Use Fat Burning Foods in Your Diet for Effective Weight Loss

Nobody likes to diet. But what if you could make tasty meals yourself that would speed up the process of losing weight? By combining 'negative calorie' fruits and vegetables into salads and other dishes at mealtime, you can accelerate your weight loss in a delicious way.

Negative calorie foods are not new and have been discussed in weight loss circles for years. They are essentially fruits and vegetables that make your body use more calories (units of heat) to digest than they contain themselves. When you eat them as part of your diet, the net result is a negative calorie balance. This will help you lose weight faster.

Here is a short list of popular negative calorie fat burning foods:

* Asparagus
* Apples
* Beets
* Broccoli
* Cabbage
* Carrots
* Cauliflower
* Celery
* Cucumbers
* Garlic
* Grapefruit
* Lettuce
* Oranges
* Papaya
* Pineapples
* Raspberries
* Spinach
* Strawberries
* Turnips
* Zucchini

As you can see there are many fat burning foods to choose from. The way to achieve faster weight loss with these foods is to eat more of them more often. Let's explore your options for the many ways to include them in your diet. First pick out the vegetables from the list that you like to eat. Write them down on a piece of paper. Then list your favorite fruits below them on the same piece of paper.

Your objective is to use as many of your favorite fat burning foods incorporated with the other foods you prepare. For example, when you eat your daily salad incorporate as many fat burning foods as you can to make a tasty salad for yourself. You can start with lettuce, add shredded carrots, a few cucumber slices, sliced or diced apples and maybe a little pineapple. On the side you might add a few strawberries and a couple pieces of celery.

For a snack you can make sugarless Jell-O with shredded carrots included. Another good snack is your own special fruit salad prepared ahead of time. You can top it with a sugarless whipped cream. Be creative. Find ways to use garlic in your cooking instead of salt. Use fat burning vegetables as the complementary ingredients when you cook your meals. You will soon become accustomed to using these foods first in your meals.

By their very nature, you can eat as many of them in your diet as you wish. The more of these foods you eat on a daily basis, the more weight you can lose and keep off. Remember to also eat other sensible low fat foods and protein to stay healthy. Never go on a crash negative food diet only. The idea is to increase your use of these foods, not to replace your total diet with them.

A well-rounded lifestyle that includes the right foods and exercise will result in you reaching your goal weight faster. Fat burning foods can be your secret weapon in the battle of the bulge. It's a tasty way to lose those unwanted pounds.

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Families Must Prepare for Mental Health Pressures of College

(MS) - This fall, more than two million young men and women across the United States will leave home to begin their college careers. The climates, courses and campuses will be different, but the countless pressures faced by these college freshmen will be the same.

Mental health issues including depression, eating disorders, substance abuse and anxiety, often brought on by the heightened stress of a college environment, have grown increasingly common among college students. As recent news has raised serious concerns about the effects of such issues, especially when left untreated, it is important to take a proactive approach to recognizing and addressing them, says Sheldon Miller, M.D., chief medical officer of Timberline Knolls, a national residential treatment center for eating disorders, substance abuse, self-injury behavior and other emotional disorders.

"Raising awareness of the mental health struggles met by many college students is a crucial step in fighting the associated stigma that often keeps those suffering from seeking help," Miller says. "If students feel comfortable reaching out, issues can be professionally addressed before they become severe, or even dangerous."

According to Miller, the following facts should be taken into account as students enter college this fall:

New freedom, new anxiety. Studies show that change, lack of sleep and stress (all commonplace among college freshmen) can be the greatest triggers of mental health issues. Leaving your parents for an unstructured environment is exciting, but it can also cause high levels of stress and anxiety. Late nights, whether spent studying or socializing, also come at a price. Both academic and social stress can lead to depression, which when left untreated can lead to suicide - the second leading cause of death among college students.

New peers, new pressure. College freshmen are surrounded by new personalities and unfamiliar social settings. The desire to fit in can potentially create a spiral of unhealthy behaviors that can lead to problems like alcohol dependence or eating disorders. Students are urged to seek professional help if they drink everyday, binge drink to get drunk, or if alcohol is interfering with schoolwork or relationships. Also important to note, studies indicate that as many as 19 percent of college-aged American women suffer from bulimia, a dangerous eating disorder that can be detrimental to self-esteem, social relationships, and academic performance.

New fears, new feelings. In a 2006 survey of more than 90,000 college students, 50 percent admitted to feeling depressed, and 93 percent reported feeling overwhelmed. The stress of school assignments and exams, paired with the pressure of social organizations like fraternities and sororities, can quickly become unmanageable. Because mental health issues are often dismissed as "normal" college life, it is important for students, parents and university faculty and staff to learn to recognize the warning signs of more serious troubles. When a student appears to be masking emotional problems with alcohol or drugs, or suffers from extended depression, he or she should be referred to the appropriate mental health offices for treatment. Research shows the most common occurrence of emotional disorders appears among young adults, ages 17 to 21.

New ideas, new hope. Recent studies revealing the biochemical basis of depression and other disorders have helped many students realize that mental health issues do not indicate personal failure, and should not cause shame. On-campus groups promoting mental health awareness are popping up at universities across the country, slowly stomping out the stigma of mental and emotional disorders and helping encourage students to seek help for their problems. A 2007 survey by the Anxiety Disorders Association of America showed 13 percent of all college students now use or have used on-campus mental health services. In fact, one institution reported a 29 percent increase in the use of counseling and psychological services over the last four years, and another reported that 40 percent of first-year students visit the counseling center at least once.

Being aware of and prepared for the mental health issues that often come with the territory for college freshmen can help foster an accepting environment among students, parents and university faculty and staff. By normalizing mental health issues, Miller says students can feel comfortable seeking the help they need, leading to increased success and satisfaction in life, rather than suffering in silence and isolation. For additional information, visit www.timberlineknolls.com.

CAPTION: College students face pressures that can lead to mental health issues.

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Steer Clear of Smoke

(MS) - Did you know that you could be inhaling more than 4,000 chemicals at home or on school grounds on a regular basis? If you breathe in secondhand smoke you're being exposed to a host of dangerous chemicals. Of the thousands of chemicals in cigarette, cigar and pipe smoke, 60 are known to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing). Secondhand smoke, also called environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), contains ingredients you'd be likely to find in a chemistry lab: formaldehyde, arsenic, cadmium, benzene, and ethylene oxide to name a few.

Secondhand smoke comes in two forms: sidestream smoke and mainstream smoke. Sidestream smoke is the smoke that wafts from the burning tobacco product. Mainstream smoke is the smoke that is exhaled. Both types have enough chemicals to cause dangerous consequences. Check out the statistics:

According to The Mayo Clinic, experts believe that secondhand smoke is to blame for roughly 3,000 deaths from lung cancer in adult nonsmokers each year in the United States. Secondhand smoke is also linked to cancer of the nasal sinuses. The dangerous particles given off in secondhand smoke can linger in the air for hours. Even inhaling them for 20 to 30 minutes can be unhealthy in a variety of ways. And breathing in secondhand smoke over time can be all the more dangerous.

The American Lung Association reports that children who breathe secondhand smoke are more likely to suffer from pneumonia, bronchitis, and other lung diseases. Additionally, they have more ear infections and are more likely to develop asthma. There are an estimated 150,000 to 300,000 cases every year of infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia in infants and children under 18 months of age who breathe secondhand smoke. These result in between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations, according to the California Environmental Protection Agency's report on Health Effects of Exposure to ETS, September 1997.

Protect Yourself

Here are a few steps you can take to safeguard your health.

· Dine in smoke-free restaurants or those that adequately vent away smoke in smoking areas.

· Ask those who enter your house not to smoke.

· Don't carpool with friends who frequently smoke in the car.

· Avoid bars and clubs where smoking is allowed.

· Don't smoke. Secondhand smoke is bad, but firsthand smoke is even worse.

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Zits Are the Pits: Truth About Acne

(MS) - For many teenagers, there is a four-letter word that may be dreaded more than exams, curfews and embarrassing parents: acne.

Most teens feel acne is the bane of their existence. Despite high rates of occurrence - 8 in 10 teens and many adults have acne - at the time of an acne outbreak it can seem like you're the only one suffering. Acne is not a reflection of hygiene or diet. It's simply a part of growing up.

Acne is so common that it's often considered a normal part of puberty. Teens get these unsightly bumps during puberty because of the fluctuation in hormones at this time in their life. During puberty, hormones trigger the sebaceous glands in the hair follicles (pores) of the skin to produce more sebum, an oil that lubricates the skin and hair, than is necessary. This overproduction combined with skin cells being shed, can cause pores to become blocked with a sticky plug. It takes about two weeks for a blemish to form once the pore is blocked. Common places for acne to appear are on the face, neck, chest, and back.

The term "acne" broadly covers a number of skin breakouts, including:

whitehead: a clogged pore that closes up and bulges from the skin

blackhead: a clogged pore that remains open at the end, allowing dirt to enter and darken

pimple: the walls of pores open allowing sebum, bacteria, and dead skin cells to make their way under the skin; shows up as a red bump

nodules: clogged pores that open up very deep in the skin, sometimes known as cysts

Facts and Fiction About Acne

Now that you know what acne is, it's important to clear up misconceptions about what causes acne and what can help keep it under control. Test your knowledge by reviewing these statements.

1. Acne is caused by eating greasy foods. Fiction - Eating fries, pizza or chocolate will not cause acne breakouts. However, some people do find that foods can aggravate current acne flareups.

2. A tan doesn't make acne better. Fact - Tanned skin may camouflage acne, but it won't cause it to clear up. In fact, sunburns or tanning may cause more oil production, worsening acne.

3. Scrubbing your face with a harsh soap will rid you of acne. Fiction - Washing your face twice daily with a mild soap can be effective in controlling oil on the skin. Scrubbing the face can exacerbate acne inflammation and may even cause scarring.

4. Wearing noncomedogenic makeup is best. Fact - If you wear makeup, choose products labeled noncomedogenic, oil-free or nonacnegenic.

5. Popping pimples can clear up outbreaks faster. Fiction - As difficult as it may be, do not pop pimples. This can cause scarring and spread oil to other pores. It's best to let nature take its course. You can try over-the-counter acne products to dry out breakouts, but follow instructions carefully. Painful, deep-skin nodules or other breakouts may be relieved with warm compresses.

6. Acne may flare up before menstruation. Fact - Acne is often common before a woman's menstrual period each month. Even women who have acne under control may experience breakouts before their periods. The hormone regulation of birth control pills does help some women with acne.

7. Doctors can't help acne. Fiction - Dermatologists may have an arsenal of stronger treatments at their disposal, such as laser therapy and medication if acne becomes a debilitating problem.

CAPTION: Set the record straight on acne causes and treatment.

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All-Natural Recipe for Beautiful Skin

(MS) - For your entire life your skin has been making a first impression for you. It can reflect whether you're tired, excited, happy or under the weather. Skin can also be one of the first places to hint toward your age.

Genetics play a key role in how your skin will evolve as you get older. It is common for skin to lose some elasticity and many people experience sagging of the skin, dimpling and pigment changes due to the gradual decline of hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen. But environmental factors, perhaps, make up the largest part of the equation, especially sun exposure and how you care for your skin.

People are living longer and want their skin to reflect just how vibrant they feel. Just as a meal comes together by using the right ingredients, you can achieve a healthy, more youthful appearance by practicing this recipe for vibrant skin, courtesy of Be Fine Food Skin Care, a line of products essentially composed of vegan with vegetarian proteins, which are paraben-free, preservatives-free and allergen-free.

1. Starter course: Begin with a fresh and clean surface. Use a gentle cleanser to wash your face twice daily to clean out pores and remove surface skin buildup and makeup residue. Cleansers are available to work in conjunction with your specific skin type, whether oily, dry or combination. Use a toner to close pores and firm the skin. Toners will also exfoliate the skin, allowing for fresh, dewy layers of skin to show through. Be gentle when washing the face. Tugging or rubbing can exacerbate conditions and promote more wrinkling or irritation.

2. Entree: Moisture is essential to your skin. Moisture should come from the inside and out. Fuel your skin by drinking plenty of water and provide the nutrients skin needs by eating a healthy balance of all-natural foods, including an assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables. Facial moisturizers can plump the skin, revitalize its appearance and make it look and feel more youthful.

The main course of skin care also involves sun protection. Over time, exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation can lead to skin discoloration, wrinkling and even skin cancer. In fact, 90 percent of skin aging symptoms, including wrinkles, lentigos (brown freckles), acne, dry complexion, and dilated capillaries can be linked to sun exposure, say experts. Use products that have at least an SPF of 15. If you spend ample time outdoors, protect the face and body by wearing a wide-brimmed hat or using an umbrella.

3. A la carte: Every person's skin is different and may have areas that need specific treatment. Everything from warming masks, soothing eye treatments to lighten dark circles, and lip exfoliators to minimize flaking and wrinkling can assist in bringing out the healthy glow you desire.

4. Dessert: Makeup can camouflage areas of the skin, but many products are now being created with anti-aging ingredients to assist in revitalizing skin. Look for lighter, more translucent applications that won't cake on skin and settle into fine lines and wrinkles.

When choosing products to supplement your healthy skin beauty regimen, look no further than Be Find Food Skin Care, made up of ingredients so natural you could actually eat them. Products range from gentle cleansers to toners to moisturizers and specialty treatments all comprised of common foods ingredients.

"Each and every ingredient serves a purpose, from the basic rice, which super softens and has huge amounts of vitamins E and F, to pomegranate that regenerates the skin and boosts the effect of SPF 15," says creator Florence Sender. "Food nourishes us when you eat it so it makes sense that certain ingredients would have a positive effect when they are put on our skin.

Be Fine is available where beauty products are sold, including CVS pharmacy. Learn more online at www.befine.com.

CAPTION: All-natural products are one step to achieving beautiful skin and looking younger.

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