7 Surprising Ways In Which You Are Eating More Than You Realize!

If you feel like your pants are getting tighter lately, even though you think that you haven't been overeating, then, think again!

Because, many a time, we could be consuming a lot of food or calories, without even realizing that we have been doing that!

As we know, overeating, whether it is done knowingly or unknowingly, can have adverse health effects.

Firstly, the most obvious negative effect of overeating is weight gain which could lead to being overweight or obese.

As we know, obesity and having excess body fat is the root cause of a number of serious health conditions.

Apart from that, overeating can also cause high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart diseases, joint pain, diabetes, depression, infertility, certain types of cancers, etc.

So, it is very important to have a healthy, balanced diet and to learn how to eat mindfully, by being aware of what and how much you are eating.

Many a time, even if we have made up our minds to eat healthily and avoid overeating, it could happen without us realizing it!

So, here are a few surprising ways in which you could be overeating, without your knowledge!

1. You Are Very Social
2. You Don't Cook At Home
3. You Feel "Health" Foods Are Really Healthy
4. You Reward Yourself After Exercise
5. You Don't Pay Attention To Portion Sizes
6. You Like Variety
7. You Eat Too Fast

1. You Are Very Social

Humans are social animals and it is important to have a healthy social life. However, if you are someone who is extremely social and you like to meet people more than once a week, it could mean, get-togethers, meals outside with friends, and alcohol sessions.

So, when this happens often, you could be consuming more calories while hanging out with your friends, without even realizing it!

2. You Don't Cook At Home

These days, most people have busy jobs and hectic schedules which could prevent them from having enough time to prepare healthy meals, so people end up eating out a lot.
Even if you eat out just once or twice a day, it could have a huge impact on your weight, because the ingredients used to prepare food at restaurants usually contain high amounts of fats and sugars.

3. You Feel "Health" Foods Are Really Healthy

Most of us may have heard of energy drinks, energy bars, low-calorie foods, fat-free foods, sugar-free foods, etc., which have become popular among weight watchers today. Many people believe that these foods actually have really fewer calories and fats, when in reality, they do contain high amounts of calories.
So they tend to indulge in them, without guilt! This may lead them to overeat these "health" foods, adding excess weight to their body!

4. You Reward Yourself After Exercise

As we know, exercise is an important part of our daily routine, along with a healthy diet, if we want to maintain a healthy weight and avoid diseases. Many people who exercise have this habit of rewarding themselves with unhealthy foods after they exercise, because they feel that they have burnt a lot of calories at the gym.

This can also cause overeating and weight gain, as some of the junk foods have way more calories than what an average person burns at the gym!

5. You Don't Pay Attention To Portion Sizes

Even if you are eating healthy foods consisting of proteins, healthy fats, greens, etc., it is very important to pay attention to the portion sizes that you are consuming. If you serve bigger portions of food, without being aware on a daily basis, then it could cause over-eating and all the health issues associated with it.
So it is important to talk to your dietician and fix portion sizes apt for your health.

6. You Like Variety

A recent research study conducted in California stated that people who like to consume different varieties of food at one meal tend to overeat without realizing, compared to people who stick to one type of dish per meal.
So if you are someone who likes to order a variety of different dishes when you go out, or if you go to buffets often, you could be overeating without realizing, because you have to eat every variety you have ordered, which is a lot of calories!

7. You Eat Too Fast

If you are someone who has the habit of eating food too fast, there is a chance that you could be consuming more food without realizing, because the food on your plate gets over fast!

A research study conducted by the University Of Rhode Island in 2011 found that people who eat fast consume 33% more food that people who eat with average pace!

15 Fruits And Vegetables That Burn Fat Overnight

Weight is one of the most disturbing features of the human body for this generation. Adults, as well as kids, both are victims of extra weight as the adults are busy sitting on comfy chairs working in their tablet-size offices whereas kids no longer are interested in going out to play as in the past.

One of the basic issues with kids these days is the problem of obesity as they all are busy with their gadgets sitting back at home working hard enough to become couch potatoes.

 

Eating fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to reduce weight and should necessarily be included in our daily diet as they are really light and fresh compared to the preserved, canned foods we eat.

These are full of vitamins, minerals, fibre, nutrients, and also roughage. They make us full and that too in a healthy way. Fruits and vegetables have calories too but are filled with water and fibre which keeps our stomach full for a longer period of time.

Vegetables do kill belly fat but in order to help them do that, we need to follow a diet which includes healthy portions of fruits and vegetables.

Include these in your diet:

• Fruits like apples, apricots, and a glass of fresh fruit juice for breakfast.
• Some healthy green leafy salad for lunch inclusive of spinach, broccoli, etc.
• Take some sprouts and Brussels sprouts for snacks.
• A plate of cucumber, tomatoes, onion salad for dinner topped up with lime juice and salt to taste.
• We could also help our desserts in becoming weight burners by making fruit salads and this is how we lose weight overnight.

A twist and turn in our daily diet would help us reduce weight in an easy and natural manner; we don't have to work a lot except for a few exercises or a daily walk to speed up our weight-losing process.

We should not be confused between the two different concepts of fat reduction and weight reduction as the two are completely poles apart from each other. Let's see how:-

• The weight of a person includes two essential parts of the body which are fat and muscles.
• When we talk about fat reduction, we are specifically reducing the fat or the blubber content of our body.
• But when we talk about the weight reduction of the body, it includes both fat reduction as well as the reduction of muscle density which essentially reduces our overall body weight.
• Hence, we see that fat reduction is a narrower concept whereas weight reduction a broader concept as a whole.

We are talking about fat reduction here in a natural manner wherein, we'll be telling you ways in which you all could know about fruits and vegetables that burn fat.
Now, let's start introducing you to the fruits and vegetables that kill belly fat and help lose weight overnight naturally: -

1. Chillies
2. Leafy Vegetables
3. Cucumber
4. Green Pepper
5. Tomatoes
6. Onions
7. Pumpkin
8. Celery
9. Carrots
10. Cherries
11. Brussels Sprouts
12. Cabbage
13. Cauliflower
14. Broccoli
15. Avocado

1. Chillies

Chillies can become one amongst your daily diet and also have the ability to burn fat. A compound called capsaicin present in chillies aids weight loss by boosting metabolism, so include chillies in your diet if you want to shed unwanted weight.

2. Leafy Vegetables

A salad made out of the leafy veggies can keep you full by stocking up fibre and nutrients and also help reduce weight as they are light.

3. Cucumber

Cucumber has enough water to keep you full and when accompanied by a glass of water it also flushes out the toxins from your body. Makes a great salad.

4. Green Pepper

Green peppers help boost our metabolism and also come under the category of vegetables that destroy belly fat overnight.

5. Tomatoes

This is a fruit cum vegetable that burns fat and is full of calcium and vitamin C which helps kill belly fat in particular. Why not add them to your hamburger for a go!

6. Onions

Onions can be added to most of the dishes in our diet and they are very low in calories and also light. Could be added to your salad too; you could make onion rings for a change.

7. Pumpkin

Can be a huge hit with low-calorie energy which helps maintain weight and is rich in vitamin C. Why not have a whole pumpkin pie instead, to brush up your taste buds.

8. Celery

Could be one of your favourite salad ingredients as it's light, fresh, and filled with water. It could be used as an ingredient for your favourite food dishes too.

9. Carrots

Carrots could be added to most of the dishes, could be made a salad out of, and juice it out if you're a juice lover; carrots can be eaten raw as well as mixed into your favourite recipe. Carrots are light and have a lot of fibre and beta-carotene, which is healthy for your body. You could also help yourself with a carrot cheesecake at times.

10. Cherries

These might not come under the fruits and vegetables that burn fat overnight but sure do help us out in burning our fat anyhow. This fruit is low in calories and promotes weight loss by increasing your metabolism rate. Also, the moderate water content in them helps in detoxification..

11. Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are rich in fibre and have low glycemic index which helps in weight loss. You could toss them in some olive oil, salt, and lemon juice to eat it as a snack or salad; they are healthy for the gut, are light and are rich in vitamin A, calcium, etc.

12. Cabbage

Although cabbages are not useful for burning fat but could be helpful for weight loss as they are really light and low calorific. They could be used to make coleslaw, salad, etc.

13. Cauliflower

Fibre present in cauliflower helps to burn fat. Cauliflower could be boiled and eaten raw or cooked into a creamy soup for a change at times.

14. Broccoli

This is a very light vegetable which makes you full in no time; it is also full of dietary fibre and is low in calories. And also light to eat which will help you trim your body weight. Broccoli could be put into salads or could be eaten raw after steaming the veggie.

15. Avocado

These are one of the best ingredients to be put in your diet if you're planning on cutting your fat or for losing weight as this supplement is really low in calories and contains healthy fats which are really good for your health according to nutritionists. Avocados are healthy and light; they could be used as a snack for odd times and could be added to your salad.

Is Your Healthy Diet Dangerous For You?

When weight loss and eating healthy become an obsession, you're going the wrong way. This extreme obsession can lead to much worse physical and mental conditions than where you started instead of helping you. So how do we find out if we are actually getting obsessed and acquiring an eating disorder?

 

Here are 5 signs to look out for-

1. You are always thinking about your diet, what you ate and how it's going to affect your body. Being aware and being obsessed are two different things. We just need to be aware of what we eat and nothing more.

2. You are always weighing yourself for any difference in your weight. Basically, you're getting scale-obsessed.

3. You don't share your diet regime with anyone because of the fear of being judged. You're scared people are going to tell you that you are being too strict with yourself and hence, you keep it all a secret.

4. You seem to be spending more time with yourself than with friends and family. You could be avoiding get-togethers and parties because of your devotion (obsession) to your diet.

5. Your self-esteem is a reflection of your weight. This is very dangerous! You seem to feel happy about yourself only on days you manage to stick to your diet and flip when you don't.

These are simple signs that show you've become obsessed. Ask yourself honestly, is that the case? Even if a tiny part of your brain says yes, then you have an eating disorder.

What's An Eating Disorder?

An eating disorder is a mental disorder which is caused by abnormal eating habits that leads to a negative effect on a person's physical and mental health.

The causes for eating disorders are not always clear. It could be in your genetics even. Mostly, it occurs due to the pressure of the society where you see people and idealize their body so much, that you get obsessed with having something similar. But you should know that every body-frame is built differently.

Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, muscle dysmorphia, binge eating disorder (bed), other specified feeding or eating disorder, compulsive overeating, Prader-Willi syndrome, diabulimia, selective eating disorder, also called picky eating, drunkorexia, pregorexia, gourmand syndrome are a few examples of the severities of eating disorders.

How Can We Treat These Eating Disorders?

There is no specific treatment for eating disorders; it all depends on the severity of the disorder itself.

Here's a list of a few suggested treatments for eating disorders-

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• Cognitive Remediation Therapy
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
• Behavioural Therapy
• Interpersonal Psychotherapy
• Cognitive Emotional Behaviour Therapy
• Music Therapy
• Recreation Therapy
• Art Therapy
• Nutrition Counselling and Medical Nutrition Therapy
• Medication
• Psychoanalysis

But most of all, it matters on how you are willing to treat yourself on the inside. All the care starts in your mind, by getting rid of the obsession.

1. Ditch your diet! Get rid of what is the root of all trouble. Concentrate on eating healthy and maintaining your current weight. Be happy with who and what you are. This is one of the most basics steps to take to treat an eating disorder.

2. Stop being a food safety police in your mind! Listen to your body instead of monitoring your food intake. Stop cross-checking the nutritional values of all the food you consume. The best way would be to start thinking about other things if you catch yourself wondering about your food again. Go out and meet your family and friends; other conversations will keep you from your safety behaviour around food.

3. Have some self-trust! You need to give yourself permission to eat whatever you want, whenever you want, and how much ever you want. This might sound dangerous to you, but if you do let yourself do this, then you will see that you think about food much less than normal. This because you've already fed your body and mind what it wanted. This means, no unhealthy cravings, no binge-eating, and no overindulgence.

4. Understand what your body wants, and not what you want to give it! We feel like we know ourselves very well, and we made some bad decisions. Our body requires its nutrition in a certain amount and we deprive it of that when we go on mindless diets. So, understand what your body needs.

5. Risk it! Change is a must for every human to grow. And to overcome eating disorders you need to make changes in your thoughts, let go of your safety behaviour patterns, and the baseline should be: you need to start eating. This will help you develop a healthy self-esteem, self-care practices, and self-efficacy.

Be positive about the change you are going to make in your life. Find the right company to do it with. It is going to be difficult, but it's necessary.

Why is Vitamin D Deficiency So High? It’s Not Lack of Sun

We don’t often think about whether we’re getting enough vitamin D in the sunnier spring and summer months but we should. That’s because 41.6 percent of all Americans and 1 billion people worldwide are believed to be deficient in vitamin D, causing some researchers to refer to the situation as the “ignored epidemic.” Blacks and Hispanics had much higher rates with 82.1 percent and 69.2 percent being deficient in vitamin D, respectively.

New research published earlier this month may have insight into one of the reasons for the wide-scale deficiency. The research presented by the European Society for Endocrinology at their annual meeting found that increased belly fat and obesity may be playing a role in the deficiency.

It may surprise you to learn that the more abdominal fat you have, the more likely you are to be deficient in the essential nutrient, which is technically a hormone. According to research presented in EurekAlert, research found a correlation between obesity and vitamin D deficiency. What’s not yet clear is whether the body hoards fat as a result of the vitamin D deficiency or whether the excessive fat causes a vitamin D deficiency. More research should help to clarify whether it is a cause or effect relationship. 

Obesity is a global issue of epidemic proportions and is estimated as a cause for 2.8 million deaths every year. So, getting on top of both the obesity and vitamin D deficiency is critical to many peoples’ health and wellbeing. Considering that a vitamin D deficiency is linked to the risk factors for many serious health conditions, this is not a situation that is to be taken lightly. Vitamin D deficiencies are commonly linked to poor bone health but can also be a factor for heart disease, autoimmune conditions, respiratory tract infections and other serious health concerns.

Vitamin D deficiency is also linked to diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, osteoporosis and degenerative nerve or brain diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. It has been linked to a variety of cancer, particularly breast, prostate and colon cancers, as well as stroke, birth defects and more.

The nutrient is believed to control the immune system and is known to be linked to improved mood. It has even been found to reduce pain levels and protect the brain against toxic chemicals.

Is Sunlight Enough?

Most health practitioners tell people that moderate sunlight exposure provides sufficient vitamin D, but if that were true, it is unlikely the incidence of vitamin D would be so high, particularly during the spring and summer months. The other sources of vitamin D include food and supplements. The primary food sources of vitamin D include: fish, liver and egg yolks. Supplementation may be necessary to address widespread deficiencies.

If you supplement with vitamin D, choose D3 or cholecalciferol since it is the form that has been found in research to provide the greatest health benefits. However, if you’re vegan, you’ll want to avoid this supplement since it is usually extracted from fish. Instead, you’ll want to consider synthetic vitamin D2. Nutritionists usually recommend between 800 and 2000 IU but you’ll definitely want to stick to a lower dose if you’re using synthetic vitamin D. The vitamin can be stored in the body so be sure not to exceed these dosages unless you’re working with a health professional skilled in nutritional supplementation.

Xenoestrogens: What They Are and How to Avoid Them

The human body is incredibly skilled at using hormones — basically chemical messengers that trigger specific biological responses — to coordinate and regulate everything from your metabolism to your mood. Hormones are the reason your legs are the same length,  why your body changes at puberty, and the reason you start craving carbohydrates. But what happens when outside chemicals start interfering with this well-oiled machine and its systems? Let’s take a look. 

WHAT ARE XENOESTROGENS?

Xenoestrogens are a type of faux hormone that imitates estrogen in the body and binds to hormone receptors, creating an excess of estrogen in the bloodstream. Often, xenoestrogens are widely used synthetic chemical compounds like BPA and phthalates (yes, like those in your shampoo), but they can be naturally derived as well.

Because xenoestrogens can mimic the effects of true estrogen, they have been linked to everything from reproductive disorders to precocious puberty. It is for this reason that they are considered environmental hazards to both wildlife and humans.

Here are some of the worst offenders:

• Commercially-raised meat and dairy products — they’re always contaminated with growth hormones.
• Insecticides and pesticides — go organic instead!
• Tap water — hormones are not able to be filtered out of municipal drinking water, so drink filtered water whenever possible.
• Parabens — shampoos, lotions, toothpaste, cosmetics…this is a great area in which to go clean.
• Phthalates — plastic wrap, baggies and styrofoam are risky business.
• Food additives — processed foods almost always contain xenoestrogens in the form of preservatives, artificial color and texturizing agents.
• Soy protein isolate — organic soy is a great source of protein within reason, but conventionally-raised soy products contain high amounts of plant estrogen.
• Dryer sheets — they may make your clothes feel soft, but these xenoestrogens can permeate your cells…ick!
• Birth control pills — if you can manage it, other forms of contraception (condoms, for example) are much healthier.
• Disposable “feminine products” — tampons and pads often contain chlorine, fragrances, surfactants and other synthetics which are all sources of xenoestrogens.

LONG-TERM IMPACTS

Endocrine disruptors are all too common in daily life. In an average day, it’s likely you’ll encounter them in your food, your beauty products, your kitchen wares and even your furniture. Pair this with a slow moving elimination system, relentless stress and an iffy diet, and you’re well on your way to estrogen dominance which has been linked to everything from fibroids to breast cancer.

HOW CAN I COUNTERACT ESTROGEN DOMINANCE?

Get to the root of the problem. Start eliminating products that contain xenoestrogens from your daily routine, then take a look at your diet. Alisa Vitti, functional nutritionist and founder of the women’s health resource FLO Living, recommends the following:

1. Eat more fiber. A high-fiber diet will help your digestive system eliminate toxins more efficiently.
2. Support good-gut bacteria. Your microbiome helps metabolize estrogen and usher it out of the body.
3. Take care of your liver. Carrots, spinach and cilantro are all great liver detoxifiers.

Beyond this: do what you can to live a simple, natural life. Seek out organic foods whenever possible and only let clean, non-toxic products into your home. It’s time to stop polluting your body!

PETA’s Bloody Protest in New York

PETA’s (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) demonstrations are amusing, to say the least. In the latest stunt put up by the animal rights activists, demonstrators stripped down in New York City's Times Square, wrapped themselves up in cellophane and doused themselves with fake blood so they looked like meat on sale at a supermarket. The message PETA wants to send out is that buying a steak from a grocery store is no different from buying a corpse.

Unusually Long Exposure Photographs by Michael Wesely

For more than a decade, German photography artist Michael Wesely has been inventing and refining techniques for making photographs with unusually long exposures - some as long as three years. In 1997, armed with a self-built pinhole camera, he began using this unique approach to photography to explore major urban construction projects around Berlin.

In 2001, when the Museum of Modern Art in New York under went a three year renovation and expansion, they invited Michael Wesely to bring his unique vision to this significant change. Wesely setup his custom made cameras in four locations around the museum construction site and photographed the destruction and re-building of the MoMa until 2004 - leaving the shutter open for up to 34 months! The demolition and construction over the course of Wesely's long exposures gives the pictures a ghostlike appearance. The streaks of white bands in the background is the sun tracing the sky hundreds of times over the period.

The incredible thing about these pictures is that you can actually see the passing of time in a single shot. The older parts of the building that were exposed the longest appear darker and clearer. While the newer parts seem more ghost like. It took Michael more than 2 years to create this incredible time incapsulation at the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin (below).

The photo taken at the Leipziger Platz in Berlin (below) had an exposure time of 16 months.

Here is another image he created. It is an 18 month exposure of Palast der Republik, Berlin.

A 2 year 3 month exposure of the construction of Allianz Arena football stadium in Munich, Germany.

The exposure time of these flowers are not known. Could be a few weeks.

Wesely claims that he could do exposures for even longer duration of time - ten, twenty and even forty years.