Maybe you are already at an ideal weight and feel really good on a regular basis. If so, you may think there is no need to concern yourself with a healthy eating plan. Who knows, maybe you’re one of those fortunate souls who naturally eats the best foods, and you don’t have to spend any time worrying about what you eat. Perhaps you seem to be able to eat anything you want and have nothing but perfect health to show for it.

Or…

You may be like the vast majority of us and have to actually give some consideration to the foods you eat. While most of us don’t really give all that much thought to a healthy eating plan, we really should. To be fair, you probably do think about the food you eat from time to time. For instance, it’s quite common to eat a lot of junk food and then try to compensate by eating healthier for the rest of the day. It’s good that you’re trying, but this type of behavior doesn’t quite qualify as an eating plan. What you need is a diet that looks at the bigger picture.

The majority of us don’t really know how much sugar we’re taking in, for example. We also tend to eat a lot more fat than we’re aware of. Furthermore, we tend to not think of being on a healthy eating plan at all, unless there is a good reason. Needing to lose weight for an upcoming event (wedding, beach season, class reunion, etc.), or health concerns (diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure) are common reasons.

We only start to think about eating healthier when stuff like this happens. The problem is that it can be too little, too late. It may be possible to repair ill health through proper diet, but once the damage is done, there is no guarantee that it can be fixed. It will also take more effort to make it work. But had we been eating well from the start, there is a very good chance that these ill effects would never have happened. Therefore, it makes a lot more sense to start a healthy eating plan as soon as possible.

If you are in good health now, you could still be at risk if you don’t get your diet in check. There could be environmental factors that contribute to bad health over the long term. A family history of certain diseases could also increase your risk. The funny thing is that some people use these risk factors as an excuse to eat nothing but garbage. They figure they’re going to get these diseases anyway, so that gives them a free ticket to eat whatever they want. That’s sad. The truth is that there are no guarantees that a healthy eating plan will be enough to overcome these risk factors, but it will decrease your risk substantially. So, it only makes sense to eat well. Plus, it is never too late to start.

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Hoodia gordonii is a plant that is grown in South Africa. This plant has a centuries old reputation for suppressing hunger and thirst and was used by bushmen as a way to keep them from getting hungry and thirsty before they set off on long dessert trek. The bushman not only didn’t show any ill effects from ingesting the plant they also spoke of increased vitality and energy. Drug companies have spent decades trying to isolate the compound that gives hoodia gordonii it’s seemingly miraculous powers.

P57 is the compound in hoodia that is credited with helping to suppress appetite and thirst by tricking the brain into thinking it is full and satisfied thus decreasing the desire to eat and drink. While scientists have been unable to incorporate the compound into a diet supplement, they have used the hoodia plant as a whole to create beneficial appetite suppressants. The hoodia side effects have been shown to not exist at all.

There haven’t really been too many documented studies to verify how safe the supplement is to use as a diet aid, but evidence suggests that it has no ill effects and that actually the health benefits of weight loss would seem to outweigh any potential negative side effects of the hoodia gordonii.

One note, since hoodia gordonii can suppress thirst as well as appetite you do need to be careful to drink enough water throughout your day. It’s very easy to get dehydrated if you wait until you feel thirst before drinking, since you won’t feel thirsty while taking the supplement. And, obviously, since hoodia suppresses the appetite it’s important that you are careful to eat enough high nutrient foods to keep your body healthy.

As with most drugs, it’s important to use caution if you are nursing or pregnant and you should always consult your doctor before you start taking a supplement, especially if you are taking other medications, to avoid dangerous interactions. Many people mistakenly believe that as long as the product is all natural they don’t have to worry about taking it, that is not always the case and it’s better to be safe than sorry, talk to your doctor.

Another thing to keep in mind when using, or considering using, any weight loss supplements is to not expect miracles. There is nothing wrong with getting some extra help but you have to be willing to eat properly (enough of the right kinds of food) and get plenty of exercise. A supplement is exactly that: a supplement. It shouldn’t be the do all end all of your weight loss plan, be willing to make the needed lifestyle changes so your weight loss can be permanent.

Hoodia gordonii is an all natural plant that can help you accomplish your weight loss goals (when combined with a proper nutrition plan and plenty of exercise) which has gained in popularity in recent years in large part due to the lack of hoodia side effects. As long as you talk to your doctor first and carefully following the dosing instructions, there is no evidence to suggest that you will have any negative side effects using this supplement. Good luck on your weight loss goals.

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Hoodia gordonii is a plant that is grown in the desserts of South Africa. It has been known for centuries by the local population to be an effective appetite and thirst suppressant which can be a very helpful tool when you are trying to lose weight. Hoodia comes in capsule, liquid, soft chew, and even tea form and is readily available at health food stores and online. Hoodia isn’t a brand, it’s an ingredient so you have many brands to choose from, just make sure that you find a brand that has only pure hoodia and check the concentration since it can range from 250 mg all the way up to 1,000 mg per tablet and that is one factor that can cause a variation in hoodia results.

There are approximately 20 varieties of hoodia but the appetite suppressant is only found in the hoodia gordonii which is often referred to as a cactus, but in reality it is a succulent and can take up to 5 years to mature and be harvested.

In all the years that it has been sold as a diet supplement, there have been no signs of any negative side effects associated with the consumption of hoodia, and if you look at the bushman of Africa who have been eating the plant for centuries with no ill effects it would seem to suggest that this is a safe diet supplement. It’s important to remember that one of the side effects is also a decrease in thirst so make sure you drink plenty of water throughout your day, even if you don’t feel thirsty.

There haven’t been many studies done to ascertain the true effectiveness of hoodia. The only one that I have been able to find took 18 subjects and divided them into two groups, one group received a hoodia supplement and the other a placebo. After 15 days the group who was given the hoodia had lost weight and were eating an average of 1,000 calories per day less than those taking the placebo.

There was also a test done on rats which injected the hoodia directly into their brains with the effect being a reduction in the amount they ate. That study has to be taken with a grain of salt since it was performed on rats and since the hoodia was directly injected into their brains rather than administered via pill form as would be the case for humans.

While there is no real substantiated medical proof that hoodia is an effective diet aid, the anecdotal evidence, while not scientific, would seem to suggest a correlation between hoodia intake and a reduction in appetite. The bottom line is this: even if there is limited scientific study that backs up the claims of what hoodia can do, there is also a lack of evidence suggesting it can be harmful so what have you go to lose? Why not give it a try for yourself and you can find out what hoodia results you get… which is all that really matters anyway!

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