What do you know about inflammation?

It’s often seen as the root cause of a number of diseases, such as hay fever, arthritis, and more. Unfortunately, it also tends to get worse because of a number of habits that we maintain in our day to day lives – and a lot of it comes back to the foods that we eat.

Have you heard of these 5?

1. Bromelain

This little enzyme is found in pineapple, and it’s actually the reason why the fruit carries its bright yellow color wherever it goes.

But that’s not all it does!

Did you know that bromelain is also beneficial when it comes to minimizing inflammation after a workout? It also helps repair muscles after you put them under a heavy round of stress. Sounds like a perfect post-workout fruit, right? Research has also gone into the inflammation relieving effects of pineapple and the results indicate that it’s a great option for people suffering from arthritis and joint pain.

2. Monosaturated Fat

Forget the old myth that fat is bad for you. That one was squashed years ago. These days, more and more benefits are being found for certain types of fats that are actually good for your health.

Monosaturated fats help protect your cardiovascular system by controlling your cholesterol – at the same time, they help reduce inflammation and even contribute to balancing your overall blood sugar levels.

3. Gingerol

Guess where you can find this valuable nutrient? That’s right, ginger! In a number of different studies, ginger has been found beneficial when it comes to easing muscle and joint pain. It helps calm down inflammation and swelling to make your life just a little bit easier.

Note: Some bodies of research even indicate that the antioxidants in ginger can help fight various forms of cancer.

4. Curcumin

If you’ve read anything about turmeric, you’ve probably heard about curcumin. This active ingredient is known to carry a number of properties that make it a good antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It basically contains a number of properties that take action in the biochemical pathways associated with inflammation – the end result, less swelling.

5. Carotenoids

Despite the name (which is oddly similar to the carrot), these nutrients can be found in all sorts of colored fruits and veggies. You can find them in any of the stoplight colors (red, yellow, and green) and of course, orange.

There has been a heavy amount of research put into the beneficial effects of carotenoids on our overall health. Although nothing is completely set in stone yet, results suggest that these nutrients could prevent inflammation through their heavy antioxidants and the ability to minimize bodily, inflammatory reactions.

So what do you eat to prevent inflammation? A number of these nutrients can be found in all sorts of fruits and vegetables available at your local market. Putting the right combinations together can maximize the overall benefits that you bring to your overall health (and that doesn’t just apply to inflammation control).

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-895-bromel...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19833188

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17569207

http://www.rejuvenation-science.com/n_carotenoid_inflammation.html

3 Fat Burning Drinks to Help Your Weight Loss

With the American diet becoming more and more entrenched in a mess of unhealthy, sugary foods and nutrient-lacking, processed by-products, weight gain is on the rise. It sucks, but it’s true. Every year brings with it more and more cases of diabetes and heart disease, both of which are commonly associated with imbalanced diets and lifestyles. At the same time, many of the people who suffer from weight gain are also at a loss for how they can burn fat.

But there are ways to do it.

Outside the benefits of exercising regularly and cutting out junk food, there’s another fat-burning tool that you can also use to drop a few pounds – drinking juice. Well not just juice, there are a few other drinks in the mix as well. So if you want to make a change, here are 3 fat burning drinks that you can use to lose some of that weight:

1. The Monster Detox Mix

Ingredients:
- 1 celery stick
– ¼ of a beet
– 3-4 kale or spinach leaves
– 1 carrot
– 1 slice of ginger

How does it help with weight loss?

This particular mix of veggies actively works together to flush toxins out of your body. Many of these toxins make it more difficult for your body to burn off excess fat. By drinking this juice, you can up your metabolism and make it easier for your body to become an active fat burner. While it won’t directly have an effect on your fat content, it will help get your body to a state where it can slim down more easily.

3 Fat Burning Drinks to Help Your Weight Loss

With the American diet becoming more and more entrenched in a mess of unhealthy, sugary foods and nutrient-lacking, processed by-products, weight gain is on the rise. It sucks, but it’s true. Every year brings with it more and more cases of diabetes and heart disease, both of which are commonly associated with imbalanced diets and lifestyles. At the same time, many of the people who suffer from weight gain are also at a loss for how they can burn fat.

But there are ways to do it.

Outside the benefits of exercising regularly and cutting out junk food, there’s another fat-burning tool that you can also use to drop a few pounds – drinking juice. Well not just juice, there are a few other drinks in the mix as well. So if you want to make a change, here are 3 fat burning drinks that you can use to lose some of that weight:

1. The Monster Detox Mix

Ingredients:
- 1 celery stick
– ¼ of a beet
– 3-4 kale or spinach leaves
– 1 carrot
– 1 slice of ginger

How does it help with weight loss?
This particular mix of veggies actively works together to flush toxins out of your body. Many of these toxins make it more difficult for your body to burn off excess fat. By drinking this juice, you can up your metabolism and make it easier for your body to become an active fat burner. While it won’t directly have an effect on your fat content, it will help get your body to a state where it can slim down more easily.

2. Green Tea
   Try drinking about 5 mugs of green tea a day for 1-2 weeks. The water content works to improve your metabolism, and the energy boost that you get from the tea can increase your heart rate. By increasing your heart rate, your body will work harder to pump blood throughout your body – burning more calories in the process.
3. Cold Water
   It can really be this simple. Water on its own is a basic tool that people use to burn through their excess fat. Like the other drinks on this list, water can be used to increase your metabolism, which ups the rate at which your body burns through calories.

You can also drink water in between meals to help silence any cravings you have for extra food. One of the biggest causes of weight gain is overeating, so knowing how to put a stop to the urges is imperative if your goal is to take a few inches off of your waistline.

In general, you should try to drink enough water to fill half of your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 160 lbs, squeezing 80oz of water into your day should be a goal – maybe even more if you’re active. Just be careful not to drink too much, because there will eventually come a point where it becomes unhealthy.

All of the drinks on this list are primarily selected because of the effects that they have on your metabolism. By increasing your metabolic rate, your body will work harder to burn through calories and keep excess weight from sitting on your waist.

Sources:

http://livewell.jillianmichaels.com/cold-water-losing-weight-4854.html

http://authoritynutrition.com/green-tea-and-weight-loss/

http://www.wellnessresources.com/weight/articles/why_toxins_and_was...