A diet is basically the kind of food you eat. How often and what you choose to eat determines your health and lifestyle. Studies have shown that while exercise is an important factor, it is your diet which determines long-term success. A popular approach to a healthy diet is to have small and frequent meals. Generally, across the world, people are used to having two or three large meals. However, many dieticians and nutritionists are pushing for this major lifestyle change to small and frequent meals. The concept is to have small and nutritious meals every 2 hours; the objective being to pack more nutrition in smaller portions. Eating every 2 hours has shown a positive impact on those struggling with weight loss and lifestyle diseases. The ‘metabolism’ factor The basic concept behind weight loss, or any kind of body transformation, is the calculation of calories consumed. The idea is to create a calorie deficit by burning more calories than the calories that have been consumed. The way the body burns these calories is through a chemical process known as metabolism. Metabolism is an internal process through which the body burns calories to sustain your body organs and functions. Based on your height and weight, your body has a ‘basal metabolic rate’, or BMR, which is the minimum energy or calories required to keep your body alive.

Coconut is a wonder fruit that continues to amaze us even today. All parts of the coconut plant are useful in one way or the other. When talking about coconuts, people are quick to remember that tender coconuts can be used to keep us cool during the hot summer. But few people are aware that coconut oil is a very useful cooking ingredient that offers a wide range of benefits that are too good to ignore. Wondering what these benefits are? Well, wonder no more! For we have made things very simple for you, by listing exactly what you need to know. From boosting brain function to keeping hair and skin healthy, coconut oil does it all, like a superhero. Coconut oil is prepared from dried coconut fruit, which is either cold pressed or refined. Cold pressed coconut oil is popular among indigenous populations, and other traditional cultures. Cold pressed oil is usually rich in nutrients, as compared to refined coconut oil. This is because, during the process of refining, the heat used to refine the oil changes its chemical composition, stripping it of much of its nutritious value. Read on to learn about ten specific health benefits of using coconut oil for cooking:

The epidemic of obesity and other cardiovascular diseases were initially blamed on fat. But research points out that the actual culprit is not fat, but sugar. Our bodies require fuel, that is mainly provided by carbohydrates. These carbs need not be provided by consuming sweets. Your body doesn’t need these sugars for nutrition. Rather, it is addicted to it. Just like nicotine, sugar is an addictive substance. Why is it sugar, and not fat, that we need to cut down? Sweets supply empty calories that are devoid of nutrition. These empty calories, when not utilized for energy, get stored in the form of fat in our bodies. This is the secret behind those pot bellies, love handles, and paunches. The actual problem is not just the intake of sugars, but inactivity on our part, which leads to a failure in breaking down the sugars. So, the simplest way to burn that extra fat is to cut down on sugars. What is weaning? The concept behind weaning can be understood easily by seeing how a baby is weaned off mother’s milk. The baby is exclusively breastfed for few months and then slowly introduced to other foods while breastfeeding is reduced slowly.

Pomegranates have always had great nutritional benefits, but it is only fairly recently that scientists have started seriously considering pomegranate to be in the same league as powerful antioxidants such as blueberries and green tea . Usually, any fruit loses its properties when the juice is extracted from it. But interestingly, the juice from pomegranate retains the properties of the fruit itself, which makes it unique. Pomegranate juice offers a myriad of benefits for your body, skin, and hair; we shall be examining ten of the best of them. Before delving into the health benefits, let us take a look at the scientific facts behind pomegranate juice’s status as a healthy drink. A lot of pomegranate juice’s health benefits can be attributed to the presence of antioxidants like Flavonoids (Quercetin), Gallic acids, Anthocyanin, Ellagic acids and others. The oxidation process causes a lot of damage to your system. When the oxidants in the blood meet the endothelium which is the inner wall of the blood vessels, they create a complex cycle of events releasing substances that clot blood. When a large number of these micro clots aggregate, they tend to clog arteries to the heart and brain which leads to cardiovascular damage and stroke.

Chocolate. Chances are, you’re either craving it or trying to avoid it. It is a common belief that having sweets increases your weight. As a result, many people develop an aversion to chocolates and other sweets. Well, if you’re one of those people, you are probably right when it comes to milk chocolates. But when it comes to dark chocolates, you could not be more wrong. There are a number of benefits of eating dark chocolates . But before we get to them, let’s learn a little bit about what exactly dark chocolate is. What is dark chocolate? Cocoa beans from the cacao tree are roasted and blended with fat and sugar to get dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is also referred to as black chocolate. The interesting distinguishing feature of dark chocolate is that it is not sweet to taste, but rather bittersweet. The higher the percentage of cocoa, the more bitter the chocolate is. Why should you eat dark chocolate regularly? Dark chocolate is a source of antioxidants; with a potent store of minerals like iron, manganese, potassium, copper, magnesium, selenium, zinc etc. It is also a good source of soluble fiber . Research has established that dark chocolate, when consumed in healthy portions, can be highly beneficial in the following ways- Dark chocolate is a stress buster Stressed after a long day at work?