The benefits of english pear

English pears are my best fruit at the moment. They really taste so good and can be quite juicy plus it’s not so sweet and has a few calories. It’s packed with lots of nutrients per calorie and has been referred to as fruit of the gods by homer in the odyssey and in fact, in Greek mythology, pears were sacred to 3 goddesses Hera, Aphrodite and Pomona. Ancient Chinese believed that the pear was a symbol of immortality and in Chinese the word “li” means both “pear” and “separation” and tradition says that to avoid a separation, friends and loved ones should not divide pears between themselves..

So what are the benefits of this sweet fruit?

1.      They are high in fiber- one medium sized pear contains 6g so they are a delish way to keep your bowels moving which prevents colon cancer.

2.      It helps keep your cholesterol levels down.

3.      Its’ a hypo allergen fruit i.e. those with food sensitivities can actually eat it without any adverse effects. The juice of pears is safe to be introduced to infants as it’s both mild and healthful.

4.      Pears have antioxidant and anti- carcinogen glutathione which helps prevent high blood pressure and stroke.

5.       Constipation – pectin found in pears is a diuretic and has a mild laxative effect. Drinking it regularly helps regulate bowel movement.

      6.   The best way to reduce a fever is by drinking a glass of pear juice.

      6.    It’s an excellent immune booster.

      7.    Aids in pregnancy as high content of folate (folic acid) prevents neural tube defects in infants.

       8.   It’s  also great for people with diabetics as its got a low glycemic index meaning the carbs in pears are slow to convert to sugar and enter the blood stream. 

Aren’t these good enough reasons to incorporate pears in your diet today?

The truth about most weightloss products

How many times have you walked into your neighborhood Pharmacy and felt compelled to look over at the dietary aid shelf, looking for the newest weight loss wonder usually referred to as dietary supplement that claims ‘you can lose 10kg in 3 weeks’ or ‘helps increase your metabolic rate, thereby aiding in weight loss’. So you decide to buy these products and in fact, yes you do lose weight the first one or two weeks and you are super excited, but after a while, the weight loss stops and you start putting on weight when you go back to eating like you did before, but this time the weight is more than you started with in the first place.

Man was created such that we are always seeking the fastest(and less demanding) route to all things. We demand that everything be achieved fast. Get fit fast….. get rich fast….lose weight fast! We think nothing of popping a pill or drinking our meals so long as we get our desired target. we spend our hard earned money chasing the dream of a ‘quick fix weight loss product’ containing chemicals that Lord knows where it comes from and then years later along the line we either find ourselves obese or in bad health.

Well, dearies, here are a few home truths about weight loss and being healthy.

1.       There is no shortcut to being healthy and fit, so please stop wasting your money on fad diets and gimmicks. The companies making them did their research and realized that there is a huge market for weight loss products for gullible people and came up with claims that they can never really back up long term. Their aim is to make money and maximize their profits so you’ll find that the products never work as good as they promise and you always end up going back and spending more money. In the end, it is a vicious cycle, except you decide to become more sensible and take your health into your own hands.

2.       When trying to lose weight, you are better off with eating real foods and watching your portions, as most diet products contain chemicals such as:

·         Aspatame (E951) which is used in creating a lot of diet foods and drinks

·         Acesulfame (E950) used in diet drinks

·         Polyols, xylitol, Sorbitol etc used in making diet gums and sweets

I know to you, it may sound ok, but do you really want to eat food that contain chemicals you can barely pronounce? Do you really want to eat foods that often leave you with side effects such as stomach aches, depression, dizziness and even CANCER? And yet, we wonder why our generation is plagued by this dreaded disease? Havent you ever heard the saying – ‘You are what you eat?’

3.       A lot of weight loss medications contain powerful stimulants that can cause serious ailments. Take for instance Sibutramine which is present in weight loss dietary supplement such as Slimming beauty bitter orange slimming pills, or the more popularly known drug called ‘Meridia’ which has now been banned in most countries. This drug causes Cardiovascular issues such as stroke and heart attacks. Some diet drugs may also cause elevated blood pressure, headaches, vomiting and insomnia. Dietary supplements are always a big drug safety issue as most of the time, we really don’t know what’s in it and the manufacturers are not under any real obligation to state that on the packaging. Some contain caffeine which will only give you a kick (you’re better off drinking several cups of coffee black)and some contain additives which are illegal and you cannot even get them with a prescription. So, even if you do lose weight, you may end up with an unpleasant side effect or even dangerous cardiac issues. That said, why would you knowingly do this to your body?

4.       A very low calorie diet will always leave you feeling deprived so you’ll always feel the temptation to binge. Plus, you will lose muscle weight instead of fat and end up with a body that jiggles instead of one that’s smooth and taut. You also risk being malnourished AND research shows that people who follow fad diets always end up gaining the weight faster. Also realize that you did not put on the weight overnight so why the hell are you trying to lose it overnight? It can cause dryness of the mouth, headaches, dizziness, fatigue and weakness, cold intolerance, dry skin and nails, menstrual irregularities in women, hair loss, constipation, irritability and confusion, inability to concentrate, mineral and electrolyte imbalance etc The list goes on and on. Plus being on a very low calorie diet can lead you down the path of eating disorders such as bulimia and even anorexia (if you get caught up in counting the numbers).

Scary right?

So what should you do to lose weight?

Watch out for the next part of this article….

How many times have you walked into your neighborhood Pharmacy and felt compelled to look over at the dietary aid shelf, looking for the newest weight loss wonder usually referred to as dietary supplement that claims ‘you can lose 10kg in 3 weeks’ or ‘helps increase your metabolic rate, thereby aiding in weight loss’. So you decide to buy these products and in fact, yes you do lose weight the first one or two weeks and you are super excited, but after a while, the weight loss stops and you start putting on weight when you go back to eating like you did before, but this time the weight is more than you started with in the first place.

Man was created such that we are always seeking the fastest(and less demanding) route to all things. We demand that everything be achieved fast. Get fit fast….. get rich fast….lose weight fast! We think nothing of popping a pill or drinking our meals so long as we get our desired target. we spend our hard earned money chasing the dream of a ‘quick fix weight loss product’ containing chemicals that Lord knows where it comes from and then years later along the line we either find ourselves obese or in bad health.

Well, dearies, here are a few home truths about weight loss and being healthy.

1.       There is no shortcut to being healthy and fit, so please stop wasting your money on fad diets and gimmicks. The companies making them did their research and realized that there is a huge market for weight loss products for gullible people and came up with claims that they can never really back up long term. Their aim is to make money and maximize their profits so you’ll find that the products never work as good as they promise and you always end up going back and spending more money. In the end, it is a vicious cycle, except you decide to become more sensible and take your health into your own hands.

2.       When trying to lose weight, you are better off with eating real foods and watching your portions, as most diet products contain chemicals such as:

·         Aspatame (E951) which is used in creating a lot of diet foods and drinks

·         Acesulfame (E950) used in diet drinks

·         Polyols, xylitol, Sorbitol etc used in making diet gums and sweets

I know to you, it may sound ok, but do you really want to eat food that contain chemicals you can barely pronounce? Do you really want to eat foods that often leave you with side effects such as stomach aches, depression, dizziness and even CANCER? And yet, we wonder why our generation is plagued by this dreaded disease? Havent you ever heard the saying – ‘You are what you eat?’

3.       A lot of weight loss medications contain powerful stimulants that can cause serious ailments. Take for instance Sibutramine which is present in weight loss dietary supplement such as Slimming beauty bitter orange slimming pills, or the more popularly known drug called ‘Meridia’ which has now been banned in most countries. This drug causes Cardiovascular issues such as stroke and heart attacks. Some diet drugs may also cause elevated blood pressure, headaches, vomiting and insomnia. Dietary supplements are always a big drug safety issue as most of the time, we really don’t know what’s in it and the manufacturers are not under any real obligation to state that on the packaging. Some contain caffeine which will only give you a kick (you’re better off drinking several cups of coffee black)and some contain additives which are illegal and you cannot even get them with a prescription. So, even if you do lose weight, you may end up with an unpleasant side effect or even dangerous cardiac issues. That said, why would you knowingly do this to your body?

4.       A very low calorie diet will always leave you feeling deprived so you’ll always feel the temptation to binge. Plus, you will lose muscle weight instead of fat and end up with a body that jiggles instead of one that’s smooth and taut. You also risk being malnourished AND research shows that people who follow fad diets always end up gaining the weight faster. Also realize that you did not put on the weight overnight so why the hell are you trying to lose it overnight? It can cause dryness of the mouth, headaches, dizziness, fatigue and weakness, cold intolerance, dry skin and nails, menstrual irregularities in women, hair loss, constipation, irritability and confusion, inability to concentrate, mineral and electrolyte imbalance etc The list goes on and on. Plus being on a very low calorie diet can lead you down the path of eating disorders such as bulimia and even anorexia (if you get caught up in counting the numbers).

Scary right?

So what should you do to lose weight?

Watch out for the next part of this article….