Dr Pete's Health Secrets

      Losing weight to achieve the “killer figure” has been all the rage over the past few years. But it’s about more than just self-image, it’s about your health.  When you have excess fat in the body, you increase risk factors for diseases that affect the heart and the other vital organs of your body. Many people turn to crash diets, a very unhealthy way to lose weight. Another draw back is you tend to put it back pn when you stop the diet. Did you know that there are certain foods you can include in your diet to help loose weight.  In this article I will examine 10 foods that you can incorporate into your diet, that will help you loose weight and better still, keep the weight off. 1. Chilles Chilli peppers belong to the plant group, Capsicum. The bioactive ingredient is called Capsaicin , the substance responsible for the heat in chili peppers.  It has been found to have numerous health benefits, from reducing the risk of heart disease t...

          The body is continously producing toxic substances as by products of its metabolic activity. These toxic by-products are called "free radicals".  Free radicals as they accumulate in the body cause inflammation which is responsible for the aging process and non communicable diseases including cancer. Many tropical herbs act as anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are chemical substances that act as magnets that bind and neutralise free radicals thus preventing inflammationand tissue destruction.  The bound toxins can then be safely excreted by the body as waste products. One such herbal supplement is the Hibiscus flower  known by its scientific name  Hibiscus sabdariffa   and called Zobo in parts of Africa .  Hibiscus tea is a very popular drink in many parts of the world and is often used as a medicinal tea. However, hibiscus flowers have various local names, and it might be called by its other rather common West African na...