What is Ephedrine?

If you have done research on weight loss pills you have probably heard of Ephedrine. Whether you’ve heard good or bad things, Ephedrine is definitely a popular ingredient. But what exactly is it and is it safe and effective for weight loss?

History of Ephedrine

Ephedrine comes from a genus or plants called ephedra. Ephedra can be found in dryer climates around North America, Europe, and Africa. Historians suggest that ephedra and its extracts have been used to tens of thousands of years, mostly for medicinal purposes.

Not until the early 1990s did ephedrine begin to be marketed as a weight loss supplement. Early manufacturers claimed the stimulant boosted energy and burned fat faster than anything else in its time. But later research brought about the bad side of ephedrine.

Is Ephedrine Legal?

In 2004, the FDA issued a ban on all weight loss supplements containing ephedrine. In fact, it is illegal in the U.S. to use ephedrine for anything other than to treat asthma, allergies, colds, or other diseases.

Despite current regulations on obtaining ephedrine, there are still ways to get around those regulations. For example, ephedrine is used in medications that are designed to treat asthma and other diseases, but they are only offered with a prescription. Without a prescription, you can purchase a tea called má huáng, which contains ephedrine. However, the FDA ban restricts the tea to be sold as a dietary supplement or an ingredient in a diet pill.

Is Ephedrine Safe?

There is a reason why the FDA has banned ephedrine as a weight loss supplement. There are quite a few common side effects associated with ephedrine that include: anxiety, dizziness, nausea, headaches, sweating, and stress.

Along with the minor side effects, there are also chances of experiencing more serious adverse effects. These kinds of effects are one reason the FDA decided to put a ban on ephedrine. The overall risks from taking ephedrine outweighed the potential benefits. Serious side effects may include: heart attack, stroke, difficulty breathing, and anorexia.

Does Ephedra Help Burn Fat?

It’s remarkable that people still try and market ephedrine as a weight loss pill. As already stated, it is illegal to sell over the counter in the U.S. and additionally, it hasn’t ever been proven to be effective in weight loss. Extensive research has been done on ephedrine as a weight loss supplement with little to no evidence suggesting major long-term results. The only beneficial results were small and short term.

Is It Worth It?

Because ephedrine is illegal to sell and buy in the United States, it would be extremely risky to import it illegally to the country. On top of that, you would have to pay a fortune to get it here, not to mention the numerous health risks you could potentially experience from taking the supplement.

Even if ephedrine had proven and powerful results, there would be no reason to risk so much to try it out. Nowadays, there are weight loss supplements that are designed to give you the same fat burning results without the serious side effects. You can find some powerful weight loss pills on www.weightlosspills.org. Don’t get caught up in the hype of ephedrine. It’s just not worth it.

NV Diet

NV Diet is a diet that looks very glamorous. It is endorsed by Holly Madison, a model and celebrity, and claims that it can produce amazing results. We are going to look a little closer and see if it really is as glamorous as it seems.

NV Diet Details

The NV Diet Website claims that users will be able to lose not only pounds, but inches, without having to sacrifice taste. Also, they will see amazing weight loss results in a very short period of time.

Holly Madison, the spokeswoman for NV Diet, reports that she went down a full pants size after only two weeks of using NV Diet.

One thing that we notice is that there is absolutely no information on the NV Diet website about how this weight loss supplement actually works. We don’t know if it is supposed to burn fat, suppress appetite, or a little of both.

The Good

There are definitely some things to love about NV Diet.

First of all, two of its key ingredients (though it does not list which ones) were clinically proven to produce weight loss.

In addition, it is easy to find all of the ingredients that make up the NV Diet formula, as they are posted on the home page of the NV Diet website.

Not only this, but for those who are sensitive to caffeine, there are two formulas: one with caffeine, and another without.

Finally, we love the price of NV Diet. At $49.95 plus $9.95 shipping and handling for 120 pills, it is very affordable.

In fact, if you do the math, it costs $0.50 per pill. If this is still a little too expensive for you, there are other places that you can find it online.

The Bad

Even though there are things to love about NV Diet, there are definitely other aspects that we are not excited about.

First of all, it is made of not one, but two proprietary blends. There actually is no information at all about the amounts of any of the ingredients.

Even though one proprietary blend is called the “NV Weight Loss Complex,” neither of the ingredients listed in it actually are related to weight loss at all.

The other proprietary blend, called the “NV Superfruit Complex,” actually has caffeine in it, meaning that it has the ability to raise your metabolism.

Because the amounts are not listed, however, there is no way to tell if NV Diet has the amount of caffeine that has been shown to help users lose weight.

Because the proprietary blend is used, we doubt that it has the right amount.

The Skinny

The bottom line with NV Diet is that we don’t quite trust it. It definitely has some perks, but the ingredients, which are really what weight loss supplements come down to, are very weak.

We seriously doubt NV Diet’s ability to produce any weight loss at all. Because of this, we can’t recommend it to consumers. Unfortunately, NV Diet does not live up to the glamour it advertises after all.

Nutrition Balanced Diet

Beef: It’s what’s for Dinner! Or is it? Our nostalgic diet from the 50′s of meat and potatoes has left over half of our population overweight.

With more energy available to every American, and less work needed to obtain it, it’s becoming easier and easier to pack on the pounds and harder and harder to shed them.

Part of the problem is the food choices we face. Our capitalistic society is focused on maximizing output and minimalizing input. Companies produce low cost foods that are based on low cost ingredients like corn. This leaves us with a plethora of affordable processed foods. Setting aside morality and politics, there are several benefits to different types of food. It’s our choice to determine what to include in our diet so we can eat healthy. So what are the pro’s and con’s of different foods?

Grains

Quite simply, humans need grains to survive. Wheat surprisingly has all of the nutrients a human body needs to survive with minimal supplementation. However, corn has little nutritional value and only provides sugars and some fiber before passing through the digestive tract. Grains grow abundantly, but need to do so to support modern industrial demand. Grains are cheep, plentiful and life sustaining. It’s no wonder it’s called it the “bread of life”.

Meat

Many people think that meat is just an unhealthy filler. While meats can contain fats and cholesterol, they are a vital source of protein. The reason meat is so filling is because it is so easily assimilated into our bodies (it is similar to what it already there), meaning it is more energy efficient to eat meat over other food sources.

Dairy

While not essential for life (many Asian cultures have little dairy in their diets) milk provides healthy fats, protein and is packed with nutrients. However, milk also contains unhealthy fats as well.

Plants

Fruits and vegetables provide sugars and nutrients that are hard to obtain through other sources of food. With no health drawbacks (except in some exotic plants) Fruits and vegetables should be as important to the diet as grains. However, sugars from fruits are only quick sources of energy, and the mass of plant matter is undigestable by humans (as apposed to meats, where almost all of the nutritional value is obtained before it becomes waste)

Processed Foods

While it is true that most of the preservatives and salt in processed foods can cause long term health problems, processed foods can be packed with nutrients and energy. Stay away from high-frutose corn syrup and salt, but find processed foods high in grains. Processed foods also include multivitamins, magic pill, but there are weight loss supplements, and other substances that have improved the American quality of life.

In the end, no one food source is superior to the others, but each must be eaten in a balanced diet.

Chocolate Diet

Sacrificing sweets is a common requirement for dieting, but it does not have to be.

A lot of diets have strict guidelines and recommendations, requiring you to count calories consistently and avoid sugary treats. Although effective, most people end up hating diets and quitting before reaching any weight loss goals.

The chocolate diet is a simple plan to help you lose weight efficiently and effectively without losing your commitment. Rather than having a long list of dos and don’ts the chocolate diet relies on self-supervision.

The chocolate diet is lowering caloric intake, eating healthier, exercising, and adding a daily dose of dark chocolate. The chocolate diet allows you a small sugary reward daily without sabotaging your entire dieting efforts. By eating a piece of dark chocolate, you are able to satisfy your sweet tooth to crush cravings and avoid binging later.

As it turns out, dark chocolate is the most beneficial type of chocolate. Dark chocolate happens to have the least amount of sugar and fat. Dark chocolate also has a number of additional benefits for the body.

By eating dark chocolate in moderation daily, you can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Dark chocolate has polyphenol, which acts as an anti-inflammatory agent with antioxidant properties to reduce the amount of damaging free radicals.

Caffeine is also found in dark chocolate. The small amount of caffeine in chocolate can help uplift your mood and maybe even stimulate your metabolism.

Other nutrients in dark chocolate include vitamins and minerals. Some of the minerals in dark chocolate include calcium, potassium, zinc, and iron. Alongside these minerals vitamin A, B, C, and E helps enhance the immune system and improve overall health.

By eating small amounts of chocolate daily, dieting does not have to be tedious and bland. Dark chocolate can be a beneficial addition to any diet as long as you maintain portion control.

Supplements have used Astragalus Root to help people boost immunity and heal wounds but many have started using it for weight loss. With so many supposed effects, can this ingredient really help people significant amounts of fat?

Astragalus Root has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries. It’s considered to be one of the 50 Fundamental Herbs. Traditionally, it was used in many teas and soups to help strengthen immunity, aid digestion, and even treat diabetes. As herbal medicine has grown more popular in the West, Astragalus Root is becoming common in many supplements across the world. However, in many cases it’s being used in ways that are not supported by clinical studies. Is weight loss one of these?

Astragalus Root and Weight Loss

Astragalus Root has been used in herbal remedies to boost metabolism. Higher metabolism can help increase the rate at which the body converts fat and calories are converted into energy. In most diet pills, you’ll find stimulants that are designed to achieve this effect. Some though have started using Astragalus Root as a stimulant substitute. Unfortunately, we have not been able to find studies that have shown Astragalus Root to be anywhere near as effective in creating these same fat burning reactions as a common stimulant might.

Other Astragalus Root Benefits

But while Astragalus Root may not be the best approach for losing weight, it does have other interesting results to offer. The most impressive possibly is its properties as an antioxidant. Astragalus Root’s chemical makeup has been shown to be effective at limiting the production of free radicals thus protecting cells from damage that may cause cancer or premature aging. New research is also popping up that suggests Astragalus Root extract might be able to decrease errors in DNA replication. These errors are one of the main causes of aging. Thus Astragalus Root would be a much more fitting inclusion in an anti-aging product than it would be in a diet pill.

Damiana Herb

Damiana Herb can be found in many supplement blends these days. It pops up in multiple kinds of products, each formulated for different results which might make you wonder- What does Damiana really do?

What is Damiana?

Damiana herb is a plant native to Central and South America as well as some regions in Mexico and the American Southwest. It has been used in Native American folk medicine since the time of the Mayans. Over the centuries it has been used in relaxing herbal teas and in some instances as an aphrodisiac. But today, supplement have begun using Damiana for a very different reason.

Damiana and Weight Loss

The most interesting aspect of Damiana is probably is that it can be used as a weight loss supplement . . . sort of. Many diet pills have begun adopting Damiana into their blends for its ability to suppress appetite. But before you buy anything containing Damiana, though, make sure that it is included with two other vital ingredients- Guarana and Yerba Mate. Only as a trio can these compounds work together to function as an appetite suppressant. If a formula contains only one or two of these ingredients, you can be sure that you’re paying for compounds your body cannot use.

When Damiana, Guarana, and Yerba Mate are all present in the same blend, they have the power to delay gastric emptying, meaning they hold food in your digestive tract longer. By slowing the digestive process, your stomach will feel full longer. By staying satisfied longer you can curb cravings, reduce your caloric intake, and even lose weight. Combined with diet and exercise, this trifecta of ingredients was shown in one study to help test subjects lose an average of 11.2 pounds over the course of the study. With results, like these Damiana should definitely be a product to keep your eyes out for . . . as long as it is included with Guarana and Yerba Mate of course.

Ballerina Diet

You don’t have to be a ballerina to have the body of a ballerina.

Dancers are known for their slim physiques. Although rigorous dance training is partly responsible for the typical dancer figure, the right diet is just as important.

The ballerina diet is a set of dietary guidelines that help ballerinas and dancers keep a strong and stable figure. Unlike other fads, the ballerina diet teaches portion control and helps reduce caloric intake.
The ballerina diet is also not a crash diet. The ballerina diet will help you lose weight at a steady and healthy pace so weight loss results are not fleeting.

Following the ballerina diet, alongside a daily exercise routine could be just as beneficial for you as dancers.

The ballerina diet includes:

• Divide every serving in each meal in half.
• Do not add soup to a meal. Soup is to be an independent meal.
• Avoid mixing proteins in a single meal (dairy, meat, and fish).
• Start using low fat or fat free dairy products including cheeses. Even begin to dilute milk with ice or water before you drink it.
• Remove mayonnaise from your diet.
• Avoid salt. For flavoring, replace salt with spices.
• Drink water 30 minutes prior to a meal or an hour after each meal.
• Drink 8-10 glasses of water daily.

These guidelines may seem strict, however, the rules do not determine exact meals; leaving room for personal discretion. It is also important to maintain daily nutritional requirements during the ballerina diet.
Adding exercise to this regimen is just as important as following the diet itself. Combining exercise with the ballerina diet will ensure weight loss.

Overall, the ballerina diet should stabilize your metabolism and help you lose weight efficiently.

Does Endoburn NT Really Work?

Endoburn NT has sold in thousands of stores across the United States and over 90 different coutnries so far. Created by BSN, Endoburn NT supposedly promotes standout fat burning and weight loss results, targeting even difficult visceral fat from just about every angle and winning! But this is all advertising. It’s all about the ingredients.

Key Ingredients Used

Caffeine Anhydrous – Caffeine anhydrous can burn fat and increase energy at the same time. It is in fact the most common ingredient found in most diet pills

DL-Phenylalanine – An amino acid, this is found in the breast milk of animals, and it can be converted into l-tyrosine, maintaining lean and healthy muscles.

1,3-Dimethylpentylamine – An extract of geranium, this has been rumored to improve lean muscle function.

Bacopa – Used in Ayurvedic medicine, Bacopa is well known for its nootropic or mood lifting benefits.

Fursultiamine – Used in clinical trials against Alzheimer’s and autistic spectrum disorder, it can improve energy metabolism and fight fatigue during exercise.

Cocoa Extract – Rich in a number of different extracts, cocoa extract has antioxidant benefits, and it also has components that can suppress appetite and burn fat.

Green Coffee Extract – Rich in an extract called Svetol, this can burn fat, creating a powerful thermogenic effect if used in amounts of only 250mg.

Bitter Orange Extract – Bitter orange extract has been used to burn fat, suppress appetite, and increase energy levels as a natural alternative to ephedrine. But it’s said to be safer.

Grapefruit – Grapefruit is mostly meant to burn fat with a stimulant free approach.

Clary Sage – Used to promote healthy estrogen balance, clary sage can be used in women who want to get rid of the symptoms of things like PMS.

Red Pepper – Used to promote a stimulant free and mild thermogenic fat burning effect.

Black Pepper – Black pepper or Bioperine is best known for its ability to enhance the absorption of healthy nutrients into the body.

Yohimbine HCL – Yohimbine is mostly meant to be used as a natural aphrodisiac. It does not promote weight loss. But it has been connected to cases of heart attacks, strokes, renal failure, and kidney damage.

Diiodothyroacetic Acid Isomer (Dicana™) – Used in a few big products such as BSN Atro-Phex and Thermolife Dicana, there is no solid information about what this ingredient actually does.

Banaba Leaf – Used to regulate blood sugar levels, banaba leaf can control cravings. But it does not actually promote weight loss in and of itself.

Chromium Propionate – chromium is mostly used to control blood sugar levels. But it doesn’t promote weight loss.

Conclusion

Endoburn NT is a big BSN product. But that doesn’t mean nearly as much as you might think. Endoburn NT does not have as many benefits as you might think. It has clinically proven ingredients. But it also has yohimbine, an aphrodisiac that is as bad as ephedra minus the weight loss. When all weighed and measured out, Endoburn NT doesn’t actually have a formula worth buying.

Grape Seed Liquid

Grape seed liquid is finding its way into hundreds of different supplements these days. The companies behind these products market this extract as being able to do everything from fight fat to helping you to look younger. This article has been written however to determine whether grape seed liquid is just another over-hyped ingredient or a useful addition to your supplement regimen.

Unlike some “miracle ingredients” of yesteryear, grape seed liquid’s benefits are actually backed by some rather sound studies. Though it hasn’t really been shown to help reduce fat, research has been especially strong in supporting that it can promote heart health and function as an antioxidant.

Grape Seed Liquid & Cardiovascular Health

Several clinical studies have suggested that grape seed liquid can be a great way to promote heart health. Containing some unique chemical compounds called Phenols, grape seed extract has been shown to relieve inflammation in veins, regulate cholesterol, and inhibit platelet buildup. By clearing the vein of these barriers, this ingredient can lower blood pressure. Low blood pressure puts less stress on heart muscles, preventing potential cardiac problems in the future.

Powerful Antioxidant

Other clinical research has tied grape seed liquid to a number of antioxidant benefits. First it can thwart enzymatic processes that catabolize collagen and elastin. By preserving these tissues, grape seed liquid can help fight wrinkles and keep skin firm and thick. This gives it great application in several beauty supplements or creams. Its ability to seek out and destroy free radicals also makes it great for preserving cellular health and preventing the damage that can lead to cancer.

Other Benefits

Though much research still needs to be conducted, early findings are suggesting that grape seed liquid may also accelerate healing from wounds, prevent tooth decay, enhance bone density, and even treat certain types of skin cancer. With so many effects under its belt, this ingredient is definitely worthy of the attention it’s getting. If you’re looking for a potent antioxidant or for a natural way to improve heart health, grape seed liquid is a great option.

Does Vita Slim Really Work?

Vita Slim brags about just about everything under the sun, and it sounds a little overdone. Vita Slim touts all of the supposed benefits of the right multivitamin, and while I don’t disagree that the right multivitamin has certain benefits, I wouldn’t say that weight loss is among them.

Vita Slim has a whole list of benefits that go way beyond what most vitamins really do, and even at $15.99, which is cheap for a diet pill, that’s still a lot to pay for a multivitamin! But nobody would dare promote a multivitamin diet pill unless it had something else, would they?

Key Ingredients Used

Vitamin A – Mostly known for its ability to fight acne, vitamin A is essential to healthy eye function.

Beta Carotene – Responsible for the red pigment in many common fruits and vegetables, beta carotene promotes pro vitamin A activity.

Vitamin C – Known mostly for its immune boosting benefits, this is also a healthy antioxidant.

Vitamin D3 – Vitamin D3 is mostly used to increase the absorption of calcium and promote better bone health

Vitamin E – Used to promote healthy skin, vitamin E acts as a healthy antioxidant.

Vitamin B1 – Thiamine improves absorption, serum proteins, cellular uptake, tissue distribution, and excretion.

Vitamin B2 – Essential to red blood cells, riboflavin can improve intestinal health and wellbeing, and it has been used to prevent neonatal jaundice

Vitamin B3 – Niacin has been known for its flushing effect. But this B vitamin is essential for healthy skin, hair, eyes, and liver.

Vitamin B6 – Vitamin B6 is used to promote better amino acid metabolism, gluconeogenesis, and lipid metabolism.

Folate – It generally takes a long time to develop any sort of deficiency, because the body stores it. But folate is used to promote better human reproduction, prevent heart disease, stroke, and prevent cancer. And it can also improve memory.

Vitamin B12 – This may protect against brain shrinkage and Alzheimer’s disease. But it does not actually promote weight loss.

Biotin – Used to fight hair problems, seborrheic dermatitis, and type 2 diabetes, this is more preventative than it is a treatment.

Pantothenic acid – This has been used to improve testicular torsion, diabetic ulceration, hypolipidemic effects, wound healing, hair care, acne, and diabetic peripheral polyneuropathy.

Calcium – Calcium is primarily used to improve bone health and strength.

Iodine – Iodine is said to improve the health of the thyroid. But the large majority of people do not have any actual problems with their thyroid.

Magnesium – Used to promote strong bones, reverse osteoporosis, prevent heart attacks, and relieve migraines, insomnia, and depression.

Copper – Copper can help the body to better process iron, preventing anemia, low body temperature, brittle bones osteoporosis, dilated veins, uneven heartbeat, low white blood cell count, uneven heartbeats, elevated cholesterol levels, low resistance to infections, birth defects, and low skin pigmentation.

Chromium – Commonly used to control blood sugar, chromium has never actually been proven to promote weight loss. But it may be good for those with type 2 diabetes.

Potassium – Potassium has been used to improve problems with strokes, low blood sugar, muscle disorders, cramps, brain function, blood pressure, anxiety, stress, muscular strength, metabolism, heart and kidney disorders, water balance, and the nervous system. It is also considered to be an essential electrolyte.

Green tea – Green tea has been popularly used to burn fat and promote healthy antioxidant benefits at the same time. But it requires amounts that are not used here.

Caffeine – If you use at least 400mg of caffeine, it can help you to burn fat and achieve other weight loss benefits. But with only about 37.5mg, not a chance.

Conclusion

Vita Slim may have vitamins that are healthy, and it does have 2 forms of caffeine that could ideally help you to burn fat and lose weight. But it does not have the clinically proven amounts or really anything close to the clinically proven amounts, and since when did you take a multivitamin to burn fat? I must have missed that random announcement.