heart attack or even a stroke. If you quit smoking you can lower cholesterol levels and slow the build up of plaque in the arteries.

Get lower cholesterol levels by, of all things, taking it easy from time to time. Believe it or not, chronic stress can actually affect your cholesterol levels. In fact, if you are following a good diet, not smoking, and exercising but are still stressed, you may not see any improvement. Take the time to relax a little bit as part of your road to lower cholesterol levels. Get a massage, take a walk, or just kick back from time to time and enjoy time with your family or friends. Anything to make sure you are letting go of all the stresses in your life so that your body will be able to help you.

If you are trying to lower cholesterol levels, you will be amazed at how much you can actually accomplish without drugs. You can see improvement in a matter of weeks if you are disciplined and dedicated to making it happen without fear of side effects associated with certain drugs. Talk to your family doctor about other non-drug treatments to lower your cholesterol, and put yourself on the road to a healthier you without pumping prescription drugs into your body.

If you would like to find more of my personal articles on cholesterol please check out my health website!

Weight Loss and Fucoxanthin - Here's the Truth

Brown Seaweed contains Fucoxanthin. This is a pigment that gives the seaweed its brown color. It helps the seaweed to make chemical energy. Fucoxanthin is being studied for the purposes of weight loss and cancer fighting ability. It is used in Asian cuisine such as sushi, soups and salds.

Fat Burning?*

Rat studies have shown that Fucoxanthin may increase a protein in rats that causes fat to burn at a faster rate. The result is that these laboratory animals have a rapid loss of weight (fatty tissue). This protein is referred to as UCP1. It increases fat oxidation or fat burning.

Added advantage (An Antioxidant)

Fucoxanthin is an antioxidant. It helps to neutralize free radicals in the body. Free radicals are charged particles that the body generates in disease states (e.g. high blood pressure, obesity, atherosclerosis, cancer, etc.) and stress states. Free radicals promote aging and tissue damage in blood vessels and organs.

Added advantage (Omega-3 Fatty Acid)

In laboratory animals fed it with soybean oil, omega-3 fatty acid levels rose in the liver. Omega-3 fatty acids are thought to be heart friendly and protective against heart disease.

Final Words

Fucoxanthin is a promising nutritional supplement. Research continues in the areas of weight loss and omega-3 fatty acid levels. The studies involving fat-burning involves it raising the level of a protein called UCP1 that can burn fat at a faster rate in animal studies. Fucoxanthin is an excellent antioxidant.

*Read the Report: American Chemical Society's 232nd National Meeting & Exposition, San Francisco, Sept. 10-14, 2006. News release, American Chemical Society.

Fucoxanthin is used in Asian cuisine such as soups, salds, ans sushi. Brown Seaweed contains Fucoxanthin which is a pigment that gives the seaweed its brown color. There is some laboratory evidence that Fucoxanthin may induce weight loss. Fucoxanthin is contained in Fucoidan.

Get quality Fucoidan now: http://www.healthandwellnessmarketing.com/10.html

Orville Campbell, MD is an internist and nephrologist educated at Emory University. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. His expertise include: health and wellness, hypertension, diabetes, vitamin D, and kidney diseases.

http://www.ClaimWellness.com