Healthy Snacks That Hinder Weight Loss Efforts

There are plenty of snacks that seem healthier than chips and cookies, but are actually detrimental to weight loss and overall health. Review five of the worst offenders here to help revamp your diet now that you’re taking Phentermine 37.5mg. 

Fruit Bars

These snack bars might be a little healthier than their artificial counterparts, but that doesn’t mean they will help with weight loss. All-fruit bars are typically high in sugar and low in fiber so you’re left feeling hungry about 30 minutes after consuming them. Granola bars are no better, as they are essentially the same as candy bars. 

Pita Chips

The whole wheat versions of pita chips offer a healthy snack when you eat them with homemade hummus, but the white ones? They contain no fiber whatsoever so you feel hungry instead of satiated. 

Paleo Cookies

Cookies with the “paleo” or “vegan” label can seem like attractive alternatives, but in reality they’re just as bad. Vegan cookies are often high in sugar and refined carbs, while paleo versions feature too much saturated fat from butter or eggs. 

Commercial Trail Mix

While DIY trail mix is a healthy snack option, the commercial version has been likened to candy. It often comes loaded with M&Ms and sugary dried fruit that makes it anything but nutritious. Look for weight loss-conscious trail mix recipes online instead of relying on storebought versions. 

Yogurt or Chocolate-Covered Nuts

Sure, nuts contain protein and healthy fat, but coating them with yogurt or chocolate seriously increases their sugar content. Stick to raw nuts such as walnuts and almonds for a dose of healthy fat that keeps you feeling full, which makes it easier to say no to sugar.

Learn How to Fight Bad Breath … Naturally!

Learn natural remedies on how to fight bad breath.

A first date, a job interview, or a visit to the dentist – these are just a couple of occasions that may cause you to do a breath check. When we communicate through speech, we want our words to be front and center, not the smell of our breath.

Foul breath is not only caused by garlic sauce and raw onions, there are lots of things that trigger bad breath and as many suggestions for how to combat it. October is Dental Hygiene Month, and keeping your mouth clean plays a big role in how to fight bad breath, as do a number of other lifestyle and health factors.

Causes of Bad Breath

Certain foods will change the smell of your breath, but there are a lot of other factors at play as well.

Plaque

Keeping your mouth clean and free of plaque is your first defense against bad breath. Plaque is a sticky paste that forms on your teeth and gums and if you don’t brush it away two times a day, it can build up, leading to smelly gum disease and tooth decay.

Diet and Dietary Changes

Spicy and pungent foods are clearly connected to bad breath. As your body digests these foods, they move into your bloodstream and your lungs, changing your breath for a few hours. Additionally, if you’ve made drastic changes, such as switching to the keto diet, you may notice a change in your breath at first.

Dry Mouth

A dry mouth can cause bad breath as well, as your saliva helps keep your mouth clean. When you are dehydrated, your saliva production is decreased (think morning breath), and this can cause an odor.

Disease

Occasionally, bad breath can be an indicator of disease or a more serious problem. Certain cancers, metabolic disorders, and digestive issues can cause foul smelling breath, so if you have tried everything, it’s best to see your doctor.

How to Fight Bad Breath

Brushing and flossing is the best way to fight bad breath and prevent tooth decay, but there are other tricks that some people find effective.

Home Remedies

There are several home remedies that may help fight bad breath. For example, ever wondered why many restaurants serve you a sprig of parsley? It’s not only there for plating, some believe that chewing parsley after a meal can help fight bad breath. Additionally, many people recommend drinking pineapple juice, chewing gum, or using a baking soda mouthwash.

Supplements to Fight Bad Breath

Wondering how to fight bad breath with supplements? Here are a few trusted products and brands we recommend.

OralBiotic from Now Foods

OralBiotic from NOW Foods may reduce bad breath as it contains the naturally occurring probiotic organism Streptococcus salivarius BLIS K12, which has been clinically shown to support oral and throat health.

PRO-Dental for Oral Health by Hyperbiotic

Looking for a way to support healthy teeth, gums, nose, ears, and sinuses? PRO-Dental for Oral Health by Hyperbiotics is formulated with oral probiotics to support pH levels in the oral cavity.

Spry Moisturizing Mouth Spray from Xlear

Struggling with dry mouth or bad breath? Spry Moisturizing Mouth Spray from Xlear uses xylitol and aloe vera to soothe and moisturize the gums and tissues in the mouth and throat, leaving your mouth feeling fresh and healthy.

How do you keep your mouth fresh and odor-free? Use the comments section below to share your healthy habits.

How Detox Helps You Lose Weight

Despite efforts to reduce or eliminate the number of potentially harmful chemicals in consumer products, the agriculture sector, and our waterways, people and companies still improperly use and dispose of these chemicals. Worse still is that many of these chemicals are resistant to biodegradation and will be with us for centuries.

So despite your efforts to live a clean lifestyle, exposure is inevitable. But there may be hope. Research suggests that when toxins enter our body, they sometimes end up in our adipose tissue, which is the body’s fat tissue where energy is stored. So detoxing the body and losing weight may lead to these chemicals leaving the body.

Keep reading to learn more about how you can use detoxification and weight loss to support detoxification.

How Toxins Enter Our Bodies

Even if you’re the healthiest person on this earth, there is still really no possible way to avoid toxins all together.
There's no way to avoid toxins

Toxins are in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the products we use.

Skin

Many people don’t think about how our skin is our largest organ, and what we put on our skin gets absorbed into our bodies even more so than what we put in our mouths. When we eat, our digestive tract helps clean up some of the yuck. When we put things on our skin, most everything absorbs right through to our blood.

So, the sassy ingredients used in most skin & beauty products are one-way toxins pass through. Don’t forget about cleaning supplies, bug sprays, sunscreen, etc. We probably put more things on our skin than we realize.

Water

Living in a developed nation has both its advantages and disadvantages when it comes to water access. On the plus side, for most people, what comes from the tap will likely never cause you any serious problems. The downside is that populated areas are all fighting over the same water supply. That means a lot of commercial and industrial development is build around waterways and water found underground.

Exhaust from vehicles, oil, sewage, improper disposal of waste, and chemicals, among other things, can find their way into the ground or flow into clean water supplies. Thanks to complex filtration processes, much of this won’t reach your faucet, but there still are risks. Common impurities found in public water supplies include:

  • Lead.
  • Mercury.
  • Arsenic.
  • Radioactive substances. 
  • Copper.
  • Chlorine.
  • Nitrates.
  • Fluoride.
  • Manganese.

While small amounts diluted in the water supply may not be immediately dangerous, it also isn’t entirely known what the long-term effects of exposure may be. Using a water filter rated to reduce or remove these and other compounds that may be in your water is one option to consider.

Food… food… food.

If only it were easy to avoid all the human-created extras in our food. Pesticides, additives, artificial coloring, preservatives, harmful contaminants like polybrominated diphenyl ethers, polychlorinated biphenyl and dioxins found in animal products, mercury in fish, artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils, rBGH (Bovine Growth Hormone), arsenic in chicken meat, and bisphenol-A (commonly found in canned foods). These are only some of the issues with our agricultural industry.

Your best bet is to eat as close to the earth as possible. Meaning nuts and seeds, organic produce, avoid sugar (except natural sugar in fruit), and so on.

Air

We won’t go too deep into toxins in the air. What is the water supply is also sometimes found in the air, among other things, such as pollution, combustibles, flame retardants, and paint fumes, and so forth. The crazy thing is, your house has more toxins than the outside air if you keep windows closed and have carpets, furniture, and cleaning supplies containing potentially harmful chemicals used during manufacturing. 

A Cleansing Detox With Weight Loss Benefits

Detox
  • Naturally your skin, lungs, liver, kidneys, digestive, circulatory, and lymphatic systems work hard to eliminate toxins from your body. But, these days the toxic overload is too much for our poor organs to handle. Especially with buildup over time.Detoxification is a healthy and natural way to help your body get rid of harmful toxins. When it is done properly, it is one of the best things you can do for yourself to prevent health issues or even lose weight. Doesn’t it make sense to clean your insides? If your organs don’t have to focus all their attention on the toxic build up, then the nutrients will be able to do what they need for your body.The losing weight part is just an added benefit! When your body eliminates harmful toxins, the fat that is stored to help protect your body will also be eliminated.How Detoxify the Body
    • You can simply exercise and eliminate toxins through your sweat.
    • Drink lots of water and flush out the toxins through your urine.
    • Getting a massage or doing yoga release toxins through your skin.
    • Eat only organic fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Drink plenty of water and herbal tea! This gives your organs a chance to catch up with eliminating your toxic build up.
    • Using nutritional products is also an option to assist your cleansing detoxification process.When using supplements to assist in the detoxification process, it’s best to consult your healthcare practitioner before you begin taking them.Cleansing your body once in a while is a great idea and comes with many benefits including weight loss. It’s a great idea to try a cleansing detox if you’ve been working hard to lose weight and it just isn’t working. It’s also a great way to maintain your ideal weight! Happy detoxing!