Nutrition Corner

7-Second Coffee Loophole: How It Works? 7-second coffee loophole claims fast and easy weight loss without diet and exercise.

Want to cut dangerous belly fat? Eat more of these foods and watch the pounds melt away: Belly fat is notoriously hard to get rid of — ask anyone who has tried – there's good news about visceral fat: it's actually relatively easy to lose.

Recipe for The Day

Salsa-Topped Avocado Toast: Spin leftovers from taco night into this easy salsa-topped avocado toast for a quick snack or use it as a jumping-off point for breakfast by adding an egg on top. Single-serve packages of mashed avocado or guacamole can stand in for the fresh avocado.

Lifestyle & Fitness Focus

Health Benefits of Raspberries: Fiber, Vitamin C, Flavonoids

• Raspberries are packed with vitamin C: You can find vitamin C in so many more foods than just the citrus fruits, and raspberries are at the top of the list. In fact, with one cup of these dazzling berries you’ll meet over half of your daily vitamin C needs. This will help to boost your immune system, brighten your skin, and promote healthy growth and repair within your body.

• Raspberries are high in fiber for healthy digestion: When it comes to high-fiber foods, and high-fiber fruits, you really can’t beat the fiber content of berries—especially raspberries. Fiber is commonly found in the skins and seeds of fruits and veggies. Given that raspberries are pretty much tiny packages of delicious skin and seeds, you may be able to guess just how full of fiber they are. One cup of raspberries contains 8 grams of fiber, which can put a sizable dent in the 25 to 35 grams of fiber needed in a day. With both soluble and insoluble fiber, plus prebiotics, raspberries contain many different kinds of fiber that will keep you satisfied, regular, and feed your healthy gut bacteria.

• Raspberries are full of manganese: Manganese is a mineral not often talked about, but super vital for overall health. Raspberries are a good source of this elusive nutrient that helps the body absorb calcium and metabolize carbohydrates while building healthy bones, hormones, and connective tissues. One cup of raspberries provides over 40 percent of your daily manganese needs.

Lemon water 101: What are the benefits of drinking it?

• Antioxidants and flavonoids: Lemons contain vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, and are a source of plant compounds called flavonoids, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Antioxidants are compounds that help protect the body’s cells from damage. By reducing cell damage, antioxidants help to reduce the risk of many health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Antioxidants do this by mopping up free radicals, which are harmful, disease-causing compounds in the body created by oxidative stress.

• Kidney stones: Kidney stones are a buildup of minerals that collect in the kidneys. Increasing the amount of citrate in the body can help prevent kidney stones from forming by stopping calcium from binding with other compounds. Lemon water contains high amounts of citrate. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, research suggests that drinking lemon water may help prevent kidney stones.

• The benefits of water: Since lemon water is water with lemon juice, it has all the benefits of regular water. Drinking plenty of water can: prevent dehydration, which can contribute to mood changes, constipation, and brain fog help people maintain a moderate weight when replacing sugary drinks lubricate the joints promote bodily waste extraction through urination, sweating, and bowel movements protect the spinal cord and tissues in the body help someone maintain a moderate temperature.

• Lemons: Lemons are a rich source of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant. Like other citrus fruits — including oranges, grapefruit, and limes — lemons are rich in flavonoids. These are compounds that help boost health and fight disease.

Grapefruit Benefits: 4 Ways It Can Boost Health

• Weight Maintenance: Research continues to reveal that consuming grapefruit benefits weight loss in a a major way. The key may be an enzyme called AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which appears to get activated by an organic compound in grapefruit called nootkatone. When AMPK gets activated, it encourages the body’s energy-producing processes, like glucose uptake, for example, which helps boost metabolism. That, in turn, can encourage weight loss. AMPK is generally activated during exercise to help muscles use stored sugar and fat for energy.

• Cellulite Reduction: Another one of the many desirable grapefruit benefits is its apparent ability to help discourage cellulite. According to the International Journal of Cosmetic Science, the primary way it can be used to reduce cellulite is through inhaling the vapor of the extract because it stimulates the nervous system by 250 percent. This grapefruit aromatherapy combined with a topical cream that contains caffeine can reportedly have a slimming effect. This citrus fruit also contains significant levels of anti-inflammatory and skin-cleansing agents, including the enzyme bromelain, which is known to help break down cellulite. So if you’re wondering how to get rid of cellulite, grapefruit just may do the trick.

• Cancer Fighter: According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, cell and animal studies have shown that grapefruit’s phytochemicals naringenin and limonin have shown an ability to reduce the growth of of colon, mouth, skin, lung, breast and stomach cancers. The studies also showed that not only did proliferation slow down, but the highly desirable self-destruction of the cancer cells increased. Grapefruit’s super start antioxidant, vitamin C, has also been shown to prevent harmful changes to DNA caused by free radicals while also preventing carcinogen development. All this makes grapefruit one of the more effective cancer-fighting foods out there.

• Stroke Risk Reducer: According to a 2012 study by the American Heart Association, eating grapefruits and oranges appears to be useful in lowering the risk of a stroke, especially if you’re a woman. Citrus fruits are very high in a group of compounds called flavonoids, and this research shows that higher consumption of flavonoids may decrease the risk of an ischemic stroke.

Best exercises to reduce belly fat

• Plank With A Twist: You probably already know all about the plank. It’s notorious for bringing the burn to your core. It’s one of the best Pilates moves to shed belly fat and tighten abdominal muscles. You could add a twist to the basic plank to encourage even more fat burn. Balance on your forearms and have a steady base with your legs reaching straight behind you, hips lifted off the ground with your body in a straight line. Hold this pose for up to one minute while twisting your hips right and left. Focus on engaging the muscles in your core. Rest for one minute and then repeating three times.

• Teasers: Teasers are another Pilates exercise that will not only work your abdominal muscles but will also work out your legs and arms. It works on strengthening the full body and incorporates many muscles including all of the abdominal muscles, spinal extensors, and hip flexors. Upgrade this exercise by throwing in a twist. When you throw in a twist, it’s one of the best toning moves for both your sides and your core. Lie on your back with your legs straight and squeezed together. Extend your arms out into a ‘T’ position on the floor. Lift the head off the floor looking towards your toes. Sweep your arms into your hips as you roll all the way up, lifting your upper body and lower body into a V position, balancing on your tailbone. Now comes the twist! Twist your torso to the right then come back to the center. Scoop the stomach in to peel back down to the start position.

• Swimming: The swimming Pilates move is very similar to actual swimming—just without the pool. It’s a classic Pilates exercise that can help you tone your muscles and slim down. It ends up incorporating similar motions to those you’d use in the water, but you’ll actually do them from the floor. You should lie on your stomach with your arms and legs stretched out. They should be opened a little wider than hip distance. Then, Lift your upper body and lower body off the floor, including your arms and legs. Your head should be in line with your body so that you are looking at the floor. Keep the back of your neck long. Begin to kick your arms and legs like you’re swimming.

• The Hundred: The Hundred is a dynamic breathing exercise that engages the deep abdominal muscles. The controlled arm movements help stimulate blood flow and promote circulation, which activates your transverse abdominis (a.k.a. your inner abs) in order to cinch your waistline “like a corset.” They don’t call it “the hundred” for nothing—you’ll pump your arms 100 times for this. Here’s how it’s done: 1. Lie on your back with your legs extended and arms by your sides. 2. Lift your head, neck, and shoulders off the mat while simultaneously raising your legs to a tabletop position. 3. Pump your arms up and down while inhaling for five counts and exhaling for five counts (a total of 100 arm pumps).

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