Friday, September 30, 2011

Foods with a Purpose – Muscle Foods, Sex Foods, and More ...

Just like millions of men, you’ve read plenty of articles on what foods are good for your diet. There are certain foods that are geared specifically towards body building and muscle mass, but did you know that other foods can help keep you healthy in other ways such as higher energy levels, sex enhancers, memory enhancers, foods that are good for your heart and vision, and food that help reduce stress? Why should you just work on one part of your body? Below are some great tips on foods that will help for a well-rounded healthy body.
Muscle Foods
- Fortified Eggs: As you know, eggs are a great form of protein, which is important for building muscle mass, but have you heard about fortified eggs? The difference is in the diet of the chickens. For fortified eggs, they feed them flaxseeds and vitamin E, which increases the content of omega-3 and vitamin E in eggs. In fact, there is six times more omega-3 and eight times more vitamin E content in fortified eggs than in regular eggs.
- Mollusks: Mollusks are a great source of protein, are low in fat, and high in minerals such as vitamin B12, which helps to deliver oxygen through your blood to your working muscles.
- Salmon: Salmon is a great source of omega-3 and fatty acids, which both help with the building of muscle mass.
- Nuts: Not only are nuts a great source of protein, but they also contain many nutrients that are great for muscles such as fiber, vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, copper, antioxidants, and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
- Legumes: Legumes are a great source of protein as well as fiber, which helps to stabilize your blood sugar and energy level.
Whole grains: Foods such as oatmeal, brown rice, and barley are very rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber.


- Tomatoes and tomato products: For some reason, when tomato products are heated up, they produce more antioxidants. So, tomato-based items such as chili and spaghetti sauce are a great source of antioxidants.
- Cruciferous vegetables: Cruciferous vegetables are vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and cabbage. They’re high in fiber and vitamin C and low in calories, so they’re a great food source for building muscle.
Energy Foods
Some of the foods already are great for energy such as whole grains and nuts because of the protein and antioxidants content, which makes sense because energy and muscle building go hand in hand. Those aforementioned foods are important to note, but they won’t be relisted in this section.
Berries: Blueberries, blackberries, and other berries are great for energy due to their high content of vitamins and fiber.
- Citrus fruits: Citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits are not only a great source of vitamin C, but also contain flavonoids. Flavonoids are nutrients in certain foods that help with lowering cholesterol, coagulating your blood, and boost the effects of vitamin C.
- Lean proteins: Meats such as steak, chicken, pork tenderloin, and turkey along with milk an cheese are good sources of protein and also are high in zinc content, which boosts your immune system. Be careful not to choose cuts of meat with a lot of fat or be sure to trim the fat before preparing your meat.
- Tea: Teas contain polyphenols, which are potent antioxidants. You can drink tea in moderation, but you shouldn’t be too terribly concerned with the caffeine content in that tea contains half as much caffeine as coffee.
- Olive oil: Olive oil contains monounsaturated fats that are said to decrease bad cholesterol levels and increase good cholesterol. Also, olive oil is rich in vitamin E and antioxidants. You’re better off with the extra virgin olive oil as it contains more vitamin E and antioxidants. Olive oil is a great alternative to unhealthy fats such as butter.
Memory Foods
Great memory foods usually consist of certain fruits and vegetables. These foods mainly contain anthocyanin, which is a memory enhancing nutrient found in some foods, and/or quercetin, which is an antioxidant that has been known to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Also, some vegetables are high in folic acid, which also has been known to help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Fruits good for memory: Blueberries, strawberries, and cherries contain anthocyanin while apples contain quercetin. The quercetin found in apples is mainly in the skin of the apple, so make sure that you don’t peel your apple. Red, purple, and black grapes are also great memory foods as they contain both anthocyanin and quercetin.
- Vegetables god for memory: Onions contain quercetin as does broccoli, but broccoli is also high in folic acids. Spinach is a wonderful memory food that’s very rich in folic acids. Beets not only have folic acids, but also contain anthocyanin. Eggplants are also a source that contains anthocyanin, but eggplants also contain another antioxidant called nasunin. This antioxidant protects the lipids around your brain sell membrane.
- Rosemary: Rosemary contains another healthy acid called carnosic acid. This nutrient protects individuals against Alzheimer’s disease.
Sex Foods
Raw oysters: Raw oysters are probably the best known sex food for men. The reason it’s a great sex food is because it’s high in zinc, which increases testosterone and sperm levels.
- Celery: Celery may not sound as if it’s an appealing sex food, but celery contains androsterone, which is the hormone in men that give off an arousing scent to women. Though celery may not increase your sex drive, it sure can attract the ladies to you.
- Bananas: Bananas are high in potassium and vitamin B, which are great for energy and stamina.
- Avocados: Avocados are high in folic acid and vitamin B6, which both increase the production of male hormones.
- Figs: Due to the amino acids in figs, they increase your sex drive and improve physical stamina.
- Eggs: Eggs are rich in vitamins B5 and B6, which help to balance hormone and stress levels.
- Garlic: Make sure you have breath mints ready, but garlic contains a nutrient called allicin, which helps to increase blood flow, so to sum it up, garlic may help with longevity.
Heart Foods
Herbs: As we’ve all heard before, if you’re interested in heart health, then the first thing you should do is hide your salt shaker. There are plenty of herbs such as chives, rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage, oregano, and lavender that you can use to enhance the flavor of your foods instead of salt. This will drastically reduce your sodium level and your risk for hypertension, which can essentially cause heart disease.
- Garlic: Garlic is a wonderful way to lower cholesterol. It also helps to prevent arteries from getting clogged or hardening.
- Salmon: Salmon contains a lot of omega-3 acids, which reduces inflammation. This means that it will decrease the chance of your arteries swelling and causing a narrower opening.
- Cherries: Cherries contain antioxidants that reduce plaque buildup on arteries.
Vision Foods
- Allium Vegetables: Vegetables such as onions, scallions, shallots, garlic, and chives are rich in sulfur, which produces gluthathione, an antioxidant good for eyes. Gluthathione increases circulation, which is helps, the blood flow to the small blood vessels in the eye.


- Yellow, orange, and leafy green vegetables: I’m sure you’ve always heard that eating carrots is good for your vision. It’s actually true, as is squash and other yellow and oranges vegetables. Also, leafy greens are good, kale being at the top of the list. All of these vegetables contain quercetin, an antioxidant that helps with the blood flow.- Nuts and seeds: Along with numerous healthy nutrients, nuts contain vitamin B and E. Deficiencies of these vitamins, particularly B vitamins, can cause vision problems. Therefore, by ensuring that you have enough vitamin B and E in your body, you can prevent potential vision problems.
- Blueberries, raisins, and grapes: These three fruits improve night vision and the adaptation from light to dark.
Foods that Reduce Stress
- Low fat or skim milk: As you may already be aware, skim milk is rich in calcium and B vitamins. These nutrients protect nerve health, thus reduce stress. Skim or low fat milk also contains proteins that stabilize your blood sugar.
- Whole grains: Whole grains high in B vitamins, good for nerve health, and fiber, which helps to regulate blood sugar.
- Blueberries: Blueberries not only contain fiber to regulate blood sugar, but it also contains Vitamin C, which is known to reducer stress.
- Citrus fruits: As stated above, vitamin C reduces stress. Therefore, fruits such as oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits are great stress-relieving foods.
- Apricots: Apricots contain magnesium, which is a nutrient that helps relive stress. However, only have apricots in moderation as they are also high in sugar and too many may be counterproductive.
- Green vegetables and bananas: I know green vegetables and bananas don’t sound like they should be grouped together, but they do have something very important in common. These foods are very high in potassium, which has been known to calm nerves and reduce anxiety.
- Poultry: Poultry such as chicken or turkey contain L-Tryptophan, which is an amino acid that prompts the release of serotonin, a chemical in the brain that makes you feel relaxed, happy, and generally good.


As you can see, there are many choices to a healthier you and you don’t have to compromise taste, as there is such a variety that everyone should be able to find foods that they like and can promote good health. There may be certain areas that you’d like to concentrate on more than others, but at least you can see the foods that help to a well-rounded health. Also, you should be able to see that foods such as blueberries are listed in more than one area as a healthy food. So, you can provide your body with healthy nutrients in more than one area in many cases.





































Thursday, September 29, 2011

How Hypnosis Can Help You Lose Weight


Many people are aware that hypnotherapy (the therapeutic application of hypnosis) is effective at helping people lose weight. Most people don’t know how it achieves this. The normal laws of physics suggest that the weight cannot magical disappear with a click of the fingers. This is very true. So how does hypnotherapy work? Let me explain.
Hypnotherapy is all about talking to the subconscious part of the mind. This is the part that is responsible for our automatic habits and urges. It is responsible for our automatic fear responses, our yearnings for something, and even our sweating and breathing.

How hypnosis works

A hypnotherapist will typically guide a subject into a hypnotic trance. This is not as difficult or as mystical as it may appear. A trance state is rather like a daydream state of mind, like when you are deeply engrossed in a good book of film. Your conscious mind is ‘tuned down’ a little, allowing for more access to your subconscious mind. You can snap out of it any time you choose, although it is usually so pleasant and relaxing that you choose not to!
Once the subject is in trance, the hypnotherapist will talk to the subconscious mind and attempt to convince it to change. For a person wishing to lose weight, a hypnotherapist might explain the their subconscious mind that eating less, or choosing to eat lower calorie foods, is a good option for them. They may also convince the subconscious mind to take more exercise. Once the subconscious mind is convinced of these changes, weight loss will naturally follow. A person will feel more naturally compelled to live that different lifestyle. The weight won’t fall off magically the next day, but over time the subjects new habits begin to show on their body.

Hypnosis and the subconscious mind

To make a lasting and permanent change, it is important to talk to the subconscious mind. Typically, well meaning friends and family may talk to a person who is overweight and tell them that they are harming their health. This is a conversation taking place between their conscious minds. The person is likely to already know the dangers of being overweight. They may agree and thank their friends or family member. They may even commit to make some lifestyle changes there and then. However rarely does this last more than a day or so.
This is because although their conscious mind is aware that changes are needed, their subconscious mind is not. Since the subconscious mind is the part that creates the automatic habits and urges, it is this part that really needs convincing.
It is the reason why a person on a diet can walk into the kitchen, open the cupboards, and start preparing some food without even consciously realizing it. A smoker quitting can literally open a packet of cigarettes, put on in their mouths and light it, before realizing what they are doing. The subconscious mind can literally get us to such things with no conscious involvement.
Once the subconscious mind is communicated with, the person wishing to make that change has a much easier time of it. The automatic urges are seriously reduced, leading to a change in their habits and routines, which has tremendous knock on effects. Of course the subject must still remain committed to change. If they really want to they can eat a whole cake, or smoke a dozen cigarettes. However it will be far easier for them to consistently avoid these things once they have received hypnotherapy.
So if you wish to lose weight permanently and with minimal fuss, I would recommend you try hypnotherapy. The weight will not magically fall off, but your mindset will magically change. This will help allow you to live the lifestyle you need to live in order to see the results you want.
Jon Rhodes is an experienced and popular hypnotherapist from the UK. As well as a thriving practice, he also treats people all over the world with his unique hypnosis audio sessions. A former professional musician, Jon has combined his two talents of music and hypnotherapy to great effect. Please click here for details of his instantly downloadable hypnosis audio sessions.

What Is Hypnosis?


What exactly is hypnosis? While definitions can vary, theAmerican Psychological Association describes hypnosis as a cooperative interaction in which the participant responds to the suggestions of the hypnotist. While hypnosis has become well-known thanks to popular acts where people are prompted to performs unusual or ridiculous actions, the technique has also been clinically proven to provide medical and therapeutic benefits, most notably in the reduction of pain and anxiety. It has even been suggested that hypnosis can reduce the symptoms of dementia.


How Does Hypnosis Work?

When you hear the word hypnotist, what comes to mind? If you’re like many people, the word may conjure up images of a sinister stage-villain who brings about a hypnotic state by swinging a pocket watch back and forth.
According to John Kihlstrom, "The hypnotist does not hypnotize the individual. Rather, the hypnotist serves as a sort of coach or tutor whose job is to help the person become hypnotized" While hypnosis is often described as a sleep-like trance state, it is better expressed as a state characterized by focused attention, heightened suggestibility and vivid fantasies.

What Effects Does Hypnosis Have?



The experience of hypnosis can vary dramatically from one person to another. Some hypnotized individuals report feeling a sense of detachment or extreme relaxation during the hypnotic state, while others even feel that their actions seem to occur outside of their conscious volition. Other individuals may remain fully aware and able to carry out conversations while under hypnosis.
Experiments by researcher Ernest Hilgard demonstrated how hypnosis can be used to dramatically alter perceptions. After instructing a hypnotized individual to not feel pain in his or her arm, the participant's arm was then placed in ice water. While non-hypnotized individuals had to remove their arm from the water after a few seconds due to the pain, the hypnotized individuals were able to leave their arms in the ice water for several minutes without experiencing pain.

What Can Hypnosis Be Used For?


The following are just a few of the applications for hypnosis that have been demonstrated with research:
  • The treatment of chronic pain conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.
  • The treatment and reduction of pain during childbirth.
  • The reduction of the symptoms of dementia.
  • Hypnotherapy may be helpful for certain symptoms of ADHD.
  • The reduction of nausea and vomiting in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
  • Control of pain during dental procedures.
  • Elimination or reduction of skin conditions including warts and psoriasis.
  • Alleviation of symptoms association with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Can You Be Hypnotized?

While many people think that they cannot be hypnotized, research has shown that a large number of people are more hypnotizable than they believe.
  • Fifteen percent of people are very responsive to hypnosis.
  • Children tend to be more susceptible to hypnosis.
  • Approximately ten percent of adults are considered difficult or impossible to hypnotize.
  • People who can become easily absorbed in fantasies are much more responsive to hypnosis.
If you are interested in being hypnotized, it is important to remember to approach the experience with an open mind. Research has suggested that individuals who view hypnosis in a positive light tend to respond better.

Theories of Hypnosis


One of the best-known theories is Hilgard’s neodissociation theory of hypnosis. According to Hilgard, people in a hypnotic state experience a split consciousness in which there are two different streams of mental activity. While one stream of consciousness responds to the hypnotist’s suggestions, another dissociated stream processes information outside of the hypnotized individuals conscious awareness.

Hypnosis Myths

Myth 1: When you wake up from hypnosis, you won’t remember anything that happened when you were hypnotized.
While amnesia may occur in very rare cases, people generally remember everything that occurred while they were hypnotized. However, hypnosis can have a significant effect on memory. Posthypnotic amnesia can lead an individual to forget certain things that occurred before or during hypnosis. However, this effect is generally limited and temporary.
Myth 2: Hypnosis can help people remember the exact details of a crime they witnessed.
While hypnosis can be used to enhance memory, the effects have been dramatically exaggerated in popular media. Research has found that hypnosis does not lead to significant memory enhancement or accuracy, and hypnosis can actually lead to false or distorted memories.
Myth 3: You can be hypnotized against your will.

Despite stories about people being hypnotized without their consent, hypnosis requires voluntary participation on the part of the patient.
Myth 4: The hypnotist has complete control of your actions while you’re under hypnosis.
While people often feel that their actions under hypnosis seem to occur without the influence of their will, a hypnotist cannot make you perform actions that are against your values or morals.
Myth 5: Hypnosis can make you super-strong, fast or athletically talented.

While hypnosis can be used to enhance performance, it cannot make people stronger or more athletic than their existing physical capabilities.