In today’s environment and majority of lifestyles, it’s hard to avoid coming across substances and chemicals that are foreign to our system. In defense, our body reacts in remarkable ways to protect itself from intruders. Normally, it’s the excretory organs like the liver, kidneys, skin, including the lungs that need to work extra hard to segregate, neutralize and dispose the toxins. But it’s easier said than done. Toxins that accumulate in every cell of our body will cause the latter to release some form of chemicals (take the effects of nicotine in our brain) or gradually mutate into cancers and other degenerative diseases.

How Long Should I Detox For Weight Loss?

And, we can never take back what we took in. However, changing lifestyles and going on detox programs can do wonders for the proper functioning of vital body processes. Detoxification promotes cell renewal, flushes out free radicals, and strengthens the immune system. Even as short as a 3-day detox diet can help in purging out damaging toxins and make you feel so much better.

Although not all detox types are suitable for everyone, a 3-day detox may be a milder way of detoxifying. Other detox programs may require you to get a go-signal from your doctor especially if you are underweight, malnourished or have chronic diseases like cancer, iron-deficiency, anemia, ulcerative colitis, kidney and liver disease, among others.

3 Day Detox Diet

To begin with, this detox program is especially designed for a 3-day detox diet. Try to include the following foods for each day within three days. Upon waking up in the morning, drink a cup of warm water and ½ lemon squeezed in it to stimulate your gastric juices. For your meals, eat one cup of whole grains like brown rice, buckwheat, amaranth, and at least three servings each of fruits and vegetables one of which should be eaten raw. You could also make salads out of fruits and vegetables but choose vinegar or any natural virgin oils (olive and coconut virgin oils or fish oil) for your dressing.

In addition, have two doses of kidney and liver tonics over the 3-day detox diet: two cups of dandelion, chamomile or fennel tea, pure vegetable juice like carrot or beetroot, a clove of fresh garlic, medium bunch of black grapes, two cups of parsley or yellow tea. And make it a habit to drink 8 glasses or more water as well as other fluids made of fresh fruit juices such as apple and orange.

In your 3-day detox diet, drink herbal tea before going to bed and have a 30-minute walk within the program period. After the third day, you’ll surely feel rejuvenated and may want to do the 3-day detox diet again. But before you do that, change your lifestyle as much as possible. Your body will reward you big time.

7 Day Detox Diet

The air, the processed foods we eat, smoking, alcoholic drinks – all of these and more highly contribute to the amount of toxins we consume everyday. It’s hard to imagine that almost anything present in modern societies are and will take a toll on our health eventually. These substances are either metabolized in the liver or enter the bloodstream and stress our system.

In that case, this 7-day detox diet can help you rid of the unwanted substances and make you feel better. Detoxification or detox provides a relief to your system from these harmful substances we regularly consume and it likewise puts your eating habits on the right track. You’ll find that you’ll feel less fatigued, invigorated, revitalized, and the bloated feeling will go away once you skip your intake of such ingredients like refined flour, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, canned food, etc., that more or less confuse your organs.

The key to a successful 7-day detox diet program is to motivate yourself. In short, detox requires psychological, emotional, and physiological preparedness. However, this 7-day detox program is contraindicated to people with chronic disease, and pregnant and lactating women.

The food you should eat in a 7-day detox diet

Remind yourself to follow this meal plan every day of your 7-day detox diet program and make sure you chew your food thoroughly, so as to give you time and feel less deprived.

Start your day by drinking two glasses (8 ounces) of distilled water upon waking up. Squeeze ½ lemon into one glass of water. The reason is to stimulate your digestive juices as well as make a goal of drinking six more glasses for the whole day.

For breakfast, eat any fresh fruit 15 to 30 minutes before your whole grains like buckwheat, brown rice, millet, amaranth, or quinoa. To add some flavor to your grains, add in 2 tablespoons or 100% pure fruit juice, virgin oil (olive or coconut) or butter. Supplement your 7-day detox diet meal with the recommended 200 to 400 IU of natural vitamin E and 100 to 200 mcg of selenium. These contain anti-oxidants that help fight the free radicals in your system.

For midmorning snack, sip 1 to 2 cups of vegetable broth left over from steaming your vegetables. Season it with a little salt. And then take 500 to 1,000 mg of vitamin C, ideally with calcium and magnesium. When choosing a brand, make sure it doesn’t contain artificial sweeteners or sugar.

Eat steamed vegetables for lunchtime. Again, save the water left by steaming and refrigerate it. You can also do the same for dinner. At least four vegetables would suffice to give you varied flavors and textures.

The Best 21 Day Detox Diet

Are you in for a 21-day detox diet program? Well, make sure you’re ready for such a stringent diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lots of fluid. Otherwise, you may end up exasperated of not being able to complete the whole program and treat yourself instead to more junk food. That’s right. Getting into a 21-day detox diet is never easy. Any person who wishes to undergo this program should be emotionally, physically, and mentally prepared. Changing your eating habits may also mean changing your lifestyle.

There are several 21-day detox diet programs. So how do you know which ones to choose? First, like any other detox programs, have yourself assessed by a health professional. People with problems in kidneys, liver, heart, pancreas, parathyroid, and other preexisting disorders may not be allowed to undergo a detox diet program.

Some 21-day detox diet programs include workshops on food preparation, group support, nutritional medicine, enzyme theory, therapeutic fasting, colon care, energy medicine, acid/alkaline testing, and healthy shopping. The program may be separated into 3 parts and on a weekly basis. For instance, some 21-day detox diet programs may focus on fruits and vegetables to acclimatize the body on eating only these foods for the first week. This plant-based diet encourages participants to steer away from animal products to lessen the amount of toxin exposures by as much as 50%. A menu is required in order for participants to strictly follow the program.

In the second week, you may proceed with a live-food diet, eating only uncooked foods and two smoothie meals (blended), minimizing the stress placed on your digestive system. You will be provided with an organic live-food menu. The purpose is to keep you away from processed foods and increase your nutrient intake by eating uncooked vegetables.

Week 3 of a 21-day detox diet program is the liquid diet. This is supposed to relieve your digestive of any stresses and ensure healing at intra-cellular level. Your diet will be diverted from a whole plant-based diet to blended food. Of course, the benefits of a liquid diet will definitely be discussed to psychologically support you. It is also helpful to support this program with application of reflexology, meditation, yoga, and light therapy, as well as the chakra system as a tool in healing. The final stage of a 21-day detox diet program includes hints and shopping guides for you to maintain in this frame of mind… and diet.

Ornithine

What Is Ornithine?

This is one of the amino acids that promote growth which is derived from arginine. Large quantities of which have successfully raised growth hormone levels in some studies. Bucci, et al, studied the effect of 40, 100 and 170 mg/kg of L-ornithine HCl on 12 bodybuilders. Twenty- five percent of the subjects experienced significant increases in serum growth hormone levels at the two lower doses. In the other hand, half the subjects illustrated an increase in growth hormone at the highest dose.

Arginine

What Is Arginine?

Arginine is an semi-essential amino acid and is present in the proteins of all life forms.  It is classified as a conditionally essential or semi-essential amino acid because under normal conditions the body can produce sufficient quantities of amino acid arginine to meet physiological demands.  However, in times of stress conditions such as wound healing and trauma, the body might not be able to manufacture enough. In these cases, amino acid arginine becomes essential and is very important to ensure sufficient dietary intake of the amino acid to meet the increased physiological demands shaped by these conditions.

What Does L-Arginine Do?

Arginine although not an essential amino acid, is a vital one. In addition to contributing in protein synthesis, it plays a number of other important roles in the body. Arginine’s primary function entails the metabolism of proteins and nitrogen.  It also detoxifies ammonia formed during nitrogen catabolism of amino acids through the formation of urea.  It is also a forerunner in the formation of polyamines, creatine, nitric oxide, proline, glutamate, agmatin, and the arginine-containing tetrapeptide tuftsin which is believed to be an immunomodulator.  Arginine is also a glycogenic amino acid.  If needed by the body, it can be converted to D-glucose and glycogen or can be catabolized to manufacture biological energy.

Arginine when taken in high doses stimulates pituitary release of growth hormones, prolactin and pancreatic release of glucagon and insulin.  It is also used as an immunonutrient in parenteral and enteral nutrition to aid improvement of the immune status of those suffering from burns, sepsis, and trauma.

L-Arginine Rich Foods

Arginine is predominately manufactured in the kidney.  It is a main intermediary in the Krebs-Henseleit urea cycle.  A much smaller amount of this amino acid is synthesized in the liver.  The normal dietary intake of arginine is 3.5 to 5 grams daily and most dietary arginine comes from animal and plant proteins. Arginine of small amounts can be found in vegetable juices and fermented foods, such as yogurt and miso.  Plant proteins such as soy proteins and other plant proteins are richer in arginine than animal proteins which are richer in lycine.  Arginine can also be found in dairy products, meat, poultry, nuts, fish, and chocolate. Other natural sources of arginine are brown rice, raisins, popcorn, and whole-wheat products.

Benefits of L-Arginine

Arginine has a maximum potential in preventing or reducing cardiovascular diseases, by stimulating a compound that relaxes the blood vessels called nitric oxide.  It is also used to enhance memory, eliminate depression, improve sleep, control stress, prevent aging, relieve arthritis, manage allergies, promote hair growth, cure impotence, fight cancer, reduce herpes, combat fatigue, and stimulate the immune system. The normal supplemental dosage of arginine per day is 2 to 8 grams.

Does  L-Arginine Help Muscle Growth?

Investigated in numerous studies with conflicting results, this is one of the amino acids that promote growth. Take for example, in one study, 6 subjects were given 6 grams of arginine. They all experienced a 100% increase in plasma levels without any growth hormone release. Other researchers administered it to 12 young and 5 elderly non-obese adults, all of whom had a body mass of less than 30. The subjects participated in three trials: resistive weight-lifting exercise with no placebo, 5 grams of arginine supplementation prior to exercise and 5 grams of oral L-arginine only.

Lysine

What Is Lysine?

Lysine is an essential amino acid which is vital to human health but cannot be synthesized by the human body.  This is the reason why amino acid lysine must be obtained from your food diet.  Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and proteins are greatly needed by the body for muscle growth.  Lysine plays an important role in the production of a nutrient that is responsible for converting fatty acids into energy and helps lower cholesterol.

What Does Lysine Do?

Lysine also shows to help the body in absorbing and conserving calcium.  It also plays a vital role in the formation of collagen, an important substance for the bones and connective tissues that includes the skin, cartilage and tendon.

Insufficient lysine in the diet may cause health problems such as kidney stones that may develop other health problems including loss of appetite, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, agitation, slow growth, anemia, reproductive disorders, and bloodshot eyes.  However, it is very rare to get insufficient amounts of lysine through the daily diet. Lysine deficiency would normally only apply to vegetarians and certain athletes who are in frequent vigorous exercise.  Vegetarians would get the best source of lysine in legumes such as peas, lentils, and beans.

In foods such as pastries, cookies, doughnuts, and cereals, the browning reaction involves lysine.  In this process of lysine and sugar being combined makes it in a way difficult for the body to absorb lysine, resulting to low lysine intake in cereals and baked goods diet. Good food sources of lysine are those foods rich in protein which includes meat, cheese, nuts, eggs, certain fish, soybeans, fenugreek seed, and spirulina.

What Is Lysine Used For?

Lysine can be used in the treatment of genital and mouth lesions caused by herpes simplex virus as well as shingles caused by herpes zoster viruses. Lysine supplements taken can speed up recovery time and reduce the possibility of repeated breakouts of the herpes infection.  Amino acid lysine also improves the absorption of calcium from the digestive tract and avoids loss of calcium in the urine, which some researchers have speculated that bone loss associated with osteoporosis can be prevented through the help of lysine.  In studies where lysine has been combined with arginine showed that it increases the activity of bone-building cells and improves production of collagen.

Some forms of lysine or lysine bound to anti-inflammatory medications may help ease pain following an episiotomy, a medical procedure performed during labor that is a procedure of cutting the vaginal area to enlarge the vaginal opening and facilitate delivery.  Lysine of these forms may also relieve painful periods and migraine headaches.

How Much Lysine To Take

Most people need about 1 gram of lysine per day. For athletes and people recovering from major injuries such as burns may be required a greater amount.

Does Lysine Promote Muscle Growth?

One of the amino acids that promote growth, lysine may work to release growth hormone. In a study of 15 healthy male subjects, there was a
separate consumption of lysine as single nutrients did not significantly increase growth hormone compared to the baseline. In another study of normal young males, oral administration of 1,200 milligrams of L-lysine did not raise serum growth hormone levels.

Glycine

What Is Glycine?

Glycine is a protein amino acid that can be found in the protein of all life forms and is important in the body’s construction of proteins. Glycine is the simplest amino acid in the body that is not optically active. In contrast to other amino acids, glycine can be found in both enzymes and proteins.  Although glycine is found mostly in proteins, glycine is also found in plants.  It is estimated that the normal diet should include two grams of glycine daily.

What Does Glycine Do?

Since amino acid glycine can be sufficiently produced by the body to meet physiological requirements, it is considered a nonessential amino acid.  However, it is of key importance in the synthesis of proteins, purines, peptides, nucleic acids, porphyrins, hemoglobin, creatine, glucose, one-carbon fragments, L-serine, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and other amino acids.

Amino acid Glycine performs as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain and spinal cord.  It plays vital roles in the method of prevention for muscular degeneration, repair of damaged tissues located throughout the body, and improvement of glycogen storage.  Glycine is an important amino acid because if needed, it will synthesize and convert from serine and threonine to fulfill its physiological processes.

Glycine is a solid water-soluble substance that has a sweetish taste and is also known as amino acetic acid, glycocoll, sucre de gelatine, and aminoethanolic acid.  Its one-letter abbreviation when spelling out protein structures is G and its IUPAC abbreviation is Gly.

Glycine Rich Foods

Glycine can also be found in natural food sources.  Natural food sources containing high amounts of glycine includes fish, beans, dairy products, and meats.  Here are food sources of glycine that are based on a serving size of 100 g and the amount of glycine contained is expressed in milligrams:

Vegetable Products

• Seaweed, spirulina (dried) 3100 mg

Nut and Seed Products

• Seeds, cottonseed meal (partially defatted, glandless) 2380 mg
• Seeds, sunflower seed flour (partially defatted) 3080 mg
• Seeds, sesame flour (low-fat) 3430 mg
• Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels (roasted without salt) 2410 mg

Legume Products

• Soy protein concentrate (produced by alcohol extraction) 2690 mg
• Peanut flour (defatted) 3150 mg
• Soy protein isolate (potassium type) 3600mg
• Soy protein concentrate (produced by acid wash) 2690 mg
• Soy protein isolate 3600 mg

Shellfish and Finfish Products

• Fish, cod, Atlantic (dried and salted) 3010 mg

Poultry Products

• Chicken, broilers or fryers, skin only (cooked, roasted) 3250 mg
• Turkey, all classes, skin only (cooked, roasted) 3140mg
• Turkey, young tom, skin only (cooked, roasted) 3210 mg

Beef Products

• Beef, cured, breakfast strips (cooked) 2610 mg

Pork Products

• Pork, fresh, variety meats and by-products, ears, frozen (Cooked, simmered) 3140 mg
• Pork, fresh, variety meats and by-products, ears, frozen (raw) 4400 mg

Veal, Lamb, and Game Products

• Veal, variety meats and by-products, liver (cooked, braised calf liver) 2290 mg

Luncheon Meats and Sausages

• Beef, cured, corned beef, canned 2260 mg

Egg and Dairy Products

• Egg, white (dried) 2840 mg

Snacks

• Snacks, pork skins (plain) 11900 mg

Sweets

• Gelatins, dry powder (unsweetened) 19100 mg

Beverages

• Gelatin, drinking, orange flavor (powder) 9670 mg

Does Glycine Promote Muscle Growth?

It may be the non- essentials but this is also one of the amino acids that promote growth. Glycine is contained in gelatin protein and is an important component of collagen. Although much of the early research revolved around its ability to increase strength in athletes, more recent studies have documented that it can indeed raise growth hormone levels in humans. As a matter of fact, researchers have concluded that the explanation why it has been found to increase muscle strength in many studies may be the result of its growth-hormone-boosting capabilities.

Glutamine

What Is Glutamine?

Glutamine is an amino acid that allows for improved immune system and brain function, balanced blood sugar levels, digestive tract health, and increased muscle mass.

What Is Glutamine Used For?

Glutamine is used as fuel for immune system and intestinal cellular replication. Maintaining the proper levels of glutamine supports immune system activity while strengthening the intestinal lining. In addition to this, glutamine is important to replenishing glycogen (stored energy) in muscle tissue, and maintaining muscle mass and strength.

Glutamine also plays an important role in maintaining healthy brain function as a source of energy for the nervous system, a key factor in the production of brain neurotransmitters, and an ammonia detoxifier.

Does Glutamine Promote Muscle Growth?

An abundant protein block- builder, this is one of the amino acids that promote growth. Glutamine is the most copious in human muscle and plasma. It directly regulates both the production and wearing-down of protein and immune cell activity. When about nine healthy subjects consumed two grams of oral glutamine 45 minutes after a light breakfast, there were eight out of the nine that subjects experienced elevated plasma growth hormone within 90 minutes. These findings demonstrate, the study authors wrote, that a surprisingly small oral glutamine load is capable of elevating hormones for development.

What you should know about probiotics

You might be surprised to learn that how you feel and even look every day is tied to your intestines. To maintain good health, your intestines must properly absorb nutrients and help eliminate waste and toxins.

Your intestines, which lie between the stomach and rectum, are part of the Gl tract or digestive system. In the small and large intestines, food is broken down and absorbed into the bloodstream, providing your celts and organs with the energy they need to function. Your intestines do this with the help of good bacteria (also called microflora).

These “good bacteria” aid digestion, promote vital nutrient production, maintain pH (acid-base) balance, and prevent proliferation of unwelcome bacteria. From the time of birth your body is inhabited by these good bacteria. Changes in diet, stress and aging and other factors can disrupt this delicate balance.

Lack of good bacteria can lead to:

• Digestion issues
• Poor bowel function and flatulence
• A weakened immune system
• Poor nutrient absorption
• Low level of energy and well-being

Lack of good bacteria is so common that many health professionals recommend the use of probiotic supplements. Probiotics are good bacteria strains that limit the proliferation of unwelcome bacteria in the intestinal tract by crowding them out.

In the first decade of the twentieth century a Russian scientist, Elie Metchnikoff, suggested that the long lives of Bulgarian peasants might be a result of their consumption or fermented microorganisms which positively influenced the microflora of the colon. This discovery, together with his work in immunology, earned him the 1908 Nobel Prize for Medicine. 1 his event raised considerable interest in the study of benefits of microorganisms to humans. In 1974 the term “Probiotic” (pro – for; bio = life) was coined to describe the use of beneficial bacteria to positively influence health.

Today the scientific field agrees that probiotics offer a broad range of health benefits when taken in sufficient numbers.

Restoring the balance

Because we are conditioned think of bacteria as trouble-makers, it’s hard to accept that we may actually have too few of these organisms in our digestive system. Yet that is actually quite common. And when it happens, our bodies let us know with occasional sluggishness, irregularity, bloating, or a weaker immune system.

There is a synergistic relationship between good bacteria and our body: we provide them with a safe place to live and grow, and they help us digest, absorb our food, eliminate and maintain a healthy intestinal function. It works very well… as long as there are enough of them.

Strain specificity

However, not all probiotic bacteria are identical. They differ on the basis of genus, species and strain and results. Also it has been shown that organisms must both live and colonize within the gut to induce beneficial effects. Unfortunately a lot of probiotics don’t even reach the intestine and hence offer no benefits.

Viability

Probiotics are fragile live bacteria. Probiotic cultures vary and the benefit of a probiotic is not measured simply by the number of living bacteria in a pill. The beneficial effects of the presence of probiotics in the gastro-intestinal tract depend on their viability — the ability of the bacteria to survive and colonize.

In the U.S. many probiotic products arc supported by poor research, are poorly formulated, and suffer from poor quality control. Most products list bacterial genera and species but make no mention of the viability of the bacteria. Acidophilus, for instance, has only -A 53% viability, which means that only half of the bacteria you take will be able to survive.

Red rice gained its reputation by becoming one of the ingredients to contribute a healthy weight loss. Aside from that, its cholesterol-lowering effect is so valuable that it has become the top prescriptions of nutritionists and doctors to aid in therapeutic diet. You’ll be surprised at the some of the facts about red rice as we give you the 5 things you need to know about how red rice can lower cholesterol.

1. This rice is actually a product of yeast.

Red rice is a product of yeast called Monascus Purpureus. These organisms are grown on rice which are responsible for its dark-red color. In fact, this kind of yeasts are cultivated and extracted to make a product known to lessen cholesterol in the body.

2. This is a natural alternative to cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Due to the action of Monascus Purpureus, red rice is also known to be a perfect alternative to treat health conditions related to cholesterol. It is now prescribed by doctors to be a good remedy for mild symptoms of high-cholesterol problems, as a natural alternative to medicines. If you are one of the people who would like to opt for this natural medicine, visit your physician for more details. There are certain safety precautions in its alternative usage because it may interact with other drugs and substances.

3. The proven effects to avoid muscle pains.

In recent studies, it has been found out that the red rice actually reduce risks of muscle pains, medically known as myalgia. This symptom usually is experienced by patients who take medications to lower the low-density lipoprotein (LDL). According to the study, patients who are taking this type of medication experience lower incidence of myalgia when replaced with red rice.

4. Amazing benefits to gastric problems.

The use of red rice has been around in ancient times where China discovered its potent benefits to health. Red rice has mild healing benefits to many gastric problems including diarrhea and indigestion. Other benefits include improved spleen function, increase blood circulation, good digestion and absorption.

5. Red rice cholesterol has its own method for weight management.

Since it aids in lowering levels of cholesterol, it goes to say that red rice is also a good aid to lose weight. With its natural nutrients and fiber, more toxins are washed out while it continues to help the body attain a regular bowel movement.

These are the top 5 things you should know about how red rice can lower cholesterol. Among these benefits, there is always one that fits the body’s needs. With its holistic way in taking care of the body, it is no wonder why this ingredient has been creating buzz in the wellness industry. Although these are said to be natural and effective, there are also safety issues that go along with it. In fact, health professionals warn people to take extra precaution in using these products as they contain potent substances that may be detrimental to one’s overall health. To be safe than sorry, be sure to get an approval of your doctor before incorporating red rice to your lifestyle.