Burn calories just by talking on your cell phone?

What if you could burn extra calories just by talking on your cell phone? Or fidgeting, wiggling, tapping your toes, doing a hobby etc... These are all called non-exercise activity thermogeneises or NEAT. In fact, people who are fidgeters burn more calories and can maintain their weight better in the long run. Research shows that some people maybe biologically more prone to fidgeting. However, if you’re not a fidgeter, you may want to consider it. If you would like to make NEAT apart of your Activities of Daily Living, here’s a few things you can do to get started. If you’re seated at a desk start tapping your toes. Playing some upbeat music can make the tapping more inviting. Tapping your toes can burn an extra 3 or more calories a minute depending on how fast your tapping. Also, instead of talking on the phone and doing nothing, get up and start walking around during your conversation, this too can utilize energy. You may even want to consider getting rid of that boring office chair and trading it in for something more…ergo interesting, such as a stability ball. Sitting on a stability ball can activate core stabilization and this too can expend more energy and help correct poor posture. Consider organizing your desk more often, perhaps throughout the day or stretching after each restroom break. These are great ways you can burn a few extra calories and allow your body to stay active throughout the day.

How safe if diet soda?

New research from scientists at Columbia University and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine said at an international conference that included the American Stroke Association that, diet soda can increase stroke risk. The study was based on a nine-year analysis of 2,500 people that were past the age of 40. The scientist found a link between the consumption of diet soda and vascular problems. In another study that was done showed a link between sodium consumption and ischemic strokes. People who consumed one or more diet sodas a day had a 61% increase in having vascular problems. In addition, people who took in more that 4,000 mgs of sodium a day had twice the risk of stroke compared to individuals who consumed no more that 1,500 mgs of sodium a day.

This is all the more reason to chuck the diet soda and opt for something healthier such as a brewed ice tea, flavored water or ginger brew. I personally am a fan of the company Honest Tea. This company has been around for sometime and I enjoyed selling their products when I worked in the natural foods industry. Honest Tea’s has a variety of certified organic Tea’s and Honest Ade. When you look at a label you will find organic cane sugar, organic juices or tea, depending on which product you purchase. Their beverages are low in calories, high in antioxidants and are refreshing.

Natural Products Expo West 2011. An experience worth sharing.

Yesterday was Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim and as always, it felt like home. There was well over 300 vendors and suppliers and I can appreciate the passion these people have regarding their natural products. It was great seeing companies who I buy products from bring new or improved products to the market. There is a large variety of organic, vegetarian, vegan, hormone free meats, natural cosmetics, chemical free cleaning products, beverages, supplement etc…

Saturday I had the chance of tasting so many variety of foods from India, Philippines, Tex Mex style, Chinese to American foods and I must say I could totally live off the food from India. I also tried a few beverages that I’m excited to share. I don’t know where to begin so I will name a few products that I thought really stood out. Some may not be in health food or mass market stores yet but it’s certainly worth keeping your eye out for.

I started my journey yesterday down my favorite part of Natural Products West and that is the food area. This area is thousands of square feet designated for food vendors and more. As I made my way down the hall my nose was in heaven as the air was densely filled with the scents of flavorful foods from all around the world. One company that I really liked was a company by the name of PJ’s Organics. They make gluten free meals from Tex Mex Chicken Taquitos, Chicken Enchiladas and a Steak Enchiladas. I personally liked the Tex Mex Chicken Taquitos and the best part was reading the label and being able to identify all the ingredients. You can visit there website for more info regarding their foods www.pjsorganics.com. Another company I really like is Dr. Praeger’s. I personally am a big fan of his fish sticks. It’s one way I can get my 8 year old to eat fish. His products are all natural and the ingredients are identifiable. I’m really excited about the Spinach Littles they have on the market. They were not only full of flavor but full of vegetables and have an appealing star shape for kids. My son is a finicky eater so I look forward to buying this for him to try. Also Dr. Praeger has a variety of frozen foods that are vegetarian and gluten free. You can visit their website for more info at www.drpraegers.com.

This year, I really took my time in the international food area and I feel in love with a variety of Indian foods. One company that I remain loyal to is Tasty Bites. There line of foods are shelf stable and can be found in mass-market stores as well as natural foods stores. Tasty Bites has a variety of Asian rices that are new to the market and can be heated up in 90 seconds and are ready to serve. I’ve personally tried all their vegetarian line of foods from India and I really enjoy them. However, I’m not a big fan of their Kashmir Spinach but everything else is worth trying. Next is a line from India called, Kitchen of India. I must say when I took a bite of the Chick Peas Curry, Samosa (crispy pastry with potato filling) and the Basmati rice, I could have sworn it was from an authentic restaurant of India. If you’ve never had Indian food this is a great product to try. Kitchen of India’s foods are full of great flavors. You can taste the curry, cinnamon, coriander, turmeric and each seasoning complements the other. This product comes in frozen and some shelf stable. Kitchen of India can be found at Vons and I think Raley’s in Northern Cal. A company by the name of Viana makes a variety of vegan, cholesterol free, GMO free and organic foods. This is a Germany based company that has their products imported by Tofutown North America. Visit there website for more info at www.viana-usa.com.

If you’re looking for “natural candy” and are a fan of licorice, Tubi’s makes a yummy red licorice and an organic black licorice, which I’m told is good but I personally can’t stand black licorice. Tubi’s is found at most healthy food stores.

A company that also stood out was Farmer’s Market Foods. They have been in the natural foods business for some time. This is a family owned company out of Oregon with an outstanding product. They provide USDA organic canned and frozen fruits and vegetables. When I first came across their booth, I was blown away by the vibrant colors of their pureed vegetables. The corn, butternut squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes were samples they were offering. I decided to try the fresh pumpkin but I was skeptical because the only way I eat pumpkin is in a pie but I gave it a try. I had one bite of the pumpkin puree and I had to try the rest of the vegetable purees. The taste of the corn was better than some of the “fresh corn” that I’ve bought in the supermarket. The corn was sweet, the sweet potato puree was full of color and was good enough to eat alone, and the butternut squash was full of flavor. Farmer’s Market products are wonderful and worth buying. The purees are not only good for recipes but great for making homemade baby food. And the best part is it’s all natural. You can find their products at Natural Food markets. Visit their website for more info at www.farmersmarketfoods.com

If you’re a woman who is looking for natural cosmetics, search no more. I personally use a brand called Mineral Fusion. They are based out of Denver and they make a great line of eyeliners, mascara, mineral powder, blush etc… There body lotions, washes, shampoos etc… are paraben and phtalate free, gluten free, 100% vegetarian, hypo-allergenic, rich in minerals and overall good quality. I really like their mineral eyeliner. I know for sure that Clark’s Nutritional Center’s carry a nice extensive line of Mineral Fusion. You can also visit there website for more info. www.mineralfusion.com.

Great teas to look out for are Numi. They have organic, GMO free teas that taste great and they work to help the local natives. Steaz Zero Calorie Iced Tea (100% natural). Mate Factor’s Fresh Yerba Mate (Organic), Bigelow Wild Blueberry Acai (full of antioxidants). Teeccio Coffee substitute contains no caffeine and the vanilla nut is my personal favorite.

There is so much to talk about and share, I wish I could plug my brain into my laptop and have it all appear on my blog. But since I can’t do that, I will share more over the next few weeks. One of the highlights of Expo West was Jillian Michaels. She is the spokes person for So Delicious and spent a few minutes throwing down T-shirts to promote their products. I attempted to take pictures but if you have a cell phone cam, you know they’re not that great if you don’t have a steady hand. Anyways I hope you enjoy this blog and look out for some of the products I felt are worth trying.

Ways to Boost Your Metabolism.

Recently I read in a magazine about ways to boost your metabolism. Normally I’m pretty skeptical about fat burning tips however, these tips had research to back them. So, I felt comfortable sharing them this week with you. A study out of Scripps Clinic in California said grapefruit contains an antioxidant called naringenin that helps to control insulin, resulting in stable blood glucose and calories being burned more efficiently. You can also reeve up your metabolism by eating more whole grains. Whole grains require more energy for your body to metabolize, thus boosting your metabolism. Green tea made the list of metabolism boosters as well. There has been ongoing press for some time about green tea’s metabolism boosting benefits. The active constituent responsible for green teas weight loss benefit is epigallocatechin. This phytochemcial “stimulates the nervous system” without increasing heart rate. The article went on to say that 3 cups of green tea a day can help burn an extra 80 calories a day. Lastly, hot peppers such as cayenne, jalapenos and habaneros contain a phytochemical called capsaicin that helps to increase metabolism. In fact, having a meal that contains any of these peppers can increase your metabolism by 25% for up to 3 hours after a meal.

These are great tips to add to any healthy lifestyle plan. Keep in mind that there are no quick fixes to weight loss and if there are, they’re only temporary and may not be healthy. My advice to you is to be good to your body and it will be good to you;).