Milk in Your Tea

The legend of the custom of drinking tea with milk has its roots not in taste but with economics. The long journey from “the Orient” made tea prohibitively expensive. no use crying over...Milk, on the other hand, was cheap and became the condiment of choice among the lower classes. The amount of milk added became a telltale of one’s social standing. The wealthy took their tea undiluted. The middle class poured the expensive tea and then diluted it with milk. The lower class filled the cup with cheap milk and then added a splash of the costly tea.

What's the problem with milk and tea? The culprits in milk are a group of proteins called caseins that interact with tea, decreasing the concentration of catechins -- the flavonoids in tea that are responsible for tea's protective effects against heart disease, the effects of aging, dementia, and other areas, according to the authors of a landmark study in Germany.

Senior researcher Dr Verena Stangl, professor of cardiology at the Charite Hospital, in Berlin, said: "Our results thus provide a possible explanation for the lack of beneficial effects of tea on the risk of heart disease in the UK, a country where milk is usually added."

However, June Davison, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: "It is difficult to say from this small study the impact of adding a drop of milk to your tea can make.

Eating Breakfast Benefits

While skipping breakfast may seem like a good idea when in a hurry, studies show the benefits of eating a healthy breakfast are worth taking a few minutes to eat. There are many benefits of breakfast, including:

Boosts metabolism: Skipping meals causes the metabolism to become sluggish, but eating speeds the metabolism up because the body is burning calories when its digesting food. Breakfast is the first opportunity of the day to fuel the body and get the metabolism running.

Increases Energy: Studies indicate that those who eat breakfast have higher energy levels than those who skip breakfast.

The morning meal usually breaks a fast that has lasted from 8 to 12 hours. Since your last meal or snack, your body’s supply of blood sugar (glucose) has dropped to a low point. The body needs food to produce the glucose that is necessary to keep you going. Without breakfast, some people become less able to do physical work in the late morning hours and some students do not perform well in the classroom. Individuals who consume ready-to-eat cereal regularly for breakfast tend to have lower blood cholesterol levels than individuals who skip or have other foods for breakfast.

Many people routinely skip breakfast and lunch due either to time constraints or to a misguided weight-control strategy. Society and weight loss programs have taught us to believe that snacking is bad and should be avoided. Stop listening to others, and listen to YOUR body instead.

Studies show that eating a healthy breakfast (as opposed to the kind containing doughnuts) can help give you:

* A more nutritionally complete diet, higher in nutrients, vitamins and minerals
* Improved concentration and performance in the classroom or the boardroom
* More strength and endurance to engage in physical activity
* Lower cholesterol levels

Fat Burning Foods

Fat Burning Foods can help you burn fat, lose weight, and get in shape in no time. The idea behind the thermogenic diet is simple: Some foods require more calories to digest than they contain. Also, some foods boost your metabolism thus causing you to burn fat faster than just diet and exercise alone. For many people the best part is that you can essentially eat all you want and still lose weight.

In reality, ALL foods are "thermogenic" because the body must use energy to digest them. This is known as the "thermic effect of food" (TEF) or "specific dynamic action of food."

However, not all foods have the same thermic effect. Dietary fat has the lowest thermic effect. The most thermogenic food (my "favorite") is lean protein from solid foods, especially the following:

* chicken breast
* turkey breast
* game meats (venison, elk, etc)
* bison, buffalo
* very lean red meat such as top round and lean sirloin (grass fed is especially nutritious)
* almost all types of fish
* shellfish and other seafood
* egg whites (whole eggs in moderation)

Oats are a great way to fill you up as they’re loaded with fiber. They’re also a very good source of selenium which boosts your energy and immune system by producing antibodies.

Incorporating these fat burning foods into your regular diet can definitely help stimulate fat loss but if you are really serious about losing fat permanently I highly suggest you follow a fat burning diet plan that’s proven to work for the long term.

The Benefits of Drinking Coffee without Sugar

A hot cup of coffee is how many people like to start the day. Some people swear by it and wouldn't think of beginning their day without a fresh cup. Others drink it by the pot. But is it safe? And will it help or hinder your weight loss efforts?

Research has been back and forth on whether a few cups of coffee a day is a healthy habit or not. The latest research shows that it is not only safe to consume several cups of coffee per day, but it can actually help you lose weight.

Don't add cream and sugar to your coffee. These only add extra calories and make you crave more sweets.

I've been doing it for years. I hardly ever put sugar in my coffee unless the brew is very bitter, like from a local coffeehouse. I don't know why the coffee I make at home is so much better than theirs that it doesn't even require one grain of sugar. I do put half and half in it, which contains some sugar itself, but I don't believe that counts. I think the sugar we're talking about here is "white devil" sugar. That stuff will kill ya.

Stretching After Running

There's an endless number of runners who seem perfectly able to squeeze in many hours of running every week but who just don't seem to have the time to stretch for five or ten minutes before and after. Find the time.

Stretching is important during your warm-up, before you run, because it increases blood flow to the muscles. But stretching during your cool-down may be even more important. "After running, stretching helps to remove lactic acid from the muscle, which in turn reduces muscle soreness," says Pitchford. "That promotes better flexibility." Stretching afterwards also will help you relax.

While stretching can promote flexibility, stretching too far actually can damage the muscles—particularly if you’re recovering form an injury. "A healthy muscle can elongate up to 1.6 times its length," suggests Pitchford, "but generally doesn’t respond well to that much stretching." By overstretching, you create an automatic myotatic reflex that actually will cause the muscle to recoil to protect itself from tearing and injury. Also, don’t bounce while stretching. Holding your stretch in a static position works best.

Stretching after you run is a biggie. Always stretch after your run. Light stretching is a good way to cool down after running. And it gives you a chance to strengthen some important running muscles.

To see the benefit of stretching, try running without stretching afterwards and then next time take time out to do a 10 minute warm down of stretches. Compare how you feel after doing both and you'll notice the benefit of stretching.