Tuesday, May 31, 2011

11 Foods for Faster, Easier Weight Loss


by The Editors at RealAge, on Thu May 26, 2011 3:03pm PDT
Hold this thought: To lose weight effectively and permanently, you need to eat. And eat smart. Happily,  nature designed a lot of delicious edibles to turn up your fat-burning furnace, flatten your belly, and take a big bite out of your appetite. Here are 11 of the get-slim food gems we're talking about. 

 

Yogurt

 Yogurt

Mmmm. This creamy, tangy snack is loaded with calcium -- and studies show that calcium may curtail weight gain by hindering the absorption of fat in the small intestine. Check out these other good eats that are bursting with calcium.

 

Eggs

Eggs

Turn breakfast into a fat-burning morning boost by skipping the stack of pancakes and feasting on a couple of eggs instead. According to a study, huevos beat out carbs when it came to helping folks feel full longer and helping them beat back snack attacks later in the day. Here's how eggs helped folks lose 65% more body weight in a recent study.

 

Pistachios

Pistachios

Nuts may be high in fat, but it's the healthful unsaturated kind of fat found in pistachios. And like all nuts, pistachios offer lots of hunger-curbing protein and fiber. All of these qualities together explain why adding pistachios to the diet helped dieters in a study curb their appetites and lose more weight. Here's more on how pistachios and other nuts pull off this feeling-full feat.

Grapefruit

 Grapefruit

Of all the foods rumored to boost weight loss, grapefruit is likely the most famous. And research confirms that this fruit's get-slim celebrity status is for real. One study in particular revealed that eating half a grapefruit before each meal helped dieters shed more pounds than people who skipped the tart appetizer. Get hip to why most fad diets don't work and can actually be dangerous.

 

Avocado

Avocado

This green goddess of heavenly, creamy taste can help you whittle your waist. It's true! Researchers suspect that the unsaturated fat in avocados may ratchet up body levels of the hunger-halting hormone called leptin -- a hormone that lets your brain know that you're full, so you stop eating. Find out what fats make you hungrier and what ones can help curb the munchies.

 

Mushrooms

Mushrooms

If you want to try an easy and tasty calorie-cutting trick, then replace the meat in your favorite recipes with mushrooms. You'll automatically cut about 420 calories out of a meal, partly because you'll skip all the belly-padding saturated fat contained in meat. And folks in a recent study found mushrooms just as tasty and filling as meat.

 

Olive Oil

Olive Oil

This rich-tasting oil found in salad dressings and marinades contains a hunger-busting monounsaturated fat called oleic acid -- which triggers a complicated process in the gut that ultimately tells your brain you're full and makes you want to stop eating. Olive oil also plays a starring role in heart-healthy Mediterranean-style diets.

 

Whole Grains

Whole Grains

Ready to trade your belly bulge for a flat tummy? Then toss your refined grains into the garbage, and eat more whole grains instead. Research shows this one move can help whittle your middle. We're talking brown rice, quinoa, steel-cut oats, whole-grain cereal, and 100% whole-wheat bread and pasta. Discover how whole grains helped flatten the bellies of 3,000 men and women in a recent study.

 

Red Pepper

Red Pepper

Add some heat to your meals and you'll boost not only the taste but also the effectiveness of your weight loss diet. A dash of cayenne pepper or some diced jalapeno or red peppers will do the trick. They all contain capsaicin -- the heat-inducing compound in red peppers that, according to research, tamps down appetite and curbs food intake later in the day. A similar compound in sweet peppers may hinder fat storage, too.

 

Fava Beans

Fava Beans

Creamy and hearty, fava beans are a lean protein source bursting with flavonoids. And in a 14-year study, these special antioxidants were shown to help hinder the accumulation of extra belly fat. Slim your belly and your body with this fat-blasting plan from the YOU Docs.

 

Rice with Veggies

Rice with Veggies

Adding some high-fiber vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and kale to your rice will obviously help lower the calorie count. But not only that. Adding veggies to rice at lunchtime appears to slow stomach emptying, according to research. The end result? You feel full longer. In fact, people in a study ate much less at dinner when they added veggies to their rice at lunch. Here's more on how rice and vegetables work together to keep you full.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Newly wed royals to visit 7 Canadian cities, including Calgary during Stampede

CALGARY - Two of the country's biggest summer shindigs will bookend Prince William and Kate's visit to Canada — a trip the government is already expecting to be an international media circus.
The newlyweds will begin their first official overseas tour in Ottawa where they will attend Canada Day celebrations and end it at the Calgary Stampede, the world-famous annual hoedown in Alberta.
In the middle, there will be stops in Quebec City, Montreal, Yellowknife, Charlottetown, and Summerside, P.E.I. Kate is reportedly a big fan of "Anne of Green Gables," the legendary children's book set on Prince Edward Island.
"This is part of what nation building is all about — hosting these kind of events," Heritage Minister James Moore told a news conference in Calgary on Monday.
"Hosting the duke and duchess is an honour for Canada and we look forward to having them visit all of these different regions."
Most Canadians are familiar with the Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa, where thousands gather on Parliment Hill to wave flags, listen to music and enjoy a fireworks display.
Moore predicted William and Kate's appearance will swell crowds.
"We expect tens of thousands of people to come out," he said. "It will be perhaps the largest Canada Day celebration in history on Parliament Hill."
Calgary Stampede officials say they are thrilled about the royal visitors, but have no idea what role they will play while visiting.
Often referred to as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth," the Stampede attracts tourists from all over the globe each year. For 10 days the city becomes a bastion of cowboy kitch. Everyone from mild-mannered accountants to sales clerks to CEOs tosses away regular attire and switches to cowboy hats, boots and jeans.
The rodeo is the main draw, but there are other popular items as well. The midway cuisine this year includes a doughnut burger or pork chop on a stick along with favourites such as the hot beef sundae and just about any other item that can be deep fried.
The Stampede is not without it critics. Last year, a British group called League Against Cruel Sports suggested to British travel agencies that they refuse to offer vacation packages to the event. More than 50 MPs signed a motion in the British House of Commons that asked the Canadian government to improve how animals were treated at the rodeo.
Word of the royal visit had the owner of Cowboys, one of the busiest honky tonks during Stampede, offering William and Kate the royal treatment. Paul Vickers said that would include free two-step dance lessons, a chance to ride a mechanical bull and seats in the VIP section.
The venue has attracted royalty before. Prince William's younger brother, Harry, visited the bar while he was on leave from military training at CFB Suffield in southern Alberta four years ago.
"His brother probably put a good reference in for us," Vickers said with a laugh.
"Harry's been there so 100 per cent William knows who we are and may have the curiosity to see what all the fanfare was about. He's a young guy, too, and they are a young couple and it would not be politically incorrect for them to come."
Prince Harry's visit to the bar became fodder for British tabloids largely due to his "taking a shine" to a young female bartender. Cherie Cymbalisty sold the story of her encounter with the prince to a tabloid, which included details about sharing several private drinks with the prince and reportedly getting a kiss on the cheek from him.
The federal government is preparing for "massive" international media coverage of the tour. More than 85 journalists from the United Kingdom have already signed up to cover it. Only 18 came for the Queen's last trip to Canada last summer, Moore said.
Canadian taxpayers will be on the hook for costs associated with the visit. Moore would not give an estimate of the total, but said it would be under the $2 million shelled out for the Queen's trip.
"This is actually a very modest event in terms of costs. Many of the events that they are going to be taking part in are events that are already taking place ... so they will be visiting and taking in events that were already scheduled rather than doing events on the road, which sometimes can have some big costs."
The government says a full itinerary is being developed with municipal, provincial, territorial and federal partners and private organizations. It will be released at a later date.
William and Kate were married in Westminster Abbey on April 29.
This will be the third time the prince, who is second in line to the British throne, has toured Canada. It will be Kate's first visit.
The trip to Canada is to be followed by a stop in Los Angeles and the surrounding area.
Royal watchers are already pegging the tour as a major test for the new bride. British tabloids have reported that aides are aware that she and William will be under the microscope and are planning the trip carefully.
One British news organization has reported that she has agreed to do one event in Canada without her husband.
William and Kate's tour will come only two months after their wedding. William's father and mother, Prince Charles and Diana, waited two years before visiting Canada. It was their second official tour as a married couple and followed a trip to Australia and New Zealand.

Posting source: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/newly-wed-royals-visit-7-canadian-cities-including-163442441.html