'Natural' Products are Not Always Safe

Many herbs have a long history of use and of claimed health benefits. An herb, or botanical, is a plant or part of a plant that is used for its scent, flavor, and/or therapeutic properties. Although they are so-called ‘natural’, herbal products are not necessarily safe or without harmful effects. They may come from plants, but many plants are considered harmful and poisonous. 

Unlike prescription medicines, herbal products are not tested to certify their safety and efficacy before their marketing. Active ingredients in many herbal medicines and supplements are still unknown. Some have been found contaminated with metals, unlabeled prescription drugs, microorganisms or other substances. 

Since herbal products are not tested, they may cause certain health problems/complications. It may not be wise to take herbal products if you have any of these medical problems/conditions:


• High blood pressure
• Thyroid problems
• Parkinson’s disease 
• Blood-clotting problems
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Epilepsy
• Depression or psychiatric problems
• Liver problems
• Enlarged prostrate gland
• Glaucoma
• History of stroke or organ transplant 


Women who are pregnant or nursing should be especially cautious about using herbal products, as well as with people who are about to have surgery. Always check with your health care provider. 

It is likewise important to consult with your doctor before using herbal products if you are taking any medications (whether prescription or over-the-counter). Some herbal products are known to interact with medications in ways that may pose risks to your health.

Instantly Reduce Excess Body Weight

How to get the best weight loss results

When seeking to lose weight modifying your eating habits, eating more fruit and vegetables and cutting your fat intake isn’t always enough.

The best diets incorporate a healthy balance of diet and exercise which work together to effectively help your body to burn fat, boost your metabolism and feel fuller for longer.

However, one of the biggest mistakes many slimmer’s make when trying to lose weight is either eating too little – thus not giving their bodies enough calories to support the functionality of their bodies – or they exercise too little.

Top 3 Weight Loss Tips

To experience the best weight loss results, you need to make a number of modifications to both your diet and your exercise regime. However there are also a number of other techniques you can incorporate which can easily help you to experience the weight loss results you crave.

1. Eat a healthy diet of carbohydrates, protein, fibre, vitamins and fat

Despite many misconceptions that excluding fat completely from your diet can help you to lose weight quickly, eating no fat at all can in fact have the opposite effect on your body. Without fat our bodies can not function properly. Why? Because our bodies need fats for energy!

For this reason it is essential that you keep a moderate amount of fat in your diet. The most effective diets create a balance between a high protein low fat diet, however it is important that you also make sure you maintain a healthy balance of fibres, carbohydrates and vitamins too.

Many slimming programmes recommend splitting your diet into 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fats.

2. Regular exercise

One common mistake many slimmer’s make is focusing on one area of their body or following just one exercise routine.

Weight training in particular is often overlooked in weight loss plans because of its body building implications; however creating more muscle within your body is one of the most effective ways to increase your fat burn.

Research has found the more muscle you have, the more fat burn you will experience because surplus amounts of energy is needed to rebuild muscle after weight training.

However weight training is not enough. It is also essential to incorporate cardio and aerobics into your weight loss programme as these will work other essential muscles in your body.

The best weight management programmes recommend the following:

• 20-30 minutes of weight training, 3 times a week
• Two 45 minute cardio workouts a week which are alternated with two 45 minute aerobic workouts

3. Slimming Pills

If you find it hard to change your eating habits, then slimming pills could provide you with the weight loss support you are looking for.

Offering your body an instant metabolic jump start, there are a number of different weight loss pills you can try:

• Appetite suppressants – designed to manipulate the production of hormones within your body, appetite suppressants trick your mind into believing you are full when you are not
• Fat burners – renowned for speeding up the metabolic processes in your body, the faster your metabolic rate, the faster your fat burn
• Carbohydrate blockers – preventing the break down of starch into glucose, carbohydrate blockers stop the digestive enzyme Alpha Amylase from completing its jobs
• Fat blockers – made of soluble and non-soluble complex fibers, fat blockers bind with fat molecules to form a viscous solution which is too thick to be digested by the body.

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7 Tips to maintaining your Christmas weight loss

Christmas is often noted as period for weight gain, but for you it doesn’t have to be. You too can maintain your Christmas weight loss and keep losing weight well into the New Year.

Researchers claim that everyone gains on average 1-2lbs during the holiday season – 1-2lbs that are almost impossible to lose - however by simply incorporating the following tips into your Christmas diet you too can prevent this Christmas weight gain and keep your body healthy, happy and fighting fit.

1. Opt for Turkey – compared to other red meats, turkey is high in protein and low in fat saving you countless calories.

2. Roast all your vegetables – avoid saturating your roast potatoes and vegetables in fat. Instead boil them for 10 minutes to soften them up before lightly drizzling them in low fat vegetable oil and putting them in the oven.

3. Make your own treats – forget investing in a 2kg tin of Roses that is packed with 10,000 calories and instead make your sweets from scratch. Christmas cakes, Yule logs, trifle… by making the slightest amendments to your ingredients list, you too can produce low fat/low calorie versions of each of these puddings.

With your trifle for example, simply swap normal jam and jelly for their sugar free counterparts and use fruit canned in juice instead of syrup.

4. Make alcohol free punch – drinking just half a bottle of wine can increase your calorie intake by 250 calories, so take the step to swap alcohol for some fruity punch that your entire family can enjoy. Alternatively invest in some non-alcoholic wines.

5. Make your Christmas active – forget sitting in front of the television watching annual re-runs and instead go out for a walk or a bike ride with your family. This will help stop you from snacking on all those naughty chocolates, and will prevent that post-afternoon slump.

Alternatively if it is too cold to go outside, switch off the television and play some games. Charades, Twister… pick something fun, active and enjoyable for the whole family.

6. Swap salted peanuts for unsalted – one of the easiest steps you can take for controlling your Christmas weight loss, is making simple alterations such as swapping salted peanuts for their unsalted counterparts. Salted peanuts are saturated in fats which are bad for your heart, and this is the same for many other Christmas foods.

Simply sit down and make a list of all the foods you’d normally buy for Christmas. If you discover that they have got a low fat version, swap them for these lower calorie versions and exclude foods you cannot replace.

7. Buy no biscuits or chocolates – easier said than done, but the reality is you wouldn’t normally buy, let alone eat all these chocolates and biscuits. So set yourself a rule: buy one tin or none at all. More often than not someone will buy you a box of chocolates as a present, so let them buy it for you and resist the temptation to buy them yourself.

Remember: One 2kg tin of Roses contains 10,000 calories.

Maintaining your Christmas weight loss doesn’t have to be achieved at the sacrifice of your own enjoyment. You too can have a Christmas to remember, simply by making the above modifications to your Christmas diet.

So make the change, and begin planning for your Christmas now

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5 Tips for New Year Weight Loss

If you have put on a few lbs during the Christmas season or have strayed from your diet, then getting back in shape is probably one of your New Years resolutions. However, shifting those excess lbs does not have to feel like an uphill struggle.

You too can discover how to lose Christmas weight healthily and remain in firm control of your weight loss throughout all seasons.

Below we have concocted a range of New Year weight loss tips that can effectively be used for all occasions – even in preparation for your next New Years party!

New Year Weight Loss

1. Eat small meals regularly - forget eating 3 square meals a day and spread your daily calorie intake over 5 small meals. By splitting each meal into 300 calorie segments, not only can you ensure that you stay fuller for longer and don’t snack, but you can ensure that your metabolism remains consistent and doesn’t suffer from sugar drops.

Please Note: make sure to eat a balanced diet of 40% carbohydrates, 30% proteins and 30% fats.

2. Mix up your workout – the key to successful weight loss is to ensure that every aspect of your body receives a thorough workout. By incorporating strength training into your weekly exercise regime, for example, this will enable you to burn more fat as you develop more muscles.

The best programme to do is:

- Strength training – 45 minutes, 3 times a week
- Cardio – 30 minutes, 2 times a week or aerobics – 30 minutes, 2 times a week

Make sure to alternate every 2 weeks between cardio and aerobics.

3. Drink plenty of fluids – your body is made up of 70% water so it is essential that you keep yourself hydrated. By simply drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day you can prevent water retention – which can lead to water weight – and ensure your body is functioning properly.

Please Note: coffee, tea, fruit juices… all contain additional calories. For this reason it is important that you include these extra calories in your daily calorie intake.

4. Eat only when you are hungry – this is easier said than done. Often what we mistake as hunger pangs is our body’s way of telling us that we are thirsty. To escape overeating try implementing this test. The next time you feel hungry drink half a glass of water and wait 15 minutes. If after these 15 minutes you still feel hungry, only then eat a small piece of fruit or a cracker. Otherwise, keep sipping water until it is time for your next meal.

5. Halve your meal portions – when we are at home it is much easier to control our meal portions, however when you go to a restaurant this is a completely different story. It is impossible to predict how big your meal will be or even how it has been cooked.

To help you stay in control and still enjoy a meal out with your friends and family, when you place your order ask the waiter to halve your meal portions. This may feel like a waste of money, but by cutting your meals literally in half you can ensure that you are not tempted into eating the entire meal. Similarly by asking them to halve your portions, you can enjoy a dessert without having to feel guilty.

Losing your New Year weight can be easier than you imagine. Simply incorporate any one of the above tips into your weight loss management plan and you can easily lose those excess lbs and even keep using them to lose more!

So take control of your New Year weight loss today and make this New Year one to remember.

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