It is very necessary and in fact, mandatory for a person to keep his body hydrated by drinking as much water as he can. But the meaning of saying as much water you can does not signify drinking two three glasses a day. On a normal day with a moderate climate, you should drink 6 to 8 glasses but as soon as the summer season approaches and the days get hotter, you should increase the intake of water. This is necessary because a dehydrated body affects your all important body organs like your kidneys, heart, brain, lungs, blood, bladder and skin. So, its better you start relying on too much of water to keep your body safe and fit. But what to do when you find it really annoying to drink water every time other than when you are really thirsty? That too have a solution and that is, to opt for the alternatives of water.

Let’s check out what types of liquids can best act as an alternative of water:

Milk

Drink milk and especially the skim milk for keeping your body hydrated. You will be happy to know it that the milk of cow contains about 87% water. It will not only supply you water but the other required minerals too including potassium, calcium and sodium. However, some do not like the taste of milk and in that case you can add chocolate or other flavors of your choice to the glass of Milk.

Juice

As you may know that juice, especially the ones found in the market are full of sugar you may not like to go for juice in place of water. But here too you can act smart by adding just a few drops of juice to your plain water and feel the sweetness and flavor and still drinking water! In fact, if you can simply squeeze a little lime, an orange or any juicy fruit; the goodness of the drink gets raised.

Juicy fruits and vegetables

The fruits like grapes, water melon, mango, orange, strawberry and vegetables like lettuce, spinach and cucumber etc. have a whole sum of water in these and you can go for a bite of these and stay hydrated.

Sports Drinks

Sports drinks are the other best alternatives that contain the required electrolyte in it to hydrate the body immediately. There are adequate amount of vitamins and minerals too in these.

Follow the routine prepared for your breakfast, mid morning snacks, lunch and evening meal and get your body and internal functioning ready for some new entries at the dinner.

For the breakfast in the very morning take an omlette made of a handful of roasted or dry fried cherry tomatoes and a few fresh watercress leaves. Fry the omlette in olive oil and before that beat the egg in a little amount of milk or water. This will supply the required protein for all throughout the morning and is god for the liver.

For the mid-morning snack, take a festive fruit (any fruit with citric acid) and four Brazil nuts. This will be a pack of Vitamin C and protein for your body.

For lunch, take grilled chicken and Tabbouleh Salad. The recipe for preparing the grilled chicken starts with dipping the chicken breast in lemon juice and then seasoning it with black pepper and grilling it. Take ½ cup barley couscous, ½ cup boiling water. Keep it covered for 10 minutes and let cool a little and then mix it with 1 ½ cups of chopped parsley, ½ a lemon juice, chopped tomatoes, olive oil, cucumber and peppers. Lastly add the grilled chicken to the mixture. This platter will deliver you with iron and minerals.

For afternoon snack, take spiced poached pears and the yoghurt in the dish will keep your stomach ready for drinks that you are going to pour at the party.

Finally you are ready for the full course dinner but while getting your plate ready and while picking the foods try to limit your desires. Go for fibers that will help you to clear out the toxins from your liver, and then choose the oily fish, seeds and raw nuts that will help you handle your headaches that you might get for drinking too much. Some other good foods to opt for are chicken satay sticks and see if you can stick to dips and crudités in stead of the crisps. Lastly, amidst all the enjoyments and funs in drinking, remember to follow every drink with a glass of water.

If you have a party next week or it is your cousin or best friend’s wedding then the most probable thoughts or to say troubles that you can have in your mind are regarding the selection of the best dress for the occasion, buying some good make-up products and accessories, pondering over the hair do you want to sport or the loosing the weight that will otherwise make you odd on the day. Just like the rest of the issues, your weight issues too can have a quick fix for which you will have to make your mind to rely on the cabbage soup diet for a whole week. The results will definitely be good and you can shed fat fast. But one ting must be remembered by you that this diet s good for a short term only like for one week and continuing it for longer may harm you.

Here is the cabbage soup recipe for you. It is pretty easy to prepare and takes just a few minutes to be prepared. The ingredients you will need are-

• Chopped onions (6 large)
• Sliced carrots (3)
• Chopped celery (1 bunch)
• Sliced mushrooms (250g)
• Diced green peppers (2)
• Dry onion soup mix (1 package)
• 2 cans of tomatoes
• Salt and pepper
• mixed herbs, Cayenne pepper and curry powder and
• Chopped cabbage (1/2 head)

Now sauté the onions in large pot or pane, add the green pepper pieces. Let the ingredients to heat for sometime and put the chopped cabbage leaves and other things like sliced carrots, celery and mushrooms in it. Sprinkle cayenne pepper or curry powder over it and pour 12 cups of water. Cook the contents now and let the vegetable get tender.

So, once the soup is ready, you will now have to follow the routine of taking it. The first day’s food for you will be unlimited cabbage soup only along with fruits sugar-free fruit juice. Exclude banana from the list of fruits.

The Second day meal will be cabbage soup, vegetables and for dinner, you can take a jacket potato with butter. But no fruit for the second day.

Third day will have unlimited cabbage soup and fruit and vegetables. But potatoes and bananas will have to be avoided.

Fourth day routine includes unlimited cabbage soup and skimmed milk. Also, you can have up to eight bananas this day.

Unlimited cabbage soup again, on the fifth day and some other things like 565g of beef and 6 tomatoes. On this day you will have to drink 6-8 glasses of water as it well help you in flushing out the extra uric acid from your body.

The day 6 will contain unlimited cabbage soup, beef (as much as you want) and vegetables.

The last day, i.e., the seventh day will comprise of unlimited cabbage soup and a little brown rice. You can also have vegetables and sugar-free fruit juice on this day.

Now it’s your turn to feel much lighter and fat-free!

Do you drink fruit juices regularly after coming from a work out at the gym or a walk in the morning or right after reaching home from office? If that glass of fruit juice is prepared for you right at home from fresh fruits and with just a spoon of sugar then there is nothing to worry but if it is from the bottle of fruit juice that you have bought from the departmental store then be ware, you are consuming a whole lot of calories right at one go! All your workouts at the gym or dieting will go in vain if you are taking healthy drinks, smoothies or the fruit juices.

Although it can very well be guessed that the artificial contents of the fruit juices and their excessive sugary level is not good for health but now you have another reason to believe it with a confidence as it has been proven already by the researchers at the University of Glasgow. Many think that the body can gain weight and calories only though unhealthy eating but the same thing goes well for drinks as well. You must not eat any healthy drink or juices without enquiring on its sugar level as it will render the same amount of calories like a plate of junk foods.

The lead researcher of the team Professor Naveed Sattar says the same thing that fruit juices or smoothies can lend the same damaging elements as you receive from unhealthy eating. The results are shocking but true that a total of 450 calories out of the daily calories taken by a person comes directly from such drinks. So, you rather switch to plain water, homemade juices or to the diet drinks if you are really serious about your health and weight.

To tell the truth, I’ve never had an idea that there are so many weight loss smoothies in the world and Mocha one is among them.

Chocolate! What can be better?! Believe it or not, this smoothie is not only completely healthy but helps you to lose weight as well. The recipe is easy!

Recipe:
4 small ice cubes
1/2 cup of low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt
1 shot of espresso
2 teaspoons of cocoa powder
Add ingredients to blender in this order until smooth.

4 quite powerful and effective spring cleaning foods are there right in your kitchen and you might even be able to locate them now as well once you head to your kitchen. The first one is definitely the green and fresh leaves that include the broccolis, Brussels sprouts and kale. You can either consume those with your dinner or lunch as salads or can schedule to eat at a time of the day or can even add up with your platter for a healthy touch.

Next is the garlic, a very commonly used and seen herb in your kitchen that has multiple goodness of protecting the body from external attacks like air pollution, UV light, cigarette smoke and radiation which factors play key roles in making a person prone to diseases like aging, heart disease and cancer. Add it with your non-vegetarian platter like chicken or fish dishes and include a healthy and aromatic flavor.

The third spring clean foods are those that have citric acid in it, i.e., the sour fruits like lemon, peach, berries and others. These fruits use to be rich in Vitamin C and the citric acid flushes out the toxins from the body pretty clearly by also supplying antioxidants and nutrients.

Lastly, the fourth magical food is something you already have got enough proves to be a healthy drink and that is non-other than a cup of green tea. It is the antioxidants called catechins that are present in high amount in the green tea that makes it good for the liver and also works magically in slimming down by burning the fats from one’s body. The good part is that if not a hot cup of tea then an iced cup of green tea will also do the same good thing for you!

Nuts, a very familiar name which most of you might like to eat while doing nothing or while sitting in front of your PC or TV. But do you know what exact amount nutrition and vitamin you draw by munching those tasty nuts and which of the nuts play a major role in keeping your body healthy and away from diseases? Proven by the Mayo Clinic, nuts play a key role in relieving you from the heart diseases and that surely is great news for all! Let’s unveil the heath benefits and the nutrition levels of the nuts today and make a proper schedule of eating them.

Cashews

A name that is familiar in almost every household is one of those magical nuts that can deliver two of the most essential nutrients to your body, namely copper and zinc. These two minerals are in high amount in these nuts and the cashews are one the lowest-fat nuts. An ounce of dry-roasted cashews contain 160 calories. You should make a habit of taking cashews to directly gain the healthy nutrients.

Almonds

If there is one nut that is high in magnesium, potassium and vitamin E altogether then that is almonds for sure. You will gain more of the healthy nutrients and very less unhealthy fat on consuming almonds as one quarter of a cup of chopped almonds contains 150 calories. So, you can sprinkle a little bit of chopped almonds everyday on your salad or on your cheese cracker.

Pecans

Pecans are that nutrition rich nuts that can at the same time deliver you 19 vitamins and minerals. Each of the vitamins and minerals are good for your body and the good news is that if you take 3 to 4 glasses of pecans every day then you can lower bad cholesterol and improve your arteries. Also, it is a good thing to have with your morning toast. Some of the vitamins and minerals found in this nut are magnesium, potassium, zinc, vitamins E and A, vitamin B and copper etc.

Walnuts

Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids in high amount and hence, are pretty ideal nuts to add to your diet. As the omega-3 fatty acids are useful for ensuring a healthy heart and there are anti-inflammatory ingredients in it, it is good for the patients of asthma and arthritis. One serving of chopped walnuts, i.e., 8 oz contains about 180 calories and is a good thing to accompany your morning cup of coffee everyday.

So, now you can go for these nuts according to your needs everyday.

Dr. Ian is talking about making replacement in the diet and in the food list rather than asking one to suddenly avoid easting a food. The unhealthy items are tired to be replaced by him. This way, he aims to achieve a goal of shredding away 50 Million Pounds from the bodies of its members. The results are however, quite encouraging as more than 1.1 million pounds has been lost by the participants till date.

The challenge include a diet list comprising foods like fruits; chicken, turkey and beef as a source of lean protein; whole- or multi-grain breads, milk, cheese and yogurt which are skimmed or low-fat and vegetables. However, the processes of preparing vegetables and other meals too have to be free from spices and too much oil. Water, herbal tea and 100% juices are encouraged to be taken and the starchy potatoes are to be avoided. Also there are instructions of having all the meals starting with the breakfast with no skipping.

There are suggestions on physical exercises as well including the simple ones like jogging, jumping rope and walking and the cardio exercises thrice a week. So, following these tips will surely work to make one feel radical changes in his body and weight.

Ladies should be really very careful in choosing food for maintaining a healthy diet because the relation of the food they eat is not only with their body but with their brain as well. You may be a bit surprised to hear it but it is true, or to say accurately, researches have proved that food can drive your mood. It is the food you eat regularly and the way you maintain your diet that decides your depression level. According to the studies, ladies taking sugary foods and the high fat dishes are inclined to be more depressed other than the ones who eat fresh vegetables and foods like beef, lamb, fruit, fish and wholegrain foods.

The study has been conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Melbourne led by Dr Felice Jacka and evaluated 1,046 women basing on their diet and psychiatric behavior over 10 years. They found that 925 out of the mentioned total number of ladies are found to be free from mood disorders, however, 121 are found attacked by this disorder, as it was reported by them to the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Dr. Jacka said that if a lady is regularly having good foods like vegetables, fruit, lean meat, whole grain foods and low fat dairy products and occasionally and very rarely opts for other fatty and sugary foods like pizza, chips, white bread, hamburgers, flavored milk drinks and beer and chocolate etc, they are less prone to going into depression. But the ones who are regular eaters of these fatty foods and are continuing it since 10 years then they are surely fueling up their anxiety and depression disorders.

Kate Middleton, when seen in her last public appearance at the Olympic Park in London for the promotion of the forthcoming summer Olympics, was looking very sporty and very fit in those tangerine jeans she sported. With spring in your door, it is time that you too start working out and start trying in getting a fit and slim body like Kate as spring means lots of outdoor fun and sports. Also, of course you won’t be wearing those full sleeve shirts or the overcoats and boots to get rid of the winter. Instead there will be fresh breezes to welcome you and its time for you to greet the spring in shorts and capris. With those tires and the baby fats you will certainly look odd rather than sporty and peppy as Kate. So, there is only one way, work on your daily food routine and your physical exercises.

For replicating the exact food diary and exercises that Kate Middleton do we must have to meet her personally but since that is not possible, some handy tips are here that will surely help you in reaching the target line of looking so fit like her. For that, the very first thing for you to do would be to try completely avoiding or making the proportion of sugar, refined carbohydrate and fatty meats from your food list very less. As saying no to the junk foods may not be possible for you so abruptly you can try to minimize those slowly. For the time being some other things that you can opt for in place of the bad food habits are fresh fruits, green vegetables and lots of water. Buy any colorful fruit you find in the market and make a habit of chewing these while you are watching TV, sitting in front of the PC or while reading any book.

Other than these you can incorporate certain physical activities like riding the spinner or the cycle in the gym or a bicycle on the road for some time, doing squats on a Bosu Ball and jumping squats. If you are not having the necessary equipment at home then can join the gym and build a habit of getting sweaty for sometime of the day.