Here are several ways to fire up one’s metabolism:

1. Build up on lean, mean body mass. It is only natural that metabolism decreases along with age, but it is possible to counter the effects. The amount of muscle a person has is a very strong determinant in the ability to burn calories and shed fat. So it goes without saying that exercise is essential. Build strength and resistance by working out at least twice a week, preferably with weights. Do easy exercises in between workouts. Simple tasks such as walking the dog and using the stairs in place of the elevator can already take off calories.

2. Eat breakfast. A lot of people are ignoring the fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Surprisingly, the ones who eat breakfast are thinner than the ones who do not. Metabolism can slow down considerably if breakfast is taken during mid-morning or if one waits until the afternoon to eat.

3. Avoid sugar. Sugar enables the body to store fat. It is recommended that a person consumes food that helps sustain an even level of blood-sugar. Additionally, progressive execerise 2-3 times a week should be in order to stabilize blood sugar.

4. Eat spicy foods. Hot cuisine with peppers can increase metabolism.

5. Sleep more. According to research, it is riskier for people who do not get enough sleep to gain weight. Also, muscles are regenerated during the last couple of hours of slumber.

6. Increase water intake. Water flushes out toxins that are produced whenever the body burns fat. Majority of bodily functions involves water, and lack of water causes the body system’s operations to decrease its speed, and produces unneeded stress as a result.

7. Eat smaller meals. It is advisable to consume 4 to 6 small meals that are timed 2 to 3 hours apart.

8. Never skip meals. People tend to skip meals in order to lose weight, which is a big mistake since it slows down metabolism.

9. Plan meals in detail. Always prepare the right amount of food to be consumed at the designated intervals. Do not commit the mistake of eating meals in sporadic patterns.

10. Guzzle up on green tea. It can be used as a substitute for coffee. Tea has the ability to stimulate metabolism, and unlike coffee, it has no undesirable side effects when too much is consumed.

According to a celebrity fitness expert, it is possible to have an active social life, party and eat out without gainig weight. Watch this video tutorial from Better TV for tips on how to party like a rock star without blowing your diet.

Fat also helps the body use its two other energy nutrients,carbohydrate and protein efficiently. Fat fragments combine with glucose fragments during energy metabolism, and fat helps spare protein, providing energy so that protein can be used for other important tasks.

Essential Fatty Acids
The human body needs fatty acids, and it can make all but two of them linoleic acid and linolenic acid. They must be supplied by the diet and are therefore called essential fatty acids. The body uses these essential fatty acids to maintain the structural parts of cell membranes and to make many hormonelike substances known as eicosanoids. Eicosanoids help in regulating the blood pressure, clotting of blood and lipids,and the immune response to injury and infection.

Linoleic acid is the primary member of the omega-6 family. Given linoleic acid, the body can make other members of the omega-6 family such as the 20-carbon polyunsaturated fatty acid, arachidonic acid. Should a linoleic acid deficiency develop, arachidonic acid, and all other fatty acids that derive from linoleic acid, would also become essential and have to be obtained from the diet. Normally, vegetable oils and meats supply enough omega-6 fatty acids to meet the body’s needs.

How to Tell If Packaged Food is Organic
Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether a food is organic or not. Fresh produce is easier…it either is, or isn’t organically grown. But packaged foods are trickier. Here’s what you need to know.

1. Look for the USDA certified organic seal. This means at least 95% of the ingredients are organic.
2. If you see a label that says 70% organic, that means that 70% of the ingredients are organic.
3. If the product has less than 70% organic ingredients, it can’t carry an organic label, so you have to read the ingredients on the package. Don’t be fooled by products that you think are organic because their names or packaging look like they are. You have to really read through the ingredients.

A fourth cup of coffee isn’t what you need to get through that energy slump. Try a few “you-friendly” remedies instead.

How to decorate sports cupcakes

* To make turf: Place coconut in zip-top plastic bag. Add a few drops of green food coloring. Close bag and knead coconut by hand until it turns green. Spread on the serving platter.
* To make a basketball: Frost a cupcake with orange frosting, turning cupcake as you go to evenly coat. Using a pastry cone filled with chocolate frosting, pipe lines on the cupcake to look like stitching on a basketball.
* To make a baseball: Frost a cupcake with white frosting. Pipe two arcs on top using the red frosting in the pastry cone. Then pipe the stitches on each arc pressing down as you start to squeeze frosting out and then lifting up.
* To make a tennis ball: Frost cupcake in the “tennis ball” green frosting. Pipe two arcs in white on top.
* To make a soccer ball: Frost cupcake in white. Using the pastry cone filled with chocolate frosting, make a pentagon in the center of the cupcake and fill in with chocolate frosting. Make a line from each of the points of the pentagon out to the edge of the cupcake. At the edge of each of the lines, pipe and fill a triangle shape.
* Place finished cupcakes in a cupcake tree or on top of the coconut “turf” on a serving platter.

Note: Cupcakes can freeze for up to two months.

Download the book here (Right click and save target as)

Buying fresh fish can be a little scary, if you don’t know what to look for. Whole Food Market’s Martha Drayton shows and tells what you need to know to make sure you’re getting the freshest fish.

You’ve heard the term ‘fair trade’ but do you know what it means? Organic food expert and environmentalist Anna Lappe explains why she believes it’s important to buy fair trade coffee, and how to find it.