Daily Diet Blog

August 3, 2008

Do Digestive Enzymes Help Aid Digestion?

Filed under: Herbal Supplements — EatingToLive @ 11:53 pm

About two months ago, I had some major problems with indigestion, and a friend of mine has had problems her whole life basically, and like me, also had problems with IBS.  She recommended I try digestive enzymes for when I’m going to eat meals that may be a little harsh on my digestive system, such as a meal heavy in meats or fats, or even something heavy in dairy, which I have a really hard times processing without severe discomfort.

So, I went to my local GNC and bought some enzymes that were pretty lightweight, not really the “real” enzymes that you pop before your meal that tend to really help with the digestion, but this time I bought these papaya enzymes that taste like candy.  While I do think they helped to ease indigestion when taken after a meal, they really didn’t help to ease severe discomfort and I wondered how something that tastes like candy could really be helping increase my digestive juices and enzymes in my stomach so that I could digest foods much more easily.

So, the next time I went back to GNC, I got the real deal.  These were capsules that were labeled as digestive enzymes, and they contained several different types of enzymes, which were the same enzymes found naturally in your stomach “juices” that help you to digest certain types of foods.  For example, did you know that you have specific enzymes in your stomach to digest dairy, and then yet another to help break down vegetables and fiber-y foods, and yet another that helps you to digest meats and proteins, and then again another that helps to break down carbohydrates easily?

I like these enzymes from GNC, and if I can remember to pop two of them or one of them before a meal, I do notice a substantial difference in how well my food is digested and how much less discomfort and indigestion I experience, so there is something to be said about these digestive enzymes. If you would try them, I would suggest probably getting one that contains all of the enzymes necessary to break down all food groups, so that you get complete help no matter what you’re eating that day. 

May 18, 2008

Total Body and Total Body Mega Formula Still Causing Health Scares

Filed under: Herbal Supplements — EatingToLive @ 5:33 am

If you are taking either of the following dietary supplements for weight loss or calorie burning, you need to stop taking them immediately, as they have been recalled and are causing major health issues in those taking them.  They are called Total Body Formula and Total Body Mega formula, and the problem is they contain several times more selenium in them as indicated by the label. Selenium is a mineral that is good in trace amounts, but not much is needed by the body, and in high amounts the mineral is actually toxic to the human body. 

There has been a warning issued by the FDA about the product, and the company that makes it voluntarily pulled it from shelves, however, reports are still coming in about negative side effects after taking the product, and this indicates to officials and investigators that there are still people out there taking the product, unaware of the detrimental health effects. 

The problem is, the product is sold in certain stores as well as online, so it is impossible to trace all users, so the FDA is relying on news outlets to spread the word about the recalled product, and we all know that not everyone gets to read the news all the time.

Althought there have been no deaths reported in conjunction with this dietary product, there has been one hospitalization.  Reports of health issues associated with Total Body formulas are hair falling out at alarming rates, painful fingernails, joint pain, muscle craps and fatigue.  Although selenium has been painted as the culprit to the health woes of those taking the supplement, field tests on the supplement concluded that it also had many times more chromium than indicated on the label. 

Although the levels of chromium are inconclusive as to their potential effects  on the human body and it is not known whether high levels of chromium can be harmful in any real way, this is another factor that has been cited as getting this product out of the hands of consumers, just in case. 

Just another reason to be mindful that, even when taking a natural or herbal weight loss product, you should still be mindful that there are no reports of harmful side effects.  Perhaps before you purchase a supplement like this, you could go online and google search it to see if there are any complaints out there to be safe and put your mind at ease.  At least it’s some sort of safety precaution. 

 

May 8, 2008

DexC20 Ads Claim to “Reduce Fat Cell Formation”

Filed under: Herbal Supplements, Fat Reduction — EatingToLive @ 6:01 am

I had seen a brief news story on this new weight loss and fat loss supplement called DexC20, with what is the latest plant based herbal weight loss ingredient that is likely to cause a sensation if people start to notice results, called Caralluma Fimbriata, and thought it sounded really interesting.  The short news story was about how the company had commissioned a guy to do a special small study involving ten people (yes, a small study indeed), and also lasted around 30 days.

He said that all study subjects ended up losing weight while on the product, and they also had a guy on that looked like a personal trainer and who’s resume included that he was a model as well who said he’s used the DexC20 diet product for around four months and lost roughly ten pounds of what he feels was fat, without changing his diet or excercise regimen at all.  They didn’t say whether this guy was affiliated with this product, but I had to wonder if he was compensated in any way for making those statements - just the skeptic in me I guess.

I then went to the DexC20 website where it showed me that this product could be purchased in several store, including Walgreens, CVS and GNC, and could also be purchased online.  It also held my interest a little because Shelia Kennedy, a player in the Big Brother reality show which I happen to be addicted to, was one of their testimonials, and I can testify that she looked better than she did on the show in a bikini, but I also remember her losing weight throughout the season, but I don’t know if it was because of this or just because of the stress of the game. 

They have some before and afters that look good, however, my one problem with this product is that it claims to help “reduce fat cell formation”, which shouldn’t even be a statement, because you already supposedly have all the fat cells you’re going to have for the rest of your life once you hit adulthood, so to claim to reduce fat cell formation sounds like an incorrect statement that they may need to re-evaluate.  Heck, maybe it helps shrink fat cells, but it should be stated more clearly.  Have to admit though, the product does pique my interest, and the company is supposedly now commissioning an even larger study to test the efficacy of the diet product. 

April 11, 2008

Hoodia Gum a Great Appetite Buster

Filed under: Herbal Supplements — EatingToLive @ 12:17 pm

I’ve been chewing the hoodia gum before and in between meals as a means to banish my seemingly neverending appetite as of late, and it really seems to be doing the trick for the last few days at both staving off my appetite and making me feel fuller faster when I do eat.  It kind of works on a two fold system, at least for me. 

Number one, the appetite suppressant gum with hoodia keeps my mouth busy.  They say that one of the reasons Americans eat too much is because we have somewhat of an oral fixation.  In other words, we like to have something in our mouth a lot.  It calms us, it makes us feel as though we are eating something and satisfying a craving.  This gum does that on a purely functional level.  But it also does something a little more than just your average stick of sugarless gum.

The appetite suppressing ingredients in it are SLOWLY released into the blood stream, rather than like a pill, absorbed very quickly and then given only so much time to work in the body and prevent you from overeating.  Instead, because this hoodia is in gum form, the saliva allows our bodies to break it down over time, and it’s almost like a built in time release formula, meaning it will release slowly into the system and take longer for your body to “use it up”, and you will be given greater appetite control for hours instead of just an hour or two. 

Because of the slow release and your saliva distributing it through the blood stream more effectively, you get hours of controlled appetite.  Plus, you can pop a new piece in your mouth just like regular gum any time when you feel you need a little extra willpower or you might just go for that giant hunk of chocolate cake your coworker brought in. 

Keeping your mouth busy coupled with the natural appetite suppressing powers of the gum itself is a great way to keep the appetite down so you consume less calories and can shed the weight you need to.  Or heck, it’s even great for people who just want to maintain a certain weight! 

December 16, 2007

Hoodia - How Does it Work?

Filed under: Herbal Supplements — EatingToLive @ 11:38 am

Hoodia Godonii is that infamous cactus-type plant that has been said to contain the wonders of appetite suppression.  Even a popular news anchor said that when she tried pure hoodia, she noticed a marked decrease in her appetite, and even in her thirst.  You see, the hoodia cactus, or succulent plant, has been used for years and years by a group of men in Africa called the San bushmen, a tribe that largely relies on men to go out and hunt and gather their food.  Hoodia works by sending signals of fullness to the brain through a molecule contained in the plant.   

On days long excursions to bring food back to their families, the bushmen would take this plant and eat it.  They used it because somehow they had discovered that the plant suppressed hunger when it was eaten, or taken in to the blood stream somehow (eating is one of the best ways to do that). 

They found that they did not need to eat or drink as much on their hunting and gathering excursions, so they had to take less with them, and this didn’t slow them down like it used to.  After all, eating and drinking takes time and energy away from the tast at hand, and they were all business! 

So now, in modern day society, we find ourselves not looking for appetite suppressants like hoodia to help us hunt and gather without interruption and diversion, but to help us shed weight because we are no longer a hunting and gathering society, food is all too readily available for most of us, and the irony is that we are now trying to find things like the hoodia plant to curb our hunger so that we eat less, to lose weight. 

Does hoodia work though?  Well, yes, I can tell you it does.  I’ve taken pure hoodia and the supplement definitley makes a noticeable difference in appetite, and it even did make a differency in my constant thirst for water - a first for me, since I am always thirsty!  The hoodia gum I used produced a constant stream of the magic little molecule that curbs hunger, and I went the whole day with eating and snacking less, so yes it does work and it is easy to use.   

August 24, 2007

Does the Proactol Weight Loss Pill Provide Additional Benefits?

Filed under: Herbal Supplements — EatingToLive @ 9:54 am

I wrote a while ago about a product that, at the time, was just busting onto the weight loss scene called Proactol, and I just did a little follow up research on the pill that doesn’t require a doctor’s prescription but still is supposed to provide some impressive results, and found that some customers are supposedly saying that taking the Proactol diet pill product, they are also experiencing some other pleasant side effects, aside from weight loss.

What are they?  Well, they said joint stiffness improved.  I’m not sure why this would be.  Perhaps the Proactol product contains some sort of herbs or natural ingredients with anti inflammatory properties, would be my best educated guess, but again, I’m no chemist or herbalist, but that would be my guess. 

My second best educated guess would be, that since people have also reported less pain, as well as decreased appetite, that maybe somehow this Proactol diet pill increases pleasure sensors like endorphins or seratonin, since when we experience increases in these powerful hormones, we tend to eat less naturally because we feel “fulfilled” in other areas of our life.  Again, this is just my best educated guess, as I cannot say the actual science behind the Proactol product works this way or not. 

Proactol is supposed to do a couple of things when it comes to weight loss, including binding up to almost 30% of the fat that you take in.  Sounds a bit like Alli, but this diet pill also provides appetite suppression, which in my opinion is superior to Alli, since Alli is strictly a fat binder and has some notorious unpleasant side effects because of the fact that it is a fat binder (if you eat too much fat, you can end up with cramping and diarrhea, and it’s recommended that users of Alli stay in for the first few days they try the diet product because of this potential side effect). 

Proactol is also reporting that some of its users experience a dip in their cholesterol (a good thing, but this of course logically could just be related to the fact that you are supposed to be losing weight, which most times will help to lower cholesterol).  Another one was improved concentration.  My only guess on that one would be about the same as the one for less pain and achiness in joints.  For a complete review of this product see Proactol reviews .

June 2, 2007

Hoodia Gum

Filed under: Herbal Supplements — EatingToLive @ 11:28 pm

Hoodia gum is a really great idea.  Why do I say that?  Well, with even the most pure hoodia gordonii pill, you swallow the pill, and the digestive juices just eat it right up.  With a gum, it really is a novel idea, because instead of getting eaten up right away, you slowly get the juices into your saliva and instead of being metabolized quickly and via only the stomach, you have more like two points of entry into the blood stream.

Not only that, with the hoodia gum breakthrough, you also get the benefit of having a continuous release of hoodia’s appetite control all day long, and all you have to do to get the dose is pop another piece of gum in your mouth, and chew.

If you’re thinking about taking a hoodia supplement, it may be well worth your while to first check out hoodia gum, because of it’s superior ability to be absorbed at a rate where your body is never hungry, instead of the herb wearing off as soon as it’s out of your blood stream. 

You can chew a piece of gum for a long time, and also the hoodia goes to your stomach, where it is digested and metabolized.  I think the gum is a great idea because it seems like it’s the best way to get the most for your money and to ensure that your appetite suppression last a while. 

January 4, 2007

Trimspa, Other Diet Pills Fined by FTC

Filed under: Herbal Supplements, Diet and Weightloss News — EatingToLive @ 10:41 pm

The FTC, or Federal Trade Commission, is pretty much the US agency in charge of false advertising punishment and policing, and is “sicked on” companies who sell products that customers have complained about as not doing the things they say they’re going to do in their advertising claims.  Well, apparently there are a few very popular diet pills and herbal weight loss pills, one of which I’ve actually used before, that have suffered an FTC fining for false claims. 

One of the companies in fact, that was fined for false claims, is a diet pill named Xenadrine actually claimed that their product caused several people to lose weight against a placebo pill, when in fact the FTC uncovered studies when doing their investigation of Xenadrine that the company was aware of themselves, that showed a placebo actually made people lose more weight than the Xenadrine pill!  This may be an extreme case of misleading advertising, especially considering the company had blatant proof in their possession that the exact opposite of their inflated claims were true. 

Other herbal weight loss pills and diet supplements were fined as well, including a popular vitamin that claims it helps to accelerate the metabolism, another claim the FTC claims is exaggerated or falsified to sell more product, and that is the One a Day WeightSmart vitamin supplement, was fined some money as well although not as much as the bigger offenders.

The other weight loss pills in the investigation that were fined for false or exaggerated weight loss and diet help claims were two others you may have seen advertised or even heard about before, because they are fairly widely marketed and well known diet aids - Xenadrine EFX and CortiSlim. 

I believe they probably did these investigations around this time of year because this is the time when most people are looking for supplements and other things to help them shed those winter and holiday pounds.  Maybe they’ll crack down again on exaggerated claims right before summer.  Who knows. 

December 4, 2006

Just ordered “Hoodia Balance”

Filed under: Herbal Supplements — EatingToLive @ 8:05 am

Remember how I told you I really pigged out for Thanksgiving, and the weekend thereafter? Well do you also remember how I told you I was probably going to order an appetite suppressant to help me through the holiday season so I don’t blow up like a Santa Clause balloon?

Well, I just ordered this Hoodia Balance product, because I see that it has only pure Hoodia extract, no additives or stimulants, just the stuff that controls your appetite - naturally.

Does hoodia work? I know it does, but I really want to test this particular product out because it has a high concentration of the little green plant in it…

November 30, 2006

Herbal Colon Cleansing and Weight Loss

Filed under: Herbal Supplements — EatingToLive @ 11:58 pm

Can herbal colon cleansing, or colon cleansing of any sort for that matter, help you in your quest to lose weight as is so frequently touted by the sales of these types of products?  Well, yes they can, but only if you’re properly eating and exercising. 

They can help you to lose weight because they can rid your colon and your intestines of built of matter that is prohibiting the adequate absorption of nutrients, and quite possibly, is also making you hungrier because of this mal-absorption problem. 

It also can actually help you shed excess weight simply because you are getting rid of matter that is built up in your system, which is weight itself.  Many peopl report that herbal colon cleansing really helps them feel healthier and get a jump start on weight loss because it encourages you to not only cleanse your system, but also to cleanse your way of life many times. 

It’s kind of a domino effect, but in this case a good one.  Other benefits of herbal colon cleansing are often times : Better breath, more energy, improved bowel and digestion function, improved sleep quality, improved absorption of vitamins and minerals, and overall comfort imrpovement due to greater colon and digestive function and elimination capabilities,  an overall detoxification of the system, including an improved ability for the body to rid itself of toxins on an ongoing basis due to improved functionalities of these organs.  . 

— Next Page »

Powered by WordPress